n

n

n

"Are you in... Or not?

" Nathan asked with a stern gaze.

nKarl and the rest of his comrades looked at one another, exchanging glances of assurance and then they nodded to themselves. The group faced Nathan together and smiled.

n

"We're in.

" They said in unison.

n

"So far you intuition has never been wrong. It better not fail now.

" Karl smirked.

n

"Don't worry. It won't

" Nathan gave a reassuring smile.

nThe men drank and talked about other topics, what they had been up to, their escapades and other jargon which took up their time. Before they realised, it was already late and they had to be leaving soon.

n

"Ah, I can't say it wasn't fun drinking with you guys today

" Nathan smiled as they exited the Adventurer Guild and walked down the street.

n

"What's that supposed to mean? Its like you're saying it isn't usually fun

" Karl grinned as his voice slurred.

nThe men had taken a bit too much alcohol, so they were all quite tipsy, some even staggered as they walked.

n

"I'll get in touch with you guys tomorrow. We'll finalize the plans then

" Nathan said concerning the job he wanted them to execute with him.

n

"Yeah yeah. You know where to find us during the time of day. It's not like there's many good jobs for Adventurer like us these days.

" The bald headed man replied.

n

"Heh, if this goes well, we'll be able to amass a fortune. And then, with 'That' coming up soon, wencould even be set for life!

" Another comrade said, totally drunk as he staggered while smiling dreamily.

n

"Than, I'll see you tomorrow. I'll be leaving first. There's still quite a lot I need to prepare

" Nathan said.

nHe waved at his friends as he hurried from their midst and went toward his apartment.

n

"Ah, I didn't think I would take this long. Let's just hope she isn't awake now...

" Nathan mumbled to himself as he neared his house. Taking a sharp turn to his left, he saw a two storey building house. The house contained 4 apartments, and his His was on the first floor to the right. After entering the ground floor hall, he rose through the stairs, not taking long before he stood directly in front of the door of his house.

nHe took a deep breath and exhaled heavily. Raising his hands up, he knowcked slightly. There was no response. He let out a relieved smile as he twisters the door handle, opening the wooden door in front of him.

n

"So se's still asleep. That's a relief

" He said under his breath.

nHe slowly and gently opened the door as it creaked in a low tone, echoing a bit through the dark room. As he was already used to the layout of his apartment, he walked confidently in the sitting quaters of his room to switch on the lamb he had kept on the table beside the wall located at the far left corner of his sitting room.

n

"So... Nathan, where have you been?

"

nThe feminine sound echoed throughout the dark and silent room, causing his body to jerk in fright. His startled face darted around the room in order to pinpoint the location of the owner of the voice. He could see her, but he knew quite well who she was.

nAs an afterthought, he decided it would be better to go for the lamp and then use it to locate her position. He reached out to the table to grab his handy tool for illumination, but it wasn't there

n

"Looking for something?

" The voice appeared again.

nNathan knew there was no other way to turn. He was running out of options, and since he was already very exhausted he didn't have it in him to continue the exchange.

n

"Okay, I give up. You win, Marie

" Nathan sighed.

nSuddenly, the lantern was switched on and Marie's body was revealed. She sat on a chair, not so far from Nathan, but not closer either. Her face was full of smiles, yet Nathan could tell that she was far from joking.

nHe remained dumbstruck as he watched her gaze upon him.

n

"Like I asked... Where have you been?

" Marie repeated her question.

n

"W-Well, the boys and I went for a few drinks today. We got carried away though. I'm sorry I returned late

" Nathan muttered, knowing she was genuinely concerned about his welfare and was very angry the move he pulled.

n

"Oh? So that's why you left me all by myself to got 'hang out' with your friends and manage to come home at this time? along?

" Marie said with clench teeth.

nNathan kept quiet, he didn't want to drag on the issue. Especially because he was tired and tipsy.

n

"How many times have I told you? Stop staying out late. There has seen a great influx of criminal activity these days. I don't want you to he caught up on it too

" She added.

n

"I-I worry about you, you know?

" She said, letting out a blushing expression.

n

"Marie... That's... The reason I'm doing all this is for you. We'll soon get married, start our family, have kids. It's not only irresponsible, but dangerous

" Marie said, drawing closer to Nathan.

n

"W-Well, Yeah. You're right

" Nathan said, looking away with slight embarrassment.

n

"I wonder... If you've truly been coming just from the bar.

" Marie said, with one of her brows raised.

n

"I'm being honest here, I'm serious. Besides, I can't stop now. We have to amass a great amount in order to live the dream life we want for ourselves

" Nathan said to her, showing a little passion in his tone.

n

"Yeah, I suppose you're right

" Marie said with a sigh.

nAt this point she was already in Nathan's arms. She rested her head on his slightly large chest, smiling as she seemed to enjoy the moment.

n

"I've been waiting for you all this while...

" Marie said, her voice trembling with emotion.

n

"I'm sorry about that. I know after your Relic got used up, I haven't gotten any other Relic, meaning you can not currently fight as it stands, you might have to stop being an Adventurer

" Nathan said, using his hand to pet her, while the other hand was around her waist, holding firmly to it.

n

"Marie... What do you say, after the

"EVENT

" we leave Lamar and start a new life somewhere else?

" He asked her.

nShe gazed at his face and could tell he was serious.

n

"Where's this coming from?

" She asked him with a slight chuckle.

n

"As it stands now I'm a liability to you. That much I know...

"Her voice trailed off.

nAs a physical fighter, Marie's level of mastery and skills were really low and subpar compared to most Adventurers. She relied on her staff for most of attacks and was considered a major force in their party. But now, without he Relic's help, she had being nothing but useless.

n

"Don't say that Marie. I want us to live a safe and happy life, far from any possibility of danger. I want our child to enjoy life and have a better scenery, a better life than this

" Nathan said, tightening his hands around her.

n

"Don't you also wish for the same?

"

nNathan stared at her passionately and she exchanged his looks for hers. With interlocked eyes, they drew their faces closer and engaged in a passionate kiss. As tongues intertwined and their mouth fluids mixed with one another, they let out pleasured moans, indicating they were gaining satisfaction from their actions.

nSlowly, Nathan began to undress her and she did the same for him too. Even though it was just the previous day that Marie had woken up from her short coma, she couldn't wait to be one with her lover Nathan, and be swallowed up in his naked embrace.

nAs they once again gazed upon each other, entirely stripped of their wears, they said not a word, but used their bodies to speak, one to the other, the language of love.

nTHE NEXT DAY

n

"So... When do we do it?

" Karl's gruffy voice let out, smiling energetically at Nathan.

n

"Tonight

" Nathan said with a confident smile.

n

"I know where they live in, they took me there before we parted ways. Also, I have had a few people tailing them for some time now, and one other monitoring their house. Everything is going as planned.

" He added.

n

"Good. That makes us how many in total?

" The bald headed one asked.

n

"Altogether we're about 9. There's five of us here, three are on monitoring duty for their group, while the last one has been surveying the house and it's structure so we'll know every nook and cranny of their apartment.

" Nathan said.

n

"Good, when the night comes... We'll be ready to plunder

" One of their comrades said with a wide grin.

nThey all joined him to laugh. Indeed, this would be a good haul for them. Nathan looked at all his friends, people who didn't exactly need to do this job, but did it anyway. Not just to satisfy their pockets, but also because they trusted him. He wasn't going to let them down!

nThe plan was going to work!

n