Ephemeral Dream

XV: Time

I was thrilled to finally be out of the dungeon, my shadow soldiers safely residing within my shadow, waiting to be called upon at a moment's notice.

A glance at the time told me it was now around five AM, meaning the fight against Igris and then doing the actual job change quest took around two hours... And I was tired as all hell.

I stumbled out of the forest, making my way back home... When I noticed shadowy figures heading in the direction of my house...

My blood ran cold as I followed behind them, feeling tired, irritated, but mostly worried as it was obvious who they were going after: Miyuki.

'Lancer, don't act until I tell you to.'

'Huh? What are you talking about, Jaune?'

'Just don't act unless I tell you to!'

'Okay, okay! Jeez...'

I followed close behind them, sticking to the shadows as I did so. I didn't have any kind of stealth skill, but the two were so focused on their objective that they didn't even notice me trailing them.

I managed to get close enough to overhear their conversation.

"... A lot of money for this job," one of them said to the other, a male from the sounds of it. "Why do you think the client wants this girl so bad?"

"Who knows?" The other, another male, grunted. "You know we don't ask questions in our line of work. We go in, we get paid, we leave. End of story."

"Still, you can't admit you're a little curious..." The male prompted as they approached Miyuki's house.

"Okay, I'm a little curious," he admitted as they began to scale the room. "But there's no way we can..."

They trailed off. I could tell they were looking into the room through Miyuki's window, and got a look at her beauty.

"... I get it," the second male said. "I totally get it now."

"You sure we can't just keep her for ourselves?" The first male said. "You know... Have some fun with her?"

"No way, man," the second one shook his head. "Jacques Schnee wants her, and I'm not messing with that crazy bastard."

[Quest updated!]

[Quest: Bounty Hunter Crisis]

Miyuki Shiba is a beauty beyond beauties, an angel in appearance and personality that cannot be denied. After witnessing her beauty at a gala, Jacques Schnee decided he would be the perfect bride for his son and has hired bounty hunters and assassins to kidnap her.

Objective: Protect Miyuki from the people trying to kidnap her until Jacques gives up.

OR

Kill Jacques Schnee

Reward: 20,000 EXP, 20 Stat Points, 'Stealth' Skill, Title 'The Angel's Guardian.'

Failure: Miyuki is kidnapped.

Time Until Jacques Gives up: 2 years and 6 months

Bounty Hunters Killed: 3/?

I saw red.

'Lancer. Kill them.'

Neither male got to so much as blind before they were beheaded, falling to the ground outside. I blurred over to their bodies, staring down at them.