May 24, 1256 of the Second Era

Putting his hood back on, Ian stood for a few seconds with his eyes closed.

Al-hek couldn't help but look at him, wondering what he was doing. Finally, after carefully analyzing what had happened, he guessed that he had some item that enhanced his Perception, since he seemed to know when someone was approaching.

"Do you intend to go after them alone? Do you think you can defeat them all? Do you really think that guy's girlfriend will lead you to him?"

Ian simply asserted, pointing to the adventurer he had knocked unconscious amidst the grotesque scene of mutilated corpses. "That one over there is hypnotized. If you had looked into his eyes before I knocked him out, you would have seen...!

Al-hek finished the sentence without Ian expecting it. "...a glint of purple in the center of the pupil." Ian didn't give the slightest hint of complicity, just kept his eyes closed.

Annoyed, Al-hek pointed at the other half-human who was squashed against the wall. "And that one, why didn't you leave him alive? You didn't have time to look him in the eye?"

Ian opened his eyes and glared at him, replying in a very unpleasant tone. "I already told you that bastard was involved in the deaths of Laila and Orgh. He was among those who raped Laila during...!" Gritting his teeth tightly. "Have you ever heard, tell me who you hang around with and I'll tell you who you are?"

Raising an eyebrow, Al-hek asked in bewilderment. "Are you serious?"

Closing his eyes, Ian ended the conversation. "No. There was nothing in the center of his pupils."

The tavern keeper, wanting to know what they were talking about, asked Al-hek. "What's that about a purple glint?"

The tanned guy opened the eyes of the only unconscious half-human adventurer. A tiny dot was visible in the center of the pupil. It looked like a Will o' the Wisp. "It's a clear sign that he's suffering from low-level hypnosis done by an item. A real professional doesn't leave such obvious marks! We must tie him up for when he wakes up...!"

The tavern keeper exclaimed as he tried to prevent the little girl from watching the massacre. "I had no idea! How do you know that?" Al-hek had no intention of answering, so he kept silent, searching in the adventurer's clothes for clues.

Barely preceded by a strange sensation of drowsiness, a dark mist gave way to black claws emerging from the ground. Al-hek jumped back as the claws roared and liquefied the corpses. Implausible as it seemed, the ground absorbed everything, even clothing and weapons.

The little girl and the tavern keeper fled into the kitchen in panic, screaming in despair. Al-hek, on the other hand, kept alert as he tried to hide an unpleasant shudder. He had seen this before. Holding back a faint smile. "Who the hell are you, asshole?"

Ian ignored him completely and left the tavern without looking back. It didn't take long for the southern adventurer to follow him. Acting a little too friendly, he tried to annoy Ian. "At least they won't have to clean up all that mess! By the way! Do you make such a ruckus wherever you go or are you in a good mood today?"

Ian walked in silence until 4 individuals appeared at the end of the street. "Leave them to me!"

Al-hek muttered loud enough to be heard perfectly. "Do you need more sacrifices for your hungry demons?"

Ian didn't reply or take the hint. "There's a cute succubus out there who will return the favor in a more... Heh, heh! You know what I mean!"

Barely 20 feet from the individuals, Ian drew his greatsword accomplishing what he wanted, attracting their attention and making them ignore the southerner. Al-hek, who wanted to play the same game as before, raised his voice to be heard. "He already killed seven of yours! But he killed them like a coward, from behind! You can handle him well! Don't be afraid! He’s just big and strong!"

The closest of the individuals began to pay more attention to what he was hearing than to what he was seeing, and slowed down. The other three noticed that and lost confidence, especially the last one, who hadn't even drawn his weapon.

Al-hek continued with his plan. "Come on guys, more spirit or he'll tear you apart like the others! There's blood all over the tavern!" Pretending to remember something important, he stared at nothing. "Oh no, that's right! He's in league with some of those demons from the planes that devour bodies while licking their lips."

Ian didn't change his walk one iota, nor did he flinch in the slightest at the southerner's words. However, the 4 individuals almost stopped. Al-hek continued his interpretation. "Oh, come on! Don't tell me you need to call more of your buddies to take him down? He's just a guy of at least level 50! Maybe 60! You guys have more, don't you?"

Only one of them possessed [See Beyond] to verify that information, but his skill level was too low to be able to verify it. Nervous, he froze. One of the three disguised aslanians, turned around and berated him. "What the hell is wrong with you? Have you chickened out? I remind you that you’re on trial!"

Leaning on his right leg, Ian leaped towards them at high speed. The first two moved away, but the one who was distracted looking at the last one, couldn't avoid the attack. The attack was so powerful that it split him in half, covering the only half-human in blood.

Riding the momentum of the attack, Ian spun around and charged at the nearest one. Although the individual tried to block him, Ian didn't even bother to attack him where he expected. Before he could react, he had already lost my feet and had fallen to the ground. Ian jumped on the third. Though he tried to back away, he wouldn't get very far without his head.

Al-hek watched the show from about 10 meters away. He had no intention of getting close to him. He looked like a butcher splattering the street with blood. Besides, he'd had enough of being so close to those black claws in the tavern. After wondering how the claws had emerged from the ground and liquefied the corpses, he realized that he had left a half-human intact this time as well. "Can you read their minds?"

Terrified, the half-human shouted. "I'm from the Guild! I'm not a damn beast like them! They forced me! They told me that if I refused, they would kill me! I agreed, but I haven't killed anyone innocent! I swear!"

Greatsword outstretched, Ian pointed down the street as the one who had lost his feet cried out in pain. "Go ahead! Take me to Hasharth's girlfriend's house!"

With his pants slightly urinated, the boy babbled. "Who are you? How do you know about Hasharth's girlfriend?"

Al-hek laughed. "Come on, idiot! What the hell are you doing asking stupid questions? If you don't want to die, run!"

The boy began to walk, concealing as best he could the urine in his pants. "That woman's house is guarded! Incredibly guarded!

Ian finished off the last impostor by crushing his head with a single stomp. His skull exploded like a ripe watermelon. The guy began to tremble with terror and as soon as the corpse stopped breathing and the claws emerged with unbridled violence again. The boy couldn't take it anymore and fell on his back whimpering as he peed himself again. "No, please, no!"

Al-hek felt identified remembering his own beginnings. As he faced the trials of the Nexus for months, he had felt strong and powerful, but as soon as he had left Antharia, he had realized that no one was as mediocre and weak as he was in that world.

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Raising his voice. "I understand you perfectly! This asshole is very overpowered, but if you don't want to die, you'd better do as he says!"

Rising to his feet at full speed, he led the way without looking back. They both began to follow the boy, but only Ian remained silent. "You don't hold back at all, huh? You let anyone see that?"

Ian's silence was starting to get annoying. "What are you? A mix of warrior and necromancer?"

Insistent, Al-hek tried to approach him in another way. "Okay, okay! It's none of my business, though I'm interested in how you tame those demons. I saw someone do that a while ago, but she wasn't doing it in broad daylight without giving a shit about being seen! You, on the other hand, act like you don't give a fuck! I'm not saying you should hide it, but...!

Ian interrupted him without losing sight of his target. "When we get there, I'll be the one to kill them!"

Fed up with his attitude. "You don't say shit and when you open your mouth it's just to tell me not to do anything! Are you afraid of running out of candy? What is your criteria for deciding who lives and who dies? Do you think some of them are innocent?

Ian continued to speak as if he didn't hear him. "I think I more or less understood what's going on. What I don't understand is why they did it. If my theory is true, I will find a motive in that woman's house. But even so, all this theater seems excessive to me."

Al-hek snorted for complicity. "I've never set foot in this place before and I don't know who the hell Hasharth is, but I recognize all too well the hatred of aslanians against the half-humans adventurers! All these aslanians must be outlaws or bandits who have disguised themselves to damage the reputation of the Rocky Plateau Adventurer’s Guild."

Ian added as he walked watching his target look in all directions. "Hasharth is a respected member of the Guild. His skills center around illusionism and hypnosis. Therefore, it wouldn't seem so far-fetched that the hypnosis the half-humans suffer could come from him. However, it’s not so!"

Al-Hek assured, satisfied with the new information. "Of course not! Only an amateur would believe that he has hypnotized the entire Guild against the aslanians of the city. The mere fact that most of his minions are aslanians rules out such a possibility. Though with how scared everyone in town is, they might buy it! They don't even know they're in disguise."

Ian kept walking as Al-hek quickened his pace to follow. "The first thing I'm going to find out is why aslanian bandits disguised themselves as adventurers from the Rocky Plateau Guild. Damaging the Guild's reputation seems like bullshit! There must be something else behind this! Then, I'll find out why there are half-humans who volunteer for this without the need of hypnosis. I don't believe that simple coercion is enough. Either they have been brainwashed or there is something so big behind all this that they've willingly agreed to join. But before anything else, I'll have a long talk with Hasharth's girlfriend. I have a hunch she'll tell me a lot more than I want to know."

Al-hek nodded in understanding. "And you're not going to call any members of the Guilds in other cities because you find it strange that none of them have acted yet."

Ian gave him a sidelong glance. "It wasn't for that, but it works for me!"

Al-hek looked at him perplexed. "Do you intend to dispatch the entire Rocky Plateau Guild all by yourself and sacrifice them to your... demons or whatever they are?!"

Ian spoke calmly and without losing sight of the adventurer who was now running even more anxiously, as if his destination was near. "I didn't ask for your opinion, southerner! Nor do I expect you to accompany me!"

The southerner laughed derisively. "You don't seem particularly powerful! What's your secret? Are you one of those grave robbers that have his inventory full of magic items?"

Ian gave him a sidelong glance, taunting him with a nefarious performance. "Oh! What am I going to do? You've discovered my secret! I'm level 10 and I'm overpowered thanks to items stolen and bought from the market!"

Al-hek laughed, giving another even more pathetic performance. "Heh heh heh! I knew it! I don't miss a thing!"

After a few seconds of silence watching him out of the corner of her eye, she ended up whispering. "You're not going to tell me anything, are you, asshole?"

Finally, the frightened boy ran into two other disguised aslanians. Feeling safer, he called them. "Help me!" Pointing at Ian. "That guy is a monster! Don't confront him. We have to call the rest. He intends to go to Sorhe's house. We have to stop him!"

By the time Al-hek noticed, Ian already had a bow equipped. With a single shot, he hit the frightened adventurer with an arrow, but the arrow was not meant to kill him alone. An explosion tore the three individuals apart, blowing them to pieces. Anticipating what Al-hek was going to say, and as the black claws liquefied and devoured the corpses, Ian assured. "I don't give second chances!"

The explosion drew the attention of several disguised bandits who were hiding in a house at the end of the street. It was Sorhe's house. Twelve armed individuals emerged from there. Al-hek smiled. "Give you a hand, asshole?"

Ian lowered the bow to hide it under his cloak and waited for almost five seconds for the 12 enemies to get as close as possible. Faced with Ian's passivity, Al-Hek began to feel uncomfortable and drew his weapons preparing for combat. They weren't 12 particularly powerful individuals, but they should at least be between level 20 and 25. It wasn't something to ignore. "Are you planning to make out with them? Because at this rate..."

Ian quickly extended his hand until it was horizontal. On his arm, he wore a strange gauntlet that emanated a blinding light from a point on the palm of his hand. The bandits near Ian must have thought that he was either calling them to a halt or that he intended to blind them with that annoying light. Four of them were sent flying at such a speed, that when they collided with the six behind them, a myriad of bones could be heard shattering.

The two that escaped from the shock wave fell backwards, virtually unscathed. But not for too long. Ian lunged at them and swiftly finished them off with a dagger. None of them got out of there alive. None escaped the black claws.

Al-hek couldn't believe how that huge, muscular body moved so fast. He understood that Ian could have killed them by exerting a little effort. However, having such powerful items, he would have used them too. "Are you still hell-bent on attracting attention?"

Ian walked towards the building with the door open, followed by Al-hek, who didn't plan to be left behind. "Are those demons the ones who provide you with Energy for the items in exchange for dead flesh? Come on! At least tell me that! I'm starting to get tired of your silence!"

Running very fast, he caught up with him and whispered. "Where did you get them? Those are sold on the market for exorbitant prices and you don't look rich! Come on, man! Tell me!"

Ian walked through the door not caring if anyone heard him. Al-hek followed him, examining everything in sight. Upon entering, the feeling of humidity, mold and dirtiness of the city seemed to be left behind to give way to a huge foyer with very expensive furniture for what could be seen in that pitiful city. Walls were covered at half height with varnished wood, trying to improve a house in which the furniture did not quite match. On the floor, the disorder of objects and clothes hid a platform decorated with fine quality carpets that hid how deteriorated it was.

Trying to hold on as the stench of alcohol and spoiled food grew more noticeable, Al-hek and Ian left the foyer behind to reach an 8-meters-deep lounge with similar features. As details, a turned off fireplace and a nearly destroyed dining room.

Ian stood in the center with his eyes closed, surrounded by an exaggerated mess. Presumably, it had been the aslanians when they were still alive. From Ian's attitude, it was safe to assume that there was no one dangerous in the vicinity.

Ian pointed to a door. Disgusted and clenching his jaws tightly. "There are 4 aslanian girls in there, and in that other room, there are 3 human girls. They're all half dead."

Al-hek felt tremendous anger thinking of what those girls must have suffered at the hands of those 12 animals. "I hope you have sent them to a hell where they will suffer for an eternity!"

Ian didn’t focus on the girls or their suffering, he simply sat on the floor. "Call someone to help the girls!"

Al-hek looked at him dumbfounded. “Really?! You're going to meditate in a place like this?”

Ian seemed to fall asleep, and for a moment, even nodded. "What are you thinking?! If you keep this up I'm going to kick you in that big head of yours, asshole!"

Before the southerner could get close enough to give him a kick, Ian woke up visibly angry. "Hasharth's girlfriend's maids have been here for at least 2 days! The rest even more! Those bandits did with them what they wanted from the beginning. Hasharth's girlfriend is not here and hasn't been here the last 3 days. I think something went out of control and made this whole thing go to shit!"

Al-hek stared at him in disbelief. "How the hell do you know that?" Making his own assumptions. "Wait a minute! Earlier, in the tavern, you did the same thing! How can you know something that happened days ago? Do your demons whisper it to you?"

Not deigning to reply, Ian began to move stealthily. "Where the hell are you going, asshole?"

Ian placed his fingers over his lips and pointed to a door that should lead to the kitchen. Alienated by anger, Al-Hek tried to overtake Ian, but Ian prevented him by unsheathing a common-looking sword. It seemed as if he wanted to take care of someone personally.