Reborn as the First Boss, Book 11 Prologue

Prologue – Spies

Perrot slipped through the Longchaser manor, quiet as he could. Which was pretty damn quiet, if he said so himself, considering he was a Level 25 Rogue / Arcanist wearing [Slippers of Silent Steps]. And he would need all the stealth he could get, if he was to accomplish his mission.

Arcanist was a rare profession in Dascora, which is why he kept it hidden behind a [False Appraisal] spell most of the time. Few people knew that most classes had some profession that shared the same abilities, and most professions could be found as classes. In his case, Arcanist was the profession version of the Wizard class.

That was important, because his job tonight was not a simple bit of theft, spying, or assassination. Honestly, things would have been easier, if that was the case. You didn’t have to stay close to a target for too long when you were robbing or killing them, and his type of spy work did not involve interacting with those he was spying on.

Unfortunately, his job tonight went in the other direction, less involving his Rogue class (save for getting him to his target unseen), and more involving his Arcanist profession, and the [Ritual Magic] skill the profession offered him. Which was where the problem lay. He could not move Baron Longchaser from his manor without raising alarms, which meant the ritual needed to be done in place. Conducting the [Soulslave Ritual] was not terribly complicated, and it only took about an hour, but he would need to set up the [Wardstone], keep the Baron from resisting or calling for help, and ensure that he would not be interrupted for that time.

It had taken some work to get himself added to Baron Longchaser’s household staff. Three years of effort, disguised as a Level 12 Scribe / Butler, pretending to be one of the heathens who did not recognize the True Way. But it had paid off, with him being the Baron’s personal butler, which gave him access to the Baron’s personal correspondence. All for the glory of the Theocracy, and its righteous works.

Slipping through the manor’s wards was simple enough. As the Butler, he was keyed to all of them as a matter of course. Even if the other servants saw him, none would question it overmuch. The Baron often had him run clandestine errands in the night, when he had desires that needed to be sated. This much was normal.

However, ensuring that he was alone for the full hour, and that the Baron would not attempt to resist his new purpose, meant that he needed extra insurance. Some [Sleeping Potion] in the stew, for both master and servants. Strong enough to ensure that they would sleep soundly through the night, but diluted enough that they would not suffer any of the normal consequences and telltale signs of a [Sleeping Potion] being used. Only the Baron and he would know the truth, and the Baron would not be in any position to say anything after he received his orders.

Surprise Attack!

You take 200 damage (unresisted).

You have been affected by Paralysis Poison.

You are Paralyzed for 60 seconds.

You have been affected by Silencing Poison.

You are unable to speak for 60 seconds.

You have been affected by Manaburn Poison.

You lose 1% of maximum MP per second for 100 seconds, and your MP regeneration is set to 0 for 1 hour.

You have been affected by Draining Poison.

You lose 1% of your maximum SP per second for 100 seconds, and your SP regeneration is set to 0 for 1 hour.

The first he knew of the danger was the needle striking the back of his neck. The damage was nothing, really. Enough that he noticed it, but not nearly enough to be dangerous. But four poisons? And two of them being rare poisons, that were harshly regulated by the kingdom?

You have equipped a [Shadowed Eyes Slave Collar].

You gain a new title: Slave!

[Slave-block Tattoo] activates, negating the title: Slave.

Secret effect activates!

Shadowed Eye Exemption – The tattoo is automatically nullified and disenchanted by the presence of a [Shadowed Eyes Slave Collar].

You gain a new title: Slave!

Slave

You have been enslaved. You must follow all orders you consciously perceive from your Master, or Masters, if owned by an organization. You are physically unable to harm your Master without their direct command.

Perrot’s eyes would have gone wide if he was able to move them. The collar fitting around his neck was not entirely unexpected. The best way to keep a prisoner under control was to temporarily enslave them, after all. However, the [Slave-block Tattoo] that he had purchased, at great expense, when he’d first infiltrated the Kingdom was supposed to guard against that!

“Idiot,” a soft voice whispered in his ear. Female. He knew that voice. Malkin, the Level 5 Servant / Maid. Devout follower of Muna, heathen goddess of wisdom. A nobody heretic following a false goddess. She should be sleeping off the draught in the stew!

Malkin

Human Female

Level 5 Servant / Maid

Titles: Devout

Malkin stepped around him, so that he could see her. She looked the same as normal, a decently pretty but unexceptional commoner, wearing a simple maid’s dress, the holy symbol of Muna hanging around her neck. There was still forty-five seconds until he could move, and his MP and SP were dropping precariously. He had a [General Antidote] that should neutralize the effects, but he couldn’t get to it if he couldn’t move.

“Did you really think that the Shadowed Eyes did not keep tabs on the barons? Especially the ones who are as unreliable as Longchaser is? You Eclanans really have a lot to learn about how the spy game is played.”

Wait, she knew he was Eclanan? That shouldn’t be! He had not told anyone, never gave any sign. His infiltration had been perfect!

“Oh, I know what you are thinking. How did she know, right? Well, that much is simple. You see, we don’t have to identify every spy right away. If you identify the means they get their orders and report their findings, then you can easily work forward and back along the chain, identifying the entire network. Eclanan spies still exist in Dascora because they are allowed to exist, so that they can report what we want them to report. As for tonight? Well, when I tasted the [Sleeping Potion] in tonight’s stew, I knew we would need to have a chat.”

You are no longer paralyzed.

You are no longer silenced.

His mouth worked again. Perrot blinked his eyes, which had dried, and asked, “How? You’re a nobody.”

Malkin laughed. “Really? You haven’t even figured it out? But then, you Eclanans never ones for deep thinking when zealotry could suffice. Let me educate you, little idiot.”

Malkin

Human Female

Level 35 Poison Mage / Spy

Titles: Devout, Poison Mistress, Shadowed Eye

Malkin’s visage changed. Still decently pretty, but the maid’s dress became tight-fitting leather armor, with a variety of needles, knives, and other tools. The symbol around her neck was no longer that of Muna, but of Izra, Goddess of Poison. And her [Appraise] result came back wildly different.

“P-poison Mage?”

“Yes, a rare class, but one I was offered a change into from the more basic Mage class, once I devoted myself to Izra. And one that has been very useful to me in my role as a member of the Shadowed Eyes, as you might expect. Comes with an immunity to drugs and poisons, like your [Sleeping Potion]. And being able to conjure poisons at will, along with using the [Multi-poison] skill? Well, you’ve tasted the results, yourself.”

Perrot’s head hung. He had been outclassed by the start. If he had known that the Shadowed Eyes, the Kingdom’s spies, were hanging around the Baron, he never would have tried to enter his service. And now, he was captured.

“What now?”

“Now, you are going to steal a great deal of Baron Longchaser’s wealth from his vault, as a story to cover your sudden disappearance, and then you are going to disappear, so that some people can have some very long, detailed conversations about what you were planning tonight.”