Downtown District, 9:30 PM.
"So, that's why you called me for?" questioned Sarina crossing her arms as she sharply glared at Will and Liam, who cowered in fear and sighed, "...Look, I did tell you to call me if you run into trouble but I didn't mean just immediately."
"And you two!" she continued, "Tell me all the details immediately! What was the route, who stole your goods, and why resort to such drastic actions? Understood?"
Will and Liam violently nodded their heads, as Artis was pretty amused watching this. Not a few moments ago, one was trying to kill the other but now, they have no choice but to cooperate with each other.
Sarina sighed as she slowly mumbled 'My poor life' and turned to Artis, "You go continue your patrolling while I talk to these 2 and discuss the details. If anything comes up again, call me."
"Yes ma'am!" Artis replied rather energetically.
...
Artis continued his patrolling late at night, still thinking about Will and Liam's case. He checked his pocket, took out the knife he "borrowed" from Will, and examined it closely.
He observed that a silver coating plastered the blade of the knife and that it was very sharp. Sharp enough to cut 10 trees and still not lose its sharpness. Observing the hilt, he saw a strange black crystal attached to it that he did not know what it was.
'Hmm? That's strange...wasn't this just a common knife? Why is there a gem attached to it? Eh...Whatever, this knife is mine now! I finally have a weapon of my own, now I can go do some more dangerous missions!'
Not thinking much of the situation, Artis continued his patrolling until 12 AM. Met up with Sarina and Ethan, and continued his patrolling until 5 AM.
...
Lighthouse, 5:00 AM
Every member was gathered there with Sarina standing in front of everyone. The sun was already starting to rise with a few members yawning, not able to pay attention. Artis was feeling very tired and was grateful that this mission has finally came to and end.
After dealing with Will and Liam, nothing eventful happened at night, except for some drunkards messing some stuff up, a party going on till late at night, and some other troubles that Artis managed to deal it.
'Oh man, my body's so sore right now, I wanna sleep so bad! I am never doing this mission again!'
Complaining internally, Artis struggled to pay attention to what Sarina was saying as she mentioned that the fees for the commission were paid and that she is looking forward to patrolling with them again.
"Artis. Let me talk to you for a second." After the meeting was dispersed, Sarina called out and Artis checked his current balance which was 110 Grands.
"So, about the case. I feel like you should know about it and be careful. The one who stole whatever item they were carrying is suspected to be Black Wolf Crew. One of the underground gangs in East Ferrous who deal with some shady business. I would suggest you be careful since those guys are pretty dangerous and nobody really knows who their members are."
Artis stared at her for a moment, confused as to what to do with this information, "...So, what do I have to got to do with this? Do you also want me to look out for them?"
Sarina was taken aback for a second before composing herself with a sigh and avoiding eye contact, "...No, I suppose you are right. Just wanted to give you the information so you can be careful. Take care."
Artis was even more confused than before, but calming himself down, he understood the intention. She probably wanted him to be careful of the gang itself since nobody knows about its members. Since he was the one who stopped the altercation, she probably wanted to update him on the situation.
'Overall, she's a good leader who cares for her teammates. Even though I only worked for her once, she still considered me a teammate and gave me the information. An exciting person if I am correct. I learned a lot tonight...'
Artis returned to his room and rested until noon.
...
Emerald Apartments, 1:00 PM
Artis woke up, feeling refreshed from his mission as he checked the time. Realizing it was already too late, he got up and got ready to leave for the laboratories. Eating a snack bar that he bought last night, he got ready left his room, and reached the laboratories.
...
East Ferrous Laboratories, 1:10 PM
The lab was full of ruckus as soon as he entered and he went to greet Maya who was busy with a few calls as they made eye contact.
"Oh, Artis you are here!" said Maya as she did not engage in making eye contact and continued, "You don't need to do any missions today."
"What? Why?" asked Artis confused by this sudden announcement.
"Let me finish! Ugh!" said Maya, annoyed, "What I mean to say is that Professor will give you your new mission today. But since you are already late. Go right now and get your details. Got it?"
Artis nodded and immediately went ahead to go to the second floor.
Bump!
Artis hurried to enter the room but soon fell to the floor as he crashed into someone who entered from the opposite end.
"Dammit! Can't you see where you are walking or are you blind! Why is everyone here so damn blind!" said a voice that belonged to a girl who raised her voice as she was speaking.
Artis was already feeling groggy but got annoyed as he was listened to that lady's blabbering, "Ugh! Why are every single one of you so damn annoying!" Artis snapped back, struggling to his feet. He rubbed his sore shoulder and finally looked up at the girl. A young girl shorter than him with fair skin, blonde hair tied in a ponytail, and sharp ruby-red eyes that seemed to be glaring straight through him.
Looking at her gave Artis a feeling of deja vu for some reason as he felt he had met her once but couldn't remember where.
"Watch where you're going next time!" she retorted, brushing off her clothes. "I'm in a hurry."
"So am I," Artis replied, brushing past her. "But some people need to learn some manners."
Artis hurried down the hallway, walked towards Professor's room, and knocked on the door before entering. Ray, with Professor Javier, was sitting on the couch drinking water as his eyes went to the door and saw Artis.
"Oh? Look who finally showed up!" said Ray with an amused expression, "Professor! The main character has shown up!"
"Has he now? Wait for a moment, just let me finish my preparations!" Professor Javier said, his voice coming from the other side of the room.
Artis tilted his head, confused and a bit annoyed, "What's going on now?"
"Professor's work is piling up again as he struggles to complete it before the deadline!" said Ray nonchalantly in a singing tone.
"Just sit down and wait for him to come back. Also, why are you so late today? You don't seem to be the type to be late for work!"
Artis thought for a while before sitting down and answering, "...Well, I was just tired from Yesterday's mission. Got some rest, but I guess it wasn't enough," Artis replied, rubbing his eyes.
Ray nodded sympathetically. "Yeah, night missions can be brutal. And you also look annoyed too. What happened?"
Artis sighed before answering, "I might have, for some reason, got caught in some gang work. Nothing too exciting after that, no big deal...and I might have ran into some mannerless person before arriving here..." he added grumbling a little.
"Sounds like a handful," Ray said, leaning back on the couch, "Also, just don't mind the people here. We are used to this sort of behavior...."
'That doesn't mean I want to get used to it...' Artis wanted to add that but decided not to do it.
Professor Javier emerged from the back room, looking as harried as ever. His white lab coat was slightly askew, and his glasses perched precariously on the bridge of his nose. He carried a stack of papers, which he placed on his desk before turning to Artis and Ray.
"Alright, let's get down to business," Javier said, adjusting his glasses. "Today's mission is crucial. We've received some strange reports from the outskirts of East Ferrous. Some sightings of unusual activities and illegal beast activities have been sighted there. I want you and Ray to go there and deal with it."
Ray spit out the water he was drinking as he heard the details, "What! You want us to deal with it!? I thought my mission was-"
"Calm down Ray. Let me finish." interrupted Professor Javier calmly as he continued, "It's not like I am telling you to just engage with them. I want you to examine the situation there and if you feel like you can deal with it then feel free to do so. No complaints about that right?"
Ray's eyes widened in surprise. "But-"
"No buts," Javier interrupted as he looked at Artis, "So, what do you think about this mission Artis? If you are successful in completing it. You might be able to raise your level by this. This implies to you too as well Ray. This might also help you deal with your hometown problem as well, isn't that right?"
Artis and Ray remained silent for a while. Nobody among the three-spoke a single word before Ray let out a heavy sigh.
"Fine," Ray said reluctantly. "We'll do it."
Artis nodded, agreeing with the notion, "We'll do this mission, Professor. How much money will be paid though for completing this mission?"
Professor sighed in relief as he replied, "100 Grands each. Don't worry, even if you return without doing anything, I'll still pay you 50 Grands!" He also added, "Make sure to gather as much information as possible. And remember, your safety comes first. If things get too dangerous, retreat and report back."
Artis and Ray stood up, bowing their head as they left the room leaving the Professor alone as his expression turned serious, and took out his phone to call someone.
...
Ray sighed in frustration as he rubbed his head, "Argh! This is some messed up mission we got part of. No offense Artis, but I really don't think you are ready yet for such missions."
"Offense none taken," replied Artis as he crossed his arms thinking about this mission. "Sigh...it's not like we can reject it either way. Anyway, what's on the outskirts of this City?"
"Well, mostly some beasts sightings and a meetup place are best I would describe it. Urgh, let's not waste time. Follow me, let's make a plan right away. I know just the right person who might be able to help us."
"Right person?" asked Artis, following Ray behind.
Ray chuckled slowly, "Yup! One of my few best buddies here. C'mon let's meet up with her!"