"Are you sure this information is real?" Zero asked the hooded man. 

"Our information is never wrong. We are very reputed in this business." The hooded man replied. 

"Ah... fine, you don't have to blabber around praising yourself. Here, take these." Zero grabbed some coins from his pocket and gave it to the hooded man. 

He snatched the payment away from Zero's hand and started walking along the alleyway. Before he disappeared, he whispered: "Pleasure doing business with you," with a grin on his face. 

What a weird guy. Zero thought to himself, walking along the opposite direction,  thinking about the information he had received. 

Zero could be described as an 18-year-old boy, an adventurer. He had black hair that he wore in a ponytail and dark eyes. His face was neither angular nor blocky, it had a balance of both. Zero usually wore a linen shirt and pants as any commoner would. He also had his trusty blade on his hip.  The sword that he carried was cheaply made, yet it had managed to stay with him for a long time.

While leaving the alleyway, Zero heard some commotion nearby. A few guys were ganging up on someone with a cloak. At first, he didn't mind them since there was  no reason for him to meddle. 

It's not my business, but for some reason, it dosen't feel right to me. He walked a little closer to hear what they were talking about.

"You don't look like you are from around here, so what are you doing here?"  A bald man from the group asked. The person in the cloak didn't answer. 

There is no reason to worry, it's just some reckless people. Relieved, he started to turn back. But before he left, Zero heard the two other men talking.

“That’s some expensive cloak you got there, and not to mention that sword too, it looks like nobility.”

“You must be joking right, why would a noble be here?”  One of the men said giggling.

“Stop all the yapping Dimwits. And you, leave your cloak, sword and any money you have, and leave before  I kill you.” the bald man said in a deep voice with a knife in his hand.

And in that moment Zero understood what was going on. It was a mugging. 

"Hey, what are you all doing?"  Zero shouted while walking towards them. 

Distracting their focus towards him, he hoped the person would flee using this opportunity. The bald man with a knife in his hand moved towards him. 

Zero quickly drew out his sword in a stance to confront the man in front of him. "Hey!! Leave while you can and let me handle this." Still, there was no reply from the cloaked person. 

"So you are here to save her, are you? What do you plan to do with an old blade? Don't embarrass yourself now, leave!" The bald man said mockingly.

"I don't need your help, you may now leave," the cloaked person said. The voice Zero heard was extremely calm, calmer than any he had ever heard. 

So she’s really a girl, he thought. 

Before he could reply, she drew out her blade, striking the two men in front of her,  then swiftly moving towards the bald man to kill him. The bald man didn't have a chance at all, he stood there frozen, awaiting his death. With the blade inches away from him and no way to escape, he was sure he was dead but a blade parried the strike, deflecting it from the course. The girl took a step back to gain balance after the strike. It was Zero, he had jumped in to save the mugger. 

He turned towards him, with a heavy voice he said, "Now scram!!" 

Without any hesitation, the bald guy ran away with his tail between his legs.

Now only Zero and the girl remained.

"Why did you save that man?'' she asked angrily. 

"Do you really need a reason to save anyone?" 

"Don't fool around! You are one of them, aren't you?" 

"No, you’re misunderstanding the situation..." Before he could finish his sentence, the girl strode forward for another strike. Zero instantly dropped the blade that he was holding and raised his hands. The girl's blade stopped an inch before it pierced his heart. 

At blade point the girl started to question him. "Why did you drop your weapon?" 

"Well, like I was trying to say, it's a misunderstanding. I am not one of them. In fact, I am here because I was trying to save you." 

The girl's anger seemed to have calmed down a bit. But her face was still covered in confusion. 

Zero still had his hands raised as he waited patiently. She then slowly let down her sword, putting it back in its sheath. Zero finally let out a sigh of relief. 

After putting her sword back, she let down her cloak revealing her face and with a smile said, "My name is Leah Eden. And thank you for saving me."