Chapter 4: First Blood

Talon joined Pontus and, using Pontus’ token, they entered the inner city as a trader and his assistant. Unlike the outer city, the inner city was cleaner but just as lively. The roads, paved with cut granite, impressed Talon. They were wide enough to hold five carriages side by side, allowing the heavy traffic to flow smoothly.

The duo soon found a spot that satisfied Pontus, and they set up the stall. Talon got to work, attracting passersby with some of the goods. Within the next hour, he managed to secure several sales, convincing Pontus of his hard work. Satisfied, Pontus positioned himself on a high seat behind the stall to attend to customers.

As the moon rose, Talon returned to the stall. "Hey, boss."

Pontus enjoyed being called that, and Talon saw no reason not to take advantage of it. "Yeah, tired already?"

"Not yet, just hungry. Can I get something to eat? I can bring yours along as well."

Pontus nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm, that’s alright. We’ll be here most of the night, so it’s best to eat now. Here..." He handed Talon a few silver coins. "Get us something to eat from a nearby inn."

Talon accepted the coins with a smile and left. Pontus didn't worry about Talon running off with the money; without a token, he wouldn’t be able to leave the inner city.

***

Talon opened his mini-map again. The red dot was several streets away, so he walked in that direction. 

Ten minutes later, he reached his destination. The target was inside an inn, apparently planning to lodge there for the night. Talon entered the inn and ordered a meal and a mug of ale. He was surprised to see that the mug was made of glass. 'The inner city is truly the place for the rich,' he thought, recalling that even the inn in the outer city didn't use glass mugs.

As he ate, he confirmed the target was still in his room upstairs. After finishing his meal, he carried his mug of ale and walked to the upper floor. The bartender was too busy with customers to notice him. 

He walked through the corridor until he reached the target's door. Taking a deep breath, he knocked hard. At first, there was no response, but then he heard clothes rustling and footsteps approaching. The door opened slightly, revealing a tall man with deep brown eyes and coarse black hair.

“Yes?” the man asked apprehensively.

Talon’s adventurer instincts kicked in. Bang! He kicked the door, sending the man stumbling backward and the door swinging open. Talon rushed into the room, closing the distance before the man could regain his balance.

The man swung his hand, materializing a shard of ice that flew towards Talon. He blocked it with the glass mug, breaking most of it before the shard hit his right chest. The ice slowed after hitting the mug, preventing serious damage, but Talon could feel the ice spreading from the wound.

Pa! He stabbed the man's throat with the mug’s handle. From the moment he entered to the counterattack and the stabbing, everything happened within three seconds.

The man’s eyes bulged in shock. He grabbed Talon’s wrist, trying to stop the mug from going deeper into his throat. Talon didn’t give him a chance. He held the man’s head with his left hand and pushed the mug deeper, causing a gurgling noise.

After ten more seconds, the man lost all strength and collapsed, blood staining the carpet. Talon stood over him, the shattered mug in hand and blood dripping into the crimson pool.

“Mission accomplished.”

The synthetic voice rang in his head again.

“Do you wish to return now?”

“No,” Talon replied.

“You can request a return at any time.”

The voice fell silent. 'Shit! The bastard was Awakened. The fuck?' Talon hadn't expected his first mission to involve an Awakened. He had no abilities of his own. If not for the well-built body and his experience as an adventurer, he couldn’t have killed the man so quickly. If the battle had lasted even a minute, the man would have won.

Relieved, Talon noted the man seemed to be in the Preliminary stage of Awakening. An Advanced or Peak stage Awakened would have been unbeatable. 'Sadly, there are no ifs and buts in a battle. The victor is the victor, the loser simply accepts the status quo.'

He dropped the mug shard and closed the door before ransacking the room. The mission stated that the man was trying to open a door to Egermont’s domain using a talisman. If he left it, the danger wouldn’t be averted. Better to destroy it.

He soon found the talisman in the man’s inner pocket. It looked like a medal with strange inscriptions. The unemotional voice confirmed, “Congratulations on finding the Summoning Talisman of the Abyss Cult.”

Satisfied, he pocketed the talisman and left. Immediately, he felt dizzy and his breath came in cold mists. “Damn it.” 'Even a weak Awakened is no joke.' He could feel the ice crawling under his skin towards his lungs, making deep breaths difficult.

Pushing himself forward, Talon reached the bar and paid for a packaged meal before leaving. No one noticed his injury thanks to the man’s cloak. The ice attack made bleeding impossible.

He half-ran, half-walked back to Pontus.