Everybody Gangsta Until Science Meets Magic

35 - Restlessness

Eara bit her lip and put down her bow carefully, slowly releasing the tension of her bowstring. Seeing this, Liz smiled and slowly put down Aiden's rifle as well.

"We really don't have any ill intentions, so please. I only want a civil discussion."

After a long pause, Aiden took a shallow breath and asked. "What do you need?"

"We only want to aid you in our survival." Liz began, smiling bitterly at Aiden, "Like I said, we're part of a humble organization that strives to keep those who have forbidden knowledge from abusing their knowledge, and from being killed by royalty. I'm sure you know that we can crash this kingdom's economy by just synthesizing coins from nowhere. You seem smart, so I bet you already know about this particular thing.

"Also, your concentration might be amazing, but you are severely lacking in other aspects of magic. Plus, there are more branches of magic that what you've probably been using."

"I find it hard to believe that that's the only thing you want."

Liz sighed, "I know it sounds fishy, but that's really it. We only want extra manpower and gather more Earth-based knowledge. We currently have a little under 100 reincarnated people, and yet we only have intermediate medical knowledge, a little of physics, and a bit of computer knowledge. The only expert we have just happened to be a foodie. Not complaining though."

Aiden frowned slightly at her offhanded remark. "What, so you're saying that organization members don't have assigned duties?"

"The only assigned duty on members is to stay alive and help other knowledge-bearers stay alive."

"How come the organization isn't exposed yet with these loose rules?"

"If someone tries to expose us, royalty will also kill that person just to be doubly sure. If that someone exposes us in roundabout ways, then he would find himself hunted by both royalty and us. Nobody in their right mind would do such thing."

"So all it would take to bring your organization down is one person with a few loose screws, then?"

"Yes, so it is up for the current members to make sure their recruits aren't that kind of crazy. Plus, we're beginning to explore how magic correlates with scientific anatomy, so it may not be impossible to rob a person completely of their memories in the near future.

"Given that you don't have an incentive of wanting to join us, I won't force you. We could have our organization founder talk with you. Perhaps you would be interested?"

Aiden stayed silent. He was sort of aware that he still had much to learn, but he could only guess about his shortcomings. He was absolutely clueless he didn't even know what it was that he didn't know.

". . . Fine. When and where?" Aiden sighed, allowing his body to relax.

"Tuffworth's, six o'clock at dusk, seven days from now. Would that be fine?"

"Yes."

"Glorious. It's settled then." Liz grinned and slowly placed the rifle on the ground in front of her. "As a token of this meeting, I'd like to leave this here." She then took out a storage trinket and placed it beside the rifle.

Liz stood back up and said, "We'll be going now."

Not wasting an extra second, the party of five turned around and walked away, leaving Aiden and Eara alone. Once they were beyond Aiden's magic perception, his knees buckled and he crumpled down to the ground.

Eara ran to his side and reflexively held Aiden by the shoulders, keeping him sitting upright. "Hey."

"I'm fine." Aiden chuckled. "I just feel jittery."