Herald of death

"Come out; I know it's you, Kate," Ethan says. "You've gotten better; you almost got me this time."

"Level seventy-seven mimicry, and yet you saw through it in a matter of six sentences," she says, her voice turning to a beautiful feminine melody.

Her voice is like a perfectly tuned instrument, with each word flowing smoothly with a soft, melodious tone. There is a hint of playfulness in her inflection. As she steps into the light, her presence matches the allure of her voice. Her eyes sparkle with mischief, accompanying a knowing smile. "You've grown taller," she says as her brown eyes fall on Ethan.

Ethan feels a strange, almost magnetic pull toward her. He tries to shake off the feeling, perplexed by the immediate and overwhelming attraction he feels. Her appearance is captivating –almost too perfect. Kate's skin glows softly, highlighting her exquisitely delicate features. Her chestnut hair cascades like a silken waterfall, shimmering in the rising light.

"You've grown … prettier; I didn't think it possible," Ethan comments. His senses tell him that Ether emanates from her, passing over his body. "But there's something unnatural to it, isn't there?"

Her smile widens, and she takes a step closer, her movements graceful and fluid. "We both profited from the system. I missed those muscles of yours; why did you have to lose them after the island?"

Ethan feels like her very presence is enchanting him, making it impossible to look away. "I had to. … It was making me stand out too much."

She laughs softly, a sound that sends shivers down his spine. "I'm glad you earned them back. What do you say we put our new bodies to the test?"

Ethan narrows his eyes and snaps his fingers. The surrounding threads of Ether freeze as he unleashes a Silence spell. "Not now. Nine could come back anytime now."

Kate straightens up, moving her head away from Ethan. "You are no fun," she says. "It could take him another few hours to arrive in Dubai."

"Ok. You don't drink black coffee. In fact, you need so much milk and sugar that it shouldn't be called coffee anymore," Ethan quips. Russ leaves Ethan to jump and roll on the sofa.

"I hate you," Six playfully says. She sits on the sofa next to Russ, but he gives a light growl and goes to another section. "He decided to go eat breakfast on his own."

"No room service?" Ethan asks, exploring the remaining corners of the suite. "Or did you scare him off?"

"I barely spoke that he was already mine; he is no fun," she mocks. "I doubt he ever had a woman in his bed."

"Seducing a target is literally a part of all Specters' training," Ethan says. "Do you have any additional information on our mission?"

"Valeria Vex didn't come here to sell anything; she's here to recruit," Six says. "She is organizing what you could call a convention for black-market weapon manufacturers."

"How many actors are we talking about? Surely, they will all be armed and guarded," Ethan asks, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"Dozens," she answers. "But this gives us an occasion to blend in."

"I'm convinced that she knows every attendant; we won't be able to invite ourselves," Ethan says, sitting beside Russ.

"I asked Tombstone to find us a participant we could dispose of and impersonate," she says. "I've brought my entire collection."

Ethan glances into the bedrooms. "I'm not seeing anything," he says. "I remember it taking up an entire room."

She explains, "My second dungeon reward was a haversack. It's a bag that can store –"

"More objects than it should, making them lose both shape and mass until you summon them back. I got one as my first dungeon reward," Ethan cuts.

"No fun," she mutters. "So yes, I have my entire disguise collection with me. I could erase all those great features of yours and turn you into the plainest of men. Or into a copy of another attendant, which I will probably do."

Kyle opens the door, a plate of pastries in hand. He exhales a sigh of relief as he sees Ethan. Russ stands up, waging his tail as he spots Nine.

"Hi," Kyle says as he places the plate down. He sits alongside Russ, opposite of Ethan, and scratches the dog's chin. His eyes scan Ethan from head to toe. "You've changed quite a lot."

"You gained quite a lot of muscle yourself. I ate a fruit that grew at the bottom of a dungeon, and it made me taller," Ethan says. "Even if we can enter her convention, our targets might be hard to reach and kill, depending on their new abilities. The Plague Merchant has a guard, a bulletproof Russian woman, who can cast an impenetrable protection on others. As for him, I ignore his class, but it could be Poisoner or Alchemist."

"I've read that in Tombstone's intel," Kate says. "Valeria recently hired a lot of new faces. It is likely that most of them are high-level or that they have rare and dangerous classes. As for her, I think she's a Merchant."

Kyle continues, "Ghaya always had a hard time recruiting. But I've heard that Yasin's inner circle has become extremely dangerous. During their power struggle, he and five of his men defeated around a hundred enemy soldiers."

"Someone has competition," Kate says, smiling at Ethan. "Any reliable solution for bulletproof enemies? I've read that you were able to kill one."

"High-caliber weapons," Ethan says. "But using a Barrett in close quarters is a no-go. I bought a new rifle, improved by otherworldly finds, but I haven’t confirmed its efficiency. Worse case, I've got abilities that should ignore their protections, but I'll need to get close."

"Speaking of abilities, should we know what each of us is capable of?" Kyle asks. "I'm a level fourteen Warrior with Endurance, Strengthening, Unyielding, Identification, Anonymity, and Vigilance."

Ethan and Kate exchange a glance without saying a word. "Do you know how the Reapers are ranked?" Kate asks Kyle.

"No," Kyle admits.

"We hunt each other in a tournament where duels take place in the real world. Be it the streets of New York or the depths of a South American forest," Ethan says. "With how much things changed, it's only a matter of time before they organize a new one."

"And you don't want others to know the extent of your abilities to improve your chances," Kyle says. "Guess I'll see them when we get down to business."

'That, and I don't want them to see that I'm a high human. Though I could change Anonymity to include my entire status except for my species,' Ethan thinks.

"And he definitely wants his second place back, especially since he lost the last one on a technicality," Kate says. Her phone vibrates; she looks at it before placing it down on the table. "And here is our entrance ticket."

The phone displays successive videos of UAVs and UGVs on battlefields, tearing apart their opponents. A appears, showing a man in his forties who takes care of himself and presents a robust stature.

"Cyrius Hargrove," Kyle reads. "A seller of illegal unmanned combat vehicles. He supplies eastern special forces for their covert operations and various criminal organizations."

Kate continues, "He's accompanied by several of his engineers and guards. Two of which look close enough to me, and Five. Which means that you'll have to play his role, Nine."

"I guess I'll start reading about engineering and robotics," Kyle says. "It's a good thing that the system hastens the learning process."

"How much time do we have before Valeria's convention starts?" Ethan asks.

"I doubt her attendants would come in advance," Kate says. "It will probably start tonight or tomorrow."

"Then we have no time to spare," Ethan says. "Where do we find him?"