Fantasy Danger and deceit (Completed)

[ArcticFox]

No one responded to her. The voice had disappeared and so did the sound of footsteps.

Louisa climbed upstairs and found herself in front of the bedroom doors again. Whoever was taunting and stalking her was not in the hallway.

- Go to the master bedroom.
- Leave though the attic.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Alone again. Resisting the urge to curse, Louisa eyed the half-open master bedroom door. While she probably didn't want to see what had become of the spice merchant, perhaps his bedroom held some information she could make use of. She kept her dagger ready, just in case, as she stepped inside to look around.

 

[ArcticFox]

It was just as she guessed. As soon she entered the room it was obvious that the merchant was no longer among the living. The white sheets were terribly drenched with blood and his lifeless eyes looked up into the ceiling. The book had fallen on the floor. The merchant's throat was cut so precisely that it must have been a work of someone who did these sort of things for a long while. Those were not good news.

The master bedroom was intact, or at least it looked like it. No drawers were overturned, no chests or cupboards opened. However, it was not very likely that this man had kept the Holy Book here even if he had it. Louisa would now never be able to find out if he had any connection at all with the Book.

Upon examining the room with more care, Louisa found a ledger of sorts in the drawer of the merchant's desk. It contained a lot of numbers and a lot of names. None of it made any sense to her at this point, but there was a certain item that caught her attention. At he very bottom of the second page of the ledger she saw the words: blue light. It did not necessarily need to mean what she thought it meant. It really could have been a name of a locally famous hooker, but just if there was any small chance that it could be related to her quest, Louisa should take it with her.

The doors of the room suddenly slammed without any warning that the sound would have made anyone jump up in surprise. Louisa's stalker was toying with her.

- Take the ledger and go to the roof.
- Take the ledger and go through the main doors.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Nearly gagging, Louisa gingerly pulled the soaked bed sheets over his body with one hand. She rubbed her throat with the other. Had he been in much pain, or was it a quick death? Perhaps if she'd spoken to him sooner, he might not have been assassinated. Guilt bubbled in her stomach despite her lack of loyalty to the man. Before she could dwell on that further, Louisa picked up the ledger and had gone through its contents. Then door slammed and she nearly dropped the ledger to the floor in her surprise.

Judging by the state of the wound, whoever the voice belonged to was a professional. An assassin. In close-quarter combat, especially in the dark, Louisa couldn't compare. The most she knew were the few self defense techniques her father had taught her, but she doubted they'd be much use against a trained blade.

She needed to get out. Now.

Gripping the ledger tightly, Louisa bolted out of the room and headed to the roof.

 

[ArcticFox]

Seoc was on same spot on the roof when she found him. He did not react when she approached him and he did not move. Before she could stop to inspect him and actually see the state he was in, a dark shape appeared in front of her.

​

"Hello, Agent." Her stalker smiled a devious smile, crouching on the roof like a panther that could leap at her at any moment. His voice was deep and husky, every word pronounced with a little bit of taunting in it. "I can see that you have found your friend. Is he alive, do you think?" His smile only grew wider.

- Attack him.
- Try talking to him.
- Check on Seoc.

 

[Cartoonicat]

"Seoc-," Louisa's voice died in her throat. Boiling blood ran cold. Her eyes flicked between Seoc and her stalker, the assassin. Why wasn't Seoc responding? He had to be okay, he just had to. Scared of what she might find but unable to help herself, Louisa reached out to check on Seoc. She gulped.

 

[ArcticFox]

Seoc still had a pulse. It was steady enough that it could be that he was only knocked out. By Louisa's stalker, no doubt.

"He is alive." The man in black said to her confirming her notions. "I do not kill those I haven't been paid for." His eyes never left Louisa as he watched her movements intently, still in his crouching position. "And they have paid me very good for you." He smiled and it was an icy smile. "I have been with you ever since you decided to visit the crypt as I hope you've realised by now. I have great respect for your Order, I always had. Your Knights are very honourable as I had a chance to find out." He straightened then, his eyes half lidded now, as he offered one last menacing smile. "I revealed myself in order to present you with a challenge. It is my job to kill you, but I do not want to do it out of the shadows. I want an honest duel. I will wait for you, Agent, in the forest, just by the graveyard, tomorrow at midnight. If you do not answer my challenge, I will be forced to kill you in a different manner. And neither of us would like that."

With his last word stretching out as an echo, the stranger leaped over the edge of the roof, disappearing among the shadows.

- Try to wake Seoc up.
- Carry him home.
- Stay there until he wakes up.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Breathing a sigh of relief, Louisa looked up at the assassin. Listened to his story. She remembered the shadow in the crypt and the cloak from the tavern, sorely wishing he'd been swallowed up by the chimera. He had survived the crypt, though, and now he wanted a duel. It sounded as though he were very confident he would win - and Louisa agreed with him.

How was she supposed to duel an assassin? How was she to- No, she told herself, stop. Seoc needs you. Think of this later.

"Seoc," Louisa patted his cheek, shook his shoulder some, "Seoc, you need to wake up." She wasn't sure if she could carry him all the way to his house, and staying outside until he woke up felt unsafe. Gave her chills.

 

[ArcticFox]

Seoc did not move for a while, as Louisa tried to stir him from unconsciousness. When it looked like she might give up on it, his eyes slowly fluttered open. Then he let out a growl. He pushed her hand away. "Don't shake me, woman. I am already dizzy." He said, straightening up, still leaning against the chimney. He rubbed at his chest, giving Louisa a glare. "I'm guessing that it is your fault that I'm lying here like a helpless hare. What kind of people have you been meeting in this city?" He frowned. Then he let out a groan as he tried standing up, holding onto the concrete chimney.

- Tell about the assassin.
- Don't tell.

 

[Cartoonicat]

"Careful," Louisa reached out to help steady him, only dropping her arms when he found support with the chimney. She observed him for a short moment. Once she was satisfied that he seemed relatively alright, Louisa sighed. "Someone's contracted an assassin to kill me," she said. "He got to the merchant before I could speak with him."

 

[ArcticFox]

Seoc raised an eyebrow at her in contemplation. "An assassin. I'd be careful if I were you. I told you I found one of your Knights with a slit throat." Then he looked down. "I'll climb down and use the streets. You go back via rooftops, it will be quicker." He was about to climb down, when he turned to Louisa, as if remembering. "Where are you staying, anyway?"

- Answer truthfully.
- Lie.

 

[Cartoonicat]

She nodded, remembering. That was the only Knight he'd found, if she recalled correctly. What the chimera hadn't finished, the assassin would. Louisa resisted the urge to rub her throat a second time. No matter how clean a slice, she doubted it would be painless.

Louisa could try staying with Logan another night but she'd already done so twice now - she didn't want to keep relying on his generosity unless she had to. And the taverns, at this hour, were most likely full. "I'm not quite sure," she said honestly.

 

[ArcticFox]

"You don't have a place to stay and you have an assassin on your trail?" Seoc asked her, disbelief plain on his face. He looked to be strained for a moment, as if deciding on something, and when he finally spoke again, he had to let out a loud sigh beforehand. "You can stay at my home for the night. There you can have one night of rest. After that, well, I'll wish you all the best. Though you'll probably be dead tomorrow."

- Accept.
- Don't.

 

[Cartoonicat]

She was surprised he offered his home to her and, for a myriad of reasons, Louisa wasn't about to decline. "Thank you, Seoc," she said, meaning it.

Though Louisa figured he was probably right about tomorrow, it didn't mean she couldn't have one last night of comfort before either meeting her maker or sleeping with wounds she'd never forget. Plus, it was as good an opportunity as ever to try and earn Seoc's trust back.

 

[ArcticFox]

Seoc did not answer to thank you, instead he just climbed down and started walking through the streets. His walk was a little wobbly at times and hw made slow progress, but they managed to get back to his home without much trouble.

Once they were inside the house, Seoc stretched and took of his cloak and tunic. "There are two mattresses upstairs. You can use one for the night. Look, perhaps it would be the besto for you to get out of Myrr in the morning. Why show up on a meeting with death?"

- Try to makw amends with him.
- Train or check your weapons.
- Go to sleep.

 

[Cartoonicat]

On the way to his home Louisa kept close eye on him, lest he lose his footing and fall. Several times, though, she broke her focus to glance over her shoulder. The assassin had said he wanted an honest fight but Louisa didn't trust him - not one bit.

When she stepped inside she resisted the natural urge to look around; she did not want Seoc to think her even mildly snooping again. She kept her eyes on him, instead. "I plan to meet with him tomorrow night," she confided, "he wants an honest fight - or so he says - but will hunt me down if I don't show up." Louisa chewed her bottom lip. There was no way out of this if she planned to keep going with her mission.

Which she had to. Not just for Alden, but also for her parents. But she also needed to return home to them, too.

When had things become so complicated?

 

[ArcticFox]

"I told you about the Knight that survived the crypt. I found him in the graveyard." Seoc said. "He was assassinated, there was no doubt about that. How did that happen I do not know. I have known the man for a day only, but my guess is that whoever hired the assassin that is now after you, must have killed him too. Your quest is not a matter to be trifled with." He yawned then. "My advice is to run off. If you insist on duelling him despite everything, don't be honourable or you'll end up dead."

He left into the bedroom then and did not look back. Louisa was left alone with her chipped knife and other her bow. She could do only so much to the damaged knife. Its point was missing and would need to be taken to a blacksmith to be re-forged. However she could sharpen the blade and use it for slashing, but it could not be used for stabbing attacks.

- Sharpen the blade and go to sleep.
- Train a little bit, then go to sleep.
- Go to bed directly and try talking to Seoc.
- Just to sleep.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Louisa watched him leave. There was a lot on her mind, such as the duel tomorrow night and her current standing with Seoc. She wanted to sharpen her dagger but she also desired to speak with him some more.

After everything, she still felt guilty for invading his privacy.

But her life was on the line and if she could prepare herself she should. Seoc's trust was important to Louisa, though that trust wouldn't matter much if she wound up dead tomorrow.

Instead of talk to Seoc like she wanted, Louisa decided to sharpen her broken blade.

 

[ArcticFox]

She managed to sharped the blade, though it's point was still broken off and would need to be fixed for the weapon to be used fully. The task added to her fatigue. She went to sleep after, leaving her troubles for another day.

In the morning, Seoc was not there. Louisa had the ledger she took from the merchant's home. She could not make any sense out of it all, but if she found a proper person for this, she could be onto something. There were a couple of people she could ask about this, including: Logan, Seoc and Ka'ron. She should be able to find Logan either in The Mermaid or in his warehouse. Ka'ron could be at his place in the house with red doors, but Louisa was a stranger to him, so she could not judge his reaction. Seoc did make it clear that their contract was finished as of that day, but perhaps she could wait for him and ask for one more favour.

- Find someone to help with the ledger.
- Find a blacksmith to fix the dagger.
- Sell the stolen valuables.
- Train for the rest of the day.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Though she probably should have been training, Louisa wanted to know more about the ledger. If she failed tonight, at least her information could be passed on to the next agent in her stead.

But who could she ask? Ka'ron was a stranger, but he seemed a smart man. Seoc was good with money - surely he knew a thing or too about ledgers. And Logan was the merchant's employee at one point.

Yet asking Logan about the "blue light" entry would most likely require her to out herself. Could she risk that? What if he got mad at her for lying before, assuming she told him the truth.

Louisa groaned. Logan was also her partner in getting to the upper levels. Perhaps she should talk to him about the ledfer.

As she collected her things to head to the warehouse, Louisa thought absently how it might be nice to see him one last time, granted things did not go well with the assassin.

 

[ArcticFox]

Logan opened the doors after a couple of minutes of knocking. He scowled when he saw her.

"What do you want now?" He asked in his usual tone.

He did move to let her walk in despite his manner, and once she was in there it was apparent that he was in the middle of something. As always. It is a wonder that he ever got out of that warehouse.. Books were strewn on the floor everywhere and there were glass bottles and smaller vials emptied of its contents.

- Ask about the ledger.
- Ask something else.

 

[Cartoonicat]

"Hello to you, too," she quipped, craning her neck under the guise of a stretch to try see what was behind him. When she couldn't, she handed the ledger to Logan.

"Remember that lead I had? Well, it was apparently your old employer," she said. "There is an entry titled 'blue light.' Do you know anything about it?"

 

[ArcticFox]

He took the ledger out of Louisa's hand and examined it. It took a couple of minutes and he stopped in his tracks as he flipped through it.

You broke inside his home?" He asked in an accusative tone. "You must have, since he would never part from it willingly." His brows only furrowed further. "You do know that they found his body this morning. They are blaming me for the murder, you know. And now you are trying to shove an item taken from my former employer's home in my hands. It sounds suspiciously like you are trying to pin something on me."

- Admit how you got the journal.
- Lie.
- Change the subject.

 

[Cartoonicat]

At that, Louisa's eyes widened, "They're blaming you? But it wasn't-! " She paused, pinching the bridge of her nose. Louisa wanted Logan's trust and she'd be damned if that foul assassin ruined it for her. Or, worse, got Logan arrested.

"Yes, I broke in, but I didn't kill him and neither did you. I'm-..." She sighed, "Someone hired an assassin to kill me. For some reason, he thinks it's fun to mess with me and he killed your employer because he found out I needed him."

 

[ArcticFox]

"An assassin? Really?" Logan's golden eyes were now looking straight at Louisa, his gaze intently following her every gesture. "Who the hell are you?" It was a question that they started their first meeting with and it is a question that had to be raised now again.

Logan seemed like an airheaded and unnecessarily angry person at most of the times. He did not show much interest in Louisa background during their other meetings. To be honest he never showed much interest in anything besides his little magical exploring. But, this time, there was no swaying him. He crossed his arms, making no move that suggested he would back down or look at the ledger unless she explained herself.

- Confess.
- Keep to the cover story.