Chapter 90: Assault Mission

Érica took a drink and looked around the party.

The room they were in was a place that combined a restaurant with a bar.

The bartender was at the bar preparing all kinds of drinks while next to it was the dining area where the waiters were serving all kinds of food prepared by the kitchen in the back area.

Near both places, a dance floor was available where some people were already dancing.

The party differed from what Érica had seen before; it was a very informal and cozy party.

As a Latin American, Vazquez selected that theme for the party and either the music or the food came from that place.

However, it was not exclusive and everyone had an area to be in.

Leslie’s group with the soldiers, who were talking about weapons and the latest technologies related to them.

Liam and Andrés, who were talking about drones while Alice was still eating and devouring the typical Latin American food that the waiters were bringing her.

Érica had been to some ‘High Society’ parties where everyone acted formal and had to maintain the elegant and dignified appearance of their high status. However, here it was different.

The ‘liveliness’ and ‘energy’ of the Latin American continent and its music that urged people to dance, was certainly new and appealing.

As an amalgam of cultures of all kinds where language was not a barrier, Zerzura was a city where different nationalities and cultures lived in harmony.

Érica could understand that this atmosphere was reminiscent of those individuals who came from the south of the American continent, her homeland.

It was so much that the quiet Santiago had invited Shao Ya to dance.

However, here present were not all the members who had gone on the trip.

Perhaps it was because of the environment or because of work, but individuals like Cardinal Brousseau, Captain Sadiya, Chayambaso, and some paladins were missing.

Still, others like High Priestess Xaali who looked serious and strict, making believe that it would be difficult to be present at this kind of party were actually following Vazquez who was leading her to dance.

“Tired?” Érica asked as she saw her partner returning.

“Yes,” Nicole replied with an animated smile and looked at her dancing partner.

“So, young lady, would you like to dance with me?” Oscar asked after seeing Nicole exhausted and heading for a new target.

Érica kept her smile and replied. “Unfortunately, I feel I’m too stiff to dance. I’d better not risk embarrassment.”

“That’s a shame,” Oscar muttered and after a brief farewell, he turned to Clémentine, who was with Aeko, to ask her formally, and Clémentine accepted with a faint laugh.

“You know if Akira sees you, she’ll say you’re a ‘beast’,” Aeko said with a teasing and slightly ambiguous tone.

Oscar’s expression quivered, but after keeping his calm, he commented with a wink. “Don’t worry. I’ll come dance with my partner later.”

With those words, he withdrew and Érica gave a laugh at the calm Oscar maintained.

He had lost a bet with Akira and, as payment, he had to ask all the ‘ladies’ at the party to dance.

For someone who always acted like a slightly aloof scholar, Oscar had no problem asking any lady to dance.

Always acted differently depending on the person he invited.

“I’ll go get something to eat and keep Alice company,” Nicole said after taking a juice she had ordered.

Érica looked at Alice and realized that woman didn’t need company.

On the one hand, no one was bothering her and on the other, she was trying all kinds of dishes.

As the waiters came and took the empty plates, her table always looked clean, as if she had eaten nothing, although that image was false.

Shaking her head, Érica made her way to the second floor where another section of the party was located.

Since most of the group was downstairs, only Akira and Aurora were present in this place.

“Are you going to have them take the Assault mission?” Akira asked Aurora, who was watching the center of the party from a balcony.

Érica, who was about to approach them, stopped curiously when she heard Akira’s tone.

“I will not make them take it, but I’m going to mention to them what’s the next mission we’ll be doing and they’ll decide what to do. That’s all.” Aurora replied, and turning to Akira, she asked. “You don’t want me to invite them?”

“No, it’s just that a mission too difficult and... We don’t know what awaits us.” Akira replied and without waiting for an answer she looked at Érica who was at her back listening.

Before Érica could apologize, Aurora signaled her.

“Don’t worry, it’s no private matter,” Aurora commented, and looking at Akira, she pointed. “You’ve done this kind of mission yourself before.”

Akira opened and closed her mouth in a mixture of emotions and then let out a long sigh, remembering her past.

“It was hell.”

She delivered the murmur with a weight and depth that, although Erica felt it, did not understand it.

“Hells exist. It is better to live it now and be prepared, than to suffer it unexpectedly.” Aurora replied and, turning around with the same expression she always wore when she worked, she glanced at Érica and commented. “Keep having fun. We’ll talk to everyone later.”

With those words, she left the second floor with a serious expression.

“Don’t make a big deal out of it. She’s been focusing on that mission lately.” Akira said with a smile and, taking her hand, she urged. “Come on, I want to dance with someone.”

Érica couldn’t resist.

******

Aurora, sitting in her office, reviewed the latest reports on the assault mission Liam had been preparing for over a month now.

Tapping on her desk, Aurora sighed quietly.

She had left the party, as she had been thinking about the upcoming mission.

“Do you think I’m hurrying?” Aurora asked.

—Do you think you’re hurrying?

Her system returned the question with a simple text in her mind.

She was not referring to the assault mission itself. That mission was prepared and would be fulfilled, since the opportunity they had was unique.

However, the problem was inviting students to that kind of mission.

They were simple B-Ranks who had shown great potential, either as a person or with their skills, and both were important.

Hurrying their development could be counterproductive.

Still...

“No, I think they must know the mission. It doesn’t matter if they join or not.” Aurora replied in a simple tone.

Other times they had carried out these types of missions and Akira had taken part in them, progressing in her skills.

—So, it’s okay. Liam has prepared this mission for quite some time and you are ready to protect them if something happens.

It was true that missions were dangerous, as situations out of their prediction could always occur and the battlefield was full of uncertainty.

The same thing happened when the militiaman saved Erica.

Still, just like in that situation, Aurora sought to see that nothing happened to the students and tried to protect them.

After all, they were not A-Ranks that could be considered the primary force, but were simple B Ranks.

It was impossible to secure all situations and have everything go as planned.

—They have arrived.

With the report from her system, Aurora woke up.

It might be hasty and she might put them in a dangerous situation, but this was the most direct and simple way to see reality.

To know hell and have the opportunity not to escape, but to fight to confront it.

It was the most direct and basic way to help.

“Boss, we’re here. Did you call them into the briefing room?” Liam asked over the comms system.

“Yes, you do that. I’ll be right there.” Aurora replied and got up from her seat.

No matter how much she said the students had the choice, Aurora knew their personalities and knew what the answer would be.

She could excuse herself by saying it was to contemplate reality or to ‘get better’, but she herself knew that this mission would not only be dangerous, but it could also be a turning point that would change them completely.

For better or worse, she was the ones who got them to that point.

******

Alice ate her chips in this stony silence that was the meeting room.

The group of students was silent with serious expressions, perhaps because Érica had informed them of something.

Akira’s group was also quiet, waiting patiently.

The door opened and Aurora, with a professional expression, entered the room and walked to the top of the table.

“Liam, start the report,” Aurora ordered in a serious tone.

Liam stepped forward and started the screen in the center of the table, revealing two faces.

The first was a middle-aged man in a military uniform who looked strict and serious, but his eyes betrayed a hint of madness.

“Kavuri Dvivedi also known as General Kavuri is a Rank A psionic who is close to becoming a Rank S. A former Terra nova player, he escaped from the Indian authorities when it was revealed that he tortured and murdered innocents,” Liam reported and pointing to the person next to him, added. “He serves the ‘Somali Terror’ Baashi an S-Rank, former Somali pirate and current Warlord who clashes with the Lord of Mombasa.”

The second man had dark skin and the most noticeable feature was the scar on his cheek.

“From now on, what you will see will be classified information. I cannot allow this information to leave this room, whether it is to inform a friend, lover, or your parents. No one can know.” Liam announced with a solemn expression as he surveyed those present.

His serious tone that didn’t match his typical calm appearance made everyone nod with the same solemnity.

“General Kavuri, using his troops, has performed many inhumane actions. Murder, torture, and rape,” Liam said and, giving a look for them to brace themselves, he revealed the images he had got.

The students had seen that report in Nakuru City and had also experienced it firsthand.

General Kavuri’s troops were lunatics and not just in Nakuru City, but everywhere they were.

Still, General Kavuri himself was something else...

“These actions his troops take are to draw attention away from himself. We have recently learned that General Kavuri has been kidnapping people and that he is about to perform a ritual. The goal is to break through the gap between A-Rank and reach S-Rank,” Liam reported with a serious tone, and unfolding more images, he added. “I have used my information network and discovered the secret location of General Kavuri, but also the day he will be present and that the ritual will be performed.”

Wiggling his fingers, the map of Africa appeared and then zoomed in on a specific area near Ethiopia’s border with Kenya, on a lake called ‘Turkana’.

Unlike what they expected, the satellites did not record any mansions or any area with civilization, but an area that was overgrown with trees.

“They have used means to conceal the mansion. However, we could uncover information when a Zerzura spy approached the area with one of my drones,” Liam said, letting out images of a mansion at night hidden in the middle of the forest.

The drone had spotted guards in the mansion’s garden and although the spy had not gotten too close, trying not to attract attention, they could not discover anything compromising.

“I’ve rummaged around for quite some time and all I’ve found is the ritual, location, and information on the abductees,” Liam said in a heavy tone.

From rumors, clues, hacking into information networks, intercepting calls and messages... The only thing he had found was this.

Using technological communication networks was efficient, but when there were individuals with security-breaking talents, it was pointless.

It was normal for former players to employ ‘magical’ methods to keep information classified.

The information they found was through small clues that escaped by accident.

From a militiaman who sent a message to someone he shouldn’t have or an individual who logged into an online game and gave a specific comment.

Finding all this information certainly showed how hard Liam worked.

“Do you know where the kidnapped people are?” Akira asked with a serious look.

“No, I only know that they will arrive that day for the ritual. General Kavuri has been covering himself very well and apparently, the ‘Somali Terror’ is supporting him.” Liam replied and seeing that Akira was frowning in thought, he added with a sigh. “I’ve already tried searching. However, with the disasters caused by General Kavuri’s troops, it’s impossible.”

That was the truth.

Liam’s information network was the dominant one in Zerzura and at the same time had influence in other areas of Africa and was related to other information networks.

Still, it was very difficult to know which of the kidnappings was caused by General Kavuri’s troops and which was carried out for him.

Liam finished his analysis.

Making it clear that the information he gave was very superficial because it was classified, and so far, the students were not part of the mission.

“The assault mission is about taking care of General Kavuri and rescuing the hostages,” Aurora interjected and, looking at the group, who were slowly assimilating the information, she announced. “I would like to catch him and send him to prison, but if the situation gets complicated, I will choose the easy way out. I don’t have the strength to do everything I wish.”

A heavy, cold tone that carried no doubt.

Wishes did not match reality, and Aurora was prepared to adapt.

Choosing a path of slaughter if necessary, and she was cornered.

It was useless to think about storming the mansion of a warlord who would surely have dozens of minions, without the idea that they would probably have to end up killing.

The idea of capturing everyone without killing anyone in these lands was a joke unless they had superior strength and Aurora didn’t.

“Does the army or the church already know?” Nicole asked as she frowned.

“Yes, they both know and will support us in their own ways,” Aurora replied without looking perturbed and without going into details.

This mission was not something personal that she performed in secret, she had long ago stopped doing such things and today she was very rarely pushed to move in such a way.

The higher-ups in the military knew about the mission and it was the same for the church as for the Apicius Company. They were well aware of the situation because of her relationship with them.

“This will be a dangerous mission that will push you to the limit. I want each of you to take some time to decide. I expect you to decide by noon tomorrow after you have analyzed the dangers and the consequences.” Aurora remarked and looking at the group, she ordered. “No matter what your decision is, you are prohibited from reporting this to anyone, including your parents.”

She did not give a direct threat, but a warning, and the pointed look led the students to realize that if they let it slip, the consequences would be extremely heavy for them.

With those words, Aurora left the room as she left Akira sighing and the others silent.

Alice, who was eating chips, admired Aurora’s ability to generate tension in people who even knew her well.

Undistracted by such thoughts, she watched the students.

“Think about it all night if you must. This is not a simple mission you can take because you wish to better the world,” Alice said solemnly, and not caring that some frowned, she continued. “The consequences are not simply ‘kill’ or ‘die’. Regardless of the preparations, if someone recognizes your identity and that person desires revenge, not only will you be in danger, but your families, friends, or companions.”

It would be a joke to believe that they were the only ones affected by their actions.

Aurora always secured the identity of those who participated in questionable and problematic missions, however, it did not always go as she wished.

In the event that things went wrong and for some reason her targets survived and escaped, they were likely to desire revenge and that meant consequences would eventually come to them.

Either to them, directly or to their families.

Alice was trying to get them to understand that the mission wasn’t just about themselves, and there was more at stake that maybe they couldn’t see it now.

People were vindictive, and they might not direct directly those revenges at one person, but at everyone around them.

A B-Rank might not be capable of murdering them, but he could kill their entire family or eliminating their friends.

That was the reality of things, and that was why Aurora secured her personal information so much.

Alice left the meeting room without leaving her bag of chips.

The students were being given very little time, and the main reason was that the mission was getting closer and closer.