Going Shopping & More Bandits! [Part 2]

"By Hephaestus' Holy boxers! I know you said you had business for me but daaaaamn!"

No_Mic's eyes widened and practically sparkled when Ethan revealed all of his loot. "You've got a treasure trove here! I don't think I've ever seen such a huge haul with so many good items in one place before."

"Hehe, I bet you haven't.", said Caleb with a smug expression on his face. Ethan felt the random urge to smack the back of the little boy's head but he refrained from doing so. After all, he wouldn't have earned all this wealth if he had never stumbled that clearing and saved them.

"Seriously, you guys have no idea how much you're helping me out here.", said No_Mic as he retrieved his goggles and started examining some of the items. "I'm sure you might've already overheard earlier, but thanks to that prick Ryker, no one else in the city is willing to sell me materials. No matter what I offer, no one else is bold enough to go up against the Blackclaw Brigade."

Ethan frowned when he heard this. "Why not just go to the city authorities and report the matter?"

No_Mic let out a dry laugh. "You underestimate the influence of the Brigade, my friend. They're not your simple everyday bandit organization, these guys have roots spread across the whole Kingdom."

"I'm not sure what you've had to deal with up till now, but I can tell you for a fact it's a taste of what they're capable of.", No_Mic gave Ethan a sidelong glance. "You saw Ryker just now, right? He's a bandit Captain, in charge of about a dozen bandits or so."

Turning back to the items, No_Mic continued. "A regular bandit is usually at the middle levels of the Vitalis Stage, with a Captain usually being at the peak. Above the Captains are the Brigade Commanders, who are at the middle levels of the Arcana Stage and have a unit of four captains under them. Above them, are the two Brigade Lieutenants at the middle levels of Kyros Stage with a battalion of four Brigade Commanders under them each."

Caleb and Ava had pale expressions on their faces and sweat plastered across both their foreheads as they listened. Was this the same organization that they had tried to defy in the woods?

"I-I suddenly feel a little sick all of a sudden...", Caleb squeaked, looking as white as a sheet.

Ava didn't look any better and was even quivering a little. "J-J-Just o-out of curiosity, how strong is the boss?"

"Hmm, that's a difficult question.", Riven rubbed his chin and pondered for a moment. "No one really knows for sure because the big boss of the Brigade is very elusive and is always on the move so not much is known about him. However, last I heard he had managed to break through to the first levels of the Astrum Stage."

PLOP!

PLOP!

Caleb and Ava had finally heard enough and simply flopped onto the floor. An individual at the Astrum Stage was as powerful as a city lord and could easily pinch both of them out of existence a hundred times over.

Ethan on the other hand, reacted a lot more calmly and patiently listened to everything that No_Mic said.

'The Blackclaw Brigade...definitely not a force I can afford to mess with at my current level.' Ethan realized the gravity of the situation. 'Although I might have made a mistake by crossing them, the game's the game. All I can do is trend carefully from here on.'

No_Mic nodded in satisfaction, seeing that Ethan was finally getting the full picture. "You're better off avoiding them, trust me. They have connections everywhere and they're not people to be mess with. But don't worry, I've got your back if you ever find yourselves in a pinch. Heck, I'll even make sure you get a good discount for these items, and I'll throw in some extra goodies for you as well."

Ethan smiled graciously and patted the engineer's shoulder. "Thanks bro. I have a feeling we're gonna get along just fine."

No_Mic returned the smile with a grin of his own. "Glad to hear it. If you're ever in need of good quality tech, feel free to hit me up bro."

"Well actually-"

Ethan explained how he and the twins were looking to buy a good buddy bot for Lyra. No_Mic told him not to worry about that and that he only needed to give him four hours and they would have the best gift they could wish for.

Ethan and the Twins agreed immediately and with the deal settled, No_Mic got right to work on the buddy bot.

•

Meanwhile somewhere else in the Aurum Bazaar, Lyra was just closing shop for the day and was headed to the city graveyard to visit her late husband's grave. She got to lock up earlier than usual because there weren't many customers today, which didn't surprise Lyra at all because things were usually like that at her little noodle shop.

Lyra sighed dejectedly. 'Might have to think about selling the place soon...'

The thought had been on her mind for ages but the noodle shop was the only thing providing for Lyra and her children. It was little, but it was still the only thing helping them sustain themselves.

Lyra put these matters aside for the time being and decided to pass by a boutique and buy some fresh flowers to put on her husband's grave.

Unbeknownst to her, Ryker and Butcher's goons tailed her, waiting for the perfect moment to strike and complete their mission.

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A/N: Hope you enjoyed! Make sure to save the book to your libraries and stay tuned for more.

Have a gud one!