Read Nocturna League (Episode 2: The Mist Hour) for Free Online Page A

length of steel being smashed into the back of
his neck by the strength of an overworked eighteen year old. The
guard goes down, and Colette unlocks the door to the fourth floor.
She sneaks with light, fleet steps, ghosting through the hall in
perfect silence. She goes down two floors, and reaches a room with
snoring coming from behind the door. The Captain doesn’t snore, so
it must be a Ganastere. With practiced stealth she silently glides
across the floor, just like all the times she had to sneak by Boris
to eat every day the Captain said “You didn’t do the job right. No
dinner for our lazy cupcake, Boris.” A moment later, and she gently
resets the hammer of her revolver to produce an obedience-creating
*click*.
    “ Wh-who’s there?!” And old,
male, frightened voice rings out.
    “ A ghost, dumbass. Where do
you keep the gauntlets?” She says to him, resting a tight hand
around his throat.
    “ P-please. They’re
priceless! W-without the gauntlets we’ll be unable to-”
    She pulls the trigger. *Click* “I’m
pretty sure the next one has a bullet in it. Want to find
out?”
    “ Oh, please! By your honor
please don’t take our-”
    “ Mmm?”
    “ In a room on the third
floor, the one in the center. The lock on it is enchanted, though,
you’ll need the password!”
    “ Which is?” she asks,
smiling in the dark.
    He sighs. “Uh, it’s lemonscratch .”
    She tightens her grip. “You understand
I’m going to knock you out after we talk, right?”
    “ Uh… Uh I
guess?”
    “ So you won’t be able to
call any guards.”
    “ Yeah… Okay?”
    “ So if the password’s
wrong, I might just come on down and visit agai-”
    “ It’s Ganastere Pride ! I’m
sorry!”
    Colette scoffs.
“… Really? Ganastere
Pride ?” The old man in the dark mutters in
terror, and Colette sighs. “Heh, cool. Goodnight,” she says,
smacking the man right where The Captain trained her. He enters
dreamland, and she travels next to the climax of the mission- The
Captain himself.
    She creeps into the room Boris told
her of - no breathing coming from inside, just like The Captain.
Though confidence has surged to this point, she stops at this
moment. Her hairs stand upon her arm and a sense of impending
powerlessness overcomes her, like throwing oneself into the cold,
black salt of the ocean night. The Captain is silent both when he’s
awake, and asleep, so if he’s conscious, this could be the end of
her- she just needs to tie the knot if she can. She enters the
room, and spots the Captain’s dignified lump motionless in bed. She
creeps forward, moth-like and gentle, poised like a tiger. With
each step she imagines an abrupt “Miss Ketiere, what could you be
here for?” and that deep, stomach-churning sound of his knuckles
cracking to punish her. Colette is not deterred, however, and
steals up to The Captain’s bed.
    This is it.
    Envisioning a bandaged hand to jut out
from the covers and end her existence, Colette does the
unthinkable, and grasps one of the long, slightly adhesive bandages
wrapped around his arm. With poise undisplayed by her till now, she
ties a tiny knot into the notch of his hand, a slight amount of his
black sand slipping out. She pauses, just to see if he’d wake up
and then leaves the room. It’s done.
    Colette finishes by using the password
to gain entry into the secret room, and stealing both gauntlets.
One minute later she’s out on the roof, the deep night still
encouraging sleep. With the gauntlets hidden in her coat, she makes
her way back to the bar.
    A great big Boris has just received
his order of hot wings from the sleep-deprived
bartender.
    “ Here,” the bartender says
with a tone containing the coldness of hell.
    “ OH! I AM OF THE THANKING
TO YOU, FOOD-MAN OF THE BAR.”
    “ Yeah,” is all he says
before turning back and slumping into a corner of the back room,
deciding to sleep until he hears Boris do something else that’s
completely expected of Boris.
    Colette steps