"Ahem Ahem...Listen up now!" Sarina cleared her throat and began talking loudly, "Now that all of us are here, I'll explain the mission. You will receive your payment just after 5 AM tomorrow. Do not worry, I've already scanned your X-transceiver codes so you will get your payment due time."
She continued, "Now for all the newcomers here tonight, listen to what we do. We form a group of 3 and patrol over the areas you have picked up. Each group will cover their assigned sector and report any unusual activity immediately."
Artis glanced around, noticing the mix of seasoned adventurers and fresh faces. He thought the patrol mission would be easy to get through and that he wouldn't learn much from that. Sarina's voice brought his attention back to the briefing.
"We have divided the city into several sectors," Sarina explained, pointing to a large map projected on a nearby wall. "Each group will be responsible for one sector. Your primary goal is to ensure the safety of civilians and prevent any criminal activity. If you encounter any major threats, do not engage alone. Call for backup immediately."
As Sarina began calling out group names and the districts they were assigned, Artis waited impatiently to hear his name called out.
"Group 4: Artis and Ethan, You guys are paired up with me. We'll be handling the Downtown district." Sarina announced, Artis immediately spotted his teammate, Ethan, a short guy with brown wavy hair and a friendly smile.
"Pleasure to work with you. Name's Ethan Galloway. From Inloen." Ethan introduced himself.
Artis was pleasantly surprised to meet a fellow Inloenese as himself "What a surprise! I'm from Inloen as well. Name's Artis."
"Oh really? Where are you from? I'm from Grayson City!"
"Paradise City. Nice to meet you." Artis extended his hand which Ethan accepted.
...
Downtown District, 8:30 PM
"Alright, you two," Sarina began, her tone authoritative. "Our sector covers a lot of ground, so we'll need to stay alert. The Downtown district is known for its nightlife, which also means it's a hotspot for troublemakers."
Artis nodded, glancing around. The streets were filled with people enjoying their evening, hanging around partying in the streets, as neon lights flickered in the streets as they moved being vigilant. Sarina walked ahead while Ethan, walking beside him, seemed relaxed yet focused, his eyes constantly scanning the crowd.
"Soooo...what made you come here in Aurosia?" asked Ethan slowly, in their native tongue.
Artis glanced at Ethan, a bit surprised by the question. He took a moment to gather his thoughts before responding in Inloenese, "...I wanted to get out of that place. I wanted a fresh start in my life. Things in Paradise City were...complicated so to speak. Aurosia wasn't my first choice to enter but...I just wanted to get out of there..."
Ethan remained quiet, not sure how to respond before taking a deep breath and sighing, "...I don't know what you are going through but I can understand the feeling of running away from everything. I can relate with you on that..."
"Hey! What are you guys talking about!?" shouted Sarina diverting Artis's and Ethan's attention towards her.
"No-Nothing Ma'am! I was just...talking with the newcomer!!" explained Ethan, his voice faltering a bit.
"Oh, is that so?" Sarina squinted her eyes crossing her arms sending a deep chill to Ethan's spine, "Sigh...Keep your focus on the streets and call me through your X-transceiver if you encounter trouble. After 12 AM, we'll meet at this point where we have stopped. Ethan, you take the right wing, I'll take the left wing. Artis, go straight ahead for your patrolling. Do you understand?"
"Yes Ma'am!" said both Artis and Ethan simultaneously.
...
Artis was walking alone, keeping his eyes on the street making sure no one was making any trouble. Walking through the crowded streets, Artis kept an eye on the various groups of people. As he turned a corner, he noticed a commotion near a small alleyway. Two men seemed to be arguing, their voices growing louder and more aggressive.
'Is this what you call running into trouble? Why do I have a bad feeling about this?'
"And I keep telling you I can't do anything about this! It was your fault in the first place!" said one of the raised voices.
"HAH! It was your fault I got stuck in that place! It's because of you that I am like this!"
"Oi Oi Oi, get that thing away from me!
Artis's instincts kicked in as he approached the situation. He quickened his pace, his hand hovering near his weapon just in case.
"Is there a problem here?" Artis called out, his voice steady and authoritative.
The two men turned to face him. One of them had long black hair with a wild look in his eyes, holding a knife enveloped in a blue light pointing at a short man with blonde hair and rough facial features who covered his hands in defensive position.
"Stay out of this!" the man with the knife snarled. "This is between me and him."
Artis shook his head, "Can't do that. I'll lose a lot of credibility if I let this slide. How about we talk this all out."
The man with the knife glared at Artis, his grip tightening on the handle. "You don't know what he did to me!"
Artis looked at the man and said, "Yeah, I don't. But it for sure doesn't mean you can murder someone in this dark alley!"
"SHUT UP!" The man screamed, "What the hell do you know what happened to me! I'll kill all of y-"
Smack!
Before the man could finish his threat, Artis delivered a powerful blow to the side of the man's head, sending him sprawling to the ground. Artis grabbed the knife at that very moment and threw it away.
"Why, you-" the man began but became quiet immediately as he was engulfed in a deep fear. A pressure surrounded the alleyway engulfing the two people in deep fear as they could not look up.
The man tried to look up but was met with undeniable pressure over him as he could do nothing but look down.
"See. I really don't know what happened between the both of you but I would not go around speaking shit like you know...killing someone. You know what I mean? I would appreciate it very much if you could calm down. And you..."
Artis turned to the other man who was also scared of what was happening, "I don't know what happened between you two but you either need to explain your situation or fess up your mistakes! Understand?"
The man nodded violently as the pressure around them disappeared, "My name is Liam and we were in a business together importing rare items and goods. It was a really important job for us as we were delivering goods to the Higates and for some reason, the goods got intercepted by some thieves and my buddy here thinks I stole it since he had to suffer the wrath of that family!"
"Lies!" the man screamed, "Only you and I knew the travel routes for that item and conveniently you were the one who told me to take charge of delivery, and the item got stolen the moment I told you the travel route? Don't bullshit me Liam, I won't fall for your lies!"
"Wait a minute," interrupted Artis, "Which family and place were you delivering whatever that important good again?"
"The Higates Family." said the man to which Liam nodded, "And the delivery location was Varhard Academy at Grand Dream City..."
"Varhard Academy? asked Artis, a little shocked, "Not University?"
"You must be not from around here. Varhard has both a University and an Academy. You see-"
"Alright stop! I understand what it means. Now explain your situation and resolve it!"
"Ye-Yes. Aha..." Liam cleared his throat before saying," As I was saying...The Higates asked us to deliver an important item for their daughter for uhhh reasons...but it was stolen from the route by a bunch of thieves and Will here is blaming me!"
"Who else would I blame! My life is ruined because of you!" Will screamed, tears flowing out from his eyes.
'Wait, just because he failed a delivery...his life is ruined? Was it because the item was important or because this Higates family is just this influential? The old man from the park and the attendant from that hotel did say they were a very influential family but still...'
Unknown to him, Artis had a deep frown visibly etched on his face.
"Alright. Then obviously the best course of action is to catch the thieves and prove your innocence isn't that right? Then I got an idea...I'll call my superior for today and ask her how to tackle your situation..." said Artis with authority in his voice, 'And if I can...I'll try to earn some extra money by helping them...'
Will and Liam only stared at each other saying nothing.