It was an extraordinary opportunity for them to seize. To them, it was as rare as catching a bullet with two fingers. They were thrilled beyond measure to have the chance to join a hero organization—especially Blake.
This was the chance he had been waiting for. He could finally prove his worth and set out on his greatest aspiration. Enthusiasm flowed through his veins, pumping him up like a cup of strong coffee. His little sister, Mika, supported him with everything she had, brimming with almost the same excitement as him. Together, they held enough motivation to move Mind Mountain.
The two happily led at the group's helm, directing the assassins toward the Art Users—Amanda's plan to flush out the leader was working perfectly.
She looked back at Nathan with a smile warm enough to make the sun envious. Nathan held his breath momentarily. Amanda's beauty was nothing short of breathtaking. She slowed to his side before tugging at his pinkie to match her speed.
"There's something I forgot to tell you three," she whispered to the trio. "Slow down so that Blake and Mika won't hear us."
"What is it?" Nathan asked, flushed by her pleasant aroma that somehow reminded him of sweet-scented flowers.
"Have any of you noticed how the other assassins at HQ always keep their distance from you?"
Nathan sighed, his gaze falling to the ground. "I've been curious about that. Instructor Brady told us that most people from the Mind World hate the Over World. Aside from you, Leo, Instructor Brady, Alondo, and one other, everyone has been pretty distant."
"Mhmm. At first, Leo and I were a little surprised when we learned you three were from the Real World," She continued calmly. "But we decided to give you a chance instead of judging you before we got to know you. And so far, you're all pretty cool!! However, you also can't blame others for not accepting you. Demon Beasts have hurt and killed many people. Their pain is justified."
"It's a little hard hearing that, but I understand," Sindy lamented.
"I'm only telling you this so you'll be careful when revealing your true identities to others. For example, Blake and Mika might act differently toward you if they knew you were from the Real World."
Silence followed. The reality was that people would hate them no matter where they went. This tugged at Nathan's thoughts. What was the point of being the Mind Hero if he was hated by those he was supposed to save? It sounded comical.
"Hey, you all need to pick up the pace!" Blake shouted. "The leader of the Art Users is just up ahead!"
"Okay, we're coming!" Amanda answered sweetly. She smiled at Nathan one last time before picking up the pace. It was her subtle way of telling him, 'Don't worry about it.'
"Man, if she smiled at me like that, I'd probably get on my knees and ask her to marry me on the spot!" Andrew said, cupping his hands and swooning to the sky like a princess in love.
"Stop being such a drama queen... It's just a smile..." Sindy argued.
"Oh? Jealous? Afraid Nate's going to fall for Amanda?"
Sigh…"I'm going to lose brain cells talking to you."
A few seconds later, they reached the porch of a hastily built wooden house. Casting their gaze to the right, they saw a tall, slender man sitting with his feet up in an old rocking chair. He had long, curly brown hair, a scruffy beard, and deep blue eyes. He picked at his glistening white teeth with a toothpick and yawned with a deep sense of laziness.
"Jorge! We've got some heroes here who want to see you!" Blake shouted enthusiastically, running over to him.
His blue eyes slowly ran over to the assassins with a hint of distaste. "Oh? Heroes, you say?" he answered, his voice almost hypnotic. "What would a bunch of heroes want with poor little me?"
"We just have a few questions for you, that's all. I promise we don't bite—unless you give us a reason to," Amanda said, her smile sweet and her tone steady.
The Art User slowly got up to acknowledge Amanda's presence—his eyes brimming with awe. Carefully, he moved toward her before gently getting on one knee and kissing the back of her hand. "Perdona mis modales!" He began sweetly in Spanish. "Forgive my lack of manners. I didn't realize I was in the presence of the goddess of beauty. My name's Jorge. What's yours?"
"How sweet of you to greet me this way, Jorge. My name's Amanda."
Jorge picked himself up with a charming smirk. However, Amanda did not let his looks and smooth talk distract her from the mission.
"Jorge, who's the leader of your group?" She asked.
"Well, you could say that's me, hermosa!"
"Then that saves me a lot of trouble. I'd like you to take your group and leave this village ASAP."
Jorge laughed, amused by Amanda's request. "You know I can't do that now, Aphrodite. We made a deal with the villagers to keep them safe. We have to hold up our end of the deal."
"The way I see it, it looks more like you're taking advantage of their situation rather than helping them. I understand that you and your friends see this as a business opportunity, and as an entrepreneur myself, I respect that. However, your demands are far too high for a poor village like this. Eventually, even if the Demon Beasts don't kill them, hunger will," Amanda said sternly.
"Wait, Amanda!" Blake quickly interrupted in Jorge's defense. "Jorge and his friends aren't bad people! Sure, it might be tough on us now, but they saved us from the Demon Beasts! Tell them, Mika!"
"I... It's true..!" Mika pitched in shyly. "Jorge also helps Blake and me with our training for free. He's teaching us how to fight so we can defend the village once he leaves… He's a good person!"
Amanda let out a frustrated sigh. The situation was already challenging. If the villagers became attached to the Art Users, it would prove even more challenging to help them.
"See? We haven't done anything wrong here," Jorge shrugged. "I'll admit that I see this village as a business opportunity, but just like everyone else, I'm only trying to survive. Is that so wrong?"
"Ugh…" Amanda rolled her eyes—her frustration quickly rising. "What a bother this is. You're right. Arguing with you is pointless since you've technically done nothing wrong. But don't think for a second I'm letting you off the hook that easily. By law, you're required to tell us what you know about the Demon Beast attacks."
"I'm sorry, but I can't accept that," Nathan interjected, his face tinged with anger.
"Nathan?" Amanda muttered in surprise.
"Who are you supposed to be? Your superior has already decided that we've done nothing wrong. Let's not make this any more complicated," Jorge warned, staring defiantly into Nathan's eyes.
"Sure, you haven't done anything wrong yet, but you said it yourself. You see this village as a business opportunity. So, in that case, what happens to this village when they have nothing left to offer you for protection? You'll abandon them, right?"
To Nathan's surprise, Jorge laughed at his question. It was like a comedian had stepped onto the porch and shared the joke of the century. "Of course, we'll be forced to leave, snowflake! Asno! Isn't that obvious? If there's no money to make, we'll end up starving like them. That's just how the world works, and everyone knows that. Survival isn't built on kindness. Besides, you're a hero, aren't you? It's your job to find a solution to the problem so they don't have to keep suffering once we leave."
"Sorry, pal, but I agree with Nate," Andrew supported, stepping forward. "Who knows what you guys could be doing behind our backs? You're scamming these poor people. You're almost taking half their supplies plus a hefty daily fee. You guys must have been birthed through your mother's ass because that's the work of some real dipshits if you ask me."
"Woah! Calm down there, tough guy!" Jorge exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "My group is a big one, you know. And because of that, we need a lot of supplies to keep ourselves going. You should stop making us look like the bad guys already."
Before Nathan and Andrew could continue, Amanda intervened to de-escalate the situation. "Jorge, as mentioned before, we just need information. Provide us with what you know, and we'll let you go."
"Hmph," he huffed with a grin. "We believe it's a Spawn Point. The Demon Beasts have a strange habit of attacking at dusk. That's when we normally get busy. Return later when it's dark, and we can discuss the rest."
"A Spawn Point, huh?" Amanda contested, obviously not believing his story. "Or you can take us deeper into the surrounding forest to show us what's really going on."
"Not interested. The forest could be crawling with Demon Beasts, and most of my men are out surveying the area anyway. It's too dangerous to go with so few of us. Come back later, as I mentioned before, when I've gathered all my men."
Without another word, Jorge left the house and disappeared down the street. A vein snaked across Amanda's forehead, her frustration clear to see.
"Well, that was a bland excuse," Sindy grumbled.
"I don't get it, Amanda. Why did you let him off the hook that easily?" Nathan asked, visibly upset.
Amanda turned to Nathan before resting a hand on his shoulder. "As an assassin, you can't rush things. Sure, we could have pressed him with more questions, but it would be fruitless. If anything, it might have just started unnecessary conflict. It's far too early for that. Be patient. We'll get our answers."
Blake then jumped in front of Amanda to get her attention—his eyes burning with determination. "We did what you told us and showed you to Jorge! Let us join your organization as promised!"
"Hey, slow down there! Things don't work that way," Amanda replied, her tone steady and reassuring. "You'll have to keep helping until we solve your village's problems."
"Dang… Fine. I didn't expect it to be that easy anyway. Mika and I are going to train with Jorge for now. If you need us, just let us know."
The siblings quickly ran after Jorge in the distance, leaving the assassins behind. They were still pumping with energy.
"So what do we do now?" Andrew asked.
"We'll meet back up with the Instructor and discuss the intel we've gained so far. We'll decide what to do afterward," Amanda declared, gazing into the distant forest.
"I just hope we don't let these guys get away with exploiting the villagers like this. It makes me sick."
"Trust me, Andrew. I've been an assassin long enough to know how this ends. Nine out of ten times, these situations go south. It's almost certain to end in conflict. Just keep your guard up for now. We need to get more dirt on these guys before acting. Be patient and wait for the correct time to strike."