Chapter 25: Assassin

“Well, I’ll be cutting it kind of close.”

“Yea, seems like you won’t be getting much rest for the next several weeks.”

I yawned as Rayla spoke from beside me. 

Since I had to wake up bright and early, she decided to take me to the North Gate after her work in the market. 

Our topic of conversation was the fact that there wasn’t that much time left until the Magisterium would send me away on our hunting trip. 

This trip with the Tavera Family would take at a week, and that was with only a few hiccups factored in. It could take longer depending on the attacks that were thrown our way. 

Thankfully, there was one new detail that gave me a bit of solace. 

Turns out, there was a dedicated railway between the capital city and the City of Joffrun. This railway was precisely as I assumed it. 

It was a magic train dedicated exclusively to moving people and light amounts of cargo. This was because it moved underground. 

There was a network of these railways between all the major cities, especially going to and from the frontier cities. They were built as a quick response network for the military, but eventually became somewhat commercialized as the technology got better. 

We wouldn’t be using this railway to get to Joffrun, but we had the option of taking it back. Apparently it wasn’t cheap, costing a few hundred coin for just one short and cheap trip. 

But what was a few hundred coin to me? I often forgot that I was actually kind of rich by the normal standard, and a single well placed bullet during this cargo haul would outright cover any expenses.

So I absolutely planned on taking this train back. Still, even with this, I would have around a week and a half before I was once again sent off for another expedition. 

Since it was morning, I was tired. And the thought of going on two back to back trips had me feeling even more so. 

Rayla gently rubbed my back comfortingly. Not far from us was the North Gate. 

“I’m sure everything will be fine. You just need to focus on coming back from this trip. It’s going to be dangerous. People will die, and don’t think that you can’t be one of them.”

“Well, I can’t say that I’m not a bit relaxed. After all, I managed to find myself a piece of insurance last night.”

“Really? A new weapon?”

“Mhmm. Why do you think I’m so tired?”

I smiled while rubbing the bags under my eyes. I was up late, but it was worth it considering what I found. 

She sighed. 

“Alright. But your safety comes before all else. Money means nothing if you can’t come home to use it. I expect you to buy me a drink with all that money when you get back.”

“Of course. We can even get dinner at the Caviar Restaurant. Just stop worrying so much. I’ll be fine.”

I turned to Rayla a bit of a distance from the gate. I could see Tavera insignias from here, and they were beginning to gather. 

But Rayla was really worried. I could tell, despite the smile she wore. It almost seemed like she was sending me off to war. 

I wrapped her up in a hug, which she returned with a squeeze. 

“I’ll be back in a week, okay? Just make sure you don’t gain any weight from stress eating those cookies of yours.”

“Ugh! Right as the moment was good!”

She scoffed and pinched my arm, but I couldn’t feel much through my coat, making me laugh. 

Just then, she abruptly turned her head. I followed, seeing Plex walk over with a smile. 

“Hey you two. How goes it?”

“Hello Plex.”

Rayla greeted, and Plex turned toward me. 

“Go ahead and check in John. We’re leaving soon.”

“Oh, alright.”

I nodded before giving Rayla one more quick hug and walking off. 

I checked in with the captain of this convoy, who verified my identity and thanked me for being there. 

That was when I turned my head, looking back toward Plex and Rayla. 

She seemed to be scolding him, or at least lecturing. Her face was dead serious as Plex just stood there and scratched his head weirdly. 

I turned away before they could see me staring, staring out at the large convoy that was parked in front of the gates. 

The North Gate was a literal gate connected to the walls that surrounded the capital city. They were grand and manned by plenty of guards, but also built with a bit of a fortress feel to them with tall watchtowers. It was no doubt built for war, but thankfully never used for it. 

I was surprised though about the Tavera convoy. They were being incredibly obvious about everything they were doing, and even beyond their enemies, the Kingdom was doing nothing to stop it. 

Would the Kingdom simply allow them to smuggle and operate totally unhindered, as if they were legitimate merchants? It was amazing to think about, but that’s exactly what was happening. 

“Hey, tell me something.”

My thoughts were interrupted as Plex suddenly appeared beside me. It chilled my neck a little considering I had heightened awareness after realizing my Aura. I was beginning to realize how powerful Plex really was. 

He pat my shoulder.

“Just how chummy did you and Rayla get?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, it’s like she’s your wife and sending you off to war. What the hell did you do to her that’s got her all worried over you?”

“We’re just good friends.”

I spoke casually, but I was suddenly anxious. 

No longer could I simply hide my thoughts with acting. I knew Plex could see a certain level of my thoughts and feelings, and considering how he almost immediately smirked in amusement, I was absolutely sure he picked up on something. 

I cursed my inability to reign in my Aura and closed my eyes.

“Just watch my back during the trip.”

“Hehe, dodging topics is like admitting guilt.”

“Stop trying to read my mind. In fact, I’ll be picking your brain about Aura too.”

“So you’ve learned about it?”

He asked with a smile, making me shrug. 

After that, the captain of the convoy called everyone over, preparing to leave. 

I was assigned a wagon, so I went to board it. But before doing so, I turned back to Rayla standing in the distance. 

She waved as she stood alone within the plaza before the gates, her red hair blowing just slightly with the morning breeze.

I waved back, but the sight of there standing alone soured my mood as I thought about her history. 

I could imagine why she was worried, and I hated that I was making her feel that way. It went beyond just watching me go on a dangerous trip. 

It was risking losing someone that you cared about. 

I forcefully pulled my gaze away and entered the large wagon. 

Plex quickly noticed the change in my mood, but I didn’t care. 

I took a seat, and before long, the convoy started moving. 

……

…

It didn’t take us long for the convoy’s path to diverge from the standard route. 

It was only a couple miles beyond the city gates that they turned down an unobvious but still decently tread road. Most of the surroundings around the capital were grasslands and farmland. There weren’t many forests, probably all having been cleared out for their wood. 

Most of my focus though was surveying the convoy I was protecting. 

At first, there had only been 6 wagons. Each wagon was only a bit smaller than a semi-truck from Earth. They were equipped with comfortable interiors, large rubber wheels, a metal structure, and some hatches that acted as windows. Some were filled with cargo, and some held people. 

These wagons had already impressed me enough. In fact, they were closer to actual trucks than otherwise. They were magical armored vehicles that took us across dirt roads with speeds exceeding 40 mph. 

But these 6 vehicles weren’t the only ones. 

After driving for a while, the convoy stopped for a moment. 

There were two other vehicles that we met with, ones that had been stationed ahead in advance. 

And these monsters were something I didn’t expect to see in this world. 

They were basically mobile fortresses. They called them the Hunkers, and these two vehicles were twice as wide and a bit longer than a normal semi-truck. 

They were plated with layered steel that glowed with magic enchantments, making them as tough as a tank. And while they lacked their own armament, there were protected turrets that Warlocks could launch spells from on their tops. 

These two Hunkers would act as the core of the convoy, transporting the most valuable cargo while acting as a fortress that we could defend from. 

Plex and I were moved to the Hunker that took up a position near the rear. I was also introduced to a turret, a place perfect for a ranged fighter such as myself. 

They were making my job incredibly easy. Though, such things were synonymous with more effective protection as well. 

After arranging the convoy proper, the true trip started. 

For the most part, it involved sitting around and waiting for something to happen. Fuel came in the form of White Crystals, of which there was plenty, so the convoy would only come to a stop once a day during noon where we would need to handle any business of ours. During that time, while everyone settled themselves, all the food for our meals would be cooked and we would be allowed to do things like bathe a bit. 

There were also scouts that were responsible for keeping watch during all hours of the day and night. People like myself and the few Warlocks on board were required to keep ourselves rested until we were attacked so that we could respond effectively. 

Being inside the Hunker, my anxiety was significantly decreased. It was wonderful how strong armor eased your worries. Even if we were suddenly hit with a barrage of spells, we would be perfectly fine and could respond with relative ease. Even those in the standard wagons were still protected by some metal. 

But I was still a bit stiff as I felt the vibration of the Hunker rolling across the moderately rough road. It didn’t ease my mind to know that we were sitting ducks and were being targeted for every leg of this trip. And there was nothing we could do to preemptively eliminate any threats. 

Being on the other end of guerilla warfare was nerve wracking. 

“They’ll probably give it time.”

Plex suddenly appeared and took a seat next to me, muttering those words with a bottle of alcohol in his hand. 

“Two things happen as time goes on. People either become complacent, or a nervous wreck. So they’ll wait until we’re most vulnerable which will probably be in three or four days. Thus, it’s the last two days that will be the most dangerous. So enjoy the peace and quiet until then.”

“Doesn’t help.”

I mumbled back, causing him to laugh while leaving. 

It was obvious that the end of the trip would be the worst. Their goal was to keep us from arriving at the City of Joffrun, and if they failed earlier on, they would get desperate and throw everything they had at us. 

I wouldn’t be surprised if an entire army showed up to bar our path. 

Well, this was when it paid to be a ranged fighter. I just needed to stick around in the back and do what I did best. 

Or at least, that’s what I thought. 

The first day passed, and my anxiousness grew. 

……

…

It was difficult to go to sleep. 

And that was disregarding the weird feeling I was having. 

The Hunker, while large with rubber wheels, wasn’t exactly smooth. Suspension was a piece of tech this world had yet to perfect. 

But the droning of the vehicle served to at least make me drowsy. And the bunk beds within were soft, though cramped. You couldn’t actually sit up in them. There was probably only 16 inches between my mattress and the bottom of the next bed. 

But for some reason, I couldn’t fall asleep. 

I had my eyes closed for about an hour, buy my mind seemed to be overactive. I kept thinking about what could happen, how we could be hit with magic missiles at a moments notice. 

And I couldn’t see well in the dark. One thing that the convoy did was kill all lights. It let everyone’s vision adapt to the dark so that if we were attacked, everyone would be able to see. Any lanterns were snuffed for that reason. 

But at a distance, my vision still suffered when it was dark. How was I supposed to hit my shots? If anything, I would make myself a beacon with each bullet fired. 

I was starting to think that night time was the worst time for us to get attacked. 

After a while of trying to force myself to sleep to no avail, I tossed around and opened my eyes. Although it was dark, the moon was always bright, and the turrets weren’t far from us. Their openings let in light like a natural lantern. 

It was easily midnight, and while I lay there, I saw someone in a bunk not far away shift around. 

He crawled out with a yawn and looked around. 

I closed my eyes, pretending to be asleep. I don’t know why I did, but I felt it would be weird if you saw someone just staring at you from their bed. 

And well, perhaps that was my best decision on the trip. 

Because a few seconds later, I heard the slightest noise that made my instincts kick in. 

A knife sliding out of a leather sheath. It was quiet, but I recognized the metallic sound. 

And peeking one eye open, I saw that man holding a bright silver blade. 

He walked over toward me, and I felt my heart beat out of my chest. 

But he didn’t seem focused on me, so I kept pretending as he stopped right in front of my bunk. 

Then, my eyes flew open. A sawed off double barrel shotgun appeared in my hand, and I pointed it from under my sheets. 

I obviously shifted a bit, making noise. But that was also when I heard another sound. 

“Ack!”

It wasn’t loud, but in this quiet room, it may as well have been a scream. I heard liquid, and the metal of the blade, along with the sudden struggle of the unlucky victim. 

That’s when I took aim, right at the only portion of the assassin’s torso I could see. 

His crotch. 

*BOOM*

The sound was deafening, especially in an enclosed space. 

But hey, it was an assassin. What else should I do, let him kill someone?

And as expected, the entire Hunker roared to life. Everyone around me jolted awake as the assassin’s body flew backward. 

His lower body was now a mess of gore, and he started vomiting profusely after he landed. 

I didn’t take another shot, instead shooting to my feet and taking a look at the man in the bunk above me. 

I quickly got a look. The right side of his neck was bleeding, and his hand was pressing against it as hard as he could even though blood continued to flow. 

At the same time, a man ran in. He was the captain of this convoy. 

“What happened?!”

“Get a healer!”

I shouted back right at him, my ears still ringing form the shotgun blast. 

He seemed confused, so I yelled again. 

“Get a healer, unless you want this man to die!”

“…Healer!”

Thankfully, he took my word for it. He ran out, and only a second or so later, I saw him dragging another man back by the collar. 

It was a healer, and he was placed in front of me. 

“Heal him! Knife wound to the neck!”

“R-Right!”

He stammered. Everyone was asleep, so the wake up call was jarring. 

But these were experienced men. Without hesitation, the healer cast a spell, lines conjuring above the wounded man and targeting his neck. 

At that moment, I turned around, facing the captain. Then, I pointed to the man who was still groaning on the floor in agony. 

“Him! He’s the assassin!”

“…Son of a bitch.”

The captain cursed, walking over with a scowl and looking down on the assassin with rage. 

“I didn’t think they’d get into our ranks. John, right?”

“Yes.”

“You’ve done well. This will not go unrewarded.”

“Well, its my life on the line too.”

I gave a perfunctory response. It would have been bad if this assassin was able to operate unhindered. For all I know, it would have been my life next. 

“Doc, how is he?”

The captain asked the healer, who nodded. He had collected his bearings and could operate on the victim with more care now. 

“He’ll be fine. It was lethal, but we responded in time. Plus, he seemed to have been able to dodge a blow that would have otherwise killed him. He’ll be asleep for the next day though, and I need about half an hour to operate. When he wakes, he’ll be good as new.”

“Mm.”

The captain nodded. 

After that, he went around calming everyone. With the blast, everyone had woken up expecting to do battle. The convoy had even stopped. 

But we all needed sleep, and the threat had been dealt with. While we still needed to be on alert, we also didn’t need to make everyone paranoid. 

The captain grabbed another healer who went to work preserving the assassin’s life, at least for a little while. He was also dragged away, probably to be questioned and tortured. 

Well, that was beyond my pay grade. All I know was that, despite the hectic event, I managed to pass right out upon getting into bed. 

And I slept like a log that night. 

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