"Everyone here is currently under the poison," I cut her off. But as she said, it’s only for a limited amount of ti, so I better get to work. "Tell about the guest under your protection, Arkin of the Chaos Cult."
Lila froze, and my heart skipped a beat. Will I finally get my answers so easily?
"Chaos Cult? What bullshit are you pulling. I don’t know anyone like that! Silent Daggers are the ones that like to deal with shady shit like that. And why will I tell you anything about a guest under our protection..." She stopped when needles that looked like bleached bones hovered in front of her, each burning with green fire.
I looked at her almost sadly. "Ah, I’ll be quick here, but you can definitely make my job easier. These bones are extracted from a special kind of monster worm. It’s the only bones they have. They are special because they eat rocks."
They produce liquid substances that will lt even tals.
I sent one of the needles into her right hand, then I slowly released the remaining power in the bone. It shimred, and like an injection, it injected dull brown poisonous liquid into her.
Then the screaming began.
At the end, she talked. Maybe after she saw her right hand getting digested while still attached to her. I stuffed her mouth with clothes when her screaming beca too loud, but I’d gotten my information after all.
According to her, they had no guest like that, but there were rumors that one of the other gangs, the Silent Dagger especially, might have. It worried .
I looked down at the fainted Lila. She’d already lost her right hand from the shoulder down, but she should be fine after she’d taken so healing potions or been seen by healers.
I opened the door of her room and went out. "Right then. Ti to begin my search. Even though she said they have no guest like that, it’s only right that I check it out."
The screaming earlier must have attracted attention, because I was hearing the sound of running feet. I transford my hand into a sword. "Here they co. This is going to make my work much easier."
The Captain of the vanguard spy squad was having a bit of trouble, or at least, that’s what I could sense from the tension radiating off their positions. They lost two earlier, and now they were scrambling. Where were they supposed to be by now? Trying to attack the black axe? Or to cause enough chaos so the main force could move in? Either way, I didn’t care; I just needed to survive and play my part.
I could hear them whispering to one another, wondering if we had entered unnoticed. Let them think that. Let them chase shadows while I moved through their compound.
A piercing scream tore through the night, sudden and jagged. My stomach clenched instinctively. A woman, or soone pretending to be one, was being tortured. The guards at the gate bolted, and I knew the Captain wanted to see what was going on. He called for the big sword, for all his precision and discipline. Cute.
I advanced, careful. Each step left a mark in the blood-soaked floor, each movent deliberate. Behind , bodies, too many bodies, were strewn about, cut clean by fangs sharper than any sword I’d ever held. Two silver ranks had already fallen, leaving with a shallow wound on my shoulder that even the healing potion was struggling with. I barely noticed it. Survival first.
The last room. The guest room. My pulse hit a steady rhythm. I opened the door... and froze. Empty. Perfectly empty. I laughed quietly, green eyes flashing like uncut gems. So it’s like this...
Hermit’s warning was sharp in my mind as I spun on my heel, deflecting two sword strikes aid at my head. Not from the black axe, not them.
"Silent daggers," I hissed. Five figures in black arranged themselves before .
The Captain, him, he frowned at the sight. A gentleman the day before, now covered in blood, so flesh missing from his hand... what was that? Monster’s hand? He didn’t seem surprised.
I stepped back. I wasn’t at full strength. Fighting five Skilled Iron ranks wasn’t part of my plan, though maybe it should have been. Still, the leader’s presence threw off. "Who else tries a sneak attack like so lowlife dog?" I snapped, more to provoke than anything.
The Captain raised his hand, gesturing with precision. His squad fanned out, closing in like a half-circle around . They think they’ve got , I thought. "It’s more than that, isn’t it? You were expecting us or sothing," he said.
I smirked, wolfish. "Not hard to deduce when you actually think," I said, baring my teeth in a grin. "Do you think we’re just strong? Of course we’re strong. But smart? That too."
They didn’t argue. I could see it, losing them, sneaking in without detection, the planning. They had no idea. And yet they spoke of strength, full of bravado. "Do you think you can take us on?" the Captain asked. "You won the black axe with tricks. But it’s different for us. We’ve honed our Iron rank powers for years."
I kept my expression neutral. I’d already read their file, they thought I was just a new Awakener climbing the ranks. Arrogance or ignorance, it was hard to tell. "You’re projecting your past failures on ," I said, voice calm. I needed them talking. I’d already spent too much power tonight, too much from Hermit and the Onus. This was a distraction. One massive shot, that’s all I needed.
The Captain bristled, recognizing the bait or thinking he did. "You shit-covered bastard. I’ve been ordered to kill you, but I think I should do more than that!"
I grinned, sharp and cold. "So the silent dagger betrayed us. Makes feel less guilty."
"What?"
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