Eye Of The Eclipse 61 Mischief & Ragnarok

The only thing to distract them was James' voice which chimed in on occasion. Despite having said that he wouldn't disturb them at first, after his short conversation with Loki, he began to redouble his efforts to become more familiar with the group.

Many of the things he said weren't actually intended to spark up conversation, simply explain some of the commonplace rules and habits of the auction house as though he was commentating to no one in particular. Seeing the slight movements which were betraying the fact that Rykar and Loki were actually paying attention to his monologue, he often changed the direction of the topic he was on depending on something as small as a little nod or a slight tilt of one of their heads.

Just seeing his actions, Chance and Rob raised their vigilance against him due to the skill he was revealing in reading the twins reactions. Judging what, when and how to say something solely based on the subtle body language of masked and cloaked people was a feat in and of itself. Even if this was made easier due to the targets age and inexperience.

"Do you want to make a deal, James?" Taking advantage of one of his pauses, Loki took the initiative to propose a contract he had been mulling over for the last few minutes.

"Deal?" James asked while looking at the two taller figures. He was happy at first, having established contact, but this would be for naught if the deal proposed was something which was not also agreed upon by the two which seemed to be the actual shot callers.

"Of course, I'd love to… Depending on the conditions of course." He finished while laughing it off.

"You can ask me anything you want. But, you only get one question and you have to forget the answer when you leave this room." Loki spoke slowly, thinking about any loops within his conditions before continuing. "In return, as long as we are your customers, everything you do will be in our best interest, deal?"

Going over the deal in his head for a moment, James looked over to Chance before stating his reply. The difference between this being a deal between a child, and a serious request where he could ask something more invasive, rested on whether he had the approval of the head of the group.

The booth was quiet aside from the auctioneer now introducing the latest item. Being sold off this time was a set of thirty swords, all uniform and clean of any crests, marks or insignias. This was commonplace in the underground markets. The creation and sale of weapons was restricted to licensed brokers which would not only have to pay yearly for the right to sell, but also pay an extra sum as tax on wares sold. To back source weapons on the mainstream market, a makers' mark would be placed on the merchandise.

This didn't simply aid in profits for the governing bodies, though. The makers' marks also served as a quality check on any merchandise, thoroughly elevating the asking price depending on popularity and a variety of other factors.

For the first time since the auction began, Chance tore his eyes off the stage, looking between Loki and James a few times. Beneath his mask, his eyes darted towards a set of dancing red symbols which were held in Loki's hand before he nodded, turning his head back to the stage without saying a word.

With the confirmation he needed, James immediately sealed the deal with Loki, who pulled his now empty hand from the far side of his seat, which had been obscuring James view.

For a moment, Loki just sat there in a daze, looking at his hand as though it wasn't even his. He flipped it while looking at the back and front, only sobering up when Rykar nudged him from the side after feeling the oddness of his brother.

"Err, yeah. I mean, what's your question?" Despite the nudge helping to pull him back slightly, his mind obviously wasn't in the moment.

"Ah, of course. But, do you need any water? We also have a variety of teas available which help sickness or nausea…" Concern was evident in James' voice as he looked between the twins.

"No, I'm good."

"I see. Well my question is only a simple one. All this time, we haven't been properly acquainted. As you already know, my name is James, therefore I'd like to know the names and faces of those within your group."

"Fine. I'm Loki." He introduced himself before pointing towards the others in turn. "This is Rykar, Rob and Chance."

"Loki, you were named after the G.o.d of mischief?" Seemingly unfazed by their ident.i.ties, he asked about the origins of Loki's name before looking over at Rykar. "I could be mistaken but 'Rykar' sounds as though it's been derived from the Great Ragnarok, although vaguely."

Hearing the possible origins of their names, the twins were instantly intrigued, antic.i.p.ating any follow up James might provide.

"I can understand Chance, the demon and the smart being in the same place, however, 'Rob' is a new name for me." Everyone in the room looked over at James simultaneously, ready to jump out of the seats at any point.

"You're already here to enjoy the auction, why be so tense now. Either way, we have much to talk about seeing as you were able to smuggle such a large amount of essence fruit from under my brother's nose. Even for me, I have to say that's an accomplishment in and of itself."

"Anyhow, the guards are just outside, I'll have to ask you to excuse me while I call them in." Everything James had said seemed to have been said to a good friend of his while sitting around a table of snacks. His tone had no seriousness to it at all, completely ignoring the threatening vibe coming from the four in front of him.

Turning slightly, keeping an eye on them while extending his hand back, he grasped the handle of the door and twisted.

Just as the door opened enough for him to slide out if needed, he called out lightly without intending to leave the room. "Guar-"

Four masked figures leapt to their feet at once, but they hadn't even taken a step from their original positions before they once again returned to their feet and continued watching the auction as though nothing happened.

Their movements truly resembled a jack-in-box. Jump scaring the una.s.suming victim before returning to their original positions.

In the time between them standing up and sitting down, James had already been scared witless, literally throwing himself through the crack in the door head first. Due to catching his s.h.i.+rt on the handle, his cuff, along with his blazer, had been torn all the way to his elbow on the way out.

From the other side, the clamor of a few people could be heard as they checked on his condition. Not even five seconds pa.s.sed before four guards rushed into the room looking down at the four seated figures with their weapons drawn.

"Stand up and place your hands in front of you, you'll be apprehended until further notice." The first one to enter the room said in a stern voice.

"Why?" Chance asked in a suspicious yet impatient tone.

Before the guard could continue, James rushed back into the room completely fl.u.s.tered. "What do you think you're doing in here? Get out. Leave us."

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"But Sir, you-"

"I won't repeat myself." Being questioned by the guard obviously helped to bring him back to his senses sooner.

"Is this how your establishment runs thing? Apprehending clients whenever someone trips over?" Rob mocked from the side while they watched the guards leave.

"Not at all, not at all. My apologies for the misunderstanding, some of the more newly trained guards are simply too impetuous at times. A small disturbance can be enough to make them want to establish the safety of all present." He sighed while shaking his head, doing his best to pa.s.s it all off off as a guard's overprotective behavior.

"Safety? What happened?" Loki asked while looking down at James' sleeve. "That's from when you went for the tea?"

"Tea?"

"you noticed I haven't been feeling well, you said there was a tea which was specifically good for nausea."

"Ah, of course! Just a moment, I'll inform someone to bring it over."

"No need, I'm not thirsty anymore."

"Ah I see." Losing his chance to cater towards Loki, the closest thing he found to a conversation, made him feel dejected for a moment. With the tea being supplied, James hoped that he would have had a further chance to pry into Loki's appearance when he took the opportunity to take a sip. Too bad the guards had ruined the mood…

"Do you like reading?" Rykar asked.

Hearing another immature sounding voice, James wasn't surprised in the slightest due to them being a similar stature. "Yes, in fact I do. I'm a firm believer that knowledge is wealth."

"Have you come across Ragnarok before?"

"Mhm, and the G.o.d of Mischief." Loki added in, unwilling to let his brother wrestle the conversation from him.

"Ah, these are two very different subjects. However yes, I was once very intrigued in the subject of mythology! The G.o.d of Mischief is known as Loki, while Ragnarok is hailed as the great destruction, bringing ruin to all. Whether it be G.o.ds, mortals or the sea of stars itself, they were all ravaged by the great calamity."