**Three days later, in the morning, underground plaza**
The feelings of excitement and fear intertwined in Riko's mind as the dawn of the day in which he would participate in his first mission had arrived. It had been three days since Maddeline informed the group of their first mission as Marked Mercenaries. In truth, Riko dreaded the idea of taking another person's life—a rather hypocritical sentiment considering his end goal of avenging Zephyr.
He walked to the meeting room, which had been nicely decorated with shiny ornaments, to see Albert already sitting there with a neutral expression.
"Just from looking at you, I can tell you grew tremendously in the simple three days you spent training. It honestly terrifies me how fast you seem to get stronger," Albert remarked while chuckling.
Riko returned the compliment: "I could say the same for you," he replied as he sat.
The door creaked open as Kiera entered; she immediately jolted back upon seeing Riko, her face flushing red.
"C'mon, Kiera, don't let these sissies scare you," Seracore said as he entered the room with boundless confidence. He held a large object covered and obscured by bandages wrapping it; it seemed decently heavy, which only made Riko more impressed that Seracore could carry it.
Rennet was next to arrive; he seemed to have wrapped a fiery red bandana on his head, a look that was ridiculous to Albert but "cool" to Riko and Seracore.
"I'm ready! Where's this 'Witch of Chains' chick!? I'll burn her to a—" Rennet was interrupted by Albert, who looked tired of his loud voice already.
"Sit down and wait," he said coldly with a dismissive tone.
It wasn't long before Jetore walked in, followed by Ren, who seemed to have finally remembered to wear clothes. He didn't say anything, curiously, which caught Riko's attention. The tension in the room was almost suffocating to Kiera, who sat back, clutching a strange elongated object wrapped in bandages. She felt she was in a room with dynamites on the edge of touching fire, but she couldn't distract herself from Riko, who didn't seem bothered in the slightest. She was envious of his confidence, despite him being the rookie in the situation.
It didn't take long for Maddeline to walk in, followed by Mr. Kran and Clara.
"Let's get down to business. You are Marked Mercenaries; we use our power to kill for the sake of justice. Some of you will lose your innocence today, and if you can't handle it, then I suggest cutting ties with us," Mr. Kran remarked, his cold eyes glaring expectations. The sentence rang true in everyone's mind, so much so that Albert wondered if he had gone down the wrong path—it was too late now, anyway.
Jetore smirked like a tiger eyeing its prey; his hands were already tainted, after all, by the blood of Erada and the many criminals and Cryoharian officials he had slaughtered in the past.
"The target is a woman by the name of Laticia; she can be identified by her long blood-red hair and passion mark on her neck. For some background, she is the host and operator of the Red Auction, an illegal auction involving human trafficking and forbidden objects. Our goal is simple: raid the Red Auction and kill Laticia. Additionally, our soldier squad will open fire and dispose of Laticia's guests and bidders—corrupt government dogs and filthy criminals, the lot of them," Kran explained, his eyes displaying a hidden emotion of pity, something only Albert noticed from his careful observation.
"What exactly is this chick's power?" Seracore asked.
Before Kran could answer, Clara joined the conversation, her Asian kimono—a cultural clothing of a distant land—reminding Albert of Mei. "She attained the Mark of the Enslaver. As the name suggests, she can enslave and dominate the wills of others, controlling them like puppets, and this is how she mainly operates her business," she answered.
The claim sent a chill through the room. Rennet had burned people to ashes before; Jetore had blasted people to bits; even Kiera had killed before, considering she had gone on a few mercenary missions prior to Riko joining. But the power to enslave others like they're toys had an essence of evil none came close to. It was a wonder what Laticia's passion could've possibly been to have been gifted such a nefarious power.
Cutting the cold silence, Maddeline finally spoke, her bright violet hair and arm-cut sleeveless shirt providing a nice contrast. "The Red Auction's outside Neran City, hidden in an urban area in dense bushes. It begins at 10 a.m., so we have about three hours. I think we should get going," she suggested.
Mr. Kran nodded. "Move out," he commanded, his voice stern and cold.
***9:57 a.m., the Red Auction hall***
The beautiful golden stage provided a bright contrast to its purpose, as the many seats surrounding it consisted of hardened criminals—some from local gangs, representatives of the mafia—all gathering around.
Riko stepped up; like everyone else, he wore a black cloak and hood which shrouded his identity. He would have smiled because of how cool he looked in that moment, if not for his disgust at the beastly sight before him.
"What do ye think Laticia's got for us this month?" a man asked; he wore a long brown coat and had many tattoos depicting the severed, unclothed bodies of women.
"Hopefully a new dancer girl; she'd make for some hot decoration! I also want a new pleasure doll for my stress!" another man answered; he had a tall and large physique.
Some man in elegant attire sitting before them scoffed. "What a bunch of simple idiots. A true item worth buying would be a slave of high birth, or a prized artifact—think of the millions you could make," he said with a rather snotty voice.
The scene unfolding was nothing short of disgusting to Riko. Life was a miracle itself; to grow, love, and find something cherishable is every person's birthright—at least, that's how Riko saw it, one of the many sentimentalities Zephyr had taught him. Despite the value of life, these people treated it like it was any other thing. There was no respect for another person's right to live, nor for any conscience or morals; it was as if the people surrounding the hooded boy were demons disguised as people.
The reality of the Red Auction properly dawned on him as he clenched his fists. *...I'll make sure that witch suffers painfully,* he thought.
Albert made his way through the crowd, hidden in the same disguises as Riko. Though he wasn't as sentimental, his urge to kill these people cheering for the auction to start only grew more from constant thoughts of the pain the victims must've felt. He crouched beside Kiera, who had seemingly increased the volume of her headphones for whatever song she was listening to—an obvious attempt to obscure the inhumane cheers from the crowd around them. It was suffocating.
"So we're s'posed to wait until that Kran guy gives the order? That's bullshit; I say we get her the moment she shows up!" Rennet remarked, peering from a crowd of common thieves who reeked as if they hadn't showered in years, the scent of alcohol annoyingly clear.
Beside him stood Ren, who wore a diving suit for strange reasons, accompanied by the cloak and hood to hide him. Despite his usual upbeat and flamboyant personality, he seemed focused on the stage.
"Kran's one of the Crimson Stains, a member of the most elite force in the organization. I'd show respect, newbie," he said. Rennet was intrigued by Ren's serious answer; from what he had heard from Albert, Ren was loud and eccentric. His behavior in the moment reflected the seriousness of the mission they were in.
Mr. Kran and Clara stood up above in the furthest but highest seats in the hall, both shrouded in black cloaks and hoods. Kran took a deep breath as he lowered a mic on his neck.
"The plan is simple: when I give the order, you all must unleash your fastest attacks on Laticia, who will be standing on the stage. After doing so, immediately scatter and rendezvous at the hill to the south of this fortress. You may kill if necessary to protect yourself if met with retaliation of any form. Is that clear?" he commanded, speaking into the small mic.
The sentence was transmitted into the earpieces each of the members had in their ears. "Yes, sir," they answered in unison, but quietly.
Maddeline smirked as she stood tall behind Jetore and Seracore outside the entrance to the hall, still within the fortress they had entered. She looked to her side to see Seracore and Jetore, who looked ready to kill each other more than Laticia.
"Say that again, pussy! I'll blow you to bits!" Jetore yelled.
"Try it and see what happens, punk! You think you're tough shit?" Seracore replied with an arrogant smirk that pissed Jetore off.
"Shut it, boys; we're on a mission, in case you haven't noticed," Maddeline commented, grabbing their attention. She looked behind to see a large group of hooded mercenary soldiers with special firearms and blades who waited in anticipation. Even with their support, Maddeline couldn't help but feel uneasy.
In an instant, the big hand on the clock above reached twelve as the small one touched ten. The time had come.
As the curtains rose, a spotlight shone down on a woman who walked to the stage like a diva, her hips swaying right to left, accompanied by her beautiful long red hair, sweatshirt, and shorts that were supported by long black socks that reached above her thighs. The curves of her body would be enough to grab the attention of any lust-crazed person in the room, and so it did, as the crowd cheered, regardless of gender.
"LATICIA! LATICIA! YEAHHHH!!!!" they all shouted as if a famous celebrity had blessed them with their presence.
Albert's eyes narrowed as he released his clenched fists; his passion mark glowed golden for a second. "So… I take it that's Laticia? Our target?" he asked. Even Kiera seemed focused now as she nodded, though she couldn't deny that Laticia's very presence was unsettling to her.
Laticia raised her head and smiled at the crowd, her expression both angelic and beautiful as well as demonic and twisted—a dangerous combination that should not exist.
"Well, hello, ladies and gentlemen!! Welcome to the forty-eighth Red Auction!! I'm your host, Laticia—or, as the government would call me… the Witch of Chains. We've got some fine items for sale this month for our best bidders of our wonderful underground society. First off, the deceased corpse of an Ishanian, a person from one of the hidden neighbouring countries, Ishania. I've had the body of this specimen customized to look like living decoration. Our bids start at a thousand deni."
A man from the front seats stood; he was dressed nicely for this event. He wasted no time in raising his hand. "It's spectacular! I'll take it!" he yelled, his eyes in awe at the body before him—a dark-skinned male inside a special transparent cube, his body twisted and attached to form a pose as if dancing. A truly detestable way to present a person's deceased body, though it made little difference.
"No more? Very well, then—if no one wants anything higher to bid for, then this one's sold!" Laticia said, snapping her fingers. In minutes, the "item" was taken away.
Clara tried to look away. Despite her stoic demeanor and experience as a Marked Mercenary, she'd never been in such a twisted event before. Even for an experienced, heartless assassin, there were boundaries—boundaries that Laticia casually stepped over without a sliver of doubt.
"For our second item, I present to you, Emma—a young, seventeen-year-old beautiful gem! We bought her off a trafficker a few days ago, and soon after, she was placed under the influence of my Mark of the Enslaver. We'll start our bids for this one at 500 deni!" Laticia exclaimed as a young girl walked to the stage. There was an iron collar around her neck that seemed to give off an essence—the same essence passion marks give off. The girl's eyes were devoid of life; in fact, it looked as if she wanted to die then. But that didn't matter to anyone there; why should it? She was seen as property, not a person.
Suddenly, several of the bidders raised their hands and spoke one after another: "1000 deni! 1500 deni! 2400 deni!" they shouted, one after another.
Riko knew the importance of not messing up this mission more than anyone, but he couldn't help but stare daggers into Laticia.
"Sick bastards!" he shouted aloud, jumping down from the audience and facing Laticia.
"What's that idiot doing?! He gave himself away!!" Seracore complained as the group tensed. Despite the situation Riko created, Kran sighed and pushed up his glasses; his intrigue in Riko spiked.
Laticia seemed visibly annoyed, despite her continued evil smirk. "Oh? Do you have your own bid for this item?" she asked, planting her heels onto the girl's back, pushing her down as a spit in Riko's face.
"Nah, but I came to let you know that you're dying today, got that, you bitch?!! Take your stupid foot off her, and while you're at it, take your flat chest and invisible ass and swan dive off a roof of some building," Riko said, his voice dripping with malice—an intentional insult and challenge to Laticia's rule.
Her eyes twitched as her smile slowly vanished. "Watch what you say, runt, or do you wanna become my next plaything that badly?" she rhetorically asked, her ego affected. "Those of us with power deserve to rule over worthless people who don't have power; that's a natural thing that shouldn't be challenged by childish sentimentality like yours, kid," she exclaimed, her deadly gaze breaking the will of some of her own guests, but not Riko, who stood before her.
The crowd cheered for Laticia to use her ability on Riko—to turn him into a slave, or to dispose of the brat that disturbed their favorite monthly event. They shouted slurs and insults.
"What should we do? The boy has given us away," Clara asked.
Kran lifted his mic and spoke: "Go for it. Take her head," he whispered—a single command acting as a gateway into their actions.
In an instant, the group launched toward the stage, ripping off their disguises in a climactic reveal. Albert and Kiera jumped down toward Riko, followed by Rennet, who dashed toward the stage from behind Laticia. The bidders were horrified to know they'd been compromised as they looked up to see Jetore and Seracore jump down from the roof above Laticia in an ambush.
"Fuck, we're under attack! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!! THE MARKED MERCENARY BASTARDS ARE HERE!!!" a man shouted from the crowd, causing panic. It didn't help much as the exit was blocked by a group of mercenary soldiers adorned in cloaks; some wielded blades while others pointed firearms.
"Surround the perimeter and dispose of any criminal you see," Kran commanded to the support team as he jumped down alongside Clara, sliding through the crowd.
Laticia was surprised but not shocked; she knew ahead of time, after all, thanks to Dr. Boronso. How he even knew of this planned raid and attempt on her life was beyond her, but it didn't matter at this point.
"Oh, I feel so happy to see that so many have come for me! Am I just that attractive?" she shamelessly said with a mocking tone meant to mimic a young lass.
Riko attempted to step up but was blocked by Kran. "Stand down; you've already ruined the plan," Kran scolded before looking toward Laticia, his eyes beginning to water slightly as an expression of guilt and shame appeared on his face—something Albert noticed immediately.
"Well, if it isn't Kran… I was waiting for you. You've already taken so much from me; I yearned for the day I could see your sweet face again so I could twist it into an emotionless, obedient husk. And, oh? You've brought many sweet darlings here today; a lot of them look like kids! A shame, really, because none of you will survive in the end," Laticia mocked, her twisted smile shifting into a lamenting one as if she was praying for the people she planned to slaughter—an arrogant act only made more grotesque by her condescension, which annoyed everyone listening.
Suddenly, the floor below her feet stretched and seemed liquid for a moment as Ren splashed out, attempting to restrain her from behind. "Dolphin Sneak Attack!" he shouted—a ridiculous name for a technique made more ridiculous because shouting betrayed the point of an ambush attack.
"That's cute; I like men with boisterous voices. You'd make a good slave," Laticia said with a sarcastic tone as a gunshot hit Ren in his arm, pushing him to the floor in an instant.
"The hell?! Where did that?.." Jetore wasn't able to finish his question as he looked to the side; the slave girl Laticia had for sale stood holding a gun, her eyes still lacking will.
"Idiot! Who told you to take any initiative? You're lucky if I don't beat your ass after this!" Maddeline said, rushing to Ren, who groaned from the wound on the ground, his blood pouring out.
Laticia chuckled even more. "You people really did seal your fate by coming here. You're here to take my head, aren't you?! WELL, LET'S SEE HOW YOU FARE!!" she exclaimed, her voice an uncontrolled amalgamation of confidence and twisted pleasure.
Riko's gear-shaped passion mark glowed a bright blue as his arm transformed, becoming a mechanical, weaponized cyborg arm with jets on his elbow, creating exhaust with pressure as he flashed toward Laticia in an instant—a stunt that shocked everyone.
"Try it, I dare you, you little shit!" Laticia insulted, clicking her fingers. Suddenly, the floor of the auction hall bent and opened into one giant hole, giving way to the mercenaries, who were forced into a terrifying fall into some underground base.
"HAHAHAHA!!! My fortress, my auction hall—it was designed by an expert engineer. This is one of the many surprises I have for you, darlings. Just don't die too soon… it won't be fun if you do," she said, her demonic smirk visible as she made eye contact with Riko, who fell.
"I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY!!!! YOU'LL PAY! I'LL KILL YOU!!!!!" Riko declared, his eyes staring into Laticia with a glare so hateful, it almost scared her.
The group fell through the hole, descending into the giant underground fortress below.
"Everyone! Stay together with at least one other person!" Maddeline shouted as she fell into some entrance alongside Clara, who skipped through the air in elegance.
"Easier said than done, genius!" Albert yelled; he attempted to reach for Riko, but the force of gravity pulling him down was too much, as he knocked into Kiera, and the two fell into another entrance.
Jetore looked down to see a wall; his mark glowed as he blew through it with an explosion, followed by Seracore, who smashed through parts of the wall to slow his fall using the large concealed object he held—a mystery that even intrigued Jetore.
Rennet and Riko fell into the final hole in the bottom of the wall as the climax ended.
The floor of the auction hall began to close up again as the hole disappeared. Iron-clad chains fell from Laticia's wrists, dangling by her side as her passion mark glowed a blood red on the back of her neck. She turned with a nefarious, yet vengeful smile.
"Good to know you had the foresight to jump. Now, let's begin, shall we?" she exclaimed, looking toward Kran, who had safely landed back on the restored floor, his gaze only that of pity.