The misadventures of the necromancer

The wait is getting boring, and the aches in his body aren't helping. Having to sleep on the ground outdoors again isn't sitting well with him. So, naturally, his thoughts keep returning to how much he misses having a bed.

That, and of course, the incredible fiasco of how everything had ended. That Eran guy had really ruined his simple life.

A sigh escapes him as he reflects on how comfortable things had been getting, at least until those damned cultists showed up and forced him to act.

A tray of dishes crashes to the floor, and the noise makes him look over. The inn fills with laughter as some of the customers tease the poor maid who dropped the dishes.

“I think it's just a little accident...” comments Blondie, immediately receiving a nod of agreement from Grumpy.

The two of them have accompanied him here, sitting around this table. While they wait, hopefully not in vain, for one of the assassins.

Normally, one of them would have stayed behind, hidden somewhere with the undead mule. Considering that whoever was looking for them might be counting on that, they decided that seeing all three of them together here would make for a small distraction.

The good thing is that, despite the inn looking like a respectable establishment, most of its clientele consists of caravans travelling to and from Pinetop. Since this inn is located along a trade route to there.

So far, nobody has mentioned cultists, necromancers, or the so-called Bane of Mages.

Which means the news hasn't travelled very far yet.

That could be good for them here, though not necessarily for the girls.

And so they remained waiting.

Suddenly, the inn's door opens, and someone enters.

To his great relief, it is one of the assassins.

“Is that one of them?” Blondie asks for what must be the hundredth time, since he has never met either of them personally.

After Grumpy confirms it, the idiot tries to get the man's attention, only to be stopped by his friend.

He can only shake his head, wondering how Blondie could possibly think that attracting attention during a clandestine meeting like this is a good idea.

But then again, he has to remember that Blondie has never watched a spy movie.

Meanwhile, the assassin, whose name he never really bothered to remember, calmly speaks with one of the servants. He seems to be asking for directions while casually surveying the room.

Eventually, he leaves the servant and begins approaching them.

When he reaches the corner table where they are sitting, the man gives a discreet bow and says, “Lo...”

Then he remembers that he isn't supposed to continue with the whole Lord routine.

He hesitates for a few moments, clearly searching for the best way to address him, before settling on:

“Boss.”

Not the worst choice, especially since the man doesn't know whether he introduced himself here as Nero. A name that might be burned, but he will have to see.

“So, what's happening in the city?” he asks, seeing no reason to waste time.

The man simply nods and begins speaking.

“For now, things are calm. The Bane was found in good condition, but he hasn't been revealing many details about what happened.”

“He hasn't given many details,” Blondie repeats.

“No. They admitted defeat. But the rumours going around say it was because they were caught off guard by a summoner,” the assassin clarifies.

He has to admit that much of that explanation is true. The thing that resolved the battle had been the skeletons he had been forced to summon.

And it's not as if he doesn't understand why they wouldn't want to reveal Silent Cast. Something that could be rather embarrassing for them.

Although, he still finds it difficult to understand the shock they showed, when he explained his use of the skill. Perhaps they assumed he was too young to have the level required for the skill.

He had even tried to discuss the matter with Grumpy and Blondie, but as usual, they didn't know much about it either.

“And what about the girls?” asks Grumpy, looking around to make sure nobody is listening.

“They've been interrogated, but from what we can determine, they've maintained their ignorance regarding the possibility that you might be necromancers,” the man replies without showing any emotion.

“Uh... sorry, what's your name?” asks Grumpy, apparently having just thought of something.

“Avast, sir.”

It is rather interesting to hear someone call Grumpy sir.

“Seres...” says Grumpy, pointing at Blondie, before adding, “Adar,” while pointing at himself.

“You said from what you could determine.”

“Yes,” the assassin says, nodding. “We've kept our distance from them for now, since we assumed that was the plan.”

Nero can only nod, confirming the men's speculation.

“Besides, they were being interrogated throughout the last day, so we had to keep our distance during that time,” he adds.

“And Delmic?” Blondie suddenly asks, sounding concerned.

“The baby, right?”

During the brief pause, the assassin receives several indications that yes, they mean the baby.

“The baby has been with his wet nurse. The woman who was kidnapped from the orphanage.”

“Esther,” Grumpy clarifies.

“From what we know at the moment, the situation is stable. There are plenty of contradictory rumours, but some of them aren't particularly negative toward the girls or you guys”

That confirms what he had been hoping for, though there is no way to know how long it will last.

“Such as?” Blondie asks.

“That the Bane of Mages isn't who he claims to be. That he might belong to the group of cultists the boss fought.”

An interesting rumour, and one that brings a smile to his lips.

“Do you have any plans to protect the girls if necessary?” Nero finally asks, inquiring about what matters most at the moment.

“That's where the biggest difficulty lies. There are only two of us. Watching them all day without attracting attention is difficult.”

The assassin looks directly at him before adding:

“Especially considering that we have to be careful to avoid Eran and his men.”

Which is understandable and sensible. Even with their enchanted rings, confronting the mage would probably be dangerous. And, for now, losing both men could be the most troublesome outcome.

“I understand. Continue being careful and avoid the mage,” Nero validates their choice, allowing the man to briefly reveal an expression of relief.

For a moment, he almost wonders what ridiculous instructions this guy had been expecting regarding the mage and his men.

But there are more important matters at the moment.

“I remember you hired some people to test me at the inn.”

The words make the assassin give a hesitant nod.

“Do the same thing. Have them watch the girls, while the two of you avoid direct contact. Unless it's unavoidable.”

The man's lips tighten as he gets lost in thought.

“Well... yes... The thing is...”

The man's hesitation is irritating, so he has to go straight to the point.

“Money.”

The assassin simply nods.

“Grumpy...”

Grumpy sighs and gives him a look, as if complaining about something Nero already knows.

Their money will not last forever. And they've already left part of what they had with the girls. Continuing to spend like this...

Can't go on forever.

But all he can say is.

“Gold.”

The expression of almost physical pain on Grumpy's face is almost amusing, if the boy weren't absolutely right.

Still, Grumpy reaches into his increasingly lighter purse and takes something out. He places it on the table and slides it over to the assassin without covering it with his hand. So preventing anyone nearby from seeing the payment.

Avast takes the gold coin and makes it disappear, calmly saying:

“Don't worry. We'll take care of the rest.”

“Besides, I want you to start planning what to do if we need to get the girls out of the city. Assume it will be an emergency.” After all, there is no way of knowing how long the city's goodwill will last, or what will happen if Eran tries to impose his authority.

“Disappear?” the man asks seriously.

“Exactly.”

Again, the assassin becomes uneasy before answering.

“Yes, I think we could transport them easily enough to another city... but...”

The assassin looks around the table nervously before turning his eyes back to Nero.

“Something like that... requires documents. The assistance of guards...”

“Can you do it or not?” He can only assume that assassins have more than enough contacts to arrange something like this.

And he has no trouble guessing what the big problem is.

Blondie seems to have guessed why the man is hesitating. While Grumpy simply has his hands over his face, apparently contemplating his life choices with bitterness.

“Yes, of course we can. It's just that...”

“I know. Money. You need more money,” Nero finishes, receiving confirmation from the man.

That brings him to something he has been considering ever since he visited the tunnels beneath the city because of the cultists.

The tunnels themselves were originally occupied by bandits, but that wasn't what had drawn him to this region in the game.

The quest that had brought him here was something else entirely.

“Start making the preparations, and don't worry about the money. Assume that even you guys will be well paid for your efforts.”

Everyone around the table focuses on him with curious expressions.

Except Grumpy, who looks equally curious and terrified.

“What I need to know is whether you have contacts who can sell some things.”

He has to ask, because what he has been thinking about might be quite valuable. But he still needs to be able to sell it. And just as his experience with the spider eggs had demonstrated, that might not be the easiest thing to do.

“Well... yes. But it depends on what it is.” The man answers.

And the price he could get might not be particularly competitive.

Besides, revealing what he merely suspects, at this point, might not be the best idea.

On the other hand, doing this alone would be difficult at the very least.

Also, he might need to confirm a few things first.

“Valuable creature parts and...”

Grumpy and Blondie nod as they hear this, possibly remembering when they went hunting giant spiders.

Nero sighs as he finally gives them the last revelation.

“Maybe magical crystals.”

“Magic crystals!” Grumpy and Blondie exclaim before catching themselves and looking around to see if anyone reacted to their outburst.

Fortunately, it seems that nobody in the inn noticed anything.

Even the assassin, who manages to keep himself under control, is left open-mouthed. He says it much more quietly than the other two.

“Magic crystals!!”

“Maybe,” Nero repeats. Since, considering his past experiences, he doesn't feel quite comfortable guaranteeing that there are still any crystals there.

“That’s difficult. All the mines I've heard of are on the coast, and they're heavily guarded. Even their trade is controlled...” the man says, looking around more and more as if simply being overheard talking about this could cause trouble.

Which, considering what he's saying, is quite believable.

But where there is interest, there is value, and where there is value, there is always a way.

“I think I know some people capable of moving magic crystals. But it won't be easy...” The answer is exactly what he expected.

“Well...” he begins, only to be interrupted by Blondie.

“But how do you know where to find crystals?”

“I think I know the location of a mine.”

Well, in reality, he knows the locations of several.

But most of them are either too far away or in places more dangerous than some ruins themselves.

In fact, if the location he has in mind doesn't work, unfortunately his alternative will have to be a return to Inverten and its ruins.

A place where it might be possible to find resources at a minimally acceptable level of risk.

Although he really doesn't want to go exploring ruins.

If anyone knows how dangerous, and sometimes ridiculously so, they can be, it's him.

You never know when an apparently easy and straightforward ruin might randomly generate something considerably more dangerous.

The mine should, in principle, have monsters. But they shouldn't be anywhere near the level of those found in a ruin.

Even so, dealing with, or rather, selling whatever he finds inside will require knowledge and connections he doesn't have.

Such as which parts of a monster are valuable and which aren't.

The best example is the giant spiders.

In the game, their most valuable component would be their eyes, yet in this world nobody places much value on them.

Perhaps they don't have access to potions that use spider eyes.

Which means...

“Either way, I'm probably going to need some help... Maybe some adventurers who can be trusted not to talk too much.”

The assassin nods, indicating that he seems to understand what Nero needs.

“Finding people like that isn't easy,” Avast finally says.

“I understand. And if necessary, I can go alone. But...”

After some hesitation, the assassin gives his answer. “Never less than a week.”

Which, while not ideal, having to wait here for a week is dangerous considering everything that has happened in the city. It's manageable for now, judging by what they've just heard.

In fact, if the situation with the girls changes, it might even be preferable for him to be nearby.

So he nods, accepting that it will have to do. Before they begin planning the details of how they will communicate in the future.

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