Jacob swiftly made his way through the city without any hiccups, his dexterity, agility and overall proficiency seemed to have gone up a lot since the first time he got his powers.
He used the opportunity to survey the city and noted really important areas by studying the population in that area. He used this method so as not to get too close and be discovered as an infiltrator.
His encounter with Claire had already destroyed any faith he had had in his disguise. It was clear it wouldn't work.
The city in question was divided into three areas arranged in concentric circles around each other, the demarcations weren't necessarily obvious or outright walls, it was more of a natural caste organization with the brick roads aiding the division greatly.
The center was where the 'nobles' stayed, it was mostly a residential area, at least from Jacobs observation. And since he wasn't directly heading there he didn't get close enough to get much information on the area.
The intermediate or middle layer however was thoroughly scouted by Jacob, the place was in one phrase, a commercial district. Commerce was what took the reins here, from small storefronts to hotels, restaurants, markets and even large companies. There was a theme that seemed to be going on here and it was in this same place the Guild house was situated, the very building Jacob had come from. Which he had come to know from his bout of eavesdropping.
'well seems like I'd be coming here often, so many cool stuff'
Jacob thought wide-eyed as he recalled some of the products that were displayed on window fronts in the area. From regular firearms to those that looked like something from star wars, amours that glistened under the eye of the sun, he began to drool from the thought of all this.
"...focus…"
He slapped both cheeks to bring him back from his daydreams.
The last area that formed the outskirts of the city was naturally the slums, the part of town home to the less advantaged and low rungs of society. One would wonder why Jacob was headed to this part of the city, but it should be noted that the slums housed the dirt of society both literally and figuratively, there was no better place for him to blend in without questions asked.
He expertly landed in a narrow alleyway that was married with dirt and slug, maneuvering his way through languid malnourished individuals and intoxicated persons.
He stepped out into a somewhat broad road that had potholes, he looked around with a serious face as he tried to adjust to the atmosphere. Naturally there was a kind of dreary ambience in the air. He spotted a led sign flickering from time to time on a building.
'valor in vanity, what a weird name'
He walked into the building and he could swear he felt a cold wind carrying strong emotions of resentment, bitterness, acrimony and animosity pass through him. He felt his heart grow heavy, subconsciously gripping his left chest.
'the fu*k?'
The brief moment of emotional turmoil made him pause his steps, drawing the attention of the entire pub.
His body shivered again, this time it wasn't because of some strange wind but rather due to the countless gazes boring holes into the skin. The majority of them were not welcoming in the slightest, however it didn't escalate beyond this.
Jacob quietly resumed his walk and made his way to the counter, he took a seat beside a man covered in a long leather coat and a fedora that veiled his face that was bent over.
"You really love the attention don't you?"
The man beside Jacob commented snarkily without raising his head.
"I'm sorry?"Jacob responded confusedly.
"Wearing that in a place filled with criminals…no it's not the attention you want…you want to see the other end"
Jacob looked down and realized what the man was implying, he was still in the uniform he stole from the guard earlier. However the latter part of the man's comment actually made him chuckle.
"...Death? Hehe… I guess we've danced a few times"
The man finally looked over to observe Jacobs face closer revealing his also, at least the mask that covered it. He had a black mask on with small crescent slits directed convex upwards where his eyes were.
"I'll admit you're an interesting one, when you first walked in I thought it was another bump overestimating themselves, but you don't talk like a bump, the latter though, I'm not so sure."
The strange man stood up and walked out of the pub,
"Try not to die, let's meet again when I'm not too busy"
He shouted, waving as he stepped out of the pub.
Jacob, stunned by the strange behavior of the man, wanted to call out but later decided against it. Someone had randomly engaged him in a conversation and left before he could even learn anything from them.
"Mhmm…your drink sir"
A middle aged man behind the counter called out to Jacob,
"But I haven't ordered yet"
Jacob questioned with raised eyebrows.
"The gentleman that just left did, he also paid for it and a night in the inn upstairs for you."
The middle aged bartender spoke with a soft smile on his face.
"Well alright then I'll take it, by the way do you know who he is?"
"Seeing your attire and the fact you've been out of it since you walked in, I take it you're new here so I won't get offended, but you should keep in mind it's rude to go around asking questions, especially about certain people"
The bartender spoke calmly like an old man giving his children some piece of advice.
"Oh I see" Jacob commented disappointedly as he took a shot of sizzling blue liquid in front of him
"But if I may add, an equal exchange should suffice in situations like this"
"Ahaaa… I see, well in that case I'll be seeing you later for somethings I'd love to trade for. You said I've got a night here, which room?"
"It'll be my pleasure good sir…004 sir, the fourth room down the hall"
"Alright thanks"
'I guess this is better than what I had in mind'. Jacob thought as he made his way up the stairs to the room.
…
Back in the guild building, shortly after Jacob left, three figures stood in front of an empty cell.
"maybe I should have sedated him", little B muttered quietly to himself
"Then again, he wouldn't have been of any use unconscious…what to do, what to do, Hey Arthur, what do you think, should we track him down?"
"Well I don't know…you're the boss, whatever you decide on"
"Boss huh?, How about you Claire"
"Let's hunt him down" Claire spoke unhurriedly with squinted eyed and a cold expression on her face"
"Well we can't just let him go that's for sure, but I'm kinda busy at the moment…okay let's do this, let him be for now while I round up my work, I'll contact you guys when I'm done"
Little B said before heading back to his lab. A few minutes after, when little B had already disappeared into his lab, Claire spun to face Arthur letting her fist drag behind her body to gain momentum, she shifted her feet, correcting her posture to one comfortable to attack in.
Her fist gathered enough force to speed past her body, shooting towards Arthur's face, however he wasn't caught off guard by her sudden performance. He gracefully brought his arms up, deflecting her blow.
He brought his arms down with the intention of counter attacking however his neck was suddenly clamped by Claire's other hand. She forcefully pushed him back slamming him against the wall behind him.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING CLAIRE?"
"Don't raise your voice at me traitor"
Claire spoke softly as she pulled him off the wall before planting him back with even more force.
"What…what do you mean traitor…the f*ck are you going on about… stop this madness and put me down"
Arthur spoke in between gasps but Claire didn't seem to be listening one bit, she seemed determined to kill her supposed teammate here and now.
'This is bad, what the hell does this bitch eat? How in god's name is she this strong.'
'do you want to die you shit, how much more embarrassing can you be…argh I can already hear the jokes; killed by a mortal in the early stages of the game'
'shut up and help if you're really bothered by it and stop making noise in my head'
'tch pathetic bastard…I'll take over, lips of seduction'
"Hey Claire, hear me out, if this is about me interrupting you earlier. I agree I was in the wrong and I could have waited for you to straighten up that 'guard'. Maybe if you did we'd have foiled his escape. I truly am sorry for that and I honestly wasn't in on it nor did I have any idea it was him. But we shouldn't be fighting with each other at a time like this, moreso he couldn't have gone far, not to mention the device in him. So you don't have to be this riled up, everything is still under control."
Arthur managed to say all this without the slightest grunt, even with the hand clamped on his neck. When he was done, Claire's vivid violet eyes glowed pink for less than a second and her grasp loosened from Arthur's neck.
"Huuuuh…haaaah…huuuuh…haaaah"
"Y…you're right, I'm sorry I don't know what came over me, I was just angry all of a sudden. Excuse me please"
Claire spoke as her eyes darted about like someone who just woke up from an afternoon nap. She walked away with a perplexed expression on her face.