Chapter 6: Chapter 6 [Skull]

The forest was silent... as if it could feel the tension between the youth and the three assassins. The wind remained dormant, the leaves above held perfectly still, and even the boars in the distance had ceased their clamour. Only the young man dared to interrupt this tranquil moment, his grin never fading.

"Our mutual friend didn't waste any time, did he?" I chuckled and leaned lazily upon my staff. The centre mercenary's face scrunched when he heard my words, but he didn't respond. I sighed, "Well, good sirs, I don't suppose you'd like to hand over my Essence, and we chalk this up to a deadlock?"

Rock's face twitched, "So, is that your game, lad? Kill a few Level one boars and bluff your way out of the mess you're in. Do you think feigning arrogance is your best option?"

"I suppose neither of you gentlemen wishes to contribute to our conversation?" I asked, glancing between the two younger men. "It's odd that you're letting Rock do all the talking."

The two brothers, who hadn't been taking this seriously, turned solemn. Boulder pulled the broadsword from his shoulders and held it in front of him, "How do you know Rock?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I asked, shifting my stance slightly. The reports I'd read painted Boulder as the hothead of the group. Rock was the brains, and eventually, Stone became the brawn. In another few years, they somehow gained control of the Skull Mercenaries and wreaked havoc on the lower Floors.

Boulder's face turned red, "You want this Essence so badly? How about you try and take it from me?!"

"Boulder, wait!" Stone shouted, but the call landed on deaf ears.

He snatched the bag from Stone and charged forward, swiftly closing the distance between us. The broadsword flashed in the pale afternoon light, its wide frame careening down as soon as the man was in range. I stepped forward, turning into the brute's momentum...

Click!

Stone watched in horror at what happened next. He could scarcely follow the youth's movements as Boulder's sword came down on nothing but air. Rowan had already spun into him. There was a hushed clicking sound, a flash of light... and a blood-soaked blade sticking through the back of Boulder's throat...

I snatched the bag of Essence from the gurgling man's grasp and pulled my sword free. A dull thud sounded in the silent clearing as his body crashed to the ground. I shook my head in disbelief at this chap's reckless actions. He didn't bother to assess the situation or work with his brothers.

"Thank you for delivering my Essence," I smiled down at the corpse and weighed the pouch. It seemed that I wouldn't have to bother tracking down any of the swine corpses.

"B-Brother..." The quiet whisper of the youngest reached my ears. I tossed the pouch on the ground and studied the faces of the two mercenaries.

"How dare you!" Rock screamed, his knuckles turning white on the grip of his longsword.

"What?" I cocked my head to the side and looked at the large man incredulously, "How dare I? Do you mean to tell me that you expected me to stand there and allow your brother to cleave me in half?"

And to myself, I thought about how he actually would have if I hadn't memorized those reports. The middle brother was famous for his temper and his brash nature... Along with his immense strength. With Agility and Strength Cards accentuating his already profound natural abilities, he was a force to be reckoned with.

Fortunately, goading him into doing something careless wasn't challenging. In fact, he'd been captured similarly in my previous life, and now the odds were two to one. Though Rock and Stone wouldn't be so impulsive, and I knew I wouldn't be able to kill either of them before they could use their Cards.

"Rock... H-He..."

"I know," Rock held his arm out, worried his little brother would rush forward. His voice was quivering as he spoke, "First, we need to finish the mission. We'll make this kid pay."

Stone shook his head and whispered, "It isn't that, Rock. This kid... He just skewered Boulder without even blinking. That's not normal."

Rock glared at the youth, who stood there casually, acting like none of this was his problem. His bright green eyes stared back at them as if he were daring them to step forward. It made Rock feel uneasy, but they were given a mission, and there was no way a brat still on the First Floor could have as much experience as two mercenaries.

"He has to be bluffing..." Rock responded doubtfully, moving his weapon in front of him. "Stone... stay back. If I can't handle it, run and report this to the boss."

Stone couldn't believe what he was hearing, "But if we both attack at once-"

"Stone!"

Stone looked at Rock again. His brother's face was stern, and sweat trickled heavily down his brow. Grinding his teeth, Stone conceded and stepped to the side, keeping a grip on his weapon in case he was targeted.

His brother must have already decided that the two of them couldn't take on this threat with the few Cards at their disposal, and he wanted Stone to get as much intel as possible before rushing back. It also meant that Rock didn't think they could easily escape.

"I'll do as you-" Before he could finish his sentence, a voice called from across the clearing.

"I'm sorry, gentlemen, but unfortunately, it's getting late, and I would like to rest before tomorrow's ventures," the youth spoke casually as if this were just another day for him. "So, if you won't step forward..."

The young man leapt into the air, "...then I'll have to come to you!"

His ragged boots glowed a dull green before his body lurched in the air. As if he'd kicked off a pedestal, his body flew toward the still hesitating figure of Rock. Stone tried to call out, but something struck the side of his leg before he could.

"Aarghhh!" Stone collapsed and looked down, breathing heavily. His knee was twisted at an unnatural angle, and the long black shaft of the youth's cane lay beside him. With that one move, Stone's apprehension had turned to dread. He watched as the Demon arrived before his brother.

"Lady Tara... Please help us..."

My blade left a faint trail as I stabbed forward, the speed from my Dash augmenting the power behind my Pierce. Still, Rock was no novice. He adjusted his stance, his body swathed in a dull gleam as he sidestepped my assault. Simultaneously, his blade swiped toward my neck.

Using the last of the momentum from my Dash, I managed to throw myself out of the sword's range. My heart raced when I realized how close that had been, the wind from the strike still tracing my skin. Rock was already in another stance, his sword overhead, preparing to strike.

He was open, but his blade would reach me before I closed the gap. Dash and Pierce were on cooldown, but retreating wasn't an option. If I backed off, with his experience, he would find a way to change the pace. I stepped forward... and howled.

"Hooowwoooooo!"

Rock's muscle's tensed, slowing his strike, and I dived forward to take advantage of the opening. Still, Howl was only Level 1, and the man quickly found his wits and struck down just as my blade found a gap in his armour.

Searing pain exploded in my left arm, but I drove my attack home. The tip of my blade tore into a gap just under the mercenary's arm. Blood gushed out, and I leapt back as the larger man tried to pursue. He never had a chance. His body collapsed, and blood continued to flood the ground around him.

"Where is..." I looked around the clearing, not wanting to leave an enemy unchecked. It only took a moment to find my prey cowering near the trampled brush where I had left him. This... was supposed to be the great Stone..? Seeing that the man was practically paralyzed, I turned to look at my wound.

The side of my arm was bleeding heavily. Rock's sword had fallen on the outer edge of my shoulder and cleaved the muscle to my elbow, leaving a nasty tear. Gritting my teeth, I pulled out a bottle of Infernal Wash and gently tilted the bottle so that a drop would fall on the wound. The blood and dirt evaporated and continued to do so as I clearly spoke...

"Heal."

The massive wound scabbed over almost instantly, and the leaking blood ceased to evaporate. I sighed in relief as the pain eased, though it continued to throb. It would take a few more casts to gain full movement and another few to bring it back to normal, though the scar would remain until Heal reached a higher Level.

"Alrighty then..." I walked toward Stone, who was trembling intensely and sat on the corpse of a boar nearby. He stared at his older brother's bleeding body, his face white as a sheet, either from fear or the pain of his broken knee.

"To be honest, lad, if he weren't so inexperienced, he probably would have had me," I tapped the cowering man's head with the flat of my blade to get his attention. He flinched but turned his gaze to me.

"When you swing wide," I lifted my blade and pointed to a section between my bicep and chest. "You leave yourself open here below your arm. There's a spot here that, if sufficiently severed, can bleed a man to death in seconds."

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"It took several years to learn to fight properly with such a frail body. Mistakes weren't something I could allow," shaking my head, I stood up and placed my blade against the future assassin's neck, a feeling of solemnity brushing away my nostalgia.

With one swift motion, I thrust my blade through his neck and the base of his skull, severing the bone and watching his life fade almost instantly. He wouldn't get a lesson on this method. It was a painless death, one that he probably didn't deserve.

"Well, gentlemen, I hope you'll forgive me for what happens next," I sat down... and pulled off the near-pristine boots that the mercenary was wearing...

About an hour later, I was walking along the side of a nearby rocky hill, admiring the comfort of my new boots and sporting an extra pack. My cane tapped gently against the gravel while I looked closely for a shallow cave to use as shelter.

The First Floor was set up in multiple rings. The centre had long been cleared, and the Academy, Town, and farmland took the place of the old plains. The Old Boar Forest encircled the farmland, while the Howling Hills claimed the next section. The outer ring was a mountainous area simply known as Bear Peak.

Without the canopy of leaves above me, I could see the beauty of the ceiling. The clouds were painted orange from the sun's glow, and it felt like I was looking at a work of art rather than the bottom of the next Floor. Each Floor became progressively darker, and once I ascended, scenes like this would only be available during brief trips to the Origin Floor.

When the Origin Floor crossed my mind, I shuddered. During my last visit, those monstrosities wrecked the place... and then I wound up back here. Thinking of my previous life, I began to reflect on the three brothers and the Skull Mercenaries.

The Skull Mercenaries gained notoriety in about three years. Rock, one of the men I'd just killed, had arranged a coup and taken over the organization alongside his brothers. It wouldn't have been possible without Stone, who had acquired a Card that led him to become a great assassin. Well, as far as the lower Floors were concerned.

Even the Network hadn't known why the brothers had overthrown the current boss, but in this life... it seemed I was destined to find out. When looting the corpses, I found that each of their Deck Boxes only contained a few Cards. Even less than myself, surprisingly.

Along with the Cards, I seized their gear and Essence pouches and found a letter in one of Rock's pockets. After taking a few seconds to make out the chicken scratch scribbled on the paper, the blanks in the Networks data filled themselves in.

'Rock, your current target is nothing but a lowly brat from the Academy. I've attached the reports from our rat, and it doesn't seem that this kid is anything special. Meet that filthy merchant and see why he's paying so much for such a simple task... He's trying to woo us, but I'm still unsure why.

This job shouldn't take much. I've delivered five Cards each for you and your brothers, along with your cut. They are in the usual place. Get this done promptly, and you can each choose one of the Cards to keep for your personal Decks.'

That was it. It seemed that the leader of the Skull Mercenaries hoarded their Cards and only sent his men out with what he deemed necessary to get the job done. As for Crook... Once I was back in town, I had a few questions for the little man.

"Maybe I shouldn't be too hard on him..." adjusting the pack on my shoulder, I could feel the weight of the armour and Essence within. It was one of the reasons I'd targeted the merchant.

He was arrested in my previous life for colluding with the Skull Mercenaries, and at this stage, only the three brothers took on the messier tasks. The group as a whole was still known as a budding Mercenary company, and there hadn't been any reason for the guards to look into their activities.

Knowing Crook's nature and the current state of the Skull, it was easy to deduce that the three brothers would come after me. I'd eliminated one of the most significant future threats to the lower Floors, saving many lives. That gave me pause...

How much would change because of this? Hundreds of targets had been taken out by Stone before he was caught... Some were innocent, but most had been unscrupulous businessmen that had wronged some other corrupt individual. What if something worse survives because of my meddling..?

"Hmm..?"

My introspection was broken when I noticed a broad fissure in a nearby rock face. It was wide enough for two men to walk abreast into the opening but deep enough that I could see to the back wall. Thankfully, it was unoccupied.

I trudged into the little cave and made myself comfortable against the back wall. It was dark, but one of the brothers had been kind enough to provide me with a source of light.

"Ball," I muttered quietly, and a glowing ball the size of my palm appeared. It wasn't overly bright, only illuminating a meter area around where I was sitting.

Why a mercenary would carry such a Card, I'd never know. Ball was nothing more than a child's plaything that provided a bit of light. Only the caster could hold the object, and it would disperse if touched by another Wielder, so it couldn't be used as a projectile. Still, the light was bright enough for me to sift through the day's gains.

Opening the pack, I pulled out the stack of Cards the brothers had left me. Aside from the Ball Spell, there were twenty-one Cards, and I'd only briefly glanced through them. Each of them carried Level 1 Strength, Agility, and Inspect Cards, which I sat to the side as they were useless to me.

Of the other twelve, I pulled out Perception, Dodge, Movement, Tracking, and Stamina, all Cards I could recognize from their illustrations, and slid them into my Deck Box. There was also a Rage Card, which I sat to the side along with a few copies since it wasn't something I would use.

Finally, I turned my attention to the final Card, which, oddly enough, I didn't recognize. After tapping the Card with my Demon Glass, I looked it over while waiting for the results.

The back was royal blue and boasted the familiar outline of a flame in the centre, indicating that it was a Spell Card. On the front, a man in a robe had his arm extended toward a tree, where a branch with an apple could be seen bending toward him. I watched with curiosity as the information began to form on the Demon Glass.

[Card Name: Pull]
[Class: Spell]
[Rank: Blessed]
[Level: 1]
[Essence: 498/1000]
[Foundation: Intelligence, Wisdom]
[Effect: Concentrate on a non-sentient object within one yard and pull it toward you. Does not have to be in the Wielder's line of sight, but the Wielder must be able to picture the item clearly. The object can not weigh more than one-tenth Wielder's body weight]

"How useful," I smiled and slipped the Card into my Deck Box with the others. Not much changed from the additions. The Cards were only Level 1, and a ten per cent increase in my Perception was hardly noticeable. The Movement Card would show its worth when I set off again in the morning.

There were still two tasks left for me to complete before returning to the Academy, both similar to the task with the Boars. One required me to kill 500 Wolves within 6 hours, and the other demanded 200 Bears within 6 hours. It would be a full day, but the rewards would be worth it.

"Pull."

I cast the Spell on the glowing Ball that had rolled a few feet away. At first, it shuddered, but I moved my arm closer, and it flew into my grasp. It seemed that the Intelligence Card I held didn't increase the range, meaning that Intelligence controlled the weight I could lift, and Wisdom would determine the distance.

Light in hand, I filtered through the remaining contents of the leather bag. I'd shoved all their gear into a satchel Stone had been carrying. As for their bodies, I headed back to the spawn zone and led a few hungry boars to the clearing. By morning, there would be nothing left.

"Let's see... most of this gear is useless, but I can sell it," I'd already equipped Stone's boots, and none of the other gear had fit me. Boulder did have a nice pair of leather bracers, which I'd strapped to my forearms. Each had a hidden pocket inside that could hold two throwing knives.

Alongside the Essence they'd picked up on their way to meet me, there was another pouch full of Level 1 and 2 Essence. In total, I'd accumulated 2,167. Since I had two bags, I filled one with 1500 Level 1 Essence to make the payment on my estate and shoved the rest to the side to use later.

That done, I leaned my head back and dismissed the Ball Spell, allowing the cave to fall into darkness. It wouldn't do for some passerby to spot me while I was trying to rest. I stared at the roof of the cave, letting the thoughts I'd pushed aside return.

My actions would change the course of history.

But... was that really such a bad thing? Why had I forced a battle with the brothers? When my eyes fell on Crook's shop, the idea sprouted, and I didn't give it a second thought.

Did I do it because they were terrible people? I glanced at the overstuffed bag beside me. Did I do it because I knew they would harbour a decent amount of wealth?

"I suppose both of those motives are true, but..."

An image of a young girl crying for her mama amidst a stampede of screaming people came to mind. I reacted before I could think, jumping out to keep the poor lass from being crushed.

It was the same reason I'd set up shop on the Tenth Floor when I realized my body wasn't equipped to continue. My coffers were full, and I could have retired decades prior, but I stayed to guide the younger Climbers through their first Fiend. It wasn't really some outlandish sense of justice... I just...

"I want to help people," I realized.

Hundreds of atrocities would occur between now and the time the Tower collapsed. I didn't have the time or the power to uproot all these troubles alone. For now, I wouldn't go out of my way to save anyone.

If it would aid my quest for power, I suppose I would step off the path a bit, but my main focus would be to climb the Tower. Though... I glanced at the bag and thought of the note written by the leader of the Skull. He was a terrible man, and it seemed he had numerous Cards at his disposal.

"What kind of gentleman would leave someone so unrefined amongst the good people of the First Floor?" I smiled. "That just won't do."

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