Chương 71: The Western Slums

From within his small room, Evel listened attentively. In the past weeks, he'd been so busy with training and working the circus, the investigation of Dissent, his main purpose, became more of an afterthought.

"A long while ago, when we attempted to send a stronger soldier to take over the mind of a terrorist, their mind instantly shattered. It seems that in order to get into a position of power in the organization, it's mandatory to give up control over your mind." Avid paused.

"On that front, we've finally made some progress. A medicine, in the form of a packet, has been developed that essentially protects your mind from the procedure that causes you to give up control. However, it requires you to consume it just minutes before the operation, so you'll still have to proceed with utmost caution. We've sent a few to Albert, so always keep some on you whenever you're digging deep on anything." Avid shuffled around his desk, looking for some sort of file.

"At around the same time yesterday, we've gotten reports of strange movements from a few correspondents who've managed to break into the organization. The amount they know is extremely little since Dissent is extremely cautious, but it could be an opportunity for you to get more information in Ichoris. Evel thought about any suspicious movement he'd seen recently. Not much happened in the slums other than the constant trickle of new mine workers.

In Upper-Ichoris, he wasn't well-connected, nor did he spend a lot of time digging deep. Sure, he would go around on frequent runs during the well-lit nights, but that didn't help him learn about the activity that happened within the buildings.

"If there's any place you find suspicious, or any person you think may be part of Dissent, the next few weeks are a good time to investigate deeper. Don't be too aggressive; even a small tidbit of information, when compounded over many agents, can produce significant results. This report of movement may not even lead to anything, but for cities like Ichoris, where Dissent may not even be, it could be the opportunity to get in."

One location immediately sprang out as the most suspicious: the western area of the slums. Both Clara and Mateo had told him to avoid it when possible, but he had yet to get a concrete reason as to why. None of his eight workers seemed to know either, but they all shared the same feeling that something was wrong with that area, and they didn't want to be the ones to find out. Apparently, Evel would have to be the one who found out.

"Oh, and one other thing that I thought you'd be interested in." Evel refocused.

"Your friend, Bremin, from the recruitment trial has already been getting some impressive achievements on the front line. Apparently, ever since he got proper training, he's been an unstoppable machine. He has a real shot at advancement before the end of the year. A true talent who can grow to do great things. Anyways, good luck in your search, and remain cautious." BEEP. End of the year… According to Albert, Evel was about 35% of the way to Weaver on the pure Energy side of things.

Yet that number wasn't very reliable. For starters, you only need to get to around 80% to actually break through into the next realm. The bigger issue was that the higher your percentage, the more effort it took. In reality, he may not even be 15% of the actual effort required. And if he were to listen to Arlo's advice of really securing his foundation before advancement, he was even further away. To break through within the next year… Evel sighed. He was happy for Bremin, but a part of him thought…

maybe hoped that if he worked hard enough, he could somewhat keep up. Of course, he never expected to always remain on the same level, but the true depth of the chasm between them was finally showing. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it"I guess I haven't really been pushing myself to my limit either way," He muttered, turning off the machine. He shook his head. This was good news.

Bremin was making his mark on the world, and Agent was making progress in stopping another massive terrorist attack. Fighting was Bremin's strength, and Evel had his own. Evel summoned Eth. He'd worry about Dissent after his training and some high-quality sleep. The next morning, Evel repeated his schedule. He had breakfast, got in good training, then enjoyed a large lunch. Then Albert gave him the special packet meant to protect his mind and left for the slums.

Although the day was gloomy, the circus members having the Monday off made it the best day for exploration. It was a shame he still didn't have his upgraded weapon, the custom metal cards, in case he got into an altercation. Still, what he had wasn't bad. He paid 90 credits, basically double what he had for the crossbow, so his expectations were high. Even then, he was still pleasantly surprised.

The cards were created by an alloy of stratite, ferrum and 'industry secrets' that kept the cards light to throw, while heavy on impact. Since the weapon's arrival, Albert partitioned part of the training time to weapons training, where he'd gotten some good practice, so at the very least, he'd have something to defend himself with. Well, 'weapons training' usually devolved to Albert chasing him around while he tried to defend himself with his cards.

It was a strange training method, but he couldn't deny their results. Evel arrived in front of the circus tent resting at around the south-west-central point of the slums, wearing a grey hooded robe and light makeup to warp his features. Further west, there were a few more shops and the occasional house that he could see. Past that was unexplored territory. Just as he was about to leave, he heard a small shuffling in the tent. Evel narrowed his eyes.

Reaching into his pockets, he grabbed hold of his throwing cards and slowly crept forward. He remained light on his feet, getting closer and closer. Until finally, he heard two very familiar voices.

"... switch places." Mateo?

"Metamorphosis!" This time, it was Clara, and she sounded excited.

"We can still go faster. When Eth does it, he slips into the bag so easily, we can definitely improve it."

"Hm, alright, but we'll come back to it after. There's some other stuff I still wanna try."

"Deal! I also need to learn how to do the hoop stuff, so I might need your help to protect me from my falls. Don't wanna accidentally break the ol' neck while practicing." Clara laughed. Mateo awkwardly chucked.

"Y-yeah, that would be pretty bad, I'll help you out." He cleared his throat.

"But only if you first pick a card!" Evel smiled. Not only were they practicing on their day off, but he also didn't even have to pay them! With no reason to interrupt, Evel quietly slipped out. The area near the circus had grown a lot more colourful over the past four weeks. Due to increased weekend activity, a few people grew fond of the nearby restaurants, thus increasing the foot traffic a little more.

Of course, this area had always been popular among those in the slums who had a few Riak to spare, but that popularity had only been further reinforced. As Evel made his way further westward, the number of people continued to steadily drop. Before long, it was completely empty. The sights hadn't changed much, except for one key difference: the ever-present white ash that originated from the mines, and the workers spreading it around were nowhere to be seen.

The door of an abandoned house creaked with movement, and a sudden movement skirted through the edge of his vision. Evel tensed, placing his right hand in his pocket, ready to take out his cards. He crept up to the house. Most people in the slums weren't a threat to him, but if it were anything involving Dissent, it wouldn't be easy to deal with. As he approached closer and closer, another burst of movement broke out. This time, he got a clear view. A rat.

A part of him wanted to just hire some people in the slums to investigate it for him, or even offer up rewards for any information. But should a random person die due to his fear and incapacity… Evel continued forward. The place was eerie. The heavy clouds above darkened the already poorly lit alleyways, but the worst thing by far was just the severe lack of… activity. Of people. The area was just a small part of the slums, but it was absurd that not a single person had chosen to move there.

When Redigo set up the housing for new miners, it was like they specifically ignored this area. Evel kept searching. He moved slowly and remained constantly vigilant of his surroundings, aware that if the wrong person found him, his life was forfeit. After an amount of time he wasn't tracking, he heard another movement. Further, this time, a few buildings away at most. Taking careful and quiet steps, he approached the noise. He quickly placed the packet in his mouth, firmly hugging his cheek and crept forward.

The noises got louder. Shuffling, dragging, a strange rattling, the occasional thump. His heartbeat intensified, and he stopped advancing. He was close enough to get a clear view. Taking a deep, quiet breath, Evel peered behind the rusty column. Three hooded figures were moving large, heavy sacks from one trailer to another. Each drop of a sack created a soft metallic clatter that resonated with the carts.

He didn't have a clear view of the three figures, but one of them was facing him just enough that he could make out a very familiar badge. A badge that represented working at the Imperium Tempor at the level of Weaver. An Icewood emblem with the symbol of a hammer.