F-tier Assasin - Chapter 9

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Finished editing and also added about 800 more words! Make sure to re-read the end bit if you already checked the chapter once.

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Chapter 9

When Ashlan awoke, it was Sol’s Day, the first day of the week. As expected, a System Contract was awaiting him.

< < Contract Update > >

< < New System Contract assigned > >

At least the System was kind enough to wait for me to open my eyes.

“Assignment,” he said.

< < Assignment > >

< < Ashlan Grey — Assassin (F-tier) > >

< < Proficiency > >

< < Novice I — 1/10 Proficiency > >

< < Skills > >

< < Lurk > >

< < Contracts > >

< < System — Erase the Painter > >

“System, describe my new Contract.”

< < Contract — Erase the Painter (System) > >

< < Rewards — 1000 Silver Coins & 10 Proficiency Points > >

< Main Objectives >

< < Assassinate D-tier Painter Mikkel Bramblethorn > >

< < Obtain Unsanctioned Artefact in target’s possession > >

< Optional Objectives >

< < Avoid detection > >

< < Leave no trace behind > >

< < Arrange the death to appear like an accident > >

1000 Silvers!? Goddamn!

He took a breath to steady himself. These rewards were quite exciting, but this was also the real deal. He had to actually kill a person to earn the Silvers and Points…

Ashlan went through the info a second time.

Wait… Bramblethorn… Shit.

That’s going to be a hornets’ nest of a mess to get into. I’ll have to be careful about how I do this, otherwise I’m dead meat. That family is scary as hell, and I’m sure my target will have some serious protection given how affluent they are.

[You are only assigned System Contracts you are deemed capable of handling,] the System tried to reassure him.

“I would hope so… When is my deadline?”

[Five weeks from now.]

That’s quite a while at least. Still, coming up with a good plan might take some time…

“Where is my target located?”

[Mikkel Bramblethorn owns a small workshop in the Craft District under the name of ‘Moongazing Art’. This is the place you are most likely to encounter him.]

Didn’t realise the System would provide this much information. Fairly sure that’s not standard for other Professions.

He figured he might as well try and push the System for as much knowledge about this guy as possible, so he asked:

“System, what vulnerabilities does my target have?”

[Unknown. It is your task to ascertain how best to go about assassinating your target. Please make good use of the allotted time.]

“What happens if I fail to complete the Contract?”

[All points earnt into current Proficiency Rank are wiped.]

That’d suck for sure, although I don’t have anything to lose right now at least. Might as well take my time and try to figure out the easiest way to accomplish these two tasks.

“This Artefact, what is it?”

[Unknown. You must ascertain its nature by yourself. Unsanctioned Artefacts are beyond the oversight of the System and thus no knowledge of this object is available to disclose.]

Well that’s worrying. Didn’t realise such Artefacts were outside the System’s gaze.

Hope it’s not some dangerous weapon…

A knock came from the door. Ashlan could tell it was Estrid based on the sound.

“Come in.”

While Ashlan was chewing on a soft sliced bun with butter, cheese, and jam, he tried prompting the System through his mind. It was something he’d heard about back when he’d briefly gotten to know an assigned Thief. The guy had said it was a necessary skill to learn, when your questions about Contracts involved unsavoury or private details.

System, what is the benefit of performing the optional objectives?

[Each Optional Objective for a System Contract increases the Proficiency Point reward by 20%.]

[Optional Objectives for a Private Contract increase the Silver Coin reward by 10%.]

So, if I play my cards right, I can get 16 Points out of this.

He was focused mainly on the last one.

Perhaps it would be a good idea to figure out a way to make my target’s death appear accidental, given his family. If he’s one of those who indulge in Euphorics, then it is an easy, albeit unpleasant, thing to accomplish. But I guess I’ll have to see once I get there.

“Do you want some tea?” Estrid asked, coming over to his table with a cup on a plate.

Besides Ashlan, only Anisette was present in the Guild lounge, though he made an active effort to not acknowledge her, since she freaked him out.

“Yes, please.”

The Maid noted his reply, before asking the girl.

“Water with lime juice,” Anisette replied.

“Of course,” Estrid said, before returning to the kitchen.

As soon as she left the lounge and disappeared around the corner, Anisette got up from her table and walked over to Ashlan.

Even the way she walks is unsettling, he thought, while doing his best to ignore her presence.

“How did you make Harmon take an interest in you?” she asked, standing so close that he could reach out and touch her. The question was strange, almost childish.

“I didn’t do anything,” Ashlan told her honestly.

“Then why does he care about you? He never talks to anyone here. Before your arrival he had not been here since Victoria’s funeral.”

“I don’t know, okay?”

Anisette took a step closer to him, her black dress brushing against his arm. A coppery tang emanated from the girl. Ashlan froze, unsure how to placate her and worried what she might do if she was dissatisfied with his answer.

I guess there is a reason, actually…

“Harmon said that we share the same starting Skill.”

“Really?” her tone became lighter and hopeful almost.

Why does she care so much about him? It doesn’t seem to be attraction… At least not the normal kind.

“What Skill is it?” she pressed him.

She doesn’t even know?

How long have they been in the same Guild together?

Although she had an ageless quality to her, Ashlan was fairly sure she was more than twenty years old, since he was confident that Bjorn was the second-youngest after him.

“It’s called ‘Lurk’.”

Her eyes widened. “The Skill that allows Harmon to turn invisible. Show it to me. I want to know how it works.”

Estrid returned with a porcelain cup of steaming tea and a transparent glass with water and a slice of lime. She glanced between the two of them, before setting the beverages down on Ashlan’s table.

“It is rare for you to take an interest in other members,” she remarked to Anisette.

“I want to know more about Harmon.”

Estrid nodded. Clearly it was nothing new.

Ashlan stood up and grabbed his cup, before walking over to the Contract Slate. Anisette picked up her glass and followed him.

“If you teach me how it works, I will help you with a Private Contract.”

“Are we allowed to cooperate on those?”

“Some of them, yes.”

That might not be a bad idea then, he considered briefly, though the thought of the two of them going somewhere together was mildly concerning. He still recalled her apparent glee at recalling the memory of her Intro Quest, where she’d killed enough people for Vagan to find it upsetting. The Leader had also said her style was to leave no witnesses...

Ashlan took a slurping sip of his tea, which was too hot to drink normally.

Good thing Vagan isn’t her to scold my drinking etiquette as well.

Then he poked the Contract Slate.

< < Synchronising ‘Contract Slate’ Artefact > >

< < Private Contracts available > >

< < An Urgent Request > >

< < Arsonist in Oceanview > >

< < Butcher the Beast > >

< < ——— > >

The list went on-and-on, scrolling through titles that most of the time told you nothing about the Contract and seemed to overemphasise alliteration.

It would take hours to go through this manually, but I think I should be able to ask the System to narrow down the results.

System, show me the highest-paying Contracts that two people can do together.

< < Adjusting Parameters > >

< < Private Contracts available > >

< < The Goblin Fortress > >

< < Bounty: Krill > >

< < Bridge Troll in Overgard > >

< < ——— > >

It seemed to be showing them according to the reward, since the list was no longer in alphabetical order.

System, show me the details of ‘Goblin Fortress’.

< < Contract — The Goblin Fortress (Private) > >

< < Rewards — 14500 Silver Coins & 14 Proficiency Points > >

< Requirement >

< < Two or more Assassins > >

< Main Objectives >

< < Disable the forces of the Goblin Fortress near the border to Duskfall > >

< < Slay the Hobgoblin Lord > >

< < Rescue Prisoners > >

< < Recover Stolen Artefacts > >

< Optional Objectives >

< < Deliver Hobgoblin Lord’s head to Centrum District > >

< < Eliminate all Goblins > >

< < Save all Prisoners > >

< < Recover all Artefacts > >

That is an insane amount of money! With all four objectives completed, that’s twenty-thousand Silvers!

It was clear from the reward alone that he’d be dead if he tried this Contract. Not to mention that it was also far beyond the city wall, and he’d never even left Eventide, let alone fought a Goblin. Plus, with prisoners mixed in, along with a ‘Lord’ and potentially-dangerous Artefacts, this was the sort of Contract that probably required two A-tiers to complete. It also wasn’t lost on him that Harmon had passed it up, though perhaps that was simply due to the inconvenience of travelling to Duskfall, which was far to the northwest.

System, show me the top three you’d recommend for me.

< < Adjusting Parameters > >

< < Private Contract available > >

< < Rotten Flower in the Bouquet > >

Just one… I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised.

[Given your Proficiency, Rank, and experience, this would be the optimal Contract for you.]

Appreciate the forethought.

System, show me the details.

< < Contract — Rotten Flower in the Bouquet (Private) > >

< < Rewards — 1200 Silver Coins & 1 Proficiency Point > >

< Main Objectives >

< < Assassinate the Courtesan responsible for the death of ‘Camilla Violet’ > >

< Optional Objectives >

< < Find the Target without raising suspicion > >

< < Avoid detection > >

< < Leave no trace behind > >

< < Arrange the death to appear like an accident > >

A lot of money, even without the Optionals, but just one Point. That tracks I guess.

Still, it has an element of investigation to it, which is interesting, although I also become judge and executioner…

System, what is the deadline?

[Two weeks.]

That’s pretty tight. Guess I’ll check back later.

Ashlan took a step back from the Contract Slate and Anisette immediately moved up to take his spot. With rapid finger movements, she manipulated the scrolling text and landed on the Private Contract he’d just looked at, ‘The Goblin Fortress’.

“I can help you do this Contract if you tell me about your Skill.”

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

Even if we split the reward, that’s an insane amount of money. No way this isn’t some kind of trap. Besides, I have no way to really contribute to a Contract like that and I don’t know if she’s strong enough to do it all alone…

“I’ll think about it,” he told her vaguely. “For now I have to get going.”

Anisette reached out and grabbed a hold of his shirt.

“You will come back later, right?”

“…Probably.”

She let go of him.

“We will talk then.”

I should probably just tell her everything I know so she’ll leave me alone, otherwise I think she’ll harass me non-stop…

“Ani, be kind to Ashlan,” Estrid scolded her from nearby, where she’d been watching the exchange. Then she turned to him, “Did you already receive your first Contract?”

He nodded. “That’s right. I was a bit surprised as well.”

“I believe it is a good sign,” she told him.

“Let’s hope so.”

Ashlan had been on the way out into the Undercity, when Anisette stopped him again. Instead of asking more questions, she lent him a tool similar to the one Vagan had used to light the torch the day before. She said he could borrow it for now, since she didn’t need it. It was clear she wanted him to come back quickly.

The journey through the tunnels and chambers was helped by his full stomach and the provisions that Estrid had packed into his little belt bag. That woman was truly a saint in his eyes.

Despite Vagan’s prior concerns about Maggie Margot’s lack of motivation to her Profession, Ashlan thought it was astounding that none of the other five members were lazy bums, who exploited the free boarding and food. Had he been of the same defeatist mindset as other F-tiers, then he’d surely have taken advantage of the benefits of his Guild.

Although, I’d probably go crazy if all I did was lay about in an underground Guild and grow fat on Estrid’s cooking.

As much as I appreciate the free room, I know I need to find someplace that’s topside. If possible, a place where Frelly could visit would be nice as well.

However, the issue was that, as James the Landlord had said, Death-dealers were not welcome everywhere. This meant that the only places, which would actually let Ashlan rent a room, were the ones where the cost afforded the renters a certain status. As in, the luxury apartments of White Coast, the gated two-stories near the Waterfront Opera in Oceanview, or basically any of the mansions in the Eastside or Goldentide districts.

Maybe I should take Anisette up on her gracious offer after all… No way I’m getting a place for less than three-thousand per week.

It took a bit of meandering and back-tracking, but Ashlan managed to eventually find the exit to Archive, or that was at least what he was guessing he’d found. Given how the tunnels and chambers hardly displayed signs of the city above, it was tough to figure out which exit led to where, without prior knowledge.

Maybe I’m way off and this is somehow inside the Plaza district. Or maybe even Craft?

That’d certainly be convenient.

One of the chambers he’d passed by was full of luminescent fungus, which made him fairly sure he would come up somewhere within a park. Given that Craft didn’t have any of those, as far as he knew, it was a safe bet that he was going to come out in Plaza, on the fake balcony that Vagan had mentioned lay in Hrothgar’s Place.

He climbed up a spiralling staircase, before hitting the top landing a lot sooner than expected.

That’s odd…

After touching his hand to the symbol on the wall and opening the way out, he cringed at what he saw. However, backtracking from here would be a bigger pain than what lay before him, so he placed his torch in an empty holder and stepped out through the opening.

No sooner was he through than the false wall swung shut again. Ashlan sighed as he took in his surroundings.

Of all the places…

It was the round chamber of a crypt. The kind of thing only found in the Grave district.

All around him on the wall were shelves lined with urns. Although he wasn’t an expert on such things, he thought there was something off about them, given that each had a handprint moulded into the front. Along with the familiar symbol, the urns were decorated in different colours and styles, as though an artist had taken great care to represent the deceased in colour and feeling alone. Some of them looked quite old, but the chamber itself was well-maintained, so it was difficult to pin an age to it, though it was at least a century he thought.

I suppose this is better than a simple white urn without trace of the person inside its confines.

He walked out of the chamber, but not before taking a good look at each of the many tiny works of art. The place certainly seemed to belong to some wealthy dynasty, though there was a distinct lack of family crests or unifying colours to tie it all together. Not to mention, the wealthy preferred coffins, not urns.

Even in death they want to show off… No, an urn is preferable I think.

Beyond the round room was a small antechamber up six shallow steps, but it lacked any clues to who could be buried here. It had another corridor that led to what seemed to be a similar chamber full of urns.

Part of him wanted to check it out as well, but he knew it was a bad idea to linger, lest some mourning family member comes to visit and finds him trespassing. As such, he made his way up the six steps that led to the exit.

No sooner had Ashlan stepped outside, than a shadow fell over him and he instinctively froze, as though moving would put him in danger.

“Haven’t seen you here before,” said a wispy voice. It belonged to a woman, though he couldn’t tell the age by sound alone.

Ashlan carefully turned to take in the person who’d ambushed him. It was a woman in her mid-forties, judging by her appearance, since she displayed the sort of wrinkles near the mouth and eyebrows that were indicative of someone in that range. Somehow though, he felt that his eyes betrayed him.

The woman wore a cowled dark-grey robe and her pale face was covered in the shade of the hood. Although her complexion was similar to that of a Witchfell native, there were subtle hints, like her facial structure, which pointed to her being of Eventide stock like Ashlan. Her eyes were black dots and her hair was shock-white, making him wonder if it was due to a Skill, unique heritage, or age.

“Most of your kind tend to avoid this place.”

She seemed to register his confusion.

“I suppose no one has warned you about me. That’s to be expected. But sooner or later you all come to know me anyway.”

She was leaning on a cane formed from the gnarled limb of some twisted tree and lacquered black.

Wait a minute.

“Are you a Gravetender?”

“Who else would dress like me?”

“Fair point.”

I think she has some kind of Skill that allows her to know when people are moving around within the crypts. It might potentially extend to all of the district, or at least all the parts where people are buried.

It was rumoured that Gravetenders had some special way of detecting grave robbers and trespassers, and Ashlan couldn’t think of any other way that she’d have known he was here. Unless of course it had just been due to random luck.

“Isn’t there an S-tier Gravetender here as well?” he asked.

“Ava? She’s sleeping. You’ll have to settle for dusty old me.”

She wheezed out a laugh.

“Granted, when I’m gone and buried, she’ll be the one taking care of this crypt.”

He turned back around to look at the structure. From outside, it was a half-buried blocky stone building, both of the rounded chambers’ roofs covered by a square bit of stone. It was very unimpressive when seen from here.

“I couldn’t figure out what dynasty it belongs to, but I’m guessing you are familiar with the handprint on the wall.”

“Yes, I’m familiar with the doorway, as well as all those who come through here. After all, this is the Assassins’ Tomb.”

Ashlan blinked. Her reply unfortunately made a lot of sense, now that he thought about it. There was no way the crypt wasn’t hundreds of years old, since it served as the Undercity entrance for the Grave district, and even the Goldentide family didn’t go back that far. The reason the urns had been so distinct was no doubt because they dated back to Eventide’s founding, and the number, which had seemed so vast, was in truth not that big, if the immense time-scale was considered. But the number of urns made sense, when the city only ever had six Assassins at a time.

“That means the previous Guild Leader is buried here,” he said.

“Victoria Rose. I spoke with her often. She was one of the few who frequented this doorway.”

“I’m the one who replaced her.”

The Gravetender nodded. “The famous F-tier Assassin. Your reputation precedes you.”

Ashlan grimaced at her words.

“How is Vagan faring, now that he’s in charge?”

“He’s trying his best,” Ashlan replied, not really sure if it was the truth or not. He had a good heart, but he was clearly unable to look past his own perspective in some ways, given his comments on the actions of those born less fortunate than himself.

“Kick him in the shin and tell him to come visit me. It’s tradition, you know.”

“I’ll try.”

“Though I must say, auspicious to be assigned your first System Contract so soon.”

“How do you know I’m here on a Contract?”

She gestured around them with her cane. “Why else would you come here?”

“Maybe I’m just exploring?”

“You aren’t very good at lying.”

“Isn’t it a conflict of interest for Assassins and Gravetenders to be in cahoots?”

“Gravetenders like Ava and I don’t work on commission you know. We’re paid a weekly salary by the System on behalf of the city.”

He had a thought, based on her wording. “Is your number also a fixed quota like Assassins?”

“That’s right. It’s just two, since the System likes to assign Gravetenders at least B-tier. It went a bit overboard with Ava and gave her S-tier, but, if you ask me, it’s because war is brewing.”

War? With which nation? he wondered. Relations between Eventide and Duskfall were tense, but not to that extent, and the nation got along well with Witchfell and Gravegarden.

“What kind of war?”

The lady shrugged. “No clue, but the System is always several steps ahead. Have you ever seen how some animals react days in advance to earthquakes? I think the System is like that, but on a grander scale. And when the time comes, bodies will be piled in the streets if Ava and I are insufficiently-powerful.”

He mulled it over. This S-tier, Ava, was assigned six years ago. I don’t think the System can look that far into the future. But maybe it was just hedging its bets on there being some mass casualty event and decided to prepare far in advance?

“Since you’re so familiar with my Guild, do you know a lot about killing people?”

“What is this, an interview?” the Gravetender asked with a wheezy laugh.

“I’m just curious.”

“Your predecessors didn’t exactly go around sharing trade secrets, but, when it comes to the human body, our Profession has quite a few Skills related to how to cut it up and preserve it, which imbues us with extensive knowledge of anatomy. You’d best fear the day a Gravetender falls from the System’s light.”

True, a Gravetender gone amok would be frightening.

“I don’t really know how to ask the other Assassins for guidance, so would you mind if I come back here sometime and pick your brain?”

“Bad choice of words for a Gravetender. And I don’t do consultant work. At least not for free.”

Ashlan nodded. If she lived off a fixed stipend from the System, then she’d obviously try to sell her knowledge.

It wouldn’t be a bad investment of Silvers though, given that good lessons like that are hard to come by and should theoretically help me become more proficient at my Profession.

“How much?”

“There’s this brandy that is brewed in Bulwark district, known as ‘Black Oil’. Bring me a bottle of that and I’ll sing like a bird.”

Bulwark? That’s pretty far. No idea how much brandy costs or if this one is an expensive rarity, but I’m willing to bet it isn’t cheap. Still, I’m sure she’ll have lots of useful insights that could benefit me.

“Deal.”

“Make sure you come in the morning. We do most our work after dark.”

He involuntarily shuddered when he recalled the reason behind their peculiar work schedule.

“Well, when you see me again, I’ll have the brandy with me.”

“You’d better,” she replied with a grin. “Name’s Licia by the way.”

“I’m Ashlan.”

She slapped the side of his thigh with her cane. “Get going. And good luck with your Contract.”

He grinned as he left, then jogged past other crypts and a small park, while heading southeast to the Craft district.

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The first Assassination Contract starts with the next chapter, so look forward to that.

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