Cade buried her face in her arms as she sat with her back against the guest room's wall. "How? Just how did this happen? How did they find out about his hair?"
Balgair eyed the wanted poster for the whatevereth time. "There's no way you're 190 centimeters. 187 max."
"Can you take this seriously?!" Cade snapped. "Besides, this is all your fault. You should've known the Boerlows were associated with Numen. Now it's your problem, too, since you're part of this group, apparently."
"I know, I know," Balgair said with a wave of his hand. "It's already done, though. We may not know what caused it, but does that really matter? You're concentrating on the wrong things. We should just shave his hair or dye it and move on. No harm done."
"No, we won't do anything to my hair!" Aurelius objected.
"Oh, come one, I get that it's a part of your identity and all, but it's an easy solution. They have no pictures. They only know your hair color. If they don't have that, they've got nothing."
"It's my father's hair. We won't cut it, dye it, or do anything else to it. I'll wear a hat or something."
Balgair sighed. "Whatever. Problem solved. No need to panic."
Cade's eyes widened. "It was the cut in the balaclava."
"Huh?" Balgair turned to look at Cade"
"I remember there being a cut on the side of Aurelius' balaclava. It was small enough to not be noticeable, but large enough to let a few loose hairs fall out if cut," Cade explained. "They got the hair from the ground, and since golden hair is so rare, they were able to figure out that it belonged to one of the robbers."
Aurelius touched his forehead. "I remember. It was the first cut I received. The guard who did it was the only one in the mansion who lived. He can confirm he cut me on the side of the head from where the hair could've fallen."
Cade rubbed her eyes. "Well, that's that. What now?"
"Now we get Goldilocks a hat," Balgair said.
"The plan? What about the plan? Will we just cower away and leave it be?" Aurelius asked. He shook his head. "No, I won't go along with that. I came here for a reason. I will help these people, no matter if there's a bounty on my head." He clenched his jaw, and his nose crunched up. "I'll just rid the world of bounty hunters in the process. Let them come."
Cade closed her eyes and exhaled. "Listen to yourself, Aurelius. That won't do. We can't just stroll around and see how many hopeless people try to kill you. If we're not careful, Numen will track you down and execute you. No man can win a battle against thousands of trained soldiers, no matter how strong."
Aurelius glanced at her and then out of the window.
"You know, we don't have to suffer this with him? If it's so stressful for you, just leave Aurelius to fend for himself," Balgair said to Cade.
Cade side-eyed him and snorted. "You can go if you want to. I won't abandon a companion due to a bit of trouble."
Then Balgair raised his hands. "Oh, I'm not leaving. I'm with Aurelius all the way. Let's adapt our plan to this situation."
"Oh, it's our plan now?" Cade asked with a mocking tone.
"It is. I'm a part of it, regardless of your opinion."
"Why? You don't want to help the people of Mircrest."
"You know, I'm starting to think it wouldn't be so bad to do some good for once in my life," Balgair said with a shrug. Cade shook her head, and Aurelius kept quiet, so Balgair began to elaborate on his idea. "So about the adaption, we can do what Aurelius suggested. It would certainly help with removing bounty hunter scum from the world, but the problem with his plan is that it's stupid as fuck and would get us all killed."
"So, what is your oh-so-brilliant adaption idea?" Cade asked.
"Well, let's start with who issued the bounty," Balgair said.
"Numen?" Cade asked.
Balgair wagged a finger. "Specifically, the Boeria branch of Numen."
"Wow. Big difference." Cade said monotonously.
"It is a big difference. You see, Numen doesn't operate as a single entity. Each branch oversees a specific area. No branch gets involved with the business affairs of another."
"So what?" Cade asked.
Balgair looked to Aurelius, who was completely silent while staring at him. There were thoughts in those eyes. Thoughts unlike the ones he'd had before.
Balgair grinned. He was bound to get excited by all the potential. Never before had he liked the universe more. The puzzle came together wonderfully. Things really did go around and come around.
"So if one branch gets wiped out, the others aren't really concerned. Some necessities may be transferred to other branches. For example, the responsibility of handling business with the houses in the area of the wiped-out branch may be given to surrounding branches."
"You're suggesting we wipe out a Numen branch? Are you insane?" Cade asked. "And won't bounties be included in necessities?"
"The bounties on the enemies of the branch, maybe. The bounties issued by an outsider in exchange for payment, no chance."
"But the Boerlows are associates, so the bounty on Aurelius is personal for them."
Gadreel shook his head with a smile. "No, they're not. I told you, the Boerlows aren't associates. Their house is on the verge of destruction. They won't be around for long, so Numen is just waiting for it to collapse and another to take its place. The head of the Boerlows knows this, but he was probably so angry he just had to get revenge. That's why he paid whatever sum he had to get Numen to help with hunting Aurelius down."
Aurelius straightened his posture and commented, "You want us to wipe out the Numen branch and get rid of the bounty that's not personal... just to get another bounty put on us, which will be personal this time."
Balgair looked at Aurelius with delight. "Look at you, using your brain and all." He laughed, then got serious. "No, but you're on the right track. There's just one thing you got wrong." He raised a finger. "We won't be the ones wiping them out."
Cade furrowed her brows and scoffed. "You think you can get someone else to do it? There's nobody that wants trouble with Numen."
"Oh, sorry. Let me elaborate," Balgair said. "We won't be the ones wiping them out... or that's how we'll make it look like."
"We're going to frame someone? Who?" Cade asked.
Balgair flashed a wicked smile. "I know a gang of criminals who don't like Numen much due to some shared history. Some members left that gang for Numen and there was a bit of a conflict a year or two back. The gang is situated a bit far from Boeria, but the Boeria branch is the only sizeable branch close to them, so it'll be somewhat believable, and that's all we need."
Cade licked her lips as the ends of her lips started to curve up. "And then that gang will be destroyed by Numen. It'll be two birds with one stone. Hah, this might work."
Aurelius opened his mouth again. "Is the gang strong enough to possibly wipe out a Numen branch?"
"I think it's possible," Balgair said. "And it's not like Numen will think so hard about that if they find evidence."
"About that, what evidence will we plant for it to be believable? How will we frame them?" Cade asked.
"Umm, not sure. I thought, we could maybe kill a member or two of the gang and leave them at the sight, where we wipe them out. They had these symbols on their outfit the last time I checked, so that'll do."
"Won't they figure out that the corpses predate the assault?" Cade asked.
"Oh, right. We'll have to transport it and all... Or not. Haha, we'll just kidnap a guy or two and kill them before we wipe the branch out."
Cade nodded slowly in realization. "I'm happy we chose to make you a part of this."
Balgair chuckled at the compliment. "Thanks. Your words really warm my heart."
Cade and Balfair then looked at the brooding Aurelius. It was understandable that the plan bothered him.
He then opened his mouth, and something unexpected came out. "We'll need time. If we do it right away and Numen gets suspicious, they could easily figure out that it was us. Let's give it time before we do it."
Balgair nodded. "Oh yeah, good point. But how much time? Is one month good?"
"Half a year," Aurelius said without hesitation.
Balgsir threw his arms out. "Half a year? That's too much? Where will you be for all that time? There's no way you won't be noticed in Mircrest for half a year."
"I'm going back to the Thropes. Not far from the border," Aurelius said solemnly, unaffected by Balgair's emotions. "I need practice. I need to get stronger. I need to be alone."
"No," Cade said, "I'll come with you. You need me to teach you."
"No, I don't. You've taught me enough. I need to practice by myself. I can't focus purely on myself if you're with me." Aurelius objected firmly. "Besides, you need to further our plan. Put those thousands of gold to good use. You should start building connections that can help us fight Numen's influence. You should also help the people. Donate to legitimate charities and make a name you can use in the future to get the support of the people."
Cade opened her mouth, but closed it before any words came out.
"I think it's a good idea," Balgair voiced his support. "I'll do further research on how we will make our plan work while Cade furthers the plan, and you get stronger."
"It is decided, then," Aurelius said, narrowing his eyes before speaking with nothing but determination in his voice, "In half a year, we will meet again and begin the annihilation of Numen."
AdrianCassius Now that I have almost 200 pages of JSA uploaded, and the story is at one of its major turning points, I'm interested in what all you readers think of it. So if you've read this far, please drop a vote on the poll below.
Cade buried her face in her arms as she sat with her back against the guest room's wall. "How? Just how did this happen? How did they find out about his hair?"
Balgair eyed the wanted poster for the whatevereth time. "There's no way you're 190 centimeters. 187 max."
"Can you take this seriously?!" Cade snapped. "Besides, this is all your fault. You should've known the Boerlows were associated with Numen. Now it's your problem, too, since you're part of this group, apparently."
"I know, I know," Balgair said with a wave of his hand. "It's already done, though. We may not know what caused it, but does that really matter? You're concentrating on the wrong things. We should just shave his hair or dye it and move on. No harm done."
"No, we won't do anything to my hair!" Aurelius objected.
"Oh, come one, I get that it's a part of your identity and all, but it's an easy solution. They have no pictures. They only know your hair color. If they don't have that, they've got nothing."
"It's my father's hair. We won't cut it, dye it, or do anything else to it. I'll wear a hat or something."
Balgair sighed. "Whatever. Problem solved. No need to panic."
Cade's eyes widened. "It was the cut in the balaclava."
"Huh?" Balgair turned to look at Cade"
"I remember there being a cut on the side of Aurelius' balaclava. It was small enough to not be noticeable, but large enough to let a few loose hairs fall out if cut," Cade explained. "They got the hair from the ground, and since golden hair is so rare, they were able to figure out that it belonged to one of the robbers."
Aurelius touched his forehead. "I remember. It was the first cut I received. The guard who did it was the only one in the mansion who lived. He can confirm he cut me on the side of the head from where the hair could've fallen."
Cade rubbed her eyes. "Well, that's that. What now?"
"Now we get Goldilocks a hat," Balgair said.
"The plan? What about the plan? Will we just cower away and leave it be?" Aurelius asked. He shook his head. "No, I won't go along with that. I came here for a reason. I will help these people, no matter if there's a bounty on my head." He clenched his jaw, and his nose crunched up. "I'll just rid the world of bounty hunters in the process. Let them come."
Cade closed her eyes and exhaled. "Listen to yourself, Aurelius. That won't do. We can't just stroll around and see how many hopeless people try to kill you. If we're not careful, Numen will track you down and execute you. No man can win a battle against thousands of trained soldiers, no matter how strong."
Aurelius glanced at her and then out of the window.
"You know, we don't have to suffer this with him? If it's so stressful for you, just leave Aurelius to fend for himself," Balgair said to Cade.
Cade side-eyed him and snorted. "You can go if you want to. I won't abandon a companion due to a bit of trouble."
Then Balgair raised his hands. "Oh, I'm not leaving. I'm with Aurelius all the way. Let's adapt our plan to this situation."
"Oh, it's our plan now?" Cade asked with a mocking tone.
"It is. I'm a part of it, regardless of your opinion."
"Why? You don't want to help the people of Mircrest."
"You know, I'm starting to think it wouldn't be so bad to do some good for once in my life," Balgair said with a shrug. Cade shook her head, and Aurelius kept quiet, so Balgair began to elaborate on his idea. "So about the adaption, we can do what Aurelius suggested. It would certainly help with removing bounty hunter scum from the world, but the problem with his plan is that it's stupid as fuck and would get us all killed."
"So, what is your oh-so-brilliant adaption idea?" Cade asked.
"Well, let's start with who issued the bounty," Balgair said.
"Numen?" Cade asked.
Balgair wagged a finger. "Specifically, the Boeria branch of Numen."
"Wow. Big difference." Cade said monotonously.
"It is a big difference. You see, Numen doesn't operate as a single entity. Each branch oversees a specific area. No branch gets involved with the business affairs of another."
"So what?" Cade asked.
Balgair looked to Aurelius, who was completely silent while staring at him. There were thoughts in those eyes. Thoughts unlike the ones he'd had before.
Balgair grinned. He was bound to get excited by all the potential. Never before had he liked the universe more. The puzzle came together wonderfully. Things really did go around and come around.
"So if one branch gets wiped out, the others aren't really concerned. Some necessities may be transferred to other branches. For example, the responsibility of handling business with the houses in the area of the wiped-out branch may be given to surrounding branches."
"You're suggesting we wipe out a Numen branch? Are you insane?" Cade asked. "And won't bounties be included in necessities?"
"The bounties on the enemies of the branch, maybe. The bounties issued by an outsider in exchange for payment, no chance."
"But the Boerlows are associates, so the bounty on Aurelius is personal for them."
Gadreel shook his head with a smile. "No, they're not. I told you, the Boerlows aren't associates. Their house is on the verge of destruction. They won't be around for long, so Numen is just waiting for it to collapse and another to take its place. The head of the Boerlows knows this, but he was probably so angry he just had to get revenge. That's why he paid whatever sum he had to get Numen to help with hunting Aurelius down."
Aurelius straightened his posture and commented, "You want us to wipe out the Numen branch and get rid of the bounty that's not personal... just to get another bounty put on us, which will be personal this time."
Balgair looked at Aurelius with delight. "Look at you, using your brain and all." He laughed, then got serious. "No, but you're on the right track. There's just one thing you got wrong." He raised a finger. "We won't be the ones wiping them out."
Cade furrowed her brows and scoffed. "You think you can get someone else to do it? There's nobody that wants trouble with Numen."
"Oh, sorry. Let me elaborate," Balgair said. "We won't be the ones wiping them out... or that's how we'll make it look like."
"We're going to frame someone? Who?" Cade asked.
Balgair flashed a wicked smile. "I know a gang of criminals who don't like Numen much due to some shared history. Some members left that gang for Numen and there was a bit of a conflict a year or two back. The gang is situated a bit far from Boeria, but the Boeria branch is the only sizeable branch close to them, so it'll be somewhat believable, and that's all we need."
Cade licked her lips as the ends of her lips started to curve up. "And then that gang will be destroyed by Numen. It'll be two birds with one stone. Hah, this might work."
Aurelius opened his mouth again. "Is the gang strong enough to possibly wipe out a Numen branch?"
"I think it's possible," Balgair said. "And it's not like Numen will think so hard about that if they find evidence."
"About that, what evidence will we plant for it to be believable? How will we frame them?" Cade asked.
"Umm, not sure. I thought, we could maybe kill a member or two of the gang and leave them at the sight, where we wipe them out. They had these symbols on their outfit the last time I checked, so that'll do."
"Won't they figure out that the corpses predate the assault?" Cade asked.
"Oh, right. We'll have to transport it and all... Or not. Haha, we'll just kidnap a guy or two and kill them before we wipe the branch out."
Cade nodded slowly in realization. "I'm happy we chose to make you a part of this."
Balgair chuckled at the compliment. "Thanks. Your words really warm my heart."
Cade and Balfair then looked at the brooding Aurelius. It was understandable that the plan bothered him.
He then opened his mouth, and something unexpected came out. "We'll need time. If we do it right away and Numen gets suspicious, they could easily figure out that it was us. Let's give it time before we do it."
Balgair nodded. "Oh yeah, good point. But how much time? Is one month good?"
"Half a year," Aurelius said without hesitation.
Balgsir threw his arms out. "Half a year? That's too much? Where will you be for all that time? There's no way you won't be noticed in Mircrest for half a year."
"I'm going back to the Thropes. Not far from the border," Aurelius said solemnly, unaffected by Balgair's emotions. "I need practice. I need to get stronger. I need to be alone."
"No," Cade said, "I'll come with you. You need me to teach you."
"No, I don't. You've taught me enough. I need to practice by myself. I can't focus purely on myself if you're with me." Aurelius objected firmly. "Besides, you need to further our plan. Put those thousands of gold to good use. You should start building connections that can help us fight Numen's influence. You should also help the people. Donate to legitimate charities and make a name you can use in the future to get the support of the people."
Cade opened her mouth, but closed it before any words came out.
"I think it's a good idea," Balgair voiced his support. "I'll do further research on how we will make our plan work while Cade furthers the plan, and you get stronger."
"It is decided, then," Aurelius said, narrowing his eyes before speaking with nothing but determination in his voice, "In half a year, we will meet again and begin the annihilation of Numen."
AdrianCassius Now that I have almost 200 pages of JSA uploaded, and the story is at one of its major turning points, I'm interested in what all you readers think of it. So if you've read this far, please drop a vote on the poll below.
