By the end of the week, the group of teenagers were very familiar with the faction territory they were in. Following the death of the Rashedi family head, the faction territory was, for the time being, ownerless. Many eyed the territory hungrily, wanting the power and wealth for controlling the sector. However, one needed power to stay in control and no one was foolish enough to make the first move and become targeted by the others. Therefore, the power struggle within the territory was unknown, making any moves they made potentially dangerous.
“How do the rest of you not die from boredom?” asked Miniya as she joined the group that gathered around the maps.
The young girl tried and failed to win any arguments with Aok. Her attempts to convince the man to make a move had been met with a brick wall that refused to budge. She quickly learned that logic didn’t work in her favor as there were too many things working against them. To make matters worse, some of her father’s most trusted advisors were found dead under mysterious circumstances, according to some of Aok's reliable sources. Either the power struggle had begun or someone was building the necessary foundation. Clearing out the loyal subjects of the former head could go a long way.
“We’ll be bored soon enough,” said Belen. “ At this point, all of us have the map memorized and can navigate the faction territory blindfolded.”
“Now that’s something I’d like to try,” said Kurata, taking what Belen said as a good challenge to beat boredom.
“I’d rather none of you leave blindfolded.” Aok walked up to the group. “I do have a few assignments for the five of you.”
Upon hearing about assignments, all five of them gave their full attention to the man. After all, assignments meant they could finally leave their base to go onto the streets. No one knew how Aok came up with the assignment. In fact, none of them even know about the reliable sources the man mentioned. With boredom as their primary foe, none of them were going to question the matter.
“First, I need someone to deliver a gem.” Aok brought up a small red ruby-like gem that looked almost too fake. “This gem isn’t valuable to most people but, for those that recognize the value, it can fetch either a lot of money or a couple of favors. We need favors if we hope to survive. We need one person to deliver it to an address and make sure the other person receives it.”
After setting the gem on the floor, Aok took out a letter.
“This letter must be delivered to a tavern. I know it sounds simple but I assure you that the tavern isn’t one where an outsider should step into. Any unwelcome guests would find themselves with their throat slit in an alley not far away. If you take up this assignment, you accept the high risks and you will also be rewarded handsomely for completing it.”
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With the gem and the letter side by side on the floor, Ali debated on which he would pick. Both would get him out of the base which was already a very good incentive. The handsome reward for the letter definitely got his attention. After all his deliveries for Aok, the teenager knew that Aok didn’t beat around the bush or exaggerate matters. If the man said there was a big reward, there was one waiting for them. The two choices were difficult enough. He couldn’t imagine what other assignments were left.
“The third one requires more diplomacy than the first two.” Aok took out a map and pointed at a building. “We need allies if we want to survive in this sector. The group here is dangerous but trustworthy. The person going there needs to convince them that an alliance is worthwhile for both sides. Whoever is going will be briefed on what we know. After that, the individual is on his or her own in getting this done. We're shorthanded so don't expect any backup.”
Before Aok could get to the fourth assignment, there was a knock on the door. Everyone looked to Ali who was already questioning Tian on how anyone could get past the air serpent.
I don’t know! The individual wasn’t in the streets and then they suddenly showed up at the door. Might be an ability?
Fearing the worst, Ali immediately summoned Qeday and asked the whelp to see how many were actually outside. The teenager also checked the whelp’s detection ability through the prompt.
<
Uploading info on the new ability…
[
Ability: Dragon Senses
Level: 1 ( 0 / 26 XP to Level Up)
Level Up Requirements: Inflict damage or kill foes using heightened senses
Type: Support (Other)
Description:
The user can detect any foe within a 5 meter radius, regardless of what concealment is used by the other party. Note that the ability only gives the user the ability to detect and not see or use any other senses.
Cost: 0
Cooldown: None
Attack: 0
]
>
The whelp went against the door to maximize her detection range outside the base. After a few seconds, she relayed that there were ten members outside.
“Tian sees one outside but there are nine others remaining hidden somehow.”
“I see that my letter has reached its rightful owner,” said Ryu, who looked to Aok.
After Aok nodded his head, Ryu walked over and opened the door. Before anyone in the room could get a good look at the person, Ryu walked out and closed the door behind him. Everyone looked to Aok for an explanation.
“He has his own task to deal with. We’ll do our own part.”
Aok and Lorn walked into one of the rooms in the back, leaving everyone else to discuss among themselves what had just happened. The person wore a cloak to hide everything so they had very little to go on except for the incredible concealment ability shown by the other side.
“You were his student in woodworking,” said Belen, directing her attention to Ali. “What do you know about his past? Who exactly are those people?”