A Cold Truth

Blake and Mika happily led the way. Amanda had tasked them with directing them to the Art Users that had suddenly shown up in Lamara Village.

As they walked, Amanda looked back at Nathan with a gentle smile before signaling them to slow down.

"There's something I forgot to tell you three. Slow down so that Blake and Mika won't hear us."

"What is it?" Inquired Nathan.

"Have any of you ever noticed how everyone else back at HQ keeps their distance from you?"

"Yeah, I've always been curious about that. Instructor Brady told us that it's because most people from the Mind World hate the people of the Real World. Apart from you, Leo, and one other, we've never been approached by any of the other assassins."

"Mhmm. To be honest, Leo and I weren't very sure how we were supposed to feel when we found out that you three were from the Real World. But we decided not to treat you guys any differently than we did before. It's just that the people from the Mind World blame the Real World for the Demon Beast problem, and rightfully so. But I'm just telling you this so you can be a little more careful when revealing your true identity to others. For example, Blake and Mika might very well act differently toward you if they knew you were from the Real World."

The trio of friends remained silent. It was painfully evident that they would have a hard time interacting with people who knew who they were, no matter where they went. Even Nathan was starting to question his title of the Mind Hero. He was supposed to be a hero that saved the Mind World, but instead, he was a hero that was hated by all.

"Hey, you all need to pick up the pace!" Shouted Blake. The leader of the Art Users is just up ahead!"

"Okay, we're coming!" Sweetly answered Amanda. She then winked at Nathan, signaling them to walk a little faster.

"Man, why does Nate get all the chicks..? She hasn't batted an eye at me this entire time!" Murmured Andrew.

"It's just a wink, Andrew... I doubt she means anything by it..." Argued Sindy.

"Oh? Jealous? Hehe."

"Sigh... I'm going to lose brain cells talking to you."

A few seconds later, they arrived at the porch of a wooden house. This was when they saw a tall, slender man sitting with his feet up in an old rocking chair with a toothpick in his mouth. He had long curly brown hair, a scruffy beard, and deep blue eyes. Overall, he was quite handsome.

"Jorge! We've got some heroes here who want to see you!" Shouted Blake enthusiastically.

"Oh? Heroes, you say? What would a bunch of heroes want with poor little me?" He answered calmly.

"We just have a few questions for you, is all. I promise we don't bite unless you give us a reason to," stated Amanda.

The Art User slowly got out of the rocking chair to acknowledge Amanda's presence. Carefully, he moved toward her before gently getting on one knee and kissing the back of her hand.

"Forgive my lack of manners. I didn't realize I was in the presence of such a beautiful woman. My name's Jorge. What's yours?"

"How sweet of you to greet me this way, Jorge. My name's Amanda."

Andrew pouted, "Why does she seem to accept everyone else's affection except mine? This is why we say bros before hoes, Nate! Bros before hoes!"

Jorge then picked himself up with a charming smirk. However, Amanda was not about to let his looks and smooth talk distract her from the mission.

"Jorge, who's the leader of your group?" She asked.

"Well, you could say that's me."

"Then that saves me a lot of trouble. I'd like you to take your group and leave this village ASAP."

Jorge laughed, "You know I can't do that. We made a deal with the villagers to keep them safe."

"From my perspective, it looks more like you're taking advantage of their situation. I understand that you and your friends see this as a business opportunity, and as an entrepreneur myself, I respect that. However, your demands are far too high for a poor village like this. Eventually, even if the Demon Beasts don't kill them, hunger will."

"Wait, Amanda! Jorge and his friends aren't bad people!" Blake quickly defended. "Sure it might be tough on us now, but if it weren't for them, our village would have already fallen! Tell them, Mika!"

"I... It's true..! And Jorge also helps me and Blake with our training for free. He's teaching us how to fight so we can defend the village once he leaves... He's a good person..!"

Amanda gave a bothered sigh. The situation was already problematic enough. If the villagers were already getting attached to the Art Users, it would be even more difficult to help them.

"See, we haven't done anything wrong here," continued Jorge with a shrug. "I'll admit that I see this village as a business opportunity, but just like everyone else, I'm only trying to survive."

"Sigh... What a bother this is. You're right. Arguing with you is pointless since you've technically done nothing wrong. But I'll at least need some information from you regarding what you know about the Demon Beast attacks."

Amanda and Jorge were about to come to an agreement when Nathan stepped in between them. He had a very displeased look on his face.

"I'm sorry, but I can't accept that," he stated sternly.

"Nathan?" Called Amanda in shock.

"Who are you supposed to be? Your superior has already decided that we've done nothing wrong. Let's not make this any more complicated, kid," warned Jorge.

"Sure you haven't done anything wrong as yet, but you said it yourself. You see this village as a business opportunity. So in that case, what happens to this village when they have nothing left to offer you for protection? You'll abandon them, won't you?" Argued Nathan.

To Nathan's surprise, Jorge laughed at his question.

"Of course, we'll be forced to leave! Isn't that obvious? If there's no money to be made then we'll just end up starving like them. That's just how the world works, and everyone knows that. Survival isn't built off kindness, kid. Besides, you're a hero, aren't you? Your job is to find a solution to the problem, so they don't have to keep suffering once we leave."

"Sorry, pal, but I agree with Nate. You're scamming these poor people. You're almost taking half of their supplies plus a hefty daily fee. That's the work of a real dipshit if you ask me," supported Andrew.

"Woah! Calm down there! My group is a big one, you know. And because of that, we need a lot of supplies to keep ourselves going. You should stop trying to make us look like the bad guys already."

Nathan and Andrew were ready to continue arguing, but they were quickly stopped by Amanda.

"Jorge, as mentioned before, we just need information. Provide us with what you know, and we'll let you go."

"The Demon Beasts have a strange habit of attacking in the late evening. That's when we normally get busy. Come back later when it's dark, and we can discuss the rest.

"Or you can take us deeper into the surrounding forest to show us what's really going on."

"Not interested. The forest could be crawling with Demon Beast, and most of my men are out surveying the area anyway. It's too dangerous to go with so few of us. Come back later as I mentioned before when I've gathered all my men."

Without another word, Jorge left the house and disappeared down the street. This proved to be quite frustrating for Amanda.

"Well, that was a bland excuse," mumbled Sindy.

"I don't get it. Why did you let him off the hook so easily?" Asked Nathan, visibly upset.

"As an assassin, you can't rush things. Sure we could have pressed him with more questions, but it would be fruitless. If anything, it might have just started unnecessary conflict. It's far too early for that," replied Amanda.

Blake then jumped in front of Amanda to get her attention. His eyes were burning with determination.

"We did what you told us and showed you to Jorge! Let us join your organization as promised!"

"Slow down there! Things don't work that way. You'll have to keep helping us until we find a solution to your village's problems," persuaded Amanda.

"Dang... Fine, I didn't expect it to be that easy anyway. Mika and I are going to go train with Jorge for now. If you need us, just let us know."

The siblings then quickly ran after Jorge in the distance, leaving the assassins behind.

"So what do we do now, Amanda?" Asked Andrew.

"We'll meet back up with the Instructor and discuss the intel we've gained so far. We'll decide what to do afterward."

"I just hope we don't let these guys get away with exploiting the villagers like this."

"Trust me, Andrew. I've been an assassin long enough to know how this ends. 9/10 times these situations go south. It's almost certain to end in conflict. Just keep your guard up for now. Until we get some more dirt on these guys, we can't act. Be patient and wait for the correct time to strike."