Challenging Directions - Book 1 (Completed)

Chapter 2 - Undercover

After a long night of hanging out at the local pub, Ashe and Moss walk into their group meeting sluggishly. Once seated Sir Atticus, their leader who wrote the book on "Magical Techniques and Fighting Styles" walked in and straight up to the boys.

"Once again you two have brought me and this team trouble. What were you doing in the town center at Three in the morning four nights ago?" asks Sir Atticus his eyebrow raising.

"Oh, you know. It was guys night out." Moss chuckles crossing his arms on his desk as he slowly tries to fall asleep.

"Don't you dare" Sir Atticus said as he pushed the desk out from under Moss, so he fell on the floor. The room roared with laughter from two boys sitting in the opposite desks.

"Ouch." Moss whined as he rubbed his face. "That hurt you know." He sat up while fixing his red wavy hair. Looking around at his two other teammates who were laughing at him, Moss slowly gets up and walks back over to his seat. "Some team, none of you came to my aid."

"Yeah, no. Like I am stepping in between that mess." Ercan laughed jokingly and his purple hair fell in his face. "Damn it." He says then blows it away.

"Yeah I am with the idiot this time. Anyone who goes against that manic deserves what they get." Kai says as he points to Sir Atticus who had his back turned as he sorted the team papers.

"Hey who are you calling idiot, moron!" Ercan stands up getting Kai's face.

"Oh look he is so confused he didn't even know who I was talking about!" Kai burst into a fit of laughter. Ercan's face twisted in anger.

"Sorry I am late!!" A young girl with light pink hair with a beautiful butterfly tattoo at the base of her neck comes walking in looking frantic.

"There you are Mia." A muscular guy in the back who was silent until now went walking up to her." I thought you were lost again."

"Hehehehehe, Louis you worry too much." Mia blushes as she walks with him to their seats

"Ahem. When is our next mission?" Ashe speaks up for the first time.

"Thank you. Finally someone who actually cares." Sir Atticus sighs. "Because of the assassination of the Master Quad a few nights ago security has been tight. The incident four nights ago was the first time since then that we have seen 'The Exalter Advance' as some people have been calling them." Sir Atticus did quotation marks with his fingers when he said the name. "And since these two idiots are the only ones to survive a full on attack from them." Sir Atticus eyes both Ashe and Moss. "It's now our job to catch them. Along with a team from another kingdom."

"When are they getting here?" Kai asks curiously.

"Hello is this Sir Atticus' team?" A tall muscular man walked in. He had purple spiky hair and sand colored eyes.

"Yes that is me." Sir Atticus replies looking up at the giant who was even taller than Louis.

"Hehe you have got to be kidding me. You are just a little kid." The tall man chuckled.

"Don't underestimate me based on size alone." Sir Atticus said with a evil look in his eye, brow raised. "Now if you are done making fun of me, where is the rest of your team?"

"Oh right. I am Rai and this is Riac my twin. The rest of us are waiting at the train station." Rai states matter-of-factly. Riac smiled at the group sweetly as he bows and waves to them all one by one.

"Then I suppose we should be on our way." Sir Atticus says gathering up his things. "Let's move out!"

As Rai and Riac lead the way Louis keeps staring at the twins not able to shake his bad feeling about them, but seeing as how they are trying to help he pushes his feelings aside and let's Mia go in front of him as he holds back Ercan and Kai who keep pushing each other.

As everyone was climbing into separate wagons Rai and Riac go off into an alley to contact a mysterious voice.

"Hello. Yes we are with them now. We are headed to the train station as we speak. No I don't think they do." Rai answers every question in a very serious tone.

"Hurry someone is coming." Riac says watching something over Rai's shoulder.

"I found them!" Shouted Kai as he ran towards the two brothers. "They were getting worried. Why did you two disappear?"

"We had to contact our team and it was to noisy by the road." Chuckled Rai as he closed his device and walked past Kai without a glance his way.

"Let's move out." Riac said patting Kai's back. "Hey I didn't catch your name."

"Oh, That's right no one introduced themselves. I am Kai, nice to meet you." Kai responded cheerfully. "When we meet the rest of your team how about we introduce our teams. I bet I can do it better." Kai said with a smug grin on his face.

"Oh it is on." Riac said reaching out his hand for Kai to shake.

As Kai takes it he says "I think this might be the start of a beautiful friendship." The two laugh as they walk to a wagon arms over each other's shoulders. Or try to, Riac was too tall for Kai to reach so he just kind of awkwardly hung on.

"Oh great there is another one." Rai mutters with a groan.

"Hi, I am Ercan" the purple haired boy stretched out his hand and Rai shakes it. "So tell me something is brother going to be as obnoxious as Kai because one is enough for me. I mean no offence towards your family of course." Ercan starts chuckling nervously when Rai raised his eyebrow.

"No I understand. It is just you are very straight forward." laughs Rai.

"Oh sorry, people say I don't think before I speak, and I sometimes ramble on and on and on. So if that happens just stop me." Ercan says, but gets cut off by Kai and Riac pushing past them to climb in the coach. "Hey I was talking over here!"

"But didn't I hear you say something about cutting you off if you were rambling?" Kai says glaring at him.

Eager to change the subject, Riac asks "Where did the rest of your team go?"

"Oh yeah! They went ahead saying something about needing gear. I hope you guys already have your supplies because Sir A is ready to get this job over with." Ercan replies.

"Haha, don't worry we already have our supplies." Riac says with cheeky grin. "Ria here likes to be prepared."

"Hey! Half that crap is yours." Rai shot back at him.

"Oh no you don't! I am not to blame for your over packing!" Riac said looking ready to start a fight. The brothers kept going at it until they got to the station.

"Hsss" Rai said feeling some pain in his arm.

"Hey what's wrong?" Ercan stops to check on him.

"It is nothing. I think I may have hit my arm on the way out. I will be right back." Rai says as he starts heading to the bathroom, leaving Ercan and the others behind.

In the bathroom Rai took off his jacket to check his shoulder. He noticed his tattoo of a dragon glowing an unmistakable mark. Something was going to happen. Suddenly a bathroom stall closed.

"Oh my god! You are the Lightening Dragon Rai of the Exalter Advance!" said a man shockingly.

"Heh that I am, too bad for you." Rai says as he grabs the man and knocks him out. "Tsk tsk, I was so hoping to avoid this." Rai slowly raises a stone to the man's forehead and chants a spell, his eyes sparkling with lighting.