Gabriel was chewing a mint he bought at the store across the street while waiting for the others. He was the first to arrive. He hadn't had any success in his search, but the plant he bought made it worthwhile.
The seller had hyped it up, saying it would leave his breath sweet, but that it would burn a little. This time, the seller hadn't lied.
He kept himself leaning against the wall, ignoring the suspicious glances coming from all directions, which was to be expected, being a Raven in a nest of illegal things. He saw Nasor two more times while searching, and both times, he was selling barrels of mead to some of the bars. Gabriel pretended not to know the man; he didn't want to interfere with his business.
Gabriel swallowed the now chewed-up leaves and, growing impatient, shifted his weight from one leg to the other, but soon, there was no more need to wait. Michel arrived with his companion and Samuel.
From Livya's expression, it was clear that the older Raven had been the one to deal with her, and Gabriel knew the man's difficult personality. But Samuel was talking to Michel normally.
— Gabriel! – Samuel greeted him. – I didn't expect to see you this early.
— I can't stand being away from you for too long, – he teased.
Samuel laughed cheerfully, which seemed to leave the newcomer perplexed. He leaned against the wall next to the other.
— Michel filled me in on the situation.
— I see, and then?
— Not good.
— But nothing we haven't handled a few times before, – said Michel, standing beside his partner. – I know both of you well enough to know your skills. We're veterans, after all.
Gabriel felt awkward from the compliment, even Samuel didn't offer one of his usual sharp responses.
— Do you think Bia will agree to participate, without problems? – asked Michel, though he already knew the answer.
— Please, Michel, – Samuel replied. – She can't stand being idle here, she knows she thinks better with her fists than with her brain.
— You speak of me so fondly! – A voice from their right came, full of malice.
Bia was walking alongside Naomi, both in high spirits. Gabriel noticed that one of his partner's hands was a bit scraped. He recognized those wounds; she had been fighting around, which wasn't like her, but the other could not be said the same of.
— Well, now we're all six here, – Michel said, looking at the group.
— Six? – Bia asked when she saw Livya.
Her reaction was similar to the man's, but unlike him, she seemed much easier to talk to, much more friendly as she greeted the newcomer.
— We've all been introduced! – Samuel said indifferently. – Naomi told you about the mission, I believe.
— Yes, a bit of action! And since it's Jonas' orders, there's no way we can refuse, right?
— That's right.
Gabriel noticed that Livya was looking at Samuel with hostility; he would ask about it later, when they were alone.
— Let's get started, then, – Naomi said. – We got information that one of the traffickers passed through a bar here in the Oasis called "Moment of the Traveler."
— Where did the information come from? – Samuel asked.
— Thomas.
— A disagreeable person.
— The pot calling the kettle black, – Gabriel said.
— Anyway, – Naomi continued, ignoring him. – Have the two of you been around the bar?
Both Ravens exchanged glances, clearly thinking about the rooms they knew from the place. It was Bia who answered:
— I remember something like that. Last night I was patrolling that area. – She pointed to the left where Gabriel had looked earlier. – It's on the fourth floor, near the waterfall's drop.
They set off, guided by Bia, drawing attention wherever they went. After all, so many Ravens together meant something was wrong, or something would go wrong. Pedestrians stepped aside, and some even ran down the corridors.
Being the center of attention didn't make Gabriel uneasy; after all, he was part of the Infiltrators, but he kept his hand near the long knife strapped to his left thigh.
Soon they could see the first staircase. They quickened their pace, climbing the creaking wood under the weight and movement of the group, repeating the process three more times until they reached the floor Bia had indicated. They continued to follow the woman, who darted toward one of the waterfalls. The air grew more humid, and soon a current appeared ahead of the group to help them walk on the slick ground.
— If I'm not mistaken, it's just past this one, – Bia said, pointing to a house.
And it was as she said. It was a house with "Moment of the Traveler" written in purple-painted light bulbs, but they were still off due to the hour. Above the door, there was a sign with the drawing of a glass, but the door was still closed, indicating it was a nighttime bar. However, they couldn't wait once they had reached that point.
Michel, along with Bia, approached the door, and with a clenched fist, she knocked. There was no response, so she repeated the action. It took four more knocks before the sound of footsteps was heard, along with swearing.
— I already told you we open after 8 p.m., – shouted a man, opening just enough of the door to look at the group. – You don't seem like regulars.
— Good eye, boy, – Bia said. – We'd like to ask a few questions.
— Why don't you go fuck yourselves?! – the man replied, trying to close the door, but Michel held it open.
— Are you sure about that? – asked the Raven, raising his hand to show the ring.
The man's eyes widened for a moment. He kept licking his lips repeatedly and, nodding slowly, opened the door to let the group in. Bia smiled satisfied, entering and being followed by the others.
They headed for the counter, where the owner of the establishment stood behind, looking pale. Other than the shelf with drinks and eight metal tables, there was nothing else in the establishment.
— What's your name? – Naomi asked.
— Kleber.
— Kleber, we just want to ask a few questions.
Gabriel approached but didn't sit in any of the chairs. He just placed his hands on the wood, staring intently at the man.
— I need to know if you've heard anything about S.L.?
— What?
— S.L., have you heard of it?
— No!
— Kleber, you have a lot of clients, right? – Michel asked, but didn't wait for an answer. – If you tried to scare us off earlier, it's because a lot of people come here, so you must have heard something about this.
— I told you, no!
— I'm losing my patience, – Bia said, standing up.
— Okay, – Kleber spoke immediately when he saw her move. – Just some talk about a new drug, but nothing more than that.
— You don't need to bother the man. – A hoarse voice came from the door, making everyone turn around.
A tall man with a bulging belly looked back at them, his muscular arms and cold gaze made it clear he was a killer, as if there weren't enough of them in that room already.
— Who are you? – Naomi asked.
— That's not important, but six Ravens walking around the city asking dangerous questions, is. – He kept a neutral tone. – I'm here at Hylari's request. She wants to speak with you in person.
— That's interesting, – Bia said immediately, heading for the door.
— Bia, who is he talking about? – Michel asked, confused.
— From the boss of the entire Oasis!
— Things got tense quickly, didn't they? — grumbled Gabriel, taking five coins and placing them on the counter in front of Kleber. — For the trouble.
They followed the man out while Kleber complained that the coins were too few.
— You really are something, Bia — grumbled Samuel, satisfied with his partner.
— Yeah — Gabriel agreed.
Livya looked from one to the other, confused by the insults directed at her colleague. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Naomi agreed with the others, though the three of them had a certain approving air about them.
— What's going on? — asked Livya.
— You really don't get it? — said Samuel.
— Livya... — Michel said before the young woman could give a sharp reply. — Six Crows together is quite the sight. Don't you remember people running away as if they were being chased? It's clear we've been followed since we got here.
— Of course — agreed the man leading them.
— The information must have gotten to this Hylari. Bia just used us as bait to get us summoned by her.
— Why bother trying to get information from a small fish — Bia said, looking back — when we can go straight to the school of fish?
Gabriel paid attention to the newcomer, who by her posture had finally understood everything, but didn't seem pleased to have been used. Even he didn't like it, but it had produced better results than expected.
They retraced their steps and headed toward the lake. The sound echoed loudly off the walls, and since they had started following the man, it seemed like the population either no longer noticed them or were making an effort to pretend nothing was unusual.
They passed through a narrow corridor between two buildings, which led directly to the back wall of the Oasis. They followed it until they were finally beneath a waterfall, which got them a little wet. The guide stopped at what seemed to be a depression against the wall, and soon an iron door opened.
Two more brutes appeared, exchanged a few words with him, and then cleared the way.
— Let's go, she's waiting.
Gabriel followed right behind Bia, ignoring the aggressive looks from the men, as they made their way through a corridor carved into the rock, lit by lamps on the walls. Soon, a door similar to the entrance appeared.
After a few knocks, it opened, along with the sounds of people and colorful lights. The Crows found themselves in a gaming house illuminated by neon lights of various colors. Waiters and waitresses moved back and forth, serving drinks, while dancers performed on various stages scattered throughout the place.
The woman Naomi had seen earlier was also there, playing a strange dice game with others.
— We're in the real Oasis now — said Bia.
The number of security guards increased the deeper they went into the rooms. All kept their distance but followed them like hawks. Gabriel noticed the people playing, and by their attire, it was clear that these were people with money or powerful figures in their cities. While in the city, only a few coins were wagered, here there were bags, in some cases, more than one.
Another security guard stood by a door ahead of the group, and when he saw them, he moved aside. Bia, who had been leading the group the entire way, entered before the others.
The room before them was white and spacious, with several shelves on the walls, completely packed with papers. In the center was a marble table, a rare sight. A chubby woman wearing thick glasses and her black hair tied in a bun was reading a large stack of papers. Aside from the chair she was sitting in, there were no other chairs in the room.
— You've been snooping around my city — said the woman, not taking her eyes off her reading.
— You're not an easy person to find — said Samuel.
Gabriel looked at the two Crows who had been in the Oasis longer. Both had hidden reasons for being sent to the place, but he kept that thought to himself.
— If a Crow is after me, do you think I'd willingly turn myself in?
— I highly doubt it — replied Bia.
— What do you want with me?
— Our objective has shifted a little, Hylari — said Bia. — We need information.
The woman finally lifted her eyes from the reading, staring at the group slowly, her right hand adjusting her glasses that made her eyes appear unnaturally large. Her interest was evident.
— Intriguing, what can I offer you?
— A new drug — Naomi interjected.
— I don't deal with drugs — Hylari said, her face darkening. — Only with gambling.
— But you must have heard of a new one called S.L. — Bia said slowly.
Hylari's eyes widened even more behind the lenses, and she leaned over the table, using her hands as support under her chin.
— I may have heard something. But what do I get out of this?
— No more Crow patrols in the Oasis — Bia replied.
Gabriel noticed Naomi held herself back from saying anything. Only Jonas could make that decision, no one else, but she kept a neutral expression, with less effort than the rest.
The woman smiled, clearly pleased with the proposal, and stood up for the first time, her one meter and fifty centimeters making her look small. She walked to one of the shelves, ran her finger along the row of reports, and took one that had yellowed. She returned to the table, placing it on the marble, and said:
— This drug has been a problem in some of the Holes, and even worse in the Trenches. Some are already desperate, hunting down anyone who seems suspicious.
— Anything that can help us? — Naomi asked, turning pale at the information.
— Yes, Corva — Hylari said harshly. — A few days ago, a group of travelers saw several men on the Ancient's subway. I wasn't very interested at the time, to be honest, since it could have been a bunch of common bandits, but the information doesn't end there. They heard something about lucid dreams.
— S.L. — Gabriel whispered.
— I came to the same conclusion — Hylari agreed. — I don't dare get involved, after all, I'm just a simple administrator, but you Crows, that's a different story, right?
They stared at each other for a moment. Gabriel felt his hands tingle with excitement, they finally had a more concrete lead.
— That should be everything. Now leave — Hylari said. — Oh, I hope you keep your part of the deal.
— Of course — Bia replied, already heading for the door.
— I hope so. Now get out! Your kind scares the customers.