I really hate funerals. They are more for the living than for the dead, and even then, it's only a moment to wallow in sadness. So many people die every day that it's impossible to have one every time. So we have these reduced ceremonies that feel like stamping a document more than a celebration of the dead.
Rei Mahoney had been beloved enough that more than a hundred people were present at her funeral.
Her family, of course, was in the first row. Tea watched the proceedings in silent shock while her parents cried their hearts out.
An old lady stared forward, her face carved in stone. Her heart had suffered too much, and now everything was numb. She was just waiting for her time to go.
Her teammates' families were, if anything, even more pitiful. Young mothers and children standing aimlessly, tears falling in desperation.
The world was a cruel place to most people, and widows and orphans were some of the worst hit. They wouldn't be completely abandoned, as the Guild their spouses belonged to would at least make sure they could get by, but their lives would never be the same.
Behind them, friends and colleagues from the Ten Thousand Eyes Guild gathered in mourning. They had brought dozens of bouquets, so many that the coffin was barely visible. For a guild that prided itself in its information gathering and the survivability of its members, losing an entire team soon after the leader was promoted was a hard blow.
Men and women disappeared often enough in dungeons, but those usually were either unaffiliated from any guild or went into particularly dangerous places. The promise of riches was not what had led Rei's team to its demise.
James hadn't heard much beyond Tea's initial message, but he didn't doubt they had teams of powerful Awakeners scouring the dungeon Rei died in for clues. A complete squad wipe couldn't be ignored, but something told James even the vaunted investigators of the Ten Thousand Eyes guild wouldn't find much.
Standing among his own teammates, James felt a weight in his chest. It wasn't just the sorrow of losing someone he knew, even if not intimately, but the gnawing suspicion that her death wasn't as straightforward as it seemed. The whispers among the crowd and the tension in the air all hinted at a darker undercurrent to this tragedy. Veterans like Rei and her team didn't just fall victim to monsters in a routine mission.
Dungeons were dangerous, yes, but for a team that experienced a mislabeled threat level would've been a setback, not a death sentence. They would have recognized the danger and retreated, regrouped, or called for backup. The fact that none of those things happened suggested they didn't have the chance. It reeked of foul play.
Did they encounter poachers? If they had to fight criminals, it would explain many things. Maybe even from a rival guild. Ugh, I hate knowing just enough to realize there is a lot I don't know.
As the funeral procession continued, James watched the faces of those present. There was grief, certainly, but also fear, confusion, and even anger. These were people who faced death regularly and who knew the risks of their profession intimately. Yet, the circumstances of Rei's death had shaken them to the core. It was a sobering reminder of their lives' precariousness and how quickly everything could be taken away.
The service ended with somber finality, and the crowd began to disperse, moving to offer their condolences to the bereaved families. James waited with his teammates, his thoughts swirling with dark possibilities. What had Rei and her team stumbled upon? Was the information so dangerous that it warranted their elimination?
Finally, it was his turn to approach Tea. The moment their eyes met, James saw the depth of her loss. Rei had been more than her sister; she was a mentor, a protector, a guiding light. To lose her in such murky circumstances was a blow that would take time to recover from, if ever.
As he reached out to offer his condolences, Tea surprised him by pulling him into a hug. It was tight and fraught with emotion. And then, she whispered in his ear, "Rei was followed for a week before her death. Be careful."
James stiffened, the implication of her words sending a chill down his spine. Followed? By whom? And for what purpose? The pieces began to click into place, forming a picture that was as terrifying as it was infuriating. Someone had marked Rei and her team, watched their movements, and waited for the perfect moment to strike.
But why tell me? The only thing that connects me and Rei is… Was she killed because of what she saw in that laboratory with us?
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Back in the familiar confines of their training room within the AA headquarters, James and his team settled into the parlor, their faces a mixture of somber reflection and quiet determination. The space, usually filled with laughter and spirited debate, was subdued, the aftermath of the funeral hanging over them like a shadow despite this being the first time they reunited.
James, freshly groomed with his hair cut short, looked more mature, with clean lines and a neat style accentuating his sharp green eyes. It was a departure from the unruly mess his hair had become while in Florida.
Lauren, seated beside him, had also transformed. Her face had taken on a more mature cast, her movements more assured and sinuous. It was evident in how she carried herself that she had grown significantly.
Maria, across from James, exuded newfound confidence. Her posture was straighter, her gaze more direct. The experiences of her recent training had forged her into a stronger, more self-assured woman. Her mana felt denser, more settled.
Daniel, to Maria's left, had slimmed down, his physique now showcasing the muscles hidden under his frame. James couldn't perceive much from him, which was enough to tell him that his friend had gotten stronger. To be able to spoof his senses meant a lot.
Ezekiel, rounding out their group, had gained an inch in height and had taken to dressing in more fashionable clothes. In all black, he cut a figure worthy of a magazine. His delicate features could have landed him a modeling job if James hadn't known how much he liked being an Awakener.
James' revelation of what Tea had told him had dampened the mood even further, as they all struggled to come to terms with the fact they would likely be targeted next. Tea's statement could only mean that her sister had been killed because of what she saw in the laboratory dungeon.
Team 0 was no stranger to danger, but there was a difference between being under surveillance and their lives being actively threatened.
Daniel pointed out that their enemies' decision to strike in a dungeon suggested a limitation in their operations. "We should never lower our guard," he cautioned, "but the fact that Rei was killed in a dungeon means these killers can't operate out in the open. At least, not without drawing unwanted attention."
James grunted, disagreeing with Daniel's assessment. "We shouldn't expect the murderers to be consistent," he said, his mind racing through possible scenarios. "But we can't assume they'll strike everywhere. We need to be ready for anything without falling into paranoia."
"I think we should take this to Mr. Bethany. He has shown us he can be trusted. If he managed to protect our families for the last month, he might be able to arrange something." Maria said.
Ezekiel was quick to disagree. "While Mr. Bethany is on our side, we can't be sure who else in the AA might be involved," he argued. "The shake-up last month didn't remove every crook. We need to tread carefully. If we let them know we know, they could change plans."
"So you want us to ambush the ambushers?" Lauren asked.
Ezekiel shrugged, "I don't see why not. They might not come for us on the first occasion, but if they want to kill us, they'll need to move soon, or we'll just keep growing. If not the first mission, the next few ones should have a high probability of these assassins attacking us."
"Just saying that is not enough. If we expect foul play, we should prepare something specific!" Maria complained.
"We'll just have to handle each mission as it comes." Daniel sighed, earning nods from all around.
Realizing they couldn't form a concrete plan with the scant information at their disposal, James proposed a different approach. "Since we can't predict when we might run into trouble, we should prepare for every mission as if we will encounter enemies. But to do that, we need to operate smoothly. Let's have a sparring session to gauge how much we've improved over the past month."
The team agreed, eager to shift their focus to something actionable. They decided on a free-for-all match, a format that would allow them to test their limits without holding back. After activating the room's protections to prevent accidental damage, they spread out in the spacious training area, eyeing each other warily.
Being all D-ranks, the level of destruction they could enact had significantly increased, but the barriers around them should be enough to hold accidental hits from destroying the room.
James reached out with his psychic senses, trying to get a read on his teammates' intentions, but he was surprised to find that both Ezekiel and Daniel were now unreadable to him. An interference he hadn't encountered before blocked his access to their thoughts. He could sense that he might be able to break through if he exerted himself, but that would risk causing them serious harm. Acknowledging their new defenses, James marked them as potentially dangerous opponents and decided to focus on them first.
They must have chosen a new skill explicitly to protect them from mental attacks. It shouldn't be that surprising, considering that the F-rank Bullfrog had one, and the crocodilians seemed protected by enchanted trinkets. I should start expecting more resistance as time goes on.
As the signal to start was given, James wasted no time. He unleashed a beam of ether towards Daniel, who had been bracing for an attack. It impacted against a silver barrier Daniel had conjured like a gong, punching through it with force and sending the tank flying back with a grunt of surprise.
It had looked like the barrier would hold for a moment, but the ether was just too powerful. And James had the sneaky suspicions that Daniel had deployed something meant specifically to counter mana, which had ended up being a wrong choice but would have no-sold his attack had he been right.
Without pausing, James dashed towards Ezekiel, who had just finished an incantation. A powerful glow enveloped him, and to James's astonishment, pure white wings sprouted from his back, and a golden crosier materialized in his hand. With a sweeping motion, Ezekiel released a wave of golden power toward James.
Instinctively, James recognized the threat. Something told him that getting hit by that would mean a quick ending to the fight.
He phase-shifted, avoiding the attack before reappearing in front of Ezekiel and delivering a powerful punch. Ezekiel's wings reacted with surprising agility, one interposing to block James's attack while the other struck James, sending him rolling painfully on the ground.
The power behind his punch was still enough to break the construct and drop Ezekiel, but he would have to remember that even the least fight-oriented of their group could now hold his own.
As James stood up, rubbing his chin, he looked up to see Maria and Lauren engaged in a spectacular battle of their own. Fire dragons clashed with swirling masses of darkness, blasting the training room with flashes of light and shadow. The sight of his teammates, each displaying the full extent of their newfound powers, filled James with a sense of pride.
Yeah, they have no idea what’s coming for them.