The chill of the morning air still clung to Greem's room, the ghost of Emma's hurried departure lingering in the silence.
'It was dangerous...but worth it', he analysed with his obsessively calculative mind
[Greem Southport - Lv. 7 Beginner Rank Acolyte (68 / 800 EXP)
Strength - 3 | Agility - 2 | Vitality - 4 | Magic Power - 7
Perks: Grade III Shadow Elemental Affinity
Spells: Dark Illusion (80), Shadow Hand (63), Ombre Curse (25)
Skills: Shadow Elemental Knowledge (58), Magical Knowledge (45), Swordsmanship (15) → (23), Crossbow Mastery (5)
Miscellaneous skills: Accounting (60), Eloquence (35), Charm (25),
Magical Artefact: Soul Ring [SSS]]
Although his whole body ached, he could feel that his strength, agility and vitality had risen slightly, not to mention his swordsmanship skill that leaped from his plateau of 15 points of proficiency to 23 in a single session. This was the power of tutoring, and the reason why soldiers were so much stronger than the average commoner. Legacies of centuries of swordsmanship were passed down from generation to generation, from knight to squire. Learning through books had its limitations, and with his intellect, he was basically learning several times faster than the average knight apprentice.
He stood by the window, watching the first merchants set up their stalls in the street below.
Then he saw it.
A blot of darkness against the brightening sky, moving with an unnatural, direct purpose. It was a crow, its feathers so black they seemed to swallow the light, but it was its eyes that held his gaze—three eyes stared directly at his soul, or so they seemed. It circled the Southport house once before diving straight for his open window. Its crimson eyes never once wavered.
Greem didn't flinch. He merely stepped aside as the creature swooped in, landing with a soft tap on his desk. It fixed him with its glowing red gaze, and a familiar, papery scroll materialized from a wisp of shadow in its beak before dropping a parchment on his desk.
[Urgent red-star mission received: Intercept the Investigator]
[Objective: Neutralize the investigative acolytes from the Magical Court before they arrive at Lunia. They are numbering 3, each at the beginner rank realm. However, they are escorted by veteran soldiers of some merchant company. If they cast an 'Evil detection' spell and notice the presence of the association, stronger acolytes will be dispatched by the Magical Court.
Note: No one should escape to frame the attack on bandits
Rewards: 5 magic crystals, one shadow-elemental spell tome, knight-level breathing technique
Asignees: L.S., W.T., V.H.]
As soon as he finished reading the parchment, a blue screen appeared next to it.
[Optional mission - Intercept the investigator
Context: You have received a red-star mission from the Elizabeth Blackhope, founder of the Black Widow Association you belong to. She has assigned Willem, Vanessa and yourself to kill a team of magical court acolytes in broad daylight, acting as bandits to protect her organisation.
Rewards: Association rewards, 200 EXP, teammates to gain 100 EXP each]
The crow let out a silent caw, its form dissolving into shadow and vanishing. Greem picked up the scroll. It felt cold. The rewards were substantial, far beyond a standard yellow-star mission. This was red-star mission, probably upgraded by the fact it. Most missions did not generate a 'mission' as per the Soul Ring artefact...but this one did, and the rewards were very attractive. It would not only save him months of training and bring him one step closer to the intermediate rank realm, it also strengthened his teammates.
If they could not keep up, then it would slow him down too. Where would he find fellow, worthy dark path acolytes in this forsaken rural town? The Association had plenty of lackeys, but they were all very secretive. Most were weak too. A couple of names arose in his head, but he shook his head. Probably, she judged their past performance to be sufficient for this mission.
Otherwise, would Elizabeth dispatch them?
Greem's mind shifted gears. The fact that one of the rewards was a [Knight Breathing Technique] was frightening. It meant that Elizabeth had been keeping tags on him, going so far as to propose him what he needed most to complement his knight training under Emma Calister: a breathing technique. If physical training allowed the practitioner to grow stronger on a physical level, growing muscles and stamina, breathing techniques built fundamental physical enhancements at a cellular level. Strength, cell efficiency, vitality and even lifespan would improve, as well as the 'mysterious' internal energy Vanessa often spoke of.
This meant that Elizabeth valued his potential far more than he valued that of Vanessa. Or perhaps she wanted him to put a leash on his teammates, one that would be even tighter than the current one?
'Truth to be told, we have been completing an awful lot of missions in the past few months', Greem analysed, 'Other dark path acolytes we crossed path with at Ronnie were always below level 5, and acting independantly rather than teams. Besides the Black Crow party, with their leader being an intermediate rank acolyte, there are few parties capable of rivaling ours. And if they were not commissioned, it must mean only one thing out of two: either they failed or they are busied with another red-star mission'
He quickly packed a small pouch. The doting son, the manipulative student, the bookish accountant—all these masks were shelved. Now, he was Greem the Acolyte, a predator of the Black Widow Association. Sometimes, he did not what he was, who he was. He would lose himself when playing with his sister, listening to her fantasies, or fighting with his brother. But there was one time where he was 100% focused. It was when he was doing a mission. The objective was clear, the rewards too.
He found Willem and Vanessa at their usual pre-mission meeting spot: a dusty, forgotten storage room near the city's gate. The air smelled of old paper and the faint, metallic tang of Vanessa's whetstone as she sharpened her cross sword.
Willem looked up, his vampire-pale face seeming to float in the gloom.
"The red-eyed crow visited you too, I see", He held an identical scroll, which crumbled to ash in his hand as he spoke, "Red-star missions can be dangerous..."
Vanessa grunted, not looking up from her work. Unlike Emma who had trained in the Royal Knight Academy, Vanessa lacked such grace. She used her monstrous strength, stemming from toxins and magical training, to win against her opponents. Emma used skills.
"If they get in the city, we lose. Especially not with him in the city," Willem added, his voice uncharacteristically serious. He gestured with his chin vaguely in the direction of the town's central keep, "The Grand Knight. Lancel."
The name hung in the air, heavy with implication. Greem had only heard stories. A man so steeped in 'life force' that his mere presence could be felt by sensitive acolytes like a low-grade hum of power. Elizabeth Blackhope, an advanced-rank acolyte capable of magic wonders, had specifically warned all members to avoid attracting Lancel's attention at all costs. He was a force of nature, a real knight too, and Vanessa's superior. Like Emma, she was enlisted as one of the Town Guard's captains.
"We need to intercept the investigator outside Lunia, but before they can meet with their knightly escort from the town. We need to be precise, fast, and utterly silent", Greem stated
Vanessa finally sheathed her massive sword, the sound a definitive shink in the quiet room. "Then we move. Now" Her eyes, usually savage, held cold excitement. A mission with real stakes, against a worthy opponent from the Magical Court, was her element. It must be said that until now, they had mostly completed green star missions. Only recently did they move up to yellow-star missions, usually reserved for elites of the association. As for red-star missions? This was a first.
Greem looked at his two teammates. Willem, the blood mage with a creeping hunger. Vanessa, the unbreakable warrior with savagery beyond common sense. And himself, a shadow manipulator who was perhaps the most fearsome of the three.
"Let's go," Greem said, his voice low and steady.