Damselflies and Dragonfly (1)
Phesx Caolia listened attentively. The Head lifted his head and breathed deeply, “The 'Lý' comes from our people. We are all Lys, from the Ly tribes. Lýlaco Empire, and now Lýmoca. Our Lý is Leae, but we are Lys, and the mentioned lye is in the history of the Lys. We use that to honor our people, land, and history. It is full of sacrifices, from the AO to the SO. It's our blood that has bled and birthed most of Moonblue.”
“Well, I don’t know why it has a lye either. I only know it was how my predecessor left the secret organization. He was already old, too old, I’d say.” The Head commented. Phesx narrowed his eyes. Gerardo Tellez continued, “I do know he was patriotic, very. He used to employ many missions for many people.”
“Respectively, he aided those history enthusiasts. Doing everything he could to assist them. I heard he was good friends with the Metelti, once, as well. Well, no matter. That is all to be rained upon by the past.” Gerardo sighed at the end.
“Riverlye gained ownership over the tunnels you’ve traveled, which are connected to nothing else, so they are virtually impossible to detect. However, if any hoog organization were to care, they’d find us as soon as they’d want to.” Gerardo leaned forwards in his chair. “How do you think we’ve managed to keep it to ourselves with the knights’ thirsting for hunts? Hm?”
“…Scarlet Houndhood?” Phesx pondered and then said after thinking of something. Gerardo paused, looking at Phesx with open eyes and pressing lips for a moment. A second later, he burst out in laughter, “Hahahaha! That’s right, I knew you are a good thinker! Haha!”
“Riverlye has been enjoying the benefits of being close to SH. The extremists won’t move against us as they would’ve decades ago. The hounds have been taking place in the secret world’s movements for the last decades, interrupting the knights’ hunts and protecting a few select whom they can trust. Riverlye is one such lagj secret org.”
“Having a hoog as a patron, we, the lagj, must work with them when required. This time, they have sent a specially difficult mission for us.” Gerardo took a small, pale yellow envelope from his desk drawers before placing it on top. “We’ve heard your petition to become an Instructor, Fox. Pondered upon it. But the allure of power must be matched with capability. This mission will be your test. Should you accept this… task. Fulfill its needs, and you’ll become the earliest and youngest Instructor in Riverlye history.”
The envelope was left behind on top of the table. Nobody here needed to treat the other like a kid. Phesx looked at the Head’s eyes as if looking for something to rely on. Then, he lifted his left hand from his lap to over the table and slowly directed it towards the envelope.
“I will accept this task,” Phesx said before lowering his hand on the envelope. Gerardo retracted his fingers from holding one of the envelope’s corners accordingly. Gerardo nodded, “You’ve decided. Understand one thing. This mission will be completed all on your own. Your job is to not be spoken about, and you can’t fail. With the previous results your performance has showed, and these Instructors’ endless praising for you, I know you can at least complete it.”
“However,” Gerardo lifted his face and sat with his back straight. Phesx, who slightly nodded repeatedly, halted and looked at the Head. Gerardo continued, finishing his words. “You can bring one person with you. Knowing Snow’s capabilities, she is a potential ally for you.”
“Would you like to have some assisting? You’ll still receive the reward I’ve promised you. That we promised you.” Gerardo Tellez pronounced with clear, ample emphasis. Phesx looked into the Head’s eyes, strictly reaffirming his choice. “I won’t need help, Head.”
“Hmhmhm,” the Head chuckled, “That’s the spirit of an Artista turning into a worthy Instructor!”
The Head still beamed his smile when he turned to Pheli, “You must leave now, this information is confidential. Prepare his equipment so he can leave in 6 days. Go.”
Today was the 11th month’s very first day. It was a strange occurrence that the mission would take 6 days to begin. Pheli looked at Phesx. Her eyes were indifferent. She stood up and left as the door closed behind her. The study’s entrance closed, with Phesx stopping before it.
She turned her head, but the entrance had closed by then.
Inside the study room, the 4 Instructors walked forth, surrounding the table as Phesx opened the envelope. Phesx looked at it, expanding his eyes contents when reading 2 names. Then, he looked at the Head before they took maps and blueprints out of their pockets.
Spreading them on the table, they began showing Phesx every detail. There was a large, tall tower on a corner, the entire city of Sargonde’s center in another, and hundreds of faces with varying information on another.
This was just the beginning. Phesx felt glad the mission would take place in almost a week, as he’d need a lot of work for this. However… it also felt exciting. So much information. Phesx wondered first how long did Riverlye spent investigating for this mission. But then, he realized that Riverlye couldn’t have possibly gathered this information themselves.
… A couple of hours later, Phesx exited the study room. Phesx and the older Artistas remained there. Pheli stood just before the entrance with her arms crossed and her eyes locked to the floor. When he stepped towards her, Pheli turned around, with Phesx passing his left arm around her lower back before walking away.
Once in their small study, they sat on the floor. Pheli pulled Phesx onto her chest although he did not look tired. He let it be and rested his irked forehead and eyes on her sternum, with her nice scent infiltrating his nostrils.
“How difficult is it?” Pheli asked, rubbing his shoulders and back. Phesx responded, “Harshly as hell.”
“Come and lie with me,” Pheli whispered, closing her eyes with Phesx, caressing his head and massaging it. Lying on the floor, they rolled onto their floorbed before cuddling under the sheets. Sleepless nights might ensue.
. . .
6 days later.
Over the past few days, Phesx went through the mission’s details, which were far too much, again. Now that he had ‘free time’, he went to the pizzeria and the farm, where he checked a few things before announcing another leave. It was too dangerous to think he’d do everything perfectly.
Paloma and Ñoño, the farm owners, had things in order. Their new crops were going perfectly, with some already harvested, and others soon-to-be harvested. They had a couple of dozen of workers to tend to everything every few hours throughout the day. The recently born livestock were all healthy and showed no issues on the healthcare tech.
The pizzeria was actually thinking of negotiating with the other buildings on the same block as the tea shop, now turned into a small pizzeria extension with one of the owners attending it with new employees.
Phesx couldn’t bring people out of nowhere to protect it, but lately, many people in the neighborhood felt like a lot of young men and women went missing. What’s more, the business owners who were stressed as of late became unusually nervous.
All thought the same, ‘Why were the neighborhood criminal scum not coming to take their money?’
Nevertheless, Phesx spent a few days on the streets, more than ever before, and without a mission in between. But at last, the day of the mission arrived. It was just the morning of the 1st week’s 7th day, whereas Phesx had to prepare to leave for another zone in the center of the city.
Before leaving, he still had to meet Pheli and Emer. First, he went to Emer, carrying 2 pizza boxes with him. Emer took a few seconds to open the entrance for him. When he finally did, Phesx welcomed the sight of a tired, recently woken old fart ass man.
“Hey, old man. Thought of giving a few more in case I have to hide. If those extremists come after me, I won’t be able to live through any shit.” Phesx said, shrugging before entering. Emer closed the entrance after he stepped in.
“Did you bring- bring what I asked you?” Emer asked, almost rising his voice. Phesx looked up at the old man before nodding, “Mhm. You can now write a novel if you want.”
Placing the boxes on one of Emer’s desks, Phesx took a notebook and a top-quality pen, so smooth to hold, from his back onto another desk. Emer nodded when he saw the notebook and pen, before ignoring them to eat the brand-new pizza boxes.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
“Well, no more training? You stopped in the middle of the week, oldie.” Phesx sat at the side, on the floor, feeling his belly a bit empty. He didn’t feel like eating, though. Emer nodded. When Phesx looked around, relaxing, Emer threw 2 slices on his lap.
“Eat, and I’ll clear your ‘doubt’.” Said the roguish old man. Phesx blinked at the slices before grabbing them, eating from both at the same time. “Nom nom nom nom nom…”
“You need no more training, Phesx.” Said Emer. It was the first time he called Phesx by his name in such a casual manner, not to distract or provoke him. Phesx ate without a care. Emer shook his head at the lack of grace Phesx exhibited eating such a worldwide delicacy.
Then, as Emer slobbered his chin with melted cheese, he continued speaking. “All you need now… is a beating.”
“?” Phesx looked back at the oldie with his left eyebrow high up. Was the old fart going to beat the crap out of him before the mission? He wouldn’t dare, would he?
Seeming to know what the young boy thought, Emer frowned and pointed at Phesx’s sides before pointing at his head and feet. Phesx followed Emer’s gestures around him before hearing the old fart speak, “Or maybe a good beating. But not a great beating, nobody survives those.”
“Mn. More training is useless. Honing what you have is necessary. It’s time you leave any nest behind and know the winds of the skies. Hm, I won’t get my head messy with so many sayings, just grab your stuff and do your worst.”
Phesx nodded, standing up with delicious mouthfuls of pizza in his mouth. Just as he opened his mouth to ask for something, Emer grabbed from under his top, throwing an item at him. It was a square-shaped tough dark blue fabric, weighing quite a lot, but nothing Phesx would worry about.
“One more thing before I forget!” Emer said in his senile, natural voice. “Would you kill the innocent if necessary?”
“…” Phesx stared at Emer’s face, at a loss for words. Emer hunched his back and asked with a tilt of his head up and down to the side. “Would you kill them if your safety or someone who you care for is endangered otherwise?”
“…” Phesx nodded. Emer blinked, nodding ever so little. Then, Emer asked again, “Would you kill if you get angry?”
“…” Phesx darted his eyes to the ceiling, looking for possible situations and his previous, intuitive reactions before lowering his impenetrable black eyes. He nodded, “Only those who made me angry. Not everyone, per se.”
“Mn,” Emer nodded to himself before sitting on his tall chair, procuring the other pizza box to eat from both at the same time. It was too good, too delicious.
Phesx nodded in a greeting/farewell before stepping out of the study, with the entrance opening in less than a second. Moving out of the study, Phesx didn’t look back, and neither did Emer look at his figure walking away.
Pheli wasn’t in the workshop, so Phesx went to their small study room. There, the door opened to reveal Pheli with all his equipment ready. Standing beside his long, thick bag and suitcases. Phesx tilted his head to the left after getting idiotized by looking at his woman for the umpteenth time. “Where are the other cases?”
“They were too many, and the HQ seemed to know, so they delivered it to the party directly. They’re x-ray proof and have a lock only you know how to unlock. Don’t worry.” Pheli said, waiting on the spot, waiting for him to come to her.
Phesx slowly stepped towards Pheli, embracing her with his hands poking her stomach with his fingertips before sliding to her back. He rubbed his face on hers, as she did on his, slowly, communicating their little thoughts and wants.
“Mwah~,” Pheli smacked their kiss at the end after suddenly smooching his mouth. Phesx nodded in silence, grasping her nape with delicateness. Both sighed softly into each other’s face, keeping their faces close. Only they knew how dangerous all of this was.
“I’ll try to return tonight,” Phesx nudged his nose up on her left cheek. Pheli exclaimed, opening her eyes while squeezing his hands, “Mn.”
They looked into each other’s eyes before Phesx had to leave.
. . .
At the very center of Sargonde, in the state capital city. Just 80 kilometers worth of street distance from the state government precinct. A few hours later.
Phesx Caolia arrived by walking. He wore a black hoodie with a dark blue cap, jeans, and thick sports shoes. As he neared a tall, tower-like building, with 90% of its outer wall made of gray blue tough materials from the base to the top, and the very top of glass, Phesx entered a public bathroom in a park nearby.
The tallest tree in the park was 3 meters high, with the park being as small as 2 ordinary houses placed together. Phesx went to a booth, where he found a thin attaché case made of soft fabric. Opening it, he found a uniform and several credentials. He also found a few wrapped gifts, a few glasses, sunglasses, and cigarettes boxes.
From what little Phesx knew of politics and news in Lýmoca, the cigarettes were illegal. Phesx tilted his head in wonderment before taking his clothes off. He was a little stiff at noon, but now, he felt used to it. It was already evening, and the sun was setting.
… With the orange sky looming from the west behind him, Phesx walked to the building’s entrance wearing another cap and with his hair noticeably shorter than before the bathrooms. He walked with ease, leisure even. Lowering his head and carrying the attaché case on his right and 2 coats hung on his left forearm.
“Hang on, what you doing? It’s a bit late, bud. Who are you?” A bouncer stopped him, wearing similar uniform but a different jacket on top. Phesx stopped 4 steps before the bored bouncers and lifted his head, taking his cap off before clipping his identity card on his right jacket chest side.
“Sorry, the cap and everything, right? Forgot, forgot.” Phesx revealed his well-cut black hair, light brown skin, and impenetrable black eyes. A strange occurrence was, however, that a few complete sets of strands of white hair showed at the front of the top of his head.
He didn’t even know he had them. It wasn’t just a strand or a few forming set, but around 10 per set, give or take. It was just a few, and they were 3 times smaller than the rest of his hair. Nevertheless, with it and the corners of his lip lines curving just a little, making it seem longer, he looked like a model hiding in an ordinary job for a day.
Phesx was still not that handsome, but he just had that charm. The white hair strands added a little touch, but his face and new hairstyle did most of the work to get a positive impression on these guys.
“It’s just… the headache. I didn’t remember that it was for today. I didn’t even join the morning check.” Phesx said, looking bothered but not wanting to drop his weigh on them. The guy who stopped him before repeatedly nodded a bit, “Mm, mm. I get that. Name and phone number, and you can ‘go back in’, bro.”
“… Thanks,” Phesx looked at the fella before taking a phone out to show another identity card, one from a school in the city, not college. Meanwhile, he gave his phone number by memory. The bouncer lifted his eyebrows, “Damn bro, you’re young. You had to win something good to be invited there, haha.”
After checking the identity card on the phone screen with a quick check on a government website, the bouncer asked Phesx for his phone number again. Phesx repeated it and then received a call after the bouncer nodded at him, putting his left hand in his pants pocket.
Ring ring~. It was the default sound at first, before it changed to that of a party where girls were screaming things like pranking a cute one with nudes when he received his phone back. The bouncers cracked up laughing, some held their bellies.
The bouncer who checked Phesx smiled and just gave him an armband, wider and of a stronger blue than the rest. He patted Phesx’s arm before explaining, “You’re like second-in-command. You know what to do, right?”
“Yes, I just have to check things are going per schedule. I get to walk up and down as much as I want, and some bunch of rich asses are coming tomorrow and all, mm?” Phesx nodded before politely speaking.
The bouncer grinned from the left corner of his mouth before stepping aside, “Okay, get in. There’s like 25 more of you that didn’t make it, so you might want to check each floor. Aight?”
“Yeah- oh, by the way,” Phesx walked in, almost in a hurry. But then, he stopped, backtracked, and gestured towards the bouncer in a cool way. “You… Don’t think I’m trying to shit on you, but. You went to the party last night, ey? How many are we? I’m sure I didn’t see you there.”
“Well, it was a fucking huge arena. How else will the ‘Defending Our Home’ polie party gain any support from people, right? Yeah, look. We are like… 1,000 people in… and that’s only us students. With the guards, we’re like double or a little more.” The bouncer nodded, chatting Phesx up to spend a bit of time.
“Holy… fuck!” Phesx exclaimed. In truth, he felt his chest tighten for a moment, almost showing despair in his eyes. “They won’t turn on us and kidnap everyone or something, right?”
“Nah, they are all like supporters of the halted reforms. They were supposed to be straight out cancelled, but the Supreme Justice Court suddenly ‘paused’ it. Dunno, a bunch of lies and playing around with our country. They just want their fams to be paid in case something happens to them. They think they can show that here, at a party for olies.” The bouncer complained with ease.
“Agh, we could grab a drink after… ah, after tomorrow. Tomorrow’s the big day, right?” Phesx asked, grabbed the sliding door’s side of the entrance, which was stuck open for safety measures. The bouncer nodded after blowing from his nostrils, “Hah, yeah. Later then. I know a place to find cuties.”
Phesx grinned hard before finally walking into the building. His grin prevailed, but he wasn’t trying to. It was just… it felt kinda nice to act without emotion yet showing emotion and… playing people’s minds.
The entryway was a huge place with marble flooring with black stains. It contrasted well and somehow felt like one wouldn’t feel dizzy if they wore a strange combination of colors. To the sides of the huge, wide and long reception were glass of walls leading to open living rooms and dinners.
To the front was a staircase about 20 meters wide, with stops to turn or just walk forward before going up some steps again. It didn’t have glass walls, but Phesx knew these were built to move things up before using a cargo lift in the first upper floor. There was a set of 10 elevators to the side, where a few other students walked in and out of with documents in their hands.
Some gals and dubiously straight dudes glanced at Phesx strangely, as if they felt somehow attracted to just stare at him. Phesx thought as he walked towards an elevator, ‘Ayayay, I don’t know how many theory ‘events’ I’m going through to be looked at for no reason. As long as no one suspects me.’
Phesx pouted his lips, calmly entering a lone elevator. Once inside, he felt his stomach relax, not even realizing he was feeling stressed. He closed his eyes to think, holding his body with his hand on the wall before a few seconds went by.
When the elevator went up and stopped, he recuperated his cool. The doors opened. Stepping forth, Phesx headed to a reception desk, where a few students moved about, incessant and strongly focused.
If it wasn’t because he secretly ensured the details did not include the Ojazul school nor invitees from other schools or colleges, Phesx wouldn’t have been so at ease.
…
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Let it Rain's note: So the 'lye' is read as [lee- eh], and Lý the same as before, Leae, while Lys goes for Leaes, like Lee - a - ees. Just for clarification. Lye might be 'revealed' what it is for in the future, Q.Q .