Babel - 95 Experience, Assumptions, and Reality

As could be expected after such a tense evening, it was very difficult to actually get any sleep. Even after several hours had passed, Linnaeus was still wide awake. The walls of the Hostel weren’t exactly thick, so, while most sounds were muffled, it was possible to hear the distant sounds of adventurers and mercenaries still going about their business or enjoying a few drinks after a hard day’s work.

Of the three in his room, the only person who had managed to fall asleep was Eliza. She was curled up at Linnaeus’ side, using his body as a pillow with a defenseless posture and carefree expression on her face. His opposite side was occupied by Emilia, but, much like him, she was still wide awake, her ears and nose twitching as she joined him in absentmindedly staring at the ceiling.

As an Assassin and Huntress, Linnaeus and Emilia could stay awake for days on end without their senses dulling too much. They were also the types who were more active during the evening than the day, as was often the case with anyone possessing the [Night Vision] Ability, so neither of them felt even remotely tired, even as the day changed and gave way to the coming dawn.

Once the Akashic System showed the time as 0400, Linnaeus wasted little time in extricating himself from the two girls, quickly changing into his equipment as he said, “Help Eliza get ready for the day. I’ll go ahead.”

Though she would sometimes protest when Linnaeus was asking for their opinions, Emilia had been trained to dutifully follow commands since before she could even remember. Failure to obey orders could lead to the death of yourself and other members of your tribe, so, the moment she heard his words, her ears perked up as she answered, “Leave it to me,” without further discussion.

Hearing Emilia’s quick response, Linnaeus gave an appreciative nod before promptly departing the room.

Under ideal circumstances, he would have been able to remain active during the evening, collecting as much information as possible. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a simple matter when working alongside others, so, now that he had a small window of opportunity, Linnaeus intended to capitalize on it.

Eliza, Emilia, and Krone all had their respective strengths, but, when it came to collecting information and observing a target, Linnaeus had an irrefutable advantage. Thus, before they executed their plan from the previous evening, he wanted to confirm a few things with his own eyes…

As was the case whenever he stayed anywhere, Linnaeus always made sure to have a general grasp of the building’s structure and its surroundings. Thus, he had already approximated the location of the staff quarters, food storage, and wine cellar. While there was no great benefit in knowing these things by default, they were exceptionally important when you were observing people and casing a target.

Linnaeus knew, from personal experience, that underground chambers and hidden throughways were exceptionally common, at least within the Slums. He couldn’t be certain, but, if there was an active criminal organization, there had to be a network of tunnels that allowed them to move people and supplies without drawing attention.

Under ideal conditions, Linnaeus would have liked to sneak around to verify his conjecture, but, after seeing Almas’ Status the previous night, it would be incredibly foolish to do anything too shady. The most he could do, at least for the time being, was observe where staff were coming and going. Thus, after reaching the common dining area, which connected directly to the staff quarters, he sat down near one of the walls, allowing his head to rest against it as he closed his eyes and strained his ears.

Regardless of what a structure was made of, be it metal, stone, or wood, vibrations would transmit through the material all the same. Linnaeus had learned, a long time ago, that if he sat near one of the main support pillars of a building, it was possible to ascertain the approximate location of the people within by feeling the ‘direction’ the vibrations came from. If the superstructure was sturdy, it was even possible to hear footsteps from several hundred meters away or deep below the ground…

By focusing his senses, Linnaeus could feel people moving around all throughout the building. He could hear light footsteps and dull rustling above, while, echoing in the distance below, a persistent vibration could be felt. He knew this was the sound of running water through pipes, but, if he filtered it out, indiscernible voices and the sound of something tapping against metal could be heard.

Though it was impossible to know exactly what was going on, Linnaeus could deduce that the main section of the Hostel did, indeed, connect to an underground network. There was more sound from ‘below’ than in the staff quarters above, and, while the majority of these sounds likely came from the surrounding streets, the way things ‘echoed’ was a tell-tale sign that a complex series of tunnels ran below.

Whenever people settled in an area for a long period of time, it became necessary to construct both waste disposal systems and waterways. This meant it was relatively common for a network of tunnels to exist beneath a city, but, as there were often strict regulations on who could traverse them, most of the people commonly found within were either criminals or enforcers belonging to whoever held the most power within a region.

Without exploring personally, Linnaeus couldn’t actually be certain about anything. All he knew was that there was a lot of activity beneath the streets of the settlement. Most pertinent to his situation, however, was the sound of metal creaking and the combination of several voices echoing from the location of the Hostel’s wine cellar.

Prior to the ’emergence’ of the voices, Linnaeus could hear the grating sound of gears and cogs, the sure sign of a mechanism being activated. Then, after a coarse vibration, the sound of voices became far more prominent, indicating a group of people had emerged from a corridor connecting directly to the Hostel.

After listening silently for several minutes, Linnaeus heard another mechanism being triggered, this time with the accompanying sound of chains and a dull vibration passing through the underground and slowly ‘ascending’. Then, shortly thereafter, he could feel more movement from above, almost as if several people had stepped off a hidden elevator.

Thus far, everything was going according to Linnaeus’ expectations. He had a lot of time to think the previous evening, so, after considering the matter from multiple angles, he came to the conclusion that, regardless of how much power they had, the Porcello Company would not keep a Bapho in a relatively defenseless location.

Almas might be powerful, but, as could be seen from the previous evening, it wasn’t as if she was constantly protecting Khö. There would also be times when she needed to sleep or attend to other duties, so, unless they had a constant rotation of powerful figures just to protect one person, there would always be a ‘gap’ to exploit. Thus, with the Hostel’s defenses appearing rather shoddy, at best, the only reasonable assumption to be made was that Khö did not actually live inside. Rather, she was brought out at various locations whenever the Porcello Company was trying to bait people into their trap.

Even if rumors of Khö’s existence became public knowledge, interest would quickly fade if she never appeared when people went to search for her. After all, a Bapho was a very interesting thing to most people, so, even if most people would steer clear, others would converge just to catch a glimpse of the near-extinct tribe. The fact ‘nobody’ had appeared when they were eating breakfast the previous day, combined with how ‘eager’ Khö was to serve them, were pretty major indicators that something was very wrong.

Further proving his assumptions, Linnaeus opened his eyes as a pitter-patter of footsteps could be heard approaching the steps leading from the staff quarters to the dining area. Then, as expected, Khö, wearing a frilly waitress outfit and appearing rather sleepy, came walking down the stairs. She acts as though she hadn’t noticed him, but, even compared to most of the bestial tribes, the Bapho were supposed to have an exceptional sense of sight, smell, and hearing.

After yawning wide enough that it looked like her jaw was going to dislocate, Khö wiped away the residue from her eyes before finally looking towards Linnaeus. Then, in an obvious attempt to appear adorable, she tilted her head to the side in mock confusion.

Truthfully, Linnaeus wasn’t sure if Khö’s behavior was an act or if she was just naturally ditsy. The only thing he could be certain of was the fact she was being used to try and ensnare his Party. This might not be the result of any malicious intentions, but, regardless of the circumstances, their options were being systematically cut off by forces with far more power and authority than they could reasonably hope to oppose.

Understanding the disparity between his Party and the other forces at play, Linnaeus knew the best method forward was to gather information and appear cooperative. Thus, with an awkward smile on his face, he raised his hand in a gesture of greeting before saying, “Yo…” in an equally awkward tone.

As if she had been freed from some kind of spell, Khö’s eyes widened comically before she quickly ran over to his table, bowing at a forty-five-degree angle as she shouted, “Please forgive me! I am a failure as a waitress to leave a guest waiting unattended…gnuuu…”

Toward the end of her words, Khö released a frustrated groan, and, though he couldn’t see her face, Linnaeus knew she was tearing up. He was honestly a little taken aback by her reaction, as, if it was an act, it was one of the better ones he had seen. Considering he had dealt with streetworkers, gang members, and conmen, this was terrifying in its own right.

For a brief moment, Linnaeus was almost tempted to pat Khö’s head as her bowing brought her well within reach. He had previously developed the habit of stroking Saht’s head, so, with Eliza and Emilia both being fond of petting, it had nearly reached the point of becoming muscle memory.

Making a mental note to discuss the matter with the women in question, Linnaeus retracted his hand and said, “It is a small matter. I came here to rest for a moment before my companions show up. You haven’t failed in your duty, so don’t let it get to you.”

As if she had been given leniency from her own execution, Khö’s showed an expression of extreme relief as she wiped away her tears and sobbingly stated, “Uuuue…thank you…” in between a series of sniffles.

Though he was still shocked by how convincing her presumed act was, Linnaeus didn’t show it on his face. Instead, he adopted his most genuine apologetic smile, raising his hands in a placating gesture as he said, “It’s fine…no need to thank me. Rather, my friends should be arriving soon…you should go and get yourself cleaned up.”

Showing no apprehension toward being told what to do, Khö bobbed her head in understanding as she continued to wipe away at her tears. Then, before retreating to the kitchen, she gave another low bow, repeating, “Thank you…” before turning tail and scampering away.

Assuming he was being watched even prior to Khö’s arrival, Linnaeus maintained an awkward smile even after she had vanished through the kitchen’s doors. Then, as if all the tensions in his body had been released, he exhaled a tired sigh before reclining in his booth, closing his eyes, and ‘listening’ to the surrounding vibrations once again…

—

While Linnaeus was seated within the dining room, Almas had been sitting quietly within the kitchen, a distant look in her mesmerizing purple eyes. The teardrop-shaped gemstone in her forehead was releasing a very subtle glow, and, while it seemed as though she lacked any kind of focus, the truth of the matter was that she had been spying on Linnaeus and his Party the entire night. Now, she was watching his interaction with Khö from start to finish, trying to ascertain whether or not he would be a boon or a bane to their group.

The unfortunate thing about her ability was that it didn’t transmit sounds, only visuals, so, while she was adept at reading lips, it was difficult to keep track of everything said during a conversation. Thus, rather than focus on what was said, Almas focused on the subtle shifts in a person’s body language and facial expression.

With more than two hundred years of experience working as a specialist at gathering information, Almas was more than capable of seeing through Linnaeus’ act. He was a bit of an awkward boy, so, at least from her perspective, his thoughts were completely transparent. She could tell he was a little afraid, but, more than anything else, he seemed intent on protecting his allies. He also possessed an intelligent glimmer in his eyes, which, if nurtured, would blossom into an incredible talent.

Though she was one of the people assigned to protect Khö, Almas’ main duty was to profile others in order to ascertain whether or not they posed a threat to her organization. This involved analyzing the motivations and character of their targets, as, even if a Potentiate provided exceptional benefits to any organization, recruiting people who would disrupt the organization from the inside was how the majority of factions collapsed.

From what she could deduce, Linnaeus was the type that would expose himself to danger in order to protect his companions. This was an admirable trait, but, depending on the circumstances, this trait was exceptionally dangerous, much like a double-bladed sword. If he began to suspect that his allies were in danger, there was a very real chance he would turn against them…

As this thought crossed her mind, Almas blinked back into awareness just as Khö entered into the kitchen. A motherly smile spread across her face when she saw the adorable Bapho, who, even after departing the dining room, still had a few tears building at the corners of her eyes.

Opening her arms slightly, Almas adopted a gentle tone as she muttered, “Oh, you poor thing…come here, let me give you a hug…”

Hearing the kind words directed toward her, Khö practically leaped through the air, burying her face into the buxom chest of the motherly woman. In response, Almas gently wrapped her arms around the sniffling girl, an affectionate yet sad smile on her face as she muttered, “Now, now, it’s going to be okay. You’re not going to get into any trouble, I promise…”