Divine Beast Ascension

It didn’t draw too much attention due to the running booze, but Oli couldn’t be invisible while walking toward Lambier. He sat down at an open table, claiming the whole thing for himself.

Keeping up the play, Lambier smiled and waved to the bartender to prepare two more mugs. Lambier picked them up and waltzed over to the cloaked beast. “Here! The first one’s on me, and perhaps the second one as well.”

Oli nodded under his hood and sipped the beer. At the same time, Oli spoke telepathically, ‘We have the name Dollon and the Blood Moon Order. Two elders and a perennial are the likely intruders.’

Lambier’s acting was top-notch. He accepted the information while drinking his non-alcoholic beer and smiling all the way. “Hey, a big guy like you should be strong, right? Then you should visit us down at the Mottz’s! You would fit right in with us mercenaries! And by the look of it, you’re not from around here. So you’ll get along great!”

Taking another swig, Lambier added, “Oh, unless you’re here for those Forells. We couldn’t give two shits about them!”

Oli took another sip. He mentally replied, ‘So a mercenary guild doesn’t get along with the territory leader?’

Mid-chug, Lambier nodded emphatically. “Ah! That fool! He kept turning down the leader’s proposal!”

‘I’ll keep that in mind. I’m off to the Forell Residence to see what records they’ve dug up.’

.....

As Oli got up to leave, Lambier seemingly pouted but proceeded to drown his supposed worries in the non-alcoholic beer. Then, Lambier took Oli’s mostly untouched mug and gave it to a nearby table.

In the end, Oli was in and out of the bar in just a few minutes. And Oli now had at least a partial lead he could look into if need be.

Oli then made his way through Forell City via the alleys and back roads. He was only in the public eye when approaching and entering the Forell Residence. There, Oli found Freele waiting for him to escort the drake into the property.

Once inside, Oli said, “Thanks for the escort.”

Freele nodded but kept a professional expression. “There’s no need to thank me. It’s an honor to work with someone like you, a rare Shadow Drake… But if you’re truly as strong as they say, why not join the Mortal Championship?”

The drake eyed Freele as they walked. Chuckling, Oli replied, “Because I don’t like being tied down. I’ll do whatever jobs I feel like, so being an assassin is perfect. But having a full-time master would only hold me back from enjoying my life as I wish. And there’s no telling when they would give me an assignment I couldn’t refuse and wind up dead.”

“I see. That’s a good reason,” Freele remarked.

“You ask why?”

Blinking, Freele replied, “Just curious, is all. Seeing someone like you and hearing about your supposed track record makes me wonder who would win in a fight.”

“Oh? You want to test yourself against me?” laughed Oli.

But Freele shook her head without delay. “No. I’ve already faced a soul master and know I would lose every time. I wonder how you would fair against a candidate I know, one from this very region.”

“Hmm… An intriguing proposal, but I don’t spar. I only kill or hide,” Oli stated, keeping his chuckles within the depths of his mind. “For me, there’s no point to violence that isn’t attached to a paycheck.”

“That’s too bad,” Freele sighed, letting her mind wonder who would win, between Vero and Oliver, a soul assassin drake versus the strongest human elder Freele had ever met.

Soon, they were inside a small, private hall. Sitting amongst a pile of paper records were Tranton and Trantor. The father and son duo was hard at work sorting and scanning over everything around them.

Freele motioned for the drake to enter further. “Vero’s here with new information from the interrogation.”

“I also paid my associate a visit to get an extra lead,” Oli added while marching up to Leader Tranton, hood down. “According to Walder’s accomplices, Blood Moon Order has three assassins in the city right now.”

“Blood Moon Order?!” Trantor and Freele were floored to hear that.

Leader Tranton, on the other hand, sighed with regret, “I see… So there’s already a plot to assassinate me.”

“The good news,” Oli continued, “is that we know who’s here and that you’re their target. The bad news is that we only have the supposed name of one of the elders, who went by Dollon in his discussion with Walder.”

“Dollon… Dollon…” Tranton repeated the name while revisiting the piles of paper around him. “Ah! Here it is. Dollon Orkan, an applicant for a mercenary license under Mottz. But he was the only person to apply that day, so it’s impossible to know who his companions from Blood Moon Order are, or if the other two even applied.”

Curious, Oli asked, “Wait, he applied for an official license?”

“Well, a permit, actually. It’s the first step to getting the license,” Tranton corrected. “But a mercenary permit will allow him to take jobs through the Mottz Family, someone notorious for doling out that kind of work throughout the city. Though the family has stagnated ever since I took control of the territory. They blame me for not providing enough work and even for downplaying their contributions to the city.”

Oli asked, “And my associate said something about you turning down their proposal?”

Laughing, Tranton nodded, “Oh that? Back in the day, the Mottz Patriarch offered his daughter as Trantor’s fiancee. I turned him down because Trantor had already started seeing Freele at the time, though without a public engagement. Then, the man offered her to Trenk. But Trenk turned her down the moment he met her.”

Nodding along, Oli tried to piece some ideas together while gathering more intel. “Would you consider the Mottz Family powerful?”

“They’re just as notable as Hurman was before he moved to Iron Town,” Tranton answered. “They have a single perennial who ascended just after I became territory leader, but he hasn’t progressed at all these past two years. That’s why we didn’t see an issue with declining the Mottz Family’s proposals years back.”

Oli agreed with a nod. But he continued trying to connect every dot possible. “In that case… it would likely help to get the Mottz Family’s participation in this investigation. However, I feel that there’s some kind of trap involved. There’s no other reason for Blood Moon Order to register one of themselves for a mercenary permit during their brief time in the city.”

Tranton sighed again, agreeing, “That would make the most sense… But it’s our best lead. So, should we get Hurman’s opinion on the matter?”

Squinting in thought, Oli asked, “... I have an idea that might work. However, it’s risky. Do you trust me?”

Tranton was a bit dazed by the question. Since it came from an elder and not even a perennial, it was difficult for him to answer. But Tranton couldn’t ignore the fact that the Shadow Drake standing before him had been chosen by Hurman to work alongside a group of powerful perennials. So Tranton took a moment to weigh out his thoughts before answering.

*********

As the second of three suns was setting, the cloaked drake left the Forell Residence alone. Nothing seemed to happen after that.

An hour later, Leader Tranton left his residence with his son and daughter-in-law alongside him. They tread through the main roads, not trying to conceal themselves at all, and eventually arrived at a small family residence with the sign reading “Mottz”.

“Halt,” a guard stated while approaching the three visitors. “Names?”

“Tranton Forells, Leader of the Forell Territory, as well as my son, Trantor Forell, and his wife, Freele Forell,” Leader Tranton stated with a matter-of-fact tone, staring the guard down.

Right away, the guard straighten his back and bowed his head. “Leader Tranton! Sorry for not recognizing you! It’s getting darker and we never see you on this side of town.”

“That’s fine. Now, please escort me to your patriarch. I have a couple matters to discuss with him, and a job to propose.”

The guard hurriedly nodded and opened the gate. Once all three guests were inside, the gate was closed and locked again, allowing the guard to personally lead the territory leader’s family into the residence. “Please, follow me, Leader Tranton.”

Tranton, Trantor, and Freele all kept quiet while traversing the Mottz Residence. But it was impossible for them to not be mentally hesitant. Despite being unable to express it, Tranton and his son were both extremely wary of their surroundings. With the threat of assassins looming over them, it was only a matter of time until Tranton, and likely his family, was attacked. And there was no telling where it would happen.