Azim scoured the dark streets of Appilus, looking for Leone amidst the shadows of buildings and other structures. He was met with little success. The robot appreciated the nighttime scenery. It was cool, which let his systems run more powerfully with ease, as the nighttime air regulated his internal temperature. The wind running through the city also blew his cloak into ruffles, lightly fanning his systems as well. The lack of light would have been a problem to most others, but not Azim. His eyes illuminated just enough of the path ahead of him to process his field of vision, while his auditory processors surveyed everything around him that he could not see.
The robot admired the silence as well. Azim was not one to feel fear, nor any other emotion, so there was never any worry that a living person might feel from the quiet of the dark. He had never understood why humans were often so scared of the dark, especially the silence of it. Sure, it could empathize with the fear of the unknown. If anything, that was what the robot could relate to the most. Being something that processed and analyzed everything, to not know something or not be aware of something was unnerving. It felt vulnerable. That was the closest to a human emotion that Azim ever felt. Aside from that worry, however, the metal man considered the night to be peaceful more than anything else and wished more humans saw it the same way. However, these thoughts and awarenesses were not currently available to the android. In this moment, he only knew that he liked the night, though he did not know why, nor could he pontificate on the idea.
Turning a corner, Azim noticed 3 carriages lined up next to each other. They were encompassed by a few of the men that had been walking down the street earlier, as well as some women he had not previously seen. Azim tried to focus his perception on what the group of men was doing, though he could not determine what from where he stood. He kept walking, hoping to find Leone soon.
Several minutes went by before Azim found another group of guys with a similar array of carriages. This time, however, the metal man also spotted Leone. The young man was perched atop one of the nearby houses like some sort of vigilante, watching the men in hiding. Unsure of what the situation was, Azim decided to catch up to him, letting his cloak whiffle in the wind behind him as he scaled the building. Leone watched as the group of 6 talked and lugged around large boxes. It was unclear what was in them, but the young man figured they couldn’t have been anything good. He was caught off guard when he felt a hand gently grab his right shoulder, spinning around to reveal a knife clenched in his hand. Azim was unfazed by the gesture and merely thought back to the last time they fought. “I was not aware you carried a knife, Leone.”
“…Viyona almighty!” he exclaimed in a whisper. “What the hell, Azim! You can just… Gah! You can’t… just do that, buddy. Holy crap, you scared the hell out of me, I thought you were one of them!”
“I apologize,” Azim replied sincerely. “I did not mean to cause you alarm. I merely meant to alert you of my presence.”
“Okay, well next time, do it… way differently. Like… oh my… ahg… If you sneak up on me or anyone else like that, especially at night, they’re not going to think it’s anyone friendly. They’re going to think it’s someone coming to get them. When it’s dark, and when you’re doing something like this, you’re on high alert. So anything that happens... happens with an edge. Okay?”
“Okay. I understand.”
“Jeez, why are you even here? Why aren’t you asleep?”
“I do not sleep. I only power down. I was powered on by Riva’s voice. She alerted me that you were missing from your bed and instructed me to go find you. She appeared distressed.”
“Well… that’s comforting, that you guys care. But I’m fine, I just wanted to get a look at these guys. Since they’re always patrolling the streets, I wanted to see what kind of stuff they get to, especially if we were just going to head out tomorrow.”
Azim looked over Leone’s head to get a view of the men at the end of the street. Looking back down to Leone, the robot asked what he wanted to do. The young man then had an idea, and asked if the android could hear what the men were saying since he couldn’t. Looking back to the group below, Azim stared, letting his auditory processors zero in on their location and isolate the noise. After a few moments, the robot stopped and looked back down at Leone. “The men are discussing something about weapons being ready, and a third party arriving soon. An exact extrapolated piece of dialogue is ‘These things better be worth it… all… firepower ready?… looking for the best...’”
“Oh, man,” replied Leone. “This must be one of those meetups that that clerk told us about. Though this seems like a big one. 3 carts together, with 6 guys? This isn’t just an ordinary handoff.”
“There are 3 more carriages at the other end of the street going that way, accompanied by 7 women and 4 men.”
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“What is going on?!”
A few moments later, a portal opened up in the middle of the road. Out of the effervescent aurora came 2 men and a woman. One of the men, who appeared to be in charge, and the woman were human. The other man was an elf. All three of them were wearing matching off-white robes, with gold bands at the ends of the sleeves and waist. They looked important.
Leone stared patiently, tensing slightly, and looked up to see how his robotic companion was doing. Azim was still as ever, his usual unreadable self. Leone hoped he was not planning on jumping in, though it was very much a possibility, he considered. The young man took it upon himself to remind Azim not to be hasty, and to not make a move until he did. The robot acknowledged the order. Leone then asked the android if he could pick up on the conversation again, this time between the two groups. Azim listened.
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“Evening, Demar,” the leading man in the white robes offered. “How is everything?”
“It’s good, Sir Marcilo,” replied one of the men by the carriages sheepishly.
“Aren’t you going to ask how everything is with me?”
Demar flinched. “O-Of course, sorry, Sir Marcilo. How is your-“
“Nope, too late,” Marcilo interrupted, raising a hand as he did. “How very rude, I think. Isn’t that rude? Wile? Temara? Is that not rude?”
“Very rude, we think,” the other two robe-wearing individuals responded.
“Mm, yes… well, anyway…” said Marcilo, moving on. “What is it that you have tonight, Demar?”
“W-Well, sir, we have plenty for you. There is your collection of swords and armor plates, as always. Your healing elixirs and potions of various magics…”
“Stop wasting my time,” Marcilo interrupted again, speaking slowly and with an individual intensity in every word. “I may waste yours, but you will not waste mine. This is all expected. If you didn’t have any of this, you would already be out of a job. And maybe out of more. However, when I ask you what you have for me, it is because I expect something of value. Something… special.”
“R-Right, Sir Marcilo, sorry, sir,” Demar sniveled. “Well, we have three featured items for you tonight, captured from the people of the city. First up, this enchanted Thunder Sword. Not only does it cast lightning from the blade, it also grants the wielder electrifyingly terrifying speed.”
Marcilo just stared at the man.
He continued. “Ahem, next up is a spell bottle that creates a Time Freeze effect in a dome area. 20-meter diameter, and lasts for 5 minutes. The thing is crazy.”
The white-robed man perked up slightly, mildly impressed.
“Um, finally…” Demar carried on. “We have this cloak. It’s an Invisibility cloak, which is pretty cool. We got it off of some nerd with glasses. Simply put it on and… poof, you’re gone.”
Marcilo was quiet for a moment, before finally asking, “Have you heard of the Legendary Relics?”
“W-What, sir?”
“The Legendary Relics. A series of assorted treasures lost to time. Some are weapons, some are tools, and some people don’t have any knowledge of. Have you heard of them?”
“I-“
“I’m going to stop you right there, because I think you have. You see, I may not know your boss, or what you do in that little tower of yours, but I know what you possess. Your boss is able to acquire all these fascinating items, from the people of this city and from elsewhere, all while keeping such a low profile. It’s quite impressive really. But one who can keep such an endeavor up for so long… one that smart… has to know a few things. So, I have a feeling that your boss knows of the Legendary Relics, and I believe that you know of them as well, through him.”
“I… I might have heard of them, Sir Marcilo. But why would they be relevant right now, sir?”
“Why would- Well, I see that rudeness is all that can be expected tonight,” Marcilo said startled, pulling himself together again. “They would be relevant… if you happen to have one. You see, I have eyes, well, everywhere… and I heard stories of a relic being in this city. As such, I figured your employer might know of its whereabouts. Hm?”
“I don’t know anything about a relic that we have with us,” responded Demar slowly.
In an instant, eight dark brown, leg-like appendages uprooted from the ground and wrapped around Demar. They were prickly and slightly hairy, but incredibly strong. The man shrieked as he felt them tighten around him. He would have reacted sooner, but there wasn’t any sooner he could have done anything. It was as if one second there was nothing, and the next, the appendages were already around him. Then Marcilo leaned in very closely so that the two practically shared the same breath. Demar saw something in the robed man’s eyes. Something he could not place, though for whatever reason, reminded him of his boss. “What was that last part?” Marcilo asked with a malevolence in his voice that had not previously been there.
“SIR!” Demar blurted, terrified. “‘With us, sir! I don’t know anything about a relic that we have with us, Sir Marcilo!”
The man in the white and gold robe just stared at the gang member for a little longer. “I swear it’s the truth, if the boss knows something, I don’t know it!” the terrified man continued. “I promise! If I could tell you I would, but that would be a lie. And that would be rude. I wouldn’t want to be rude to you, Sir Marcilo!”
Marcilo thought for a moment, then released Demar from his grotesque restraints. “No, I suppose you wouldn’t want to,” he pondered.
“Well then, my mistake!” the robed man exclaimed, cheerful all of a sudden. “We will take what you have and I will see you next time. Here’s your proof of trouble.”
Marcilo gestured to the elf on his right, who stepped forward and summoned a large crate of gold onto the ground. Demar was still reeling from what had just happened to even properly acknowledge the box in front of him. The white-robed man waved a hand and opened the portal he had entered from once again. The two people by his side entered first. As he stepped through, he stopped and turned back to Demar with a serious expression. “Next time, though, I want to meet with your boss.”
A second later and the portal was gone, and all that remained was an unnerved gang member, a speechless crew, and a just-as-unsettled pair of eavesdropping travelers.