"You got it, with his feet in the water and beaten to shit. Tristan turns to me and he says 'recognize him?'. Now, I'm worried at this point because I have no idea what's going on, like, sweating my balls off kind of nervous. Now, I didn't recognize the mass hanging from the chains at first, and I told him no, I don't know the guy. Tristan then says to the guy hanging from the ceiling to introduce himself and then one of the boys zaps the bucket and I find out it's Edward. Tristan tells me the full story on everything Edward had confessed, and Tristan said that if I wanted to leave any parting words before the real work got started and he and I could began talking business upstairs. And I did. I walk up to him and I says 'Edward, you fucked up real big this time, just like I said you would. Should have listened to me. I really did like you, thought you were a good guy. But, in the end, you were just a dumbass. Sucks to be you.'"
"Stole the words right out of my mouth. I worked with that guy a few times, and you're right, he's just unlucky. Every time I was with him there was some sort of unlucky break that was related to him somehow. Every time."
"Why do you interrupting me like that? I was just about finished. Where was I anyway?"
"You just got done telling him off."
"Oh, then never mind, I was finished. Well, Edward wasn't finished until three hours after I had seen him, but we didn't stick around for all of that thankfully. I don't mind getting my hands dirty, but that kind of stuff, I just can't really do it. Not to that extent."
"And I'm telling you that's why you aren't going to go far. C'mon man, you can't afford to be so soft, especially when it comes to matters of the family. If we need information, we have to be able to extract it at any cost, and we all know how effective Tristan's interrogation chambers are."
A cold silence settled for a moment.
"Alright, let's get another round in, and then go shoot some pool."
"Cool."
"I'm down."
Sigh. "Not really, I hate pool, but I guess I'll be a good sport."
Aegis tuned the conversation out from that point, and would catch back up to them once they've finished their migration. For now, Aegis took the time to identify relevant information out of that conversation, both obvious and not so obvious.
The most obvious being that these guys were dangerous, perhaps even Outlanders, or at least had some connection to that world. Getting involved with them on any level would be life threatening, for starters. That would also mean that the girl was most likely a simple slave to them, and nothing else.
Aegis had already anticipated this worst case scenario, and it meant that a different approach was going to be required. At least now he had the confirmation. Direct questioning is now moot since all it would really do is draw suspicion upon himself, and set himself up to get caught or killed by Outlanders in the long run.
As he expected, Aegis was simply going to have to be his shadow in the same way he had shadowed Danica. Sooner or later, a method to retrieve the answers or the answers themselves will be revealed.
Aegis stayed close, but not too close to the men as the night dragged on, making sure to appear busy or doing something so as not to draw suspicion. (This included rejecting a number of women throughout the night.) When his main target, who was named Devon, began saying his goodbyes and prepared to leave for the night, Aegis took the initiative by leaving before Devon did.
Aegis didn't know just how many hours had passed since he had arrived, (around five hours total, and it was near midnight) but he knew it was pretty late because the 'drunk sleepers' or just 'sleepers' were already scattered about.
The 'sleepers' were little more than a drunk patron who had fallen asleep while walking home, which happens on a very regular basis. Conscripts couldn't be bothered with the constant masses, and the 'sleepers' were left at the mercy of the public.
In short, if you fell asleep on the street, you were sure to wake up in an odd position or have something odd done to you by just about anyone or anything, ranging from drawings on faces, to being robbed blind.
Aegis saw that there were already a few such sleepers scattered about in the dead of night, and one was suffering a normal sleeper treatment at the moment. It was a girl, Aegis saw. She was facing upward, and two young teenagers were pulling up her shirt and looking at her bare breasts, giggling between themselves as they did so.
Such was normal, hence the saying 'drink at your own risk'. Aegis ignored it and picked a spot not too far away and laid down on the ground, curling himself up to help disguise his height and keeping his face covered with his long black hair, making his face near impossible to see at this time of night.
The two teenagers, after a little groping and giggling, redressed the girl and moved on, laughing at the other sleepers as they headed toward the bar, approaching the door just as Aegis' target opened it and stepped outside. Aegis quickly faced the ground but kept the target in sight within the corner of his eye.
The target pulled out a pack of smokes, took one, lit it with a small fire on his finger, turned and began walking directly in Aegis' direction. The target was eying the sleepers scattered about, shaking his head and sighing at the sight.
"They're lucky I don't feel like robbing them right now, but I hope someone does. Dumbasses should get what they deserve." Aegis heard as the target stopped right in front of Aegis.
"Guess I'll pay my respects to this one though." He said as he took a long puff from his cigarette, and proceeded to drop it's ashes on Aegis' curled form before moving on. Aegis adjusted his head slightly so that his eyes could follow Devon as he proceeded into the night, ignoring the ashes. Once far enough away, Aegis stood to his full height and tucked his long black hair into the back of his shirt to help disguise it in case Devon might spot him at a later point. A small precaution to make Devon think that the figure he passed over and the one standing now were two different individuals and not one and the same.
Aegis kept his distance as he followed Devon, who walked the night with about the same arrogance that he spoke with. Even in the dead of night like this, he walked as though nothing that could emerge from the shadows would touch him, meaning he truly was arrogant, or, he had a reason to be confident. After all, Aegis had not seen a demonstration of Devon's magic or abilities, so maybe he had good reason to behave in the manner that he did.
On the flip side, Aegis had a reason to be confident as well. Not many in the Magi world could use Lightning Steps. Although Aegis could only do so in short bursts and only for a limited amount, it would be enough to gain the advantage over almost any normal opponent, and most likely this included Devon in that category. But for now, a direct confrontation must be avoided. The number one priority was keeping his existence unknown and maintaining a low profile. All he needed was information, and Devon will give that up on his own in due time.
For example, without incident, Aegis had followed Devon all the way to Devon's home, informing Aegis of where Devon was staying. Aegis decided that was enough for tonight and began heading home. Now that Aegis knew where he lived, it would be much easier to track Devon's movements.
If there was one good thing about Aegis going out every night the way that he is, it made sneaking out that much easier, Azreal decided. If Aegis saw him now, sneaking out this late at night, it would easy turn into a night of forty questions, none of which Azreal would want to answer.
"Later Angelus." Azreal said with a wave as he emerged into the living room, heading for the front door.
"Where the fuck are you going?" Angelus called out with a muffled voice that was filled with his late night snack, a half of a ham and cheese sandwich.
"Got a hot date." Azreal answered vaguely.
"Are you up to something stupid like Aegis is?" Angelus asked next, his voice now cleared of the food that was in his mouth as Azreal approached the front door.
"Nah, I just like the night life, later." Azreal called out as he proceeded into the night.
See, Angelus is a different story. It's not as though he didn't care at all, he just simply stayed out of everyone's business unless he had a good reason. That worked for Azreal just fine.
If there was one thing that Azreal was beginning to discover, and one of the reasons why he was heading out at this hour was because life as a Magi is beyond boring. Sure, one could be like Angelus and have a tendency to pick fights more out of boredom than anything else. Or, one could be like Aegis, a quiet and boring individual who used work or chores as somewhat of a demented way to pass the time.
But not Azreal. Azreal needed to have some kind of fun, some form of entertainment. At this rate, he'll die of boredom at the ripe old age of twenty five to thirty, and the Magi culture in general did not provide much in the form of entertainment. Sure, there were the normal assortment of night clubs, bars and so on. But, for Azreal, who has been living on these for the past few years now, they simply no longer had the same appeal as before. It had simply gotten...boring. Life had gotten boring, and Azreal had almost desperately sought out another form of entertainment.
Then Azreal had discovered the 'Outlander Rave', a truly wild party that even Azreal would have trouble imagining if he had not experienced it himself. And that was what he was heading out for on this dark and starless night.
Having heard about these supposed wild raves by word of mouth a few weeks to a month or so ago, Azreal had decided 'eh, what the hell', and had found something far more than he had originally bargained for. Then again, considering Outlanders were the hosts of these raves, Azreal now realized that it was kind of stupid to expect anything less. Since Outlanders didn't believe in any set of rules or established standards, only forcibly following them while in Magi territory (to an extent), Outlanders could host almost any party they wanted without being bound by the same set of both normal and social protocols that were found in normal Magi society.
Unfortunately, none of these raves were held within the borders of any Magi town or city, forcing Azreal to travel all the way out to the outskirts of Templar and then some, making it a few hour walk all the way out to the rave.
But, it was worth it. The walk was worth every minute and every step in Azreal's eyes, no matter how inconvenient it may seem. For the fun that could be found out here, it was most certainly worth it. Not even the slightly unsettling darkness that currently filled the air stopped him, even though it was difficult to see deep into the night without the aid of a light of some sort, none of which would be found even within the outskirts of Templar, much less beyond the outskirts and deep in the woodlands outside Templar's boundaries, ensuring the absolute dominance of the darkness this night.
The reason for this is simple, and that is that this is a long pre-established agreement between the official Magi government and the Outlanders. In short, as long as whatever it is the Outlanders do does not interfere with official Magi business nor cause a true public disturbance (such as loud noise, which is very prominent during these raves, or riots, and so on) they were allowed to do almost anything they wanted, without being harassed by any Magi official.
Azreal remained alone for the most part as he walked until he was far outside the range of any light source emitting from Templar, at which point Azreal was able to spot and follow a number of stragglers that Azreal assumed (correctly) were heading to the same destination that he was, which was getting easier to follow considering the loud beats were echoing this far out.
Azreal knew that he was most likely early for the rave to really start to kick in, which usually didn't even truly start until eleven or so, depending on how the setup had gone. That was fine for Azreal, for it would give Azreal time to scope out potential partners for the evening (though there would be plenty of others that would arrive later in the evening). Regardless, it was a good way to pass the time.
The stragglers increased bit by bit as Azreal, along with everyone else around him, closed in on their destination, eager to begin the night in earnest. Eventually, they reached their destination.
The most easily noticeable element is the shield that surrounded the woodlands where the rave was set to take place. This was done for a number of reasons. First, one had to pay money to be able to take part in the rave. Second, the shield helps to drown out the sound a little to avoid disturbing any Magi who might be way out here. (Though why they would be this far out here at this hour is beyond any sort of logical reason.) And lastly, the shield helps to deter disaster, be it inside or out.
The shield was being maintained by a large circle of trained Outlanders who were employed for just such a purpose, with the total number somewhere in the twenties or thirties. From what Azreal could see inside the shield there were already dozens of people inside the shield, dancing their hearts away in conjunction with the loud music which was blaring within the shield, and could easily be heard standing just outside the shield.
This was another element that made these raves appealing, especially to Azreal. In normal Magi bars or clubs, the music is normally performed by a live (and mostly limited) band. But here, in an Outlander's rave, the music is generated through technology, which is not shunned out by Outlanders. In fact, just the opposite, Outlanders have openly embraced technology as much as they could for their own purposes, with this rave displaying an example of that embracement.
The giant speakers could be seen from Azreal's vantage point. To Azreal, there were little more than giant black boxes with an odd thing in the front, but, it could pump music out so loud that ears will bleed, all of which were connected to a portable laptop which possessed endless hours of rave music. All of the electronic devices were connected to a portable electric generator, which was maintained and powered by six Outlanders who were providing the electricity to allow the generator to function. This was guarded by a flock of Outlander bouncers to ensure that their expensive equipment does not get damage during the night.
There were also Outlander bouncers standing outside the shield as well to help regulate the flow of people into the shield, acting as doorman for the Outlander rave. There were three lines before Azreal, and Azreal simply picked the shortest one and waited. Thankfully, the lines themselves had not been that long, and after paying the fifty money required to enter, (which is a fucking shit ton, but still worth it to Azreal) he stepped inside the deafening space within the shield, the sound powerful enough at first that Azreal lightly covered his ears with both of his hands until he adjusted to it.
By the time he reached the 'bar' (it was merely a set of long tables with wooden chairs), Azreal no longer needed to keep his ears covered and sat down.
"Whatcha want?" A middle aged, full bearded, and slightly larger man asked Azreal, who was on the other side of the bar and an Outlander employee.
"Hmm...I think it's...ecstasy, or something like that? One of the little white pills?"
"Yeah, ecstasy. How many?"
"Just one. The night is young and I've got to take it easy."
This was yet another appeal of the Outlanders to Azreal, along with so many others. Although it wasn't illegal in Magi culture to use drugs of all kinds per say, but, it was highly frowned upon. If one needed more than alcohol as a crutch, then it was simply the sign of a weak blood, at least, from a Magi perspective. (Aegis most likely was a strong believer in this, hence why Azreal did not want to tell Aegis about his 'night life').
The man pulled out a bottle of pills from one of the boxes underneath the table, opened it, and gently placed one pill before Azreal.
"Twenty money."
Azreal sighed inwardly as he reached into his pocket. That was one bad thing about these raves. Everything was so damn expensive. But, it was all worth it.
"Anything else?" The man asked as Azreal pulled out his money.
"Just a glass of water to wash this down."
The man reached below the table and pulled out a glass of water in a plastic cup and placed it before Azreal.
"Thanks." Azreal said before the guy went off on his business.
That was the other problem with these raves sometimes. Outlanders were rude as fuck. But, that was only a slight inconvenience. As long as they didn't try to fight him or throw him out or something, they could be as rude as they wanted. They, after all, were providing Azreal with a real party to be at, so Azreal was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Washing his pill down with a bit of water, Azreal decided that, at the moment, he'll just simply sit here and slowly drink his water for the time being, and start making his moves later on in the evening.
Unexpectedly, however, Azreal was not alone for long as a teenage girl sat down next to him. Azreal saw that she was a redhead, her hair stretching just a little past her shoulders, her face decorated with cute freckles, her tight belly shirt revealing a lot of her stomach, and hyper shorts which only went halfway down to her thighs.
As soon as she sat down, the man who served Azreal had suddenly reappeared.
"What can I get for you, young lady?" He asked in an astonishingly polite manner, one that Azreal didn't think this guy was capable of.
"One ecstasy and a glass of water please." The girl said with a smile and chirpy voice.
"Coming right up." The man said, disappearing under the table.
Azreal smiled at the opening. "The same thing I got just a couple of minutes ago myself."
"I come here early on purpose just to warm up a little before the night really gets underway. Give myself time to settle down and find a good pace to go with."
Azreal nodded in agreement. "That's a good idea."
"So, what brings you here early?" The girl asked, still smiling.
"Well...I like to scope out any potential...companions for the night."
"Seen anything you like yet?"
"Maybe." Azreal responded, meeting the girl's eyes. He then turned away. "Then again, maybe not. It depends."
"Like?" The girl asked, and Azreal could now feel her anticipation.
Azreal shrugged. "Little things. Yeah, I can settle for what I can get, I guess. But hey, being just a little picky can make a big difference between just normal fun, or, some mind blowing action. But it takes time to find all of the little things. If you must know, however, I think things are going well with my first choice so far." He finished, turning back to the girl with his own smile.
"You're a confident one."
Again Azreal shrugged. "Life goes on even if I get turned down. But, out here, I don't really see that as a problem. I'll find at least one before the night is done."
"Well, you did find one."
"Is that right?" Azreal asked.
The girl grinned. "Maybe."
"Maybe, huh? Maybe if things go well, maybe I can get together with that first choice of mine."
"And maybe that first choice of yours isn't ready yet. After all, it does help to be a little picky."
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