Isekai Assassin: Volume 1

by Grayson Sinclair

  He cursed me, spitting venom. “Damn you. Damn you!”

  “You know.” I stepped toward him and shifted into my sword stance. “For all of your schemes and plots, I’d hoped you’d surprise me.

  “You so efficiently dismantled the entire city’s underworld. That’s impressive. But you’re just another noble. Smart and cunning, but I was right about my assessment. You obviously lack any skill with a blade.”

  Count Vohra’s eyes darkened. “The words of a killer mean nothing to me.”

  What a disappointing nobleman. This world really isn’t that different from Earth after all.

  I stepped toward him, my knife raised. “I’d like my knife back.”

  “Come and take it, you bastard.”

  Whatever poise or nobility the count had drained from him, leaving him little more than a rabid animal.

  The brunette maid in the corner started crying even harder at the shouting.

  “Tell me assassin, why are you doing this?” he asked, keeping his eyes trained on the blade in my hand. “Why me? I don’t know you. I never did anything to you. So why?”

  I shrugged. “You have a contract on your head. I’m here to collect.”

  “A contract? That’s it?” he asked, his eyebrows raising. Then he started laughing. A sick, maniacal laughter of a twisted, broken man. “And here I thought you were sent by─well, it doesn’t matter now. They wouldn’t use such a crude method to end my life.”

  Yeah, keep talking while I inch closer.

  “Still, I’ve worked too damn hard to get where I am. I’ve sacrificed too much blood and gold to get here, and I’m not about to let my life get taken so easily, assassin!” he shouted, brandishing my knife with wide, unhinged swipes.

  I ignored his rambling and made my way toward him. Each step drew me closer to him.

  His eyes shifted to my legs, and he stepped to the side, going away from the door and toward the piano.

  Toward the maid girl.

  Shit!

  He was trying to reach her.

  I surged forward, vaulting a half bar with liquor bottles and crystal decanters arrayed in a line. As soon as I moved, so did he, and he lunged for the girl.

  As I landed, I brought my sword down and just barely missed his leg. I brought it up and whipped it at him again, but I pulled back as he wrapped his arms around the girl's throat.

  My blade stopped an inch from her face.

  Count Vohra’s eyes lit up as I halted my attack and backed up.

  “What’s this? An assassin with a conscience?” He squeezed tighter on the maid's neck. “Can you not kill this pretty thing to end my life?”

  I couldn’t kill her. She was an innocent.

  “Let her go.”

  “I don’t think so.” He brought my throwing knife to her neck, pressing in. “You’re going to let me go, or I’m going to spill this girl's blood all across the floor.”

  “Go right ahead.” I levied my blade at his face. “Get rid of my obstacle for me. You’ll be dead a second after she hits the floor.”

  “Oh, so maybe not a conscience after all.” He chuckled and backed up. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll be taking my leave now. You failed, assassin. You can thank your fucked-up principles for that.”

  “I haven’t failed anything,” I said. “You’re not going anywhere, Vohra.”

  He grinned wide. “That’s where you’re wrong.”

  Vohra reached out and grabbed hold of a book on the shelf behind him. He yanked it down, and the entire shelf slid back.

  A hidden passage!

  Dammit!

  It hadn’t been on the plans. But of course, they wouldn’t be.

  He skirted towards it, still holding onto the girl. I couldn’t take his life. There wasn’t an opening that wouldn’t kill the girl as well, and I couldn’t kill her.

  “Seems we’re at an impasse, assassin. But don’t worry. I’ll be seeing you real soon.” He spat. “Don’t get too comfortable in my city.”

  “Not your city if you’re running, Vohra.” I gripped my sword hard enough to hurt. My knuckles whitened as I gritted my teeth hard enough to cause my gums to bleed. Rust filled my mouth as I bared my bloody teeth to the count.

  I didn’t see a way to get to the count that wouldn’t end with my blade in the maid's flesh.

  A rush of realization flooded through my veins.

  I slid my short sword back into its sheath and withdrew one of my throwing knives. I’d coated them all in silent night before I started.

  I grinned. I couldn’t kill the girl, but I could make it look like I had.

  Count Vohra gripped the girl tight and drew blood as the blade bit into her flesh. She squirmed and cried out in pain.

  “The fuck are you smiling for?” he shouted.

  With a flick of my wrist, I threw the blade. I pulled back on the knife, taking away most of the momentum so it wouldn’t go too deep into the maid’s body. It flew straight and stuck right at her bottom rib. With luck, it would hit bone and only do a minimal amount of damage.

  As the blade sunk into her, she cried out. Then she slumped over, unconscious.

  From Count Vohra’s perspective, I was hoping it’d look like I just killed her. He was frantic, and I was betting a lot on him being oblivious to many fine details.

  He looked down at the deadweight girl in his arms, who was bleeding a small stream of blood onto the ground.

  Vohra snarled wordlessly at me and threw the maid.

  I flicked my leg out and caught her in the thigh as she fell. I pushed her away from us and tried to angle her so she’d land on her side and not on her stomach. She hit the wooden floor and lay still, but she was still breathing.

  As soon as I knew she wouldn’t die, I charged the count.

  He’d backed up into the dark tunnel and pressed a recessed switch on the wall. The bookshelf began sliding back into place, and I couldn’t let him escape.

  It was now or never.

  I put everything into my speed and lunged for the count. I flew through the door just as it closed behind us, and I tackled the count at the knees.

  We both went down in a heap. My head bounced off the stone wall, and my vision swam as I tried to right myself.

  There was no light in the tunnel. It was pitch black. And I couldn’t see anything until my night vision kicked in.

  “Fucker!” Malcolm swore and swung at me.

  Wind whistled as a knife cut through the air. A heavy weight punched into my chest, followed by a clang of steel puncturing.

  The force of the blow robbed me of my breath, and I lashed out on reflex. I kicked at where I thought Malcolm would be and was rewarded with a splintering crack of bone and a howl of pain. There was a thud as he stumbled and fell back.

  I couldn’t do much without light, but I thought I’d broken his leg, but he still had my knife, and I didn’t want to risk getting stabbed again in the dark.

  Dammit, I need a torch. Or some goddamn light. I knew I didn’t have a torch on hand. I hadn’t ever needed one. Haven’t carried any light source or anything to make fire since I acquired ember. I─

  A delicious thought struck me.

  “Where are you, bastard!” he shouted.

  I took a step closer. “Malcolm, I’ll make your death quick if you tell me everything you know about Crescent Thorn and how you contacted them.”

  He spat at me again. The spittle landed just shy of my foot. “Like I’d tell you anything.”

  I reached into my ring, and my fingers closed around a large glass vial that was cool to the touch. I unstopped it and flung the contents in an arc toward where Malcolm lay on the ground.

  Liquid splashed over him, and he cursed. “What the hell is this?”

  I smiled wide, though I knew he couldn’t see it.

  “Flammable,” I said.

  “Wait!” he shouted, scrambling to his feet. “Don’t─”

  “Ember.”

  My hand burst alight, and the dull orange flam
e flickered, revealing the count, who’d been drenched in oil. It had soaked deep into his clothes.

  He stared at the flame, transfixed for a long moment until it flickered, and a shadow cast over his eyes.

  They met mine as I flicked my wrist out.

  The flame rose in an arc off my fingers, dying even as it left my skin. It hung in the air for an eternity before it cascaded down around Count Vohra.

  A single spark leapt from the dying magic. It shot out and caught on his suit jacket.

  He looked down just as it ignited the oil-soaked fabric.

  It went up in a rush. One second there was hardly any light in the tunnel, and then there was nothing but warmth and fire as the count was engulfed in flames. He screamed as his skin blackened and cracked beneath the inferno.

  He tried to run, but he took a single step with his broken leg, and it gave out under him. He tumbled to the ground, still screaming before it turned to a whimper as the flames slowly died down.

  Then it turned to nothing as the last flame flickered and went out. Silence stretched as Malcolm breathed his last and went still.

  Though I hated the thought, I had to go over to him and make sure he was dead. I took my knife from his unresponsive fingers and plunged it into his heart three times.

  As he died, I received several notifications.

  I blinked them away without even looking, promising to deal with them after I was away and safely back home.

  The cramped, stifling tunnel filled with the stench of burnt flesh and smoke started to make my eyes water.

  I opened the escape tunnel and closed it behind me. As it shut, I took a deep breath, drinking in the fresh air.

  It was done. I’d completed my first contract for Weilin.

  I looked down at the maid, still bleeding from my knife wound. I pulled it from her and cleaned and bound the wound as best I could.

  When she was stable, I poured one of the recovery tonics I’d gotten from Angela and stood. Though I didn’t owe the girl more than that, I was the one who wounded her, and I would make sure she was safe. It was the least I could do considering I’d murdered her employer.

  I carried her in my arms as I left the mansion and went outside to regroup with Aless.

  It was time to go home.

  Chapter 27- Of Things to Come

  The day after I assassinated Count Vohra, the city panicked.

  It had no idea how to handle the death of not just its leader but every ranking member of the City Watch save one.

  I certainly didn’t envy Captain Bernard at the moment. He was buried under a mountain of paperwork while also trying to put down small scale riots, looting, and mass hysteria.

  Vohra City was in chaos right now.

  “Another fire just broke out,” Aless said, leaning out the window, staring at the city in the distance.

  The two of us were in the study at Blackfall Manor. I propped my feet up on the small table in front of me while I read.

  “It’ll die down eventually. Did you get enough supplies to last us a while?” I asked.

  She nodded, half her head stuck out the window. “Angela came through for us. I told her and Terrance both to stay inside and lock the doors for a while. Also told my Prowlers to disperse and go to ground, at least until the city stops tearing itself apart.”

  “Good. Don’t want anyone of ours to get injured.” I sighed and turned a page. “Though I’m lamenting I won’t get to eat Christoff’s cooking for a while.”

  Aless laughed and came back inside. She stepped over my legs and plopped down beside me. She kicked her legs up over the arm of the chair and used my lap as a pillow. Her crystalline gray eyes stared up at me through my arms.

  She grinned when I glanced down at her. “So what now?” she asked.

  I shook my head, closing the book and setting it on the table. I propped one hand on the armrest while the other went to Aless’s stomach.

  Ever since the other night, she’d gotten a lot touchier, finding whatever excuse she could to be near me.

  For my part, I didn’t mind it. However, I didn’t know if I wanted what Aless’s newfound affections offered. I didn’t not want it, but my life was incredibly complicated, and I didn’t know if I wanted to complicate it further by getting involved with her.

  I liked her—a lot. But I’d been down this road once before, and I still hadn’t figured out if it was worth going down it a second time.

  But, for the time being, I enjoyed being near her, liked how close she was.

  I rested my fingertips on the back of her palm, and she responded by wrapping her arm around mine. I bit my cheek to keep from smiling.

  Maybe, for now, this is enough. We don’t have to complicate things right away.

  The both of us seemed comfortable for the time being, so we’d have to see how things went in the future. But Aless wasn’t going anywhere, and neither was I. We had time.

  While we sat there, not holding hands, I finally decided to open my status screen that I’d been ignoring since last night.

  We took several detours and back alleys to make sure we weren’t followed after we left the count’s estate last night and had immediately fallen asleep when we’d gotten home after putting the wounded maid in one of the smaller bedrooms.

  I pulled it up and whistled at the notifications I’d been ignoring.

  Your Hand-to-Hand skill has increased by 6! [Hand-to-Hand: 16 (Novice)] +150 Exp!

  Your Small Blades skill increased by 2! [Small Blades: 30 (Journeyman)] +50 Exp!

  Your Swordsmanship skill has increased by 1! [Swordsmanship: 7 (Novice)] +25 Exp!

  Your Throwing Knives skill has increased by 1! [Throwing Knives: 9 (Novice)] +25 Exp!

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

  Your Shade’s Rest skill has increased by 1! [Shades Rest: 1 (Novice)] +25 Exp!

  Your Wisdom has increased by 3! [Wisdom: 20] +300 Exp!

  As soon as I waved that one away, more popped up.

  Quest: Assassinate Count Vohra Completed!

  Difficulty: Very Hard

  Reward: 3500 Exp+8000 Vahn

  (10% Bonus Exp)

  3850 Exp!

  Hidden Quest Reward Unlocked!

  Passive Skill

  Aurella’s Light: When under the light of the moon or in darkness, Aurella’s Light activates. Grants low light vision and a boost to all Stealth skills.

  Cooldown: None

  Mana Drain: Negligible

  “Well, how about that.” I whistled.

  “What?” Aless asked, staring up at me.

  “Well, not only did I get a heavy pile of experience and vahn for killing the count, but I also received a new skill.”

  Her eyes shot up. “Oh! Whatdya get?”

  “It’s called Aurella’s Light, and it looks like it grants better vision at night and a boost to my stealth skills. Such a small thing, but it’s probably going to be invaluable.”

  She nodded, going back to her book. “Useful, but kinda boring. I was hoping for something cool like an instant death ability.”

  I laughed, running my fingers through her hair. “That would take the challenge out of it for me and make my job boring. No, thank you.”

  I pulled up my status once more.

  Name: Elias McKinley

  Age: 29

  Race: Human

  Level: 2

  Exp: 5031/12376

  Stat Points: 5

  Stats

  Strength: 29

  Constitution: 21

  Endurance: 33

  Wisdom: 20

  Perception: 32

  Agility: 45

  Charisma: 15

  Luck: 19

  I closed my status, expecting that to be the end of it, but I was wrong.

  There was one more notification.

  Hidden Quest: Ember Completed!

  You successfully managed to kill someone with the flame spell, Ember.

  Reward: Combat flame
spell Fireball

  Spells

  Fireball: Launches a blast of condensed fire at the target. Explodes on impact.

  Cooldown: None

  Mana Drain: Moderate

  My fingers shook slightly as I closed my status. Fireball. Fire magic. My heart beat fast at the prospect of having magic I could use in combat. It was what I was searching for since I arrived in the city.

  I wanted nothing more than to leap up and go and try out my new spell, but reason stayed my hand.

  It’s probably not smart to go outside to the forest in the summer and start throwing around fire magic. I’d probably end up burning the whole manor down.

  But the thought was enticing enough to make me consider it anyways.

  Warm fingers closed around my own. I looked down at Aless, who smirked at me.

  “What are you smiling about?” she asked.

  Smiling? I then realized that I had a huge grin plastered on my face. I quickly wiped it away. “It’s nothing, I’ll tell you later.”

  She shrugged. “Okay, well. I’m sleepy, so I’m going to take a nap.”

  “Then go to bed.”

  “Nope, your lap is surprisingly comfortable. Think I’ll stay here.”

  At that, she rolled over and promptly fell asleep.

  I thought about saying something, but it quickly died in my throat. I placed my hand on her shoulder and let her sleep.

  As I stared down at her, I was conflicted. I knew there was too much we still had to do. Even as Vohra devolved into chaos, it would settle down quickly. Like a match, it would burn bright before flickering out. And I would have to step in and help sift through the ashes to start building what would become the new underworld. It would take not just Aless and me but a lot of people to turn it into a reality.

  It would require months of work to even form a facsimile, but I was looking forward to it despite the amount of effort required. This was a challenge the likes I’d never attempted before, and it made my heart race at the thought of what it could turn into.

  I could build something better than even the underworld of London if I worked at it. I had no idea when the next quest from Weilin would show up, so until that happened, I knew I could keep myself busy.

  But all of that could wait. In a few days, when the city settled down, I would begin, but for now, as Aless slept in my lap.