The bar they met at was dilapidated by time and it was obvious that it needed repainting more than once. The inside was cozy with a brightly-lit interior. The owner's taste was unique as bars usually were dim and less showy.
As Arthur walked into the bar, he recognized Ivy, Li, Zas, Reece, and Si sitting in a lounge around a table, drinking. There were three others that he had never met before, probably members of Mistletoe as well.
"Isn't it early to be drinking already?" Arthur asked with amazement as it was still bright outside, the evening a short time from descending.
"Never too early for a few shots, genius junior of mine!" Reece poured a glass before pushing it into Arthur's face. The group was already sitting and chatting before he got here, but it seemed their attention was redirected at him.
"I'm not a genius," Arthur smiled thinly and took the glass, although he had no intention of drinking it.
"Well, your actions proved otherwise." Si smiled and took a sip of his glass. "To be frank, genius is an understatement."
"He's just good with runes, a runes nerd." Scowled one of the people Arthur hadn't met before. He was a young man in his twenties with black hair and green eyes. His features were chiseled and defined making him one of the tops in the handsome guys' department.
"Shut your trap, William." Ivy glared at him. "If you can do half of the things he did, you wouldn't be so useless."
"Huh?" William frowned and glared icily at Ivy. "I don't need to do such things because I can take him down with a flick."
"Oh? Why don't you try?" Zas smirked sinisterly and Arthur didn't know if he was plotting against him or William. However, his provocation went unsuccessful because William simply snorted. "Unless you're scared." Zas's next words made William stiffen.
Before Arthur could say anything, William had already drawn out his gun. Everything happened in the blink of an eye as Arthur felt the change in mana with his perception. Instinctively, he used his new rune and appeared behind William.
His dagger was already at hand and cutting through the air. It was his survival instinct after many battles. He reacted instinctively toward the hostility he felt. William seemed to notice him a tad too late, but his gun was already pointed toward Arthur over William's shoulder.
Before the two could collide, they felt a sharp pain in their wrists. The dagger and gun flew out of their hands after being struck by something none of the two could see.
Li sheathed his weapon and sat back down. The sound of the two weapons falling rang in the bar like the bell ending a match.
"William," Si finally opened his mouth again. However, his voice was cold and distant like it came from a stranger. "If you ever do something like that again," Si's eyes glowed violet carrying a pressure that descended on the group. "I'll kill you myself."
His words were followed by an uncomfortable silence before William nodded, sweat covering his brows. With something akin to a whisper, he apologized.
"I'm sorry."
Arthur nodded and sat back in his chair. The silence was still there but it was soon cut by Reece.
"Woah, Si is so scary when he gets mad." Reece held his cheek as turned his head to the sides more than once. His words were like a pin that blew the balloon of tension.
"Sorry, but you guys know I hate infighting." Si sighed and took another sip from his glass. "Enough of it, let's get to business." He turned toward Arthur. "You did well. I've already heard what happened from Ivy, but let's chat later on. For now, let's plan." He gestured toward the remaining two.
"Other than William, you have yet to meet Idris and Hua. Idris is our company's acting executive. The best in his field. Hua is our archer, also one of the best."
Arthur greeted the two as he examined them. Idris was a two-meters tall and bulky black man. His face was grim and serious that Arthur doubted he had ever cracked a joke in his lifetime. He had a scar running down his left cheek making him look more like a gangster. From his build, Arthur expected him to be a tanker but turned out that he was a manager.
As for Hua, she was a short woman with a seductively outlined figure. She had a dark shade of green and hazel eyes. Her eyes were sharp, almost making half a circle as she looked at Arthur with curiosity.
The gaze she shot Arthur sent chills down his spine as he saw her thin smile. He tried to ignore it but her curious eyes studied him from head to toe.
Arthur had no time to chat with them, and he was relieved because of that. Si directly started talking about what they wanted to do.
"You want us to steal the Calamity Spider?" Idris asked with genuine amazement. "I understand that the lad was able to crack his way open, but this is no simple matter. It belongs to the association!" He said with worry.
"I know, but they can't do anything if we steal it now. Right now," Si proceeded to explain the ongoing war with Ilios. It was a chaotic situation, but it was better than a day ago.
After the Calamity Spider stopped, the forces that had been deployed here were quickly sent as reinforcements toward the south-eastern border. The battles there were still ongoing but things were looking well, as Ilios hadn't managed to breach the walls just yet.
The Unbroken Corps, the strongest division in the Yalveran Army, were also deployed. Things turned when Ilios sent out their Sun Benders. Ilios was known for its fire and light mana essences and arts, boosting both healing and attack power. That's why the Sun Benders were also called Light Paladins.
From what Arthur knew, the Unbroken Corps were known for their gear and teamwork. They also had some of the best archers and gunmen in the world, making fighting against them quite difficult. With mechas added to the mix, the Yalveran Union was pushing the Ilios Empire back.
"However, that won't last for long. We need to act fast to secure the fortress and infiltrate the palace. Right now, the fortress is being handed to the Runes Association. We'll strike tonight and give Arthur enough time to take over the fortress."
"And how much does he need?" Hua turned the conversation toward Arthur. She looked at him expectantly as Arthur tried to seriously think about it.
"The fortress has six layers and the core. The reason that the prince didn't emerge victoriously," Arthur studied Si's expression, but it was stoic. "Was that he tried controlling it from the fourth layer, not being able to utilize it fully. I don't know how he was able to control it without getting to the core."
This was the truth.
"But it won't be easy to take control of it. The association had spent so much resources and manpower since the fortress was found." Although it had only appeared through a fissure fifteen years ago, that didn't change the fact that the association still failed to reach the core. Arthur hypothesized that this had to do with the fact that they couldn't control genuine runes.
"What makes you so confident that you'd do something not even grandmasters were able to do?" William asked, frowning. He had a point since Arthur has yet to reach nineteen.
'Because my ability is to control runes themselves.' He answered in his mind but he would never reveal it. He can make others make assumptions, but he would try to hold back as much as possible.
There were certainly abilities that boosted not something supernatural, but other fields of knowledge. There were rare mutated abilities that can control machines or give magical effects to paintings, but never runes.
Runes were the link between knowledge and magic. They were the reason humans were advancing and technology hadn't fallen behind yet. They were the key that made it possible to surpass the limits.
"He can do it," Si answered instead of Arthur. "After all, that's the reason I recruited him in the first place. His potential." If abilities had a sign like a dollar's sign, Si's eyes would be just that as he looked at Arthur like a rare gem.
After Si said that, no one doubted it any longer. This group has come into existence because of Si's ability to see potential in people and convince them.
***
They wore black robes that hid their identities and Arthur was handed a mask. Each mask was purely white with different engravings on each member's mask. Si's mask was engraved with three vertical lines and an eye, Ivy's had a bear head, Zas's had a crow, Hua's had a phoenix, Li's had a tree, and William's had a serpent.
Arthur's mask was purely white, yet to be engraved. The mask had no holes in it and no straps. When he wore it, he was able to see and breathe just fine, as if the mask never existed.
Si put on his mask and turned to the group. He nodded at them before issuing a command.
"Let's go."