Smith’s war hammer flew through the air and crashed in front of Yingtai. The ground vibrated. He glared at her. “He’s in charge. I’ll challenge the next person that is disrespectful to his office.” He put his war hammer back on his shoulder and stared at Yingtai.
“My apologies,” Yingtai said. She bowed to Smith, but Dale didn’t sense respect, he saw a cunning that gave him a chill.
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
Assassination is an art, milord.
~ Brent Weeks
I’m just a girl.
~ Amy Lyang
...........................
Amy and Emi moved quickly through the forest.
They were less than a day behind, but they could travel faster than a platoon. Amy hoped that Dale was still alive and with Princess Jara. She wanted to explain things to him. She believed an explanation would change how he felt, but regardless, her mission was to assassinate the Princess. The jewel was the priority, and stopping Jara would keep Princess Talargo safe. Well, safer. Nobody was truly safe.
“Should we rest here?” Emi asked.
“As good a place as any.” Amy dismounted and walked to a small stream in the clearing where they’d stopped. She drank water after testing it and received a boost to her mana. “It’s a healing pool.”
Emi drank as well, then sat and ate, she looked at Amy and smiled. “It’s pretty here.”
“Yeah, until a giant worm or centipede breaks out of the ground and tries to eat us.”
“Don’t be so cynical,” Emi said.
“You’re right.” Amy looked down; she played with a twig, distracted, lonely, uncertain.
“You miss him.” Emi didn’t say this as a question. Woman’s intuition, or maybe it was so obvious that even a boy would notice.
“I guess.” Amy changed into her personal avatar. She didn’t want to discuss Dale, or life, but if she was going to anyway, she’d rather not be a wolf creature while she did it. She felt more like herself, but her emotions were clouded with feelings of vulnerability and melancholy. She looked at Emi, who was in her strange demon form, an Asakku. Powerful, dangerous, and mysterious. “Why’d you choose Asakku?”
Emi changed into her humant avatar. She was a plain Japanese girl, neither pretty, nor homely, and her disposition towards Amy had been cautious and withdrawn. Japanese girls like her were raised to distrust Koreans, not as much as the Chinese, of course, but still…
“All my life I’ve been made to feel inferior. I mean as a girl. A girl from a middle-class family. There are no heroic characters in my family; I grew up watching anime and American films about superheroes. It’s kind of funny, on the one hand, I was always told how great I was for being Japanese and how second class I was for being a woman from a plain old boring family that had lived in the country forever.”
Emi laid down in the grass next to Amy; it was the closest they’d ever been.
Amy looked at her. “You’re pretty, you know?”
“No, I’m not. You’re gorgeous; you’re only trying to make me feel better. Thank you, but I know my place.” Emi smiled.
“That’s why you choose to play a demon and an assassin? So you could hide?”
Emi avoided the question. Instead, she asked one herself. “So, why did you become a Sidheagin? A monstrous wolf? A devouring monster and an assassin?”
“It’s what I like. Sneaking around, killing people, it’s the alternative universe me. Sometimes I feel guilty that I’ve killed so many characters in my life.” Amy ran her fingers through her hair. She put her head next to Emi; she craved human contact.
“They aren’t real,” Emi said.
“I know, but the power I feel, it’s real. Right?”
“I suppose. I don’t know.” Emi stroked Amy’s hair. “I wish I was confident like you.”
“You are, I’ve seen you sneak into a fortress and kill—”
“I don’t mean—”
“Oh. Guys.” Amy rolled over onto her side and looked Emi in the eyes. “I just pretend.”
“It works. Dale is…”
“He probably hates me.” Amy put her head on Emi’s chest. She cried.
“I think he’ll understand.” Emi pulled Amy’s head up by the hair. She looked into her eyes and kissed her on the cheek. “You’ll see. How could he not forgive that pretty face?”
“I don’t know. We should go.” Amy stood up, changed back into a Sidheagin, and summoned her mount.
Emi followed.
A wolf mounted on a bear-lion hybrid and a demon mounted on a pink unicorn rode away from the stream, from peace and safety, into the dark forest, towards danger, risk, and the unknown.
...........................
Deep into the forest, where the trees were thickest, a pair of monstrous, ugly mutants opposed them. The two assassins dismounted, armed themselves with longbows, and imbued the arrows with Fire Magic. The monsters looked really stupid, but as Amy knew, looks were deceptive.
...........................
Hundan
Level 6
A mutant humanoid.
Attack style: Brute attack. Always paired with twin, a Gundan.
Weapons: Club. Shield.
Magic: None.
Tech: Low level, nothing with more than one part.
Wiki: Lore Quests Strengths Weaknesses Range Drops
...........................
Gundan
Level 6
A mutant humanoid.
Attack style: Brute attack. Always paired with twin, a Hundan.
Weapons: Club. Shield.
Magic: Low level, used only for healing its twin.
Tech: Low level, nothing with more than one part.
Wiki: Lore Quests Strengths Weaknesses Range Drops
...........................
Amy fired arrows into the Hundan while Emi concentrated on the Gundan.
As the beast got closer to her, Amy switched to a sword and shield and engaged the monster who wielded a club. It was much stronger than her, but she was faster, and it had little chance of hitting her with its club. She stabbed, sliced, and hacked, then jumped out of the way. From the corner of her eye, she could see Emi was not progressing any better, or worse, than her.
“We need a new strategy,” Amy shouted.
“Okay, what?”
“You sneak, I’ll engage them both,” Amy said. “I’ll distract them, and you try some different magic.”
Emi had Ice Magic, which was something Amy didn’t have, as she’d concentrated on Water Magic, which worked for enchantments, healing, and not DPS. She watched Emi shift behind the Gundan beast, her cue to get its attention.
Amy flung her sword at the creature, and it screamed when the blade stuck into its side. It grabbed the sword and threw it back at her in a rage, she dodged, and pulled out a long spear, a Japanese yari. She liked this weapon as it could keep a creature or animal, or even another soldier, more than a swords distance away.
She used the yari and shield as if she was an ancient Roman soldier; she kept the shield up and used the spear to jab, jab, jab. Her intention wasn’t to kill the beasts, but to keep them concentrated on her while Emi, hopefully, worked up an effective magical attack.
A flash of blue hit the creature to her left, an Ice Magic spell. The Hundan slowed down; it looked like it was in a slow motion film. Amy took advantage. She imagined that Emi would have at least a ten or fifteen second cool down before she could attack the Gundan, so she moved to put the slower creature between herself and the one still moving at full speed.
She put the spear and shield away, pulled out a long bladed assassin’s knife which was coated in poison, and two-handed she plunged the blade to the hilt into the slightly frozen mutant. It seemed to want to scream, but it could not, instead it fell to the ground.
The Gundan swung its club, and she barely jumped out of the path of the weapon. When it hit the ground with a thud, she brought out her longbow and fired a succession of arrows
into the chest of the creature, while backing away, hoping to give Emi time for another spell.
She switched back to her spear as her enemy got closer and stabbed it in the leg. It fell, briefly onto its knees, bringing its club down in a quick swing. Amy lifted her shield, but the club came down with such force that the shield was knocked out of her hands, and she took a huge hit to her health.
The beast growled.
Emi fired magic from a distance.
Amy took out another knife and two-handed began a quick arc of force to bring the weapon down and into her foe.
It was prepared, apparently learning from watching his twin, and it batted her arm away, nearly breaking bone.
Amy screamed in pain, her world went momentarily black, and she backed up two steps. The beast was on her again, and worse, its twin had gotten up and was approaching her. Its health was only 20%, but it still had a club, and it could still kill her.
“I need help here,” she called out.
Emi ran to the Hundan and engaged it with a sword.
Amy stabbed at the Gundan and moved away. “See if you can give me a moment.” She wanted to restore her health, so she ran behind Emi, so that both creatures would attack her for a moment. She could also heal Emi as she became a tank for a short time.
Once they were both back at full health, Amy joined the fight, and the two of them concentrated on the weaker of the beasts, the Hundan, which was down to 8% by the time Amy joined her partner in the battle.
A stab and a slice and the first of the creatures finally died.
That made the Gundan go berserk. It quickened its swings and lashed the club viciously at both of its attackers.
Amy had another trick to try. “Get it to concentrate on you for one second.” She stepped back and brought out a blow dart. The weapon was small, the darts tiny, but they contained a powerful nerve toxin.
She blew.
The dart hit the beast in the throat. It froze like a stone statue. It wasn’t dead, but it couldn’t move.
Emi brought out an axe.
“Wow, where’d you get that?” Amy was impressed with the size of the double-headed axe that Emi used to decapitate the frozen enemy.
“A drop on a tough assassins guild dungeon quest,” Emi said. “It’s too heavy for me to use in a fight, but it’s great for certain things.”
They looked down at the gross head of the dead beast. It had an ugly blue tongue hanging out of its mouth, and it looked comical removed from the body. They shared a laugh, picked up their loot, and then rode off.
...........................
An hour later, Emi held up her hand.
“What?” Amy asked in a whisper.
“Troops.”
They dismounted and snuck to a spot under dense brush.
“A lot of troops,” Emi said.
“We’ll rest here. For the night, if we have to. We can’t risk capture; we can make up time by riding in the night.”
“How far do you think until we find this village?” Emi had changed forms and retrieved a blanket. “You’ll take the first watch, okay?”
“Sure. Sleep. I think the village is close, my maps are crude, but it can’t be far. A few hours ride, maybe half a day, at most.”
Amy didn’t know if Emi had even heard her, she was already breathing deeply and not moving. The last fight, the magic used, and the power of the enemies, had exhausted them both. She drank a potion that would keep her alert while Emi slept.
The enemy troops in the distance seemed restless and Amy assumed they were getting ready to march.
She settled into a comfortable position and daydreamed.
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
Everybody must have a fantasy.
~ Andy Warhol
Do you know why the Japanese love gambling? Neither do I. Some loves cannot be explained.
~ Rikuto Setsu
...........................
Dale and the four surviving members of his party approached Evelake. The village was a commercial center for both the mountain and plains people, and was located on a medium-sized lake from which it received its name. The village was declared neutral territory; however, that didn’t mean that individual battles couldn’t break out.
The group checked in with an official from the mayor’s office. “Enjoy your stay here, soldiers, Princess. Your gold is most welcome.” The official laughed and dismissed them, recommending an inn, a bar, and a gambling hall.
“Probably all places his cousin owns,” Rikuto said.
“No doubt.” Dale looked at the group. “We’ll meet back here at first light tomorrow. Do what you will, ask about the Princess Talargo, and with luck we will have a direction to head in the morning.”
“And if not?” Yingtai asked.
“We’ll deal with it tomorrow,” Smith said. He was forceful with her; he’d told Dale earlier that he was tired of her pushiness.
“We’re all tired and frustrated,” Dale had said a few hours earlier.
“No excuse,” had been Smith’s response.
Smith was generally easy going, so Dale realized he’d better keep a better eye on the group, but he wasn’t going to worry about it then.
“Let’s go see what the shops have for sale,” Dale said to Smith.
“Sure. Rikuto?”
“No, thank you. I’m going to the gambling hall.”
“Suit yourself.”
Dale and Smith went hunting for herbs, potions, and anything else magical they could find.
...........................
Rikuto entered The Stuck Pig Inn & Casino.
“Do you have Texas Hold ‘em here?” he asked.
“Vexus what?” The hostess looked at him funny.
“Texas… Never mind. What gambling games do you have here?”
“Dragonesallanti, of course. You can also bet on the beast races, but they don’t run until late tonight. On Saturday’s we have open pit fights, and on Sunday afternoon the old village women come and play Bored-O.”
Rikuto thanked the hostess and walked to the casino floor. There were three tables with players and dealers, a blue haze of smoke hung in the air, and the sound of gaming chips announced the presence of money, gambling, and a chance at fortune or ruin.
“Sir?” An attractive elf spoke to him. “Would you like a seat?”
“I don’t know the game.”
“Here you are, sir,” the elf said. She handed him a scroll.
...........................
Dragonesallanti
The game of Dragonesallanti is an ancient game believed to have been invented by the Court of Yashil, the elven race of the Great Arodian Mountains.
The deck is composed of 144 cards numbered from Sol (one) to twelve, arranged into 12 symbols.
The full instructions can be found in the Dragonesallanti wiki and strategy guide.
...........................
Dale and Smith found a shop that specialized in Fire Magic, which was where Dale had been placing his resources. The torch spells seemed to be destructive, and Dale had only touched the surface. The torch tree was the lowest level of Fire Magic. The next level was Logi, which moved from flame throwing to fireballs and stronger projectile weapons.
“Can I help you, sir?” The shop keeper was a humant, an old man, who appeared from behind the counter and tugged on his long white beard.
“I’m wanting to get stronger in Fire Magic.”
“I see. I have only one Fire Book in stock, sir.” The old man left the sales floor and came back with a book. “It’s five bars of gold.”
“That seems expensive,” Dale said.
“This is a town built on negotiation, Dale,” Smith said.
“That is true, sir. But Fire Magic is hard to come by.”
Dale removed an emerald from his inventory. “I’m not pursuing enchantments right now, so I can sell you this emerald?”
“Hmmmmmm.” The shopkeeper took the stone. He got out a loop and insp
ected the gem. “Nice quality. I’ll give you 4 bars of gold, or 5 bars in credit.”
“So an even swap?” Dale laughed. “Okay, done.”
Acquired: Book of Fire Magic
+10% Fire Magic Skill
“What about you, sir?” The old man addressed Smith. They talked while Dale read his Book of Magic, he got closer to the Logi tree of spells; he only had four more books to go and every step counted. He browsed through the shop and bought several potions, healing, alertness, sleep, and an antidote for adder bites.
When they left the magic shop, they went to find something local to eat.
“I’m tired of roasted razordillo,” Dale said.
“Are you kidding? I could eat that shit every day.”
“Well, there must be a place where we can both get what we want.”
“God, you sound like a girl.”
“Fuck you.”
Smith laughed deeply. “It’s good to have the old Dale back.”
“Come on, let’s go into this place, The Stuck Pig, you can have razordillo there I’m sure. I just want a hot dog and some normal mustard.”
...........................
After Dale and Smith had eaten lunch, they walked to the casino floor. They found Rikuto in a heated game of cards.
“Come on, dealer, throw me a dragon,” Rikuto shouted.
Apparently, a dragon card landed on the table because Rikuto and several other players at the table cheered. A grumpy old dwarf got up, scowled, and left the table.
“My rotten horrible luck,” the dwarf said. “I hate this game.”
“Not as much as your wife does,” another player shouted.
The dwarf stormed off.
“Rikuto! You’re winning?”
“Hey, Dale, Smith. Yes, I’m on a roll. Would you like to learn to play?”
“Maybe,” Dale said. He considered the fact that if he started gambling, he’d end up like the dwarf.
“No thanks,” Smith said. “But I’d like to watch.”
The dealer shouted, “Next game starts in three minutes.” He excused himself from the table.
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