The Jellybeans were brought to the centre table of the Home Inn and a round of drinks were placed in front of them. The light ale gently swayed in Gene's glass before he moved it to his lips. Thankful merchants came to their table buying them drinks and asked for the retelling of this morning's adventure. Perverted old men begged Meowlynn to perform on the stage which she gladly accepted in her drunken stupor.

After a few pints of ale, Ken walked up to their table and whispered, "I notice a man in the corner has been staring at your table for quite a while.”

Gene turned to Cilyia who was flirting with some merchant and tapped her on the shoulder. "Cilyia, that man has been looking in our direction all night. Do you want to go talk to him?”

She flashed a devious smile and slightly fixed her long brown hair. "I can go see an admirer.”

Pushing past the crowd is easier than the two thought as most of the men were captivated by the fun-loving, sloppy, hot mess that was the group's wizard. As she danced, her breasts wanted to jump out of the corset that held them back. One middle-aged woman stopped Gene on his way towards the heavy cloaked figure. "Thank you, young man, because of your efforts I can continue to trade my silks here in Tormund.”

"It was no problem ma'am, just glad to help people continue their business," he smiled at her and pressed on.

As he arrived at the table, Cilyia was trying to talk to the man but he was not responding to her. Her frustration got the better of her and she started to poke the man. The arm, that held his head up, slipped out from under his chin. A dull thud was heard as the man's head slumped on to the table. In a panic, Gene raced to help him up and he felt a warm liquid on the man's chest. The young monk looked up at Cilyia and silently revealed his now bloody palm to her. Fear flashed across her eyes as she realized that it looked like they murdered this guy.

"I think he was placed here," Gene whispered to Cilyia.

"And now it looks like we did this!" she replied. The black outfit of the man covered the blood and wounds completely. It would have been easy to pass him off as a drunk friend and place him in this rowdy bar. Moving his hand across the man's torso, Gene felt thirteen different cuts which all felt about the same length.

"We have to move him out of here so we don't get blamed for his death, then we can inform the guards about this corpse," Gene explained. "We just need to make it look as...”

"Shit!" Cilyia shouted in a whisper. "Fern is coming this way! You know he can't keep his mouth shut!" The young man looked up to see the white-haired half-elf walking towards them.

"Hey, friends! What are you doing?”

"Nothing," answered Cilyia. "We were just helping this drunk man.”

"Well then, let me help!”

"It's okay Fern, we can handle this," Gene said while trying to signal to Cilyia, "We need to go now!" In unison, the two of them lifted the man but he was heavier than he looked and Cilyia's hand slipped on the blood while trying to steady herself revealing their bloody secret.

"Is that blood?" Fern asked, his eyes locked on Cilyia's crimson hand.

"No, it's just wine," she lied. "He spilled his...”

"That's fucking blood! He's dead!”

The Home Inn went dead quiet. All eyes started darting around the room looking for where the voice came from. A few people saw the body and screamed, others ran out the door in a panic, and some became frozen by fear.

Ken's voice boomed over the crowd, "Everyone please calmly exit and we will handle this!”

Gene left while looking for someone who could have placed this corpse in the corner. Scanning over the freshly created mob, he saw nothing that gave the culprit away, but Aliya tugged on his hand and pointed. "That man in all black is moving against the crowd and he seems to be in a hurry.”

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It only took a few seconds to find him and the monk began following him. Aliya followed behind Gene as they moved into an alleyway. Gene barely managed to see the man hiding in the shadows and dashed after him. The hooded figure turned another corner and a large splash was heard as they watched him disappear into the darkness. Sweat dripped down Gene's face as he struggled to keep up and as he turned around the corner he saw a sight that can only be described as embarrassing.

The man they were tailing had fallen over because he slipped in a puddle. The man scrambled to his feet and darted into a building a few steps away. Avoiding the puddle, the two Jellybeans gave chase and found a set of stairs that lead down towards a dark basement.

Being cautious, Gene slowly made his way down the slightly dusty steps with a thin path of footprints. Very small creaks were caused by the addition of weight on the steps. A faint sheen of light flashed into Gene's vision as he reached the last step. He pulled his body back quickly but still felt a slight sting on his neck followed by a few drops of blood. The tick of a tongue echoed in the emptiness. Recovering from his near death, the leader of the Jellybeans walked forward and the assassin took a defensive stance.

The hooded figure threw a dagger towards the monk, which Gene slipped under but the man's second dagger found purchase in Gene's left shoulder. Gene closed the distance and punched the figure in the solar plexus. Another punch sailed towards the man's head but he was still leaning over from the monk's first hit and evaded it. Gene followed up his missed attack with a knee to the guy's face and backed up waiting for the next attack. The monk was being careful not to overextend his offense just in case the man in front of him had hidden daggers.

Smoke appeared from the monk's shoulder as the dagger disappeared leaving a gash behind. Two daggers were now waiting in the mysterious man's previously empty hands, Gene's blood dripping from one of the blades. Instead of throwing his blades again, the man slashed at Gene. One sharp edge cut against the young man's left forearm while the other digs deep into the top of his right shoulder close to his neck.

Gene's vision tunneled as blood gushed out of the deep wound by his neck. The monk punched at the right side and the assassin felt his ribs crack under the force, then Gene delivered a leg kick that brought the figure to his knee. The monk went to finish him off with a palm strike to his nose but, at the same time, the man thrust a dagger towards Gene's gut. Time seemed to slow, Gene's heart rate quickened as he struggled to kill the mysterious man before the monk himself was done in.

"Daddy? Is that you?" A young girl's voice came from behind the door and stopped both men in their paths of destruction.

"Stay inside dear. Daddy will be there soon." Gene lowered his stance, he couldn't bring himself to take this girl's father away. Aliya loudly climbed down the stairs and pointed her crossbow at the assassin. He slowly walked towards a door behind him while Aliya tried to look intimidating despite her three-foot stature.

"Take care of your child then return," she demanded. The man nodded and slipped into the door. The two Jellybeans waited a few moments and the man appeared again.

"Can we talk out here?" asked the hooded figure.

"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather we talk inside. No offence but I don't trust you and from what I can see, you aren't going to try and kill me in front of your daughter," replied Gene. "You are kind of outnumbered and even though I'm very injured, my friend is not. Trying to speak normally was even a struggle for the monk. He was just trying to put on a front to ensure his survival.

"I see your point, have it your way then." The man begrudgingly let them inside. They cautiously walked in, Gene looked around the room to make sure there was no ambush, located a chair and sat down to bandage his shoulders.

This room looked like a common area for this home. Many doors lined the walls and other than the table with six chairs, the room had nothing. Aliya tended to the assassin's pain and Gene began to talk to the stranger. "Did you place the body in the Home Inn?”

"What if I did? Why do you care?”

"It looks like we killed him!" Gene shouted, "Why did you kill him, anyway?”

"I was hired to do so and I have mouths to feed. Some people are gifted at being blacksmiths and I am blessed at killing people.”

"Who was that man?” Gene's temper was reaching its boiling point. He was tired of all this beating around the bush.

"His name was Blair Cormund, a political speaker for Kenneth Storn.”

"Who hired you?” the monk asked, feeling some relief because his questions were finally being answered.

"If I tell you, I'm dead.”

"I could kill you now," Gene said. "But I respect that you have someone in your care. I understand that you need to use the skill you are given to make a living and you aren't a criminal mastermind but a guy just trying to get by. My family was the same way." The monk paused for a moment. "If you want your little girl to see her father again I suggest you talk. We can try to put away the man who is running the underbelly of this town."

The figure got the hint and replied, "Shield. He works under the Northern Bridge. Now kindly get the fuck out of my house!”

Gene stood up, placed five gold pieces on the table and walked out the door with Aliya taking up the rear. The two of them headed towards the Home Inn to explain their findings.

The walk back was awkward before Aliya piped up, "Do you mind if we keep this location a secret? I don't want to involve a child in this.”

"I understand," he replied. They returned to the now empty Home Inn where only the rest of the Jellybeans and Ken were waiting. "We found out who did this. He said a man named Shield hired him." Gene cringed in pain from his deep cut.

"And where is the killer?" Kira asked slightly annoyed.

"He escaped and we lost sight of him," Aliya answered while giving the monk a pleading look. This seemed to put Kira at ease.

"And where is this Shield guy?" Fern inquired.

"He is under the Northern Bridge," Gene replied. "But we should probably wait until morning.”

"And why can't we go now?" Kira asked, looking like she wanted to deliver some sort of justice at this exact moment causing Gene to feel like a criminal.

"Look at us! We aren't fit to see this Shield guy. Most of us are drunk, and I am gravely wounded. Not to mention we are exhausted from this morning's task." Kira looked at Gene very disappointed but understanding. "We can leave early in the morning. The Northern Bridge is a fair journey on foot and it will be enough rest for most of us to feel better.”

"Alright," she muttered defeated. "What will we do with the body?”

"I'll hide it in the cellar as the rest of us discussed while they were away," Ken stated tiredly. "It should be a day before the guards come around to examine the rumour.”

"Thanks, Ken," Aliya sighed exhaustedly. Running had taken a lot out of her since she was struggling to follow the assassin. Everyone headed up to their rooms to retire for the night. Once in his room, Gene rustled through his bag and pulled out a strong healing salve. Groans escaped his lips as he applied a generous amount to his neck and forearm. After, he wrapped up the cuts in bandages before finding a well-deserved rest.