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Kernstalion - chapter 59: Assassin in a bag
🕑 Added 2022-02-26 09:45:38 +0000 UTCI followed Bastian further through the city and tried to figure out what was following us. I now heard soft scuff and impact noises each time we passed a gap in the buildings. Someone or something was tracking us, jumping across the buildings.
Dammit, we shouldn't be luring this thing to wherever we are going, I suddenly thought.
I was about to warn Bastian when I saw his eyes scan the tops of the buildings ahead. He was barely looking where he was going but changed his direction based on what he heard. The worry vanished as I began to anticipate what would happen.
A few turns later, we moved through a twenty-foot wide street with a small channel for wastewater in the middle that flowed away from us. The cold wind that blew through couldn't do much to blow away the musky, dense stench.
A dozen feet in, as we passed a five-foot-wide alleyway, Bastian stopped. Before I could react, he grabbed my arm and dragged me inside. At the same time, he looked up.
Here we go, I thought as I looked up just in time to see a blurred movement flash across the narrow divide. It moved too fast to be sure, but I saw something, perhaps scales, gleam in the moonlight.
Bastian didn't wait but pressed his hands against the wall and jumped up, locking himself in place with the power of his arms, before doing the same with his feet and climbing up.
It seemed horribly slow and ineffective, and I took a quick look around for a better way. A few steps in, just above arms reach, were window stills and other edges. I ran forward, jumped sideways, and kicked myself off from the wall towards the window ledge. I grabbed it and pulled myself up, getting a look inside. I saw an empty room with a bed, a chair, and some clothing in a flash then jumped up and grabbed the roof's ledge with three hands. As I pulled myself up, a shuffle came from just beyond the edge, and something gleamed above me in my peripheral vision.
I looked up just in time to see a hand with a knife striking at one of my hands.
Fuck!
I let go with the hand and pulled myself up in an explosive burst. The knife slammed into the stone, splinters whirring around as I stared straight into a familiar masked face. Glowing red eyes behind narrow slits widened for a moment, then a hooded figure ducked back while striking at my face.
Two hands on the edge, I swung my ax with another while deflecting the dagger with a third. Too late, I realized I had no armor on my wrist, and the blade slashed through my flesh, causing me a grunt in pain. It didn't slow my attack, though, and my ax blade was a big gleaming blur as it shot forward. The assassin dropped low and below it like a boneless bag before skittering back across the flat roof.
A dim glowing ball of blueish energy materialized behind the assassin's head and shot down.
The fight Bastian and I had in the Library flashed through my mind as I recognized it.
Bastian's spell, I thought as I tried to ignore the pain in my arm and pulled myself further onto the roof.
With some sort of sixth sense, the assassin repeated his boneless drop, dodging the glowing ball.
Time to get some answers, I thought as I dropped my ax and jumped forward.
The assassin seemed shocked by my weapons attack, and I grabbed his arm before he could jump back. He jabbed at my stomach with his free hand, and I grabbed it around the wrist, squeezing and feeling the bones crack. The thing made no sound of pain, but I wasn't interested in him shouting for help or whatnot. My other two hands wrapped around his throat, closing off any screams as I stepped forward and slammed him on his back. A woosh of air came from below the mask, and I felt his arms turn slack.
"Don't kill him," Bastian hissed.
"Not planning on it," I said with a growl. I quickly grabbed the edge of the assassin's leather mask and yanked it off before he could regain his senses.
A pale, purple scaled face stared at me. It had roughly humanoid features but red serpentine eyes and a much too small nose. Thin lips were drawn back from a mouth lined with triangular shark teeth. Noticing a flicker in the eyes, I hit the figure between the eyes without holding back.
"Hey," Bastian whispered as he crawled on the roof beside me.
I ignored him, watching the figure that had slumped limply in my grip, trying to gauge if the thing was faking it. A few breaths later, I eased my grip around his throat, keeping on hand there just in case. Immediately the thing's eyes opened, and he tried to bite my hand. I'd expected something like it and struck him between the eyes a second time. This time his head bounced from the stone roof, and I heard a slight crack. The lizard assassin or whatever it was slumped in my grip again, but this time it felt more final. I quickly felt for a pulse and sighed in relief when I found one. He was still alive.
"Did you kill him?" Bastian asked, sounding disgruntled.
"No, I just knocked him out," I said. "He was planning something. This is easier. Now we can just disarm and disrobe him to make sure he has no dirty tricks. Poisons or whatever."
Bastian looked at me in surprise, then grinned, and within moments we had undressed the slim figure down to his stained gray underwear. It was a good thing too. Next to him lay a pile of tiny daggers, needles, and something that looked like prayer beads. He had a dozen of the weapons hidden amongst his person, and especially the needles made my skin crawl. They were black with a glasslike hollow tip in which a reddish liquid swirled as I carefully inspected one.
Definitely an assassin, I decided and realized we were lucky the thing had just been trailing us. If it had thrown these things at us before we became aware of it, we might have been in big trouble. Although I had great demon poison resistance, my chaos resistance hadn't leveled yet, and I knew there were other types of poison in this world. They were far less common, but that would just make them more likely as something an assassin would use.
"I've never seen this race before," Bastian whispered as he prodded the creature.
With roughly human proportions, it had green scales on the outside of his limbs and back. The rest of his body was covered in dull, leathery skin riddled with scars. Long and thin, they wound across each part of the thing's gray skin, almost like he had been tortured for a long, long time. Small fleshy slits were partially hidden below his arms, in his sides. Gills from what I could see, and they opened and closed slowly.
"He seems made for the sea," I muttered as I moved its head to the side to reveal more gills behind its large flat ears. "Now what?"
"Now we bring him along," Bastian said as he looked at the creature's gear in distaste.
For a moment, it looked like he would leave it behind, then he grunted in annoyance and put his hand inside the front of his leather jacket. He pulled out a small folded cloth and kneeled on the ground, placing it down.
I watched, confused, as he began unfolding it, the thing going from the size of a handkerchief to a towel. Then it dawned on me. It was a not-a-bag-of-holding! Like the one Agga had used.
Rattling noises came from inside the cloth, and Bastian visibly strained as he flipped it over, unfolding it to a nearly five-foot square. Dozens of daggers and a few small swords lined the sides, held in narrow loops sewn in the sides. In the center were a few bundles of rope, folded bags, something that looked like a flat, hard-edged leather bag, and bundles of dried meat.
"I've seen one of those before," I muttered.
Bastian shook his head. "Unlikely. Perhaps you mean one of those smaller ones, the bag version, but these are somewhat special."
I frowned as I watched him dump the assassin's gear in an empty corner of the sheet. Curiously, I knelt and inspected it, letting my fingers slide across the coarse fabric and watching how he took one of the bags and put it to the side.
"No. I'm sure. Agga had one of these," I said.
Bastian's hands froze, and his head slowly turned towards me. His eyes were dull and unbelieving as he stared at me, and I knew it wasn't the cloth that had him this surprised.
"So, you know Agga?" I said slowly.
Bastian shook his head and continued folding the cloth back. When he was finished, he stuffed it back in the side of his armor before looking at me.
"Where was she hiding?" he asked, showing no indication of leaving.
I gazed at the unmoving body. Bastian didn't seem angry or upset, just curious. "Sart, a simple town south of the Howling Forest, I said. She taught me how to do woodworking and saved me from starvation," I added.
Bastian nodded, then without another word, bent down and grabbed the bag and held it out to me.
I took it and opened it, noting it was larger than I'd initially thought. Basian grabbed the demonic assassin and hauled him up like a bag of potatoes. I held open the bag, and he stuffed the body inside. Vaguely I knew it should have seemed funny, but my mind wasn't really on it.
I went over the little that I know of Agga. She worked with wood and leather and used to be some high-up in Telerin. I blinked as I suddenly realized two things. Telerin was the capital of Elision, and woodworking wasn't some low-born profession as it had been on earth! Getting good wood and knowing how to use it required a great deal of wealth and knowledge!
"So, who is she?" I asked.
Bastian pushed in the last arm and stepped back. I closed the bag and tied it with a shrug before placing it across my shoulder like a creepy Santa Claus.
"She used to be one of the leading council of Elision," Bastian said as he began marching off towards the opposite edge of the building. "After the Nail Queen took over, she was presumed dead."
I whistled in surprise, then quietly followed him. At the edge of the building, he didn't even stop to look but simply leaped across the ten-foot gap as if it was nothing.
I moved to the edge and looked down at the street almost sixteen feet below.
I guess I'll live even if I fall, I thought with a weary sigh.
The distance normally wouldn't bother me, but now I was carrying someone. I moved back a few steps, then ran forward and leaped forward. The assassin's weight barely held me back, and I jumped much too far, landing in the middle of the roof with a loud thud. Bastian nodded, then continued towards the edge and jumped towards the next roof.
The trip continued in silence as we made our way to a whole different district. More like a merchants district, the buildings were all large and square with a central area, some with small patches of vegetation. Soon the roofs were too far apart to jump, and Bastian climbed down, leading us through the quiet streets.
Ten minutes later, we wound around a towering wall, from behind which came the familiar sounds of charbulls. A gatehouse appeared ahead of us. It seemed more at home at a town gate than beside the still sizeable double door set in the inner wall. Two Stonite's stood guarding the entrance, easily recognizable by their bulk and dull gray armor.
"We are safe now," Bastian said as he looked at me. "But don't talk about those rings. Or of Agga."
I nodded. I'd not planned on either, as it would probably draw me even more unwanted attention.
"Bastian," one of the guards said as he nodded, then turned to me, taking a quick look at the bag over my shoulders. "Brew," he said.
I was so surprised it took me a moment to return the nod. How the hell did he know my name? Then my mind began working again, and I realized Bastian must have something to do with it.
The guard either didn't notice my surprise or ignored it and opened the tall gate. I followed Bastian inside a sandy, cluttered courtyard. A massive barn sat along the right side wall, a dozen charbulls looking at the commotion of the open door with their flaming eyes. The rest of the area was dominated by a gray stone building in the middle. Two stories tall, it had two spindly guard towers that wouldn't look odd on a castle.
"I told them you might come and what to call you," Bastian said as he continued onward.
"Thought as much," I said before tapping the bag with the assassin. "What do we do with this one?"
"Bring him. I'm sure he'll want to see," Bastian said.
We moved towards the building, and as I looked around, I saw more guards patrolling the walls and a dozen of the windows in the building still lit. There were more people here than I'd imagined, which gave me a sudden idea. I stopped and looked at Bastian.
"Think you can spread my title around a bit?"
Bastian looked at me in surprise before nodding. "If you want?" He looked curious but didn't ask more.
"I use the karma to create those trees," I said, deciding it couldn't hurt to tell him.
"Interesting," Bastian said as he frowned. "I've never heard of someone that can use it for spells... I'll make sure to do it as soon as we get you settled. Which title? The Fearless four-armed Prime one?"
I thought about it for a moment, recalling my other titles, and cringed at the idea of having to use Rotbane. "Yeah, that will be fine."
"Alright," Bastian said. "I'll let the others know to use it when they can."
"Thanks," I said.
Thinking of trees, I looked around the courtyard. It was a sandy square with scuff marks, tracks, and many items littering around. The soil seemed hard and compact, but there was plenty of space for a few large trees. I'd have to get to it as soon as we got rid of the assassin.
Bastian led us to the main entrance of what looked like a small castle, then inside. It was quiet and dark, but I could easily make out the stone walls and ceiling. A few wooden decorations were mixed with stone cupboards and tables. There were barely any unnecessary items, but I did notice a lot of clutter and bags in the corners.
"He should still be awake," Bastian said as he led us through a door, up a staircase, and further into the castle-like building.
A few minutes later, we were moving through a wide corridor. There were no doors on the sides, just one at the end. Thick, sturdy, and slightly ajar, warm flickering light poured out and illuminated the wall.
"He doesn't sleep a lot at his age," Bastian said.
"Perhaps! But my ears are still fine," a gravelly voice boomed from the room. "Now get in here before you wake the whole compound!"
Bastian started, grabbed one of my arms, and dragged me into a large, luxurious room. A large, padded armchair stood angled towards a fireplace with a thick white fur rug before it. A small table with a glass and a book atop stood within arm's reach, and a small, wrinkled, wizened man gazed at me from within the chair.
No, not just some man, I suddenly realized. With two sinewy hands clasped before his chest, the elbows resting on the armrests, I saw two more, heavily scarred lower arms rest on his lap. Where the hands should be, two raw stubs rested calmly. A Grablon!
"Yes, those are gone," the man snapped as his bushy gray eyebrows lowered over his sharp eyes. "Now stop looking at them like that. It's making me uncomfortable!'
I dumbly gazed at the man who wasn't just old but practically elderly. Still, he was definitely not addled with age. His sharp, intelligent eyes and look of disgust reminded me of the retired university teachers from before AI tutors had become the norm. I'd seen them in the park, playing chess and other games I'd never played, lecturing anyone that dared come to close, and easily destroying them with their affluent choice of words.
"Seriously, Bastian. You keep dragging in strays like this is your house," the old man said as he scowled at Bastian.
"My apologies, captain Grulorn," Bastian said. "Est here saved my life, and he needs a safe place to practice his craft."
I looked at Bastian, surprised he used my real name -well, what I'd come to think of as my real name at least.
The older man's eyebrows rose a fraction, and he made a rapid gesture with his left hand. Something about the gestures seemed familiar, but it was too fast for me to be sure. A bubble of silvery light rippled out from his hand, quickly spreading across us before stopping at the walls, giving them a shiny luster. When it passed over me, I felt an odd and again familiar tingle. I couldn't remember where I'd encountered it before, but I knew one thing. That spell was powerful.
"So… you are that troublemaking new Deity her Prime, are you?" Gurlon said as he inspected me.
His gaze only slowed when it came across the bag I was still carrying before focusing back on my face. His steel-gray eyes twinkled, and I almost felt like they saw right through me.
"Bastian, bring two more chairs and have a seat," he suddenly said, his voice and tone ringing with such authority that I felt myself stand up straight, my shoulders back, ready to do as he wanted. There was no magic in his words. It was purely the power of his presence.
Bastian jumped and moved towards the side of the room, returning with two similarly massive chairs. I put down the bag, then lowered myself into one, staring at Grulorn, wondering what was going on. This was the third person I'd met in this city who knew more than I had expected anyone to know. Had I mistakenly thought that all of what happened was a secret because the people I'd met before just knew nothing? Or was something else going on.
"First, you," Gurlon said as he turned his piercing gaze on Bastian. "Why did you bring him here?"
"Because he needs a place to cast spells that would show he was a prime and enough room to grow trees," Bastian answered.
"And?" Gurlon asked, raising an eyebrow and showing no surprise at the strange request.
"And... because I'm hoping he can contact his Deity so we can get a new entrance to the Library," Bastian said after a moment's hesitation.
The old man sniffed, shaking his head. "If you can't contact the Stone, he shouldn't be able to contact his deity either. Rathica, right?" he said, turning his attention to me.
"Yes," I said before switching my gaze between him and Bastian. "Someone wants to explain to me why everyone in this city seems to know about these things?"
Bastian kept his mouth closed and kept his gaze on the old Grablon.
Gurlon's eyes widened, and he sniffed a second time. "So, I guess the rumors are true then."
"What rumors," I asked.
"You aren't from this world, no matter the four arms," Gurlon said.
