Chapter 25: Assassin

    “Well, I’ll be cutting it kind of close.”

    “Yea, seems like you won’t be getting much rest for the next several weeks.”

    I yawned as Rayla spoke from beside me.

    Since I had to wake up bright and early, she decided to take me to the North Gate after her work in the market.

    Our topic of conversation was the fact that there wasn’t that much time left until the Magisterium would send me away on our hunting trip.

    This trip with the Tavera Family would take at a week, and that was with only a few hiccups factored in. It could take longer depending on the attacks that were thrown our way.

    Thankfully, there was one new detail that gave me a bit of solace.

    Turns out, there was a dedicated railway between the capital city and the City of Joffrun. This railway was precisely as I assumed it.

    It was a magic train dedicated exclusively to moving people and light amounts of cargo. This was because it moved underground.

    There was a network of these railways between all the major cities, especially going to and from the frontier cities. They were built as a quick response network for the military, but eventually became somewhat commercialized as the technology got better.

    We wouldn’t be using this railway to get to Joffrun, but we had the option of taking it back. Apparently it wasn’t cheap, costing a few hundred coin for just one short and cheap trip.

    But what was a few hundred coin to me? I often forgot that I was actually kind of rich by the normal standard, and a single well placed bullet during this cargo haul would outright cover any expenses.

    So I absolutely planned on taking this train back. Still, even with this, I would have around a week and a half before I was once again sent off for another expedition.

    Since it was morning, I was tired. And the thought of going on two back to back trips had me feeling even more so.

    Rayla gently rubbed my back comfortingly. Not far from us was the North Gate.

    “I’m sure everything will be fine. You just need to focus on coming back from this trip. It’s going to be dangerous. People will die, and don’t think that you can’t be one of them.”

    “Well, I can’t say that I’m not a bit relaxed. After all, I managed to find myself a piece of insurance last night.”

    “Really? A new weapon?”

    “Mhmm. Why do you think I’m so tired?”

    I smiled while rubbing the bags under my eyes. I was up late, but it was worth it considering what I found.

    She sighed.

    “Alright. But your safety comes before all else. Money means nothing if you can’t come home to use it. I expect you to buy me a drink with all that money when you get back.”

    “Of course. We can even get dinner at the Caviar Restaurant. Just stop worrying so much. I’ll be fine.”

    I turned to Rayla a bit of a distance from the gate. I could see Tavera insignias from here, and they were beginning to gather.

    But Rayla was really worried. I could tell, despite the smile she wore. It almost seemed like she was sending me off to war.

    I wrapped her up in a hug, which she returned with a squeeze.

    “I’ll be back in a week, okay? Just make sure you don’t gain any weight from stress eating those cookies of yours.”

    “Ugh! Right as the moment was good!”

    She scoffed and pinched my arm, but I couldn’t feel much through my coat, making me laugh.

    Just then, she abruptly turned her head. I followed, seeing Plex walk over with a smile.

    “Hey you two. How goes it?”

    “Hello Plex.”

    Rayla greeted, and Plex turned toward me.

    “Go ahead and check in John. We’re leaving soon.”

    “Oh, alright.”

    I nodded before giving Rayla one more quick hug and walking off.

    I checked in with the captain of this convoy, who verified my identity and thanked me for being there.

    That was when I turned my head, looking back toward Plex and Rayla.

    She seemed to be scolding him, or at least lecturing. Her face was dead serious as Plex just stood there and scratched his head weirdly.

    I turned away before they could see me staring, staring out at the large convoy that was parked in front of the gates.

    The North Gate was a literal gate connected to the walls that surrounded the capital city. They were grand and manned by plenty of guards, but also built with a bit of a fortress feel to them with tall watchtowers. It was no doubt built for war, but thankfully never used for it.

    I was surprised though about the Tavera convoy. They were being incredibly obvious about everything they were doing, and even beyond their enemies, the Kingdom was doing nothing to stop it.

    Would the Kingdom simply allow them to smuggle and operate totally unhindered, as if they were legitimate merchants? It was amazing to think about, but that’s exactly what was happening.

    “Hey, tell me something.”

    My thoughts were interrupted as Plex suddenly appeared beside me. It chilled my neck a little considering I had heightened awareness after realizing my Aura. I was beginning to realize how powerful Plex really was.

    He pat my shoulder.

    “Just how chummy did you and Rayla get?”

    “What do you mean?”

    “I mean, it’s like she’s your wife and sending you off to war. What the hell did you do to her that’s got her all worried over you?”

    “We’re just good friends.”

    I spoke casually, but I was suddenly anxious.

    No longer could I simply hide my thoughts with acting. I knew Plex could see a certain level of my thoughts and feelings, and considering how he almost immediately smirked in amusement, I was absolutely sure he picked up on something.

    I cursed my inability to reign in my Aura and closed my eyes.

    “Just watch my back during the trip.”

    “Hehe, dodging topics is like admitting guilt.”

    After a while of trying to force myself to sleep to no avail, I tossed around and opened my eyes. Although it was dark, the moon was always bright, and the turrets weren’t far from us. Their openings let in light like a natural lantern.

    It was easily midnight, and while I lay there, I saw someone in a bunk not far away shift around.

    He crawled out with a yawn and looked around.

    I closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep. I don’t know why I did, but I felt it would be weird if you saw someone just staring at you from their bed.

    And well, perhaps that was my best decision on the trip.

    Because a few seconds later, I heard the slightest noise that made my instincts kick in.

    A knife sliding out of a leather sheath. It was quiet, but I recognized the metallic sound.

    And peeking one eye open, I saw that man holding a bright silver blade.

    He walked over toward me, and I felt my heart beat out of my chest.

    But he didn’t seem focused on me, so I kept pretending as he stopped right in front of my bunk.

    Then, my eyes flew open. A sawed off double barrel shotgun appeared in my hand, and I pointed it from under my sheets.

    I obviously shifted a bit, making noise. But that was also when I heard another sound.

    “Ack!”

    It wasn’t loud, but in this quiet room, it may as well have been a scream. I heard liquid, and the metal of the blade, along with the sudden struggle of the unlucky victim.

    That’s when I took aim, right at the only portion of the assassin’s torso I could see.

    His crotch.

    *BOOM*

    The sound was deafening, especially in an enclosed space.

    But hey, it was an assassin. What else should I do, let him kill someone?

    And as expected, the entire Hunker roared to life. Everyone around me jolted awake as the assassin’s body flew backward.

    His lower body was now a mess of gore, and he started vomiting profusely after he landed.

    I didn’t take another shot, instead shooting to my feet and taking a look at the man in the bunk above me.

    I quickly got a look. The right side of his neck was bleeding, and his hand was pressing against it as hard as he could even though blood continued to flow.

    At the same time, a man ran in. He was the captain of this convoy.

    “What happened?!”

    “Get a healer!”

    I shouted back right at him, my ears still ringing form the shotgun blast.

    He seemed confused, so I yelled again.

    “Get a healer, unless you want this man to die!”

    “...Healer!”

    Thankfully, he took my word for it. He ran out, and only a second or so later, I saw him dragging another man back by the collar.

    It was a healer, and he was placed in front of me.

    “Heal him! Knife wound to the neck!”

    “R-Right!”

    He stammered. Everyone was asleep, so the wake up call was jarring.

    But these were experienced men. Without hesitation, the healer cast a spell, lines conjuring above the wounded man and targeting his neck.

    At that moment, I turned around, facing the captain. Then, I pointed to the man who was still groaning on the floor in agony.

    “Him! He’s the assassin!”

    “...Son of a bitch.”

    The captain cursed, walking over with a scowl and looking down on the assassin with rage.

    “I didn’t think they’d get into our ranks. John, right?”

    “Yes.”

    “You’ve done well. This will not go unrewarded.”

    “Well, its my life on the line too.”

    I gave a perfunctory response. It would have been bad if this assassin was able to operate unhindered. For all I know, it would have been my life next.

    “Doc, how is he?”

    The captain asked the healer, who nodded. He had collected his bearings and could operate on the victim with more care now.

    “He’ll be fine. It was lethal, but we responded in time. Plus, he seemed to have been able to dodge a blow that would have otherwise killed him. He’ll be asleep for the next day though, and I need about half an hour to operate. When he wakes, he’ll be good as new.”

    “Mm.”

    The captain nodded.

    After that, he went around calming everyone. With the blast, everyone had woken up expecting to do battle. The convoy had even stopped.

    But we all needed sleep, and the threat had been dealt with. While we still needed to be on alert, we also didn’t need to make everyone paranoid.

    The captain grabbed another healer who went to work preserving the assassin’s life, at least for a little while. He was also dragged away, probably to be questioned and tortured.

    Well, that was beyond my pay grade. All I know was that, despite the hectic event, I managed to pass right out upon getting into bed.

    And I slept like a log that night.