Chapter Text
Being rudely woken up by a cultist was not on my to-do tonight. I planned on just killing a few people, eating a shitty take-out dinner, and then passing out on my couch. Which is exactly what I did.
Or what I would've done. I was stolen away from my dreams by someone knocking so hard I think my door splintered. What fucker beat on a guy's door at... I looked towards the clock on my wall. Two thirty in the damn morning? That's just cruel.
"I'm coming!" I yelled as another sharp knock filled the room. I was too tired and hungover for this shit. "Prick," I muttered to myself.
I opened the door a crack, keeping the chain on. Who knew what kind of freaks were out at this time of night? The three people outside wore black cloaks with some kind of insignia on the clasp. My left hand reached into my pocket to fiddle with the wooden statue of Aaris. The hum of magic sent vibrations through my hand.
"What's your business?" I asked, leaning on the doorframe, tempted to close my eyes, trying to ignore the throbbing on my head.
"Are you Mr. Sareash?" The middle asked. They sounded like a woman.
"Depends." Their voice sounded annoying and entitled. This didn't help my head. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to regain my balance. "Who's asking?"
"Madam Grimsbane. I need someone... dealt with," she told me, leaning a bit closer as she stated her business. I couldn't help but chuckle at her reluctance.
"Look, lady, no one here's gonna care if you want someone dead," I told her. I then closed the door and slid off the chain.
I reopened the door, still a bit apprehensive and disoriented from the previous alcohol. The three people walked in, glancing around. My house wasn't much to look out, three large rooms to get me by; the kitchen and living area, the bedroom, and the bathroom were all that made up the first level. The basement was for work.
They took their hoods off, revealing the middle to he a woman and the other two to be men. The woman looked vauguly familiar, like an old picture that had long gotten yellow and blurry.
"So, who do you want dead?" I asked, trying to discreetly rub my pounding head.
"You never confirmed if you were Mr. Sareash," the man on the left stated.
"I am," I told him. "Now, again, who do you want dead, and what's the time frame?"
"You may choose the time frame," Grimsbane told me. This peaked my interest. Most people came to me wanting someone dead in a day or week tops. "I don't care, as long as it's done before the next solar eclipse."
"Well, that'll be a while," I murmered. The last solar eclipse was just a few years ago. The next wouldn't be for another three years.
"As for the who..." she continued, taking out a few papers from her bag. "His name is Raziel Prentum. He's a Sun Mage and the deputy of the Sol Aeternus guild."
"A guild member, eh? I quite enjoy killing them. A bit of a healthy challenge never did anyone wrong. If I may ask, what did this Mr. Prentum, do you?"
"He led the raid on one of my most important safe houses a few months back. All the other assassins that went after him are dead or in prison," she told me. "I hope you'll be different."
"Well, I'm an A-rank. If I can't do it, no one can," I told her, a bit of sarcasm dripping into my voice. "A lot of people make the mistake of going to a lower rank because their cheaper."
"Oh, but we did go to an A-rank," the man on the left told me. "This is about... our seventh try? I think that's right. But we need this guy dead."
"You've gone to seven different assassins? How many were A-rank?" I questioned, glancing between the three. It was obvious that Madam Grimsbane was the one in charge.
"They all were." Oh. Well, that's not good. Why was this guy so hard to kill anyway? I've killed plenty of guild scum, even a few leaders and deputies. What made this guy so different?
"So... what are his kinks? Cause a guy that is that hard to kill has got to have something getting in the way," I inquired, debating whether I should shake my head or rub my temples to make the screaming pain go away.
"He's a Sun Mage," Madam Grimsbane repeated from earlier. "As well, he's extremely paranoid and has inhuman reflexes. Some say the gods speak to him."
"So, nothing I haven't done before?" I said, glancing around. The wooden statue of Aaris was still tight in my hand. The sun god did nothing to make my misery go away. "How much are you offering?"
"How does ten Kiagens sound?" It took me a moment to register her words. Ten? Was she serious? I could pay rent for thirty years with three! But ten? She must really want this guy dead.
"Do you have proof you have the money?" I questioned. This had to be too good to be true. "That's a lot to just throw around."
She reached into her cloak and pulled out a small pouch. She handed me the bag, watching carefully. Inside, I could feel the wallnut sized coins weighing down my hand.
I dumped the contents on my counter, careful as to not let any fall. Twelve were in the bag. I picked one up, tossing it up and down. My mind made me almost desperate to prove they were not real. I'd never held so much money in one hand.
I almost screamed when the realization that they were real hit. Who just carried around this much money? I had fifteen trillion Kelts sitting in front of me.
"I'll do it," I told her, counting out the coins, checking them as I went, and put them back in the bag. Reluctantly, I handed the bag back to the lady.
"Wonderful! I'm sure you'll do better than the seven before you," she told me, reaching into the bag and pulling out two of the coins. "For now, take these and use them for whatever you'll need to get."
"Is this coming out of my paycheck?" I asked, eyeing the coins. It wouldn't really matter, I'd be set for life with just half the money in that bag.
"No, the rest will be put aside until you finish. I'm sure it will be quite public if he's killed, but if not, just look for our sign and tell my men your name," Grimsbane instructed. "I trust you know how to do your job."
"Of course I do. I've been doing it for years," I told her, pocketing the two coins. I'd have to go to a buddy to get them deposited and broken down into smaller quantities. "Don't worry, I'll have it done."
"Excellent. Then we will be taking our leave," she said, gesturing to the two men behind her. As she walked out, she glanced back and added, "Oh, and Mr. Sareash? Water and bland foods are great hangover helpers."
Was it that obvious? That didn't matter. Who cared what this crazy lady thought of me? I didn't. She paid, that's all I cared about.
I went to the door that they'd so rudely left ajar and closed it, sliding the locks into place. I then ignored her help and went back to the couch, flopping down harshly.
A metal bar from somewhere hit my shoulders and tailbone, but I couldn't care less. The weight of the Kiagens in my pocket kept me from worrying so much.
If I did this, I could get out of this shithole part of the city. Maybe get an actual job. I had no intention of using the money on the job. I already had everything I needed. But new clothes and food would definitely help.
Although, the thought of food wasn't a pleasant one at the moment. I was beginning to regret last night. I hadn't drank like that in nearly a year, but Feria had the bright idea to go out for my thirtieth, and we both had a little much.
Feria... She was my best friend. We had dated once upon a blue moon years ago, but it didn't work well. She was the one person who knew about my public and... private, lives. Never once did she try to stop me or tell me it was bad. When I needed something, she was there to help.
She'd probably be banging on my door at ungodly hours to complain about her hangover. This didn't stop me from closing my eyes. Even with the throbbing pain, I fell asleep quickly. I hated waking up early.
It wasn't surprising when I woke up inside my dream and was faced by a shapeless, faceless person.
"Aaris!" I said delightedly. It had been too long since I'd seen the god. "How have you been?"
"Average," the fog person replied. "I simply wanted to check up with you. I haven't felt your presence for a few days."
"Oh, yeah. Feria had to do this spell to hide my soul from one of my targets a few days ago. Guess it hasn't worn off quite yet." It was nice knowing the god cared, somewhere deep in their nonexistent heart.
"Feria," they said lowly. "Never liked that girl."
"Is it because she worships Cosmos?" I asked sarcastically. Ever since I first mentioned the apprentice reaper, Aaris decided they hated her. I never understood that.
They just sneered in response. "That isn't the only reason I called you here," they told me. "I heard your little conversation with the Madam Grimsbane."
"Oh, yeah... don't think much about that." I was thankful that in this place, the effects of my major hangover were gone, and I could think clearly. "He might be a Sun Mage."
"He isn't a Blessed One, so I don't really care," Aaris shrugged, the fog around them moving with their shoulders. "Do as you please. I can't stop you."
Damn right you can't. I didn't voice that thought. "Good to know," I replied, relaxing a bit.
"Oh, your... friend is trying to wake you up," they said, rather displeased by the statement. "Well, until we speak again. Goodbye, Adnachiel."
"See ya," I responded as a harsh jab against my cheek woke me up.
"You better be very quiet, fucker." Feria squinted at me again the soft glow of a nearby lamp. Her voice was deeper and raspy. Her hair was a mess everywhere, almost making her side-cut disappear.
"You woke me up," I hissed back, glancing to the clock. 6:00. Well, that's better than last time. "You're late."
"Had to see my date out," she replied, quickly standing up and walking to my kitchen.
"How'd you even get in?" I asked, ribbing my head. The brief pause from the pain had made it come back worse.
"Don't ask silly questions. Your back window hasn't locked for three years." Oh, so something I should fix. Great. Thanks for telling me that three years ago.
As I stood up, the Kiagens in my pocket clicked together once. So, the weird cult lady wasn't a dream. My glee from before came back strong. "Hey, Fer, I need to ask a favor of you."
"Sure, what do you want?" She whispered back, wincing at my voice. She spent the next moment digging through my cabinets to find something.
"Could you possibly cash two Kiagens for me and put it in my account?" I asked as she found a bag marshmallows and giggled to herself about it.
"Sure. Who'd you steal 'em from?" She asked, tearing the bag open like a savage.
"I didn't," I told her. She raised a skeptical eyebrow at this, watching me with her mouth full of marshmallows. "This cult lady dropped by last night and gave them to me for a job. I'll get ten more when I'm done."
"Are you serious? That's fucking fantastic!" She winced at her own loud voice. Lowering her voice significantly, she added, "And you're sure their real?"
"Yep, check it out," I said, taking one of the coins from my pocket and tossing it to her. "Have you ever held one of these things before?"
"Once. Some guy came into the shop with one he stole, but the fucking police came in before I could do anything with it," she told me, tossing the coin up and down. Each time, it landed back in her palm with a small thump.
"Who'd they want dead?" She questioned, tossing the coin back.
"Some Prentum guy," I told her. "Apparently, he's in the Sol Aeternus guild, but Aaris said he wasn't too important."
"Sol Aeternus?" She asked. "I might be able to get you in. An ex of mine invited me to a club tonight. They just so happen to be in that guild. Maybe this guy'll be there."
"I'm not drinking tonight," I said, almost gagging at the thought. She shuddered and quickly agreed.
"No need. But, she said the guild was going to celebrate the guildmasters' fifth year in charge. It's going to be a pretty big party," she told me.
"Sounds fun," I responded. I wasn't usually a huge party person, but if I could get the money quickly... no. I can't let myself think like that. If anything goes wrong, I won't let myself be upset.
"It'll be a blast. I've been to one of these things before," she told me. "Marshmallow?"
I took the bag from her and sat on a stoll at the counter. "You need to go shopping," she said, looking in more cabinets for food.
"Pay my damn food bill first, then we'll talk."
"You're the one with two Kiagens in your pocket!" She retorted. "That's two Kiagens more than most people."
"Still, you eat a lot of my food," I pointed out. "Some weeks, I think you do more damage than me."
"Yeah, well, don't act like you've never eaten at my house," she replied, finding a few eggs in the back of my fridge. "Ooh! Scrambled or fried?"
"I don't care, whatever you want," I told her, thinking up the best ways to get somebody away from a party. "What's the name of the place?"
"It's called The Veil. Apparently, it's got pretty good food," she told me, grabbing a pan from the cabinet and turning the stove top on.
"Great. Does this place have metal detectors?"
"Yeah, it's in a pretty rich part of town. It wouldn't be very smart to bring weapons," she told me, cracking the eggs into the pan and grabbing the salt and pepper.
"What about glass?" I questioned, flipping through my arsenal of daggers in my head.
"You've got a glass knife?" She asked incredulously. "Who does that?"
"I also have ceramic, plastic, and wooden daggers. I don't use knives," I told her. "They are quite effective when you need it."
"Sounds cool," she replied, shrugging and flipping the eggs. "How do you get them? Cause I know you ain't buying them from me."
"I make them," I told her. "It's a simple process when I use my magic."
"Could you make me some? Those would go at the shop so quickly!" She requested. "You wouldn't believe the amount of people wanting something those metal detectors won't pick up."
"I don't mind. Most ceramic things have metal in them, but when I use my magic, I can purify it." She giggled gleefully as she put the eggs of plates.
"Gods, I could probably charge a Meelio for those things," she said, violently shaking the pepper shaker. In the next moment, the top came off, spilling all over her food.
"I'll take the other plate," I stated, taking the other one before she could try and give me that one.
"Damn," she said quietly, trying to sweep the bulk of the pepper off. "Couldn't you fix this?"
"I don't do miracles for stupid stuff like that," I told her. "I can only do a few each day, you know this."
"Please..." she asked, looking at me with big puppy eyes. That stopped having an effect on me years ago. But, in lieu of my previous words, I fixed her stupid food. "Thank you!"
"I swear you do that on purpose," I said, shaking my head. The throbbing had started to dwindle away, leaving only a dull ache.
"You will never know," she replied, leaning heavily on the counter as she ate. "What are the plans for today?"
"Cash out the Kiagens, probably get something new for tonight, if this place is as nice as you're suggesting, then collect ten more Kiagens."
"They must really want this guy dead," she muttered to herself. While Feria didn't partake in my job, she understood the average amount to pay; one to five Abteks and some odd Meelios.
"Yeah, but a paycheck is a paycheck," I responded, shrugging. It didn't matter who had to die. If they managed to piss someone off so much they were willing to pay that much money, I'd do it.
"Damn right, it is," she said, laughing to herself. "What does Shiney think of this? This Prentum guy is a Sun Mage, right?"
"Said they didn't care since he wasn't a Blessed One." It was a bit disheartening to hear gods talk about people's lives so casually. But there was nothing I could do to change their ways.
From there, we mostly ate in quiet. Sometimes, I'd ask her a few questions to get a better grasp of how I was going to go about this. I quickly came to the conclusion that this wasn't going to be a normal mission.
As far as I could tell, the other assassins had tried a more traditional approach. Luckily for me, I had a different way of approaching targets.
After we ate, both of us took showers before heading to Feria's shop, Faerie Pawn. It took quite a while to get the money to break down the Kiagens. The two of us ran around the city for hours slowly managing to convert one each.
After we finally managed that, we went to a clothing store on the east side. While the east was much better than the north, it wasn't as good as the south or west.
"Gods help us," Feria muttered, looking inside a boutique at a hideous tan dress. "Who would wear that?"
"There's someone for everything," I replied, cringing at the image of anybody trying to wear the ungodly thing.
"Ooh, it's got pockets!" She cried gleefully. "It's ugly as shit, but it's got pockets!"
"You could just have some of my pants if you want pockets," I offered, looking at the other dresses. Some weren't as bad, but none were all that pretty.
"There's a shop nearby the Waystone that sells all sorts of clothing. It's a bit more expensive, but at least the things aren't hideous. Might find something for yourself there," she suggested, taking my hand and guiding me away.
"Aren't the shops their always crowded?" I questioned. Even trying to go the other way was difficult here, let alone anywhere near the Waystone. "Why don't we use the back-alleies?"
"You know your way around?" She questioned, veering heavily to the right. I nodded and guided her into the deserted alley.
"I use these paths all the time. You wouldn't believe how often people chase me around after I kill someone," I told her, walking carefully, taking in every detail.
A barrel full of apples sat near the entrance. Somewhere near the middle point between our start and destination were two large water barrels filled to the brim with dingy grey water. I wouldn't have drank it if someone offered a Crown.
"Prixyth water," Feria murmered, gently touching the water. "Nasty poison, that is. One drop'll kill a dragon."
"And yet, it remains usless against the great Sareash," I commented sarcastically, splashing some of the poison out of the barrel.
"That impossible. No one is immune. Not even you," Feria replied, walking away from the poison barrel.
"I am too!" I told her. "A lad once put it in my tea, tried to kill me after I killed her husband. Turns out, I'm immune to Winnetocin, which is what makes it so potent. Sure, I broke out into a bad rash, and it tore up my respiratory system, but it won't kill me."
"It got in your lungs?" She asked, glancing back a final time before walking a bit quicker.
"Yeah, it wasn't pretty. I coughed up blood for days. And, obviously, I couldn't go see a doctor since it happened on the job," I responded. "But, I got over it."
"What a good thing to know," she said with a smirk. "If I ever need to poison you, I won't use something with Winnetocin."
"That's just cruel," I replied with a laugh. In the next few steps, loud footsteps filled the alley, someone running.
"Hello!" A young woman with a large frilly dress and a panicked look ran up to us. "It's lovely to see you again, William, Theresa."
"Uh, lady..." Feria stopped as she saw the man running behind her, catching up quickly.
"Adelaide," she whispered.
"Adelaide!" I said quick and loudly. "It's been forever! How have you been?"
"Oh, just fine." Her voice shook and came out meek and quick. "Theresa?"
"Oh, just lovely!" Feria replied, placing a calm hand on her back and leading her away. "The kids have been just won -"
"Aye! You! Get away from my girlfriend!" The man called angrily, a bottle in one hand, a pocket knife in the other.
"I'm not," the woman hissed, afraid and in pain. "Please."
"I think you should leave her alone," I suggested. "Or this'll get quite ugly."
"Who the fuck do you think you are? Eh? She's mine so back the fuck off."
"I'm Willian Blemmington and I just so happen to be an old friend of this young lady and I know that the two of you have no connection. Scram," I threatened. Slowly, I reached for the statue of Aaris in my pocket, ready to use its magic.
"You cunt! You don't know shit," he snarled. In the corner of my eye, I could see Feria, or Theresa as Adelaide called her, slowly stepping away from the deranged man.
"Block your eyes," I heard her warn Adelaide. I gave them three seconds before I shut my own eyes and let my hand catch the light from high above.
The man screamed, clutching his face. Getting direct sun to the eyes wasn't a pleasant feeling.
"Oh, quit your howling," Feria said, shoving a vile into his mouth. I only saw the sickly grey liquid for a moment before it flowed freely down his throat.
He dropped a mere moment after, already cold. The alley fell silent. The man didn't even twitch as the poison overtook his body.
"I- is... is he dead?" Adelaide asked, clinging to Feria.
"Yeah, that was Prixyth," Feria told her. "Are you alright, Madam?"
"No, he... my parents... well, they fell into some nasty debt- and he offered money... but he was so cruel," Adelaide was sobbing uncontrollably.
"You got anywhere else to go?" Feria questioned, looking at me momentarily.
"No, I'm not... well, I wasn't - I don't have any friends. And, I can't go back to my family. They'd shun me," she replied nervously. "Please don't make me."
"Stay with us for today," I said. "We'll ensure you find somewhere nice and get settled in. Have you got any money on you?"
"He has some. In his left pocket," she told me. It wasn't the first time I'd manhandled a dead body. My calm seemed to freak her out a bit. His wallet had enough money to pay my rent for five years.
"Well then, let's go get some new clothes, shall we?" I said, leading her further away from the cold body. It also wasn't the first time I've just left a body laying there.
Aaris' statue laid in my pocket, the magical hum buzzing more violently than usual. While celestial magic was great, sometimes a little sun never hurt anyone.
"Thank you for that," Adelaide said as we emerged just a few shops down from the place Feria wanted to go. "I an Lady Adelaide Fentearea of the south side."
"I'm Feria and this is fuck-face," Feria poorly introduced as she butted her way through the crowds. "Gods, no respect in these parts. Move gods damn it!"
"I'm Adnachiel," I told her, ignoring Feria's comment. We both took pleasure in improperly introducing the other. "We're from the north side."
"Oh! I've never met someone from the north," Adelaide said as Feria burst through the door of the shop. It would've had more effect if not for the many people already in there.
"This place is a treasure. Let's get you out of those grubby clothes. Adnach, meet us back here in an hour," Feria told me, taking Adelaide'a hand and dragging her further into the shop towards the women's clothing.
I went to the other side of the shop towards the men's clothing. It was by far nicer than the other stuff we saw in the windows of other shops, but none was quite my style.
I wasn't used to even seeing the clothing on the mannequins, but it was even weirder to see people wearing these things and looking at more.
The cheaper stuff was nicer, in my opinion. It didn't have a bunch of unneeded accessories. People seemed to steer clear of me, even here. I was used to that behavior in the north, but east side people were generally very friendly.
"Hello, sir! Need a hand?" I recognized that boisterous little voice. I glanced down and was met with Kyra, one of the children near my apartment.
"Hello, Kyra. What are you doing here?" I questioned, turning away from the, rather gaudy, maroon suits.
"I got an east job!" She told me excitedly. "Pays well. Momma says it should be enough for rent!"
"Well, that's amazing!" I said, ruffling her hair. It was the first time in years I'd seem it actually taken care of instead of in a messy mop.
"Yeah, one of my friends vooched for me so I could get it," she told me.
"Do you mean vouched?" I questioned, looking around for Feria. She'd be rather angry if I'd seen Kyra and said nothing.
"Sure!" She said excitedly. "By the way, maroon is not your color. You look much better in navy and other dark colors."
"Got any specific recommendations?" I asked, seeing a malicious gleam in her eyes.
"How good do you wanna look?" She inquired, looking around excitedly.
"I want to steal the show," I replied, an idea coming to mind. I needed a way to find and get close to Prentum. What better time than tonight?
"That, I can do," she said delightedly, leading me away.