Clover Kingdom / Diamond Border (Outlaw City Outer Road): January 12th, 1016.
It was a ugly morning for the world. The border road leading into outlaw city was covered in cold dust, broken wagon tracks, cracked bones hidden under dirt and enough old blood beneath the stone to make a priest lie three times before calling it holy ground, yet if you were to look closely at the eastern road. To be more specific, at the group of magic knights riding toward a city that should have never been allowed to rot this long. You could see the first official eyes of the clover kingdom finally arriving at a problem that had already grown teeth, roots and a appetite.
The atmosphere suspicious.
(Doran's POV)
Doran grinned as his horse slowed near the outer checkpoint.
Outlaw city stood ahead like a wound that had learned how to decorate itself.
White banners hung from the upper towers. Church bells rang from restored stone. Armed holy knights stood near clean streets with crosses on their armor and smiles that looked too polished to belong in a place like this.
Fake peace.
Doran could smell it.
Or maybe that was the gutter.
Either way.
It stank.
"Kekeke…what a pretty little lie." Said doran softly while leaning forward in his saddle with his sharp grin widening.
One of his senior magic knights, a narrow eyed woman named sella, rode up beside him and looked toward the gate with a frown while asking calmly "Captain, what are your orders."
Doran's grin widened.
"Smile. Wave and count knives." Said doran while examining the entrance.
Sella nodded like that was a completely normal command.
The onyx jackal squad rode through the outer gate.
The holy knights watched them.
The merchants watched them.
The beggars watched them.
The shadows watched them harder.
Good.
Very good.
A church officer in white and gold armor stepped forward with three men behind him and said stiffly "Captain doran of the onyx jackal. The order of saint peter welcomes the clover kingdom's official inspection ambassador."
Doran stared at him.
Then slowly looked left.
Then right.
Then back at him.
"Inspection. Who said anything about inspection." Asked doran with a grin.
The officer's smile tightened and said with his arms spread slightly "Lord conrad leto sent word th…"
"Lord conrad sent me. He didn't send my brain." Said doran, cutting him off with a wave of his right hand.
The air became tense.
A holy knight's fingers twitched near his sword.
Sella's hand drifted near her grimorie.
The church officer swallowed hardly and asked with uneasy eyes "Then what are your intentions here."
Doran slid off his horse and landed lightly on the stone road.
*Dak*
He stepped close enough that the church officer had to fight the urge to step back.
"To see what crawls when I kick the white paint off this city." Said doran softly with a wide grin.
The officer's face stiffened.
Good.
He hated that.
Doran liked people who hated the truth quickly. It saved time.
A bell chimed above.
Too clean.
Too controlled.
Doran looked past the church patrols and toward the lower streets. The old market had been rebuilt on the surface, but the alleys had too many sealed doors. Too many empty corners. Too many people pretending not to look at the ground.
The city was quiet. Not peaceful.
Quiet like a man holding a blade behind his back.
Doran crouched near a cracked drain cover and brushed dust from the stone with his thumb.
There.
Almost rubbed away.
A black dice mark.
Six dots.
His grin faded slightly.
"Kekeke…so you really are underneath." Said doran softly while licking his lips lecherously.
The church officer stiffened and said with a serious look on his face "The lower tunnels are unsafe. The order has sealed most entrances due to criminal infestation."
Doran was silent for a moment and slowly stood up and turned to him and asked "Infestation."
"Yes. The black die syndicate has been weakened over the years so the the order is managing the containment." Said the officer with a sigh.
Doran stared at him for a long moment.
Then looked at the city again.
At the armed church patrols.
At the nervous merchants.
At the sealed wells.
At the old women who looked down when church knights passed, but looked at the walls when no one was watching.
Managing containment.
Funny words.
Doran liked funny words.
They were usually dead on arrival.
Sella stepped closer and said with a whisper "Captain. There are watchers on three rooftops."
"I know. One church. One independent. One black die." Said doran softly with a chuckle.
Sella's eyes narrowed slightly.
Doran grinned again.
That meant everyone was polite enough to spy openly.
A scream suddenly rang from the lower market.
Everyone turned.
A man ran out of an alley with blood on his shirt and fear carved into his face and said loudly "BLACK DIE. BLACK DIE TOOK THE WEST CELLAR."
The church officer's face turned ugly.
Doran's grin returned.
Sella looked at him.
*Crack*
Doran cracked his neck and said "Well. That was polite timing."
The church officer snapped his neck at him and said immediately with his finger pointing at him "This is an internal matter. Do not intervene."
Doran walked past him and said with a scoff and a very wide grin on his face "No. This is why I came."
The officer grabbed his arm.
The whole street went still.
Doran slowly looked down at the hand.
Then up at the officer. His eyes glowed or orange.
The officer immediately let go.
Smart.
Very smart.
Doran followed the scream toward the west cellar with his squad behind him and the church officer nearly biting his own tongue behind them.
Doran reached the alley and found the rusted cellar door hanging open like someone had kicked it inward and then decided that was too gentle.
Inside were three unconscious church guards.
No corpses.
No stolen goods.
Only empty supply hooks and one message painted on the wall in black.
KISS MY SMELLY ASS.
Under it was a dice mark.
Six dots.
The same one.
Doran stared at it.
His grin slowly widened until it nearly split his face.
Sella crouched near one of the guards and checked his pulse while saying "Alive. All three of them."
Doran's grin twitched and said "To merciful for my taste."
"No. It was very precise sir." Said sella while checking the second guard.
Doran glanced at her.
Sella looked down at the message again and said quietly "This isn't a criminal problem."
Doran chuckled.
"No. This is a hidden war." Said doran as his eyes fixed on the mark.
The church officer stepped into the cellar with a hard look on his face and said "These markings are meant to frighten civilians. Nothing more."
Doran slowly looked over his shoulder.
"Then why are you sweating." Asked doran as his shark teeth could not be hidden inside his mouth.
The officer said nothing.
Far above the alley, on a broken rooftop, a thin boy with a black dice tattoo under his left eye watched silently.
He touched the mana talkie at his ear.
"Black mansion. Clover has arrived." Said the watcher quietly.
Static crackled.
"Roger that. Keep watch number 94." Said a deep voice from the mana talkie.
The watcher shivered.
Not because it was cold.
Because the voice sounded amused.
And beneath outlaw city, something deep and ugly started turning its attention toward the surface.
…
THE END…