Isekai Assassin: Volume 1

by Grayson Sinclair

  He lunged. His silver steel flashed in the dim lamplight as he brought it up. I shuffled toward the sword, positioning myself carefully. His strike headed for my ribs, but I turned, angling to the side as his blade passed by.

  His sword slid past me, and I wrapped my right hand around his arm. Knife in hand, I brought it around to his wrist and slashed it open. I cut to the bone, severing the flexor tendons in his wrist.

  As I pulled back, I took his sword from his limp grip. The wire-wrapped hilt was slick with blood, but my leather allowed me a stable grip.

  I took his sword and turned it around. I took it in both hands and activated assassination.

  The sword glowed bright as I thrust it toward his chest. I aimed for the gap I’d made with my earlier throwing knife.

  It slammed against the steel plate and into the groove. The weakened metal yielded against the sword, and the bright blade slid through Mays’s flesh and punctured his heart.

  His body shuddered as the skill activated and pulverized his insides. He lurched as the blade slid home in the impromptu sheath of his internal organs. Blood cascaded around the sword, spurting in time with the beat of his heart.

  It spilled down his chest and covered his once pristine armor.

  Your Assassination skill has increased by 1! [Assassination: 27 (Journeyman)] +50 Exp!

  He gurgled. A heavy groan slipped out of his mouth as he smiled at me with blood-red teeth.

  “Got me.”

  He smiled even wider, grabbing for me. The heavy drain on my body from using the skill and the poison meant I was too slow to react. He slugged me, and there was a sharp flash of pain from my abdomen.

  I looked down to see a four-inch blade stuck in my side.

  “But I got you too,” he muttered as his eyes rolled back in his head and he went limp. Dying.

  Captain Mays slid to the ground and breathed his last with a self-satisfied smile on his lips.

  He was dead.

  But I wasn’t that far behind him.

  The knife hadn’t gone deep, but it was still deep enough to have punctured an organ and caused some internal bleeding.

  Shit.

  I needed to treat the wound, but I only had the bare essential supplies in my dimension ring, and I wasn’t about to perform triage in an alley next to the corpse of the man I killed.

  I had to go, get clear of the body, and recover, but my pride wouldn’t let me leave without doing one last thing.

  Though I didn’t have the strength, I knelt and removed Captain Mays’s helmet and gorget.

  “I may be arrogant, too confident in my abilities at times, but I’m still a professional, goddammit.”

  I took the knife in my hand and stuck it to the hilt in his neck. I wrenched it to the side, severing both sides of his carotid arteries and his windpipe in the process. It took two good slashes to cut his throat, and I’d nearly decapitated him by the time I was done, but I had to make sure.

  The Mays job was complete.

  I just had to get out of the city alive.

  “Ha, easier said than done. Especially with a hole in my side.”

  I stowed my bloody knife away, knowing I’d have to clean the blade and sheath later, but I had more important things on my mind. I peered out of the alley, making sure the coast was clear.

  Our fight had only taken a minute or two, but I was still surprised no one had come by at that time. Though the city streets were barren, hardly a soul walked in the distance.

  Either way, we’d made a lot of noise, and I didn’t need to stick around. I began walking, keeping my head on a swivel as I forced my paranoia to the max.

  It was the only thing that was keeping me from collapsing. As soon as the rush of the fight drained out of me, I’d be spent and useless. The knife wound coupled with the poison would floor me.

  I was liable to pass out, and I had to get the knife wound treated before I bled to death.

  Warmth trickled over my skin and down my legs, pooling in my boots as I walked. The ichor squelched between my toes and left bright red streaks with each step I took.

  Thank Weilin, it’s nighttime.

  It was dark enough that the tracks were all but invisible, but I still needed to get off the street and treat the wound, so I didn’t invariably lead my eventual pursers to my new home.

  I headed for the slums, and after a few minutes of walking, the streetlamps started disappearing, and the darkness surrounding me grew. The buildings grew more and more disheveled, and when I passed by an empty and forgotten side street, I ducked in.

  There was a part of a building that jutted out and offered me camouflage from the street. I stopped and quickly tugged off my cloak. I undid the straps holding my armor in place and tensed as my hands trailed toward the blade in my gut.

  Oh, this is going to hurt like hell.

  Without waiting, I gripped the knife and pulled it out.

  My body went cold as the blade slid through my flesh, and then a fierce burning misery flared to life once more from the wound. Blood rushed from the gash.

  As quick as I could, I had the armor off, and I pressed a cloth from my bag against the wound. It hurt, oh by Weilin, did it hurt, but I clenched my teeth tight and pulled out the medical supplies I had on hand. It was nothing but a bit of gauze and some disinfectant, but it would have to do.

  I splashed the disinfectant on the wound and moaned as acid boiled up along my skin. It stole my breath, and I bit back a string of curses.

  I poured more of the disinfectant on the cloth and took a bit of leather from my armor into my mouth. Before I could think about it, I stuffed the disinfectant-soaked cloth into the wound, packing it closed.

  My vision swam with spots, and I screamed as an overwhelming pain threatened to rob me of my consciousness. I wanted to vomit. The pain hurt so bad. I sank to my hands and knees and tried to right myself.

  When I was kneeling, and my breath was back under control, I pressed a thick pad of gauze to the wound and wrapped it tight against my body. I used the entire roll and tied it up.

  Your Medicine(Self-care) skill has increased by 1! [Medicine(Self-care): 2 (Novice)] +25 Exp!

  I heaved a sigh of relief that the worst of it was over with, and as quickly as I could without aggravating the wound, I changed into my pilfered nobleman’s clothes. I stowed everything back into my pack and donned my cloak. It had a few blood stains on it, but nothing that would be noticeable in the dark.

  A knife went into my belt, and I began walking toward the gate that would lead me out of the city.

  I was so unbelievably exhausted that it made every single step a challenge, but somehow through determination or divine will, I remained standing on my feet.

  The walk to the gate took nearly half an hour or an eternity. I wasn’t sure which.

  Sweat ran in rivulets down my skin as the poison fought to bring me down, and the knife wound burned with every step.

  There were two guards at the gate, both low ranked, no plumage decorating their helms. They were very nondescript in appearance, neither ugly nor handsome—plain faces, brown hair for one, a light ginger red for the other.

  The ginger stopped me as I was leaving.

  “Papers, sir?”

  I pulled it out and handed my visa over without a word. He checked it over, looked at me, and handed it back.

  “Are you alright, sir? You don’t seem to be doing well.”

  I tried to put a fake smile on my face. “Ate something that didn’t agree with me at the pub. Last time I eat there again.

  “But if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some mates of mine waiting for me at a farmstead on the edge of town. They’ve been waiting for me for hours now and are probably right pissed at me for being late.”

  Ginger gave me a knowing smile and a nod. “Course, sir. Have a good night.”

  Your Deception skill has increased by 1! [Deception: 1 (Novice)] +25 Exp!

  Your Disguise skill has increased by 1! [Disguise: 5 (Novice)] +25 Exp!


  I made my way down the road and back toward Blackfall Manor. The night sky made traversing through the woods a pain, but I was thankful there was just enough moonlight for me to navigate by.

  Thanks for guiding me home, Aurella.

  The iron gate creaked as I stumbled into the stone courtyard. Years of long-dead leaves squished underfoot as I headed for the entryway. I stumbled up the stone steps and managed to get the door open.

  As I stepped inside, safe and sound, I could let my hyper-awareness fade.

  Soon as it drained away, so too did everything else. I couldn’t ignore the pain or the poison in my veins any longer.

  Everything I’d been putting off caught up to me, and my vision swam.

  Creaking stairs drew my eyes forward, and I found Aless coming down to meet me. She smiled when she saw it was me. “Ah, knew I heard the gate creaking. Was terrified that the guards were snooping─” She stopped speaking as her eyes widened in concern. “Elias?”

  My thoughts were a jumbled mess, and the last of my strength fled from me. I couldn’t have answered her even if I tried.

  A fuzziness crawled over my skin like ants, and my legs stopped working.

  I fell to the ground and cracked my head against the wooden floorboards. Then there was nothing but blissful unconsciousness.

  Chapter 19- Recovery

  When I came to, be it hours or days later, everything hurt. Sleep glued my eyes shut, and my mouth was as dry as the desert.

  It took several attempts, but I managed to open my eyes. Sunlight streamed through the window, bathing me in the early morning light, and even more pain joined my aching head and body. I squinted and blinked away the tears that streamed down my face.

  When I could see, I tilted my head and looked around.

  I was in a bedroom, but it was a room I hadn’t been in before.

  The room was rather spacious, dark wood paneling lined the wall, and a solid brass chandelier hung overhead. The bed I was on was extremely comfortable, and as I turned to my side, the nightstand next to my head was hand-carved cherry wood. Expensive, elegant, and tasteful at the same time.

  A glass of water sat waiting for me, and I grabbed it and sipped it until my mouth no longer felt like I had sand stuck in it. The water was only slightly stagnant from being left out, but I drained every last drop, and when it was empty, my headache lessened.

  My most immediate need taken care of, I gave myself a mental checkup.

  Headache, minor. Likely from when I fell and cracked my head on the floor. Should fade after a while. From there, I went to my torso, where the majority of my pain originated from. Sharp pain when I breathe. Definitely fractured a couple of ribs. And then the burning, aching pain is the knife wound.

  Hurts like hell, but that’s a given.

  There was nothing else wrong with me except for a general ache in my muscles and a desire to get some more sleep. But I couldn’t until I knew I wasn’t going to die from internal bleeding.

  I sat up gingerly and looked down at my body. I was shirtless. A new bandage had been wrapped around my wound, though splotches of red on the gauze told me it was still leaky. Probably going to need sutures. But I can do that myself.

  It wouldn’t be the first time I’d patched myself up, though as fate so painfully reminded me, this wasn’t Earth. I had no idea the level of medical care this world could provide. I was just hoping it would be comparable to Earth's. I didn’t want to die because of one little knife wound.

  My status blinked in the corner of my vision.

  I focused on it.

  Quest: Assassinate Captain Mays

  Difficulty: Hard

  Reward: 1500 Exp!

  (10% Bonus Exp)

  1650 Exp!

  Name: Elias McKinley

  Age: 29

  Race: Human

  Level: 1

  Exp: 7043/9247

  Your Poison Resistance has increased by 2! [Poison Resistance: 2 (Novice)] +50 Exp!

  Your Durability has increased by 5! [Durability: 5 (Novice)] +125 Exp!

  Durability? That’s a new one. I reached down and touched my skin. It was subtle, but there was a slight tightness that was unfamiliar. That coupled with the fact that I wasn’t hurting as bad as I should have been, told me of the skill’s effectiveness.

  I was about to get up when someone shifted beside me. I turned around and found Aless sleeping next to me in the bed.

  She lay on her side, away from me. And she was naked. Or at least she wasn’t wearing a shirt. The rest of her body was covered by the bedsheet.

  Her breathing was steady as she slept. In and out in a rhythmic motion that raised her shoulders and strained the skin over her slightly muscled back.

  Aless had a graceful physique built from the years she’d lived as a thief and on the street, and she had the scars to show for it. They crisscrossed her back and side, telling a story.

  Some were old, white, and nearly invisible. But some were red, only a few months old. She had one that was angry, puckered, and savage down her ribs, starting from just under her breast to the start of her hips. It was thick, from a sword I guessed.

  Get caught by the guard and slashed while trying to escape? Or maybe during a fight?

  Scars left remnants of stories into their owner's skin, but those who witnessed the scars wouldn’t always get the full story. Some were simply meant to stay private.

  As I stared at her back, I had the strangest urge to run my fingers along the scar. I knew how such scars felt, having had some myself before I was transported to this new world. But yet the urge was there all the same.

  I shook my head and stood. There were several things I needed to take care of immediately—namely my screaming bladder. I got out of bed and headed down the hall to the bathroom. It was an indoor bathroom, which I wasn’t used to. Living on the farm for a month had conditioned me to use the outhouse, but this manor was built with indoor plumbing.

  Copper pipes ran through the walls and down out of the house. It actually emptied out next to the compost heap, and the waste was used in an abandoned vegetable garden.

  After I finished my business, I washed my hands in a porcelain basin and headed back into the bedroom.

  I was quiet when I entered, but the door still creaked slightly from age, and it echoed softly through the room.

  Aless jolted up at the noise. In her hand was one of my daggers. It was pointed at me, though her eyes were bleary and unfocused. As she came out of her sleep, her eyes widened when she realized it was just me.

  “Elias, you’re awake.”

  “I am. How long was I asleep for?”

  “Just under two days.”

  She yawned and stretched her arms above her head as she worked the sleep from her body. Though either she was unashamed or hadn’t yet realized that she was naked because she gave me an unobstructed view of her chest.

  They were on the small side, a little less than a handful, but perky. She had light pink nipples that nearly disappeared in direct light.

  I turned away out of respect, but the damage was done. I couldn’t unsee them.

  “Ugh,” she moaned as she lowered her arms. “I carried you here and made sure your life wasn’t in immediate danger before I went to the city. I took some of your money, sorry, but I went to Angela’s and purchased everything I could think of.

  “She told me to give you a couple of potions that would slow the bleeding and speed up your recovery. I also applied an ointment to your wound to reduce the chance of infection and replaced your bandages. But what happened to you? The whole city is in a frenzy. Apparently, Count Vohra is on the warpath.”

  I nodded. “I killed his captain of the guard, but those needles embedded in the window of the office were poisoned. Something called silent night. I didn’t realize it, and by the time I did, it was too late. Captain Mays and I fought, and he managed to stick me good.

  “But it was worth it if the count is overreacting.”

  She fro
wned. “Why is that a good thing?”

  “Because overly emotional people tend to make mistakes. Mistakes are an assassin's best friend.” I paused, stopping what I was about to say next.

  Before I could continue, there was something I needed to do first.

  I turned to Aless and inclined my head.

  “Thank you. If I’d been alone, I’d likely be dead right now…you saved me. I’m grateful.”

  She blushed slightly, her pale, slightly freckled cheeks turning a rosy pink. “Think nothing of it. We’re partners now. I imagine you’d do the same for me.”

  “Partners,” I muttered, scratching my chin. She hasn’t given me any reason not to trust her and has actively been helpful. But partners?

  I called Liz a partner too once. No. I need to stop letting her betrayal keep hanging me up. I’ll never trust again if this keeps going.

  Elizabeth left scars that even Weilin’s magic couldn’t heal, but she was dead. She’d paid the price for turning on me. And this wasn’t Earth. This was a new world, with different rules.

  My gut told me that I could trust Aless, and I wasn’t going to go against it.

  I’ll trust her. Give her reasons to trust me and lay out the rules. I can do at least that much.

  I smiled sideways at her. “You’re right. I would…partner.” I tapped my finger on my chin. “Now, partner. Why don’t you explain why you’re in my bed…naked.”

  Aless looked down at her bare chest and back up at me, realizing why I’d turned away from her. She grinned, giving me a wicked smile. “Ah, old habits.

  “When I lived here last, I slept in a room with fifteen others, none of us really ever had privacy, so it’s something I got used to. And I’m in your bed because I had to administer the potions at certain times, and it was easier if I just slept next to you.

  “Why? You have a problem with a naked girl in your bed?”

  I shrugged. “Nothing I haven’t seen before.”

  Aless laughed, still making no move to cover her bare chest. Like she was testing me, seeing how I reacted.

  “Yeah, I bet. Elias McKinley. Killer of men and breaker of hearts.” She snorted under her breath, covering her mouth by pretending to wipe the corners. “You’ve got the good looks of a heartbreaker.”