After five minutes of walking, Res was led to a dead-end in the auction house. The servant pulled a hidden latch in the wall and a part of the wall slid up to reveal a dirty alley, lit up by the evening sun. He stepped outside and the door closed behind him. Res was left standing in a dead-end alley a hundred meters away from the auction house.

“Bro, that is some next-level shit. If we get a palace some time, we will have to have a hidden door.”

Fearing aerial surveillance from the elite palace guards, he decided to walk the rest of the way. To his surprise, he didn’t feel any strain at all, so he began to sprint. Even then, the burning in his muscles was non-existent and he rejoiced in the freedom of running. Caught up in exploring his new body, Res bumped into the bulking form of two ragtag men after he cut a corner. He threw out a ‘Sorry’ and made as if to leave, but a hand on his shoulder held him tight.

“Where do you think you are going?” When Res turned his full attention to the thugs, as he now realized, he saw that they had been beating up a small boy. His still form lay on the ground with blood oozing out of countless wounds. He had known that beating up children was common practice on the street. Still, seeing the beat-up form of a boy in person made his blood boil.

When they saw his fine clothing, they began to chuckle: “I can’t believe our luck today. Sorry boy, but your life isn’t worth as much as those clothes you are wearing.”

Before the other thug could speak again, he landed a solid punch in his face. He intended to give the thug a broken nose or punch him unconscious, but instead, his fist sank into the man’s skull. The thug’s blood warmed the skin of his hardened fist as his hand burrowed deeper and deeper and deeper. Detached, he watched as his fist exited the skull on the other side of the man’s head in an explosion of brains and blood. A deep part of him was abhorred at the massacre, but Res knew he couldn’t let the other man get away. Who knew that men are so squishy? The other thug received a roundhouse kick to his temple and dropped like a sack of potatoes. For a moment, Res stood there, covered in blood and pieces of brain, and looked at his hands.

The soft voice of Jason pulled him out of his shock: “Bro, the first time is hard. It isn’t that you fear that you have broken morals, you realize how fragile you are. You realize that you are mortal. If you need any help man, I am here for you.”

Luckily, he couldn’t think about what he had done or what Jason had said as the boy began to stir. When his gaze fell on Res, he flinched but forced himself to watch Res’s blood-smeared face. His eyes showed a keen intelligence and always flitted to his right and left - Searching for an escape route.

“Why did they attack you?”

The boy straightened up and looked Res straight in the eyes for the first time. “I am from the ‘young revolution’ and I am proud of it. You can torture me if you want, but I won’t say anything.”

The sudden bottomless dedication in the boy’s eyes, made Res step back. He watched the boy for any signs of hesitation or deceit. “What is your name?”

“Elia.”

“The young revolution sends you on a suicide mission. What do you do?”

Instantly, the boy shot out. “I will die.”

“I am a supporter of the young revolution and I have been there since the beginnings in the sewers. I am a servant of the man named sensei.”

The boy lit up in recognition and Res pulled two of the vials out of the linen sack in his left hand. “This is a speed potion. It is worth over five gold and you have to bring the potion to Brent immediately.”

“I believe you, someone from the council wouldn’t be so nice. Everyone else doesn’t know where Brent is, but I do. He always likes to linger around the edges of the territory of the council, because he is in love with Julia. We have told him that Julia is a bitch because she sides with the council, but Brent doesn’t want to listen.”

“Great. You will drink one potion and then find Brent. I have other matters to attend to.” He tossed the two vials at the boy and left. As soon as he was around a corner, he pulled the smallest amount of aether into his feet and jumped onto a roof. “Let’s see whether the boy is any good.”

Only seconds after he made himself comfortable at the edge of the roof, Elia zipped around the corner.

“Bro, holy shit. That boy is fucking Usain Bolt, he is fucking sonic. Was there some form of crack in that potion?”

With a combination of pushing and jumping, Res followed Elia over the rooftops. Res’s job wasn't made easier when, instead of slowing down, the boy accelerated the longer he ran. Res had to dodge birds and chimneys while keeping an eye on the boy who ran as if monsters were chasing him. The houses around him turned to shacks and he had to watch his step as not to break through a roof.

Finally, Elia slowed down and slunk into the shadow of a nearby building. Res scanned the surrounding area and spotted Brent in an alley peeking into the main street. With some help from Jason, he touched down behind Brent. His descent had been silent and Brent hadn't noticed him. Res thought about what to say to a scared boy and went with the most obvious one.

“Don’t be scared.”

His abrupt appearance had the opposite effect and Brent whirled around with a cry of fear on his lips. He pushed himself forward and clamped a hand on Brent’s mouth. “It’s me.”

Brent’s eyes widened and he stopped struggling. A few passersby gave them a glance, but they wouldn’t interfere in business if he wasn’t about to kill or rape someone. “What are you doing here?”

“I have brought gifts. Those are 400-speed potions and the demonstration will arrive right about now.”

Res motioned to the clinking sack of vials in his left hand and then to the street. At that moment, Elia slunk around the corner and panicked when he saw Res together with Brent. By the way, Brent's eyes widened when he looked at Elia, it was obvious that they knew each other. “Elia, what are you doing here?”

Elia turned to Res. “What are you doing here? I thought you had business to do.”

“It was a test whether you would sell the speed potion.”

Elia jumped from one foot to another. “Did I pass?”

“You will have to show the powers of the speed potion first.” A wicked grin spread across Elia’s face and he bolted off. He whizzed past Res bolt, stopped, turned around, and accelerated again. A veritable dust cloud formed in the alley and Res had to shout for Elia to stop.

Brent only stared at Elia slack-jawed and Res explained: “Those are the effects of the potion. From now on, you will handle those potions the same as gold. Until now, you could only watch. Now, I will start phase two. Did you scout as I told you to?”

“Yes. Your plan went up well and most of the members have found shelter with the citizen. The problem right now is that we have grown to two thousand members.”

Res gawked at the increase in followers but supposed that he had underestimated how enticing free food and shelter would be. “You had to change the command structure. Do you have departments now as I proposed?”

“Yes, actually I don’t get to fight or sabotage anything. I am always doing boring logistical work. This is the only time off that I allow myself.”

“I know that you have thought of going into the lion’s den to get her out. The problem is that she won’t come. I have heard from various sources that she went there. Do you know what you can do though? You can show her that you are a man. You can show her that you aren’t defenseless. You can show her how you ram the council into the ground.”

“Yes, sensei.”, Brent replied through gritted teeth.

Elia had been swept away by Res’s passionate tone and had balled his tiny hands into fists. “Now, let’s talk about phase two. Where does the council get most of their money?”

“Most of the money comes from prostitutes and intelligence. We have seen many nobles visiting the department of intelligence, so it is likely.”

“As I had thought. From now on, you will sabotage all the vulnerabilities in those two branches. Deliver confusing messages to nobles, burn supplies, set fire to buildings. We will rip out the vein that provides the council with their lifeblood. When the funds cease to come in, they will tear themselves apart from the inside. They will shatter.”

Elia, still under the effects of the speed potion, was jumping up and down like the small boy he was. “When will we start?”

“I will let you decide. I would propose ranking missions after their perceived difficulty. Difficult missions will be provided with a speed potion. Remember, the speed potion lasts fifteen minutes, use those fifteen minutes. I am done here. Good luck.”

With a minuscule amount of aether, Res landed on the roof from which he had descended. Before he completely pushed off, he could hear a last ‘Thanks, sensei.’

“Bro, they are fucking cute. They give me some father-son vibes. Elia has it in him to be great.” A mixture of melancholy and hope settled on him. On a whim, he dropped down on a sloped roof and made himself comfortable watching the sunset.

“It is time to relax.”