The first section - Snake Eyes

Draka walked down the street, leaving the busy storefronts, markets, and restaurants and going down an alleyway that lead to the back streets of the busy town.

Just like in any city, there was an underground where only those who braved danger could go.

After walking for a while and thinking that he was lost, he rounded a corner and went into a dark alleyway, and finally found the store that he was looking for.

It had a sign written 'Snake Eyes' and a symbol next to it with two snake-like eyes looking straight at him like they were alive.

He went inside and was hit with a foul smell like someone had been boiling a dead dog that had been rooting outside for some days. It only lasted a second as he come through the door.

It was like his whole body had phased through something jelly-like and he remembered that feeling from all the other times he had come there.

He found a sexy ordinary-looking woman wearing no armor but a one-piece black pencil dress. Draka looked at her and saw through her ordinary portrayal for she was anything but ordinary.

She had a dark presence about her with her long black her, dark nails, dark lips, and eyes that would make a black panther run away but still approach her as that danger enticing it.

All around the small store were potions, books, and monster and beast parts that were wrapped in cloth or put in a jar. To his knowledge, it was the only store where you found a cultivation skill book laying on a dusty old shelf and had no one wanting to buy it.

The woman smiled when he saw him walk in.

"Oh, and here I thought that you were going to pass by like all the others."

Her voice was like honey to his ears by the way it was so sweet.

He took another mana stone out and threw it at her. Seeing it, she quickly snatched it from the air and put it between her ample bosoms. Who knew how it fitted in there?

"Where is old man Draila? He never leaves his store."

Draka asked with his guard up. He had it up ever since he went into the store.

"The woman through a piece of paper to him and rested her hands on her chin.

"My father died 15 years ago. He was 361 years old after all and could not break through to the next circle."

She said while sizing him up. As he listened to her he then started to read the paper that she gave him.

'Snake Eyes - The eyes see everyone, everything, and everywhere even if they do not hear.'

The heading was still the same.

'The Queen losses her firstborn child while giving birth. She has gone in recluse but many fear her wrath for those who she thinks is to blame. The king seems unaffected and has gone into his tower to cultivate. He still has yet to break through to the seventh circle.'

That part he had already concluded after hearing everyone's conversations on his way there. He had already made his conclusions about the baby and why they think it is dead.

'The eyes sneak pic - Five maids who were helping the queen in giving birth have not been seen ever since. The eyes have not seen the All Seeing Eyes as well since that night. His all-seeing eyes have also disappeared on everyone's shoulders.'

Now this part was what he was more interested in. Seeing it reported here almost made him grin in the veil of shadow in his hood.

'The eyes can see further - The winds have changed. The snake stands up tall and lets itself be seen in the tall grass, AS IF PREPARING FOR A CONFRONTATION.'

That next part almost made his eyes pop out. He had so many questions but knew that they were not going to be answered there.

'Do they foresee a fight that will involve the king or the whole kingdom? War? Or by confrontation do they mean someone wants to confront the kingdom or king? The snake can only be the king or the kingdom in this case, right?'

He put these questions at the back of his mind and continued.

The last part seemed to answer a question that he had asked himself that night before he saw the baby falling.

'The eyes see through the night - As blood is red and the night is black, the red cut through the night just before the All Seeing Eye's presence disappeared. Who is to say that that has something to do with the mysterious disappearance?'

After reading the paper, he put it in his pocket and turned his attention to the lady who was still looking at him like she wanted to gobble him up and keep him to herself.

"As you can see. He passed everything on to me. The services are still the same, if not better. The organization's tail still grows as it sheds its skin."

She said with a smile that would make a car salesman lose his job.

"Anything else?"

She asked.

Draka pulled out his hand and moved it above the countertop, making everything that he took from the three thieves fall on it.

The woman took one look at everything and concluded her evaluation.

"Ohh... let us see. Three mana stones for the armor and weapons since they do look decent and well-maintained and I'll charge you two mana stones for unsealing the storage rings. They are of the low tier."

Draka nodded and the woman did just that. She took out one mana stone that was smaller than the one that Draka gave to her and gave it to him. It was as small as a baby's pinky.

'The standard trading mana stone huh? It's been long ever since I held one.'

He thought as he took it, but did not put it away.

The woman took the armor and rings and then went into a different room. She came back after 5 minutes and gave them to him. He was not scared that she would take or look at what was inside the rings before she gave them back to him.

After all, this place was built on customer trust. An accusation of them breaking their secret oath would shake the very foundations of the organization, but that person must make sure that they were right about what they accused them of.

Kingdoms, organizations, and ancient families have fallen after all trying to use this to their ambition to take the organization down.

Draka looked at the sexy woman and thought about the training that she had to go through to be accepted in the organization let alone be raised by it. More impotently the oath she took could destroy her bloodline if broken.

Knowing this, he was confident that the last things that he wanted from her would stay between them.

"Two last things I need."

He said as he took something out of his storage ring.

"The first is for you to test this blood for any curses."

He said as he gave her the beaker of blood he collected from Arkan. This time she was intrigued.