The Eternal Assassin

Trellis leaned back in his chair, happily sighing as he went over the profit reports the various merchants making up his caravan had given him. It was common practice for merchants within a caravan to pay a percentage of their profits to the caravan leader in exchange for using their connections and protection, and Trellis had enough connections that he was able to charge even more than most.

Despite its small size, stopping in the village of Horntho always turned a profit. Due to its proximity with the Lavash Forest, it was a gold mine for a pelt merchant such as himself. The pelts he picked up here were able to be sold for ten, sometimes twenty times as many shards deeper into the kingdom. Because of the sheer number of monster pelts flooding around the kingdom from the different dungeons, many nobles preferred using animal pelts for their clothing and decoration as something of a status symbol. Trellis couldn't say he understood, but he didn't have to understand in order to fulfill their wishes and turn a profit.

It was that sort of attitude that had earned him so many powerful backers in the first place after all. He was known throughout many of the noble circles as a merchant that didn't ask questions. While he primarily dealt in pelts, so long as he was paid appropriately, he would move the realms themselves to fulfill any request made of him.

Take the current head of the Warnth family. Trellis had no idea why the man suddenly wanted him to find him a small house somewhere near the kingdom's edge, but he certainly wasn't about to ask. He didn't care if the man wanted to surprise his wife with a vacation home or was trying to find someplace safe to hide a bastard, he had his request and he would see it completed. Imagine his luck when the young hunter he'd lent money to all those years ago with her house as collateral suddenly failed to meet her monthly payment. He hadn't even been forced to do anything underhanded this time to get what he needed!

It just went to show, good things happen to good people.

Whistling to himself, he went over the numbers again, adjusting his projections once more. If the shards kept pouring in like they had these past few months, it would only take him another two years to save up enough money to all but guarantee he'd win the next Death element that went up to auction on the black market. Damn the royal family and their list of forbidden elements. If it weren't for them, Trellis was certain he could have succeeded in his dream years ago.

Lost in his daydreams of killing those who disagreed with him with a single glance, Trellis frowned when he heard a knock on his door and Davis poked his head in. Still upset with his guard for his embarrassing showing earlier today, Trellis went to shout at the swordsman for disrupting him, when he noticed the look of both annoyance and fear on the man's face.

"Well, what is it?" Trellis snapped, causing Davis to straighten up.

"It's the brat sir… The one who you sent to find an awakened beast?"

"Oh, did that idiot actually find one and get himself killed?" Trellis snorted, his grin widening as he imagined the cocky kid getting torn to shreds by an awakened beast. And just when he thought this day couldn't get any better.

"Not exactly…" Davis said, glancing to the side. Before Trellis could ask what he meant, a shambling, frozen corpse stumbled into his wagon.

Trellis stared in shock at the state of the man before him. Severe frostbite covered him from head to toe, and he looked as though he was barely conscious, teetering from side to side as he stood on the other side of his desk. But what was most unnerving was his eyes.

Trellis had seen his fair share of dead men walking. He'd witnessed people consume poisoned meals, warriors bleeding out after intense combat, even criminals put to death that had committed heinous crimes. The one thing all those people always had in common was the look of fear that consumed them when they realized their time had finally come. The way their eyes seemed to lose all hope, just before death claimed them.

This young man's eyes however seemed almost aflame with determination. Trellis felt as though despite the myriad of wounds that looked like they would claim his life at any moment, the man in front of him was staring into his very soul, daring Trellis to try and hasten his journey to the realm of death. Swallowing hard, Trellis shoved those thoughts aside, putting on his best merchant face.

"Well now, I'll admit I didn't expect to see you again," he said, grinning at the unclassed man. It was rare to find someone of his age that had yet to earn a class, but the Examination skill he'd been lucky enough to get with his Trade element had never been wrong before. It was much more useful on objects than people, but it was still capable of detecting less savory characters such as thieves and the like.

Rather than say anything, the man simply raised a hand over Trellis' desk. Before Trellis could ask him what he was planning to do, a large, crystalline body appeared out of nowhere, falling two feet and smashing onto the surface of his desk, cracking the ancient wood and nearly causing him to fall backwards out of his chair.

"What are you-" Trellis paused mid yell, his voice catching as he realized what the man had just summoned out of thin air.

Lying on his desk was the corpse of what could be nothing other than an awakened beast. Completely forgetting about the dead man walking for a moment, Trellis hurried to use Examination on the corpse.

[Awakened (Ice) Beast Corpse (Panther)] – Approximately eight years old, this panther living within the Lavash Forest consumed the Ice element sometime within the past two to three years. Based on the potency of magic still radiating from the corpse, the awakened beast most likely had unlocked all five of its skills before it was slain.

Trellis sank back in his chair, staring at the awakened beast's corpse in awe. Based on the way the wood of the splintered remains of his desk were frosting over just from coming into contact with the beast, its magic was indeed extremely potent. Such a creature would fetch an insanely high price for alchemists in need of pristine ingredients or nobles just looking for another showpiece. Forget waiting two years, if he found the right buyer, he could very well make the money he needed for the Death element by the end of the month.

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"Samantha's contract," the man croaked, startling Trellis out of his plotting as he remembered the man that had brought him the corpse was still here. "As promised. She keeps the house."

Curse the realms, Trellis thought, gritting his teeth at his misfortune. Never in a million years had he expected the young man to actually come through with bringing back an awakened beast. As befitting a merchant of his status, he had direct lines to all his most important clients. He'd already informed the head of the Warnth family that he'd purchased a house for him here in Horntho village, and as much as he wanted to get his hands on the awakened panther's corpse, he couldn't risk angering such a powerful man by taking back what he'd said.

Angering nobles was just about the quickest way to lose one's head after all.

But just because he couldn't honor his deal with the man, that didn't mean he couldn't get his hands on that corpse…

"Ah, as much as I would love to allow that young lady to keep her house, I'm afraid I've already found a buyer for it," Trellis admitted, giving the frowning man his warmest smile. "Our deal was for you to bring me an awakened beast by the end of the day after all, and the sun has long set. If only you had made it here a few hours ago, I would have happily sold you the rest of the debt that woman owes me.

"But tell you what!" Trellis hurried to add as the man reached toward the beast's corpse. He had no idea how the man had teleported the panther's body right into his lap, but the last thing he wanted was for him to teleport it away again. It was already starting to melt as it was, and if he didn't treat the creature's corpse quickly, the entire thing would be ruined within hours. Rushing around to put himself between the man and the corpse, Trellis put an arm around his shoulder, gently steering him over to his liquor cabinet. "Why don't you and I have a drink and talk business? I'd hate for you to get nothing after all the trouble you clearly went through to get this. Surely there's something other than that woman's debt you'd take for the corpse? Shards? Enchanted items? I'm a man capable of getting his hands on anything, you just name your price!"

Pouring them both a drink, Trellis watched as the man merely stood there, staring at him with that same unnerving intensity as a statue. The pelt merchant kept himself from clicking his tongue as his Deal Detection skill refused to activate, meaning there was currently zero chance the man would be willing to make a deal with him.

Figures. Guess I'll have to do this the hard way.

"Come on, surely there must be something you're interested in?" He continued to prod, using his bulk to hide his fingers as he unscrewed a hidden portion of one of his many rings and slipped a miniscule amount of powder into the man's drink as he finished pouring. "It's just the two of us in here, no need to be shy. You don't need to worry about any of the kingdom's pesky truthseekers either, I made a point of ensuring my wagon is enchanted against their annoying abilities. Cost quite the shiny shard, let me tell you, but it was worth it."

That, he saw, got a reaction from the stone faced man, who seemed surprised at his confession. Trellis wasn't too shocked by the reaction, however. Few people this far from the capital were even aware it was possible to block a truthseeker's skills. Reflexively accepting the drink, the man stared at the brown liquid, his brow furrowed as if he were struggling with something.

"There's no way you'll reconsider the deal about Samantha's house?" He tried one last time.

"Unfortunately not," Trellis said, faking a dramatic sigh. "But just about anything else is within my power. Come on, you just name your desire, and I'll find it for you."

Just one sip you little brat! Drink up!

Silence stretched across the interior of the wagon as the man absentmindedly peered into his drink, his mind clearly elsewhere. Finally, he seemed to come to a decision.

"You can really get me anything?" He finally asked, his fiery eyes gazing deep into Trellis' own once more. "Drugs? Contraband?"

He paused, something shifting in his gaze.

"…People?"

Ah, one of those types! Trellis smiled, realizing he may very well have stumbled upon another prime business opportunity. Perhaps I shouldn't poison him after all.

"Yes, yes, and yes," he said, grinning from ear to ear as he took in the man in a new light. "I have to say, I didn't actually peg you as someone interested in those types of goods."

"I'm not," the man said, slowly shaking his head as Trellis frowned. "But that makes this a lot easier for me."

"What do you…" Trellis blinked, realizing the man he'd been talking to for the last few minutes was simply gone. Gone as if he'd never existed.

Teleportation related skills were rather rare, but Trellis had witnessed his fair share of them over his years of working with different noble houses. But those skills tended to be flashy, leaving behind explosions of their element or bright bursts of light and sound when activated. He'd never witnessed someone just… disappear like a ghost before. Before he could dwell on it for too long however, he felt a piercing cold pain in his chest.

Looking down, he stared in shock at the tip of the dagger currently protruding from his chest directly where his heart should be. Coughing up a mouthful of blood as the dagger was ripped back out of his chest, he turned to take in the man that stabbed him, only to find himself looking at the empty interior of his wagon, his assailant nowhere to be found.

As his vision began dimming and the world started to spin, he fumbled with numb fingers for the potion of Restoration he kept on his person at all times. Not even able to get the bottle out of his pocket much less uncork it, he collapsed to the ground, his hands reaching aimlessly toward the wagon's ceiling.

The last thing he saw before death took him was the silhouette of a man silently reappearing like a ghost. The reaper stood over him, watching him with those fiery, cold eyes as the last of his life ebbed away, and Trellis' final thoughts were a quick prayer that wherever he was going was someplace the reaper he'd crossed wouldn't be able to follow.