Yetren was a bustling city. Standing tall and proud, it was surrounded by strong walls and three gates to enter. The air was filled with liveliness and chatter. People had already recovered from the calamity from seven years ago. Three hundred and sixty five days. Seven months per year. Fifty days per month. Seven cycles had passed. It was enough to regrow to their past glory.
Children ran around laughing and playing. Old men sat under trees gossiping leisurely. It truly was heartwarming.
The streets were quite orderly and were mostly clean. Houses and trees followed the streets. The houses had a distinct style and were made with wood. It was a pretty looking network of human settlements.
The marketplace was very busy. Hawkers and shopkeepers shouted out their wares trying to attract customers. The smell of spices lingered in the air.
" Fo, buy me that candy!! I want it! I want it!" said a grown up, adult man nicknamed Ruff as he pointed towards a hawker.
The woman, Fo, didn't bother with him. "Fo is stingy!" The man stuck out his tongue at her. He had short, grey and wavy hair and greenish eyes. He was quite tall and could be said to have good looks.
The woman on the other hand was a beauty. She too had grey hair like him and the same straight and slightly upturned but pretty nose. "Big Brother, stop acting like a child. We came here on an errand. And cut down on that sweet tooth of yours."
Ruff snorted, " Hmph. You're just jealous that I can eat as many sweets as I want unlike you who would become fatter and fatter." An second later, he regretted it when he saw his sister's expression.
" Ha ha ha, i-it's a joke, a joke. Just kidding! eh heh heh eh. Don't mind me." He backed away little by little trying not to look at her frosty expression. And ran. "Aaaaaaaaaa! I'm sowwy! I'm sowwy!"
Fo didn't chase him. She just continued staring at his fleeing figure. Feeling her gaze, he ran even faster. Then he tripped and fell face first into a patch of mud.
"Blegh! Pthu- thu!" he sputtered. "Wait.... this isn't mud." He sniffed it. And gagged. Standing in front of him was the animal responsible for his predicament. "Moo!" it said.
Fo looked on impassively. Then left.
....
"Reporting!"
A freshly cleaned Ruff saluted. Fo stood by him facing their superior. "Ah! You came!" said the lady sitting on the chair. She looked ordinary but stern. Her neat and tidy appearance was easy on the eyes and people tended to be a tiny bit more formal with her.
"Here's your next assignment. You will be forming a squad with ten other members. Be careful. The place you are going to is no joke." With that she handed over a file and dismissed them and then continued going through the mounds of documents before her.
Fo read through the details. Her eyes widened the moment she read the target destination. Ruff was surprised. It would definitely be something big if it was capable of changing her expression.
He took the papers from her and glanced through it. " WHAT???? The Facility???? T-That place?!" he screamed. "Be glad that this place is soundproofed. If it wasn't then you'd have to go through the special OC 7," said the stern lady. Both Ruff and Fo shuddered at that thought. Obstacle Course Seven, also known as OC 7 was not a fun place to think about.
They both gulped. "W-Well then, w-we'll go prepare. Good day, MA'AM!" They turned on their heels and swiftly retreated.
The lady was amused. Then she sighed. "The Facility, eh? It seems like something big may happen." Her pensive eyes had a tiny hint of melancholy. " It's going to be a lot of paperwork."
She hoped the siblings would finish the mission without any trouble. Although they were experts, they had a tendency to cause trouble in places instead of submitting to the situation.
.........
The grey haired siblings were well settled in the to comfort of their home. Ruff lazed on the couch after having a scrumptious lunch. His younger sister was a very good cook.
Fo sat straight and was reviewing the papers they had received earlier that day. There was an envelope. Enclosed within it was a card.
As soon as she opened it, Ruff sat up and looked on eagerly. Fo pressed a tiny button on the card. It scanned the room and the siblings with a special sensor. Once that was done, Fo put it down on the coffee table on front of her.
A tiny Hologram appeared. It showed a prerecorded three dimensional video. The face shown was of a little girl. She was smiling sweetly as she danced to a catchy theme song.Her twin tails swished around as she bobbed her head to the tune while humming. Once the song was over, she cheerfully said, " Hello there! This is your favourite Little Plum!~"
"Here are your mission details~" said she, in a sing-song voice.
A tiny screen appeared behind her.
" Your mission is to scout the Facility and get as much as info you can without dying~. It will commence next week on the 37th of Mred. Here is the list of members assigned this mission. Please confirm this with them.
Mission rank is an..*drum roll*... Eight Star!!!! Yay!~ Are you happy? Me too!"
Missions were ranked by stars. There were nine stars. The easier missions were ranked lower. Zero Stars was the easiest. They included simple civilian chores like helping to till the fields, doing laundry and housework or to babysit. Anything above Five Stars usually was risky. escorting an important person was considered Five Stars. Six and above could have assassinations and in depth investigations. Nine Star missions included threats to a nation and disasters.
The siblings weren't surprised. Anything to do with the Facility was extremely dangerous. If things go wrong, the mission may change to a Nine Star.
"This is a private mission assigned by Emilia Lordhaert. Don't let the officials know, okay? The rest of the known details will be transmitted in a while as soon as the rest of the members confirm their identities with me."
" Here is a separate message for Ruff and Fo from Lady Emilia:-" The screen changed to show a mature lady in her thirties. Her droopy eyes and small smile were pretty. Her dressing was modest and her posture, elegant.
" I hope you two had enough fun on your vacation. Thank you for the souvenirs. They were tasty."
" For this mission, I do hope you both stay away from trouble." At this, the siblings became even more serious.
"There is one thing I must tell you. The White Tail is there too."
Ruff and Fo paled. Then Ruff's expression turned sinister. It was filled with hate. " Don't be impulsive. I trust you. Stay safe," said Emilia.
The screen went out. " Well, that's all for today~ I will notify you if there are any updates~ bye~ MUAH~♡" Little Plum gave a flying kiss and disappeared.
It was silent. The siblings sat without moving. "Brother...."
Fo was sad. Their parents had died fighting the White Tail. The wounds had not yet healed. Even though they tried to live their lives happily, it still pained them to remember. They were weak then.
" I'm alright. Let's go to sleep, Fo." He got up and went to his room. The rest of the day was quiet. The house was mourning.