Making his way through more greenery, Zayn finally arrived at his ‘base camp’ which was nothing more than an overgrown tree. It’s thick and sturdy branches were more than enough to support his small frame. Its dense crown of leaves can also make it hard for anyone to spot him unless they climbed up themselves. Just in case, the boy set up a few more traps in his surroundings, nothing fancy, but enough to get his attention and delay whoever triggers them.
‘By now they should notice the missing men. However, I doubt they’ll send anymore when the sun is still not up. One thing is for certain though.Tomorrow the forest will crawl with them.’ Deduced Zayn.
He climbed up one on of the branches and tried using Marius’s vest as a blanket to shield him from the wind. Learning from last time he did not light a fire, the last time the boy did so he ended up getting chased for an entire day by the three men. Luckily for him, it was summer as such the nights weren’t unforgiving as long as one had something to cover him from the wind.
Unfortunately, Zayn’s scaredy-cat nature prevailed once more as he threw the vest within minutes. In his childish mind, the garment grew ghostly hands which started moving towards his neck as if carrying the revenge for the dead. Shaking his head multiple times Zayn gathered a bunch of leaves and placed them over him, at least it was better than nothing and could serve as some sort of camouflage in case anyone does show up.
It did not take long for the poor boy to fall asleep. Every few breaths he would mutter a soft ‘grandpa.' Zayn still missed him dearly.
&&
He remembered waiting in front of the village all day for his grandpa to return. He would just gaze at the dirt road in front of him with a resolute expression despite the teardrops splattered across his face that have yet to dry. Even when the sun was about to set he wouldn’t budge an inch no matter how much the other villagers asked and then later begged him to go back home and get a good night’s sleep.
As the last flickers of light were extinguished and the villagers began igniting the oil lamps the roar of an engine was coming from the road ahead. This startled most of the residents as more and more got out of their houses to witness what is causing the commotion. By the time the source of the sound arrived at least half of the village was gathered to welcome it.
In front of this impromptu welcoming committee stood or more accurately floated a black limousine. With a pair of neon blue disks where the wheels should be the vehicle was gracefully flying over the ground. Mr. Bosley, the village chief as well as the wealthiest person around, walked out from among the crowd with bulging eyes. He had recognized the model of this car as well as the sky-shattering price it carried and was now wondering why had it come to his backwater village.
After what felt like an eternity to the people gathered outside the door of the car finally lifted to reveal a figure descending in a pair of black high heels. She walked out of the car with the summer wind blowing past he black skirt reaching up to her knees. The light from the lamps was reflecting off her gold buttons from her similarly black blazer as she strode gracefully in front of the crowd. Her attire created a stark contrast with her pale white skin that was almost shining in the moonlight. Her ebony hair was cascading endlessly over her shoulders as her eyes scanned the crowd that had lost their breath. Looking into her eyes, Zayn felt as if he was staring into the void itself, one misstep and he would be swallowed whole.
“I, Bosley, give you my most heartfelt greetings. If I may ask, to what do I have the pleasure of this esteemed lady’s visit to this humble town?”
Without missing a beat, the fatty ran over to suck up to this seemingly important person.
With a small smile, the woman closed her eyes and replied courtly
“Greetings Mr. Bosley, I am Jenny Whitter director of Forcier groups Mercenaries. I am here in search of one Leiker, Zany I believe. “
Upon hearing his name, although slightly mistaken, the boy got jolted awake. The villagers pushed him slowly until he was standing next to Bosley. The old fox instantly reacted by placing his arm around the boy’s shoulder and began praising him to the skies just like a crafty salesman trying to inflate the price of his wares.
“OHH, you mean our little Zayn? Why he is the most hardworking and brave youth we have in this village, going outside in the forest alone and hunting day in and day out to fill our bellies. Tell us, Miss, surely you don’t intend to take the gem of our village away, do you? “
Hearing Bosley’s sales pitch Zayn could only roll his eyes before turning to the lady in front of him with a slight blush.
“U-Um, I don’t know why you came all this way to look for me, but I’m afraid you have wasted your time. M-My grandpa will not allow me to join any mercenary groups .” Answered the boy with a slight stutter. Truth be told this wasn’t the first time someone came to recruit new mercenaries.However it definitely was the first time anyone came with such an expensive car and asked specifically for someone. It was also the first time someone this pretty arrived in the village. Zayn felt increasingly hot as he stared at the enchanting beauty in front of him, especially when staring at the generous mounds of her chest.
Ignoring the daydreaming state the boy was in Jenny replied to him :
“That’s exactly the reason why I am here now. This morning we received troubling news regarding master Reynald as such I rushed over as soon as possible to check the situation out in Mayfield. “ She took a small break to glance at the young man who was now staring at the ground with a sorrowful expression.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Creasing her brows, she continued
“I sought out the two hunters who have supposedly found his remains and had them lead me to where they have found him. Regrettably, I have confirmed that the corpse is indeed master Re- ”
“NO! You’re lying! That isn’t my grandpa, my grandpa is great and he’s alive, he’s just taking a little longer that’s all. “
Before Jenny could even finish her words, Zayn interrupted her and started arguing with her.
With a short sigh, the woman reached into her blazer and pulled out a rectangle device. Zayn had seen one of those before, and it was called a J-pad.
“This is a special kind of J-pad, one which all mercenary groups own and comes with an equally special function that allows us to scan people for the M-microchip.” Continued the woman
“M-chip? W-What’s that” repeated the boy like a broken record
Jenny continued thereafter with a more somber tone:
“When one signs up to be a mercenary they get a microchip implanted into their forearm which can be used to identify them. When I scanned the corpse found by the hunters, it matched master Reynald's.”
Upon hearing this the boy felt as if an explosion occurred in his head, everything began spinning around him causing him to take a step back and trip over his own feet landing on his butt.
Trembling all over Zayn did the only thing he could do in this situation, enter in denial.
“N-No, you’re lying, you have to be lying. PLEASE, tell me you are lying! I need to see him. I don’t believe you. I don’t believe any of you. “
Seeing the crying child in front of them the adults nearby could only sigh with a downcast look.
“I’m sorry Zayn, I know you don’t want to hear this, but it’s the truth. As I said previously the reason I am here is to take you with me. Please come with me into the car, I have something to tell you about your grandpa. After that, you can decide if you wish to remain here or come with me.”
Although unwilling, the boy listened to the woman’s words and got up, wiping his tears with the sleeve of his brown shirt. Following her into the car, he ignored the murmurs around him as well as Bosley’s rambling.
“Wait for a second Miss, according to the laws you need the approval of the mayor before you can recruit any citi-“
“Don’t worry, if Zayn wishes to come with me you will be rewarded handsomely” Before he could continue trying to spike up the price the lady replied coldly before shutting the door in his face.
Now inside Zayn could see smooth white leather covers on the seats, sitting on the chair he felt its incredible softness as if he was dipping inside a marshmallow. While he was experiencing this newfound sensation, Jenny poured a glass of yellow liquid and offered it to him.
“Here, drink this, don’t worry it’s good stuff .” said the lady trying to convince him to drink
After hesitating for a second, the boy took the flute-shaped glass in front of him and slowly sipped on its contents before downing it in one go.
“Another.” Ordered the boy expressionlessly
The woman smiled slightly before pouring him another glass. Nodding slightly to the driver a black glass window erected separating the two from the driver.
“Alright now we are finally alone, and no one can hear us. The reason I asked you to come inside the car is that what I am about to tell you must not be shared with anyone.” Said the black dressed lady
Reacting to her words Zayn lifted his head to stare into her beautiful amber eyes.
Seeing that she attracted his attention Jenny continued
"You were right before. I was lying. The corpse we found did not belong to your grandpa. "
"W-what?" asked the boy with confusion apparent on his face.
"I don't know if you are aware, but master Reynald used to be a mercenary of our Forcier group. The chairman himself was a good friend and a brother in arms of your grandfather. When news of his supposed death arrived, the chairman had a few doubts. After I confirmed the corpse did not belong to master Reynald, he shared with me his suspicions. 15 years ago, shortly after you were born, your grandfather came in possession of some troubling pieces of information which would've shaken the world of mercenary wars. To make matters worse, he threatened to release them to the public. However, in the process, he made a lot of enemies who wanted to stop him, and as a result, they staged the accident your parents had to silence him.With no other alternative, your grandfather burned all pieces of evidence and fled with you into this small village. You should be aware of what happened next so I'll skip straight to the point. The chairman believes these same people who acted against your family are behind your grandpa's disappearance and have probably kidnapped him. "
By this point, Zayn was so shocked his eyes were about to get loose from their orbits.Part of him was in disbelief while the other was astonished.
"But why did they act now? Why couldn't they have finished the business 15 years ago rather than drag it until now? And why isn't your boss helping him if he is such great friends with grandpa?" replied the boy in confusion
"That's because your grandfather used to be something close to a national hero, winning all the battles he has been in as well as an A class genetic.While they could get away with staging an accident to your parents if they dared to have him murdered they would fall under a significant amount of scrutiny and civil unrest. As for the chairman...unfortunately, the people that are against your grandpa wield a greater degree of influence than him, the most he could do was warn him." explained Jenny
Zayn took a minute to calm down, and organize in his head everything he has heard.Taking steady breaths, he looked at Jenny and said
"Even so, it makes no sense why would they target grandpa now? and why would they kidnap him ?"
With a soft sigh, Jenny answered him
"In the words of the chairman 'Those old fogeys are getting paranoid, these days they are jumping in fright from every shadow.'. "
Tilting his head the boy signaled he didn't understand what she meant.
"Three weeks ago the hacker group 'Hac4' released some controversial data leaks. Those leaks were awfully similar to the one's master Reynald had. I suppose they connected 2 and 2 together and believed he was connected with them and as such kidnapped him." said Jenny continuing her explanation.
"Then what are you doing here? Why aren't your trying to rescue him?"
"Haa..if only it was that simple. We got no leads whatsoever, and our informants have yet to report anything useful. I am here because the chairman was concerned, he believed those same people would try to kidnap you too and asked me to bring you to the capital." said the pretty lady in front of him with a slightly defeated tone
"In the capital? Me?" asked the boy surprised
"Yes, the chairman wishes for you to join us at our headquarters in Andark, he also expressed his desire for you to become a mercenary," said Jenny with glistering eyes
"Become a mercenary?" said Zayn in his parrot mode once again
"Yes, become a mercenary." said Jenny continuing the parrot game
Seeing the boy's confused look, she explained to him:
"Don't worry you won't be sent to battles. It's just that mercenaries enjoy a greater degree of freedom and rights than normal citizens.By becoming a mercenary yourself, the people after your grandpa will think twice before making a move on you. Especially so if you are under mister Forcier's personal protection."
"T-that makes sense I suppose" Despite not fully understanding the logic behind it the boy nodded his head in approval
"Alright then, quickly go gather your belonging and say goodbye to everyone and then we're off to Andark."
&&&&