Chương 104: Chapter 064 Please Don’t Blow Up! (Part 2)

(Part 2) Jack froze in his tracks. Turning to the side, he saw a middle-aged man and woman, both dressed in the dark robes of the Inquisition, approaching from a side street. They were accompanied by half a dozen beastkin guards. Fuck. Jack's mind screamed at him to run, but like a rabbit startled by a predator, inaction took root. The male inquisitor approached him with confidence.

"Name, age, and class, boy." Damn it. He glanced around for an escape route, his eyes settling on the inquisitor's dagger and expensive wand hung from his belt. I have to run. He knew he couldn't let them scan him, but it was already too late. The male inquisitor was in front of him, and the guards had formed a loose circle around him.

"Are you deaf, boy?" the inquisitor snapped. [Assassin's Intuition] pinged again. Jack took a deep breath and prayed his pseudo [Rogue's Tongue] skill would save him.

"You will show some respect to a circle member!" He stood tall and shook his head in disgust. Oh, shit. His hand trembled, and his knees felt weak. The inquisitor's eyes widened in horror.

"Blood mage? Sorry, sir." He offered a short bow.

"I wasn't aware…" He scanned Jack's clothing.

"You have no pin… Sir?" Jack recalled the blood pin Greaves had placed on his collar to signify he was a member of their circle. He took a deep breath and looked at his jacket.

"That damn, filthy street rat. I'll have him flayed for this!" he yelled.

"You, there!" He pointed at one of the beastkin guards, while trying to control his nerves.

"Head to The Square, look for a boy wearing a filthy, red and white striped jacket. The little fucker stole my pin!" Inside, he was on the verge of a panic attack, but externally, he oozed confidence. The beastkin guard looked to the inquisitors, who were frowning.

"What are you waiting for?" Jack barked.

"Take the other worthless animals with you." He gestured at the other guards.

"Find the boy now! He has my fucking pin." [Assassin's Intuition] triggered as the guard, a foxkin, looked between Jack and the inquisitors. The male inquisitor spoke.

"Do as he says. You three go with him." He pointed at three other guards who nodded. Four of the beastkin guards hurried towards The Square while Jack breathed a small sigh of relief. There are still too many.

"What are your names and which noble house are you associated with?" he asked the two inquisitors. He felt the right thing to do was scare them into leaving. Both the inquisitors' eyes widened at the question.

"Are you deaf or just stupid?" Jack added. Oh, fuck. That's too much; they're going to kill me.

"Leopold, Journeyman Inquisitor with house Idrisa, sir." The male inquisitor offered a bow. The female bowed.

"Cordelia, sir. With house Quill. Apprentice Inquisitor, sir." Jack smiled.

"You're related to Baroness Idrisa and Baroness Quill." He surmised.

"Good. They'll be hearing of this grave insult at the weekend hunt. I hope for your sake they value your service, or perhaps you'll be on the menu." He licked his lips and smirked. Cordelia fidgeted with her robe.

"We meant no offence, sir…" Jack raised his hand to stop her.

"I don't want to hear it." He shook his head.

"You've delayed me long enough. I'm on an important mission for Viscount Tides. You will not mention this meeting to anyone. Do I make myself clear?" He stared the male inquisitor, Leopold, down while inwardly, he was on the verge of making a run for it. Leopold nodded.

"Yes, sir." Jack turned and headed away from his home, praying they didn't know who he was. After a few steps, Leopold spoke.

"Your pin, sir?" Jack continued to walk away. Shit. The pin.

"Secure it at the Inquisition offices on The Square. I'll have one of my people collect it later." You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"Yes, sir. Of course, sir," Leopold replied.

"We are sorry for stopping you, but… but with no pin, we still have to scan you. It's procedure, sir." Jack waved a hand in the air without turning around and quickened his pace.

"I'm already late. I do not have time for this." He turned the corner and ran for it. I'm fucked. He knew there were so many holes in his story that it was only a matter of time before he was caught out. As he was about to turn another corner, he looked back to see the two inquisitors and their guards appear. [Assassin's Intuition] triggered as Leopold pointed towards Jack, and the two beastkin guards chased after him. Jack turned the corner and ran for his life.

He weaved into an alley and felt [Shadow Veil] pull him towards the shadows. He ducked through a hole in a broken fence and ran through a back garden. He jumped another small fence as one of the guards, a pantherkin, leapt over the first fence.

"I've been ordered to detain you!" the pantherkin shouted as she gained on Jack. He glanced back.

"I order you to stop!" He marked her with [Assassin's Mark]. Healthy, annoyed, minor armour, no protections.

"Or I'll use force." He took another turn into another alleyway, hoping the threat would throw the guard off. The pantherkin jumped the small fence and sped after him. She bashed into his back, knocking him to the cobbled floor. He fell with a grunt, his [Shield] not activating, before finding himself on his back with the guard standing over him. She held a slender sword that was pointed at his heart.

"I was ordered to detain you. Do not resist." Jack took a moment to catch his breath. He could hear the other guard approaching through the garden.

"You will pay for this insult, beast!" He pointed an accusing finger at the guard and embraced his [Rogue's Tongue] skill.

"I'll have you flayed within an inch of your worthless life!" The pantherkin pulled the sword back and looked concerned at the threat. Jack gritted his teeth and fired a pseudo [Fireball] spell. The fireball engulfed the pantherkin's upper body in an inferno of flames. Jack recoiled from the heat as the guard dropped her sword and screamed in agony as her upper body and face burned.

At the same time, the second guard, a bulky bullkin, kicked his way through the small fence and ran towards him while raising a large axe. [Assassin's Intuition] triggered as Jack scrambled backwards while the bullkin swung his axe down at his midsection. Jack's still active [Shield] and [Reflect] protections were activated as the large axe hit just above his right hip. The majority of the blow was absorbed or reflected, but the axe still made contact.

He winced in pain as it felt like he'd been hit with a hammer; some of the pain was dampened by the pseudo warrior [Endure Pain] skill. The bullkin groaned as a small wound opened above his right hip.

"Fuck!" The beastkin pulled back the axe to take another swing. In the background, the pantherkin slumped against a wall and moaned due to her burn injuries as she slid to the floor. In pain, Jack pointed his left hand at the bullkin and willed another pseudo [Fireball] spell. It struck the beastkin in the abdomen, engulfing him in flames. The bullkin roared from the pain, but still managed to swing the weapon down at Jack's body.

He rolled to the side, but the blade clipped his flailing left arm, leaving a deep gash in his forearm. He screamed in pain as blood sprayed from the wound. [Endure Pain] took some of the pain away. Shit. He willed a pseudo [Heal] to the wound, staunching most of the blood loss. Drawing his dagger, he felt more confident as he gripped the weapon's damaged handle.

As the bullkin pulled his axe back for another strike, Jack slid his [Assassinate] empowered dagger into the beastkin's gut and ripped the weapon to the side, opening a large wound. The guard bent forward in pain and grunted as he stopped himself from falling by leaning on his axe. Jack felt the now familiar itch on his right palm while almost retching from the smell of burning skin, hair, and leather armour. You have to, he told himself.

His body glowed blue, followed by red for a moment as he reactivated [Shield] and [Reflect]. The bullkin grunted and, with one hand holding in his intestines, he swung the axe sideways at Jack with the other. The weapon struck him in the side of the head, causing his [Shield] and[Reflect] protections to again dissipate. Both Jack and the bullkin fell to the floor from bleeding head wounds. Jack held his bleeding head while casting pseudo [Heal].

"Fuck!" Feeling his mana reduce, he scrambled back to his feet and threw himself at the still dazed bullkin. Guided by [Dagger Proficiency], he inflicted a series of vicious dagger strikes to the upper body and neck of the beastkin; he felt the bullkin go limp. A memory of the female assassin flashed through his mind. She silently dropped from a tree before driving the blade into the base of a top hat-wearing nobleman. In an instant, the memory faded to mist, but an imprint of the skill remained.

His palm itched, a wave of power flowed through him, and a new pseudo skill formed.

"Shit!" Taking a deep breath, he staggered towards the still groaning pantherkin and stabbed her in the heart. Another memory, the dagger being stabbed into a man's shoulder, causing agonising pain, but little damage. The familiar wave of power followed as a new pseudo skill formed as he wiped the blade clean and sheathed his dagger. Knowing the two inquisitors could appear at any moment, he pulled away the pantherkin's coin purse, grabbed her sword, and limped away.

As he turned the next corner, he heard the female inquisitor yelling.

"Fuck! Call for reinforcements." Jack breathed a sigh of relief as he moved farther away. Had he taken the time to loot the bullkin, the inquisitors might have spotted him.