Mercenary Crew (Part 1)

With the worries of where to get Arcane Instruments out of their minds, the group was finally able to dwell on the second most pertinent matter at hand: celebrating their qualifications to participate in the Recruitment Event.

Since less than ten percent of the applicants made it past the surprise preliminary rounds, this was no small feat for them.

They went all around the commercial district, did a lot of window-shopping, and had their fill of all kinds of food. The clock was ticking as they engaged in these activities, and before they realized it, the sun had set and night crept up on the world. The lights of the Divine Ones littered the skies, creating several sparkles that painted the darkness above with brilliant hues of gem-like radiance, all to accentuate Grand Moon's unparalleled splendor.

Theo, Liyah, and Kaycee appreciated the sight for a moment, smiling at the untainted display of beauty that stood aloft; beyond their mortal grasp. 

"Sometimes I wonder what the High Realm is like."

"Me too."

Kaycee and Liyah spoke among themselves while Theo quietly listened to them. He also had curious thoughts about the world beyond Trae'h, but he never really had any cause to dwell on them due to the many other worries his life was always fraught with.

'But now… can I also indulge in wonder?' He thought with a smile. 'I wonder if they are looking back at us, seeing every insignificant thing that happens in our world.'

Whether it was Lord Great Sun, or Grand Moon, or even the 12 Heavenly Kings of the Divine Court… did they watch mortalkind by looking down from their high domain? Or was the High Realm so vast and full of greater wonder that they had completely forgotten about what used to be their previous home?

The answer eluded Theo, so he only smiled and indulged in his speculative thoughts.

Until—

"Hey… look over there." Liyah's voice snapped him out of his reverie, forcing him to glance in the direction she pointed at. Standing next to a corner, right at the furthest end of the desolate street they walked on, was a lanky man with a crooked grin.

Theo's eyes instantly widened in recognition. "Isn't that the weirdo who asked if it was alright to kill people during the second stage?"

"W-wow… I'm surprised you recognized him so quickly. I've been observing him for a while now, and even I just realized who he was." Liyah responded, staring at Theo in disbelief. "I remember he was also curious about The Guildmaster showing up for our Combat Exams."

"Oh yeah… that guy?" It was only at this point that Kaycee caught on.

All three of them looked at the man as he spoke to someone else who was more obscured by his position and the imperfect veil of darkness. Theo narrowed his eyes and watched the second man for a few seconds before muttering words that interrupted the silence.

"That guy was also in the Preliminaries. He was disqualified in the second round, though…"

"You recognized him?"

"I have pretty good night vision." Theo shrugged. "But what are they doing just loitering around so late at night?"

As soon as he said this, everyone in the group realized that they were guilty of the same offense. It had gotten pretty late, and most people weren't outside. In fact, they were the only ones in their particular street; at least until they spotted the two strangers.

"We should just leave for the R'ac. You're already way past your curfew, right?" Theo glanced at Liyah, who seemed the most interested in the two men who stood at the street corner—clearly waiting for someone.

Or, something.

"I'm fine." She shrugged. "My sister isn't around, and I can always explain my whereabouts."

"But—"

"Besides… I can take care of myself."

Theo grinned as he glanced at her. "I don't doubt that. In any case, it seems they're about to move. Should we follow them?"

Liyah's confident smile and Kaycee's nervous but inquisitive eyes gave him all the answers he needed. The two men stared at something resembling a pocket-watch and entered into the corner they were loitering beside. 

Once they did this, the trio made their move and followed right behind them.

The corner suddenly turned into a labyrinthine passage that ultimately led to the back of a warehouse—one of the largest in the commercial district they were in. Much to their surprise, even more shady men began to gather around the area—making their numbers nearing a dozen.

To avoid being seen, Liyah recommended that they hid behind a trash bin adjacent the building, a considerable distance away from the gathering. This prevented them from properly identifying the other silhouettes that rendezvoused with the two men they followed, but such boundaries didn't pose much of a problem for their trump card.

"I recognize most of them." Theo whispered to his friends. "They were at the preliminaries, and most of them passed."

"What are they talking about?" Liyah responded in a quiet hiss.

"Hmm…"

Theo strained his ears to listen. 

These people's voices were a lot lower than normal, which meant whatever they were talking about had to be of some importance. Unfortunately, this meant greater trouble for Theo, who could barely hang on to slivers of words that flowed from their lips.

However, he was able to pick up a few words that caught his interest.

One in particular caused his eyes to widen.

"… Shen…"

He felt his heart skip a beat, and an eerie feeling of malice registered within it. At first, he held no real regard for these people and was mildly curious at best. However, the tone used to utter the name of The Supreme Lord Of Tyranny caused his interest to skyrocket.

It was undoubtedly malevolent.

"You guys stay here." He said. "I'm moving closer so I can listen better."

Before waiting for a response from Liyah and Kaycee, Theo stealthily navigated his way forward, carefully sticking close to the dark walls while becoming one with the silhouettes around. He expertly avoided the bright gaze of the moon and stayed away from the stares of the overhead stars.

As a result, he was able to advance nearly a dozen more meters without being spotted.

He glanced back to see Liyah and Kaycee's shocked faces, and he smiled at them—giving them a thumbs-up to let them know he was fine. They both nodded and returned the gesture, with Liyah pointing at the group so Theo could focus on them.

At this point, even more people had gathered around and they were nearly twenty in number.

Thanks to his new proximity, the strangers that were once obscured by a distorted shroud of darkness were now partly visible to him. Theo recognized most of the men he saw, but there were definitely new faces among the crowd.

'Who are these people?' Right as he was having this thought, he heard his first clear statement from one of them.

And it came from none other than the lanky man with the deformed face.

"… Can finally make our move at the Recruitment Event…"

'Move?' Theo's brow rose immediately. 'What move?'

"It''s a good thing we got confirmation that Shen would be present… though you asking that proctor was a somewhat risky and unnecessary move. We already had a way to find out from our insiders…"

"Urgh! I'm tired of you guys getting on my case about that!" The lanky man with the scarred face responded with a grumble. "What matters most is that we have the information and we can anticipate that day."

"Have you gotten any news from the boss?"

"Not yet. Isn't that why we're all here? To get a message from the intermediary…"

The more Theo listened, the more ominous their words became. 

He couldn't understand most of what they discussed, since it bordered on personal affairs and even irrelevant subjects that stemmed from petty banters. Fortunately, he was able to gain a rough idea of their intentions from the little pieces of coherent information he managed to glean out of their very disjointed and rowdy conversation.

'They're planning something… something big involving the Lord Shen and the Ak'ashi Guild, and whatever it is… it's happening at the Recruitment Event—specifically the Combat Exams.' A cold sweat formed on his face.

Seeing the passion and confidence with which these seemingly ordinary people spoke, Theo couldn't help but take their words seriously. He found it extremely illogical that mere men could ever succeed at toppling an empire like the Ak'ashi Guild.

Yet… the more he listened, the greater the fear in his heart grew.

Until, he couldn't help but ask—

'How?'

How did these people plan to eliminate the Supreme Lord of Tyranny? 

"Once 'it' is ready, all preparations would have been complete." One of the silhouetted chuckled malevolently.

'It? What was this it?' He silently asked.

"How long until 'it' is ready?" Another asked with mild concern.

"Theres's no need to worry." The lanky man grinned, assuaging the fears of his comrades while fanning the flames of excitement within everyone else around him. His smile seemed to be the largest of the crowd, and thanks to his deformed face… it was also the cruelest.

"It will be ready in time. And then… the Ak'ashi Guild will fall to our Mercenary Crew."

Theo's eyes widened as soon as he heard those words, his heart racing in both fear and curiosity. He swiftly turned back to find comfort in the faces of Liyah and Kaycee, tightly clutching his chest while anxiety filled his sweat-covered face.

That was when he saw it—a tall silhouette creeping behind his unsuspecting friends.

It held a blade… and it seemed to be grinning like the devil.

'No!' His thoughts instantly shout out, quickly translating into words before he even realized it.

"Liyah! Kaycee! Watch out!"