Chapter 3: Extrano

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2013 AUGUST

MONTH TWO: HUNTING PROTOCOLS

LIMA, PERU

Today, when Sah-him entered the small meeting room where he was doing his Ruya training, he was confronted by the changes that Namla had wrought. Namla had brought in a table and several chairs. There was a large stack of paperwork, newspapers, and books set on one side of the table.

Namla smiled at him. "Come, Sah-him," he said as he gestured to one of the chairs.

Sah-him sat at one of the chairs with a blank expression. What are we learning now? I thought I was doing well. My Ruya lessons seem to be progressing well. We have even been out into Lima to converse with the spirits in the Spanish I have learned.

Namla smiled. "Relax. You have progressed well," he said. "It is now time to begin training you on how to hunt with the Ruya." Namla sat down in the other chair and pulled up a blank pad of paper and handed it over to Sah-him. "As Wahy, we are often called to evaluate a mark. The mark is your hunt."

"Will I kill this mark?" Sah-him asked. For all that he was ready to rid the world of evil, he was still hesitant to kill. It helped that he could see a person's aura to tell that they were influenced by evil before he made the kill, but still… It was a final choice.

"No," Namla said, easily reading his anxiety. "You are to take a closer look at this mark. Determine if the mark has the potential to be a threat or an ally."

"An ally?" Sah-him asked. "No one can know about the League. How can they be an ally?" he asked.

"They do not have to know about the League to fight evil," Namla replied. "The League likes to be aware of those who attempt to fight evil in the outside world. We assist them where we can. A small help. We do not reveal ourselves to them… though some do know of the League. Few know of our true purpose."

"Okay," Sah-him replied. He gestured to the newspapers. "Who is the mark?" he asked.

Namla pulled out the first newspaper. It showed a man in a costume flying away from a group of downed men at a bank. "The headline is about how Extrano stopped the bank robbers," Namla replied. He knew that it would take longer for Sah-him to translate the headline. "This is not the first crime that Extrano has stopped in Lima. He usually arrives while the crime is in progress and stops the crime before the criminals can leave. He stops them with force, but he has never used lethal force. He disables the criminals and leaves them for the police to collect," Namla told him.

"All of these," Namla said with a soft pat on top of the stack of newspapers, "are stories about the crimes he has stopped in Lima. I will assist you while you are here in the Fort. But any intelligence gathering in the city will be your responsibility. This is YOUR hunt."

"I don't think I am ready," Sah-him told him.

"You are," Namla reassured him. "The research and investigation aspects of this hunt will mostly be here in the Fort. I will be available to assist you. You are more than ready to use the Ruya in the city. We have already conducted that aspect of the training. You will be fine."

"Alright," Sah-him said, bracing himself. I can do this.

Sah-him examined the newspaper and wrote down the date and then found the location of the bank, translated it, and wrote that down. He spent the next hour examining the newspapers and making a list of dates and places that this Extrano was seen. He had a second list of witnesses. Namla helped him with translations to speed up his information gathering.

"It sounds like this Extrano can fly and seems to be aware of the crime at the time it is happening," Sah-him commented. He pulled up a map of Lima and started to mark locations where the crimes had been prevented. "He seems to be operating in this area of Lima," Sah-him remarked where the majority of crimes were located.

"What is your next step?" Namla asked him.

"I should… go to the area and… ask the spirits?" Sah-him said with some hesitation.

"Yes," Namla confirmed. "The next part of your investigation is to go to the area and to open your Inner Eye. To see what is there. Use your intuition. Let it guide you. Talk to the spirits. They may not have even noticed a flying man. Ask about a large odd bird," he said. "That may direct you to the proper location where Extrano starts his journey."

"That's right," Sah-him replied. "I almost forgot about only seeing what they want to see. Spirits and living beings."

"Exactly," Namla remarked with a smile. "Learning how to ask the question is almost as important as finding the answer." He rose from his seat and began to put the newspapers away. "These will remain in this room until this hunt is complete. Go change for your investigation in the city," Namla directed him.

"It will be done," Sah-him replied automatically and rose to leave the room. He needed to return to his quarters to change into his civilian wear with his hidden knives.

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When Sah-him finally reached the general area where Extrano was known to operate, he found a quiet corner and then opened his Inner Eye. The streets were suddenly crowded with spirits. Sah-him had traveled to the city several times. He was familiar with the sudden press of the spirits in the city. There was no hostility in their movements.

=Excuse me,= Sah-him started in Spanish. =Has anyone seen a large odd bird flying?= he asked the spirits in a quiet voice.

Several of the nearby ghosts turned to him and stopped even as the humans they were anchored to continue to travel through the city. =Pardon?= an older gentleman asked in Spanish.

=I have heard stories of a large odd bird flying around here,= Sah-him said in Spanish. =It was flying to the bank. Did you see it?= he asked.

=I did,= the man said. =It came from the other side of the hill.= He pointed toward the hill in the East.

=Thank you,= Sah-him replied in Spanish. Then he made a quick note about the location and the hill. He checked the map and found a way around the hill and headed to that area. He closed his Inner Eye.

It was several hours later when he gave up and returned to the Fort with his notes. He transferred his notes to his tablet and updated his map. The area that Extrano was using as a base of operations was getting smaller. Sah-him had narrowed it down to a neighborhood. He will start again tomorrow.

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Namla's advice to follow his intuition was not helping him find this Extrano. It was now his third day in this neighborhood. Sah-him had been walking around with his Inner Eye open for two hours now. He had just passed a public shopping center.

Sah-him noticed a young man walking quickly toward the residential area of the neighborhood. He felt compelled to follow the young man. The young man had an elderly female spirit following him.

About halfway down the street, the young man met another young man. They kissed and started to walk hand-in-hand.

=My dearest grandson,= the elderly woman spirit said sadly in Spanish, =He is no good for you.=

Why do I feel compelled to follow this young man? Sah-him asked himself. The outside world still disapproves of those kinds of relationships. Even this man's grandmother disapproves of his relationship. He examined the auras of the two men. The first young man had a dark pink or bright red aura. But the second young man was a tan or brown color.

"Hum," Sah-him hummed to himself. The second man is not evil, but he has let evil into his life. An orange-based evil. Creative or sexual? Sah-him followed them a bit more. What should I do next? Where would Extrano be? Sah-him continued to walk down the street as he contemplated where to look next.

The first young man disappeared into a residential home. The second young man crossed the street in another direction. I can return to the shopping center. There are more people there. More spirits to ask. Sah-him had almost pulled up next to the residence. He was about to turn around when he noticed Extrano suddenly fly away from the back of the house. He casually continued to walk.

The first young man was Extrano! The bright red aura! Action based!

Sah-him found a way to the back of the residential home without being seen. The back door was unlocked. He carefully entered the home and scanned the area for information about the resident.

A pile of mail informed him that the home belonged to one Georgio De La Vega. The young man lived alone. He kept a neat bachelor home. He had no frequent overnight guests, but he did have a boyfriend. The second set of toiletries in the bathroom was a testament to a routine overnight guest. This was likely the second young man that Sah-him had seen earlier.

A short search gave Sah-him access to a hidden floor panel in the linen closet that contained a variety of books. That Extrano kept these books hidden meant that he didn't want others to know he had them or an interest in their topics. All of these books covered a variety of subjects. Most of the books were centered around the occult or magic. The magic seemed to focus on a specific type of magic; divination and illusions. He has no books on black magic or blood magic.

Something made Sah-him look more closely at the top of the linen closet. He followed his intuition and found a second hidden panel. This panel was empty. But the space looked like it would be the perfect place to store Extrano's costume.

How does he fly? He uses force and violence to subdue his criminals. I can see how he could use illusions to avoid being hit. I can even see how he could use divination to know about a crime. But how does he fly?

Sah-him carefully restored the panels to the hiding places and left the residence. I need to talk to the Qas and Namla. I am pretty sure that mages do not fly. What would give a mage flight?

When Sah-him returned to the Fort, he found Namla. "Have found Extrano, I think," he told Namla. "But we need to talk to the Qas to get more information before I finish this investigation."

"I will arrange to have them meet with us in our room in the morning," Namla replied.

"I will update the notes and see you in the morning," Sah-him told him.

"Good night, Sah-him," Namla said.

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The next morning, Sah-him was reviewing his notes when Namla arrived with Qas Amin. Sah-him stood and waved back to his seat.

"You had a question, Sah-him," Qas Amin said softly.

"Yes," Sah-him replied. "Extrano is a mage. Can mages fly and then fight?" he asked.

"A mage?" Amin asked in surprise. "That is quite surprising. I would have to check the records, but from what I know, the spell for flight is quite an exhausting spell. The mage could fly, but not fight afterward."

"How do you know that Extrano is a mage?" Namla asked Sah-him.

"I found where Extrano makes his home," Sah-him told them. "I watched him depart as Extrano. I used his departure to explore his dwelling. I found where he kept his spell books and his costume."

"Interesting," Amin replied. "What kind of spell books did you find?" he asked.

"Some books on the occult. Most of the spell books were on divination and illusion," Sah-him replied. "I did not see any on flight."

"Then his use of flight is not likely a spell," Amin stated.

"It's not?" Sah-him asked.

Amin chuckled. "No," he replied. "There are a few magical objects that anyone can use for a single purpose. This magical item would ensure that the mage would not waste magical energy on a flight spell. It would be very useful in this instance."

"Then I will need to research what types of magical items could hold a flight spell," Sah-him told Amin.

"Then it is a good thing I brought the archives," Amin said as he sat next to Sah-him with his tablet connected to the League Archives.

"Here is one," Amin said as he pulled up one report from the archives. "Animus Talisman or Artifact. This talisman can turn the user into any animal including a bird that would allow the user flight."

"Extrano can fly," Sah-him replied. "But he flies as a man walks, not as a bird."

Amin sorted through records for a few more minutes. "Here is another. Winged shoes. Boots or sandals. The footwear allows the wearer to walk or run through the sky as quickly as they would on the ground. Some modifications to the mode of travel."

"That is a possibility," Sah-him replied. "Extrano stays in the form of a man."

After another hour of going through the archives, Amin couldn't find any other objects that would allow magical flight. The winged shoes were their best possibility.

"Thank you, Qas Amin," Sah-him said. "I will have to talk to the spirits to get more information now."

"You are very welcome, Sah-him. Good luck on your hunt," Amin said with a smile.

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That evening, Sah-him made his way back to the residence of Georgio De La Vega. He was able to stay hidden from Georgio. When he opened his Inner Eye, he found the spirit of the grandmother on the front porch.

Sah-him called her over to the side of the house. =Grandmother,= Sah-him called in Spanish. =Can I speak with you?= he asked.

The elderly spirit walked over to the quiet corner where he was hiding from sight. =Do you mean to harm my grandson?= she asked in Spanish.

=I do not,= Sah-him replied.

=Then I will speak with you,= the grandmother spirit replied. She drifted down to where he was hiding.

=Grandmother,= Sah-him asked her, =Why do you disapprove of the man with your grandson?= he asked.

=Valente does not love my grandson,= the grandmother spirit replied. =He only wants to steal from him.=

=You do not disapprove of your grandson loving another man?= Sah-him asked her.

=No,= the grandmother spirit said with a sad smile. =I knew my grandson would only love boys when he was small. I still love him.=

=But this Valente does not love him?= Sah-him asked.

=He does not,= the grandmother spirit replied. =His paramour wants to steal his boots.=

=His boots?= Sah-him asked. =Boots are an odd thing to want to steal.=

=Not odd if you know my grandson,= the grandmother's spirit replied. =My dear grandson has found the Boots of Delphi. Valente wants to take them from him. That boy is no good for him.=

=I see,= Sah-him replied. =Let me look into Valente. I will see if I can help your grandson.=

=I appreciate it,= the grandmother spirit replied.

=Thank you, Grandmother,= Sah-him said before he departed silently.

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Sah-him returned to the Fort. He found Namla. "I am ready to complete my investigation," he told Namla.

"Good," Namla said. "Come we will make our report to the Qas and the Fasir. You will be expected to write a report. The Qas will help you write a complete report."

They reported to Fasir Hamsa.

Hamsa smiled at him. "This is your first hunt report. I will try to walk you through the basics. First, what was the subject of your hunt?" Hamsa asked.

"I was tasked to investigate the local Lima hero known as Extrano," Sah-him replied. "I found the subject and used my Ruya to evaluate him. He is not touched by evil. He uses magic. He primarily uses divination to determine when and where a crime is happening and illusion to avoid personal harm. He subdues his subjects with violence but does not kill. He can fly due to the use of a magical item known as the Boots of Delphi in his possession."

"What is your recommendation?" Hamsa asked.

"I… I think that Extrano is worth some support. His civilian identity is Georgio De La Vega. He is currently being targeted by a man named Valente. The man wants the Boots of Delphi," Sah-him replied. "Valente is touched by evil, but is not a source of evil."

"Interesting," Hamsa replied. "I support your decision. Good work. Make your report to the Qas," Hamsa said in dismissal.

Sah-him and Namla left the Fasir. Namla smacked Sah-him on the back. "Good job, Sah-him," he said. "I told you that you could do this."

"Thanks," Sah-him replied.

"Let's go write that report," Namla said. "The Qas will want it right away."

"Then I want to take care of Valente," Sah-him replied. "I promised the grandmother I would get rid of him."

"The grandmother?" Namla asked.

"The spirit of the grandmother," Sah-him replied.

"Ah," Namla replied.

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Once the report was filed, Sah-him did some research on Valente. The man was a petty thief. The police had a record of the man. He was not a major criminal. But he was a minor one. It would be enough to warn Georgio.

Sah-him took a deep breath and walked up to the residence of one Georgio De La Vega. The house was cozy during the day. It had a nice walkway and a pleasant garden. He knocked loudly.

Georgio opened the door and looked at him carefully. =Hello?= he greeted Sah-him in Spanish.

=Good day,= Sah-him greeted him. =I have come to pass on a message from your grandmother.=

=What?= Georgio asked in surprise. =Who are you?= he asked suddenly.

=It doesn't matter,= Sah-him replied. =Your grandmother is worried about you.=

=My grandmother?= Georgio replied skeptically. =She died 10 years ago.=

=Yes,= Sah-him replied. =I can see her ghost. Her spirit. She loves you very much. She is worried about you.=

=Look,= Georgio started, =I don't need some kook telling me ghost stories. I'm not buying what you are selling.=

Sah-him sighed. =I'm not selling anything,= he replied. =Honest.=

=Right,= Georgio said. =Then how do I know you are talking to her?= he asked with a smirk on his face.

=He doesn't believe me?= he told the grandmother spirit standing on the porch next to him.

=Tell him that I would always make his favorite dish from the frogs he would bring me,= the grandmother spirit said with a tender smile.

=Seriously?= Sah-him asked the ghost. He turned a skeptical look at Georgio. =Did you really take frogs to your grandmother just to have her cook your favorite dish?= he asked.

Georgio's eyes widened in surprise. No one knew that. It was a secret that just his Abuela and he kept. =What… What does she want to tell me?= he asked slowly.

=Now you believe me?= Sah-him asked. =Grandma is pretty certain that your boyfriend is using you to get your shoes,= he said. He looked over at the ghost. =Right?= he asked the ghost.

=My shoes?= Georgio asked in confusion.

=Yes,= Sah-him replied. =She says you have special shoes. He knows about them and wants to steal them.= Sah-him put on an exasperated face. =Seriously, I thought only women showed this much drama over shoes.=

=Did she specify which ones?= Georgio asked with a sense of dread.

Sah-him looked over at the ghost.

=The boots,= the grandmother's spirit replied.

=The boots,= Sah-him relayed. =Those must be some nice boots.=

Georgio nodded as if that made sense. =Tell her thank you,= he said.

=Tell her yourself,= Sah-him replied. =She is bound to you. She will follow your life until she decides to move on.=

=Move on?= Georgio asked.

Sah-him smiled. =When your grandmother is no longer worried about you,= he replied. =I have enough issues with my own ghosts.=

=You have them too?= Georgio asked.

=Yes,= Sah-him replied. =My dad. But I can also see the ghosts bonded to others.=

=It sounds useful,= Georgio replied.

"Eh!" Sah-him replied. He didn't want to give the mage too much information on his kind of gift. =Anyway, warning sent. Have a good day.=

=You as well,= Georgio replied as he closed the door.

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STARLING CITY - UNIVERSITY OF STARLING CITY

Sara was resting on the couch in the living room of her new apartment near the University of Starling City. She watched her guest fondly. Thea was always fun to watch. Today, Thea had helped her move the last of her things into her new home.

Sara was glad that she had the Trust Fund from Tommy to help her pay for her tuition and her apartment, even if she still had no idea what she wanted to study. But she felt cared for by her close friend. Even if he was gone now.

Thea was staring at the photos they had placed on her mantlepiece. The pictures of her father and mother were ignored. But the ones with Oliver, Laurel, and Tommy had drawn the young girl.

"I miss them," Thea said softly as she picked up the joint photo of all five of them together.

"I do too," Sara replied.

Thea joined her on the couch and cuddled into her side as she continued to stare at the photo. "It is almost 15 months," Thea said.

"Yeah," Sara agreed. "It seems longer… like a lifetime."

"They… they would be starting their last year of college," Thea said with a sniff of sadness.

"Laurel would already have her last two years of her legal degree planned out," Sara said with a smile. "I bet that she would be aiming for the top in her class."

"Definitely," Thea replied with a sad smile. "Tommy would be complaining about his classes with Ollie."

"Business Degrees to make their fathers proud," Sara said.

"Yeah," Thea said. "Dad wanted to get them both motivated more into the businesses. Mom said that he wanted to use this trip to get Ollie thinking that way… When Tommy decided to come, I bet Dad just jumped to add him to the plan."

"Your dad would definitely be that sneaky," Sara said with a smile. "Just like my sister was sneaky to use this trip to get Ollie to test drive moving in together."

Thea's eyes teared up. "This way they can always be together," she said with a broken voice. Then she wrapped her small arms around Sara and buried her face in her chest and cried hard.

Sara wrapped her arms around the young girl and joined her in her grief. They both cried until they were both dry again. Then they just held each other. It was only the soft knock at Sara's door that interrupted the gentle embrace.

Sara got up and looked out the peephole. It was the driver for Thea. Sara opened the door.

"Good evening," the formal man greeted. "I was sent by Mrs. Queen to pick up Thea Queen."

"Of course," Sara replied. "Let me get her." She turned to Thea. "Thea, your ride is here."

"Thanks for letting me help, Sara," Thea said as she put on her coat.

"Anytime, Speedy," Sara said while giving the 13-year-old a long hug. "Let me know when your Archery meets are. I want to attend… And don't forget to visit," Sara admonished the girl.

"I won't," Thea replied. "It was good seeing you."

"It was good seeing you too," Sara replied. She watched the girl leave with the driver and then closed and locked the door behind them. The apartment seemed lonely without the girl in it.

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2013 SEPTEMBER

MONTH THREE - HUNTING TRAINING

Namla took Sah-him all over Central and South America on various hunting trips. The early hunting trips were more evaluation-type trips. But they eventually lead to evil-based hunts.

The types of organizations that Namla and Sah-him were tasked to evaluate started with smaller drug-running operations to larger and larger drug operations and then small cult-like organizations. Each of these operations required intelligence gathering, aura reading, spirit intelligence, infiltration, and basic martial skill. As Sah-him became more familiar with the process of a hunt, Namla let him take a more forward position in the planning and operation of each mission. By the end of the month, Sah-him was running the operations with only slight guidance from Namla.

Every time they made it back to the Fort, Namla had Sah-him check in with the Nexus. This gave them a general status update for the region. They would check with the Fasir for the next hunting mission. It was at the end of the third month that Namla told him that they would be coordinating their remaining hunts as partners, to give Sah-him experience in that aspect of League hunting.

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