~14~ A Traitorous Deal

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7343 words

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People often don't talk about the aftermath, the silence after the storm. It is one thing Alexios hates more than anything. The agonizing silence afterward, the shock settling in your bones.

The silence made him squirm as he watched Filomena comfort her mentally decaying wife. They only had a couple of hours in the Guildhall before they needed to move again. They were only supposed to grab the important documents and such, making sure the Assassin secrets stay out of Neverseen hands. Inalia was silent. The only people in the streets were corpses and Neverseen scum. They didn't have a name for the attack yet, but the Fall of Inalia has started circulating. So many things fell during that attack.

"Honey, can you go grab some sentimental things? It may help calm us all down when we have to leave again." Filomena whispered to her son, combing a strand of his shaggy hair behind his ear. Alexios nodded, shrugging on his coat.

Filomena kissed his forehead, "Good boy. Make sure to stay away from windows and keep your face covered. Don't leave the building, Angioletto."

He silently walked down the hallways, hugging himself tightly. Sentimental, sentimental. Something that would make his mother happy again!

He meandered into the Grand ballroom. This was his mother's favorite room. She would host balls and soirees, gossiping amongst the socialites and nobles, soaking up their secrets for Assassin gain. Alexios spotted Grandfather Damien's piano sitting on the stage, and he ran over to it. This was the same piano Amalia practices on. Her homework was scatted over the stage, along with her personal books and sheet music. She never finished her math homework, it seemed. A gentle glint of silver caught his eyes.

Her astronomy books.

"It's just a bunch of stupid dots." Alexios scoffed as Amalia flipped through the pages of her new book, squealing in delight even as the festival continued around her.

"And you are a stupid nuisance. Look, you have something in common with the stars." Amalia retorted. Amalia got that gift from Maria during the Autumnal birthday festivals when they were, gods, when was it? Amalia just turned seven, that's right. Alexios never understood her fascination with the twinkling lights.

But she wasn't here now to explain the constellations to him. Alexios tucked some of Amalia's sheet music into the pages of stars and planets, holding it in his arms as he shuffled further through the empty Guildhall towards his Uncle's office. He perused Uncle Allesandro's keepsakes. A couple of scrolls, his collection of artifacts, plenty of correspondents. His desk was lined with photos.

One of Mansi and Amalia at their girls-only sleepover, where the two of them made panettone and smiled wide at the camera, covered in flour. The other was of the Morretti family trip to the woods, where Amalia and Alexios were getting scolded by Maria for getting covered in mud, Allesandro trying, and failing, to hold back his laughter behind her. The tip of Filomena's finger was in the frame, but Allesandro had it on his desk anyway. Another was of all of their friends, gathered in the Renisanca plaza during the Festival of Fools last year; even Alvar and Alden made it that year.

The final one was Grandma Hypatia, Grandpa Damian, Great uncle Claudio, young Maria, and Allesandro smiling at what looked like one of the temples. Alexios picked that one up, staring at his grandparents. He and his sister never got to meet them, did they?

Alexios fingers brushed behind the frame, freezing at feeling a lump. He turned the frame around, pulling out the small scrap of paper sticking out.

Alexios struggled with reading sometimes; he has something Filomena has. Dyslexia or something like that. Letters and numbers jumble around in front of him. Spelling always was a pain in the ass.

He squinted at Allesandro's small handwriting, struggling to put it together.

E... S... D... no, that was a P-

The stomping of boots made him ideally shove the paper back into the picture frame, scrambling underneath the desk in order not to be seen. The Neverseen patrol flashed lights through the boarded windows, scanning as well as they could. Alexios didn't like that he was being hunted; he didn't like the heaviness on his shoulders or the sickness it brought to his stomach. He clutched Amalia's books close, his eyes clamped shut to keep the tears back.

When his eyes opened again, he was in his bedroom, awake and older. Alexios was panting, a hand on his bare chest to feel his heart beating beneath his ribcage. Just to make sure he was still alive. Early morning sun gleamed through the small crack in his curtains. He turned beside him, blinking at the girl also asleep next to him. He had a long night; he wanted a distraction yesterday. He completely forgot about her. Shit, he will have to sneak her out so he doesn't get another scolding from... his mother.

Alexios felt the chill settle in again, a reminder as to why he needed that sedative last night long after the girl had fallen asleep. Maria was still missing, with no sign of her anywhere in Inalia. The other cities hadn't gotten back to him if she had been sighted in the other cities.

Alexios groaned, knowing it was too early to have another breakdown. He padded out of bed, untangling from the girl. He combed his shaggy hair out of his eyes,  poking at the dark circles underneath his eyes in hopes that if he does it enough, they will go away. He hasn't been sleeping well the last couple of days, but unlike Lia, he doesn't mind getting drugged to the high heavens if it means a night's rest. But the dreams have been more vivid when he drugged up.

Alexios racked over his dream, trying to push the memories out of his mind. But he stopped.

"The picture frame." He gasped.

He grabbed a pair of pants draped over his bed frame, shucking them on.

"Alexios?" The girl in his bed muttered, rubbing her eyes.

Alexios kicked his door shut, scrambling down the halls towards his Uncle's office. Amalia didn't take her father's office; no one had touched it in years. Especially Alexios.

"Good morning, sir,"

"Hello sir,"

The Assassins that stayed at the Barracks were persuing the hallways, confused as to why Alexios was zipping through their halls without a shirt. Mansi tried to approach him, holding some paperwork,  "Hey, I need you to sign these things since Lia is-"

Alexios zipped past her, finally arriving at the deep birch doors, sliding into the office. The dark green paneled walls had lightened over the years of sun exposure, the woods slightly sun stained as well. Alexios near tripped over the rug and Allesandro's golden telescope when he spotted the picture frame, scooping it up. He turned it every which way but eventually found the small slip of parchment sticking out from the back. He carefully slid it out.

Esposita.

Underneath Adonis's Isle, Allesandro. It should be all the proof you need if my calculations are correct.

May the gods look over you.

Alexios squinted at it again, making sure he was reading everything correctly. The Esposita had something to do with the Adonis's Isle?

"What the hell is your problem?" Mansi snapped, pushing open the office doors. Her eyes saddened when she realized whose office this was.

"Alexios, what are you doing in here?" She asked quietly. Alexios scanned over the note again, leaning up against the desk.

"I had a dream, rather, revisited a memory in my dreams. I remembered something hidden away in my Uncle's desk." Alexios handed Mansi the paper. She blew a strand of her raven hair out of her face as she read it, her eyes scanning it over and over again.

"Seems Allesandro was looking for something to use against the Esposita?" Mansi proposed.

"But why though? Both Maria and Allesandro agreed to stay out of the way of the Esposita for the greater good of the Assassins. That is before my mom beat the crap out of him on sight, of course, but you know what I mean." Alexios countered. Mansi bit her lip, handing Alexios back the note and picking up the picture frame he found it in. She shrugged, scanning over the former Morretti family.

"I mean, it is kind of hard to let the slaughtering of your family go. Maybe he wanted to find something to bring them down."

Alexios was as stiff as a board, shaking his head, "It still doesn't sit right with me."

Mansi jutted out her lip, but she sighed in defeat, "How about this." She snatched the note out of Alexios's hand again, placing her paperwork in its place.

"I'll run this through Maria's software to see if we can identify the handwriting. In the meantime, you can fill out my paperwork to grant me maternal leave when deemed appropriate by my physician." Mansi explained smugly. Alexios sighed, reminding himself to thank Amalia for not making him her right hand. Ruy sometimes had to deal with this, and Alexios can't even imagine how much work Lia has.

"Okay..." Alexios whimpered.

"And then you aren't going to run off to Adonis's Isle to investigate whatever this is." Alexios opened his mouth to complain but saw the spark in Mansi's eye, "You're not going to explore... without me."

Alexios hesitated, "Mansi, you are pregnant. Are you sure this is a good idea? I can just have Nour-"

"Nour is off on a contract in the north right now, won't be back until tomorrow. And please, I am SO tired of people fussing over me. I love Alvar, but now he is a bit overbearing since I'm pregnant with his child, or whatever. I'm only about two months in, anyway. If we don't do anything to crazy besides investigating, I'll be fine!" Mansi argued.

Alexios still shook his head, and Mansi groaned.

"Ughhh, fine! Be boring." She waved around the note as she left the office, turning left down the hallway.

"I'll go get this tested." She sighed.

"Uh, Mansi?"

"What?"

"My mom's workshop is down the right hallway."

Silence for a few fateful moments, then Mansi stalking the other way.

"Right, yeah, I knew that... dang pregnancy brain." She coughed.

Sophie stumbled a bit as she deboarded the ship, everything aching.

"Amalia, did you get any sleep before we left?" Maha asked. Sophie just mumbled a response, pulling her hood further up her head to block out the rays of sun peeking through and blinding her. She and Ruy only had about 30 minutes before she needed to dart back to meet Maha at the inn. But it was quite honestly the best 30 minutes she has had in a while.

"You can't keep doing that, it isn't good for your health-"

"You sound like aunty Maria."

"That is because she is right-" Sophie just moaned in annoyance, slumping her head on Maha's shoulder, her eyes fluttering closed. Maria... Aunty Maria was fine. She was as tough as nails and her tongue ever sharper. But twangs of panic struggled to remain suppressed.

"Lemme just nap here for, like, two seconds." Sophie begged. Maha scoffed but didn't move, petting Sophie's head as she scanned the docks for Captain Okoye.

They both jumped, however, when a woman loosed a loud laugh behind them.

"That is hilarious! Have a good day, James." Okoye strolled right past the two Vatarians, waving goodbye to her friend. She stopped in her spot, processing their existence before spinning on her heel.

"And who might you lasses be?"

Sophie shook tiredness out of her eyes as she straightened.

"We were sent by your sister, Jade. She said you were in need of our services?" Sophie said, pulling her shoulders back to seem more official.

Okoye didn't look a thing like her sister. Okoye's skin was a dark rich brown, her eyes the deepest sea blue with hints of grey. Her head was completely shaved and was decorated with Avriman tattoos. Jade didn't look a bit Avriman. Adoptive sisters, perhaps?

"Jade sent you? I told her I needed Cyevan Assassins," Okoye looked them up and down, pursing her lips.

Sophie put her hands on her hips, her raggedy cloak fluttering a bit on the warm wind.

"Is there a problem?"

"No, no! It's just, well, Cyevan Assassins are majestic and well-decorated warriors, and, you know..." Okoye looked them up and down again. To their tattered cloaks, muddy boots, and their dirty clothes.

"We're undercover, for your information. That is why we look like this."

They also left all of their money back at the Hidden One's base, so they were hella broke. But Okoye didn't need to know that.

"Ah, of course. Walk with me, I will explain."

The small island was honestly overpacked with rowdy pirates. Barrels of rum and crates of stolen rations, they all enjoyed everyone's company and bragged about their most recent raid. Maha and Sophie walked by Okoye as she stepped off the dock and perused through the shoddy camps she set up.

"My name is Captain Okoye. I run the biggest fleet of scallywags, criminals, and bums the Carianan sea has seen." She proudly gestured to her pirates, one of which gave Maha a nasty gap-toothed smile while two other fist-fought behind them over a bottle of rum.

"We aren't the classiest folk," Okoye coughed.

"Why don't you go by Admiral? You do have a fleet, after all."

"Far too official for my taste, love. Captain suits me just fine."

"I've never heard about you. And my spies are normally very well informed." Sophie asked, shaking off the grossness and reminding herself to brush her teeth later.

"That is actually a page we took from your book. We followed the Cyevan's tactics of snuffing out rumors and cleaning up their tracks. Granted, it is harder to do with a massive fleet and untrained fools, but we make do. It keeps the damn Governor off our trails."

"So, why did you need to hire us in the first place?"

"I'm getting there, lassie, keep ya pants on." Okoye turned around the bend of a hill, following the wooden path down a few steps. Okoye turned to the top of the hill, where a much more decorated camp remained. Sophie stopped as she recognized the tents, the fabrics, the colors. And then finally, the warriors in the camp.

"Spartans." She whispered in amazement.

Their armor was both practical and ethereal, bronze and steel dusted black in the grooves to somehow reflect both the sun and smother it. Their Corinthian helmets were carved to reveal their piercing steely eyes, red or blue feathers indicating status; others are simplistic headpieces meant to instill fear. Their double-sided spears could slice through a Scylla as if they were paper; their swords could kill a Neverseen captain with just the glint of the sun. Their muscles could intimidate Horoas and Medirasas alike- the stories go on!

"Maha... Spartans. Spartans are right there!"

"Y-Yes, that is what Jade told us-"

"Look at their muscles!"

"You have muscles too, Amalia. That is how muscles work."

"Do you really think their war cries rattle the gods?"

"Are these the kind of tales you Inalians tell your children to go sleep?"

"Yes, along with stories of the Iron Bull hiding in our woods who will cut off your toes if you don't finish your vegetables."

"Inalians are so, uh, interesting- do you mind if you stop shaking me now?" Sophie hadn't even realized she was shaking Maha's shoulder in her excitement. Okoye came up next to them and scoffed.

"Ugh, yeah, those would be the warriors of my partner. The pretty Spartan warriors with their pretty General." Okoye pointed to one of the Spartans, a tall, muscular woman with her helm tucked beneath her foot as she surveyed her men's training. Her skin was a sun-kissed tan, a warrior's muscular stature help fill out her intimidating persona. She wore a mix between Grecian and Egypitnat armors, wearing a Grecian bronze cuirass but an Egypitnat battle wrap for a bottom. Why both? Grecian battle wraps are better armored for heavy combat and meshed a bit better with the cuirass. The General had a hood up, barking orders at her men as she paced. Sophie could see a peak of a tattoo along the General's leg but didn't get the chance to read it.

"That would be the Lioness of the Crossroads. She is the one who found old Spartan training manifests ages ago. Has been training her men the exact same way as your ancestors once did." Okoye tried to wave to the Lioness when they made eye contact, but the Spartan General looked away.

"I wouldn't bother her. She will run you through with a spear before making small talk about the weather."

Okoye gestured for them, and they followed again, Maha dragging Sophie away from the soldiers. They finally made it to Okoye's tent, the flaps open and allowing cool air to kiss away the hot sun. She rounded a map on a rickety table, "I'm sure my sister already gave you the basics?"

"You are having trouble with mutated Mirthless as of late?"

"That is putting it lightly," Okoye poured herself three fingers of rye, jingling the cup as if they wanted some.

"N-No thanks. It is, like, 11 am, after all." Maha awkwardly coughed. Okoye shrugged but began to pace, "It all started when one of those damn stuffy nobles had jipped us out of a deal. He learned that pissing us off was a bad idea, so he holed up in Bembe. That place had only two things only a few months ago, crime and good booze. Now, it also has Neverseen." Maha and Sophie stiffened.

"When some of my men went in there to drag the two-faced lier from his cushioned halls, they were extremely surprised to see mutated monsters lining the walls of his estate. They got out of there as fast as they could, but the monsters had their scents." Okoye was clearly getting upset as she pressed on, "The damn things somehow got into the water, don't ask me how. Followed my men all the way back to my mother ship waiting for them. Killed all of them except for one, which we managed to haul on just in time. They have been targeting us ever since. But these aren't normal Mirthless, they are humanoid. But they are stronger, faster, smarter, and more ruthless than any man or Mirthless we have faced. You apparently faced one of these beasts yourself?" Sophie clenched her fists. Her name was Cynna Firenze, not some wild beast.

"Yes, I did," Sophie said through gritted teeth.

"Well, since you are still living, you are the best to deal with them. Bembe is where we believe the Mirthless beasts are coming from. My men have shortened the mutated ones to simply Nilfa, after one of the gods. You find where the Neverseen is creating the Nilfa in Bembe and destroy their means of creating more, ruin any contacts they may have in the city. For extra brownie points, bring us the noble that jipped my men out of a deal."

Technically, Sophie and Maha had already agreed to the contract, but Sophie crossed her arms.

"And our payment?"

"I will give you five of my ships."

"And I think you can go shove a-"

Maha thankfully stepped in, "Jade had promised us 15 to 20 of your ships and around 300 Spartan soldiers."

Okoye's eyes darkened, "Would you like me to give you my left arm too? I can't give away that much."

"You do realize what you are asking of us, right? To infiltrate a massive Neverseen operation with little no resources or anything to go on while we are fighting an unwinnable battle in Egypitnat."

"The battle in Egyptinat is part of the reason I'm not giving you more! I will not send my men off to die in some unwinnable battle."

"It can be winnable if you give us the men."

"I get nothing out of it-"

"Say a large power in Cariana is gone if the battle is won." Sophie interrupted.

Okoye glared at her, "What do you mean?"

Sophie knew things none of them did. And she could use them, "Oh, Captian, you have to pay for that information. But say a large power is removed from Cariana as a whole, a wildfire snuffed out as if it were nothing but a candle. It would leave you and your remaining men that haven't pledged to our cause with more room to scavenge and plunder the seas." Sophie smiled, a wolf in sheep's clothing. She refused to be pushed around. Secrets in this market were as good as gold.

Okoye's face was unreadable, but she straightened. "Can you Assassins really do this?"

"We are a part of the most versatile, trained, and deadly warriors in the world, and you ask me if Maha and I can handle a couple of Mirthless?" Sophie laughed, "Nessun problema."

It was silent for a moment, "Are you close with your men, Amalia?" Okoye asked. Sophie's eyes widened a bit, "How did you-"

"Jade had an informant on that ship as well, the man I was speaking to right before I saw you two. He told me of who you were." Okoye looked up, "But you haven't answered my question."

Sophie swallowed, "I know them all by name. I only have a few hundred, and I see them as family, not my soldiers. I grew up with some of them, I am as loyal to them as they are to me."

Okoye sported a defeated smile as she looked to the horizon, "And if you were to have more soldiers. My crews and the Lioness's men, would you show them the same kindness?"

"It doesn't matter who they came from or where they got their training. I treat all those who serve my cause with respect." Sophie assured. Maha stood behind Okoye, giving Sophie a look of pure confusion and anger.

Both with Sophie's massive offer of clearing out this mysterious "wildfire" in Cariana and the threat of the Neverseen in Bembe, Okoye nodded.

"We will discuss the price when you get back. If the job is done well, I will be willing to negotiate for more."

Not ideal, but it will work, "Perfect. You have yourself a deal."

Okoye gestured to a smaller dock near the edge of the camp, "There is a small Spartan brigantine waiting on that dock along with a handful of men. They will be your crew. Nearby is an armory and blacksmith as well. Get yourselves fitted and make sail. I would like this done as quickly and quietly as possible." Okoye stepped out of her tent, but she froze, "Oh, and, Mentore?" Sophie met Okoye's dark eyes, "Trust me. Stay away from the Lioness."

Okoye then meshed back in with her men, a bright smile returning to her face. Well, that is one thing Okoye and Jade have in common. Can change their mood in a damn instant.

"What the hell were you on about? Removing a power from Cariana?" Maha hissed.

Sophie began towards their ship and crew, scanning them all with precision.

"I'm playing the game, Maha. I had to up our incentive so Okoye would be willing to negotiate."

"What kind of power vacuum are you going to create? Who are you talking about?" Maha pressed again.

She kept her tone low as she muttered, "Why, Governor Heinrich, of course."

With that, Maha stopped, grabbing Sophie's forearm.

And the strength behind the grip was enough for Sophie to gasp.

Sophie looked into Maha's eyes, the sapphire piercing through any walls Sophie had up. A reminder that Sophie wasn't the only one touched by the gods.

"You are kidding me, right?" Maha growled.

Sophie swallowed, "No. I've learned that-"

"Amalia, we have no jurisdiction to kill Heinrich. We don't even have a contract on his head-"

"We have the jurisdiction to get him out of the picture if he is a Neverseen traitor."

Maha's grip tightened, but with the look Maha was giving her, Sophie wasn't sure she needed her arm anyway.

"Excuse me?" Maha snarled.

Sophie swallowed, "I have found things out-"

"How?! Amalia, I am one of the best spies in the guild, why did I not know about this earlier?!"

"I, uh, found out about it last night."

Sophie pursed her lips as Maha put the pieces together. Maha let go of Sophie's arm, scoffing in disbelief, "You snuck out. You went looking for Ruy last night!"

"Can you blame me?! I was left with so many questions, and I know what I saw-"

"You were still not fully recovered! You could've been hurt!"

"The information I found was priceless, Maha."

"All you had to do was tell me, I would've gone myself!"

Sophie knew they were attracting attention, and she took a step back.

"You're right. I should've told you, I know that, but I was desperate for answers."

"Desperation has caused some of the biggest mistakes in history, Lia."

"I know that, but the things I learned Maha? It has clearly been helpful." Sophie pointed her eyes to the tent they were just in, to where Sophie used some of that information in their favor.

Maha crossed her arms, "We promised, no more secrets between us."

Guilt swarmed Sophie, "I-I'm sorry, I should've told you."

Maha slumped, "Let's just get this job over with. You can fill me in on what you learned once we are alone."

Sophie and Maha were silent on their walk over to the dock, both picking out their weapons and armor before addressing their crew. The guilt kept knawing away at Sophie, but Maha just wasn't hearing it right now. The ship's sails were a sun-stained black, a white sea dragon adorning them. It looked a lot like the ships in Inalia, or more specifically, the ones in their textbooks. Nowadays, the only ships you will find in the Inalian bay are merchants. But this one was outfitted for war.

"Let me do the talking, even with your changed hair, your eyes will give you away." Maha whispered.

"I'll follow your lead." Sophie stood behind Maha as she addressed their crew.

"Hello. We are the ones who are exterminating the problem in Bembe."

The one pirate in the middle scoffed, and Maha's gentle eyes sharpened a bit.

"You have a problem?" Sophie hissed, crossing her arms.

The man crossed his arms in return, puffing out his chest, "Yeah, I do. We have all been dropping like flies thanks to these beasts, yet Okoye sends two, what are you? Mercenaries? You don't even look like very good ones."

"Settle down. You think Okoye would hire some nobodies to handle this?" Another sailor piped up. This one looked a little more put together than the others. He was most likely from Chiranu; he didn't look like the other Cariana soldiers. Carven eyes with porcelain skin, sharp features, and a casual yet refined presence. Something was off about him.

The other pirate groaned, turning to look at this pirate, "Seriously Zao? You're giving me shit now?"

Zao shrugged, "No, I'm just telling you to be logical."

"Oh? Logical? Well, why don't you take that logic and shove it-"

"Sit down." Maha's direct command sent Sophie into a bit of a daze without it even being directed towards her. The rowdy pirate went as stiff as a board, plopping down onto his crate. The other pirates went quiet, Zao simply lifting an eyebrow at Maha. Maha's dazzling smile and kind eyes returned, "Great. Now, if we are quite done, my partner and I have to get as much information as possible. Let's set sail, we need this to get done."

The sailors just stared at the two of them for a moment, but then they all murmured, dispersing to undock the ship. Sophie leaned towards Maha. "Nice work."

Maha just smirked at her, slightly cocky. Even with all of her authority, Sophie sometimes struggles to get the rowdy Cyevan guild under control.

"Let's set sail!" Sophie called out.

Ruy knew how to be a soldier, and he was damn good at it. He stood at perfect attention as the Coronal scanned down their lines. Males on one side, female on the other. Hathem was next to him, and to be honest, the guy looked tiny compared to Ruy. Hathem swallowed as the Coronal neared.

Ruy didn't break his attention but whispered, "Quit locking your knees. You'll pass out before the man can even get here."

"Ignis!" The Coronal barked.

"Damn it." Ruy groaned.

The Coronal stomped up in front of him, got up right in his face. Ruy didn't let his face break, keeping his eyes straight ahead.

"So you're the Assassin guppy they saved?"

Ruy remained silent.

"Answer me!"

"Yes sir."

"Are you going to betray us? Often those under mind control aren't so easily swayed."

"No sir."

The Coronal scoffed, looking Ruy up and down. But Ruy was a seasoned Neverseen soldier, unlike the others around him, so his stance was perfect, his seriousness was perfect, everything was too perfect for the rookie guard he was in.

The Coronal got up in his face, "You think you're too good for us, Ignis?"

Yes. "No sir."

Coronal chuckled, leaning on the back of his heel. His arm then pulled back.

Oh shit, Ruy remembers this technique, it meant to scare the other recruits. Ruy remembers because he had to do it once or twice. He hardened his stomach and braced right as the Coronal swung one hell of a punch right to his gut. Ruy grimaced, barely recoiling, shaking it out and holding back the tears of pain. The other recruits stared in shock, eyes wide or hands over their mouths.

The Coronal stared at him, waiting for him to break. But finally, he backed off, making a small noise of approval.

Ruy's eyes caught on Trix, who was smiling victoriously. Ruy took comfort that he will get what's coming to him soon enough.

The Coronal looked over Dom in the other line, giving her barely a glance. But soon, he stood at the head of both lines of soldiers.

"You were supposed to head back to Inalia today. Do you know why you aren't?"

No answer.

"Some of your superiors," The Coronal turned his attention to the captains, Trix being one of them. Ruy had a sneaking feeling where this was going, "Feel like you are weak. Mediocre. Pathetic. This is the Neverseen, and we don't allow weakness! It is simple. Heinrich has shipments coming in, and we need to make sure the area is going to be prepped and ready." Ruy glanced out from underneath the natural tree canopy at the pouring rain. Maybe going home to his girlfriend and relaxing next to the Guildhall's massive fireplace wasn't such a bad idea after all.

"Here is the deal. Whichever team finds the best drop-off location gets to return to Inalia like normal, while the others get two weeks worth of conditioning here on Hyda."

To be fair, Assassin conditioning was just as hard, maybe even worse, than Neverseen conditioning. Sophie may love him, but she will drag him through hell and back during training. And don't even get him started on Nour during training.

But he isn't doing anything in the pouring rain.

"You all have 30 minutes," Woah, Woah- what?! 30 minutes?

"Go!" Neverseen recruits all around him got into their groups, grabbed supplies, and sprinted into the forest. And Ruy was notably alone. Awesome.

Ruy cursed, taking the only bag of supplies left behind, and ventured off. He started with going south, just to get away from everyone. He needed to be the one that got sent back early; he couldn't afford two weeks. He figured out that the captured Assassins were probably still in Inalia, which made his job much easier. But he still needed to figure out where. He also needed to station more Assassins as spies and figure out how he would deliver his information to the guild- in short, he had too much to do.

Once everything is back to normal, he really needs to thank Maha and Maria for all their spy work. This shit is hard.

Ruy's light gray tanktop and green cargo pants did little to keep out the cold; his steel toe boots did help him as he meshed through the thick Hyda jungle. Okay, Assassin drop-offs were normally more in the heart of things, easy to access as well. But you were trained to look inconspicuous during training, so the people wouldn't suspect anything. But the Neverseen prefer to be completely out of sight and in the wilds, but their drop-offs are normally harder to find.

He would have to compromise between the two.

He started a bit to the west, carefully maneuvering down the slick hillside. By his guess, 20 minutes had already passed. He needed to hurry. His feet slid on a patch of gravel, and he grabbed the nearest branch to steady himself. He figured it out and tried to let go of the branch.

At least he tried to.

His hand was glued to the branch with a thick red mucus he didn't notice in his panic. Trying not to gag, he struggled to pull his hand free. He pulled the branch down a bit further, trying to gain leverage.

But instead, it gave perfect leverage for an animal to spring for the trees.

"Son of a-!" Ruy cursed, practically eating gravel as he slipped again. He stayed in the dirt for a second or two, both processing what nearly ate his face and also why the gods were so mean to him.

He slowly got up, scanning his surroundings for the flying animal. The whole tree was covered in red slime, with little paw prints imprinted on top. The center seemed to be a little hole in the tree, big enough for a bird's nest or maybe even a small dog. Small glints of shiny paperclips, bright red and blue mushrooms, and gold and silver coins could be seen if you stared hard enough into the alcove. It must have belonged to whatever animal tried to claw off Ruy's face. There was nothing to wipe his hand on, he was cold, and there was a feral animal after him. Easy to say, Ruy wasn't having a good time.

He continued downward, his awkward gooey hand, only getting drippier as he went in and out of the rain. He needed to focus on finding a good spot. His plan was to find something near the beach, something they could get easy access to from the ocean without being seen while also being out of sight away from everyone. And when the tide comes up, it will wash away any footprints or evidence left behind- and it will also be easy for Assassins to find and ambush.

Ruy slowly approached the place he had in mind, just as the timer was about to run out.

But he scrambled behind a tree to see a group had already beat him there. He pinched the bridge of his nose, kicking himself for taking so long.

Ruy didn't have time to find another spot. So he would have to cheat a little bit.

Ruy shrugged off his small pack, looking through the supplies he was given. An empty canteen and a thin blanket. He pulled them out, wrapping the blanket around his right wrist and clutching the canteen in his left hand. He stayed low; even without his Assassin robes and weapons, he was still trained as one. There were three of them, but they were jumpy. They clearly knew they found a good spot. Ruy took a deep breath and tossed his canteen against the trunk of a tree further into the forest. All the jumped, staring at the noise.

"Go check that out." The shortest one barked at the biggest one. The largest one fiddled with his fingers but shuffled into the forest towards Ruy's canteen. Ruy watched him go far enough into the forest before approaching the other two. He jumped the first one, covering the man's mouth as he wrassled him to the ground, rolling back onto his feet. The stoutest of the three opened their mouth to scream, but Ruy twisted and landed a kick to the side of their head, his fists up, ready for the rest of the fight. But there was no need; the two recruits stayed down in favor of not getting their asses kicked. The large one emerged from the forest, holding up the canteen with a relieved smile, but it dropped when he saw his comrades groaning on the floor and Ruy standing over them. Ruy unraveled the blanket from his wrist, planning to use it to get him some leverage around the guy's neck, but stopped as the man's lip quivered.

"Uh, you okay?" Ruy awkwardly asked.

"Seamus, is that you?" A familiar voice asked. Hathem and Dominque poked their heads out from behind the big guy. Shit, there goes his chances of winning. They all stared at the groaning guys around Ruy, then turned to him.

Ruy's brain failed to come up with an excuse, pursing his lips. Shock and terror waned on Hathem and Seamus's faces, but Dom smiled at the two of them, proudly marching forward.

"Well, would you look at that!" She gestured around them, "We just found the perfect drop-off spot!"

Seamus still stood in shock, but Ruy and Hathem barked, "What?"

Dominque carelessly kicked aside the two groaning fools, sauntering as she observed the cleared-out area. The two recruits eventually gathered themselves, running away from Ruy in a flash, leaving Seamus with them. And a little grin pulled Dom's cheeks when the siren sounded in the distance. The competition is over.

In a matter of minutes, three Neverseen captains cut through the jungle and met the crew.

Dominique took front and center, smiling at the three of them, especially at Trix.

The three captains nodded in approval, muttering affirmations, except for Trix, who glared at Ruy.

"It's the best out of the other recruits." The captain on the right muttered. Trix scoffed, "I think the previous team did better."

"It was too far hidden, this one is clearly better." The captains then turned to Dom, who had apparently taken the lead as team captain.

"Are these the ones in your team?" They asked. Ruy tensed, hoping that Dom wouldn't just steal his spot and leave him with nothing.

"Yes sir, Hathem, Ruy, and Seamus are all in the team."

"Very well," The one of the left looked over all of them, "You are going to be the team to return to Inalia. Well done. Return to the base to await further instructions." Dom gave them all a stern look, and they all followed her in a hurry, not wanting to piss them off. Ruy smiled at Trix sweetly, just to really piss him off. He also wiped the sticky red goo off his hand on the back of Trix's jacket as his final middle finger.

Trix's cry of disgust made Ruy snicker, even when they quite far away.

"Y-You're not going to still hurt me, are you?" Seamus asked feebly. Ruy blinked, then laughed, "No, big guy, you're good. I just needed to get your friends out of the way apparently." Ruy used the blanket he was originally going to use to choke out Seamus to instead wipe the remaining red goo off from his palm.

"Soooo, since we are alone- did you really kick those guys' asses just for the better drop-off spot? Is Neverseen conditioning really that bad?" Hathem asked.

Ruy shrugged, "I literally did 17 years of Neverseen training, and 3 more training in that awful Assassin deal, I don't need more of it." All training is bad in his eyes, but at least when he was with the Assassins, he was training with a pretty girl and his friends. Ruy grunted as he got the last bit of slime off, and Seamus's eyes widened.

"What happened to your hand?"

"Oh, uh, a tree in the forest was covered in the stuff, and I got some on me when I tried to grab it. Then a crazy animal launched at my face, it was honestly quite traumatizing-"

"Did the animal look furry? Or have little ears?" Seamus asked.

"Uh, I didn't really get a good look at it, seeing as I was trying to keep my face intact."

Seamus fiddled with his fingers, muttering things Ruy couldn't hear.

"Uh, you okay-"

"I'm fine! Oh look," Seamus made a big spectacle of pointing at their inn, "We're here! Thanks for not killing me." The big man shuffled inside without a second thought, leaving the three others reeling. Ruy shrugged, too tired and cold to care. He had hopes he could sneak out and practice flying, but without his father and brothers and the heavy rain, that is a disaster waiting to happen. He would opt for a nap instead.

"Hold it." Hathem snipped. Ruy stopped, even in the pouring rain, feeling the change in atmosphere.

"What?"

"What are you up to? Everyone in the Neverseen knows about you, Vespera's bastard who hated the order more than anything. Yet here you are, under the guise that you want to help? That the Assassins were bending your mind?" Dom hissed. Ruy glanced to the rooftops and the windows of the shops around them, checking for Neverseen spies. This was not a good time for a confrontation.

"It is no guise, I was under the Maha's control for far too long. I need to make it right with the Neverseen, to prove myself again that I will always serve them." It tasted bad to say that, to say it with the conviction he did.

"Is that why you snuck out last night? For the, what was it? The good of the Neverseen?"

Ruy clenched his jaw, finally turning to look at them. Dom had her arms crossed; Hathem was next to her, his stance wide. Ready for a fight, it seems.

"What are you talking about? I had a drink downstairs then went to the room-"

"I saw you sneaking back in, Ruy." Hathem hissed.

Ruy realized the situation he was in. A small part of him hoped he could ally with Dom and Hathem. But if it meant securing his place once again in the ranks of the Neverseen, then he would do whatever it takes.

The wind howled as the two of them waited for him to answer. They didn't seriously think they could take him on, did they?

"So what happens now?"

Hathem and Dom glanced at each other.

"That is up to you. Here are your choices, you leave the Neverseen and never look back," Not gonna happen, "Or, you could help us with a little problem of ours."

Ruy blinked, "What problem is that?"

Dom smiled, light dancing in her eyes, "Simple. Breaking into the elves Matchmaker Offices and fucking shit up."

Ruy snickered, expecting them to start laughing too. When they remained silent, however, Ruy just shook his head, "You both are so stupid, I'm surprised they even let you in here in the first place-"

"Either you help us, traitor, or we rat you out." Hathem hissed.

Ruy groaned, knowing he could just kill them and be done with it. But that would be too hard to explain to everyone, and would way heavy on his conscience

"Fine."

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_Sibylline_