The Art of Rebellion

Training Day

You would probably assume the boss of the Rebellion of Tyr to be some sort of unstoppable warrior badass. Truth be told, he might actually turn out to be powerful, but the old man prefers to go about everything the peaceful way - if possible, that is.

I knock on the door of the boss's office and enter without waiting for permission. He shakes his head softly, already used to my lack of fucks to freely hand out. "You wanted to see me, boss?"

"Yes," he says. "Also, please don't call me that. We are in this together. At least, if you won't call me by my first name, use Shimura as the replacement." He keeps his eyes closed the entire time. Being a gifted sensor, it's not as much of a burden as it might be for anyone else.

"Yeah, sure." I stop myself from rolling my eyes, since he deserves more respect than that. "What's the mission?"

He smiles softly, and someone else knocks. "Come in, Hasta."

The boy in question opens the large door and peeks his head in. Truth be told, I'm surprised he can even push it open, considering how small and skinny he is. His shoulders aren't all that wide, either. He claims to be fourteen, but I wouldn't put him over twelve. "What did you want to see me about, Mr Shimura?"

People are always more formal when they're nervous, and being formal typically just makes the person you're being formal towards more nervous. It's not just a waste of time, but an actual liability. I prefer being casual.

"Kol, I want you to take Hasta to any small town we have a portal in, then teach him how to handle himself in real life situations," the old man says, and I mentally groan. Sure, I like the boy enough, but he doesn't seem all that competent, which means I'm about to like him a whole lot less. "Use any method you deem fit," he adds, and I give the kid an evil grin, then throw an arm around his shoulder.

"C'mon, let's see what you're made of."

I know what he really wants me to do; Teach the boy what it's like to take a life. We don't have a lot of time to train new recruits, so they mostly have to learn on the job. If they die, that just means they weren't strong enough to bring about any meaningful change.

It doesn't take us long to walk to the well, which functions differently from the one back in that shitty sand filled hellhole. The well there only leads back to this one, the source of the portals we use. This one, however, can send us toward any transportation well we've marked with our runes. All I need to do is carve the rune of the well I wish to go to, and the portal will connect to it. The carving itself will disappear within minutes, since the well uses its own magic to repair itself. We wouldn't be half as successful as we are without it.

"Any requests, Hasta?" I ask, and he shakes his meekly. Alright then. His first lesson will be to ditch his shyness. If you want something, demanding it will work most of the time. He'll learn to make his own choices after this. I take a knife out of my coat and carve the rune for Memphis into it.

We emerge from the well on the other side, and the boy pales as he realizes where we are. "But why here?"

"'Cause you need to toughen up," I reply. Memphis is a town where thieves thrive. Everyone who has stolen goods to sell comes here and sets up a tent. Since they're surrounded by other thieves, they use enchanted items as security. For example, you can't leave a tent with something you've not paid for. Well, unless you happen to be a sorcerer who can counter the tents' power.

"Alright," I clap him on the back, making the boy stumble. "Steal anything from any of the tents. We aren't going back until you do. I'll be acting as a member of the royal militia afterward, meaning you'll have to get away from me."