The sky was cloudy, covering the streets of Guido. Not so long ago, the entire population was jubilant, mainly because of the New Moons festival which were a symbol of great change and prosperity. Well, they weren't so jubilant after the events that followed.
The Loscht family, one of the most powerful families of the Federation, and respected by the inhabitants of Guido, was eliminated without much resistance. No one knew how it happened. It should have been impossible and yet it did happen. It left the city terrified until everyone discovered very quickly who was behind it and why.
On the day following the disappearance of the Loscht family, an announcement on the big advertising screens of the city took all the inhabitants by surprise:
"The Loschts have been accused of plotting against the Sarkan Federation, and in order to prevent the implementation of their plan, we executed a special operation last night, managing to capture all the traitors."
The man speaking was Jojon Gurin, the patriarch of the Gurin family, known for their vast business empire of hotels, casinos but also, their many night clubs and the security offered with them.
If there was a bar or a club where you would have to avoid any missteps, it would be those of the Gurins. Anyone who didn't listen to this saying disappeared as suddenly as they had bragged about their courage.
Jojon, letting a sigh escape from his lips, went on to say:
"...However, the brain behind this operation has managed to flee the Loscht compound, which represents a great danger to the safety and well-being of our city and our country as a whole. That's why I'm speaking to you this morning about this... heartwrenching betrayal."
He paused in his monologue, before resuming with an energizing tone,
"...that is why with the efforts, of all the great families of Guido, we set a bounty on the head of Sorkut Loscht! Any information that will help us catch him will grant a reward of a few thousand credits, while if you catch him, dead... or alive, you will benefit from a reward of several million credits or a favor of the same value, from our prestigious family."
Finishing his spiel, he slammed the desk in front of him and shouted, like a fanatic:
"Sarka Salvatio! Sarka Fortem!"
Hearing this news set a fire within the hearts of Guido's inhabitants. A thousand credits would allow anyone to live easily for three months and change their life for the better, and just a million would be enough to buy a home and not work for a few decades.
On screens, social networks and in the local press, the photo of a young man with scarlet eyes a well-made face and the skin of a light bronze. His hair, tied in a ponytail, was intertwined with orange streaks. He seemed akin to a young scholar.
With his portrait spread across the city, it would only be a matter of time before he gets caught. After all, in Sarka, no traitor stays at large for long.
"Has it been properly received?" Asked Jojon while seated behind his desk, fiddling with a pendant.
His assistant standing in front of the desk responded as a whole,
"It has patriarch. We have also spread his portrait to every media outlet of the city and we've even contracted a mercenary squad to take care of any unforseen circumstances. I would recommend hiring a second mercenary squad to keep on standby, just in case the Fharges try to stop our search for the Loscht's young mas-"
Jojon cut him short, "No need. He's just an 18 year old boy. Sure, he's received education far above the common citizen, but..." after giving it some thought, he replied succintly."Just send the first team to track him, it is better for us if Sorkut ends in our hands first. The Bakudo and Intes should not interfere, and Ijiren will not respond instantly, even if their son-in-law is in trouble."
"Very well Patriarch." curtly replied the assistant, also informing him, "Moreover, Miss Karan Lumen has requested a meeting with you not too long ago, sir."
"Okay, if that is all, please resume your routine, I will talk with Karan in a more... discrete location." Answered Jojon, with a glint flashing in his eyes.
'One step closer, just a few more steps to go now...'
...
No city could be called perfect. Not even Guido. Although the Sarkans may say that Guido was a very prosperous city, there were still districts that were rife of social instability and poverty. The biggest of those districts was Hashtan.
Located near the cliffside of the Batartan Mountain range which extended from Sarka's border with Salator all the way to Dragonpoint, Guido was a refuge for monks and ascetics.
Once the Federation came to be, Guido quintupled in size in less than a hundred years.
However with this growth came the birth of many slums,mostly from war refugees. Over a hundred years, most of them dissapeared, mainly from economic growth rather than expulsion.
Only 3 of them remained nowadays, the biggest of them being Hashtan. It stretched out from the cliffside of the Batartans all the way to the Akrika Streams, waterways that went all the way to the Whalls Sea.
In one the households of Hashtan, a group was just discussing the news.
"Did you hear that? They're searching for the young scion of the Loscht family. Looks like even those richies can fall to their knees! gwahaha-cough cough..." said one man.
"Calm down Ghargow, or else you wont live to even catch the youngster!" Shouted another man, his face stern.
"Its fine Mark, let em go crazy, that way we'll have a chance! Mhaha..."
"He's got a good point, Mark, but maybe I'll catch him if you do, just don't forget to remind me that he looks rich enough! GWHAHAHA!
The three men kept babbling on and laughing, all while drinking some cheap beer.
Not long after, two young men were coming down from the first floor.
"Hey, Ikki, where are ya two going, huh? Don't forget to fill the fridge when you get back Gwehehe..." shouted Ghargow.
"Gotcha dad, uhh... also, Kut is going home, so uhh... I'm seeing him off."
"Huh? Well, be careful, I don't wantcha to get sent to the Gurin's because ya both look just like that richie boy, uh well, more like not richie anymore boy, hehehe..."
"Oh uhhh... sure. Yeah, uhh... you guys want another pack or something? I can, uhh... get one on the way back."
"Yeah, Ikki, ya much more smarter than your dad, or us if ya think about it, Mhaha... of course, I, the great Calvin, am beyond ya turds" said the man with a smirk on his face.
"Uhh... ok, I'm off. See you all later." closing the ramshackle front door behind him, he turned towards Kut and began walking to their destination.
"Hey, Ghargow, who that Kut kid? Ikki seems to be very close to him." asked Calvin with a puzzled expression.
"Meh, just a long time friend of his. They met when Ikki was 14, at that Richie's uhh, thing, something..."
"Sorkut Loscht's sortie into Hashtan you mean."
"Yeah, yeah right Marco, that week. Apparently some of them other richies came to boast about their shit, and Ikki got caught tryna, uhh... sneak with their group. Failed miserably, but that Kut kid helped him outta that problem, so I don't bother much."
"That kid bold to try and sneak in with those richies, but that Kut kid, man, Ghargow, if I were ya, I would have adopted that kid asap. Any kid with balls that dense is worth his weight in credits."
"Too late now either way, besides Ikki seems to have a learned a lot from him, my own blood first, but if you wanna, you can try adopt him... IF YOU GOT THE BALLS CALVIN, GWAHAHAHAHA- cough cough cough..." Ghargow ended up throwing a coughing fit, inciting a few glances of downcast eyes.
After an awkward minute or two of silence, Mark suddenly stood up.
"Where ya going Marko?"
"Just got a call from work, got another transport to do, can't miss out on that bonus, can I?"
"Gwahaha, Marko, Marko, sweet Marko, you were always and still are the most serious of us three. When are you ever going to rest?"
"You know I can't, I want more, you know." He answered with a smile and dreamy eyes, before leaving the house.
"Tell Ikki I wished him good luck for his friend. Times are tough nowadays."
...
At the outskirts of Hashtan, Ikki was accompanying Kut.
"So, uhh... what now?"
"What do you mean by 'what now' Ikki?
"You're literally hunted by the whole city. You would have already been caught if Dad ever paid attention."
"I don't think your dad is an imbecile like you might think he is, he feels more attentive than anything."
"You know, uhh... sometimes, you just say stuff that goes way over my head, or you say stuff that is a bit too... complicated than anything."
"..." a smile, Kut kept walking towards the Akrikas
"Hey, Kut, wait for me!" Not wanting to be left behind, Ikki accelerated his pace.
"Oi Ikki, thanks for everything, it was quite nice knowing you."
"Don't say stuff that sounds like uhh... like goodbyes. You'll come back. Maybe. Are you sure you're going to be okay?" puzzled, Ikki turned to look at Sorkut in his eyes.
"Your whole family has been arrested, your grandpa is nowhere to be seen, I don't even know if your girlfriend cares about-"
"I am fully aware of what kind of situation I've fallen into, Ikki." he glanced back at Ikki, noticing his stare.
"But I also know that I'm not alone, and not everyone has decided to feed me to those sharks. For that alone, I am grateful. But I shouldn't allow more people to get into this mess, and suffer the consequences because of me. The Gurins will eventually find my trail, no matter how hard I try to hide it, and unless some miracle of sorts happens, my only way to stay free and uncatched is... to leave Sarka. As for where, well... let's just say our family has a big network." Taking a break to let Ikki process what he said, he continued.
"Also, if someone managed to attack and capture the Loscht without the Intes, Bakudo or Fharges reacting, it means that the problem is way deeper than we'd think it is. Think about it. Our four families are the pillars of the Federation. We are way stronger than the combined might of the families in Guido, yet they apparently managed to subdue us, and in a single night. Either the Salatis have decided to seize the whole continent for themselves, or it's some other group that has as much power as them."
"So uhh... you're just going to run? You know how horrible of an idea that uhh... sounds like?"
"I have a plan Ikki, I just can't tell you because it would put in the crossfire. After all, you are the perfect witness."
Looking at Sorkut, Ikki took a deep breath, then answered resolutely, "You better take care of yourself, you numbskull."
"Did you forget who I am? I am the young master of the Loscht family, I've been trained to go through many scenarios, and been educated to the highest standards, although the last point may not seem all that useful for now."
"Yeah, yeah, uhh... just go. I might wanna cash in on that info thingy. Uhh... how long should I wait? A day or two?"
"By tonight. Also, don't lie about which direction I'm going, or else they'll kill you."
"Sure, sure. Seriously though, come back alive."
"At least this time you didn't need to think for a second to talk." Sorkut gave him a knowing glance, which prompted Ikki to push him forward.
"Just go man."
As the pair separated, they looked at each other one last time. One of them going back home, the other into unknown territory.
'Time to get to that safehouse.'
...
At the summit of an icy mountain, a man was sitting in meditative position. He seemed to be in his sixties, but his toned abdomens and solid posture revealed that he still possessed a certain vigor and youth. A servant was climbing the steps to the peak, before kneeling down and addressing the man, "My Lordship, we've received a message from the Mortal Realm."
"Sigh, get to the point, I don't want you to be freezing here" he said as he snapped his fingers. This action seemed to melt the snow around the messenger as he replied.
"The family compound in Guido has been overrun and the family there capt-"
"Give me names."
"All the other families in Guido, spearheaded by the Gurin family."
'So Teressa and Zarka have made their choice, hmph. Those Fools.'
"If I may, Lord Lorence, what shall you do now?" asked the messenger, his head still pointed at the floor.
"Relax, I can't cause a massacre, or else I won't have a home nor a family to come home to. What was the Fharges' reaction?"
"They seem to be mobilizing, most probably under their young mistress' order."
"Good... anyone who has escaped capture?"
"Young master is apparently being searched for. They have not found him yet."
"Ahhh, Merrick has done a good job in raising my grandson. But he still managed to get caught. I think I'll have to take him away from his position to... 'reeducate him'."
"My Lordship, is the family at the risk of being slaughtered?"
"No Harmon, they won't kill any one of them until they get someone to replace me as a pillar. Which means we still have time. Call the following agents: Mole, Fox, Turtle and Dragon, inform the first three to help Sorkut. And inform Dragon to send him to Temple."
"Understood my Lord." answered the messenger.
As Harmon left, Lorence took in the sights of the mountain as his fists were tightly clenched. As his fists slowly relaxed, he let out a deep sigh.
'So they couldn't restrain them anymore, huh. Well Ataral, it seems you what you predicted came true. If only you were still here, old friend. I could use your guidance.' he thought with a wistful smile.
"Well, I hope he reaches the safehouse. I guess it's time for him to learn about the real world. Meanwhile, I got some people to threaten."
As he finished airing his thoughts, he set off the mountain with a single jump, ready to face whatever would come at him. Nothing would threaten his family, not without paying the price. After all, he had been nicknamed by his many enemies as the 'Wild Sage of Sarka', one of it's original founders, it's stalwart protector and deterrent.
And the founder, of the Loscht family.