Leave The Monster Alone

"Hard at work, I see. But I'm afraid to tell you officer that you won't find anything of value here. After all, we are not people who take unnecessary risks with our meagre lives. You stripped us of that right after all" coming from that handsome and charismatic face, it could very well be a compliment.

But the hollow tone along with the wording made it clear that it was an insult for all intent and purposes. 

Mark looked at the man curiously and the man noticed it too. Starting back at him were those electric blue eyes, sharp and unafraid - the gaze of a clear criminal who had been to jail far too many times.

The person was also considerably older than him, almost in his early thirties but still supporting a fit build. Mark could only tell that with how the other was holding himself and his identity which he had guessed out already.

This was one of the likely leaders of the rebellions, no doubt about it.

The rebellion was a curious subject in the game's inventory itself. It had a clear purpose and intent, a cause even. It was one of the most challenging and crucial twists of this game which changed the whole shape of its playthrough. 

That was what the guide described it as.

And yet, there was no actual information on the forces behind it or the people involved. The main characters were never involved with this side of the things so it just never came up. 

Only small context clues existed till now but one that made a repeated entry was 'the cold and piercing blue eye on a handsome face.'

Since most people were designed as an NPC, anyone who stood out even a little was likely a key factor. If they had noticeable features then that person was most definitely one of the main characters. And this man had one of the most striking designs Mark had seen till now. This was no mere NPC for sure.

"Shut up and bring your stuff out" the guard snapped, his tone sharp with the order. There was just a slight shift in those eyes and Mark would definitely have missed it had he not been paying attention to that person before.

"Alright, alright. Easy up a little won't you? It's not like I can resist your assault anyway" even as that person said that, his body language tensed just a little bit more. The guard, as suspected, did not notice this small detail at all.

At this point Mark stopped paying attention to the checking but rather, he took the person in front of him in. Surprisingly, the sleeve of his clothes moved about even without any wind in the vicinity which was suspicious.

"I told you that you won't find anything here" the person raised his arms up, his hands almost swallowed up by his long sleeved hand and the checker grunted in disappointment. They had clearly looked extra hard to check this person and even when they moved onto the next person, it was clear where their focus lay.

Mark made to follow them but the small moment of those sleeved dragged away his attention and he knew he needed to solve this mystery once and for all. That man had his back to Mark, his eyes looking at the checkers in trump.

Mark seized that wrist and twisted it till it was in a free state and faced downwards. He also shook it as a good measure, now more than sure that something existed inside there. He could feel the imprint of it as he touched it.

"Hiding things? You could get in trouble" whatever noise that was about to come out of that mouth got caught right in that person's throat. There was surprise in those eyes as they turned toward him.

Surprise and interest which made Mark feel like he was making a mistake.

A small pouch of white fell down in front of him and Mark picked it up with his fast reflexes. Had the other not been in a slight shock, there was no doubt he would have been able to pick that packet up too.

But Mark did not mind this lead he had since it did help him out.

"Don't mind it, don't mind it. It's just my medicine, prescribed to me by my doctor. Can I have it back?" the person asked, his tone overly polite. However, just underneath that politeness lied a vicious threat aimed at Mark's person which made him tense.

"This looks like a very strong medicine and as a doctor I feel like it's my responsibility to keep an eye on your health. Do you mind if I check this medicine for side effects first?" the other clearly did mind it, but he did not show it on his face. With a wide smile, he had a gesture that said 'go ahead' but his eyes did not move away from Mark.

"Nothing is here. The other teams did not find anything either. We'll check once again tomorrow" the soldier who had been checking in the hall came back to him to report. Mark had no idea why they thought he was the authority but he took it with a grain of salt for now.

"You said you were a doctor though? Do they allow the doctors to head the army now?" The jestering tone also probed for answers. Now the other seemed like he was curious and not just for personal reasons.

"I'm not a fighter but I was given the authority for the stolen goods since I'm the on-duty shopkeeper. I was a doctor before things went downhill" Mark chose to explain this since it did not matter at this point.

The other accepted it, clearly not caring. He had more important things to worry about, especially in regards to the rebellion now.

Without the food resource secured, it was impossible to tell how the coming winter would fare for all of them. And the rebellion did not look to be stopping anytime soon.

"So now that you had your fun you'll leave us to clean up after you? What happened to the compensation? Even jail treated me better than this hellhole" the last part was clearly not meant for anyone to hear but Mark did hear it clearly. His guess had been correct after all, the other had been a criminal.

He did not disclose that information though, the panic was not worth the trouble it would bring. If the other was content to lie low then he would allow him to lay low. Besides, it was a given that not everyone who landed in jail was evil. 

Most people just landed there because of the circumstances.

"I'll be quick with my check. Expect me back in the evening" Mark gave the other a final verdict before he left. The lazy and curious eyes landed back at him but this time there was an unknown intensity to them. They seemed to be studying him which he allowed.

It would leave an impression on them and he clearly did not mind that at all.

"I'll await your return" Mark took a last look back at those eyes who looked genuinely interested now. They had a certain hunger now, their colour even darker and stormy from before.

They were downright terrifying, terrifying in the same way a wild animal was.

And as Mark left that place he knew that nothing would stop the oncoming storm if these lot of people got their way. They needed to be stalled till the actual base was prepared for that assault, if only for their own good.

There was no universe in which they would survive without a backup and a pre-stored food supply. Currently, they lacked that as well as a sensible plan.

And Mark began to plan. The idea his find forced on him was downright foolish in nature but he could not shake it at all. The more he thought about it, the more he could not fault his mind for thinking of such a plan in the first place.

He could join the rebels and delay them just enough so that everyone gets their things settled down. It would be a logical course of action and no one could fault him for thinking this.

Of course, this plan had its fair share of problems. The way to gain the rebel's trust would be tough and Liam was another factor that he had to consider. 

And then there was his neutral position which was one of the highest inside the base. And yet, no one actually took him seriously. He was just a figurehead people came to buy things from after all.

But it was a viable option and he felt to explore it.

He went back to his room with that idea inside his mind and his hands moved on their own. Before he would blink, the message was sent and the icon of received blinked back at him under the line.

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Liam, do you need a spy in the rebellion? I think I can get them to delay their attack if I join them.

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