Female Workers

"Hello, Lucian. Are you ready?" Lucy inquired.

Lucian took a moment to consider, then nodded. "Yes."

They both prepared for their mission. Lucy, unfamiliar with revolvers, brought her specially crafted silver knife, designed for both throwing and inflicting serious wounds. Its craftsmanship mirrored the illegal military knives found on Earth.

As they approached Rusts Shab, they devised a plan to enter separately. Lucian would go in first, followed by Lucy eight minutes later. They would sit in different corners to maintain distance.

Inside the bar, Lucian kept an eye on the core tucked in his pocket. Suddenly, the waiter approached and asked, "Back again? Same order?"

Lucian emphatically signaled with an 'X' that he wouldn't be ordering the cheapest drink again.

"I'll have a glass of whiskey, not the cheapest but somewhere in the middle," he requested.

The waiter, a man of about 28 with no distinguishing features except for a brand on his left hand, chuckled. "Sure. That'll be 1 valka note."

Lucian attempted to pay immediately, but as he reached into his pocket, he noticed the core was glowing. "It's him..."

He tried to remain composed, searching for a valka note. "What? I'm out of money?"

Turning to the waiter, he admitted, "Sorry, I forgot to bring money."

The waiter brushed it off. "No worries. It's just one drink. Oh, and my offer for female workers still stands, keep that in mind," he added, heading off to get the drink.

So the Bart Family member works here, and there could be possibly more of them coming in from time to time. Do they not know how I look like? Oh yeah, they don't have cameras.

How should I approach this? I have to pry and get on his good side to gain more information.

The waiter returned with the drink, saying, "Enjoy," and turned to continue working.

"Wait."

The waiter turned back, waiting for Lucian to speak. Lucian said, "I might be interested in those female workers. Can you tell me more about them? I'm rather picky."

The waiter nodded, sitting down with Lucian, and leaned in to share details. "There's Maria, she's recently arrived and she's a virgin. Then there's Alison, a young girl who's been requested the most. She's only 16."

As Lucian listened, he made a conscious effort to maintain composure, suppressing the urge to react violently. Relax... Relax... The wheel of fate will turn against them soon.

Feigning interest, he asked, "Maria sounds good. How much for the night?"

The waiter considered. "Since she's new, a virgin, and a beautiful lady of 18... How about 1 valling note for the night?"

Lucian's left eye twitched. "I don't have the money now. I'll come later tonight."

The waiter, with black hair, said, "Sure. I'll get her ready. Any specific clothing choice?"

"Anything, I don't have a preference."

"And where do I meet her?"

"In this street, house number 5. Look for numbered doors, enter door 7, and she'll be there. What time?"

"18:00."

Lucian added, "I have to go now. My wife would be furious if I'm out any longer."

The man laughed, "Women, haha."

Lucian stood abruptly, checked his watch, and realized Lucy would soon enter. He quickly improvised a plan.

"NO!" His shout resonated through the bar.

The waiter jumped, uncertain why Lucian shouted. Lucian added, "Don't talk about my wife that way."

The waiter apologized, "I'm sorry, it won't happen again. I just thought you didn't have a good relationship with her, since, you know..."

Lucian swiftly exited the bar, spotting Lucy near the entrance. He quickly grabbed her arm, pulling her along.

"What's going on? What happened to the plan?"

"We'll talk later. For now, walk as fast as possible," he said.

After putting some distance between them and Rusts Shab, she started asking with concern, "Why didn't you stick to the plan? Did something happen in there?"

He looked at her, a smirk playing on his lips. "I did it. I found their weakness..."

Lucy leaned forward, speaking louder to be heard over a passing carriage. "Can you repeat that? I couldn't hear."

He let out a sigh, then repeated his explanation of what had transpired.

"Well, that's excellent news. We should report this to the Sunners," she said.

"Sunners?" he inquired.

"Oh, right. I forgot to fill you in. They're an organization dealing with the supernatural. Essentially, lesser and malevolent Gods cause trouble by making pacts with people. Since these individuals aren't under the church's control, they have the potential to do a lot of harm. Case in point, the Bart family."

"Fascinating. Do all towns have Sunner teams?" he asked, absorbing the new information.

"Yes, most towns have multiple Sunner teams specialized in protecting the vulnerable."

"I see... So, when we report this, will they immediately investigate and apprehend them?"

Lucy shook her head, indicating it wasn't so. "If they receive too many reports, they prioritize the most dangerous cases. Those who become aware of Believer matters and wish to assist Sunners have to make an oath, much like I did. They can act as informants, providing information and earning a bit of money if they happen to overhear anything."

She added solemnly, "In the event they can't contain them and secure them in specialized Believer prisons, they won't hesitate to eliminate them."

Sunner team sounds interesting.

"I have two more questions that I've forgotten to ask you..."

Lucy signaled him not to ask right now and said, "Not at the moment. Let's go to my place."

"Alright."

...

"Can I ask now?" said Lucian.

"Sure, but I want you to answer my questions first. How did you become a Believer? What are all your powers?"

Lucian thought for a while and began, "I became a Believer by—"

Suddenly, he was struck by a sharp, piercing sound, causing him to drop from the chair to the ground, clutching his ears in pain.

Lucy immediately sprang up, unsure of what was happening and eager to help, though uncertain of how to do so.

He lay there, still in pain, until the ringing finally stopped and his senses returned. "What happened?"

Lucy, still in disbelief, replied, "I don't know."

He slowly got up and settled back into the chair, deep in thought. "What was that just now?"

Lucy gave up on finding an immediate answer, realizing that something was clearly amiss.

"I became..." He struggled, but the pain surged back, stifling his words.

Why? Why is this happening? I can't even say it, the pain is too much, he lamented. Is it her again..

Frustrated, he decided to demonstrate his abilities instead. "I'll show you my powers. Fetch a small knife."

Still taken aback, Lucy took a moment to retrieve a knife from the kitchen and handed it to Lucian.

He held the knife in his right hand and made a careful cut on his left arm, avoiding any major veins.

Lucy's eyes widened in astonishment. "Woah."

The wound swiftly began to close, leaving only a trace of blood on his arm. It healed completely, leaving no evidence of a cut.

Placing the knife on the table, he closed his eyes, focusing on channeling the power within him. He visualized the dark specks of aura within his core, guiding them to his hands. His nails grew rapidly, becoming stronger and sharper.

As Lucy observed this, she momentarily thought Lucian might have lost control. She quickly stood up, distancing herself.

"Don't worry, it's okay," reassured Lucian.

She cautiously approached him, inspecting his hands and nails with her own. "Remarkable. It's as if you danced on the edge of becoming a monster but never fell in."

That's oddly specific.

"Can I ask now?" said Lucian.

"Alright."

"Why is the Believer core so expensive, and what is its use?"

"A Believer core is the source of someone's powers. The church buys mass amounts of Believer cores from various vendors, who might or might not be involved in shady dealings. I don't know its exact use, but there are a lot of black markets that buy and sell them. The people who check the core to see which Pact it belonged to and to which God are called Appraisers. I think they make Pacts with the God of Knowledge so they have the ability to see it somehow. The higher the Pact, the more money you get."

"Why does the church buy cores, huh."

"I don't know. It's been like that for hundreds or even thousands of years."

That does sound rather shady..