Waiting for the Contact.

Evelyn Arcasai took a sip from her apple tea and looked out over the street. It was still a few hours before dusk would arrive, so it was not empty by any means, though it was noticeable that this region of Concord was slightly calmer than most others. She was not sure why though, since it did not appear that different from the rest of the Concordian Districts, nor was it that young either; according to the most recently updated maps she had looked at earlier, it was no younger than four decades. 

“I am really starting to wonder if that guy will ever show up,” Odin muttered gruffly while drumming his thick, green fingers against the oiled-in wood.

Evelyn turned her gaze towards the Battlebred who sat on the opposite side of the café table and nodded; she would be lying if she said she wasn’t beginning to get real irritated herself; their contact had given a time, place and date for their meeting and so far only two of them had been correct.

Supposedly so. If it turned out that they had been given the wrong information about the meeting, then she might actually set something, or rather, someone, on fire.  

The two Bounty Hunters were silent for a few more minutes, until Evelyn gave her friend’s empty coffee-mug a quick glance: “You want some more coffee?” she asked, before taking another sip of her tea.

Odin fixed his cap hat so that it shaded his eyes from the sun better, and nodded. “That would sit well, thank you.” He was silent for a second, looking over Evelyn’s shoulder with a searching gaze. “You have to agree though, that even if the guy does not show up, at least we discovered this nice café, right?” he said with a slight smile before he raised a finger in the air, as a signal towards one of the waiters behind Evelyn.

“Too bad our own District is quite a few hours away from here,” Evelyn muttered, spinning a loose lock of hair around her finger. It had escaped her thick waist-length braid, its platinum blonde color playing with the sunlight as she twirled it.

“Well, technically, you could just travel through one of the wannago places, right? The whole trip from the Inn to this café would then take, what, two hours? Perhaps two and a half, give or take?”

Evelyn thought over it all for a second, frowned, and placed the teacup down on the table. “Then why did we spend nearly half the day just getting here?”

Odin gave a nonchalant shrug. “We had time to kill since you have been given the day off. And it is always nice to wander Concord; you always have a chance of seeing something new here. Besides,” Odin said, making his voice somewhat quieter. “… it is not like we wanted to be tight-heeled by bothersome shadows.”

Evelyn raised an eyebrow. “You think we were followed here? Really? Is that not a bit overly paranoid?”

“When we are dealing with people like our current clienté? No, I do not think so. Besides, this is Concord. I personally feel it is a bit naïve to not at least suspect you are being followed by someone. Or something.”

“Well, isn’t that a reassuring thought,” Evelyn said with a thin smile, taking a sip of her tea. “But I guess I should not argue; you at least have experience in that field, do you not?”

“Hm, I guess,” Odin said distantly, fixing his cap hat once again, seemingly on pure instinct. He quickly returned to the present and tilted his head slightly to the left. “But, were you not a soldier too, or something along those lines, where you come from?”

“Not exactly,” Evelyn confessed with a mumble, before taking a quick breath, gathering herself. “I and those I worked with was more akin to mercenaries than anything else. Our group had a rather lenient relationship with the Vroantáll Government. For the most part, we were stationed at the Dheasull Valley, and our main duty was to guard and protect the region’s inhabitants and travelers from the persistently high number of Raw Vesen, as well as keeping the number of those monsters down at an acceptable level.”

“Were your friends Red Witches too? Or were you the only one?” Odin asked tentatively. Evelyn gave off a short laugh, her eyes distant.

“No, three of our group where Red Witches, including me. The others were a mixed sort. Those that were needed for an operation like the one we were running.” Evelyn breathed out slowly and ended it in a quiet sigh. “Our oldest member, Rosita, for example, was a Soulbonded and the Moritz Twins were, believe it or not, both Ilyons …” She became quiet as she noticed the attentive look Odin gave her. “Sorry, you probably have no idea what I am talking about.”

“For the majority of what you just said? No, cannot say I do,” Odin confessed as the waiter finally came with his coffee. When the waiter had left, leaving a mug filled with steaming hot coffee, Odin dropped three sugar cubes in the black liquid and stirred with a spoon before taking a satisfying sip.

“But I can guess, “ He continued with a solemn look. “I have heard a bit about Mésvéstell during my time here; everyone has.” Odin took a sip of his coffee. ”That includes Soulbonded, Ilyons and especially Raw Vesen.”

“That does not surprise me in the slightest. I would be very surprised if there lived someone, in any version of Mésvéstell, that did not know of Raw Vesen.”

Odin nodded, taking a sip of coffee. “Sounds similar to the Ashyt in Miand’Més. Though I think the similarities end there, if what I have been able to gather is correct.”

“What have you heard?” Evelyn asked curiously with a slight head tilt.

“There exists more than one variant, like Swamp Vesen and Forest Vesen.” Evelyn nodded. “And that they are the remnant of the remnant of the dead?”

“Hm, yes. More or less. From what I learned in my studies, Raw Vesen are former phantoms from the realm of shadows, that has been burnt into physical form by the first light of dawn, and there exists a subspecies for every possible biome, though no specimen is the other alike.”

“I see. So how do they end up in Mésvéstell, and why was there such a high number of these Raw Vesen located at the Dheasull Valley?”

“Hmm. They walk through so-called Mist Gates, which are kinda like Gates, I guess. Oh, how do I  explain this in simple terms …”

“I could ask Thei to bring forth a few books about all this if —”

“What, why?” Evelyn interrupted with a frown. Odin just gave her a look, causing Evelyn to shake her head. ”Oh. No no, that won’t be necessary. I can explain it all, or at least the basics, to you here and now. I just need a few minutes to remember my study years.”

“Very well. If you so wish.  It would make time fly by faster too, I reckon. If the memories of the past are not too much of a bother, that is?”

 “No, it is fine. After all, I have mentioned a few integral things about my past already. Besides, after Astiri joined us, it has gotten a lot easier to speak about, well, home. And in the end, it does feel better, if I am to be honest. Perhaps you should go and give it a try sometime?”

Odin shook his head. “I am afraid my past is a bit darker than yours, Evelyn. What you and most others know is but the tip of the iceberg and I would prefer if the majority of it stayed obscured underneath the waves.”

“That … sounded oddly poetic for you, Odin. Have you talked with Dhelian much recently?” Evelyn half-joked with a smile.

“He and I might have some things in common, yes. And his poetry is not all that bad, once you manage to see between all that purple prose —”

“I’ll take your word for it,” muttered Evelyn under her breath, drinking her tea.

“— and complicated word play. Very deep and surprisingly dark meanings too.” Odin was silent for a few seconds. “Anyway, the Mist Gates? You said they were similar to the Gates?”

“Right. Hm. Just … give me a few minutes. It is not something you exactly discuss with people on a regular basis, unless you are in certain circles …”

Meeting the Contact.

The contact arrived around an hour later and by then Evelyn had long since explained the Mist Gates and had followed up with the Dheasull Valley, its famous temple, and the rich history surrounding it all. She had then gone over to talk about the trolls, as well as the various magical phenomena that existed in her world. And sure enough, it made the time fly by much faster.   

Odin listened quietly; only rarely asking a follow-up question. It felt nice — if a bit sad — to talk about her home with someone who came from a completely different world, populated by completely different creatures, races, and magical phenomena. It all made Evelyn see her home from a slightly different perspective. 

“So the Ice Spiders are not actually real spiders then?”

“Well, there are those who think so. Hence one reason for their name. But no, they are just enigmatic magical phenomena. Beautiful in their own way, I would say."

“So you do not have giant spiders in Mésvéstell then?”

Evelyn shook her head. “No in my Mésvéstell at least.”

“I must say, that I then envy you. They are not nice to stumble upon I can tell you that, especially when it is dark and they are in packs. Though, they do have some uses. For example—  ah, sorry, maybe you hadn't finished?” 

“No, no, it is fine. I would like to know a bit more about Miand’Més as well. And I have been talking for like, what, half an hour? Please, continue.”

“Very well. Oh, and it was one hour by the way.” Evelyn raised her eyebrows in surprise but did not say anything. “Now, where was I? Right, the spider silk. The giant spiders produce spider silk that is very tough and flexible. I know of regions back home that farmed and processed spider silk and made clothing out of it. A very lucrative but dangerous business.”

“Because of the fact that they handle big spiders that lives in packs? How large can they get, anyway?”

“I have heard of matriarchs that have been as large as this whole café building, but they are near-mythical in nature. The common ones, however, are about as large as either a pony or a horse. And they can usually be found in packs of around five or seven.”

“How wonderful. But I guess that is not all?”

Odin shook his head. “They are also poisonous, which, depending on their age can have various effects, and most are incredibly lethal.”

Evelyn fought down a shiver. “And let me guess: Spider eggs are a delicacy?”

“Only in some places. If they are prepared correctly, they can taste amazing. In fact, I think —"

Odin went silent when a tall human male sat down at the only other free chair at their table, without so much as a word. The two Bounty Hunters managed to contain their surprise over how silent the man had been. He was dressed in a neat blue shirt underneath a white west with simple copper buttons, dark pants and simple shoes. 

“Well, aren’t you late,” muttered Odin and leaned back in his chair. “We were beginning to wonder if you would even show up.”

“My apologies. There were certain … let us say, complications, that came up and I needed them taken care of before I came here. But you two appear to have taken no harm from it.”

Evelyn snorted, the tilt of her head oozing sardonicism. “What were the complications?” she asked with a dry tone, taking a small sip of her tea.

“Nothing that is of concern for neither of you. Shall we get to business?” Evelyn shared a look with Odin, then nodded. “Good. This assignment will be a little different from the others that you have been given before. It is highly likely that you will encounter fierce resistance, from multiple adversaries. Your target is a paranoid one and slippery as an eel covered in butter. Multiple times we have tried to catch him, but to no avail.”

“A name would be nice, as well as information about these adversaries,” Odin pointed out. Evelyn nodded in agreement.

“Your target is a high positioned member of the Phasma Ecto Cult, who goes by the name of Eyrin Werk; a tall human with dark brown hair, blue eyes, and a scared left ear. Preferably, we would like you to take him and bring him to us alive, more or less so at the very least. But if that is not achievable, then his corpse will do just fine. No matter the outcome, the cult will be significantly weakened and his personal cell will disperse; I and my associates will take care of the cleanup.”  

“And what happens if we fail and he manages to escape with his life?” Evelyn asked. “Will we still get paid?”

“My superiors wish to keep our relationship on good terms. However, there needs to be a line drawn. You will get paid, yes, but only a third of what was agreed upon. Do you agree to these terms?”

“Sounds fair enough,” Evelyn admitted. “Or what do you think, Odin?”

“I agree,” he said, raising his coffee mug before taking a large sip of its content.

“Excellent. Eyrin Werk can be found at 21 Cloudwipp Street, near the fringes of the Doctors’ Conclave District. According to our sources, it is a momentary hideout of his cell.”

Evelyn nodded. “Okey, so what is the deadline for this assignment? A day or two, I assume?”

“After dusk today.”

The Bounty Hunters were silent for a moment as they took the answer in.

“After dusk? Today? That is about four hours away from now!” Evelyn exclaimed. “We will barely be able to get there from here in time! We won’t be able to make a proper reconnaissance, to look for possible escape routes, and figure out a good estimate for the number of cult members. Not to speak of the proper gear we would need and other necessities! At least a full day would be needed to assault a headquarter filled with nut jobs with high tech weaponry!”

“Evelyn, calm down. We can deal with it. Of that I am sure.”

“Why is it so important that it needs to be done before dusk? This Eyrin will have escaped by then, I guess?” Evelyn asked, ignoring her friend.

“According to our sources, yes. Your previous activities have made him worried and there is a high chance he will go dark after today, and then we will have to wait for months or possibly even longer before he shows up again. We cannot afford to lose this opportunity.”

“And, how good are your sources?” asked Odin.

"Have they ever been wrong before?"

“No. But if they were so good at their jobs, they should have learned of this possibility at least several days ago. Giving us more time, and thus giving us higher chances of accomplishing the assignment.”

“Did you not just say that you could handle it.”

“Yes, but only marginally so.” Odin became silent for a second, eying the man. “This was not our original assignment, was it? Those complications that caused you to be late made you change it, isn’t that so.”

The contact was silent for several seconds, before sighing. “That is correct. But we believe you are two of the best in the business. If anyone can accomplish this efficiently in time, it would be you.”

“Cut the booth-kissing, what was the original assignment?” Evelyn asked.

“Pick up and reconnaissance. But we have already sent someone else to deal with that.”

“Who?” Odin asked.

“A Bounty Hunter by the name of Celine Lo'Veth.”

 “The Lost Orphan? Did you assign a simple pick up and reconnaissance assignment to her of all people? Is that job more important than catching your guy? Because it sure does sound like it.”

“They are of equal importance. Of that, you can quite be sure of. In fact, you of all people should know that pick up and reconnaissance assignments not always are simple and easy. Should I take this tone of yours as a sign that you won’t accept the assignment? Taking a shortcut through the Blank Spaces should allow you to get to the hideout in time. And if you succeed, not only will this do a lot for your reputation, but we will give you a significant monetary bonus as well.”

Evelyn did not like this. They needed more time. But if they thanked no to it, it would damage both theirs reputations, at least to a small degree, on top of them not getting paid. But, on the other hand, if they succeeded …

She signed heavily. “Very well. We’ll take care of it for you.”

“But this better not become a common occurrence,” Odin said.

“That, I hope as well. Anyway, it was pleasant meeting you two again. Hopefully, all goes well and we will see each other again when this is done. Oh, and feel no need to pay for the fika. It is all on me.” With that said, the man stood up and left the café, with the gazes of both Evelyn and Odin on his back.

Thinking over the assignment.

“Four hours,” Evelyn finally said. “Four damn stressing hours to take down a high-positioned member of a cult who hoard high tech. We do not even know if there exist any secret passageways that this Eryn will flee through, which there would likely be several of.”   

“It is something we need to account for, and I think we would need to work fast when we assault the hideout. If what the Contact said was true, then it would not be a surprise if Eryn fled the second we assault the hideout.”

“Right!? It would have helped at least somewhat if we had been given a full day, but even that would have stretched things. Even so, I do wonder if we will even be enough to take the place.”

“You doubt in your capabilities?”

“When we stand against the odds like these? Yeah, a bit actually. You don’t? I know you are good Odin, but come one. Think rationally.”

“I do think rationally, and I do not doubt my capabilities. How they stand against the odds that have been presented for us is another matter. Besides, we are some of the best in the business. In the same tier as Celine Lo'Veth, at least, according to the Contact and I happily take that compliment.”

“And you believe him?”

“When we are talking about us two as one, in the best of circumstances, then yes. But alone and unprepared? I doubt that to some degree.”

Evelyn was silent for a second and crossed her arms, a slight frown appearing on her forehead. “You know, now that I think about it, I am pretty sure Celine would struggle with this assignment as well. She may be a Lost Orphan, but she is still only one person. Eryn would still have just as much of a chance, bigger in fact, of escaping through a secret passageway and then there is the fact that Celine would still need to fight multiple opponents who wield long-range weaponry, in close quarters.”

Odin smiled slightly. “A situation we would be better equipped to handle, do you not agree? You with your magic, and me with my gun,” Odin said, patting his plasma pistol in its hip holster.  

“Yes, well, I am starting to wonder if we maybe should bring Ha’ak with us. A Fate Reading would probably ease my nerves about all this.”

“Would that not depend on the result? Besides, are his Fate Readings not much more vaguer when they concern those from Mésvéstell?”

“Well, yes,  and not really. At least when it concerns those from my world. Apparently they are more clearer than others from other A.V;s.“

“Huh. Sounds peculiar. Why is that so?”

“How am I supposed to know, I am not an Omnicologist. Though, Thei said that it had something to do with Väes; you know, that which concerns the theory about frequencies and worlds. Apparently he has read a bit in that field. Said that, apparently, my world is a lot more closer to Miand’Més in a metaphysical sense than other variations of Mésvéstell. Though I do not quite get how that would make sense.”

Odin only nodded for a few seconds. “So if you do not mind me asking, what did the Ha’ak’s Fate Readings show you?”

Evelyn took a sip of her tea. It had begun to get cold. “…Uncertainties, as always. Just because the sun was up, does not mean the mist was gone completely. Though I do wonder if he might have seen more than he was willing to tell me. As if the prospect of me never … never seeing...!”

Evelyn became silent and took a long breath to calm down. The cold sun within her had flared up as her mental grip around it had tightened.

Cool down, cool down, ye burning sun and lay on the thick cold ice. Illuminated by both moon and stars, ye brethren and friends of a long time past.

“Evelyn, are you all right?”

Evelyn, not realizing she had closed her eyes, opened them and gave Odin a reassuring look. “Mhm, sorry, I just began thinking about the negative again. I am cool.”

“No, I do not think I would say so,” Odin said slowly.

“What? Would you say I am hot? Come on, that is some lazy wordplay. Especially for you.”

“No, I mean, your horns, Evelyn. They are burning.”

“What?” She laid a hand on her left horn and felt the magical red flames that had engulfed them. Drawing a quick breath, she looked within herself and gripped her inner cold sun hard; forcing it to shrink down and cool off. With something akin to a whimper, it obeyed until it was nothing more than a seemingly cold flame.

“Are they gone?” she asked, looking down at her teacup in embarrassment.

“Yes, though they are still giving off red smoke.”

“That will go away soon. Are many staring?”

“Staring? Evelyn, you are a nearly two-meter tall, striking woman with blue reptilian skin and two red-shaded curved horns protruding from your temples. Along with the fact that your race is not exactly a common sight here in the City, one can without hesitation say, that you stand out like blood on freshly fallen snow. Flaming horns would, not and does not, make much of a difference. Where is this even coming from? I thought you did not mind people staring?”

“Sorry, I …” Evelyn took a breath and raised her gaze, doing her best to stow away the anxiety in a faraway dark corner of her mind. “Spontaneously igniting your horns is … not looked upon with approval where I am from. It is seen as a sign of poor self-control, and for a Red Witch of my rank, that is simply just … unacceptable.”

“Evelyn, please. You are in Concord, not in your home of origin. Here, people will not care if you spontaneously ignite your horns, even if it is seen as taboo where you are from. I actually think, if those people you think of had stayed in the City for any large amount of time, they would be very understanding and forgiving of it occurring. After all, magic is a bit confused here and no one will fault you for having some difficulties controlling it from time to time, especially when the trigger is so close to home.”

Evelyn could not help but smile and breathed out, not realizing she had held her breath in. “Thanks Odin. You always have a good way with words —” She was interrupted by the chiming of the Concordian Clocktower and felt the stress of the upcoming assault take hold of her again with new vigor. “By the Lost Idols… Okey. I think it is time we should go. The faster this whole ordeal is done and gone, the better.”

“Sounds good to me, “ Odin said and emptied his coffee mug in one fell swoop. “ Oh, and by the way, should we ask for assistance from one of the others in the Guild?”

“Maybe. We can think about it on the way,” Evelyn responded as she rose up and took up the satchel she had leaning against the table leg.

She took a quick look inside; laying curled up like a ball among her potent energy potions, her lockpick-kit and a package of dried meat, was her stranmys weasel Almond; sleeping and quietly snoring.

Evelyn smiled warmly, before placing the satchel-strap over her shoulder and walking out on to the street with Odin tight on her heels.