*In Jin’s basement, Jin was hard at work performing maintenance on Scarlet’s spear. Scarlet was sitting in a chair watching him work. Some would find this whole process boring, but Scarlet was fascinated by it. Jin’s complete focus on the task in front of him was charming. He looked so cool to her. Jin pulled the tip of the spear out of the furnace and sat the spear on the workbench where his blacksmith spirit was waiting hammer in hand*
(Jin): Okay, hammer here, here, and here.
*The spirit nods and begins to hammer in the spots Jin told it to. Once the spirit was done hammering, Jin poured water onto the spear to cool it down. When the heat finally cooled down, Jin took out a magnifying glass and inspected the spear to make sure everything was alright*
(Jin): Hmm~. . .excellent.
*Jin picks up the spear and hands it back to Scarlet who stood up to receive the spear. After Jin backs away at a safe distance, Scarlet performs a few slashes, thrust jabs, and spins with the spear. Jin’s ninja and brawl spirits then fire fruit at Scarlet who blocks the first five with the pole of her spear and then slashes and jabs the next five with the blade of the spear. Scarlet smiles as the ninja and brawler spirit give her a thumbs up*
(Jin): So, how does it feel?
(Scarlet): It’s perfect. I can grip the pole without any issue and the sharpness of the blade is just right. Amazing work as always Jin. Thank you.
*Scarlet smiles at Jin and looks down to see the spirits close to her. Scarlet squats down*
(Scarlet): And thank you all as well for your hard work.
(Spirits): Woyo!
*Scarlet pats the spirits on the head to thank them before standing back up*
(Scarlet): Are you sure I don’t owe you anything? I always feel bad using your services for free.
(Jin): Don’t worry about it. I’m just thankful you trust me enough to perform maintenance on your weapon. Not to mention all the ores and minerals you find out in the field are a huge help in my research in crafting weapons. You’ve been saving me a ton of credits.
*Scarlet notices a white board off to the side with the words: weapon ideas written on it*
(Scarlet): How goes your weapon research?
(Jin): Eh. Could be better. I’ve been working on trying to create an all-purpose weapon to use in battle. Over the last weeks, I’ve noticed that I waste time switching between weapons in combat, leaving myself vulnerable to attack. So I figured why not combine them into one all-purpose weapon? Unfortunately, I haven’t crafted a proper base yet to hold all the weapons. Without a proper base I can’t do anything.
(Scarlet): Have you thought about asking the others for help? I’m sure they’d be more than happy to lend a hand.
(Jin): Nah, I want to do this on my own. Besides, they’ll say this is just another trial I have to figure out on my own. I’m sure you can attest from your interactions with Jade and Morgan.
(Scarlet): Yes, I have to admit they can be a little hands-off at times during my training, but at the same time I do like that they give me room to learn on my own and not hold my hand like some child. It’s very refreshing in a way. I’m sure you’ll figure it out. After all, you’re a very smart and clever guy.
*Scarlet realizing what she just said turned to hide her blushing face*
(Scarlet): Changing subjects, do you think you’ll be able to make the party?
(Jin): Well seeing as how it’s taking place a week and a half before I head home, I say yes. Gael and Alita are also on board.
*Scarlet turned around excited*
(Scarlet): That’s great.
(Jin): How about you? Are you going?
(Scarlet): Yes. I was a little hesitant to go at first. I’m not much of a partygoer but if you and the others will be there then I’m sure it’ll be fun.
(Jin): Yeah, I’m not much of a partygoer either, but we’ve been working hard all year and I think blowing off some steam will be nice. Plus, going with some friends will be fun.
*All of a sudden Jin’s phone rang and he answered it*
(Jin): Hello. Dust? Oh no. I’ll be there shortly.
*Jin hangs up*
(Jin): I’ve got to go. There’s been a situation over at Sweet Heaven.
***
*Outside of Sweet Heaven two police cars were blocking off the area and conducting an investigation. Leon was in charge of overseeing the area with a dark blue coat on, black pants, and black shoes. He was addressing a crowd of people who were curious of what was going on*
(Leon): I understand everyone wants to know what’s going on, but please for your own safety remain behind the police line. We will present our findings at a later time.
(White Knight): Hey you two! No crossing the line!
*Leon looked over to the right and saw Jin wearing an orange coat with a blue winter hat and has on dark navy blue jeans. Jin was trying to cross the line before he got stopped by a White knight who was a dark elf*
(Jin): It’s okay, we’re knights as well.
*Jin and Scarlet show their knight’s licenses to the elf*
(Leon): At ease, Elliot. He’s with the others and she. . .Scarlet!?
(Scarlet): Leon?
(Leon): What are you doing here? Why are you here with him? Do you two know each other?
*Jin and Scarlet were starting to panic in their mind. Scarlet hadn’t told Leon that Jin had been her private blacksmith nor did she tell him that she was going over to a boy’s house to have her weapon worked on as she was afraid at how he would react*
(Scarlet): Uhhhh~, we’re friends. Yeah, we’re friends.
(Jin): Right, friends. We worked on the Smile case together. I ran into Scarlet on the way here and she insisted on coming to help out.
(Scarlet): I was making a coffee run when I heard the news about Sweet Heaven and wanted to check it out.
(Leon): Well. . .that was nice of you, but Jin is the only one they called in.
(Scarlet): Please Leon, let me through. I was here last night. I want to help out in any way I can.
*Scarlet gave Leon the puppy dog eyes. A look his little sister knew he couldn’t resist*
(Leon): *Grumble* All right. But stick close to Ryuuji, Dust and the others. This isn’t the Red knight’s forte so to speak.
*Leon gives the White knight the nod to let them through. The knight allows Jin and Scarlet to cross over with Leon watching them go. He knew there was some truth to their story, but it wasn’t the complete truth. He had questions he wanted to ask Scarlet, but it wasn’t the right time. He would save his questions for later. Jin and Scarlet made it to Ryuuji who was investigating the front door. He was wearing a burgundy sweater with blue jeans and brown shoes*
(Ryuuji): Oh Jin, you made it. And you brought Scarlet.
(Scarlet): It’s an honor to see you again, Sir Ryuuji.
*Scarlet bows*
(Scarlet): So what’s the situation?
(Ryuuji): Chief has gone missing. He’s not at his house nor is he answering his phone. We believe he may have been kidnapped. Notice anything off about this door?
*Jin goes to investigate the door*
(Jin): No signs of forced entry. Which means they let themselves in.
(Zia): No signs of forced entry from the back either.
*Jin looked up to see Amarti and Zia. Amarti was wearing a black coat while Zia was wearing a white coat. Alita descended from the roof and landed right by them*
(Alita): There was no forced entry from the roof either and security cameras were down during the time of Chief’s disappearance. I believe Jin’s hypothesis is correct, they most likely let themselves in before Chief locked up.
(Jin): What are you guys doing here?
(Amarti): As an investor of Sweet Heaven I’m taking a serious interest in the safety of my establishment.
(Jin): Of course.
(Amarti): Come on. Let’s head inside.
*The group heads inside where they see Dust sitting at a table with Lilith who was on the brink of tears*
(Dust): And you’re sure he wasn’t acting strange or anything?
(Lilith): No. He acted like he normally did. I left first and he said he’d be right behind me. Then when we got here he was nowhere to be seen. We tried calling him, we checked his house. He’s not picking up and he’s not at his house. It’s like he disappeared. I should have stuck around.
(Dust): It’s not your fault, Lilith. We’ll find him. I promise you.
*The group came over to check on Lilith and Dust*
(Dust): Any luck?
(Amarti): No. No signs of forced entry from any point in the building.
(Ryuuji): And no signs of a struggle in the building which means Chief gave himself up willingly.
(Scarlet): Why would anyone want to kidnap Chief? He doesn’t look like someone who would go around causing trouble.
(Zia): At his current age, no. But back in the day, yes.
(Scarlet): Huh?
(Dust): I guess it’s time you guys knew the truth about Chief. He’s more than just a bartender who makes good drinks. Back in the day he ran quite the information network.
(Jin): Woah, Chief was an informant?
(Ryuuji): Not just any informant. One of the best. He spent a good forty years working as a knight gathering information from enemy kingdoms and empires. His information during the Rebellion alone helped turn the tide in our favor. I can only imagine what other information he supplied Brister that gave them the edge.
(Amarti): While he doesn’t work in the field anymore, Chief still works as an informant on the side and supplies information on what’s going on in the kingdom.
(Dust): Remember those orders you picked up last night, Scarlet? That was Chief passing some information along to your commanders.
(Scarlet): Wow.
(Jin): And all this time I thought he was a good bartender. Hey wait, does mean that Lilith-
(Lilith): Yep. I’m an informant as well. Everyone here at Sweet Heaven works as an informant under Chief. A lot of people in and out of the kingdom show up here so it’s normal for us to pick up a tip or two.
(Jin): Why didn’t you tell me?
(Dust): Wasn’t necessary. Plus, it wasn’t my place to tell you. Chief asked us to keep quiet about it. Said he would only tell people he trusted the most with this secret. The question now is, who went after Chief, and why?
(Amarti): Not going to be easy. I’m sure he’s got plenty of information every kingdom out there would love to have. Know where he might have kept them, Lilith?
(Lilith): Maybe the safe in his office.
*Lilith gets up and leads the group to Chief’s office. The place was clean with a desk, a wooden chair, a bed off to the side in case of long nights, file cabinets, and a safe in the wall*
(Dust): Been a while since I’ve been back here. I remember when Chief used to sleep here before we got him a house.
(Zia): It was one of the perks of working with Master Amarti.
(Jin): He sure didn’t do a good job hiding that safe.
(Lilith): Oh that safe is just for the credits.
*Lilith stomps the floor four times and all of a sudden the floor opens up to reveal a safe*
(Lilith): This is Chief’s personal safe. He’s only revealed it to us once, but never told us the combination.
(Alita): Allow me.
*Alita inserts the tip of her tail into the keyhole and her eyes begin to glow pink as she figures out the combination. A few seconds pass when the numbers 1-1-2-6 appears. The safe opens and Alita’s eyes stop glowing as she removes her chip. They all look inside the safe and only find a flash drive. Amarti picks up the flash drive*
(Amarti): Hmm~. Alita, scan it.
*Alita scans the flash drive*
(Alita): I detect no virus within the flash drive. There seems to be a video file within it.
(Scarlet): Can you play it?
(Alita): Affirmative.
*Alita takes the flash drive and opens a USB port by her right wrist. She inserts the flash drive into the port and her eyes glow blue as she projects a hologram of Chief for everyone to see*
(Chief): Hello all. If you found this message that means you found the safe and opened it. Hopefully, a certain elf didn’t have to trash the room to find it.
*Everyone stares at Dust*
(Dust): Well he’s not wrong.
(Chief): It also means that I’ve been kidnapped and I know why. I’m sure you all know by now that in my early years, I was an informant for Brister. With new kingdoms and empires popping up and older ones taking on a more aggressive approach, it became important for Brister to gather intel on who they were going up against. At the time I was a snort-nose bartender but Brister was launching a new program. Instead of training knights to be spies, they would train citizens to be spies. I was down on my luck and desperate for money so when they approached me I accepted. Surprisingly, I was good at it. Managed to get info, send it back safely, and escape without anyone the wiser. There were a number of us in the program, but there were four people I befriended. The first was Sean the Cleaner, Mary the Maid, Alexander the Butler, and Thomas the Chef. We called ourselves the Servers of Information and would often get together to exchange information with each other. At one of our meetings, Sean said he found some juicy information on a project going on in the Bludwood Kingdom. Information that was big and he wanted us to help him get it promising it would set us for life. Relationships with Bludwood were bad so we were all hesitant to take him on his offer, but Sean managed to convince us to go with him. He always did have a silver tongue. After a year of investigating and gathering intel, we finally managed to find out what Bludwood was working on, a weapon. They called it The Golem. A mobile fortress that was man-operated. Fully equipped with enough weapons to pass as an armada. It was still in its testing stages, but we knew that if that thing ever made it onto the battlefield it would wipe out everything in its path. We couldn’t relay our intel to Brister without arousing suspicion, so we formed a plan to take it down ourselves on the night where everyone was gathered in one place and security around The Golem would be at an all-time low, The Founder’s Birthday. As everyone was celebrating we managed to sneak into the palace and made our way down to The Golem. Unfortunately, we weren’t very subtle with our approach. Once we made it to The Golem we knew we couldn’t destroy it, but we could at least prevent them from using it. In order to keep other kingdoms and empires from taking control of The Golem, they created a special code system that uses sayings. It changed on a daily basis, so the code was never the same for two days in a row. Luckily, Mary came through for us and hacked into the system. Since we couldn’t destroy it, we decided to keep it down. We created our own permanent code. Each of us typed in our own part for the saying and never shared it with the others. That way in case one of us got caught they would never have the full saying and the machine would remain inactive. Once the code was set we made our escape with soldiers right behind us. We were shot at and unfortunately, Sean got hit in the leg and went down. We had no choice but to leave him behind. After escaping the palace we fled Bludwood and sought sanctum in an allied kingdom where they launched an attack on Bludwood. Without The Golem, Bludwood didn’t stand a chance against an attack and we made it back to Brister safely. Once we made it back to Brister we vowed never to speak of The Golem ever again to anyone. Including ourselves. Life went on and over the years I eventually forgot about The Golem until recently. A few days ago I received an anonymous letter at my house as well as a phone call. The letter had pictures of all my workers and the person on the other line said that in a few days’ time their people would be coming to pick me up and take me to Bludwood. If I spoke about this to anyone or made a move to escape, then the people in those pictures would suffer for my actions. I knew right away why they wanted me to go to Bludwood and having no other option I complied. I know it was stupid of me not to say a word to you guys, but I couldn’t risk anything happening to my workers. They’re the closest thing I have to a family, and I’ll protect them with my life if I have to. I’m not sure who in Bludwood figured out how to find me. I covered my bases to make sure they didn’t see my face and I don’t know if you’ll find this video, but if you do I know you’ll need all the information you can get to find out who’s responsible for my kidnapping. Look in the middle drawer of my desk and you’ll find a hidden compartment with the letter they sent. I wish I could give you better clues but that’s unfortunately all I can do. If you can’t save me just know that it’s been an honor meeting all of you. Best of luck.
*The video ends and Alita’s eyes stop glowing blue. Jin and Ryuuji make their way over to Chief’s desk where they open the middle drawer and pull out all the paper to find a hidden compartment at the bottom of the drawer. They remove the board and see the envelope that was delivered to Chief’s house. They see the pictures of all the servers and workers of Sweet Heaven inside as well as an emblem stamp on the envelope. The emblem was of an owl with its body turned backward and the face staring at you*
(Ryuuji): I’ve got something. It’s an emblem, but I’m not sure who it belongs to.
*Ryuuji sets the envelope down on the desk for everyone to see*
(Dust): I recognize that emblem, it belongs to the Noetia Syndicate.
(Zia): The infamous crime family? You’ve heard of them?
(Dust): I bumped heads with them during my time in the clan.
(Amarti): If they’re involved then bad things are definitely going to go down. We need to get to Bludwood.
(Jin): How? Brister is on bad terms with them. They’re not just going to let us in.
(Dust): I might have a way inside but we’ll need to leave immediately. Lilith, stay here and keep everyone calm and this place operating.
(Lilith): Me? I’ve never run this place myself before.
(Dust): I know you can do it. I’ve been watching you. It’ll only be for a short while. We’ll bring back Chief, I promise.
(Amarti): In the meantime we’ll have Raika, Sanada, Gael, Morgan, Jade, and Hibana keep an eye on you guys in case members of Noetia are still lurking about.
*Everyone exits the office and makes their way toward the front door*
(Scarlet): I’m going with you.
(Amarti): Out of the question.
(Scarlet): What?
(Amarti): Zia.
(Zia): This has officially become a Shadow Eye mission. Only members of the order are allowed to participate. While we appreciate your bravery and recognize your skills having you on the team could expose Brister to foreign countries and jeopardize the mission. I’m afraid you must stay out of this.
*They finally exit the building with the members of Shadow Eye taking off leaving Scarlet and Lilith behind. Leon walks over to them*
(Leon): Everything alright? Were you able to find any clues?
(Scarlet): Yes. Chief was taken to Bludwood which is where they’re headed.
(Leon): Bludwood? That place and Brister have been on bad terms long before we were born. How are they going to get inside?
(Scarlet): I don’t know.
***
*Somewhere in Bludwood, at an undisclosed location, Chief had a bag over his head and was brought to a room. Once they reached the doors, a Noetia member removed the bag and shoved him into the room. Chief turned to face his adversaries*
(Chief): Easy!
(Noetia member): Enjoy your stay with the others. And don’t even think about trying to escape.
*The Noetia members Keanut the door and locked it to prevent Chief from escaping*
(Chief): Others?
(???): Shouji? Is that you?
*Chief recognized the voice and turned around to see one woman and two men around his age. The woman had short curly grey hair and yellow eyes. She wore a white sweater and blue jeans. The first man was dark-skinned. His hair was short and had a mix of black and grey. He also had a mustache that was also grey. He wore a black sweater and black pants. The final man was a chubby dog demihuman with black eyes and short-cut brown hair. He wore a long-sleeved white shirt and beige pants*
(Chief): Mary? Alexander? Thomas? You guys are here too?
(Thomas): Well if it isn’t Shouji. It’s been a while.
(Chief): Yeah. I see you’ve still got that Pitbull look, Thomas.
(Thomas): Hey, I’ll have you know this mug has left many women crying.
(Alexander): Yeah, crying in fear.
(Thomas): Bite me you old codger.
(Chief): Yep, it’s definitely you two alright. Mary, are you okay?
*Chief walked over to Mary and they embraced each other in a hug*
(Mary): Shouji, I’m so scared. I received an envelope with pictures of my grandchildren. They said that if I didn’t do what they say and go with them they would kill one of them.
(Alexander): Same thing happened to me.
(Thomas): They threatened to kill my daughter and her fiancé if I didn’t go with them.
(Chief): So they got you guys as well.
(Mary): What’s going on Shouji? Why are we all here?
(Chief): Well the fact that we’re all in Bludwood can mean only one thing, The Golem.
*Everyone went silent*
(Alexander): I had nightmares that this day would come.
(Thomas): They want the codes.
(Mary): But how did they know it was us? We covered our tracks and everything.
(Thomas): There’s only one way they could have figured it was us. Someone in this room told them.
(Alexander): Alright, fess up. Who snitched us out? Confess now and it’ll be easier on you.
(Thomas): Spoken like a true snitch. Quick to point the finger.
*Thomas and Alexander got in each other’s face and were about to fight before Shouji and Mary pushed them apart*
(Chief): Relax you two. Think about it. If one of us snitched why would they be in this room?
*Thomas and Alexander took a second to think it over*
(Thomas): Shoot, he’s right.
(Alexander): Yeah. There’d be no point. I’m sorry.
(Thomas): Yeah, me too.
*Thomas and Alexander shake hands and hug*
(Mary): *Giggles* You two would argue, but you were always quick to apologize to each other and make up. Still, how did they know it was us?
(Chief): I don’t know. What I do know is that as long as we know the codes they won’t kill us. We’re useless to them dead so we have the upper hand for now.
(Alexander): So what should we do? There’s no way we can fight our way out.
(Thomas): Speak for yourself. This old dog has a few tricks up his sleeve.
(Chief): We do nothing. We have to be patient and wait.
(Mary): Wait for what?
(Chief): I work with an interesting bunch of people and if I know them they’ll find my video detailing the situation we’re in and be on their way here. The question is how they’ll get here?
***
*In Roppongo at the Coriarty Clan Estate, the members of Shadow Eye were meeting with the Balor Family*
(Lylah): No. Absolutely not. I agreed to this meeting on short notice, but for you to come to me for such a crazy request. Not happening.
(Dust): Chief is a friend, Lylah. And a good man. I can’t just leave him high and dry. Not to mention you owe us for the Bansika and Smile incident.
(Lylah): This is different! You’re attacking a rival group. I can’t risk the Coriarty Clan going to war over something as minor as this.
(Dust): Believe me, I’m all too familiar with the clan’s rivalry with the Syndicate which is why I will deliver them on a silver plate to you. Think about it. You’ll be held as heroes for taking out one of the clan’s longest rivals and giving them control over Bludwood. It’ll bring you one step closer to reaching the top. You get us inside and we’ll soften them up for you.
*Lylah took a second to think about Dust’s proposition. She tried to think of anything that could stop her from taking this deal but came up with nothing. This was just too good of a deal to pass up. It was a golden opportunity she knew she had to take*
(Lylah): All right. We’ll help you get into Bludwood. But I have three requests.
(Amarti): Fair enough.
(Lylah): First off, nobody is to know that the Balor Family was involved. If the Syndicate finds out about this it could ignite a war.
(Dust): That shouldn’t be a problem.
(Lylah): Second, whatever the Syndicate is planning you are to stop it. Once you rescue your friend you are to clear out and not interfere with what happens next.
(Ryuuji): Oh don’t worry. Brister wants to stay far away from Bludwood as much as possible. Whatever happens to them is none of our concern.
(Zia): And the third request?
(Lylah): It’s a personal request, so I’ll save it for after you’ve completed your mission. Do we have a deal?
*Everyone gives each other a silent look of approval*
(Dust): Deal.
*Dust and Lylah shake hands*
(Lylah): Wonderful. Now let’s get you into Bludwood.
Author’s Note: And that was chapter 81. Having Chief be an informant from the past was a set up I had always planned from the beginning. The bartender has always been a person you always open yourself up to and as I got older as I always viewed them as low-paid therapists. I also didn’t think I would bring back members of the Coriarty Clan so soon, but as I was writing this chapter, I kept wondering how the group was going to get inside Bludwood and then the clan just came to mind. Inspiration is a funny thing. Can Shadow Eye save the Chief and his friends? Tune in next week to find out. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time.