Unintelligible chatter filled the area, it was dark and lit only with dim candle light. Using this meager lighting, a stage was barely visible covered by a curtain. Out from that stage was a stadium of seats making this room resemble a theater of some kind. The chatter settled to quiet murmuring as the curtains pulled and a chandelier was revealed above the stage, the candles lit one by one as a man walked out. He wore a coat resembling a trench and a monocle adorned one of his blue eyes. His hair was white and neat, he seemed to be using magic to light the candles and draw the curtain.

All this was being viewed through the eyes of a young Lithian girl, her name was Lilly, no last name as she was an orphaned commoner. There wasn't a smile or anticipation in her eyes as she hid behind her hooded cloak. She wasn't seated in one of the hundreds of seats, no she was seated on a ceiling beam, one hand gripped a metal bar that attached the beam to the roof. A cross beam branched off and oversaw the stage with the chandelier strung from it.

Lilly leaned forward as she looked at the stage, a look flashed in her young eyes; greed. A younger man walked out, followed by a group of maids pushing carts. He was dressed in very flamboyant clothing, definitely a noble of some kind and the maids wore traditional black and white outfits that were tailored more on the skimpy side. On the stage was a collection of pedestals and the maids placed various items on the pedestals. Illia scanned those items as the young nobleman gave an opening speech to the crowd, she paid him no mind as he explained the rules of the auction to his guests.

Lilly found her prize, there was an item, it was a knife with magical engravings carved on it. A client was paying her to steal this item, it was apparently an artifact from an old ruin. It was covered in runes that were unknown in current magic. Not that she cared, magic wasn't something she could care about. She was inept, magic was something that rejected her.

Lilly settled against the metal strut connecting her perch to the ceiling, getting comfortable as she waited.

"Good evening everyone and welcome to this night's auction, the rules are simple. When an item is up for bid use the cards given to you to display your interests. The item is sold when it has gone three times with no competition. And finally, no fighting in the theater, however once you're outside of those doors feel free to steal, or kill." The nobleman explained before stepping up to the first item.

"This my friends is a one of a kind item, a wonderfully crafted sword straight from a dwarven workshop. It's said to be the sharpest blade in the world. The bid starts at thirteen hundred gold coins."

Illia yawned, her eyes were starting to droop, she wanted to just take the item but it would be best to take it from the person who bought it. But as she watched them go through the items one by one she felt herself getting annoyed. An elven bow, a rare ingredient for elixirs found in the devil's kettle, a Lithian slave, a large magic stone of unprecedented purity, blah blah blah.

Though that slave did catch her attention, a young kitten. Around the same age as herself. She seemed frightened, though she was bought by a noble woman so she would probably be fine. The girl was black haired with green greenish blue eyes that seemed to shift between pale versions of the two colors depending on the light. She was pretty with short hair and fur. Her ears and tail betrayed her fear though.

Lilly stood up, pulling a rope from beneath her cloak, it had a hook on the end. She sighed softly as she pulled her cloak off revealing her orange hair and fur. Beautiful fox ears and a fluffy tail, but the most captivating part were her golden eyes that glowed softly in the dark. Lilly wrapped the rope around the beam and leaned back to test its strength. Happy with it, she then pulled a second rope from the small bag now visible on her back. She wore dark colored clothes that had seen better days. As she prepared to jump she wrapped the second rope around her hand and elbow, then leaped backwards, falling like a certain spider themed hero from recent animated film.

As she reached the rope's apex she began to fall and like a pendulum she was sent careening towards the stage, towards her target. She used her cloak to wrap the knife up as she flew past then she kicked off the pedestal and spun herself before launching the second rope upwards and hooking it on the chandeliers. The staff and nobleman were so busy selling the current item that it took them till now to notice her.

She was now suspending herself mid air between two ropes, and the world caught up to her, the nobleman realized what was happening and cast a fire spell at her. Lilly was straining as she held both ropes in her left hand and put the knife into her bag. As the fire ball came at her she moved to holding both ropes in separate hands and yanked on the chandelier as hard as possible.

There was a cracking sound and time seemed to slow as the chandelier came crashing down, colliding with the fireball and creating a smoke screen as Lilly let go. Having released one rope the second yanked her back and allowed her to swing back over the crowd using her two hands to climb back up. As she reached the rafters she retrieved her rope and broke into a run, using the agility of her race she scampered along the beams and rafters before slipping onto the balcony. The moon greeted the thief along with the sounds of angry shouts and panicked bystanders as she pushed open a window. A breeze blew through her hair as she stepped out onto the roof. The light of the Moon revealed a smile on her face as she slid down the slanted roof and leaped off into a tree.

Next to the auction house was a square with flower beds and a tree in the middle, it was dark and only lit by the silvery moonlight dripping through the branches.

Lilly leaned against the trunk as she reached into her bag and pulled out her cloak. She wrapped it around herself, watching from up high as the guards search the area around her, none looked up, they were searching for traces of her continued escape. Not the leisure spot that she'd chosen to rest after her heist. Lilly was only twelve years old when she stole an item worth over a hundred thousand gold coins. And she would sell that same item for a measly five hundred, such is life. But what she didn't know was that this was no ordinary auction and she'd stolen from a man who would change the course of her life.

The sun blazed hotly as cheers rang out, a stadium filled with people was roaring with excitement as the sounds of swords clashing could be heard. Dust kicked up like smoke as a figure lunged through it. A boy, about eight years old with red ish orange messy hair and blazing golden eyes, his fox tail lashed side to side and his armor was cracked as he swung his sword at what appeared to be a sabertooth cat.

They were both covered in blood, the boy leaped over the feline's bite and stabbed his sword into it's back. Wrapping his arms around its neck he wrestled with it as it threw itself to the ground to try and get him off.

His claws came out as he gouged out its throat, a smile adorned his young lips as he wiped the sweat from his forehead and painted it red. He stood up from his opponent's corpse as the cheers rose.

Lilly sighed as she watched her brother, she felt so much worry knotted into her stomach, she fiddled with the knife in her possession as she watched him walk out of the pit.

It seemed like forever but soon enough he reached her, sitting down beside her, he'd cleaned up. Lilly looked him up and down and he noticed.

"Lilly, come on, we're not gonna talk about this again. I got this, I won't get hurt or killed. Besides we need the money." He assured her, she nodded.

"Yeah, I know. I just wish you didn't have to fight these bloody battles." Lilly replied, she slipped the knife into her bag.

"It's ok, I gotta do something too. It's just us right. Family needs to stick together." He wrapped his arm around her as he laughed. I just want it to stay like this, no bloody battles, no nightly thieving. Just me and you being family.

Lilly gasped, coughing and choking on the dirt and blood in her mouth, the dark alley cast her no comfort as another kick slammed into her chest.

"You little fucking shit, do you know how much that damn item was worth. Fucking thousands of gold. You hear me, you damn brat." An angry voice spat, the owner of the foot currently damaging her internals was the owner of the auction house she'd robbed. He was dressed neatly but his hair was frazzled and his face ugly with rage and saliva as he kicked her over and over again. "Sold it you Said, a measly hundred you said. Fucking idiot I won't even make my money back by selling you to some freak noble."

"Ey, um boss, I don't think she can hear you no more." A voice spoke up causing the man to pause and look down. The young fox was laid out no longer trying to protect herself, her eyes looked at nothing, drool, blood, and dirt dripped from the Corner of her mouth. Her pretty orangish red hair and ears were Filthy and unkept, her clothes were ripped, torn, and covered in dirt.

"Damn, well, no point in kicking a dead rat huh." Grab her, we're leaving. The nobleman wiped his mouth and combed his hair down before turning and pushing through his group. "And, make sure to send a decent sum to that fight ring. Get that damn kid brother of hers mauled to death, I think when she wakes she'll give me a nice show of despair.

Lilly leaped up, thunk! "Ow, ow, ow ow," she squirmed as she held her head, looking up she saw the underside of a bunk bed. Pain assaulted her whole body as her mind awoke, stumbled out of bed and took in her surroundings. It was a dirty stone cell with no windows. Just a wall of bars, a bunk bed, and a bucket in the corner. She tried to approach the bars but, she couldn't, a chain was cuffed to her hand and the bed post.

"Ah, look who's awake." A voice spoke up, eliciting a shiver as Lilly's gaze moved to the bars. The man standing there was the same man who'd kicked her in the alley, the taste of iron returned for a moment.

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"Where am I?" She asked hesitantly, this caused the man to laugh.

"Typical street trash, only worried about yourself. What about that brother of yours, not worried about him." The man was sadistic in his words. "Do you have any idea what you've done you fucking thief. When the boss finds out that an item worth thousands of gold was stolen by a damn child he'll have my neck."

"Sounds like your problem not mine, your security should have been better, sorry." She fired back at him, the anger on his face flared.

"Yeah, ha, guess it is. But I guess it's also my fault that your brother will be fighting a troll tomorrow." He smirked as he said that, Clang! The chains made an audible sound as they hit their threshold. Lilly pulled against them as she glared at him. "Yes, ha, soon you'll feel despair then I'll snuff you out. My final pleasure before I meet my own maker." The man then turned and left, leaving Lilly to examine her restraints. They were tight. The only way she'd get her hand out is by breaking it, she sighed as she slumped down against the bed.

Hours passed, and nearing night time she was awoken by the sound of the cell door opening. Lilly looked over to see a maid setting down food just within her reach, in response Lilly leaped at her, pain stabbed into her wrist as she reached her claws out. She just managed to graze the woman's arm, there was a wildness to her eyes. The woman looked at her with disgust, but Lilly didn't care, just the sight of her stepping towards the door. The possibility that she'd get away, that this chance would slip, Lilly went insane for a brief moment with a surge of strength and a scream of pain she ripped her hand from the shackle with an immense amount of pain blinding her she tackled the woman and ripped into her.

Lilly came too standing over the mutilated corpse of the woman, her wrist was purple and bloody, her skin ripped and torn. Her hand was mangled and filled with a searing pain. A tangy iron taste coated the inside of her mouth. Her senses tasted the surroundings like an animal, but as time passed she calmed and crept from the cage. Though urgency overwhelmed her as she realized that she didn't know if she was even still in the same city.

Lilly ran through the dungeon, she didn't run into any guards or maids through the halls and cells, but as she bolted up the stairs she stumbled into a room, it seemed to be a storage room, there was only one door so she pushed through it without hesitation.

On the other side stood two guards on either side of the door, as she burst through they took distance and began drawing their swords. Lilly felt the madness of a cornered beast flood her veins as she leaped at the first man and plunged her claws into his throat. A sickness tainted her senses as she felt the flesh rip and tear, but she Steeled herself. I will save him.

Lilly and the first guard tumbled to the ground as blood sprayed her in the face, she sputtered as she wiped her eyes. Rolling out of the way as a sword swung through the air where she'd just been.

Lilly bounced from the roll right into another leap as she jammed her claws through the man's chest. He looked surprised as his hand struggled to grip his sword, the weight of her slamming into him threw him to the ground and she proceeded to rip his throat as well.

Lilly stumbled off the man, shaking and wiping the blood from her claws as she broke into a run once more. The corridor she was running down eventually broke open into a main entranceway, she skidded to a stop at the top of the stairs though. There was a presence that elicited a primal fear from her senses.

A man in all black, accompanied by the nobleman, was walking towards the stairs. "Ahh, um, Maxwell sir. Don't worry I'll handle this unsightly creature right away. Just a moment." As the noble began to assure he gave Lilly enough time to regain her resolve as she leaped at Maxwell with outstretched claws and an intent to kill.

Lilly thought for a moment she'd strike him down, that she'd caught him off guard. Not likely, she was stopped as he caught her outstretched hand and with a quick hand motion. Flipped her around and smashed the bottom of his palm into her chin and with a loud crack she smashed into the marble floor.

"My oh my, this one has vigor. What did you say to her." Maxwell spoke to his subordinate, easily catching her second attack launched directly upwards from the cracked marble floor. Lilly gritted her teeth, the pain made everything foggy, but she was determined to win or die here.

"Look at this, look what she was willing to do to herself ha." Maxwell smirked as he showed off Lilly's mangled hand, then he looked at Lily once more as he gripped her other hand tighter. "How far are you willing to go, huh?" He asked, his question was accompanied by a cracking, breaking sound and the howling scream of a twelve year old girl. His smile was accompanied by the dull thud as she hit the ground and tried desperately to cradle her fingers as blood poured from her missing claws. She made no further attempts to attack, and the smile slipped from Maxwell's face, and he turned away. "Dispose of her. What a disappointment."

The nobleman stepped forward, "but of course sir." As he drew his sword Lilly scrunched her face in agony before wiping her fingers on her shirt.

She let out a gasp of pained breath as she pushed her hand into the marble to lift her broken body back to its feet, a defiance flooded her eyes as the blade plunged into her chest and blood drenched her shirt. She reached out and grabbed the blade pulling herself towards him she grabbed him by the throat with her blood smeared fingers, but she didn't have the strength to squeeze. She reached the end of her strength, he smiled at her as her hands slipped from his neck and she fell back. The world around her darkened, an inky black ocean, she sensed death approaching gently.

~

Illia leaned against a brick wall, it was cold against her back as she looked up at the moon. The clouds threatened it, creeping closer as they tried to cover it, Illia signed as her gaze moved towards the approaching footsteps.

"Hello Master, are you pleased with my job in Aguris?" She asked as the approaching red eyes revealed themselves to be Maxwell stepping out into the moonlight.

"Hmm, that man Seraph, greedy and not too bright really. There were plenty of ways for him to succeed, especially after I lent him you my dear. Too bad, besides that place is simply a staging ground I'm handing it off to Despair for now." Maxwell replied as he sat down on a bench, they were currently standing in a garden situated to the side of a church. Illia was leaning against the church wall, a bench was across from her sitting beneath a tree. Maxwell was shadowed by the shade from its branches.

"So are we heading somewhere new?" Illia asked as she stepped forward, taking a knee in front of her benefactor.

"Yes, we're headed for Gulress. I've already made some friends there and even sent in my other shadow to stir things up. However I say we as in the Shadows, you however will be headed to Madreachia. I have a special task for you. You'll be meeting Deceit there, she will guide your task, and there's another you must meet." Maxwell turned back to look towards the darkness he'd come from as a new figure stepped out. She stumbled forward, her eyes glowed a demonic red and wings outlined in the moonlight. As she stepped beneath the moon's gaze she was revealed, a young girl around eight years old wearing a black and red frilled Gothic dress. She had wings and curled horns, complimenting her demonic red pupils which was contrasted by the black void in her sockets that the pupils seemed to be floating in.

"Ah the demon from before?" Illia asked in confusion as the girl approached her.

"This is Belphegor, the Demon Lord's daughter, he had her with a succubus prior to his defeat. You helped awaken her for me. But she will not be the only demon to awaken which is why you're going to the continent of magic. You will work with Deceit and Belphegor to calm the people and the demons and make sure no one is the wiser to the rise of the next king." Maxwell explained, "while you're having fun in Madreachia I'll be messing with the status quo on the island of monsters. Do your best."

"Um, sir, does this mean we're reviving the Demon Lord." Illia asked hesitantly, the demon girl had settled beside her and had definitely fallen asleep she was snoring softly while leaning against Lilly's shoulder.

"You'll be heading to the port tonight, there will be a ship waiting for you. Have fun!" Maxwell ignored her question as he stood up and returned to the darkness in which he'd come.

Illia sighed as she looked at the little girl sleeping beside her, she gently shook her and the girl yawned before opening her eyes.

"Belphy, would you be able to make these wings and horns less noticeable. We have a boat to catch and you'll be noticed like this." Illia asked hesitantly, but the little girl nodded and after a small Burst of magic her wings and horns faded then she promptly fell back asleep. Illia sighed as she heard footsteps once again, she recognized the mana signatures approaching.

"The shadows come after the master has left." Illia spoke in annoyance as she pushed off the wall to greet her colleagues.

"Ha, what the hell did you do to get split from the party like this." A female voice snickered as a slim busty woman appeared from the darkness. She wore a skin tight black cat suit, she had dull silver eyes and white hair. There was a disgusting look of desire on her face that always seemed to be there.

"Ghost, can you be any more hostile, hey Lia, how was Aguris?" A male voice chastised before greeting her as he stepped into the open. It was a boy with black hair and black eyes. One of his eyes was closed stitches could be faintly seen in the dark. And a scar cut through that same eye. He wore dark clothes with a black asymmetrical trenchcoat, leather straps held throwing knives and a short sword was sheathed at his waist.

"Ha, how can I not be hostile with a damn fake like her, Illia how many people have you killed. You've been with us for eight years now, you joined a group of assassins as a prodigy of the Master yet you've not accomplished any actual requests that require assassinations. You're a thief and a street rat pretending to be one of us. I hate you, why does he show you so much attention huh?" Ghost spat at her as killing intent spread out directed at Illia.

"Come on, guys, you know it's not good to fight." A young voice spoke up, chipper and full of life, a young noble boy skipped into the open followed by a girl around the same age. The boy was dressed fancily and looked truly out of place around these rugged assassins. The girl following him was dressed in a black and white Gothic dress and was hugging a stuffed bear with stitches and tears. They both looked no older than twelve. The only hint they belonged here was the fact that the two assassins from before made way for the two newcomers.

"Besides, y'all know what the Master said." The boys eyes darkened, "no point in fighting with a corpse, if you dislike someone. Just kill them hehe." The boy laughed softly as a smile overtook his face.

"Of course, you'd suggest that Jeffrey, we're already down a member cause you didn't like him calling you boy." A new voice spoke up. A slender man approached from the darkness, as the moonlight revealed him it showed his dark brownish grey skin and long elfen ears. He was wearing clothes made from earthen colors dyed in darker hues. He had a bow strapped to his back. He sighed as his eyes caught ghost once more as the hotheaded girl approached Illia.

"I know, how about you prove you're a real assassin by taking a commission from the broker, take some sorry sap's life not cause he deserves it but because you were paid to put a blade in his neck." Ghost offered, her bloodlust rose as her eyes got wild. "I wanna see the honorable fox kill for a quick buck. Otherwise, we'll have to settle this with blades. I'll enjoy digging out your flesh." Illia frowned, but eventually nodded.

"Geez, Ghost don't you all have a boat to catch as well. None of us have the time to play these stupid games. However, if you survive your mission on Gulress I'd be happy to take you on. I'll quite enjoy letting the crows feast on your rotting corpse." Lilly hissed as she lifted Belphegor into her arms and started walking.

"You damn bitch, I'll cut you down right now." Ghost roared but was soon stopped. By the young man with black hair.

"No, Ghost she's right, we must be off."

"Cheh, whatever. When I get back imma cut you into pieces and feed your flesh to that darling brother of yours." Ghost taunted, smiling at the sound of Illia grinding her teeth, but she didn't turn around.