Sanctuary Agency

〘Date: 2/9 - Saturday〙

〘Time: 9:00 AM〙

〘Location: Texas, San Antonio - Trinity Valley Dormitory〙

The next day had finally arrived, the events of last night finally catching up to me as I work, my head aching as if stones were thrown at it and my body feeling more tired than usual. I grunted softly as I sat up on my bed, looking around as I didn't know how I made it back in one piece.

Looking over to Matt's side of the dorm, I noticed he wasn't back either still hung over at his house or preparing for his post game interview. I let out a soft exhale, laying back down on my bed and grabbing my phone off the nightstand to check it.

"It's time to wake up, Cupid," I said, tapping on Phroa's window on the screen to wake her up.

Phroa whined softly as I continued to tap her window to wake her up. Soon, she gave in and finally woke up, her window quickly switching to her Active State, but with a more tired expression.

"C'mon, you were barely active last night while I was in a whole brawl. I still gotta apologize to that one guy I kicked..." I said, watching as Phroa materialized in front of me with her arms crossed.

"It's a Saturday and there's nothing wrong with sleeping in... You don't have to go on dates everyday. Some times us AI and Love Familiars need rest from all the match making," Phroa huffed softly, glancing at me with subtle puppy eyes.

I chuckled softly at her, tilting my head slightly and gently rubbed her hair. "That's a very long winded way of saying you want a lazy day. Besides, I kinda want to chill today also after yesterday..."

Phroa hummed happily, fluttering her wings to carry herself to my shoulder. She sat down on my shoulder, getting comfortable and smiled at me. "So what's the plan if we aren't pursuing any women?"

"Probably hang out with my mom and sister for a bit, maybe visit Daphne again. Something very chill and low-key," I said, feeling my phone buzzing and looking down at my screen.

〔Fling Notification: 1 New Message!〕

Phroa gasped with excitement, her lips widening into a bright smile. "Yes!~ I've been waiting for this moment! Your first Digi-Fling!"

"Digi-Fling?" I asked, glancing at Phroa with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm still working out what to call this instead of Phone Fling. Nevermind that, focus!" Phroa said, pushing my head to look at my phone again.

"Alright, alright... I'm focusing. Please teach me, O' master of Love," I said, my tone tinged with sarcasm.

〔Charisma EXP -10〕

"Bruh..." I said dully, noticing the deduction in my own trait.

Phroa weakly punched my cheek, huffing at my sarcasm. "Hmph, I'm taking away some Charm EXP for your petty sarcasm! Anyway, you've finally gotten your first Digi-Fling, your chance to find love through a screen! Since you got the message, this girl must be here in the San Antonio area."

I nodded, tapping on the message to see what it said. Upon tapping the message, the System seemed to register the number, but only the name.

〔Suzette: Hi! I am hoping this is the correct number for The Boss?〕

"The Boss? This must be for Charlotte," I said, preparing to text her back that she had the wrong number.

"Wait!" Phroa called out, stopping my hand from typing. "Don't tell her it's the wrong number! Play around with it, you might be talking to one of Charlotte's Maidens!"

I glanced at Phroa, noticing how urgent she was to stop me and let out a soft exhale, a small smile forming on my lips. "Okay, I got it. I'll play around with this.."

〔Me: I am not 'The Boss', but I am in close relation with her. State your purpose for messaging.〕

Sending the message, I noticed she read it nearly immediately. I noticed she liked the message with a heart icon and began to respond back very quickly.

〔Suzette: Perfect! Okay, allow me to begin with my name is Suzette Fiora. I am the Head Maid for Eliza's Faction of Sanctuary Agency, and I am texting to report my mission.〕

〔Suzette: Miss Druand wasn't available as she's currently hung over with Miss Wendy and Miss Okabe.〕

I shook my head after reading her second message, letting out a soft nose chuckle. "Sounds exactly like her. Surprised her blood isn't Strawberry Recharge yet..." I said to myself, looking back at the screen to text back.

〔Me: Sounds exactly like Eliza. Some Vampire she is, am I right? Anyway, report and I'll relay everything back to Charlotte.〕

Like my other message, she liked my newest one and began to reply back to me nearly immediately. Her next few messages were her reporting Lost Syndicate activity near one of the three Trinity Valleys and a few actually going in to illegally harvest rhodium.

After her series of messages, I was able to respond again, but knowing this information, I knew I had to immediately tell Charlotte as it was important information. However, before I decided to end the conversation, I wanted to know what she looked like.

〔Me: Thank you for your report. I will report this to Charlotte immediately, but before I do, can I get a picture of you?〕

〔Me: To put a face to a name.〕

I knew it was risky to play my cards as such, but Luck isn't a Trait of Love for nothing. I noticed she had saw the message, but unlike before, she didn't heart the message nor replied immediately. Having thought the conversation had ended abruptly, my phone buzzed, a new message appearing on the screen.

Tapping the blurred message, it revealed the image of a stunningly beautiful woman with dyed floral green hair, shimmering green eyes, and an irresistible smile that seemed to draw me in immediately. She wore a cute, frilly maid outfit with white thigh high stockings, a frilly headband, and a necklace with a sparkling stone embedded within.

"Whoa...you scored big. And I mean that in two ways," Phroa said, nearly drooling over the woman upon my screen.

I couldn't help but to stare at the picture, her beauty seemingly out of my own league despite how I viewed myself. "Yeah..."

〔Suzette: Since you know my name and face, I believe it's only fair I know your name and face.〕

〔Suzette: So I know who I'm serving beyond Miss Druand~〕

Seeing her messages pop up on screen, I immediately broke out of my trance and knew I had to lock in. Immediately, I brought up my camera app to take the best picture I could in the moment. After sending her my photo, I began to text her back.

〔Me: Remember this face and acknowledge this number as, The Ace.〕

〔Suzette: Hehe~ Alright, 'The Ace'. Now that I know your face, the work place will become more interesting.〕

〔Suzette: Goodbye for now, 'Boss' <3〕

After her last message, her status upon her picture swapped to unavailable. I glanced at Phroa, noticing her proud smile and nod.

"Heh! That went by better than expected, and technically you didn't lie about anything either! That went by very smoothly! Now, let's hurry and tell Mistress the news," Phroa said, flying off my shoulder and warping back into my phone.

I nodded, getting out of bed quickly to get ready for the day. With such news of how close the Lost Syndicates actually were from me, I knew trouble was soon to come if not handled quickly.

〔Charisma/Luck EXP +50〕

〘Date: 2/9 - Saturday〙

〘Time: 10:25 AM〙

〘Location: Texas, Alamo City - Sanctuary Agency HQ〙

I made it to the HQ, parking my car in the parking garage and stepping out. As I made my way toward the door, I began to hear footsteps echoing my own, my body immediately going on alert. Gradually, I began to slow my steps, checking to see if I was actually being followed.

The steps behind me began to slow as well, confirming my suspicions. Blue lightning began to crackle around my hair, my eyes glowing as I began to awaken the energy point within my hands. Quickly, I pivoted around to face my follower, noticing a bright red light glowing in the distance.

I grunted as I dove out of the way, dodging a beam of blood energy and quickly got up, dashing toward my now attacker. Multiple waves of blood projectiles began flying my way, my body instinctively evading each projectile, faint esoteric energy wrapping around my hands.

I manipulated the energy around my hand, forming an energy blade and slashed upward, going for the immediate kill. As my hand neared the person, I immediately stopped my attack, a rush of wind blowing, knocking the woman's red had off her head.

The woman giggled softly, catching her hat and placing it back upon her head. "My, my..~ I see you still have the skills we taught you..."

"Eliza...What the heck are you doing here? I thought you were wasted," I questioned, letting out a soft huff as I powered down and fixed my clothing. "And why did you attack me, you pupule?"

Eliza giggled softly, her red eyes gleaming with warmth and affectionate as she stared at me. "Well firstly, it's been a while since you've been put on the spot. I gotta make sure our new Ace is always prepared..~"

"And secondly, my love, I got a report and I'm here to fill in Charlotte. My guess for you being here as well is because Suzette informed you as well?" Eliza asked, reading me like an open book with her usual seductive chuckle.

I watched as Eliza made her way toward the entrance, a small smile forming on my lips. I quickly began to follow behind her, slipping my hands into my pockets. "Maybe she has. Who knows why I'm here."

Eliza smiled at my response, letting out a soft hum and walked inside the building with me. "Very mysterious, darling..~ I like that..."

Eliza Druand, one of the four main agents of Sanctuary Agency, was one of the most alluring yet dangerous women I know. She is a stunningly woman with ivory skin, beautiful scarlet eyes, and long white hair that fell in beautiful waves down her back.

She has a reputation around the agency known as The Vampire and Bloody Eliza. Out of all of the agents within the organization, Eliza has the second highest skill count, only coming short to Charlotte. She's not known to ever hold any prisoners, and the ones she does keep are turned into Bat Servants.

The two of us rode up to the top floor using the elevator, the calm elevator music playing in the background as we waited. While waiting, I turned my head to see what Eliza was doing, noticing she was texting Suzette about what she saw.

"Y'know, I thought you were drunk with Wendy and Akira. Are they awake and functioning?" I asked, turning my gaze to Eliza's face.

Eliza's gaze flicked to meet mine for a second, a small smile forming on her lips. "Well, Wendy is and she's currently taking Akira back to Oceanview so she can be cared for by Ui. As for me, I'm a fully fledged Vampire now, so I can recover nearly instantly from being inebriated if I wanted."

"I see...So, is Suzette like one of your Bat Servants?" I asked, wanting to know more about her Head Maid.

Eliza snickered softly, sensing my curiosity about her beloved maid and lowered her phone to face me. "No, darling. Suzette isn't a Bat Servant. Suzette is similar to me however. A victim to the Syndicates' terrible experiments as a little girl, forced to accept a Philosopher's Stone within her."

"She's a bit older than you are being 22 years old, and she's doing fine now under my watch and care," Eliza added, letting out a happy hum as a few memories of her time with Suzette flashed in her mind.

〔Love Finder Alert: New info learned about Suzette Fiora.〕

〔Suzette's Age: 22〕

Eliza heard the jingle from my phone, a small snicker escaping through her nose. "Was that Phora?"

Phora materialized beside me, letting out an embarrassed giggle and rubbed the back of her head. "I kinda forget to put myself on silent sometimes. Also, hi Eliza! It's my first time actually 'seeing' you!"

Eliza smiled at Phroa, gently running her fingers through her hair. "It's nice to finally meet you as well, my love's beautiful companion~"

I smiled at the two of them, glad to have Phroa finally meet other people so she could grow more comfortable being outside my phone. I looked back out the window, the information learned about Suzette echoing in my mind for a moment longer.

"I have another question about Suzette, if you don't mind," I said, turning my gaze back to Eliza.

Eliza nodded, holding Phroa between her chest with a gentle embrace. "I don't mind at all, darling. Ask away."

"Since Suzette has a Philosopher's Stone, what's her ability?" I asked curiously, waiting for Eliza's immediate answer.

"She has Plant Manipulation. The Philosopher's Stone's power awakens via a user's soul. And since she's been under my amazing care, she's recently learned how to grow and care for Venus Traps!~" Eliza answered, her tone filled with a mix of pride and excitement.

"Yeesh, of course you'd turn a mainly peaceful ability into something Vampiric," I said dully, my voice tinged with dry humor and u amusement.

"C'mon! Venus Traps are so beautiful! I'll have to bring you to my division of the HQ so you can see the beauty in everything scarlet~" Eliza persuaded, her beautiful scarlet eyes shimmering with a bloody excitement.

I scratched the back of my head, an awkward smile forming on my lips. "Alright, but I'm only giving you one shot with these plants..."

Eliza nodded happily, her lips stretching into a sickening sweet grin. "You will not regret it, I promise~"

The elevator finally stopped at the 100th floor, the doors opening to allow us to walk out. The two of us began making our way down the hall, reaching Charlotte's door and Eliza knocked gently on the door before opening it.

"Char, I've come to report some big news to you. And it's serious," Eliza said, walking into the office and taking off her hat.

Charlotte looked up from the stack of reports from her desk, noticing me and Eliza then gave us a warm smile. She sat back in her seat, setting down the stack of papers. "Big news huh? Isn't your Head Maid usually the one sending in reports?"

"Suzette tried to tell you, but she ended up texting with Ryder in the process since your number and his are pretty identical. So, she told me and I'm here to relay," Eliza explained, taking out her phone from her handkerchief pocket on her suit to bring up the report.

Charlotte chuckled lightly at the explanation, shaking her head lightly. "I guess it does happen. Alright, lay it on me. What's the big news?"

Eliza finally got the report on her screen, her tone now becoming more serious. "In her report, she said she was out at the La Vernia Valley to practice her magic at 7:23 AM today when she saw Lost Syndicate members heading toward the cave in the search for the valley's rhodium."

Charlotte's gaze immediately grew more serious as Eliza read the report, sitting up in her seat and began to process the information in her head. "The Lost Syndicates are now in San Antonio and hunting for material to enhance their weapons huh..?"

"Alright, did she say if their was a Leader or Mask User with them?" Charlotte asked, looking up at Eliza for answers.

"No. She said immediately after spotting them, she came back to HQ to report which was around 9:32 AM," Eliza answered, turning off the screen of her phone and met Charlotte's gaze.

"Alright...not much to work with, but just enough to come up with a plan. We would want to stop them as soon as possible also. Are the other Agents available?" Charlotte asked.

Eliza shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest. "No. Wendy is currently in Austin taking Akira back to her sister, Alice is with her daughter at the moment, and Rhea is still out on her mission. Desiree might be available though."

"Yeah, I know she is, but I don't want to call her away from Whitney to handle this...plus I've still got reports to look through..." Charlotte said, lightly flipping through the reports on her desk then sat back in her seat again. "Alright, it looks like it's just going to be you two for now."

"Hmm~ Me and Ryder today..?~ I can already see a successful mission," Eliza giggled, licking her lips as she glanced over at me.

"A mission that'll most likely end in a bloody mess," I said dryly, placing a hand on my hip and lowering my head.

Charlotte glanced between the two of us, a soft laugh escaping from her mouth at our dynamic. "You two are something special together... Alright, Ryder, meet me in the weapons room. I'm gonna get you prepared for the battlefield."

"Don't take too long~" Eliza said in a beautiful minor key singsong voice, making her way outside to office to wait for me.

Her singsong voice sent slight chills down my spine, her tone both haunting and alluring at the same time. I shuddered lightly, my body slightly wiggling to shake off any goosebumps that crawled on my skin.

Charlotte smiled at me, standing up from her desk and began to make her way toward the weapons room. "C'mon, let's get you prepared."

I nodded, following behind Charlotte and entered the secret room I never had access to before. Looking around, I noticed various firearms and different blades hanging upon the walls, smaller handguns and gadgets sat in special protective cases, and in the largest case was a black mask with a distinctive blue star design on the entire left side.

Charlotte began to walk toward the smaller cases, taking out a white Desert Eagle MK I and a few daggers. She began to walk toward the sword section of the weapon room, taking down a simple broadsword then made her way toward the mask.

"As The Ace, it is important for you to master all styles of combat like I have. And as our Ace, you're the missing link. The most important piece of the game, The Pawn," Charlotte began, taking the mask out of its casing and began to walk toward me, handing me my equipment.

I took each piece of equipment out of her hands, putting them on then took the mask last. "Why the pawn..? Isn't the King the most important piece in chess?"

"Yes, the King is the most important piece, but we all have our role to play. I am the King, Desiree is the Queen as the Secondary Ace, Wendy is the Rook, Rhea is the Knight, Eliza is the Bishop, and Alice is the second Knight," Charlotte began, placing a comforting hand upon my cheek.

"I know being seen as a pawn right now might seem like I'm overlooking you, but trust me... You'll soon understand what it means to be a True Pawn..~ What it means to truly be The Ace," Charlotte said, leaning into me to kiss my forehead.

I closed my eyes as she planting a tender kiss upon my forehead, her kiss sending a sudden warmth and confort around my body. "I already know what a pawn does in chess...and strategically...they are always the ones taken out first."

Charlotte hummed softly at me, letting out a light giggle. "Correct, and it seems like you haven't played chess in a while, so this will be a reconnection experience. Plus it'll also help you with your Art of Love."

I let out a soft groan, a soft sigh leaving my lips then I met her gaze directly. "I guess so..."

Charlotte smiled sweetly at me, gently nudging me out the weapons room. "Alright, now go. Time is of the essence and the Syndicates can not succeed in their plans."

"Right, right. I'm going," I said, making my way out of Charlotte's office with my mask in hand.

Charlotte smiled as she watched me leave the door, her gaze shifting to look at her computer monitor as new reports began to flow in. She let out a soft sigh, chuckling softly to herself. "No rest for the wicked, eh..?"

〘Date: 2/9 - Saturday〙

〘Time: 11:15 AM〙

〘Location: Texas, San Antonio - La Vernia Valley〙

Eliza, Desiree, and I stood at the summit of one of the mountains of La Vernia Valley. The valley was a rugged terrain, a more desert wasteland than the other valleys which had a bit of green life to them. Streams of water flowed down a narrow path, splitting into two rivers leading toward the other two valleys.

The sun beamed down on us, with very little shade from the valley itself, the weather only grew hotter from here. A few bats soared the skies, getting an aerial view for Eliza while also using their supernatural hearing to listen in on the Lost Syndicates.

"You two still never filled me in on the scoop. What's going on?" Desiree asked, glancing at me with her arms crossed under her chest.

"Right now, we are on a mission to stop the Lost Syndicates from leaving with the rhodium they are trying to mine out of the valley's cave system. We don't know what they are planning, but we do know it's bad," I said, filling in my sister on the situation.

Desiree hummed softly, turning her gaze toward Eliza who was focusing her energy on visualizing and listening to what her bats heard and saw. "I see. You haven't been in any of these fights before. Do you think you can handle it?"

I looked down at my mask, the eyes of the mask shimmering under the sunlight. I let out a soft exhale, wiping off a small smudge from the mask's metallic surface. "I don't know...but I'm already here and there's no turning back now."

Desiree looked at me, tilting her head slightly with a warm smile on her face. She walked over to me, gently poking my forehead. "Listen, lovebug...You won't be alone in this. You have me and Eliza with you and the rest of the agency. You will be the most protected agency...I will teach you everything you know."

"Even how to be a True Pawn?" I asked, looking up to meet Desiree's gaze.

Desiree smiled warmly at me, letting out a soft giggle. "Since I was once a Pawn like you, yes. I'll even teach you how to be a True Pawn..~"

I smiled at her answer, giving her a nod. "Alright...I feel a little better now.."

"Good~ Now, c'mon. Let's see if Eliza has something for us," Desiree said, turning on her heels to make her way toward Eliza.

I glanced over at Phroa, the two of us meeting each other's gaze and nodding at one another. I began to gather the rest of my equipment from the car and followed behind Desiree to rendezvous with Eliza.

Eliza heard us approaching, glancing back at the two of us then turned her attention back to the cave entrance. "There's not much action going on down there. Just a bunch of scouts. I have a few bats inside the cave, it doesn't seem they've found anything."

"If they are hunting for the Valleys' materials, that must mean they are preparing to strike back harder in the future. Whatever they are planning, we have to stop it," Desiree said, standing next to Eliza with a determined gazed.

I kneeled down upon the otherside of Eliza, looking down at my phone and opened my Love Finder app. Using the system's radar, I scanned the radius around me, one orange dot appearing upon the radar.

"Oh? A potential suitor?" Phora asked, hovering beside me then grunted softly, glancing at me quickly. "Ryder..?"

I turned off my screen, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath. I exhaled slowly, opening my eyes again and looked off into the distance. "If it so happens to be true, it's just a part of being the son of a Savior. The Art of Love is equal to everyone who has the ability to feel it."

Eliza smirked at my wise words, glancing over at me with an intrigued stare. "Spoken wisely just like your father..~"

Desiree looked over at me, a soft smile forming upon her lips. "Let's make Dad proud."

I nodded, standing up and putting on my long coat and mask, the star emblem upon the mask shimmering to life. "Yeah. This is all for Dad..."

Eliza stood up as well, looking off at the cave entrance, recalling each of her bats then unwrapped her wings from around her waist. "Alright, my sweet vampires..~ Let's make some noise..~"

With that, the three of us set off to engage with the Lost Syndicates to end their scheme. While rapidly approaching them, I couldn't shake off the idea that someone within an organization like this one could be redeemed, but as the successor to my father, a Savior is still a Savior.

"Wahine Poli, The Fortune has come back with results. It seems today is a Jinx day. No Lucky Breaks from Clover. She doesn't seem to want to cooperate," A Lost Syndicate Knight reported, standing at attention in front of his Captain.

Poli let out a soft exhale, crossing her arms and closing her eyes. 'Love Demons denying their own masters. Even people like Vance had no issue controlling beings like Athena 20 years ago...what's the difference now?'

Poli opened her eyes, meeting the Knight's gaze with a stern expression. "We have all day to mine for Rhodium, Platinum, and Gold. The Empath won't let us return without at least $100,000's worth of material collectively. We've only made $3,500. Tell him to keep going."

"Maopopo!" The Knight saluted, turning on his heels to hurry back into the cave with direct orders.

Poli looked down at her phone to check the time, letting out a frustrated groan at the time of day. "If it's gonna take this long here, we should've been moved on to Leon Valley..."

"Maybe we can make the trip a bit faster for you~" A playful tone sounded above Poli.

Poli's eyes widened, her head shooting upwards to see Eliza floating above her, her instincts immediately telling her to retreat. She grit her teeth, fighting against her natural instincts and took hold of her katana, slashing upwards to slice Eliza in two.

Eliza's body dispersed into a colony of bats, a haunting laugh echoing in the air as she evaded Poli's initial strike. "Too slow~ I have a coworker with faster slices than you~"

Poli guarded herself as the colony of bats swarmed around her, blurring her vision, their screeches disorienting her completely. She grit her teeth, the scar along her right eye glowing a crimson light as she began to gather energy around her body.

Letting out a Tribal Howl, a burst of destructive red energy surged around her body, pushing the bats away and clearing the area around her. Poli panted softly, looking around and noticing multiple members of her faction incapacitated.

"I should've known it was you all... Sanctuary Agency," Poli growled lowly, readying herself for a battle against the three of us.

Desiree reloaded her Winchester M1887, the silver body of the shotgun gleaming within the sunlight, smoke faintly flowing from the barrel. "You come into our city and expect us to not show up, Wahine Poli? Seems like you're just as dense as our fallen cousin, Feleti.."

Poli's eyes twitched out of annoyance, baring her canine teeth in an aggressive manner. "You Mojis all believe you're still superior to us Sola? Your father never deserved to be the Tribal Leader! He robbed our tribe from true Greatness within the Island of Duality!"

Desiree scoffed at Poli, shrugging her shoulders and giving Poli a smug expression. "One side birthed a Savior, Father, Hero, and a God of Love. The other side birthed a murderer who was brainwashed by a Demon who only used him like a tool."

Poli snarled at Desiree, charging directly toward her before her body instinctively made her pause in her steps. Her heart began to race, her arms crawling with goosebumps. 'This energy...where is it coming—'

The ground beneath Poli began to rumble and break apart, my being emerging from beneath her with a powerful uppercut to her chin. Following my strike, I unsheathed my broadsword, slashing down instantly without a second thought.

Poli recovered quickly, managing to block my slash by just the edge of her katana's handle. She let out a loud grunt as she struggled against the force of my attack, the clash causing her to recoil down toward the ground.

Poli twisted her body around to land on her feet, her legs temporarily giving out and causing her to fall upon one knee. She panted softly, a fearful sweat rolling down her face as she gripped her trembling arm. 'There was no hesitation behind those attacks...'

I landed on the ground, standing up straight and looking down upon Poli, blue lightning sporadically crackling around my body. I adjusted my mask upon my face, pointing my sword at Poli. "Poli Sola... It's time you all acknowledge the truth...that it was never meant to be Feleti..."

'Why...can't I stop trembling..? Who is behind that mask..?' Poli thought to herself, her gaze primarily focused upon the sharp point of my blade. 'It's so familiar yet...distinct.'

"Who are you?!" Poli yelled out at me, looking up at my face with a demanding expression.

I continued to stare down at her, slightly tilting my head up and scoffed lightly at her. "You can refer to me as The Ace."

Poli's gaze shifted between me, Desiree, and Eliza, knowing she was in a losing situation. She gulped lightly, trying to recover as much strength as possible in a short amount of time to make her retreat.

With her now cornered, we left her with little possibly of escape. Surrounding her like hounds, our gazes stayed sharp, the three of us preparing for anything Poli could use against us.