Assassin's Chronicle - Chapter 102

Chapter 102
When the caravan of the Shansa princess stopped, Anfey and Suzanna had already turned back . They observed the campsite carefully . There obviously were smart men in her service, because the campsite was laid out very methodically . The site was divided into four sections; patrols and mercenaries dotted the camp . There were mages floating above the camp as well . Bonfires had been lit throughout the camp . These protections turned the camp into a fortress .


Anfey watched for about two hours before deciding to return to Blackwater City . The only people that could make the impossible possible were gods . Anfey was an assassin, and his ability was limited . He wasn’t one to take great risks, and his welcome ceremony for the princess must come to a stop now .
It was already dusk of the next day when they returned to Blackwater City . Vonmerge’s ability was impressive . He had already gathered everything Anfey needed in two days . Although the man in black’s ability was much stronger than Vonmerge, Anfey didn’t want him to know his entire plan . It was his habit from when he was still an assassin, and it benefitted him . It was easier for him if no one knew exactly what he wanted, which would make it harder for people to interfere with his plans .
The four mercenary groups all had fairly good reputations . None of the leaders had a record of abusing his powers or deceiving any of his allies . Of course, even if a leader did do such a thing, it would be on record . Afterwards, he would try to clear his name as best he could .
However, everyone had their families and friends . The mercenary leaders could keep their own names clean, but they could not restrict their friends and families . Old Phillip had never oppressed the people or abused his power, but his grandson Zeda was infamously spoiled . Old Phillip had done wrong, but was good at hiding it . Zeda, on the other hand, wore his wrongdoings like badges . People who had done great wrongs might be looked up to, but people who had committed petty crimes were usually looked down upon .
The man on top of Anfey’s list was Davidson, who ranked third in Glory mercenary group . According to reports, he had a short temper, and that made him an easy target . Anthony, the man who ranked first in the group, was not in Blackwater City . It was something that could be used to Anfey’s advantage as well .
Davidson had a younger brother called Orwell . Davidson and his brother were orphaned at a young age, leaving the brothers alone in the world . With no other means of income, Davidson had resorted to thieving . He was caught one time and was beaten . Orwell nursed him back to health all by himself . Davidson’s mentor found them and felt sympathetic . He took Davidson with him, and returned later for his younger brother . However, they did not find Orwell . After a few years, Davidson returned to look for Orwell . By then, the two had taken completely different paths . Davidson was already a junior swordsman, and Orwell had became a thug . After Davidson befriended Anthony and joined Glory mercenary group, he had bought Orwell to Blackwater City as well .
However, old habits die hard . Orwell was used to doing things his way, and was still a typical thug in Blackwater City . His brother was friends with Anthony, and everyone tried to move out of his way . Orwell knew his limits as well . He would not mess with people he knew he could not take on . Because he knew who to mess with and who he had to leave alone, he was able to live in relative comfort .
Vonmerge found out about these things through a friend of Davidson’s, and felt they should be accurate .
Anfey circled Orwell’s name and told Vonmerge to keep tabs on Orwell . He then closed his door and began meditating . If everything went according to plan, Blackwater City would be in chaos once he was done . He must improve his skills before then .
Two days passed in the blink of an eye . Anfey opened the window to the city’s clamor . He looked out and saw a long line of carriages and carts in the streets . He knew that the princess was in the city .
All along the streets, people of the city were out holding flowers . They were cheering loudly . Tiger of Tawau was a powerful mercenary group, but getting such a big display was impressive . Anfey watched for a while longer before closing the window and leaving the room .
The hallway was empty . Clark had already removed all the other patrons, and the new patrons in the first and second floors were all working with Anfey . Their safety could be assured and there was no longer the need for nightly patrols .
He knocked on Suzanna’s door, then poked his head inside and found it empty . Blavi pushed open Christian’s door and called Anfey over .


"We’re all in here," he said .

Christian frowned when Anfey walked inside . "Anfey, can’t you tell us the next time you are going to meditate? We didn’t want to bother you, but we needed you here to make the plan . "
"Sorry about that," Anfey apologized . "Why? Did something happen?" He knew what the problem was . He was only confident in himself, and the only person that needed to know the exact details of the plan . He was the leader of a team, though, and it may create a rift in his relationship with the team members if he kept things from them .
"Didn’t you tell Vonmerge to keep on eye on Orwell? We were there too, yesterday . He bought a little elf girl at the market yesterday . She looked like she's only eleven or twelve . "
"Elves live longer than us," Zubin said . "She was probably already fifty . "
"I’m saying the way she looked," Christian said .


"Zubin, don’t interrupt him," Anfey said .
"We saw Orwell taking the little girl to his place, and then we heard screams . Suzanna and Sante wanted to go in, but I didn’t let them . " Christian smiled bitterly . "Vonmerge saw a few carts from Glory mercenary group coming out of his house the next day, and they buried something outside the city . It was the little girl . "
"That’s it?"
"They blame me for her death . They tell me you wanted to kill Orwell, and killing him then wouldn’t change much about the plan . I thought I did nothing wrong . We wanted to hear your take on this . "
"Anything else?"
"Suzanna talked about the princess . Anfey, I don’t think it’s a good idea to assassinate her . She has four senior swordsmen, plus the people serving Tiger of Tawau mercenary group . There is no way we can take them all by ourselves . " Christian sighed and shook his head . "Best case scenario, some of us would still die . Clark said that the marriage was political, and even if we kill one princess they can always send another one . "
"Nothing else?"
"That’s it . "
"First thing . I think you’re right, Christian . I didn’t tell you guys why we wanted to kill Orwell or the impact of it, and that is my fault . But if you had really killed him, that would have ruined my plan . "
"Anfey, didn’t you tell me to kill him?" Vonmerge asked .
"I said to kill him when the timing is right," Anfey explained . "Christian did the right thing . Now, the next thing . You guys are getting good . At least you know how to analyze your enemies . "
"You want to cancel the plan, too?"
"No . I think we have a high chance of succeeding . My plan is this," Anfey said . He then proceeded to explain to the group his plan in its entirety . "What do we think?" he ask, looking around the room .
Everyone was looking at each other . Those who were still relatively naive were shocked by how heartless Anfey’s plans were . If they really go through with the plan, surely it would be a bloodbath . There would be so many dead who would not even know who killed them .