Capitalizing on Potential

Travelling to Portsmouth had started to become an almost casual thing for our lovely fanalis spy. The last time he was in the port town, however, was during a troubling time. The soldiers of Kou had been settling in the little port and some were even making some of the citizens give up their homes to them for a day or two. It doesn't seem like much of an inconvenience, but Bahir was sure that it was a little disconcerting for the people of the town to have to open their homes to invaders. The empathy that Bahir felt with them drove him to complete his task a little faster. He didn't like feeling bad or sorry for people when he was on a mission and the sooner he could get away from it at the time, the better.

Luckily, this visit to Portsmouth wasn't so heavy! Bahir was just here to act on some rumors that he heard. The city of Remano had people there who lived in a poorer part of the city that was almost neglected. The slums was the perfect place for him to begin his search for students and allies. The people of Portsmouth were different. There was no large government within the city. It wasn't a hub for a lot of trade. It didn't seem like the kind of place  where the type of people Bahir would be looking for would reside. However, the trait that the men and women had in this town that attracted the young assassin was determination and will. The people of Portsmouth lived far from the main trade hub of the country. They survived on fishing and farming! It wasn't the trade amongst themselves that provided their money for equipment, but their trade with the larger cities around them. They were a community built on relations and hard work. That was the kind of community Bahir wanted in his Information Network. He was the shadow to the King. The King relied on him to keep tabs on the country for him. Bahir's shadows would have to rely on each other and Bahir to accomplish these tasks. This will be perfect.

The fanalis remembered an older man who gave him lodging when he was in Portsmouth to spy on the Kou forces for the rebellion. The location of the hut never left Bahir's memory. He found his way there and knocked on the door. The surprised older man greeted Bahir with the same response he would a grandson. This reaction confused Bahir and, though he was wary, entered the man's home when prompted to. Bahir and the older man spoke for a long time. They learned each others names, their interests and just got a general feel for each other. As the day went on, the older man finally took on a more serious tone of voice, "So... Why are you here this time, Bahir? There aren't any threats to this village lately so I'm sure General Octavius would not have sent you here." Bahir blinked at the older man. He knew sooner than Bahir would have expected. The young fanalis smiled and leaned back in his chair. "Well... I'm here to find anyone who could be a spy."

The old man stared at Bahir strangely. He looked back and forth and then started to laugh. "You can't possibly be looking for a spy here! Reim is going through a peaceful phase. Even if there were... there would be no information for them to gather here in Portsmouth." Bahir nodded. The old man was right, there would be no reason for a spy to live in Portsmouth. At least... not a current spy. "I'm looking for a spy for Reim. There have been incidents that have taken place where I can not do the job alone. I know I can trust you, Giham. None of the other villagers know that I did a job here even though YOU knew I was a spy here. I know you won't tell anyone that I'm here or what I'm looking for."

The old man stroked his beard and thought on the subject. He sighed as he lit a smoking pipe and started to puff on it. Bahir did his best not to inhale any of the smoke from the man. Just as he was getting tired of trying to predict when the next puff of smoke was going to fill the air, Giham spoke. "Alright. I think I can help you with that. There are a handful of youngsters who go around town at night and cause all kinds of mischief. They usually travel in groups of five and none of us can catch them. They're just too slick." Bahir grinned at this new information and nodded to his elder friend. "Perfect. I'll get some rest... and then I'll confront these kids tonight."

---

That night, just as the sun dropped below the horizon, Bahir made his way out into the town. He pulled his hood up and used his Shadow Blend to stay hidden through the night. He could hear the sound of footsteps approaching and remained hidden, watching as the group of young men and women ran by him. They were pretty quick... at least for humans. He thought to himself as he started to trail the group. He watched as they pulled pranks and darted from the scene of their crimes and snuck around the town with ease. They were slowly starting to gain the Fanalis's favor.

Bahir decided that the show was over and jumped from one of the building he was standing on to land in front of the group. A couple of the men and women fell backwards from the sheer shock of Bahir's landing. However, there was one in the back who did not move. The person was cloaked and stared at Bahir with burning red eyes. Fanalis.. Bahir thought to himself as he locked eyes with the hooded figure. He disregarded it and looked to the other members of the group, smiling. "You all are quite impressive. You did all of this tonight and didn't get caught until now! Bravo."

The group started to panic, but before they all scattered, Bahir raised his hands. "Calm down. I'm here looking for help... and you all are just the kind of people I need. You're fast, and hard working. If you would like to do more with your life than just terrorize these poor villagers, then meet me in Remano in a week's time. I will be at the Coliseum. After we meet there, we will go and talk before your training begins. I hope you all choose the right thing." Bahir's final statement was a bit directed towards the fanalis in the group. Before any of them could ask anything else, Bahir had turned his back and started to leave Portsmouth.