"What are we going to do now?" Kyla asked, but I ignored her as my rat sent me reports of the buildings in the local area. This part of the city was run down and would be a decent place to start, but setting up in the rougher parts of the city might not be a good idea.
"Who in this city is moderately rich but not a notable character?" I asked, looking between the four. "I am looking for someone that has nothing to do with Ned or the crime families."
Rax and the others looked around each other, then Fawna finally spoke up. "There is a small business owner who works in the shipping industry. He's known as a middleman, and he has money but not enough to draw too much attention," she said.
I frowned. "What does he do exactly? And can we trust him?"
"He's a middleman, so he acts as a go-between for transport companies, supplying them with the necessary supplies, and he makes a good profit from it," Rax answered. "He's a decent guy, and he won't turn us in. We can trust him."
I nodded, but I wasn't satisfied with the information. "What makes him trustable?" I asked with suspicion. I had just met these four, so outright trusting them was not an option, and I had no reason to trust them yet.
"He knows how to keep his mouth shut," Fawna answered quickly. "He's been in the shipping business for years and knows what it is like to be in a dangerous situation. He's also a bit of a gambler, so he's used to taking risks. Plus, he's never been caught by the authorities."
I nodded slowly, considering her words. It seemed like the middleman was a good option, and I was sure I could trust him. "Alright then, we'll use him as our base of operations," I said.
The four nodded, and we started to devise a plan to move in. We would need to be subtle and cautious, and I decided that I would be the one to infiltrate the middleman's home and business.
Kyla's eyes widened. "Rax, Fawna, and the others will help you," she said. "They know the city and how to blend in. You'll need their help if you want to stay safe and not get caught."
I narrowed my eyes at her. Kyla had started to be slightly helpful, but I knew that she was still hiding things. Unfortunately, I didn't have the time to interrogate her, but taking people that I didn't trust with me was far more dangerous than going alone.
"No, I will go alone," I said, but then Fawna's eyes went big.
"There are guards coming, and they know about you or about someone... Rax... cover the other's eyes please," Fawna told me, then her face became scared as I backed up to stand behind the door as I started to hear people approach.
"Let me know if you see anything about the man that reported me, and act normal," I said as my hand went into a pocket in the pants I was wearing, grabbing a rock.
Then the door opened up without a knock as three guards walked in, and I grabbed the first by the face and then put my closed hand to the next guard's neck as time slowed.
[Target: Rock]
[Use: Killing a Human]
[Transformation: Curved Dagger]
I pulled the blade across the neck of the second as the first struggled against my massive metal hand. Blood sprayed out as the second guard grabbed at his neck, falling to the ground while the third jumped back and put up his hand to start writing something in the air, but I threw the knife at his head. The hilt hit him in the forehead, but it stopped him from doing what he was attempting.
"Kill him; I only need this one," I said, looking at Rax. This would test the kid's metal to see if he had what it took.
"You want me to kill him?!" Rax asked from where he was covering the two younger ones' eyes, and I nodded as the third guard started to recover.
"Kill him before he has a chance to call for others," I said, and the guard put up his hand again, writing faster this time.
Then he stopped, and blood came from his mouth as Fawna buried the knife I had thrown into the man's back. As the man fell to the ground with a confused look on his face, I looked over at Rax, who had a horrified expression written all over his face.
Before I could say anything, Fawna rounded on her brother with the bloody knife still in her hand. "The next time you are asked to do something, you do it. This... thing is not like other people, and he will kill you if you do not live up to his expectations!" She snapped, and Rax paled as he looked at me, still covering the other two's eyes, and I nodded.
"I am sure that you understand that every part of me is a crime in this world, so I can't afford any loose ends wandering around. Outlive your usefulness, and I will kill you, but if you do as I say, I will make sure that you are taken care of and live a good life, even if it is dangerous," I said and then looked at the younger two. "Those two will not be asked to kill, but you are not excluded from it. As an illusionist, you would make a very good assassin, but not if you freeze like this every time."
"Rax will get better, I promise," Fawna said, and I nodded, turning to the man who had stopped fighting and now was trembling in my grip.
"What are you going to do with the last guard?" Kyla asked as she, too, looked like she was about to be sick.
I looked at the guard and then took his throat in my free, letting go of his face with my other. "What am I going to do with you?" I pondered and then reached my hand out to Fawna, and she handed me the dagger.