Seeking Help

Tense silence pervaded Theo's room as the three friends sat in a triangle on the bed and stared at each other while trying to form coherent thoughts. Kaycee was fidgeting nervously, clearly trying very hard to avoid Liyah's gaze, while Liyah's focus was especially on Theo.

As for Theo, he alternated gazes between the two—noting details that he kept to himself before finally choosing to break the quietude.

"What do you think we should do?"

He had already informed them of everything he learned the previous night, including his personal thoughts on the issue. It was only a matter of time before news regarding the burned corpse on the roadside and the bloodshed he suspected would happen to the other low-level mercenaries behind the warehouse spread all over the Ak'ashi Guild, so it was in his best interest to tell his friends his theories before it was too late. 

Upon hearing his question, Kaycee attempted to respond, but after seeing Liyah part her lips, he fell silent and let her speak first.

"I think we should report to the Guild. Even if—"

"Did you not hear what I said?" Theo sighed. "We have no idea just how many insiders they have within the Guild, and since we don't have any evidence… how do we expect those who aren't connected to the Mercenary Crew to believe us?"

"But taking action is better than doing nothing, right Kaycee?"

"E-erm… yeah, I guess."

Theo frowned as he stared at Kaycee, who quickly averted his gaze in shame. "I'm not saying we should not take action, but we have to be smart about it."

"We can talk to some people I personally know who work in the Outer Court."

"And how much can you vouch for them? Are you certain that they're not at all affiliated with the Mercenary Crew?" Theo realized how paranoid he sounded, but when it came to matters involving one's survival, a man could never be too cautious. "The bureaucratic process is too unreliable, and if anyone with ties to the Mercenary Crew finds out down the line, that could make us targets."

Theo was particularly worried about Kaycee and Liyah, since he yelled out their names back when they were about to be attacked. Their names were quite uncommon, and if the Mercenary Crew traced them to the Preliminary Rounds, it wasn't going to be difficult to decipher their identities.

'With all of the current dangers involved, it's too risky to submit a report when we don't even have any evidence to back up our claims.'

 "So what do you suggest we do?" Liyah asked, arms folded. "Any action we take still has a level of risk attached, and I'm willing to take risks if it means we protect Lord Shen and the Guild from whatever those guys are planning."

"Relax… I understand where you're coming from."

"Do you? I mean, you seemed perfectly fine with not coming with us and risking your life last night, but for some reason we're not allowed to do so even if it's what's right? Isn't that hypocritical?" She scowled at Theo, forcing him to sigh.

"I was—"

"I've lived in this Guild my whole life. This place is my home, and if some dangerous people are plotting its downfall, I have to do something about it."

"And you will."

"How?"

"We tell your sister." He said, itching his head as he threw his other hand into the air. "We tell your sister everything, and since she's a high-level staff member, it's as good as reporting to the authorities. Plus, it's the safer option."

"Should we really be bothering a member of The Zenith with something like this?" Kaycee murmured as he looked at Theo.

Theo glanced at him and quickly responded. "If the situation is as dangerous as I imagine, it might be our best bet." 

"She's out on a mission right now, though… and there's no telling when she'll return."

"Let's wait for a few days, then. We can wait until news about the burned corpse circulates, and if I'm correct in my suspicions… we'll also learn about the murders behind that warehouse where they were meeting."

"How are you so sure they'll be killed behind the warehouse, if they're even going to get killed at all?"

Theo smiled upon hearing this. "Because it sends a message to the right people, the intruders… us. It serves as a subtle threat, telling us what will happen to us if we decide to step forward."

"I-I see…"

"There's also a chance we never get any news, which would mean they managed to cover everything up. At that point, we can speculate on whether the remaining low-level mercenaries died or not, but the situation will be clear regarding the burned corpse."

Theo knew patrol officers would have gotten to the corpse not long after he fled, which meant they would be obligated to make a report on the matter.

If no report came, and if it wasn't in the news, that meant the Mercenary Crew had eaten deep into the Ak'ashi Guild's workforce and had somehow silenced the matter. Of course, Theo shared these thoughts with Liyah and Kaycee, and they nodded in understanding while they concluded on their decision.

"So, we wait a few days… and if there is no publication whatsoever… we give up on reporting. But if there is a publication, we make an anonymous report."

"Yes." Theo said. "In the meantime, we can investigate in our free time and try to gather as much evidence to back up our claims."

"That sounds good to me. I'm in agreement."

"What about you, Kaycee?" Theo turned to the tall boy who also nodded, clenching his fist as an attempt to gather his bravery. 

Theo noticed his hesitance and chose to address it. "You don't have to do this, you know?"

"N-no… I want to. Ak'ashi Guild is my home too… and I want to help you guys as much as I possibly can." It was clear that the events of the previous night still scared Kaycee, and he had only grown to fear the Mercenary Crew even more, but he still decided to help.

Theo found that admirable.

"By the way, where did you guys stay last night?" Theo asked. "I went by Kaycee's place as early as I could, but he wasn't there."

"Oh, he slept over at my place. I figured it was too dangerous to return him to his apartment, all things considered, so our driver went straight to the Middle Court and dropped us off at my house."

"Y-yeah… I used one of their guest rooms…" Kaycee's face was flushed as he muttered those words.

Theo saw this and nodded, smiling to himself.

'I figured as much.'

Deciding to change the topic for the sake of his friend, Theo went ahead to ask Kaycee about what kind of Armaments he planned to make for them, but the latter refused to disclose based on two primary reasons:

"I'm still uncertain how they'll turn out, and… I want them to be surprises."

"Haha… fair enough." Theo threw his hands in defeat. "In the meantime, though, we can't slack off on training. We still have the Combat Exams to prepare for, and with this new threat hovering over us we'll have to train harder."

Liyah and Kaycee both nodded, causing him to smile.

'I'm still worried about these two, but I can't really stop them from getting involved since they both care about the Guild and Lord Shen. It would be hypocritical to leave them out of the loop too.' He thought silently, eyes narrowed as he felt a pang of pain in his heart.

'But, forgive me… I can't afford to lose any more friends.'

*********

A few days passed, and Liyah suddenly burst into Theo's room while he and Kaycee were in the middle of a discussion involving the latest news on Sarvos. Apparently, due to the collapse of a fortress in the Capital, the Revolutionary Army was banding together to launch a major assault on the Royal Family.

However, before they could delve deeper into the subject, Liyah made her appearance.

"My sister is finally back, you guys!"

"For real?"

"Finally!"

Theo and Kaycee jumped to their feet the moment they heard Liyah's excited words, hope flashing in their child-like eyes.

It had been four days since the night incident that shook all three of them, and just as Theo predicted, there was no news regarding any of the low-level mercenaries' death—not the burned corpse, and not the remnant group behind the warehouse.

This proved—without a doubt—that the Mercenary Crew was somehow involved in the Ak'ashi security and media divisions, which allowed them to perfectly cover things up. 

"At this point, Fae is our only bet." Theo said, and his friends nodded in agreement. They were all ready to leave immediately and the R'ac was already waiting downstairs.

"Let's go!"