Asteri returns to the villa, reunites with Allatu and Betty, and as they leave the villa they see Ghenda coordinating both the white knights and the city guards. Ghenda notices them and goes to them.
"I wish you the best of luck in completing the mission." Ghenda wanted the mission to succeed.
"Thanks Ghenda, you too ... be careful." Asteri was strangely worried about her.
'Whenever I feel this strange sensation in your body for a woman ... it is an omen that she will become your mistress,' Aurelion said.
'For real? well then I'll do my best. 'Asteri was not so averse to wanting Ghenda as his woman ... but he still had to work hard to be successful.
"Ah, thank you very much, it has been a long time since nobody told me these things." Ghenda appreciates Asteri's concern.
"This makes me happy, I'm the first to tell you this for a long time. But Ghenda, sorry if I tell you ... but where is Mr. Gustav?" no matter how much he looked around, Asteri hadn't seen Gustav's presence for a long time.
"In reality I hadn't seen him since the end of today's meeting, I asked his servants about him and they replied that he had problems to solve and that he would come shortly". Ghenda also did not know Gustav's position.
'Surely suspect ...' Asteri thinks.
"Okay it's not a problem, so I'll see you after the mission, see you soon." Asteri greets her, so did Allatu and Betty.
"Sure, see you later." Ghenda returns the greeting and returns to coordinate the troops.
"Why do I have the feeling that we will soon meet our Mr. Gustav?" it is Allatu speaking.
"And who knows ..." Asteri smiles at her.
And the three went to the meeting place. The place was located shortly after the gates of the walls. There was no need to worry about the guards seeing who Asteri was meeting with, as there were none above the walls. They are all positioned within the city, on the streets it is to protect the places that could contain precious objects. The people who were attacking were not an army that was about to carry out a siege, indeed most likely the thieves of 'The Shadows of Kalos' were already inside the walls.
"Is this where we will meet our friend?" asks Betty.
"Yes, it should come soon." Asteri looked around, trying to see if anyone was coming.
"Actually I'm already here." a fourth voice is heard from the group. The three alarmed turn in the direction of the voice.
"I didn't feel his presence at all, how did he do it?" Asteri was quite surprised.
The group saw a human male, dressed in killer clothing, a hood to cover his head and a mask to hide half of his face. Only his two eyes were visible, one gray and the other completely white with a scar on them. It is evident that from there he can no longer see.
"Sorry if I surprised you, but I had no hostile intentions. My name is Zero, the agent Miss Dagni told you about. I assume you are the adventurers they informed me of." The killer named Zero introduces himself.
"Nice to meet you, Zero. I'm-" Asteri was about to introduce himself.
"Asteri, Allatu is Betty. Tell me if I'm not mistaken" Zero points to them and calls them by name.
"No, you're not wrong, but that makes things faster. We have to hurry to get to the cave." Asteri turns and starts running.
"Sure" Zero follows him.
'He is in the fifth degree of the blue core, be careful,' Aurelion warned him.
'Of course, I would never trust a mercenary not paid by me.' Asteri replies.
The group ran and quickly reached the cave.
"I do not feel the presence of anyone out here, we can safely enter." Zero speaks.
"How can you be so sure?" asks Betty.
"I've never been wrong, miss. I can also perceive beings much stronger than me ... but right now there aren't any." he answers her.
Suddenly there are loud noises coming from the city. Explosions and battle cries.
"Apparently they started having fun," says Zero.
"I don't think I hear the screams of the civilians, they will have moved them to a part of the city not targeted by the rogues." says Allatù.
"And the signal, let's enter the cave." Asteri goes to the cave drawing his sword. The three follow.
Once inside they were greeted by a dozen thieves, but it wasn't a big deal to them. They ranged from the fourth to the seventh degree of the green core.
"They left the meat to the slaughter, better for us." Zero speaks with the voice obscured by the mask.
The cave did not resemble that of the Kobolds at all, in fact in some points holes and corridors were dug, the holes obviously were used for the rooms and on the walls there were torches.
"This should be the room we're looking for." Zero indicates a door built more accurately than the others.
"OK let's go." Asteri precedes us.
He focuses first to feel a presence within it, and there were actually about twenty people there.
"There are twenty, eighteen are small fish we have encountered so far, one is at the first degree of the white core and the last is at the same level as Zero." Asteri announces.
"The one in the white core, I think I know who he is." whispers Zero.
"We all have the same suspicion already. Can you resist the one in the blue core until we take care of those eighteen little fish?" Asteri asks.
"Sure, it won't be a problem." Zero was sure of his abilities.
"Perfect then let's go to the countdown signal. One, two ... THREE!" the group enters at the signal of Asteri finding themselves in front of their target is an old acquaintance.
"Oh, but what a pleasure to see you again here, my dear adventurers." Gustav was standing at the back of the room.