Return to Jorgaldur Volume IV: Reunion

Assassin (II)

The poison was deadly and fast, almost impossible to cure. Antidote could be effective if the right plants existed around. It was an impossible chance in a dungeon with mana plants.

Cure Poison from Eldi wasn't enough, given the level of the poison and the high human's. Meanwhile, the vampiress wasn't willing to use Pass Poison. It was too dangerous to rely on it to save an enemy who wanted to commit suicide.

The assassin soon lost consciousness, even foaming at the mouth. Surprisingly, he didn't die instantly. Instead, he kept breathing weakly.

Inch of Life was barely keeping him alive, at the cost of draining the essence of the surrounding plants. They could see them wither at a speed visible to the naked eye. However, these plants weren't real, so on that occasion, Goldmi executed the skill without feeling guilty.

While Eldi kept watch, Gjaki also didn't linger. Inch of Life constantly drained the elf's energy, so she couldn't sustain it forever.

The assassin widened his eyes. He was surprised to find himself in a room.

"Number 382, you're finally awake," he heard a voice.

He turned to meet one of the officers. This was the one he had the most relationship with. Usually, this officer gave him missions, and provided his rewards.

"Where I am? What's happened?" he asked, confused.

"You're at the headquarters. It's a miracle you didn't die. Your enemies didn't finish you off, so you were left in suspended animation. One of the brothers found you and brought you here," the officer explained. "What forced you to use the poison?"

"They found me. I don't know how, but they came up somehow camouflaged and attacked me. I almost managed to escape, but they had many methods to restrain me. In the end, a hateful bird prevented me from running away. They captured me, and wanted to interrogate me. I had no choice but to poison myself," he explained.

"I see. Any relevant information?" the officer inquired.

382 was thoughtful for a moment. He knew there was something.

"That is! I think one of them was the target!" he exclaimed after a while.

"The target?" the officer repeated with interest.

"I'm almost sure. I saw him use axe, spear, and hammer, as well as a Rock Wall. He was disguised as a wolfish demihuman, with silver hair," he explained.

"It's interesting information," the officer appreciated.

"Interesting? More than that! If they confirm and catch him, I'll earn myself a nice stash! Like twenty normal missions! It's worth almost dying. Ha, ha. The client is really very rich!" he exclaimed.

"Oh? You seem to know a lot about the client," the officer suggested.

"Ha, ha. Of course not! I'm not that stupid to investigate information that doesn't concern me. Nonetheless, there is no doubt that they're rich. If they weren't, they wouldn't give those generous rewards," the assassin concluded.

"Ha, ha. Definitely. Now rest. I'll take care of sending the information."

He didn't hesitate to obey. He was strangely exhausted. In fact, everything seemed to blur, and his eyes closed. Without realizing it, he fell into a deep sleep from which he would never wake up.

"That's enough," Gjaki said, looking at her friend.

The elf nodded, as she canceled her power. Several meters around, all the mana plants had withered, and she was a bit tired. Therefore, she used Energy Loan to resupply.

Perhaps, the biggest advantage Goldmi had in that dungeon floor was that she could absorb mana and energy from plants without having to give it back. Nature didn't claim it or take it into account, because they were simply not real. While that made the efficiency of the skill considerably lower, she could absorb without drawbacks. She only had to move from the area to be able to use it again.

The elf had been keeping the assassin alive with Inch of Life, as they didn't know that it wasn't really necessary. Meanwhile, Gjaki had entered his dreams through the Dream World, manipulated them, and obtained some information.

"What did you discover?" Eldi asked.

"They're looking for you. They know the weapons you use and some spells. He had recognized you, I guess after using the Wall. He didn't know who was behind it, only that they had offered a lot of money," she explained.

"The kingdom of Engenak..." the high human deduced. His voice was quite cold.

"Surely," the vampiress agreed.

Their companion had explained everything to them, he had held nothing back. He fully trusted his companions.

"What're we going to do?" Goldmi asked.

"Be alert. They probably have their own spies, though maybe I can do something about the Assassins Guild. I think it'd be best to come back until we solve it. They can be quite dangerous," the vampiress proposed.

The others agreed. They trusted the judgment of her friend, as she had experience in dealing with them.

"Huh? Isn't he dead?" the vampiress was surprised.

She had been unable to keep the corpse in the inventory or draw his blood. Confused, she pierced his heart, thus killing him completely. She watched as her assistant drew the blood, albeit a smaller amount than usual. Some of it contained poison.

The Gates didn't work inside the dungeon, so they activated their passes. They sent them out of the dungeon, to a secluded spot. Most adventurers would have walked to the entrance, unless they were in danger or on deeper floors. After all, obtaining new passes wasn't cheap.

However, their passes were special, a legacy of the game. Although the amount of mana needed to recharge them was practically double their pool, they could do it in two to three times. Nonetheless, they could be recharged.

In fact, Goldmi and Eldi needed less, as it was directly proportional to the level of the player they had to teleport. However, since their mana pool was also smaller, and it couldn't be any other mana than their own, the effort was similar in the end.

Another advantage was that the players appeared in a hidden room in one of the temples. Therefore, no one saw them go out, thus avoiding uncomfortable questions or gazes.

Gjaki opened a pair of Gates to send Eldi to the mansion and Goldmi to her home. She then sneaked out of the room, and mingled with the people visiting the temple. She was still wearing her wolfish demihuman disguise, and was deciding whether she should take it off.

In the end, smiling to herself, the vampiress decided to take it off when she got to her first destination. It was more fun, as well as it would make her job easier. If not, she would have to answer too many questions, and they might even suspect her.

So, after hiding behind some boxes in an alley, she went back to being the silver-haired vampiress. With a steady pace, even defiant, she made her way to the building in front of her.