Fleur's gaze flickered toward the masked guard, her expression tightening imperceptibly. In that fleeting moment, recognition danced in her eyes—a glimpse of apprehension that she swiftly concealed.
As the guard neared, he cast a direct glance at Fleur, his voice a low, authoritative rumble. "Miss Prolux, if you could come with me. He's waiting outside."
She nodded, a facade of compliance masking an underlying tension. With a subtle nod to us, she followed the guard, her figure disappearing amidst the pulsating crowd and eventually outside the bar.
I seized the opportune distraction, slipping away from the group unnoticed. Hopefully, both Lucas and Caius think I've just gone to the bathroom. My path diverged from their discourse, leading me toward the familiar face at the back tables of the Red Anchor.
"Elias," Deka greeted, his voice carrying a tone of expectancy.
"I anticipated you'd be back today," I replied. "Did you receive any messages from the Church?" I inquired, my tone veiled with curiosity. As I told Pablo the Bishop that the bounty was issued by Haywood Ahern, it would only make sense for Deka to get the news first from the church.
Deka's nod affirmed my suspicions. "He's in custody. The Church made their move and let me know this morning. Were there any complications?"
Of course there were, but Deka wasn't part of the Arcanist world from what it seemed. I would have to keep him in the dark.
Though Pablo, the bishop, had seemed concerned with Haywood Ahern. Deka's employer and a government official. Could Mr Ahern be dealing with Arcanist matters behind the scenes too just like my other suspicions with the Barros family scroll situation?
"There were, yes. But nothing I couldn't handle. I just took him to the church and let the bishop deal with him."
Deka sighed with relief and reached into his jacket pockets.
The weight of the news settled upon me, a mixture of relief and trepidation. Lorenzo's capture might mitigate some dangers but brought forth a host of new uncertainties. Especially his connection to The Black Rose and the current situation with Kings Underground Market Auction.
Deka's expression softened, a fleeting gratitude mingling with his relief. "Thank you, Elias. You've been a tremendous help in this."
With a subtle gesture, he retrieved a small pouch, its contents jingling faintly within. Tossing it my way, the bag landed in my palm, the coins rattling within its confines.
"This," Deka declared, "is your reward, Elias. A token of gratitude for your assistance."
I peered inside, coins glinting in the dim light, all golden. As expected, someone in the government such as Haywood Ahern was wealthy. I'd definitely want to take more jobs from him in the future.
I nodded, acknowledging the gesture. "Thank you, Deka. I appreciate it."
He offered a small, knowing smile before shifting the conversation. "I'll keep you in the loop. Should any new bounties surface, you'll be the first to know."
Well, that was perfect. More money coming in. It'll make my life in the future far more comfortable and much quicker.
A tacit agreement settled between us, the unspoken understanding of our future dealings. As I drifted away from. Deka, I returned to the table where just Lucas and Caius awaited. No Fleur yet.
But before I could rejoin their company, Caius's probing gaze caught me off guard. "Elias, what were you discussing with that gentleman in the corner?"
An inward sigh escaped me. My slip away from the group hadn't been discreet enough. However, before I could form a response, Fleur's return interrupted the conversation.
"Who was that Fleur?" Caius questioned as she sat down and took a sip of her drink.
Fleur gasped after her sip. "That was one of King's bodyguards, Caius. He has many of them patrol around the district but still has a few with him personally."
"What did he want?" Lucas asked. "Was it important?"
Without preamble, she took another deliberate sip of her drink, her gaze thoughtful as she regarded each of us in turn.
"I've received the invitation," Fleur announced, her words hanging in the air like an enigmatic veil.
The invitation? The notion rippled through me, sparking a glimmer of hope amidst our uncertainty.
"To the event," she clarified, her eyes alight with a mix of anticipation and caution. "Directly from King himself."
"King's out?" Lucas whispered in a shouting tone.
Lucas's concern was understandable. When Fleur and I had seen King walking around while investigating the other day, she mentioned that King seldom came out of the underground markets. Lucas didn't know about it either. But for King to be coming out again was rather odd.
"Shhh," Fleur quickly responded. "Yes, he was outside, which is highly unusual. But he personally gave me an invite. Which begs the question, does he have a proxy managing the markets in his absence?"
Lucas leaned forward, his voice laced with determination. "Never mind that, for now, we have a way in, acquiring those pages becomes our primary objective."
"Though if there is someone else managing the markets in his stead, it should be something we should take into consideration," I replied to Lucas. I turned back to Fleur. "Was the invite physical? Do we have a date? A time?"
Fleur shook her head. "I guess he thinks we already know of those details, and I didn't have the gall to ask."
A silence settled, laden with unspoken queries and cautious contemplation. The invite did make things much easier but birthed a new set of challenges. The revelation that King knew of our presence at the auction would likely keep us on edge throughout the whole event.
"We need a new plan," I voiced, a sense of urgency underscoring my words. "Him knowing changes nothing. We go in prepared, aware that he knows. Our goal remains unchanged—we secure the goods."
Caius interjected, "But how do we get them without arousing suspicion? It'll be a busy event right?"
The weight of our plan settled upon us. King's awareness of our intentions meant the cloak of secrecy had been torn away.
After a moment of thought, Fleur spoke up. She was always quick to come up with ideas.
"After the bids," she suggested, her tone rather quiet. "Once the auction concludes, chaos will arise. That's probably the best time to strike."
"Won't that just be stealing?" Caius interjected. "'Afterwards' means that someone will have already bid and purchased it."
Yes, Caius was right, but it was necessary. "And let some random Arcanist get a hold of a very powerful artifact? Darius told us it could alter reality. Why would we want to let that happen?" I whispered to him.
Caius sighed.
Obviously, I was right. Caius had more of a voice of reason to do the right thing, but sometimes he needed to know when to keep his mouth shut. These were Arcanist matters, and he wasn't one.
"Stealing them post-auction is definitely our best shot," I affirmed, my mind already racing ahead, navigating the unforeseen possibilities.
Fleur's gaze held a steely resolve. "We blend into the post-bidding chaos, slip through unnoticed, and secure the pages. There will be uncertainties so we have to keep alert."
Lucas leaned in as we all got up to leave, his voice tinged with anticipation. "Timing will be everything."
As we departed from The Red Anchor, the sun hung high in the sky, casting elongated shadows across the cobblestone streets.
I checked my pocket watch once outside—half past one in the afternoon. The hours stretched before us, the lingering chill of the winter day pressing down upon us.
Fleur maneuvered beside me, her steps synchronizing with mine as we trailed behind Caius and Lucas, their chatter fading into the bustling street noise.
"Eli," Fleur's voice was hushed, a whispered confidence amid the cacophony. "I'm afraid Cai won't be able to join the mission. He's not an arcanist. Obviously, he'd be excluded from the markets."
Expected, yet the confirmation brought a sense of satisfaction. This was an arcanist matter, after all.
"Good," I responded in a muted tone.
However, the weight of Fleur's next statement caught me off guard. "Elias, I need you to be the one to acquire the pages."
"Me?" I replied out of sight confusion. Yes, I was getting better as an arcanist, but wouldn't both Fleur and Lucas be still much better than me? Not only that but Fleur seems to know the markets like the back of her hand.
Fleur took a glance towards Lucas and Caius who were chatting together while we all walked to the Den. Caius had his hands behind his head and was laughing and Lucas seemed to be annoyed as usual.
"Both… Lucas and I have abilities that would be seen, or well, be somewhat noticed if we were to use them. Surely you understand. Right?" She continued.
I didn't want to tell her my abilities outwrite, but her showing trust to even give a hint at her abilities was enough for me to agree to her request.
"You do know that right? A Blinker and a Distancer like us won't work well in that environment without being notinced."
I contorted my brows. Why was she just outright telling me her abilities like this? Didn't Alexei tell me about keeping these things a secret? Are we supposed to be telling each other?
"I can use my abilities without being seen, but… I will need cooperation."
Fleur chuckled. "Of course, we're a team after all."
Realistically I would attempt this by myself, but after my past arcanist encounters, I knew this was more of a 'Fritz' task than a 'Lorenzo' level one. But now they'd be relying on me. I won't screw this up. Not like with Fritz.
And now that Fleur had confirmed both her and Lucas's arcanist abilities and tier, it meant that I could utilise them far more. Fleur said Blinker which is most likey her ability and Distancer which would be Lucas.
I've read about a Blinker before as they're part of the Porter Pathway in the Time Authority, the 7th tier. A physical ability which would explain Fleur's incredible speed.
The Distancer I'm not entirely sure though. Jo had mentioned it after dealing with Fritz as she had assumed that his ability had something to do with it. That could mean Lucas wasn't even part of the Time authority.
As we traversed the crowded streets, Fleur's voice lowered to a whisper, divulging her plan. "The invite I've secured is probably just for me, but I have connections and the guards know me. We'll all get in. King won't be able to bar our entry once we're inside anyway."
That was rather reassuring. There were still things I was hesitant about and that was one of them. But now her confirming it lessened the weight on my shoulders.
The weight of her words settled a shared understanding of our impending course of action. Observation and adaptation—that would be our goal.
"Agreed," I replied, though a gnawing sense of unease still lingered. King's absence hinted at another hand orchestrating the markets. Well, that's what Fleur had said. Was it a powerful arcanist, or something far more obscure, lurking in the shadows? Could it be the new supplier? Were they already here?
Our pace slowed as the Den came into view. We each made our way inside and saw Jo and Erick sitting at the meeting table. Jean and Mar must not be back yet and Darius would be in his office.
The Den's familiar atmosphere wrapped around me like a comforting shroud as we entered. Jo and Erick sat at the meeting table, their hushed conversation halting as we approached.
"Back from lunch, I see," Jo remarked, her gaze flitting over us. "Jean and Mar aren't back yet, so nothing new's come up. Darius, meanwhile, has been holed up in his office since you all left."
My mind drifted to the possibility that Darius delved into the record book, deciphering the history of the diary and its pages we were going to steal. Well, attempt to steal. His absorption in that task was almost a certainty.
Before we could query further, the door that we four had just come through burst open once again. Mar's entry was abrupt, Jean trailing close behind her.
"Where's the Boss," Mar who was usually quiet said between breaths.
As if summoned by their inquiry, Darius emerged from his office with a glass of alcohol, his presence commanding the room's attention.
"Have your scouting efforts borne any fruit?" Darius's inquiry carried a weighty expectation.
Jean, with a glint of restlessness, stepped forward. "Fruit indeed," he affirmed, his words laced with an air of revelation.
"We've seen an influx of known arcanists heading towards the underground markets," Jean began, his tone marked by urgency. "Something's happening, and it's drawing in a significant crowd—specifically, individuals we're familiar with."
Could this mean what I think it meant?
Darius set down his glass with a muted clink, his expression unreadable
"Tonight," Jean continued, a hint of apprehension tainting his voice. "The auction is set for tonight."