He rushed me out of his shop, and I was forced to head back upstairs to wait in the affluent shop with the nameless worker who had his head buried in his book the entire time.
I wandered around the shop, browsing the wares to pass the time. True to his word, Jin returned in under an hour with a much different crossbow than before. The shiny, silver-white sheen of the metal had been darkened with a dull, almost carbon-like material. The entire weapon except for the handle was now black, and it didn’t reflect light.
“Even coated your bolts, so you don’t have to worry,” Jin said, handing me the black leather holster and quiver of around twenty bolts. “If you need more, you know where to find me. Come see me next week or so, and we can discuss payment then.”
I thanked Jin, strapped my new weapon to my left thigh, and left the shop.
Chapter 23- The Hunt
With the hand crossbow, I had the range needed to take on any archer I came across in the future, but I didn’t want the weapon to give me a false sense of confidence. I still needed to keep my eyes peeled for the assassin who escaped.
But I was betting he was smart and had either reported back to his employer or fled the city. Either way, he wasn’t around, but I still took my time getting out of the city. I took back alleys, changed my direction at random, and doubled back four times before heading for the east gate to leave the city.
Our home was closest to the south gate, but I didn’t want to start entering and leaving through the same gate more than once.
Of course, it meant it took an extra two hours to get back home, but that was the price I paid for security.
When I was safely back at Blackfall Manor, I went to the second-floor training rooms.
Aless wasn’t back yet, but she told me she wouldn’t return until late evening, so I still had some hours yet before I started to worry.
To pass the time, I practiced in the archery room. I took ample time getting to know my new weapon.
Your Archery skill has increased by 4! [Archery: 4 (Novice)] +100 Exp!
By the time I was done testing it, the gate at the courtyard entrance squeaked, letting me know someone was there.
I stood at the top of the stairs with my crossbow aimed at the door as Aless stepped inside.
Her beige cloak was a little soiled and torn, and her black leather boots had mud on them, but otherwise, she didn’t seem injured.
As soon as I realized it was her, I broke down the crossbow and stowed it away.
“How was the heist?” I asked as she shut the door.
She looked up, startled at my voice. Her hood lowered as she pulled it back. Her vibrant red hair was stained with brackish filth, just like the rest of her outfit.
“Went fine for the most part. Had to climb through a fucking sewer drain to escape the villa, though. That was fun.”
Aless climbed the stairs, and even from fifteen feet away, my nose wrinkled.
“Tell me about it after you’ve taken a bath. You stink.”
“With pleasure.”
She headed for the third-floor bath while I went to rest in the study.
While I waited, I ran through the library and picked up a book on Beastkin. I settled on the sofa and skimmed through the book until I found a passage on the nekojin.
“Huh, seems they have greater agility than humans and low light vision. They are also adept at elemental magic.”
Elemental magic. Like ember?
“Ember.”
I ran the flickering flame over my fingers, making the small flame dance from each finger until I reached my pinky and brought the flame to my thumb. As I brought it back, I fanned my hand out.
The flame shot from my hand, lingering in the air for a second or so before it faded and died away.
As I thought, useless in a fight. I sighed. I need to find someone to teach me magic, but from what Angela and the others have told me, there isn’t anyone who’d be willing to teach me in the city.
Maybe when Count Vohra lies dead, we can bring magic back.
I stopped playing with fire while I held a book in my hand and read a little more until Aless returned.
She slipped into the room with barely a whisper. I looked up when she entered. She’d stripped out of her armor and cloak. Now she wore only a thin, black shirt and a pair of linen pants.
Her short hair was plastered to her forehead, and she was still a little damp from the water. It ran down her throat and soaked into her shirt, down to her chest. The thin fabric clung to her breasts, straining against her pronounced nipples.
I kept my eyes focused on hers. I didn’t need them wandering, no matter how tempting the prospect was.
It wasn’t like her beauty didn’t tempt me, and I couldn’t deny that we’d actually grown pretty close these past few weeks.
I liked Aless, but she was my friend and apprentice. I didn’t want to complicate that just for a lay.
Or worse, a relationship.
She shook her hair out, grabbing the hem of her shirt and pulling it to her head as she roughly dried off her hair. Giving me an eyeful of her bare chest in the process.
Though it seems she’s fine with complicating things all on her own.
“Much better. I’m going to have to deep clean the leather armor when I get a chance, but that’s a small price to pay for recovering the shipment.”
Aless came over to the sofa and sat down opposite me. Her slender legs stretched out as she draped them over mine.
“How was your day? Did you get some more rest?”
“Nope.” I shook my head. “Did a little shopping, then I was ambushed by an assassin.”
She laughed, covering her mouth as her gray eyes sparkled with delight. However, it quickly faded when I didn’t start laughing along.
“Wait, you’re serious?”
“Uh-huh. Nearly killed him, but he used some form of magic to vanish in front of me. I couldn’t track him after that. I’d have liked to know his employer, but it’s pretty obvious who sent them after me.”
“The count?” Aless asked.
“He’s the only person I’ve pissed off enough in the city who might want me dead. The man was good. Well trained…but not enough.”
“What guild did they belong to?”
“Guild?” I shrugged. “How should I─wait. He had an emblem tattooed onto his hand. A black rose with thorns.”
“Shit,” Aless cursed, sitting up straight.
She turned to me and crossed her legs.
I held my hand up. “I take it you know who they are?”
She nodded, resting her chin on her knuckles. “Crescent Thorn. Nasty sons o’ bitches. Will take any contract, no matter what it is.
“They used to be very prolific in the city, but they vanished just before the Foxes pulled out. Haven’t been back in the city since then.”
“Well, they’re back now.”
I sighed, pinching my nose. Both the Thieves Guild and Assassins Guild up and vanish around the time Malcolm comes to power. Something is going on here. I could get it if they left because Vohra cracked down on the crime, but that doesn’t fit if he’s the one who ordered the contract on me.
I’m missing pieces to this puzzle.
“Just be careful coming and going from here on out. Make sure you aren’t followed,” I told her.
Aless nodded. “I know how to spot a tail, but I’ll be extra careful going forward.” Her eyes widened. “Oh hey, I almost forgot. Here’s the Thanatos.”
She stood and then knelt on the ground. She opened her dimension ring and pulled out a heavy wooden chest.
It was easily as large as she was and had several locks that once kept the chest closed. They were broken, wood splintered from a heavy, blunt object.
Aless opened the chest, and inside were thousands of glass vials of Thanatos. Multiple rows of them were stacked on top of each other and could be removed in small batches.
I whistled. “How many vials is that?”
“A lot. T
housand or more, at least.”
Looking over the chest, I realized there was no way to give all of it to Christoff. He’d become too easy a target, and I couldn’t keep an eye on him at all times. I could give him batches as he needs them, just until he gets his own network set up and guards in place.
It was probably smart to let me hold onto them rather than risk losing it all during a break in.
“Whatcha think?” Aless nudged me with her elbow. “We keep it all for ourselves, become drug overlords?”
“Not hardly.” I laughed, then glanced down at her thin hands. She had long fingers, smooth and graceful. Perfect for a thief. “Noticed you don’t have any markings yourself.”
She looked down at her hands and back up to me and shrugged. “Never seen much benefit in losing myself to an artificial reality. Especially one that I can’t easily come back from.
“You don’t have any marks either.”
I nodded. “Drugs make you sloppy, dependent. Not a good thing for an assassin.”
“Or a thief,” she replied and stood. “Well, I’m exhausted. If you don’t need anything, I’m going to head to bed.”
“Your bed this time?” I asked.
“Maybe.” She shrugged, smiling. “Maybe not.”
Before she left, I pulled out my coin purse and tossed her a few hundred vahn. “Take these and spread them throughout your Prowlers tomorrow. I have work for them.”
She took the coins, stored them in her ring, and came over to the sofa. Once more using my lap as a footrest. “They’ll be happy to see the coin, but we already have them gathering intel…do you have a specific target in mind?”
I nodded, rubbing my chin. “The new captain of the guard and his lieutenants. I want to know everything about them by the end of the week.”
Aless smiled at me. “You’re making your play for the count, aren’t you?”
I just turned and gave her a ferocious smile. “He’s hunting me, and turnabout is only fair play.”
It’s time─no. It’s past time I went hunting.
***
The Prowlers did well, far better than I initially expected of them. In just three days, they learned the names and locations of every lieutenant under Captain Bernard’s command, which was every remaining lieutenant in the city.
Six men.
Once we had the names, Aless and I used the Prowlers even further and had them trail each lieutenant and then tracked them back to their homes.
None of them lived in the Noble District, so that made the entire job so much easier.
At the end of the week, I knew everything I needed to about them.
And I got to work.
Six days.
Six targets.
It’d been a busy week.
None of them put up much of a fight and were only remarkable in the fact that they were so unrememberable. I took Aless with me on each kill, not letting her do the deed herself, but watching me work, while I also evaluated her skills.
She wasn’t ready for her first kill. She probably wouldn’t be ready for months. But I wanted her to see what she was getting herself into before she stained her hands.
I had to admit, she was a natural. It didn’t hurt that the skills she’d learned as a thief transferred over to assassination flawlessly.
On the first kill, I’d stabbed the helpless lieutenant in the throat, and a spurt of arterial spray splashed across her face. She turned a little green, but she eventually shook it off.
The city guards had a bit of coin on them, but we barely made a profit after paying Aless’s Prowlers. But I’d still say it was well worth the expense.
After the lieutenants had been dealt with, it was time for me to deal with the captain of the guard. Michael Bernard.
I put the Prowlers on him, and they had his office, home, and preferred route in two days.
They were amazing.
When they brought back the info, I thanked Aless and geared up.
“You want me to go with you?” she asked.
I shook my head while I slipped my vambraces on. “Not this time. The Noble District is a different beast altogether. It’s better if I tackle it alone.”
She frowned, crossing her arms. “C’mon, Elias, that’s bullshit. I tracked you to the Noble District before, didn’t I? You didn’t even realize that I was following you. I can do this.”
I chuckled. “It’s not about whether you can do it or not. I know you have the skills. But the nobles are paranoid and have upped the guard presence since I butchered the city’s top brass. Getting in and out without being spotted this time will be a major pain in the ass.
“I know I can do it alone, so that’s what I’m going to do.”
Aless didn’t like it, but she understood it.
“Okay.” She huffed, acquiescing. “Just promise me you’ll take me on the Vohra job.”
I smiled at her. “If I can, I will. Promise.”
After that, I set off toward the Noble District once more.
According to the information the Prowlers collected on him, Captain Bernard was a minor noble who lived in the cheaper part of the district. And from what the Prowlers could tell, his only noteworthy quality was that he was loyal to the count.
It’s probably why he was promoted to captain despite not having the accolades to warrant such a high-ranking position.
But it made little difference why he was promoted. He worked for the count, and so he needed to be dealt with.
But maybe not killed.
It was an interesting thought. The man was all but useless and would die as easily as his soldiers, but having the captain of the guard in my debt would be infinitely more valuable.
It all depends on if his loyalty is stronger than his desire to live.
Let’s find out.
***
“Hello, Captain Bernard,” I said as he stepped into his office.
It was much more muted than most, with no ostentatious displays, just pure functionality. It made me like the man before I ever even spoke to him.
Michael Bernard froze as he entered his study. The man had a rather plain face, erring on the handsome side, but a crooked nose ruined the rest of his features. He had short, brown hair cropped close to his scalp in military fashion and dull blue eyes.
His chin sprouted the beginnings of stubble, and the bags under his eyes spoke of a man exhausted and beaten down by life.
Sweat stains marred his beige tunic, showing the strains of wearing heavy armor for hours on end.
Bernard turned slowly to face me. His hand still stuck on the doorknob.
I motioned with the loaded crossbow in my grip. “Best not try anything unless you want that pretty wife of yours making dinner downstairs to come to harm.”
He gulped and looked at the door, contemplating it. He quickly shook his head and let go of the knob. “Who are you? What do you want?”
“Take a seat, and we can discuss your future, or if you have one at all.”
His eyes lit up in recognition as he walked over. “You’re the one who’s been killing my men, aren’t you?”
He sat in the plush, wooden chair in front of the desk and crossed his arms.
“Not just your men,” I said. “But your predecessor, and now I’m here contemplating killing you.”
Bernard coughed into his hand, looking away. “Why not just kill me too. I’m a nobody, not worth going to the trouble to spare.”
I smiled. “Oh, that’s where you’re wrong…well, kind of.” I held up my off-hand and shrugged. “It’s precisely because you’re a nobody that has my interest.
“You see, the count is going to die. Soon. Probably the day after tomorrow or the next night, once I’ve double-checked his security and the patrol routes for his manor. But that’s beside the point.” I leaned over him, letting my eyes harden.
“This city is about to be without its leader and without the City Watch’s chain of command to keep order. It’s going to be a nightmare. But you can
help change that.”
“How?” he asked.
“By working for me,” I said simply. “You’re loyal to Malcolm right now because he bailed your family out of debt. At least that’s what my spies uncovered, but you’re loyal to a soon-to-be-dead man, so why don’t you join me and help build an empire from the ashes of this city?”
He glared at me. “And why would I do that?” he spat.
“Because it spares your life. And probably the lives of a good few guards in the process.” I pulled out the little, black book that had once belonged to Lieutenant Ildan. “I’ve got a list of suspected corrupt guards right here. And last I checked, one of them was even a lieutenant that I killed the other day.
“I have these names, so I don’t need you. When you and the count lie dead, I’ll be the one making decisions for the city. I can install all the corrupt guards I want into power. Of course, the more noble guards will probably object and will have to die. A couple of dozen dead guards should be enough to send a message, don’t you think?”
Bernard gaped at me, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. “I won’t stand for this,” he said, his voice rising as he tried to stand from the chair.
I leaned over the desk and pressed the tip of my crossbow to his skull. “One more word or step, and you die, and I disappear out the window to my right before your body hits the back of the chair.
“Is that really how you want your wife to find you, slumped over in the chair with your brains decorating the wall?”
He slumped back in the chair, the fight evaporating from him. His hand went to his head, and he sighed. “What do you want me to do?”
“Work for me. Do what I tell you when I tell you, but other than that, go about your normal routine. I probably won’t interfere with your business too much as long as you don’t interfere with mine.”
I let my eyes harden into two points of cold detachment.
Your Killer’s Stare skill has increased by 1! [Killer’s Stare: 8 (Novice)] +25 Exp!
“What’ll it be, Michael Bernard? Death or a slight career change?”
He lowered his head and mumbled something I couldn’t hear.
Isekai Assassin: Volume 1 Page 28