Infinite Realm: Monsters & Legends

Chapter 486: Maya

Information Gathering

Maya Rebadotter made her way through the streets of Kiselt, making sure that her hood stayed put on her head despite the strong wind. The town was a small place, relatively speaking. A coastal settlement that survived on fishing. The ocean beyond their coast held some unique specimens that were very valuable to the right customers. It allowed the town to not only survive, but prosper. Yet, despite being wealthy enough, they hadn't expanded their town or pushed to gain more territories.

In fact, they made sure to stay the medium sized community that they were for several reasons. The work that sustained the town was very hard, and it required specialized focuses to reach the depths where they could find their catch, something that not everyone was willing to do. But the nature of the catch also made Kiselt very attractive to alchemists, and... Well, when every third home had an alchemist doing experiments, not many were willing to move in right next to them.

Toxic clouds, explosions, mists that made people hallucinate, were just a few of the hazards that plagued the town, even with all the investments into precautions. The people that lived there were of a special sort.

Maya didn't complain, the state of Kiselt made it a perfect place for the Unchained's work. Alchemists were some of the most in demand people in the world, especially for High Rankers that the Unchained went after.

Keeping an eye on the orders going out of Kislet gave them surprisingly a lot of information. Some people were so dependent on their luxuries that they were willing to send in orders even when they were trying to move unnoticed. If only people knew just how many High Ranker's the Unchained had caught unprepared by following their orders...

Still, there was even more information to be gleaned in Kiselt. What someone ordered said a lot as well. For that reason, the Unchained had opened a courier service in the city, and had over the years managed to push their competition out, leaving them as the sole service provider. Pushing the competition out wasn't that hard when you didn't care about losing revenue and could undercut their prices. The organization had sunk a lot of wealth in the courier service, and it had paid off tenfold.

Maya made her way to the office in the center of town, avoiding people as much as possible. She had a ring that cast a minor illusion on her face, altering her appearance, but that didn't mean that she shouldn't be careful. Though, this way, if anyone actually saw her, they would give a false description.

She reached the center of the town and her destination. A large building, with an open storage building attached to its side. She could see dozens of people moving around inside, handling boxes. A station in the corner applied protection wards on the boxes, which were then stored at the back of the building, ready for deliveries. They had different types of services depending on the load. For big packages, they used airships or sailing ships. For smaller, more priority oriented deliveries, they had individuals with specialized Classes that could travel great distances quickly.

The service was earning enough now that they would eventually get out of the hole that they had dug in when they were bullying the other couriers out of business, which was good. The Unchained's income came from what they looted from their targets, and while most High Rankers were wealthy enough that they could sustain themselves that way, they had been growing.

She made her way inside the building, and walked up to the line where customers were waiting to either request deliveries or send them out. They had enough connections now that they could order, or purchase and deliver rare ingredients for the alchemists in town. The faction that controlled the territory was small, but it had grown strong over the years. Having high tiered alchemist around naturally raised everyone around them just as a byproduct of their experiments.

Maya made her way past the line and approached one of the clerks working at a desk. She leaned forward slightly, gesturing for them to come closer before beginning to speak in low tones.

"I need to speak with the Chief," Maya whispered as she placed and pushed a token across the woman's desk. It was an item given out to their most valuable customers, who Maya was impersonating. The token gave her priority and a special service.

The woman behind the desk smiled widely at her. "Of course, mistress, if you will follow me, please."

The clerk stood up and headed towards the back, and Maya followed her, weaving through shelves filled with packages. They made their way back to a private room in the far corner of the building where the Chief's office was.

The clerk knocked and entered, leaving Maya behind. A few seconds later, she stepped out and gestured Maya in. The room was spacious, grandly decorated, and held perfect temperature. Pieces of art were hung on the walls, and the furniture was clearly expertly made. Silk coverings hung as decorations, and the wood was carved in an esthetic that gave it a fluid look. As if it was water frozen in the middle of its passage. Formations for climate control were hidden in the walls, keeping it perfect for a ravzor.

His fur was pale gray, almost white, with barely noticeable streaks of black on his face. His claws were neatly filed, his fur bright and fine, the soft musk of oils rubbed into it wafted throughout the room. His clothes were chosen to present a view of high status and wealth. A long red robe with wide sleeves embroidered with gold leaves. A blue sash wrapped around his waist and hugged his stomach. This man was plump and well fed, obviously enjoying a life of wealth and comfort.

Maya gestured with her hand once the door was closed behind her, and the Chief activated a privacy array on his table. Once she felt it take hold, she approached.

"Mistress," the Chief inclined his head.

Maya waved her hand and took a seat across from him. "How are things, Mihas?"

"The work is doing above the projections, we should be able to expand next year," the ravzor said with a proud smile on his face.

"That's great to hear," Maya said. Increase in work meant an increase in their client list, which meant more information available to them. The courier business was completely legitimate, and the people working for it didn't know of their affiliation, Mihas was the only one of them who knew. It was easy for him to get the information that the Unchained needed, and all with no suspicion, after all he was the boss.

They had tried many different ways of gathering information, of spying. They had attempted to have people infiltrate other factions, then do drop offs with information packets filled with coded messages. But ultimately, those operations rarely survived for long. There were too many different paths that were geared toward finding out spies, seeing through the lies, ways to follow people to the drop offs. Having a third party faction that could operate on its own, who was then hired by others was the best way they had to find information so far. And they had many different factions across the Settled Territories, mostly in the crafting services, as they were easier to operate without suspicion. You just had to be willing to spend the funds to hire the best, and actually do the work. Having just a handful, or even one person be actually in the know of the purpose of the faction or operation was more than enough for their purposes.

"So, what do you have to report?" Maya asked. All information was transferred verbally. It was a bother, most of the times. Especially because it meant that only the powerful could be the recipients of to prevent detection. There were just too many eyes searching for the Unchained. Too many people who had powers that could detect information in too many ways to always counter. One of their early operations had been burned down because someone had a power that could detect any instance of information anywhere in the world, as long as he held the original. Their people had copies stored in a safehouse, unfortunately, which ended up with all of it being burned.

"Most of our targets are focusing on the Domes, as you well know," Mihas answered. "There's been a significant increase in orders and deliveries from the Adventurers faction, I have deduced which of their teams are going to be participating in the fight."

Maya nodded, it was important information, even though the Adventurers weren't on their list. They didn't meet the criteria, they kept to their island, and those that were on the mainland avoided politics. The only thing they really cared about was clearing dungeons and fighting monsters. But they still interacted with the powerful High Rankers, they dealt with them and sometimes furthered their goals even when they didn't intend to. Knowing which teams would be part of the dome attack force would let them know how the landscape of power on the Island of Dungeons would change. And there were a few of their targets on the island at the moment. This might be a good chance for them to go after them.

She settled in, and listened, committing everything to memory.