Assassin's Chronicle - Chapter 98

Chapter 98
The Wilder Plain was covered by six foot tall grass . Whenever the wind was strong enough to part it, it would reveal thousands of boarbeasts . These animals were native to the Wilder Plain, and was the food source for most carnivores living there . Boarbeasts were very mild in nature, and rarely attack other animals . Whenever they were attacked, they tended to run instead of fighting back . They were herbivores, and reproduced very fast to prevent extinction . If there were no boarbeasts, the other beasts would starve to death . If there were no other beasts, the boarbeasts would destroy the plain .


The Wilder Plain was large, but for the mercenaries that depended on this plain for a living, they already know the plain like the back of their hands . They were very familiar with things like where the high-level magic beasts resided and where they should not go . Only powerful people dared to go to the plains, because if they were not powerful, they would simply become another body in the plain .
With Vonmerge as their guide, Anfey and the group did not waste much time looking for their target . It was a nine-person mercenary team made up of seven men—six swordsmen and one mage—and two women, a mage and a priestess . With the Eyes of Sky they could see that this other team was harvesting the magic beast’s body .
Anfey approached them quietly . He was good at disguising himself, and did not worry about being seen . When he was close enough to hear the mercenaries’ voices, he took out two top tier magic crystals and knocked them together .
Soon the mercenaries heard the sound and began making their way over . "Hey, kid, what are you doing?" one of them asked .
Anfey turned, acting like he was surprised by them and had forgotten to put away the crystals .
"You…" the man who was speaking stopped mid-sentence, his eyes falling on the crystals . Their team was only mediocre, but they had seen top tier magic magic crystals before . The man’s eyes gleamed with greed .
Five other people came through the grass, and all of their eyes were immediately drawn to the crystals in Anfey’s hands . Magic crystals meant wealth . It meant that they could live like kings and have something to brag about later . There were so many mercenaries that never get to touch top tier magic crystals .
"Where did you get that?" one of the men asked . He nodded to the others, and they began surrounding Anfey .
"I’m not obliged to tell you," Anfey said, taking a few steps back .
"Don’t worry, friend," the man said . "We are part of the Tiger of Tawau Mercenary . Our lord is about to marry, and we must come up with some gifts . If possible, we hope to buy your crystals . Five thousand coins, how about that?"
Five thousand coins was a fair price, but the man looked like he was worth not even ten coins, let alone five thousand .
The group kept smiling and surrounding Anfey . Anfey took a few steps back and kept a certain distance between himself and the mercenaries . "What do you want?" he asked . "These belong to my friend . I cannot sell them . "
"What is his name? Maybe we know him," the man said . His smile was wider now, but his forehead was covered with sweat .
Anfey placed the crystals into his pocket and ducked into the grass .


"Crap!"

"Don’t let him get away!"
"Sir, let’s contact the main group . We gotta catch the kid!" one of the men called while pulling out a scroll from his ring .
Larger mercenary legions had the advantage of numbers, and each member had the same scroll in case backup was needed .
"Idiot!" the first man barked . "No! How will we divide up the crystals then?"
"Yeah . The kid had no combat power . He won’t get away . "
A small search quick ensued . The two mages lifted themselves into the air with levitation magic, searching for Anfey’s trail . The others fanned out and began searching . In the face of the temptation of top tier crystals, they had already forgotten the low tier crystals they were harvesting . If they took those crystals, they could live for a few years with no financial troubles .


Anfey walked through the grass quietly . He had brought the entire group to the plain, but he had sent them away before he approached the mercenaries . It didn’t matter how good the plan was, they could still fail . If the men had used their scrolls, and the men from Tiger of Tawau had surrounded them, he could ensure his own escape, but not everyone’s . Plus, Tiger of Tawau would not be the only mercenaries coming . The larger mercenary legions all had treaties with each other, and would lend each other help . This place was far from Blackwater City, and if someone used a scroll, there would be thousands of mercenaries here within minutes .
Anfey stopped backing away and crouched in a bush . He removed the top layer of his clothes and revealed a layer of clothes made for easier movements . It was in fact a military-style camouflage suit with a hood made by Anfey himself . People could get as close as fifteen feet without noticing him .
Anfey retrieved a dagger from his dimensional ring . It wasn’t made by Hagan . Instead it was made by a blacksmith Anfey found in the city . Swords were made for fighting in places like this, and using the altered dagger was too much of a waste .
The sound of boots on ground was getting closer and closer . Anfey picked up a small stone and waited until the man was close enough . He flicked the stone out and hit another patch of grass . The man turned his gaze towards where the stone landed .
Anfey jumped out of his hiding place and dashed towards the man, his dagger swiping across the man’s throat .
The man fell to the ground without making a noise . He slumped on the ground, but was still alive . He dug his bloodstained fingers into his wound in a desperate attempt for air .
Anfey returned quietly and buried the dagger into the man’s chest . Humans had big hearts, and someone as well trained as Anfey would never miss it . The man was still before Anfey could pull the dagger out .
Anfey listened for a few moments before approaching the second man . Before he could approach him, however, the man began screaming .
"I see you, kid!" the man called . "Get out here before I burn you out! Kid, this isn’t a fun place! You’re gonna get eaten by beasts!"
He was loud enough for his friends to hear, and if his voice disappeared, his friends would be suspicious . Anfey turned to look for another target .
These mercenaries thought they were the hunters, but they did not know they had already became the prey . Anfey’s presence was too undetectable, and the mercenaries thought he was just a normal kid . No mercenaries would be too concerned about a normal person .
The man’s target was focused on something straight ahead, and he did not pay attention to movements around him .
As soon as he was close enough, Anfey reached out and, covering the man’s mouth and nose with his hand, slit the man’s throat with his dagger . The man’s body spasmed and fell still . Anfey placed him on the ground softly . The two mages flew by, but the grass was too tall for them to see anything .