The assassin didn’t plan on staying in the capital for very long. She had already completed the given mission in Crocus and was about to head back to Oak to continue with the gang war going on there. However, the previous night’s events and the following message she received from Benjamin have changed her priorities. The Oak crime families could wait; they were not much of a threat or immediate necessity. There was, however, a Rune Knight girl who needed to be captured before things got out of hand.

Michelle had heard about the artefact her master held. He had never used it on her and she never asked why. But the fact that he found someone else worthy of his attention—someone who he barely knew—over her, irked her. Nevertheless, she wasn’t one to question his motives. Unfortunately, the assassin had also personally witnessed the power of this young girl that Benjamin was so interested in. She didn’t even need to use her supposedly unique magic to defeat Michelle and force her to flee. Not that it would have mattered, considering she didn’t know back then that she was the one they were looking for. But now, she knew. And she also knew the girl was still within Crocus, which meant, her job in the capital was not done yet.

If she had to stay there longer, firstly, she needed to find a place to rest her head. She thought about infiltrating the Rune Knight compound again. They sure had plenty of empty space she could sneak into for the night. But then, she was scared she might run into Baron there. While she liked to believe she didn’t care what he thought of her, that wasn’t true. The last thing he wanted was for him to find out she had been deceiving him all along. So, instead, she chose to find an affordable inn and ended up at the famous Batra’s Inn. However, once she was there, she realized she didn’t have enough for even a single night. Michelle held her head down and was about to walk out when she heard the prices. That’s when the innkeeper stopped her and gave her an alternative. “Hey! I know these are difficult times. So, how about this? You do me a favour and in return, I’ll let you stay here for a week at no cost,” he said.

Michelle’s eyes widened and she quickly turned on her heels to look at Batra. One week was plenty time for her and she knew this was a generous offer. But it also made her wonder what the ‘favour’ might be. The man didn’t look like the kind who would take advantage of her, so she immediately threw that thought out. However, there was still the risk that he might ask her to do something that may be out of her league. After all, she has been constantly finding out that there are far more powerful mages out there and they are everywhere.

502/1000

The request, however, was very simple. She was supposed to find a conman and get back Batra’s money. She had done plenty of such tasks before; especially in Oak for those stupid crime families. If she had to do one such thing for a good man who was making a generous offer, why would she hesitate? So, she immediately agreed and left the inn, promising Batra that she would be back with the money.

Finding the conman wasn’t all that difficult. Too many people knew him and almost everyone hated him. So, Michelle simply followed the clues as to where he was last seen, until she finally caught up to the man at one of the market streets. She expected trouble, and approached with caution; ready to bounce if required. However, the man was very amicable. “Ah… Batra sent you, did he?” he asked casually, as she stated her business with him. “Here! Tell him I’m sorry about the delay,” he said, grinning a little too widely. Michelle took the pouch of Jewels from him and counted it; it added up. She simply nodded and walked back to the inn. That was easy!

It was indeed too easy to be true and Michelle couldn’t believe she fell for it. Immediately after she handed the Jewels to Batra, he figured out that they were fake coins. “He scammed me! Again…” Batra said, resigned to his fate. The assassin was extremely angry; more at herself than anyone. She couldn’t believe how naïve she was. This was now more personal to her than Batra. “I’m gonna find him and beat him to pulp until coughs every penny,” she said, stomping out of the inn. This time around, finding him was difficult… obviously. The man had made a run for it. After asking several people, it became apparent that he was trying to flee the city. Michelle was not going to let that happen. She ran towards the city gate as fast as she could and found the man hurrying towards the exit.

Enraged, she cast her Tailwind and Acrobatics, one after another. The first spell boosted her speed enough to catch up with the fleeing culprit and the second was to beat the shit out of him. There was no questioning involved. The moment the conman was in her range, she pounced on him, pinned him to the ground and began pounding his face with her empowered fists. She stopped only after a solid dozen punches that went straight to his teeth and nose. The man was bleeding and could barely talk. But he knew what would make her stop. He pulled a heavy sack of Jewels out of his backpack and thrust it towards Michelle. She snatched it from him and began checking if they were all genuine coins, all the while having her foot on his throat, pressing just enough to make him gasp but not kill. When she was convinced the money was real, she gave him one last kick, breaking his teeth, before walking back to the inn.

Michelle kept the details from Batra; she presumed the man was too goody-two-shoes to approve of her methods. But, he seemed happy that she brought him his money and honoured his promise. Now, she didn’t have to worry about paying for the stay for at least a week. Hopefully, her mission in Crocus will be over before then.

1069/1000
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