Chương 45: Mission

Evel didn't beat around the bush; there should be no need to.

"That pendant. A girl I fought had the same one." The reply was almost instant. [A friend gave it to me; it's a common design.] Evel subtly narrowed his eyes, but didn't pursue the topic. If the man wasn't interested in giving him a reply, pushing it wouldn't help.

"Would I be able to get some sort of trainer? Even if I'm supposed to be hiding my identity." The representative didn't reply for a while. [Yes, but only combat training. His ability is very… peculiar, so his lessons won't apply to you, and with you being undercover, it would be risky to hire a trainer so you'll be forced to figure our your ability related training yourself. However, I can promise you that in terms of other forms of training, he's quite the capable man.] He didn't want to reveal his ability regardless, so that arrangement was completely fine. Still, Evel forced a frown and waited without replying. It was important not to be too eager in these negotiations. After a while, he got another transmission. [The circus front you create will be in your name, not the Banners. We'll lend you the initial expenses, and after repaying us, you can keep all the future revenue generated for yourself. If you fail, we'll waive the loan.]"Hmm, how much does information pay?"

[Depends on the information. We collect and sell the information, and you'll receive 60% of Agent earns. There is also information that we'll buy directly from you related to your main mission.] He had five options so far. 300 from Equis, 300 from Prachar, 500 from Beam, 500 from Quisse, and 200 from Agent. He already had plenty of credits from the challenge, giving him a nice moat to work with while he focused on long-term earning opportunities. The initial bonus could mostly be ignored.

Quisse and Beam were the first to go; since their focus was on water techniques and construction, their extra knowledge in these specialties were useless. Additionally, they were both class B Banners. With that in mind, Prachar or Equis were superior alternatives. As class A Banners, they probably had first dibs on all the good tasks, giving him further opportunity in the future. With their large size, they'd also have more options for instructors.

On the other hand, Agent would provide a free instructor, although he wouldn't get to pick. It's a small risk, since most instructors would probably do considering my poor starting point. As for the pay, it fully depended on Evel's capabilities. I'll also get time to train… Alright, Agent it is! [Fine, 65%.] Huh? Just as Evel was about to agree, the offer just improved. Right! I can negotiate!

"75%." He casually demanded. [Your affinity is 60.]"I got the third most points regardless, didn't I?" No response. Did I push too far? Evel's worries were relieved with Equis and Prachar as back-ups, should they reject. A minute passed. Evel's eye twitched, It was probably fine; maybe they were discussing it with their superiors? Yet the persistent, calm gaze from the representative didn't ease those thoughts. This story originates from Royal Road.

Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Two minutes. Three minutes. The panic began settling in. He'd pushed too far. He should walk it back — 65% was fine, 65% was more than enough — Just as Evel was ready to retract his offer, the voice transmission came. [Fine, 70%. Say your goodbyes and come stand by the Banner. I need a few more recruits.] Evel exhaled.

"Ok! We have a deal!" He'd almost thrown it away. A second chance. His very own circus. I still don't know how to negotiate… I guess being silent worked out pretty well. Evel turned to see Elena, Brenton, and Leo staring at him expectantly. His voice confirming the deal must have travelled far. Brenton wiggled his eyebrow.

"Something good?" Evel nodded.

"Only 200 credits up front, but that's not a problem for me. The conditions are good, and I got a lot of the things I initially wanted."

"Right, with like 1800 credits, I can't imagine you being too desperate for them…" Brenton trailed off, perhaps considering his own credit situation.

"And the three of you? Refine the details of your deal?"

"Yup!" Brenton straightened up, "Leo decided he wanted to stay with us, and we were able to get his offer increased to 400!"

"So you decided what you want?" Evel asked Leo directly.

"No…" Evel patted him on the shoulder. Leo was probably no older than 15; he'd have plenty of time to figure it out. A splash of white flickered past the corner of his vision. Juniper's white-tipped hair glistened in the light as she walked towards the Banners. A brawny man awaited her, standing beside a nickel-yellow banner with a soaring crow. Eminus. Juniper never matched Evel's gaze, keeping her focus on the steps before her as she slowly disappeared from his vision. Evel couldn't help but sigh.

He held a deeply rooted hatred for traitors, sure, but that didn't mean he wanted to throw his life away in pursuit of one. When Elena first talked to her, Evel genuinely believed that she'd come to the same conclusion as him. Now, he wasn't sure. Beside him, Brenton mumbled,"At least she's going to a class A Banner." Evel looked up at the ceiling at the gold-trimmed chandeliers that brilliantly lit up the hall.

"I just hope she succeeds, whatever her decision is." Elena softly added. He wanted to mean it. But he couldn't envision a world where Juniper killed Lucien. It simply felt impossible. The man's strength was ridiculous, but the main thing that made him so terrifying was his personality. He was somehow both amicable and ruthless. Worst of all, Evel found it absolutely impossible to get a read on that man; not a single action of his felt genuine.

"I hope so too." He replied. After all, hope was all he could do. Rather, the only thing he was willing to do.

"Will we see each other again?" Leo asked, tugging at Evel's shirt. Evel gave him a confident smirk.

"I can't tell you about Juniper, but as long as you remain alive, you'll see plenty more of me." Brenton scratched the back of his head awkwardly, "I suppose this is goodbye, huh?"

"I suppose so." Elena gave Brenton a few back pats, "Oh, don't be so gloomy. The last time we saw him off, he came back with 1880 credits. Who knows what he'll have accomplished by next?" Brenton smiled, "Well, you heard her! Don't disappoint us, Evel." Evel nodded as his expression softened. He had been extremely lucky with all of the great people he met over the past few weeks. Then, with a light bow, he took his leave. As Elena watched Evel's back shrink off into the distance, she sighed.

"What do you think of Evel?"

"Huh?"

"Like his personality and stuff." She clarified. Brenton paused, thinking for a few seconds.

"He's definitely an interesting fella. Well, we haven't known him for very long, but after the Squalling Desert, it feels like I've known him my whole life. His tricks are pretty cool too, and I doubt this'll be the last time we see him." Elena's eyes wandered back to where Evel who was now patiently waiting beside Agent's representative. She scrunched her face.

"He doesn't seem a little distant to you?" Brenton shrugged.

"We've only known each other for a week; you can't expect everyone to open up right away." Elena shook her head, "You're right. I'm projecting my own personality onto his."

"He also treats Leo pretty well," Brenton added with a slight smirk. Leo, upon hearing his name, straightened up and looked at Brenton. Brenton smiled.

"So you really decided that you haven't had enough of us yet, huh?" Evel reached the short representative, who was staring at the remaining crowd with calm eyes. Undoubtedly, he was conversing with another recruit. Can everyone above the stage of weaver just do that?

"It has to be learned." Evel snapped out of his thoughts, realizing the representative was talking to him. His real voice felt much warmer than the one that had previously spoken to his mind. The man didn't bother explaining his abilities further.

"You're quite the lucky one. Usually, Banners put the freshest recruits in some sort of a school, but lucky for you, you'll have a whole teacher to yourself." Evel opened his mouth to reply, but the man cut him off.

"Sorry, I'll ask you to hold off your questions for now. I'm Avid, by the way." With a nod, Evel waited in silence. Soon, the large crowd of people diminished. Then some more. Until finally, only three remaining people were left who had yet to join a Banner. Evel was naturally curious what would happen to the stragglers, but it didn't take long for them to find a group as well. They likely just got a bad deal. Agent had recruited four others aside from Evel, but he didn't recognize any of them.

Avid addressed the five.

"Each one of you will be assigned a different city, but the overarching mission will be the same." Avid walked forward, and the five recruits hastily followed.

"Each of you will get a teacher to show you the very basics, but if you want more of them, then pay them using credits. As for your main mission…" Avid stopped. He turned his head slowly to face the five of them, and the calm in his eyes had gone somewhere else entirely. This time, he spoke directly to their minds. [Fourteen years ago, a terrorist group left tens of thousands dead in their wake. Your target of investigation is the very same group: Dissent]