by S. K. Ng
“Why is everyone interested in Hay Collart? Isn’t there anyone else who is good looking?” complained Grain.
“What is the big fuss about staying or leaving? I don’t get it! And what’s with Hay Collart? Aren’t I good looking as well?” said Dart, before a pie landed in his face.
Joy was laughing out loud. It was she who threw the pie at Dart’s face. And she laughed and laughed until a pie landed on her face as well, courtesy of Grain Sillox.
“Aren’t I as good looking as Hay Collart as well!?” said Grain, as he flexed the muscles of his skinny body.
Grain got a pie in his face for his effort, courtesy of Dawn. Joy laughed her heart out.
“You’ve got to be kidding me! You’re nowhere near as handsome as Hay Collart!” said Dawn.
“Hah! Caught you! So you do fancy Hay!” said Dart.
“No, I don’t!” denied Dawn.
“Yes, you do!” accused the others.
“No! I don’t!” insisted Dawn.
“Yes, you do!”, “No, I don’t!”, “Yes, you do!”…
And a pie landed at the back of Dawn’s head.
“Food fight! Long live the clan!” shouted Stack as he came charging towards the group, throwing all types of food as he approached.
“Food fight! Down with these dreamy girls!” shouted Grain Sillox as he threw a pie at Dawn.
“Aaargh! You boys are dead!” shouted Dawn as she went on the offensive, sending pies, bananas and all sorts of things at Grain, Dart and Stack.
“This is for ruining my face! Take that!” added Joy as she joined forces with Dawn and threw a pie at Grain’s already messed up face.
Rake heard a commotion coming from the camp site. He wondered what it was all about. He planted his fishing rod into the ground and went off to investigate. To his surprise, he found five food-stained children looking at him with puppy eyes.
“Children!” said Rake as he shook his head and went back to his fishing.
And the food fight continued!
Two weeks later, the trainees received pleasant news. Venom told them that they would be travelling to Fallsene City. The plan was for Venom to take on the guise of a Receiver and the trainees would pretend that they were orphans under his care. The purpose of such a trip was to familiarise the trainees with the living environments and lifestyles of ordinary Fallsians. This was important for them because they would need to know how to blend in and disappear amongst the crowd when they would travel for their missions later on, and also when they needed to do reconnaissance and gather intelligence on their missions. The entire excursion was to take a month.
At dawn the next day, a little caravan of three carts started their journey from The Lair. Venom drove the lead cart with Dawn, Joy, Dart and a few other trainees in it. Hay drove the middle cart with Flutter, Stack, Grain and a few others in it. Eclipse drove the last cart with the rest of the trainees in it. All the three adults were dressed as Receivers of Light. The trainees were dressed in worn out clothes to look like orphans. To the common passersby, they would have looked like three Receivers caring for a group of orphans.
In the beginning, the journey was slow. The caravan had to move in a zigzag manner to clear all manner of obstacles just to get unto the forest road. When they had reached the road, their progress became faster. The cart-ride became very pleasant. The trainees started to enjoy themselves. They were taking in the warmth of the morning sun, the soft touch of the gentle breeze that was blowing and the beautiful scenery of streams, rivers and waterfalls that most of them had never seen before, since none of them had ever truly left The Lair.
Joy started to giggle all of a sudden. Dawn wondered what had gotten into her best friend.
“What’s wrong with you? Why are you giggling for no reason?” whispered Dawn.
“Look at Flutter,” replied Joy.
Dawn looked at the second cart and started giggling as well. It seemed that Flutter had climbed over to the front of the cart and sat herself next to Hay. She was trying to engage him in a conversation, and he was trying his best to ignore her.
“Why are you two giggling?” asked Dart.
“Look at Flutter,” answered Dawn.
“She’s sooo desperate,” commented Dart as he tried to contain his laughter.
“Yes! She is,” agreed both Dawn and Joy.
At about noon, the caravan made a stop at the side of the road. To save time, the group ate only bread and biscuits, and drank only plain water or fruit juice. The horses were given food and drink, and a short time to rest.
“Remember, trainees! When you’re travelling on a mission or on the run, you’ll not have time to cook a decent meal! You can’t afford to start a fire, especially at night! A fire will bring attention, and that’s not what you want! Therefore pre-cooked food such as bread or biscuits would be the most practical for you to pack,” said Venom.
“Understood, clanmaster!” replied the trainees.
“Later in the afternoon, we’ll be stopping by a farming village for the night. I want all of you to walk around and take a good look at the villagers. I want you to observe the type of clothes they wear, the condition of their clothes, the complexion of their skin, their facial expression, their manner of walking and talking, and any other mannerisms that you can observe. Later on, we’ll compare them with what you can observe from the townsfolk. This knowledge will help you in the art of disguise which you’ll need on your missions later on,” added Venom.
“Understood, clanmaster!” replied the trainees again.
Venom looked around at his students. He was making sure that they were still focused on him and what he was saying.
“Any questions?” he asked.
“What about a concealed fire? Can we use that for cooking, especially at night?” asked Dawn.
“Very good, Dawn! I’m sure your uncle had taught you about that. A concealed fire can be used for warmth and for cooking at night while avoiding enemy detection, but it’s not exactly foolproof so it needs to be done carefully. But it would be useless if you’re on the run, because to set it up would be time consuming. It’s more suitable for a situation whereby you’re stationed at a fixed position to observe or guard a place, and you’re required to do so without being detected. You’ll learn how to make a concealed fire much later, as it’s an advanced technique,” explained Venom.
“Understood, clanmaster!” replied the trainees again.
The trainees spread out to look around the campsite, more out of curiosity rather than necessity. The outdoors held a great attraction to them since they had hardly ever set foot far away from The Lair.
“Next time, you keep your mouth shut, Miss Smarty-pants!” said Flutter as she came up to Dawn and Joy.
“What’s bugging you this time!?” asked Dawn.
“Yes, why are you here, Flutter!?” added Joy.
“What’s that nonsense about that concealed fire thing? My father hasn’t taught me anything about it! You’re making me look stupid in front of Hay!” said Flutter.
“How can you look any more stupid in front of Hay than you already have!?” asked Joy.
“He mentioned some details about concealed fires which I didn’t understand, and I pretended that I did; but I think he knew... Hey! What’s that supposed to mean!?” said Flutter.
“Exactly what it was supposed to mean. It meant that you’re stupid! Now, go away and stop bugging us!” said Joy.
“I’ll make you two pay for this!” promised Flutter as she walked away.
A quarter of an hour later, the group was on the move again. Joy noticed that Flutter was not sitting next to Hay anymore. She was seated at the back of the cart, skulking. This brought a slight sense of joy to Joy. Joy told Dawn about it, but Dawn was not too interested. Flutter meant nothing to Dawn, and Dawn did not want to spend time thinking about nothing.
The sun was more than halfway down the horizon when the caravan pulled up at a little farming village. To keep with their disguise,
Venom, Eclipse and Hay tried to express as much calmness in their facial expression as they could, while the trainees tried to look as sad and pitiful as they could. Venom was fairly confident that their disguise would work, for prior to this outing, he had sent members of the clan to reconnoitre the village. They had reported to him, amongst other information, the fact that the people in this village were not followers of the Receivers of Light. Therefore, they would not be able to tell a genuine Receiver of Light from a fake one.
Venom got down from his cart and greeted the village headmen. He then asked permission for the group to camp out at the village hall. The headmen gave his permission freely, not suspecting at all that Venom and his group were actually deadly assassins. As planned, the trainees began wondering around the village, pretending to be curious orphans. The trainees noted that most of the villagers looked tanned. This was because they spent a lot of time out in the sun. Their clothes were always muddy and sweat-stained due to the intense physical labour that they undertook. They walked slowly, and took their time in doing everything. This was because village life was lived at a slow pace. Dawn and her batchmates went up to some of the villagers to ask about the crops that they were planting. They asked about planting seasons, crop diseases and such. They had even tried their hands at planting and volunteered to do some of the villagers’ chores. The answers to their questions which they had received, together with what they had observed and experienced, were all deeply etched into their minds. In one afternoon, they had learnt a lifetime’s worth of village life.
Late next morning, Venom thanked the village headman for his hospitality and the caravan got moving again. They even received some donation of food supplies to help them in their journey. The village headman thought that he was doing a good deed. Little did he realise that he had shown hospitality and kindness to a group of assassins who would not hesitate to kill him and his family if the price was right.
Eight hours later, the sky began to darken. The sun was getting low on the horizon. Venom pulled his cart to the side of the road. Hay and Eclipse did the same with theirs. Everyone got off the carts and set up camp for the evening. As they sat around the campfire eating their meals, Venom stood up and addressed them.
“The purpose of disguise, as you all know, is to allow one to travel and move with minimum conflict or resistance, as well as to allow one to spy on others. Imagine if we had travelled as who we truly are, and we came across a roadblock set up by either the government or by bandits; then instead of just passing through these roadblocks, we would’ve had to engage them in battle. We would’ve gotten injured or be killed. We definitely would’ve wasted a lot of time. But with the right disguises and the perfection of these disguises, we could just simply pass through all these unnecessary trouble. So remember! Always strive to perfect your disguise! And keep cool under pressure! The slightest sense of panic would destroy your disguise completely! Is that clear?” said Venom.
“Yes, Clanmaster!” responded the trainees.
A question occurred to Dawn. She raised her hand to ask it.
“Clanmaster, why would robbers stop us if they knew we were assassins?” she asked.
“Good question, Dawn. Robbers would stop us to try to rob us, or kill us to claim rewards; or in this case, kidnap you children and sell you to the Serpentians. You see, the government doesn’t care about criminals. So if one criminal kills another, or kidnaps their children, the government wouldn’t be bothered. They would just pretend that nothing had happened. So the robbers can rob us and kill us and not worry about being hunted down by the government. They would then sell you to Smugglin’ Sam, who would then sell you to the Serpentians. The Serpentians are crueller than the government is, or will ever be. The Serpentians value slave labour. And children make good slave labour! This is because they can shape and mould you when you’re young, and train you to become the perfect slave. An adult, such as a prisoner of war, will be resistant to their ‘brain-washing’, but not so a child. There’s a good market in selling children to the Serpentians. There are a number of criminals who’ve gotten rich from this business. Smugglin’ Sam is one of them. You’ll meet him later at Fallsene City,” answered Venom.
All of the trainees gasped in horror. Why would the clan be dealing with these type of monstrous, evil scum? Why would they be meeting a horrible criminal who victimises children? Would they be sold to the Serpentians later?
“Don’t panic. We’re not selling you to Smugglin’ Sam. But he’s a good supplier of weapons and poisons; and a good provider of many special services. He has got agents everywhere. He can smuggle you into or out of any city in Free Falls and Serpentia. In our profession, we need people like him. So that’s why we deal with him,” said Venom, much to the relief of the trainees.
“Will we kill him?” asked Dawn, much to everyone’s surprise.
“Say again, Dawn?” responded Venom, who seemed to be quite shocked himself.
“Clanmaster, I asked if we would kill him one day, when he’s of no more use to us?” clarified Dawn.
“When he’s of no more use to us, we will not kill him, unless somebody pays us at least 400 gold coins to do so. However, if any of you should wish to kill him for your own satisfaction, the clan wouldn’t be bothered by it,” answered Venom.
Dawn nodded to show that she understood. Most of the other trainees nodded as well. But some had confused looks on their faces.
“Clanmaster, if he’s an ally, shouldn’t we protect him?” asked Flutter, after raising her hand and getting permission to ask her question.
“He’s not an ally, merely a business contact and a service provider. There are a few others who could take his place if he’s dead. The clan wouldn’t lose any sleep over Smugglin’ Sam’s death,” explained Venom.
“Excuse me, clanmaster! So you mean to say that if Smugglin’ Sam is dead, we could just go to someone else; so he’s not really that important to us?” asked Dart.
“Correct, Dart!” answered Venom
“All right. I understand now, clanmaster,” said Dart.
Venom excused the trainees and they broke into their own groups and continued chatting. As usual, Dawn was with Joy, Dart, Stack and Grain. Flutter, as usual, tried to engage Hay in a conversation. Hay, as usual, tried politely to turn her away. And Joy, as usual, found the entire Hay-Flutter situation most entertaining.
“When will Flutter ever learn? And when will Hay ever put his foot down?” commented Joy.
“Why do you care, Joy?” asked Stack.
“It’s entertaining!” answered Joy.
“You call this entertainment? You’re pathetic!” said Stack.
“What do you call it then, Stack?” asked Joy.
“I call this ‘none of my business’!” answered Stack.
“I agree with Stack, Joy! Flutter is an annoyance! Why would you want to pay any more attention to her than what you absolutely have to?” said Grain.
“Because …,” said Joy.
“Because you like Hay, too! Hah! I knew it! I’m not as dim as you think I am, Joy!” accused Dart.
“I, what? No, that’s not what I mean!” denied Joy.
“Yes, that’s what you meant!” added Stack.
“No! I … Ya-di-da, ya-di-da, da!” said Joy as she got up and walked away.
Dawn gave Stack and Dart a furious look. Grain turned his head and pretended that he was looking at something else.
“Now you’ve done it! Since when did you get so smart, Dart!” said Dawn.
“I was always smart! I just didn’t choose to show it, that’s all!” countered Dart.
“Well, even if you’re smart, why did you have to go and upset Joy like that!? And you! Stack! What did you snap at her for? And you! Grain! Why did you support Stack!?” said Dawn angrily.
“I didn’t snap at her, Dawn,” insisted Stack.
“Wha… I… I… supported… ummm,” expressed Grain.
“Don’t mind Dawn, guys! Have you all forgotten th
at she, too, is interested in Hay?” said Dart.
“Dart!” said Dawn.
“Dawn!” said Dart, Stack and Grain.
“Oh! Let me guess! Ya-di-da, ya-di-da, da! Is that right, Dawn?” said Dart.
Dawn was so furious that she grabbed a fistful of earth and threw it at Dart’s face. Dart dived out of the way, putting his assassin’s training to good use. Dawn got up and walked away.
“Dart, how did you know that the both of them were interested in Hay?” asked Stack after a while.
“He’s the most eligible bachelor in the clan. Every girl in the clan is interested in Hay Collart! It doesn’t take a genius to guess that!” answered Dart.
“Oh! So, that’s it! It makes sense!” said Stack.
“Yes, it does make sense! You’re really not as dumb as what most people think you are, Dart!” added Grain.
“Why you skinny little …,” reacted Dart as he closed his fists to punch Grain.
“All right! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” apologised Grain.
Venom gave the order for the trainees to clean up and go to sleep. Then later that night, Stack, Dart, and Grain awoke to find themselves shivering. Their blankets were missing, courtesy of Dawn and Joy. They finally went back to sleep a quarter of an hour later, after finding their blankets hidden behind some bushes. They wanted revenge, but decided that they were too sleepy and tired to get it.
Five days later, the caravan arrived at Fallsene City. The endless rows of buildings, shops and houses made a fascinating sight for the trainees. They never knew that so many people could live so closely to each other in such grand buildings and lead such hectic lifestyles. As instructed by Venom earlier, they immediately began observing the clothes and mannerisms of the city folk. They noted almost immediately the contrast in clothing. City folks wore clean clothing, unlike the mud-stained coverings of their village kinsmen. Some of their clothes were bland in design, but most of them were colourful and ‘decorative’. City folks also walked faster than village folks. They seemed to talk faster too. And they seemed to care less for one another. They would accidentally collide into one another, and not be bothered to apologise to each other or check to see if the other was injured or not. They would just pretend that nothing had happened and they would just continue on their way.