Present:
"So, you're just a pawn. Francisco is your master," Noemia said, tied to the bar pole.
"He's my brother. Jose too," Angelo replied, his eyes meeting hers.
"Oh yes, such brotherly love. So much that he knows all your secrets....and Jose's too—but neither of you knows each other's... or his. You know what? I'd rather get fucked like a bitch by Francisco than be your wife," she said with a devious smile.
"You bitch." Angelo punched her in the stomach.
"Wahhh..." She threw up on the spot.
"Ahhh...." A guttural groan echoed through the bar as her legs rubbed against each other in pain.
"Fuck. You bitch. I'm not letting you die that easily," Angelo growled. "This humiliation... I'll turn you into something else."
He threw her over his shoulder.
"Take her.....take her directly to my room. Lock the door from the outside," Angelo commanded Mr. 5, who was waiting outside.
Mr. 5 nodded, took her gently, and vanished into the shadows.
Angelo lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, then exhaled with a shake of his head.
"Fuck...… fuck..." Every time he closed his eyes, Noemia's mocking smile returned.
"Fuck..." He dropped the cigarette and crushed it under his shoe.
"Kill that bastard Francisco already, you idiots..." he muttered to himself.
In another corner, Beatriz was sobbing.
"Please... I did what you wanted. Why won't you let my parents and my brother go?"
"You really do look beautiful when you cry," Francisco said, sipping wine.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Excuse me, sir. Someone's here to see you."
"What? Now?" Francisco frowned. "Where's Jose?"
"He left," Mr. 1 replied calmly.
"Fine. Let them in," Francisco said, charging his PBV.
He opened the door slowly, but before it was fully open, a knife shot through the gap.
He dodged it just in time, spotting Mr. 2 lunging forward with another blade.
"Fine with me," Francisco said, his pupils shifting into a double-arrow shape as he activated his ability.
In a flash, Beatriz and Mr. 2 switched positions.
Mr. 2 crashed into the wall, dazed. "What the...?"
Without wasting a second, Mr. 1 charged in. Francisco grinned with excitement.
"Bring it on."
Mr. 2 lunged again, knife gleaming. Francisco moved like liquid....dodging Mr. 1's thrust, grabbing his wrist mid-air, and slamming it against the bedpost until the blade fell. Mr. 2 slashed at his back, but Francisco ducked, spun, and kicked the side of his knee, sending him crashing into the nightstand.
With surgical precision, Francisco disarmed Mr. 2 and used his own knife to cut a thin line across his shirt...not enough to draw blood, but enough to terrify.
"Is this it?" Francisco asked coldly.
"Let's see what you've got, then." He charged again...but stopped mid-attack.
His room was on the 13th floor, but he felt someone outside the window.
"So this was your plan."
His glowing arrow eyes narrowed as he stepped out, just as the person outside entered the room...and the room exploded behind them.
Francisco fell to the ground, grinning as the impact cracked the floor.
"Ohhh, my muscles need some work," he muttered, stretching.
Just as he was about to re-enter the building through the front door, he spotted Beatriz and his parents walking away. They were crying.....tears of joy.
Francisco smiled. "We'll meet again, my love. Don't resist me."
"Hey, Francisco. What the hell happened?" Jose appeared, throwing an arm over Francisco's shoulder.
"Someone tried to use the King's Men to kill me. I don't know who," Francisco replied with a deep exhale.
"I guess we'll never know. The whole place exploded," Jose muttered, kicking at the ground.
"Where's Angelo? Is he safe?" Francisco asked, grabbing Jose by the shoulders.
"I think so. He sent a girl....she's locked in his room now," Jose replied, shaking free.
"Let's go. We need to talk to him." They vanished together.
The building was surrounded by guards—normal humans, not players, but heavily armed.
Inside Angelo's room, the window was open. The rope was cut. Noemia was gone. The door was still locked from the outside.
A guard outside the building felt something behind him. He turned and looked into the bush...nothing.
"Must be a squirrel," he mumbled, turning back.
But this time, he vanished...along with his gun.
None of the other guards noticed.
"So, someone attacked you?" Angelo asked, sipping tea.
"Yeah," Francisco replied, doing the same.
"Let's try to investigate...." Jose said, sitting beside them.
The park was beautiful under the moonlight.
"Alright, where do we start?" Angelo asked with a puzzled look.
Elsewhere...
"No, please. I'm begging you! Don't kill me!" a guard pleaded in the darkness, his voice trembling.
A fire burned beside him, casting flickering shadows.
"Don't worry. You'll lead me to my ability," said a calm, unseen voice.
"I have a family! Please, I have people to take care of!"
"Don't worry... Soon, all of Porto will join you. Look at your friends. They're quiet," the voice said, gesturing toward four skinned corpses.
"They're dead!" the guard screamed in horror.
"You will be too, soon."
The figure stepped closer.
"Nooooo!" the guard cried out, but the darkness swallowed his scream.
The fire suddenly burst into a roaring explosion.
"Finally, it worked. Five sacrifices are nothing compared to what I've gained," the figure whispered, staring into the flames.
Inside the fire, two glowing blue dots stared back.