Back Alley Business [Private/Job]

Walls breaking... the ceiling falling... everything is burning. There are debris everywhere. It is hot inside the building, so hot it could melt an iron bar. It seems that everyone has evacuated, except for him and another person, its face shrouded in shadows. "We have to get out of here!" Says the figure. The two of them sprinted away, finding a way out of the building. Suddenly, there was a big explosion. Everything turned white.

He woke up, panting and sweating after the dream. It's already morning, he thought, it was just a dream. He rubbed his eyes and yawned, still feeling tired after a long sleep. The bed was so comfortable last night that he fell asleep immediately after laying down. He sat still for a moment, recollecting his dream and asking himself the usual question: "Who am I?". 

He stood up and got dressed. He's supposed to meet with his employer for his mission debriefing. Even if it has a low pay, it's all worth it to pay his rent. He wore his usual long coat and his helmet to go with to conceal his face. He headed out his apartment, skipping breakfast. "This is going to be a long day." He thought to himself.

"Initiate HexMap," he told to himself, using his magic to locate his employer, "Specify Search: Employer. Private mode." A 3d map is presented to him, covering most of Oak Town. He could see everyone within the map, identified by their little dots, and all marked as neutral. Right now, only he can see the map within his helmet due to the private mode. With the specified search, the map pinpointed the location of his employer. It's rather far from where the two of them should meet up. He looks like he is going to run a bit late due to his slow movement. He quickened his pace and entered a cafe. This is where they will meet.

As much as he likes to skip breakfast, his stomach gave in. It gave out a loud moaning sound, hungry for grub. "I'd like to order a well done steak with an extra rice, and two cups of coffee, please." He gave his order. Unlike other cafes that makes food in an instant, this cafe prefers to cook their meals manually. It's a 4.9/5 from Chef's Magazine because of their flavor that exceed beyond god-like cooking magic.

He checked his map again. His employer is already halfway through. After awhile, his breakfast is served. "Enjoy your meal, sir!" The waitress in maiden outfit handed out his order. Its flavorful aroma almost made him salivate in his helmet. He opened the lower part of his helmet for him to eat. He can't risk revealing his face in public.

His employer is almost there, but still quite far from the cafe. He's moving slowly according to his HexMap. Who can blame him, though? He arrived at the cafe earlier than the agreed time. He took his time indulging his meal, making stops after swallowing his steak. I guess I shouldn't have ordered two cups of coffee. It's going to get cold by the time he arrives. He thought to himself, exaggerating. After his meal, he looked around the cafe for something interesting to see. He saw a sniper model which looks like it has higher specs than what he ordered. He seems curious to know what model this is, and what are its specs. 

"May I help you?" The waitress startled him, nearly jumping. "Oh geez! I'm sorry to startle you sir!." The waitress apologized, bowing down in front of him. "No! Uh- it's ok. Actually, I wanted to know what model this is." He asked the waitress like she knows what it is. At the back of his mind, he always though of her as a clueless magician who does not know the art of sharpshooting with a gun.

He was shocked with her reply. assault rifle with many different perks and tricks. "This baby can shoot from here to Fiore, but it's just an exaggeration. It costs like a million jewels. I saved up for months and it was totally worth it. Though, I shouldn't have brought it to work." He froze. What on earth? She shoots? He was speechless at her reply. He didn't realize that his employer already arrived. "Red Alert?" His employer called him out. "I didn't realize that you were hitting on girls. Perhaps I may introduce you to my daughter?" He chuckled.

This is not what it looks like. He thought to himself.

A few minutes later, they went and sat down. His employer ordered a cup of tea. It's fortunate for him, because he couldn't have known that his employer is more of a tea guy rather than a coffee guy. Both of them sat down in silence with the sounds of early morning chatter in the background. After a few sips off his tea, his employer decided to break the silence. "Let's get down to business."

"You see, every weekend, I bring my daughter with me to go shopping for some nice clothes for her. She is, what you may call her as a fashionista. She never goes late with the latest trend in fashion." The employer took a sip in his cup of tea and set it down. He sighed with a saddened look at his face. "But for some reason, after we shop with my daughter, I come back home to find that my jewels have decreased more than what it should have been after I spent it." He explained further. Red Alert's HexData started to record the of the employer. 


"Do you have any suspects?" Red Alert inquired.

"Yes. I believe that I was being followed by a man covered in mysterious black clothing. I am certain of it. I know this because I spied on him once." He replied. He began describing the mysterious figure. His HexData made a sketch out of the details he has made. "Alright. I will get started right away." He stood up and bowed down to the employer. He left the cafe afterwards and set off to spy on the mysterious man.

Later in the afternoon, He walked up the tallest tower of Oak Town to get this mission over with. For him, this mission is only an easy task. From there he can see everything in Oak Town, and by everything, he means everything. There is no house that he can't see, and there's no action that he cannot see. There at the top, he sees everything. It is the perfect vantage point for this mission.

"HexMap - Project Mode. Match Search: Mysterious Man." A 3rd map of Oak Town is projected in front of him with all the details, even the tiniest details, as if the map is a miniature replica of the town. The HexMap and the HexData coordinated with each other to bring up and pinpoint the specified person of interest based on the HexData's data. After a few minutes, the mysterious man's location was pinpointed. He is located at the center of the town, a few meters away from his location but down. Though, just to be sure, he used his HexSight to confirm that he is the person of interest.

"Bingo." He said to himself. "HexMap - Deactivate" He deactivated his HexMap and proceeded to spy on the hooded figure standing in the center. The man is not doing anything as of the moment. Red Alert kept himself hidden behind a wall while peeking out the window to get a clear view of the man's actions.

After an hour, the mysterious man was approached by a gentleman. He is estimated to be around 5'9" in height, 99 lbs. in weight, and has quite a toned body. The man sports a black formal coat, black pants, a black hat, white gloves, and black leather shoes. He carries around a can in his left hand, ornate with gold and a round red lacrima at its tip. He seems to have long auburn hair. His face is concealed with a mask, covering most of his facial features except his mouth. His magic does not permit him to eavesdrop in a conversation due to his current strength in his magic. He has no other choice but to go near.

He went down the tower and moved in a dark alley, and he hid himself beneath the shadows. From there, he can hear their faint words, but understandable nevertheless.

"Antonne Chaplain" the mysterious man called out to the name of the noble gentleman in front of him, "I believe you are here to collect the weekly sum?" It is further confirmed in his statement that the man in suspicion is the one who stole a partial amount of jewels from his employer. But the question is, what is the reason behind it? Are they transacting a business where he couldn't afford whatever he wants so he resorted to stealing? This is the most plausible hypothesis he could come up with.

The young gentleman poised himself in front of the man before he could speak, looking rather dashing now more than ever if you laid eyes upon him. Or maybe, it's just Red Alert. "Why yes, obviously. Reyes, you only have a few more weeks before you could fully pay off your debt. I expect that you do not fail to pay lesser than we agreed." Now that he mentioned it, the dashing man looks like he came from a rich family, where he was born in a family of wealthy nobles, and the man in front of him owed him or his family a great debt that he could not afford to pay even with his own life, which is why he resorted to thievery.

The man took out a fine looking pouch from his worn-out leather bag, presumably containing the jewels that he stole. Judging by its looks, it appears that the thief went and bought a fancy pouch to, in a way, avoid tarnishing the fine garments of the gentleman. He handed the pouch to him and paid his weekly sum. "Here you go. I hope you will continue doing business with me, even after I paid all of it." The man said. "Much obliged. I am grateful for your undying support."

Something smells fishy.

Both the mysterious man and the gentleman shook hands and parted ways. The dashing businessman strode northwards from the center, presumably going after another client to do business with. The mysterious man went westwards, opposite of where Red Alert is hiding. He took this opportunity to stalk him, being as far away from him as possible and utilizing his HexSight to spy on him safely without being detected. His dark outfit let him blend in with the shadows, albeit the red glow in the visor of his helmet but nigh obvious, with its dark tint making the glow less bright.

After a long walk on the west side of town, Reyes went inside a dark alley, meeting up with another man who wears what seems to be a worn out leather robe, a rusted chestplate, and a mask. Red Alert couldn't risk blowing his cover and attempt to eavesdrop, so he decided to maintain his position as far as possible. From the looks of it, Reyes seems to be handing him something ominous, something suspicious, which looks like it is meant to be used for ill intent. Due to his distance, he could not hear their conversation.

For now, his only option is to report back to his client and report to him everything that he witnessed.

His client made an arrangement to meetup in the evening in the day after he has spied the thief, in the same place that they met to discuss the matter at hand. The dark night sky overtook the bright warm day, spreading darkness around the town and inviting cold winds to permeate the town's warm air. The darkness was soon consumed by the luminous lights of the city, and the night sky was painted with many bright stars, creating a picturesque view of the heavens above. The town's citizens have become as much as active as they were in the morning. The night is wonderful, and it's perfect for romance and for couples to have a date. Though the night is cold, the townspeople filled the night with warmth.

In the same cafe, most of the tables were occupied by couples and families looking forward to the appetizing meals and sweet desserts, cooked man-made. Red Alert entered the cafe, invited with the warm atmosphere and the sweetness of romance. Deep within him, he felt something awful, as if he feels bitter about the romance. It is unknown why he has this feeling, this bitterness that he felt inside his heart. In his theory, it is probably because of his forgotten past.

In his entrance, he was greeted by the same waitress who served him his breakfast in the morning. She looks even prettier in the evening, or is it just because of the warm atmosphere within the room? Red Alert inspected the girl, from head to toe, and knew that she had changed her clothes. Although the same, he can spot the difference between her uniforms with a small detail, specifically the patterns although minuscule. "Oh it's you again!" The waitress said. It doesn't look like she is tired from having to work for an entire day, evident from the lack of eye bags. "I managed to reserve a seat for the two of you. Mr. Rudolph will be here any time soon."
"Thanks- erm?" Red Alert paused, not knowing who the waitress is. "It's Wendy. Wendy Faintheart." She introduced herself to him, and pointed to the direction of a reserved table.

Red Alert sat down in the reserved table and waited for his client to come. He can't wait to tell him the details of his spy mission, and because he wants to go home and get some rest after a long day. Shortly after, Mr. Rudolph entered the scene and surveyed the room, spotting him. He approached the table and sat down. "Red Alert, is it? How was it? What did you find?" The client inquired for the details of his mission, and he told him everything about it, the business transaction, and what happened in the alley.

"I see. I will have to have the Rune Knights investigate this matter. Thank you for your cooperation, Red Alert. Here is your payment, and I ordered you dinner. My treat." The client gave him the payment. He stood up and left the building, and Wendy served him his dinner.