"Sir."
"...Yes? What is it, Karise? Orin?"
"Sir, we need to inform you about a new complication."
Their leader sighs.
"Please, Karise, call me Loman. I'm not so pompous, you know?" The old man chides. Karise smiles warmly. In some ways her leader is a better father to her than her own father was. In all ways, actually. "Now. Tell me what you've learned."
Orin and Karise inform their leader, Loman Thames, about what they have seen in the square, how that strange man named Ajax got in their way while displaying inordinate strength and a lot of complicated properties.
"Hm. And this 'Ajax' definitely wasn't a nobleman?" Loman asks, perplexed.
"We saw his eyes and their color was commoner, Loman. He might have had a spell active that changed it, but I think I would have been able to tell. The oddest thing I noticed about him was that he had no mana circulating within his body. He might as well have been a newborn, yet he displayed such power." Orin explains.
Loman strokes his jaw, contemplating. Then his eyes narrow. He frowns, digesting the information.
"A race traitor with the powers of a noble. Well, perhaps not that strong. But a threat nonetheless" Their leader muses. He sighs as he contemplates what the worst case would be. Loman continues.
“In the first place, I wonder if this ‘Ajax’ has some sort of high grade concealing magic that can even hide traces of mana? Though, I’m not a mage so I can’t say how feasible that would be. What would you say, Orin?”
“It… isn’t impossible. I doubt the holy knights or the nobility are unable to create spells like that. The nobles are probably already using such methods against the dragon knights, at least in the past. But… if I’m being honest, sir, concealment magic is not my area of expertise.”
“Don’t worry, Orin, I’m not expecting you to know everything. Even I couldn't foresee an element like that becoming involved. Now… what to do…”
In the best case, the stranger remains at the square, doesn't try to track Karise or Orin and minds his own business. Though, the fact that Karise and Orin tried to kill him, even stabbing him in his thigh, makes it seem like this is an unlikely scenario. They mentioned he knew a healer beastie, so he could probably get his wound treated.
Orin had also described to Loman the look Ajax had in his eyes when they escaped. Neither of them were sure he wouldn't come after them, if he wasn't already watching them right now as it is.
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Perhaps, he would try to intercept them after they make their spectacle and attempt to escape the scene. If Ajax ran over here, looked out for any persons of interest and found a number of people with the rings, he might figure out that Orin and Karise were part of a suspicious group. He might even give that information to the guards.
Well, that's not really a terrible thing. They weren't trying to hide their affiliation to today's terrorist attack, they were just trying to be cautious so they wouldn't be stopped while wandering around. Furthermore, all Loman has to do is tell his compatriots to remove their rings when they make their escape.
They were only wearing them today because their group was relatively unknown and some members didn't recognize other members by their faces. Though Loman is only assuming they have some anonymity from the civil authorities. The city guards are already quite aware of them.
In the worst case, the case that Loman should plan for… this Ajax fellow has already followed Orin and Karise over here. He might be watching the area right now. The three of them are in an alleyway currently with a sound barrier up, but he may watch the two of them continuously from an unknown vantage, especially if he does have such advanced senses.
In that case, Karise or Orin can be used to distract him at least temporarily, so that Loman can continue what he has planned.
Nevertheless, he's going to be a problem, that's what my instincts tell me. Hm. Ah… what about a little taste of things before the main event?
Loman looks at both Karise and Orin having conceived the nature of what an effective distraction would look like.
"I'll discuss with the two of you a slight change of plans then… it might be the time for you to make your mark, Karise."
Karise doesn't understand exactly what Loman means. However, she continues listening to him, as he relays the detour to their plans. Upon hearing her leader's intentions, she realizes that today has become more important for her than any other. She’s not sure how she feels for things to end like this.
I'm going to enjoy the screams. Karise smiles.
***
Earlier, right after Orin and Karise had escaped.
Ajax grits his teeth, slightly bewildered by how those two had gotten away from him. He was certainly not expecting someone able to fake their tears at a place like this, and also able to throw knives like a trained acrobat. He had always thought that those were things that took a lot of training to learn how to do.
Well, I don't know what training she's had. The guy too was pretty agile and well trained. Should I go after them… oh shit…
To make matters worse, Ajax hears the guards moving towards the scene, their metal armor clattering. They're coming over here hurriedly from the direction where Orin and Karise had escaped to.
Did they rat me out? Smart…
He was thinking about catching the pair right now, but he'd do better to run away.
Ajax blends into the crowd again. Though he doesn't like to admit it, his face is pretty forgettable. He tracks the scent of Prisca who has a unique fragrance that she was wearing today. It makes finding her again quite easy, though it makes him feel quite creepy.
Just think of yourself as a bloodhound. Even Shaula uses my scent to find me. Does that mean she's a creep? N-No.
He finally catches Prisca in the crowd. She's walking through the masses of humans and demihumans while trying her best to find people who need healing. Her eyes brighten as she sees him approaching. Her job is definitely easier with him around.