Nick Fury

Inside a lavish bar.

Lester put down the phone and smiled at the dark-skinned man tapping his fingers together under his chin.

He was Nick Fury, Lester's new boss. More like he was forced to join the SHIELD. About three years ago, this man charged inside Lester's house, followed by a white-haired tanned woman. Lester picked up his gun, only to get shut down by a lightning bolt from the woman. She charred his favorite couch as well.

"Done. He is coming," Lester said.

Nick Fury gave a smile. "We might get some unexpected information from him."

The sweet and never-ending rivalry between Hydra and SHIELD intensified recently. Sources said that Hydra got a new leader, a mysterious figure dealing with experiments on the mutants.

Lester gave zero shit about them. He already had a plan. He sat on his table, barely hiding the grin creeping on his face.

Today he will get his long-awaited freedom.

***

Brennus and Emma grabbed a taxi to the local dealers. Brennus rented an entire ninth, also the highest floor. It was luxuriously cheap with three spacious rooms and a decent television — the kind of apartment that'd get no attention from anyone.

For 2350 bucks per month!

Brennus enjoyed the view from his balcony with Emma on his side. The cloudy skies, the street bustling with cars, trash, and more trash. The wind carried chill from the north.

The view from the top always brought delight to his soul. He cast a glance over the building towering everything in Manhattan.

"That's Baxter Building. The home of leading researchers of the century alongside, going toe to toe with Howard Stark," Emma explained.

Bzzzt!

He answered the phone.

"A kind reminder to my 'diligent' friend. I'm done transferring data, better arrive in thirty minutes if you don't want to see me drunk dead on a table."

"I'll be there."

Brennus hung up and turned to Emma smiling at the view. The wind blew her golden hair, revealing her tantalizing nape.

"You like the place?"

Emma wiped the smile off her face and nodded. "A bit."

"You should move in then. There are plenty of rooms for you to pick."

"Smooth talker." Emma lightly punched his arm. "What's the price? You see, I'm poor."

"Your soul, maybe."

"Then I'd have to deny," she replied and giggled.

Brennus clicked his tongue, prompting another from Emma. He was serious though. Once she moved in, he wasn't going to let her go.

She'd solely belong to him.

*Emma*

Emma was having a hard time dealing with her rampant emotions. His passionate gaze in the cafeteria puzzled her. He went from an indifferent person to a passionate man in a single day. She so wanted to accept his offer, but her past regrets held her back. She still knew almost nothing about this new Brennus and neither could she find it with her ability. It was unnecessary if she wanted to date a normal man. A mutant was anything but normal.

'I'm to blame for creating one misunderstanding after another.'

She glanced at Brennus squinting down at the people with a cocky grin. It somehow suited him more than his calm look.

'Is this the real him?'

She had no way to know. His defenses were too sturdy for her telepathy.

Emma pinched his sleeve to get his attention. "Where are we going?"

"Someplace dangerous."

"Dangerous," Emma whispered with a sigh. She already hung out with a mutant. Then there was Astrid Bloom, another telepath on the campus who wanted to become her friend and an ally. Astrid even promised to help Emma in improving telepathy. But she hated the fact that Astrid could browse her memories as easy as surfing the internet. Astrid was a better telepath.

'I can't trust her.'

She rubbed the grinning joker head on her ring. She will test it tomorrow.

The provoking look in Brennus's narrowed eyes dared her. She couldn't back down now. Guts, she had plenty of them now with a powerful mutant on her side.

"Bring it on."

Brennus smiled. "You have a big part in this. Read the thoughts of the guy we'll meet and tell me through telepathy. Understood?"

"Easy."

Brennus slipped his arm around her shoulder and pinched her cheeks. "We'll see about that."

This was the most intimate thing she had ever done besides kissing. His warmth seeped into her skin, and a cool sensation streamed through her shoulders. His mere presence relieved her stress more than any drink.

'This is… addicting.'

She leaned on his shoulder. The clouds darkened, and the wind started howling.

"A storm is coming," Brennus said with a sigh. "I hate the rain."

Emma chuckled and patted his back. "C'mon. How can you hate rain? I mean, what's there to hate about rain? It's so calming."

"As if."

They bickered over it until Brennus reminded her of the task at hand.

***

*Brennus*

Brennus entered the bar with Emma. Inside the eerily silent place, a man sat in a corner, using his laptop.

Brennus's head buzzed. This was an obvious setup intended for him.

'He sold me out.'

Brennus looked over at the golden name above Lester's head.

[Benjamin Lester (Level 13)]

[Main skill: Adamantium enhanced physique)]

Adamantium?

"Brennus, he is laughing in his mind," Emma conveyed through telepathy, creeping close to him. "T-This is a trap."

"Calm down, I'll take care of this."

He channeled the Divine Essence through his body, ready to create a Light sword at moment's notice.

Lester stood up. "Yo, long time no see. Don't mind the silence. This bar is owned by me."

"I prefer peace too," Brennus responded with a smile and sat before him. "Where is the drive?"

Lester grinned and poured wine with unmatched enthusiasm. "Oh come on. We're meeting after years. Let's drink a bit."

Brennus picked the glass.

[Wine (Consumable)]

[Item Rank: E]

[Wine mixed with sleeping pills. It can make the brain inactive for a short period of time.]

He warned Emma to not drink and took the smallest sip he ever had from the drink.

Lester looked at Emma staring at his face. "And you might be his girlfriend. Damn, Shadow. I thought you were the lone wolf type."

"Let's get down to business."

Emma lightly nudged Brennus. "This place is surrounded by armed forces… his boss, Nick Fury is coming."

"Relax. We got this."

He still had his wings to escape through the glass roof.

The clock on the wall ticked, completely in sync with the footsteps coming from behind.

Nick Fury joined the show.

[Optional Quest generated]

[An Expected Betrayal: Find out the reason for Lester's betrayal.]

[Difficulty: Might be hard]

[Rewards: 1 X Rank-E XP Potion]

[Failure: Decreased reputation with (???) Faction]

'Accepted. I still don't know the effects of reputation.'

"Reputation will allow you to easily join that faction or enlist their aid in crisis. Negative reputation will increase your chances of getting attacked by the said faction."

'So we are playing a war simulator here. Interesting.'

***

Name: Brennus

Level: 11 (26.38% to next level)

HP: 740/740

SP: 500/500

Current Race: Low-rank Angel

Class: Blood Reaper

Title: Limb Butcher

Traits: Barbarian, Scholar, Cosmic Dweller, Aphrodite's Child, Super Sense, Master Swordsman, Master Smith.

Strength: 55 (+5 from Unholy Vengeance, +10 from Bloodbane Sword)

Vitality: 74

Dexterity: 70 (+10 From Reaper's Shroud)

Intelligence: 50 (+5 From Unholy Vengeance)

Wisdom: 50 (+5 From Reaper's Shroud)

Luck: 35

Stat Points: 0

Skills:

[Death's Blessing Lvl. Max (Passive)]

[Beyond Death Lvl. Max (Passive)]

[Mystic Wings (Active) Lvl. 1]

[Divine Essence Manipulation Lvl. 3 (Active)]

[Ignore Lvl. 2 (Passive)]

[Telepathy Lvl. 1 (Active)]

[Sword Mastery Lvl. 4 (Passive)]

[Levitation Lvl. 1 (Active)]

[Create Dungeon Lvl. 1 (Active)]

[Poker Face Lvl. 1 (Passive)]

[Battle Instincts Lvl. 1 (Passive)]

[Shadow Blood Lvl. 1 (Passive)]

[Kill Counter Lvl. 1 (Passive)]

[Burning Sword Lvl. 1 (Active)]

[Mortal Contract Lvl. 1 (Active)]

Current Quests:

[An Eye for an Eye, a Soul for a Soul]

[The Real Angel of Death]

[The Forgotten Past]

[An Expected Betrayal]

Current Equipment:

[Unholy Vengeance (E)]

[Reaper's Shroud (D)]

[Blessed pendant (D)]

[Fire extinguisher (F)]

[Club Gaming Console (D)]