Surprise Kidnapping [3]

"...were sent to investigate some strange circumstances in the 6th Stratum, but we weren't told of anything in particular. Have you seen or heard of anything strange that's happened recently?"

The question eventually came after Raymond found the right words. As he had been waiting for it, Gio answered relatively quickly. 

"Hmm…there's always something happening in the Wasteland. If you're talking about something more recent… Well, my friend was a bit busy driving, so he didn't notice, but I did see something interesting happening before you pulled us away…"

He dragged his words with his eyes focused on Raymond's face. He didn't fail to notice the slight flinch in his expression when he hinted at the Hammer. 

"I see," Raymond said, recovering his smile. 

"Could you give me more detail about that?"

He kept his tone level so it looked like he wasn't desperate for the information, but who was he kidding? It was already too late for him to act nonchalant. 

Gio quirked his head to the side, putting on a face like he was thinking. 

"I don't mind sharing what I know, but you know how it works here, right?"

He didn't need to say it explicitly. Raymond flinched once more, remembering the rules of the Wasteland. 

Here, goodwill had to be earned. Here, goodwill had to be bought. Nothing was ever free in this world. 

"You want compensation?"

"It isn't that I want compensation, but it would be nice if I could get a little something in return, right? I didn't only see one or two things, after all."

"You mean…"

"Well, I'm sure someone as recognized as you would understand."

Gio looked down at the medals on Raymond's chest with a subtle smile. 

It wasn't an expression that could be ignored. 

'This child…is he really a child?'

Raymond was forced to question Gio's existence despite only knowing him for a moment. 

That wasn't a sentence that made any sense without context. The medals and badges he'd earned weren't necessarily common. Because of the unique state of his squad, he was awarded different honors from an ordinary soldier. 

When those medals were being brought up by a teenager, it should've been obvious that he was putting up a front.

'However, in the context that he brought up my medals, it almost seems like he knows that we are a Special Investigation Squadron. That's barely possible for people in any Stratum under Elysium, let alone a place like this.'

Raymond and his team made the trip to the Wasteland for a very specific purpose. He was doubtful about whether or not a child could really help the investigation, but it wasn't as if he meant to pick up children. 

'I told them to find the first people that looked like they were escaping, but to think it would end up like this.'

He sighed to himself and looked back at the child in front of him. Despite having a naive appearance, his eyes were too calm to belong to a child.

'Perhaps it would be worth questioning him…?'

It felt like a stupid thought to even have, but he couldn't help but grasp onto this straw.

'The Hammer was dropped. Its presence cannot be hidden, but the truth behind its deployment can. Along with anyone in the target area, anyone in the relative vicinity will be found and killed.'

In fact, even at this moment, there were starjets streaking through the air around the impact crater. If the zephyr and its fleet hadn't camouflaged immediately after picking up the two boys, perhaps they would've been slaughtered as well.

'Natalia is already looking for others, so even if this leads nowhere, there's no harm in pursuing what looks to be a lead.'

Over a minute had passed since Gio last spoke, but the silence that hung between them wasn't disturbed until Raymond finally snapped out of his thoughts and spoke.

"When you say that I am someone recognized, what do you mean by that?"

He asked directly as if he was talking to an adult rather than a child. His tone of voice became several levels colder, but Gio preferred it this way, as Raymond was no longer hiding his intentions. 

Gio smiled. He expected to be questioned at least a little bit before he achieved any success. This was a good chance for him as well, since proving his credibility would help him negotiate later.

"Isn't that obvious?" he said. 

"You look like a very unordinary person. I thought maybe you were some kind of investigator. If that's the case, your status should be high enough to get me things that aren't readily available to me, right?"

Again, Gio didn't say anything directly, but it was enough.

Firstly, the "Investigator" title meant something. Ordinary squads sent to investigate ordinary matters were instead called "Patrol Units." Investigators and Investigation Squadrons were special in that they only handled matters that were above ordinary people. And, for Gio to say that he was important enough to get him what he wanted…

"Could you tell me what you want?"

Gio nodded.

"It's simple, really. I need Blood Serpent Poison from a monster above Tier 5. You can do that for me, right?"

 "Say that again?"

"Yeah, so Blood Serpent Poi–"

"So I did hear you right."

Raymond sighed and rubbed his forehead. On one hand, Gio requesting poison from a Tier 5 monster essentially confirmed that he knew more about the world than he was letting on. There was even a possibility that he had affiliations with some entities far above the 6th Stratum.

"But you're not even asking for the venom, but for poison? You know there aren't many Blood Serpent species that even produce poison, right?"

"Right," Gio agreed.

"However, it shouldn't be too hard to find poison from a Frostfire Blood Serpent or something, no?" 

Raymond couldn't help but frown at the mention of a specific species. Gio wasn't wrong. If it was something like a Frostfire Blood Serpent which was relatively common in some parts of the 4th Stratum, accessing its parts wasn't as hard. 

Only, extracting poison from a Blood Serpent was much more complicated than milking venom. Whether in small quantities or large, any Blood Serpent Poison, even from a common beast, fetched quite a high price in the market. 

'Also, for it to be poison from a Tier 5 monster…'

He doubted if Tier 5 monsters even existed in the Wasteland. He wondered what the child could possibly need such a poison for. 

Yet, he didn't question it. 

'Life in the Wasteland… I remember it well.'

"If you're asking for something of that caliber, you should be prepared to offer information of equivalent value."

That was the sentence that left his mouth. It even surprised him a little.

"Does that mean you're accepting my offer?" Gio asked.

"I won't say I'm accepting it so easily, but let's just say that I'm open to negotiations."

Gio grinned.

"Those are the exact words I was waiting for." 

He hopped off the hospital chair that he was sitting on, removing the devices attached to his arm. Stretching a bit, he enjoyed the comfort of a healthy body for a moment before flashing his smile at Raymond.

"Then, let's not waste any time and draft a contract. We can't be leaving each other room to say we were scammed, right?" 

Gio ended his sentences with a questioning tone often, yet he never seemed to be asking a question.

No, he already knew exactly what he wanted and was moving in that direction firmly and without swaying. 

Raymond thought two things as he looked at the child in front of him.

Firstly…

'This child is a much more interesting character than anything I expected to find during this trip...'

And secondly…

'...but why do I feel like I'm already being scammed?'