Chapter 6 - Lady Enki

[Unknown Location, Heaven's Watch Base]

The tapping of keys echoed through the shadows of the room, the dim light of the laptop screen casting an eerie glow on the features of a middle-aged woman with fiery red hair. With eyes fixed to the screen, she scrolled through information with intense concentration, her fingers tapping a rapid beat against the desk's polished surface.

Lost in thought, she spun her chair around and made her way to a nearby steel cabinet. Her hands sifted through the folders with a feverish urgency until she found the one she was looking for. Satisfied, she rolled her chair back to her desk, fingers flying as she cross-referenced the information with the screen's display.

"Tsk. It really is like that," she muttered in frustration, reaching for a pack of cigarettes on her desk. She pulled out a cigarette and found her lighter in a pocket, setting her cigarette alight with ease of long habit. The cigarette fit between her fingers like a jigsaw puzzle in place, as she pressed the end to her lips and inhaled. The smoke curled into the air as she leaned back in her chair.

"Cheap crap..." she muttered under her breath, extinguishing the cigarette with a flick of her wrist before tossing the whole pack into a nearby trash can.

As she focused on the screen, a document file came into view, the header reading: Missing Persons. The woman sighed, rubbing her temples in an attempt to soothe the headache that had been nagging at her all day.

The missing person notice had come in 48 hours after the disappearance of Professor Adrian, an expert in relic research and the author of the world-renowned book "Regalia, A Missing Link". The book had sent the relic research community into a mad frenzy with its theories of a new classification of relics. But his ideas were largely dismissed by his peers, something people suspected was an effort to control the information and to prevent widespread panic. The world was already insane enough with the current race to retrieve and control relics - what if more powerful relics came into play? The chaos would be unimaginable.

The woman cross-referenced the folder's contents against the missing persons notice, her fingers flying across the keys as she worked urgently. Suddenly, a notification popped up in the corner of her screen.

"Those brats are back," she muttered under her breath, a small smile playing on her lips. She stood up, closing the laptop's lid and grabbing her coat as she made her way out of the room.

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[Courtyard, Heaven's Watch Base]

-whoosh-

It was late in the evening when suddenly, a blinding yellow light burst forth, illuminating the entire courtyard as three figures appeared out of thin air. It was none other than Connor, Ethan, and Roderick, each one of them looking slightly disoriented from the sudden shift.

Connor stretched his arms. "Phew, that took us a while."

"The pros and cons of a base that shifts every twelve hours," Ethan said as he walked to a corner and placed his bag down. "If not for Roderick, we'd never be able to find our way."

A scruffy and burly looking man also placed his luggage down beside Ethan's and let out a hearty chuckle. "Aye, I could never steer us wrong with this relic 'o mine."

Roderick was referring to "Yellow Brick Road", a mystical relic that functions as a pathfinder to another relic "Emerald City". As the name of both relic implies, they were both related to the famous children's tale "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" written by American author, L. Frank Baum. These relics function as a pair, with Emerald City being a relic that shifts the Heaven's Watch Base location every twelve hours, and Yellow Brick Road being the only way to locate the base without going around in circles.

Heaven's Watch was a top-secret location, for various reasons. They had a lot of enemies who want them dead, being a mercenary organization that had been operating for years. It was a place that few knew of, and even fewer had ever seen. And it went without saying that there were numerous security measures in place to deter anyone who might try to breach its walls.

The watchtowers that surrounded the courtyard were manned by highly trained sentries who kept a constant vigil, scanning the skies and the surroundings for any sign of trouble. The walls themselves were reinforced with defensive relics, woven into the very fabric of the stone to make them virtually impenetrable.

But it wasn't just physical security that protected Heaven's Watch. There were also relics of concealment and illusion that kept the location hidden from prying eyes. And even if someone managed to find their way in, they would still have to contend with the highly skilled and well-armed warriors who stood ready to defend the base at all costs.

In short, Heaven's Watch was a fortress, and its secrets were well-guarded. But even the best defenses could be breached by a determined foe, and so they remained ever-vigilant, constantly honing their skills and preparing for the worst.

The trio had barely settled their bags when Lady Enki emerged from her office, her face etched with a stern expression that could make even the bravest warrior tremble. "Ah, you boys are back," she said, her voice laced with a mix of relief and suspicion. "I hope your journey was uneventful?"

Connor and Ethan nodded, but Roderick, being Roderick, couldn't resist making a cheeky comment. "Aye, milady, but where's the fun in that? I was hoping for a wee bit of a scuffle." He grinned, his scruffy beard doing little to hide his mischievous glint.

Lady Enki's eyes narrowed as she shot him a withering glance. "I would appreciate it if our operations remained covert, Roderick," she said icily.

Roderick's bravado disappeared as quickly as it had come, and he shuffled his feet nervously. "S-sorry, milady. Just a slip of the tongue, is all."

Connor and Ethan exchanged a relieved look. They knew all too well of Lady Enki's quick temper and didn't want to incur her wrath. As the youngest and newest recruits of Heaven's Watch, they still had much to learn, but they were grateful for the chance to prove themselves under her tutelage. Not to mention, Lady Enki was also known to the public as the Witch of Scarlet Flames.

"As much as I would like to give everyone a break, our next request has come in. You two, come with me," Lady Enki beckoned towards Ethan and Connor and strode back towards her office, leaving Roderick standing dumbfounded in the courtyard. Connor and Ethan followed suit, not daring to dawdle at all.

Roderick sighed with relief. "Well...better the young'uns than meself eh?"

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::Minami Enki, C.O Heaven's Watch::

The words on Lady Enki's brass name plate was glistening on her desk as she flicked the switch to her office lights. The formerly dark room was now more appropriately lit, with traces of cigarette smoke lingering in the air.

"Sit." she gestured towards the duo.

As the two found themselves across Lady Enki on the other side of her desk, she flipped open her laptop and turned it around for them to see.

"We've got our next request right here," she pointed to the document that was open on her screen.

"A missing persons request?" Connor questioned. "Those aren't really up our alley...isn't it better to send Yukie out for these sort of things?"

"Hmph. If it was that simple, I'd send her alone and that would be the end of it," Lady Enki said.

"Connor...I think you should read this," Ethan said as he passed the folder on Lady Enki's desk over to Connor. "It's not as simple as a missing persons case, not when those guys are involved."

Connor glanced through the dossier he was handed and frowned.

"Damn it. Can we confirm their involvement?"

"Yes. Scouts have confirmed this a while ago before you boys got back. Professor Adrian has been missing for 48 hours and counting. And the primary suspect is HADES." Lady Enki leaned forward and took the dossier out of Connor's hands, flipping the pages and pointed something out to the both of them.

"HADES..." Connor cursed, his eyes bloodshot as his adrenaline pumped.

Ethan kept silent and observed the exchange between his superior and his work partner, unsure where to step in. He knew how much Connor hated HADES, the [Heralds of the Apocalypse and the Destruction of Earth Society]. HADES was a cult-like organization that spawned after the Relic Wars, obsessed over spreading chaos and always having a hand in potentially world-ending incidents.

"This mission is critical. The client is a Professor Shiva, a relic scientist working under IMARI. She has been placed under witness protection after another colleague of hers, Professor Ritter was seen having an exchange with HADES operatives in Berlin." Lady Enki explained the situation briefly.

"What's the game plan here?" Connor asked.

"Mission briefing begins officially in...2200 hours, 2 hours later. Yukie and Takamura will also be joining us. For this mission, the five of us will be the main force. We've also been requested to cooperate with the Relic Enforcers." Lady Enki sighed after a momentary silence. "You are to return to your quarters, recoup and meet me at the courtyard at 2130 hours."

Connor and Ethan nodded, taking in the details of their next mission. Suddenly, the stakes were higher and the memory of their battle in the Maliau Basin against a Class 4 seemed like a distant thing.

"...and Connor. Go see Erik. I heard Big Bad Wolf has been repaired," Lady Enki added as she stood up to pass the dossier to Ethan.

Connor beamed at this piece of good news, Ethan also patting him on the back after hearing this. Big Bad Wolf was Connor's signature relic, and he's never been without it this long. The only reason they left to Maliau Basin without it was because Connor overused and damaged the relic in their last mission. In fact, the Bakas Mulau wouldn't have stood a chance at all had Connor fought using Big Bad Wolf.

"Got it. We'll see you later boss," Connor said with a tone of excitement in his voice as he was prepared to go meet with Erik, Heaven's Watch own relic artificer.