Taking Up Residence

Slowly my eyes crack open, greeted by the sight of the sunlight softly peeking through the leaves directly overhead.

It's early enough that there's a light dew rolling off the leaves, making the air slightly damp but refreshing all the while.

Swiftly I gather my summons, activating them from their dormant state with a little application of magic.

The Visionaries report back to me now, having been out the whole night. They had been split into 2 shifts, one to observe the surroundings throughout the night while the others would accompany me for the day.

Quickly we pack up the rudimentary camp, the fire is scuffed out and the rocks that had been arranged scattered.

I take the ashes from the remnants of the fire and ground the sole of my foot into the soil, scuffing it up a bit to make a small hole.

After pouring in the ashes I cover it back up with dirt before proceeding to dust my hands off.

With the matter of covering up my tracks now settled, it's time once more to return to the road.

With Brute carrying the packs we set off, and now that I'm on the road it's only now that I realize that the condition of these roads are quite terrible.

Especially given that this is a decently traveled one as well, it's a shame how little of the taxes are actually put to use in terms of civil projects.

Maybe if we defunded tyrannical organizations like The Raven, the quality of living would have an actual chance to rise but the slightest chance.

-

It's been a decent amount of time, the exact number that has passed fails me, but if I were to estimate I would say about 5-6 hours. From what I can tell noon has already passed but I could be wrong about that.

The seasons/weather had been rather fickle of late after all.

But that is of little consequence nor importance to what needs to be conducted now.

Just down the road, I follow a little path that cuts to the side that seems to have been reclaimed by nature. Vines, shrubs, and all sorts of grasses dot the line and what used to have been formerly cleared is now positively sloppy.

*Snap

With a simple click of my fingers Brute walks forward, effortlessly pushing through the barriers nature had erected, leaving broken twigs and trampled grasses in its wake.

Through the shrubs, the visage of the barn can be seen in the morning sun. I tell the Visionaries to fly ahead and survey the area to see the population and the setting of my soon to be new lab.

I creep up to the side of the barn leaving Brute in the cover of the trees slowly going up to the barn doors.

Suddenly I hear mumbling coming from directly past the barn's double doors.

"I need this barn cleaned up by tomorrow for the potential clients."

"Yes sir, I will finish this quickly!"

Footsteps get closer to the barn door from inside as I hear the metal hinges creak and groan from rust.

"Oil the hinges! How did you forget to oil these every month!"

"I'm sorry sir, right away sir!"

Peeking around the corner, I spot a young man walking out of the barn and a child following behind. The child bowed as the man disappeared around the other side. The child stands back up and goes back into the barn.

This might be a problem. Hopefully, I don't have to do too much this time to claim this place as mine.

I stick to the walls of the barn and move towards the double doors. Placing my ear on the wall I can hear the boy cleaning and moving things around as there are noises from the cattle.

Slowly opening the barn door's iron hatch with the slight creaking of the rust I feel as if I might get caught.

Finally, it's opened. Now how am I supposed to open this without the whole door giving me away?

A distraction would do, so I heft up a rock and throw it to the other side of the barn against the wall.

*Thump

"Who's there?"

Only silence greets the young man.

"Did you hear me? I said, Who's there?"

A deafening silence, an unbroken lack of noise.

"I swear if it's a rat it's as good as dead."

Huh. without me even doing anything the man came to his own conclusions. How convenient.

It'll make it all the more easier for me to do what comes next.

"Come out, come out wherever you are!"

The young man's voice slightly echoes throughout the barn, bouncing off the walls until it fizzled out, drowned out by the silence.

The youth approaches where the rock had collided with the wall, then suddenly the youth lashes out striking the moldering pile of hay.

The hay flew up in a great burst, disturbing what had actually been a family of mice, something I had become all too familiar with during my life, in regards to my research and places of all too temporary residence.

The explosion of hay temporarily shrouded the scrambling of the mice from the boy's sight but with the frenzied squeaking the youth attempted to lash out from where he thought the sounds came from.

Unfortunately for him, despite his frantic stomping around, I had already snuck up behind him, and with a great windup, a sudden blow to the back of the head left him crumpled like a sack of flour.

With a loud thud, the boy lay there on the floor motionless. I really hoped I hadn't killed him, it wouldn't do to have raised even more suspicion on me.

Leaning over, I position 2 fingers over the veins in the wrist checking for signs of life.

After a moment of examination the youth's heart rings true, confirming that he hadn't yet departed.

It would've been an annoyance if the boy truly had perished, with the need to relocate sprouting up again.

But with that matter out of the way, it's time to handle some of the more, let's say unpleasant matters before tidying up the place.