Chapter 4

Inside Talos’ room, he changed from his fighting outfit into a more hidden style. Many adventurers were identified by their gear. Each role had its own set of gear that made the wearer easily identifiable and organized in team fights. Gear possesses its own inherent stats but the greatest factor is the primary stats that the person trains in.

Physical fighters tended to train Strength, Dexterity, Vitality, and Speed stats depending on their role. While Talos is a fighter, he uses a combination of Strength, Dexterity, and Speed stat to maximize his fighting efficiency. Not all skills rely solely on a single stat. Magic users train Magic, Piety, and Spirit stats to enhance their magic.

Heavy gears were prioritized by the front line since they tank incoming attacks and lighter outfits were prioritized by the back line or evasive fighters. Changing from a Combatant outfit to a Scout outfit also helps deceive the target since Scout classes keep a distance and didn’t engage in close combat often. As he put the face cover on, the light from the window dimmed as the sun set and the sky grew dark. Looking at his outfit, he was reminded of a time when he would play ninja and tie a shirt around his head to imitate a ninja. The outfit itself was dark grey instead of black as it stood out in the darkness of the night.

Once night had fully set, Talos jumped onto the rooftops and silently made his way to the west area. The west side of the city houses the harbor that is bustling with markets and peddlers during the day, while at night it becomes home to the entertainment district. The south is the residential area where the majority of the commoners lived while the slums were located to the southeast corner of the kingdom. The east gate is the main gate that merchants used to trade with travelers. It was also where the Merchant Guild and Adventurer Guild are located along with more affluent commoners. The north was the nobles’ quarter where the church and king’s castle resided. The north also sits atop a hill overlooking the castle town making infiltration much more difficult. The entertainment district borders between the west and northern area of the city.

While the West Gambling Hall border the outskirts of the entertainment district, it was still a heavily guarded area since nobles often visit many different establishments. A small hall like the West Gambling Hall isn’t a place where one comes to strike it rich, but rather a hangout for a den of thieves. Infiltrating from the top was a simple thing for Talos. The security of the upper halls was lax as they did not expect someone to infiltrate from above.

Sneaking onto the balcony of the third floor, Talos snuck up on the unsuspecting guard and knocked him out. After silently hiding him in a secluded area to not alarm other guards, Talos made his way around the floor and took out all the security in a swift manner. It did not take long before he made his way to where the boss of the Western Gambling Hall resided on the fifth floor. It was a place to entertain his more eccentric guests and benefactors.

“Cheers!” the sound of glass mugs clanged and the room erupted with laughter and revelry. The men drank with a mug in one hand and a dolled-up beauty in the other. The men gathered inside were close confidants of the boss; his thieving subordinate, a rogue cat beastman, a seasoned warrior, a haughty dressed benefactor, and his intimidating bodyguard.

“It won’t be long until we hear the good news,” said the thieving subordinate.

“Yes, I always look forward to hearing about how these young brats get put in their place.”

“Their begging always brings joy to my ears.”

“We always need a fresh supply of runners and flowers.”

“I hear this one’s quite ferocious”

“Ferocious he might be, the more enjoyable it is to tame him, don’t you think.”

“Forget about him, I'd rather tame the Rose of the Flower Garden.”

“That would be a sight to see, if we ever get to see her”

“I’ve only heard rumors about her. Never got a chance to glance at that beauty.”

“Always covered by a veil and heavily guarded like a priceless treasure.”

“I don’t think nine lives would be enough to see what is under that veil with how secure the Flower Garden is,” said a rogue cat beastman.

“If we could be viewing the Flower Garden, we’d be up there like the big boss, not in some dingy back alley with the small flower viewing.”

“Benefactor, you’ve been to their exclusive flower viewing, what is it like, tell us,” said the boss as he poured more drinks for his benefactor.

“I only got a chance by luck, but it was something I would not forget. Oh… the flowers there really were beautiful. A whole wall of them, enough to probably bankrupt the most wealthy of merchants and nobles alike. But none was as beautiful as the Rose”

“Did you see her, what did she look like”

“Shut it, the benefactor is talking”

“Right, sorry boss” the subordinate begged for forgiveness

“No, I did see her but she hid her pretty little face. Still she was a beauty with a voluptuous body that honed that mesmerizing dance that she performs. It was so enchanting that I lost myself in that moment and was scolded for it. I wasn’t the only one so I wasn’t the only one to look like a fool that night. But I remember those eyes, those beautiful emerald eyes and that burning red hair. It really does fit to call her Rose.”

“Rose ain’t the only beautiful flower there is she?”

“No but she is the most prized flower. But you can’t forget the other named flowers. Each one is no less beautiful than the last. Each one is worth so much, it costs a fortune just to spend a night in their company, and you don’t even get a taste.”

“What!?”

“That’s maddening”

“Who would even spend that much and not enough to know the taste of the flower.”

“Men with pockets so deep, it becomes a drop in a bucket.”

“Crazy. I wish I could have that kind of money”

“Don’t we all”

“I heard this crazy rumor”

“Really what is it? Come on now, don’t keep us from it.”

“Word is, the Duke heir wanted to spend time with the Rose but got shut down. Only to spend his time with the named flower.”

“Which one was it? Lily? Lotus?”

“Sazanka? No, not Iris right.” the thieving subordinate said in a desperate manner like all color would drain from his life if he heard the devastating news.

“Nay, it was Hydrangea” the news shocked the men, since they had never heard of Hydrangea before. “She is a newly named flower, but one as wicked as she is beautiful. I heard she left the Duke’s heir drained of wealth. He even offered some priceless family heirlooms and it infuriated the Duke.”

The news caught the attention of all the men in the room, ignoring their drinks and leaving their flower unattended. Rattling outside in the halls could be heard as everyone was silent to hear more.

“They say after that one night, the heir left with nothing to his name but the little pants that he traded his attendant for.” Before the benefactor could go any further, a subordinate came from the outside.

“Boss we have bad news!”

“What? We were getting to the good part. This better be something important.” The subordinate closed in and whispered in the boss’s ears.

The look on the boss's eyes shifted immediately as he heard the news.

“What’s the matter, boss?”

“It seems we might have to cut tonight short since some matter came up”

It wasn’t long before another subordinate came running.

“Boss bad news, we’re under attack” The news came as a shock to them. Who in their right mind would attack a gambling hall. They must have a death wish.

“Well, what are you waiting for? Call the men? What do I pay you for?”

“That’s the thing boss everyone below is done in. I only saw that thing before-” A chop struck the subordinate from behind, knocking him unconscious. It alarmed them as they didn’t sense anyone before the strike happened. Out from the shadow emerged a man with the eyes of demons. Frightening enough that the flowers panicked and fled the room in horror.