Chapter 136
Amusement Assassination (Part 2)
Having failed with her first attempt at assassination and having lost sight of her first two targets, Zena decided to move on to the next two. These were Lexton and Durge, who she had decided not to start with, as both targets were in her eyes far more dangerous than Ryle and Arkay. The orc was obviously far stronger than her and would easily crush her in a physical fight, so she wanted to avoid going after him. While Lexton wasn’t a physical threat, he was easily one of the smartest members of the group and was armed with all sorts of weaponry, making him a lethal opponent.
Seeing how dangerous these two were, Zena wasn’t looking towards going after them, even if she knew that she would eventually have to do it. However, the assassin knew from experience that even the most powerful beings had moments where they would be completely defenseless, so it would only be a matter of time before her opportunity would come.
The biggest problem was that when she had been listening to the conversation between her targets, she had learned that these two were most likely not going to try any of the rides. This would make it hard for her to cause any accidents that would kill them. Despite this, she had plenty of tools in her arsenal that would allow her to work around this. All she needed was a chance and a bit of creativity.
“So what are you looking to do, Lex?” Durge asked as the two of them walked through the amusement park, looking at all the attractions around them. “There’s plenty of things to choose from. It’s almost like a buffet of entertainment here.”
“Yeah, except I can’t really enjoy any of it, due to my vertical limitations. So it’s more like a happy hour at a bar, while you’re a recovering alcoholic,” Lexton said sarcastically. “Seriously, if you want to go have some fun, go ahead. I don’t want to hold you back.”
“No need to worry about that. I’m not looking to try any of the rides anyways,” the orc said with a shrug. “Believe or not, I’m not all that good with them. I am more than willing to fight giant dangerous beasts, but a roller coaster is too much for me. If you feel like laughing, go ahead. I won’t mind.”
“Nah. I’m not one to laugh at people who admit their own limits. I would mock you, if you were delusional and tried to prove that you’re not affected by something, much like a certain idiot we have been traveling with,” the kobold said. “Besides, I feel like we are sort of kindred spirits, as I think we both enjoy a more calm and quiet method of spending time.”
“That’s good to know,” Durge said with a small chuckle. “Good to know I’m with the right type of company.”
As the two of them kept walking through the amusement park, they failed to notice the assassin trailing behind them. However, while she had managed to keep herself hidden, Zena was starting to lose her patience. It looked like her targets were not giving her the opportunity she needed.
“These two better start doing something soon or else this won’t go anywhere!” the assassin cursed as she followed her targets. “Seriously, what type of people go to an amusement park and don’t try any of the rides!? What are they!? An elderly couple or something!?”
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Elsewhere, a certain blonde spat out her drink all of a sudden, surprising the cat boy she was walking around with.
“Ryle, are you alright?” Arkay asked, concerned over his friend. “Was there something wrong with your soda?”
“No, there’s nothing wring with it. I just got this weird feeling,” Ryle explained as she tried to hold back her laughter. “It was like something very funny was just said or done somewhere and I couldn’t help but laugh!”
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While the blonde laughed in front of the very confused cat boy, a certain kobold and orc duo were getting a strange feeling at the same time. A rather unpleasant feeling to exact, which got both of them rather upset.
“...I don’t know why, but for some reason I wish to commit physical violence towards a certain blonde cavewoman that we know,” Lexton said while gritting his teeth in anger.
“What a coincidence. I was getting the same feeling as well,” Durge said with a frown.
“I don’t know who these two are talking about, but I’m glad I'm not that person,” Zena muttered to herself. “If looks could kill, that person needs to stay out of their sight for the rest of eternity.”
The assassin kept following her two targets without any opportunities rising. She was starting to lose hope, when she realized that they had entered the prize game area of the park. This area was filled with all sorts of games offering different prizes based on your skill or simple luck. Zena hoped that one of the stalls there would catch the attention of her targets. Otherwise, she wasn’t sure what she could do.
“Well, this certainly seems to be more to my preferred speed,” Durge said with a small smile. “What do you think, Lex? Should we go and try some of these?”
“That depends. I’m not sure that any of these places offer the type of prizes that would get my interest,” Lexton said as he looked around. “I doubt they have stuff like rare minerals or other such materials. And I’m not exactly someone who is interested in giant stuffed animals.”
“True, but you don’t need to win anything for yourself, you know?” the orc pointed out. “You could try to win a prize for someone else in our group or any other person you might feel deserves a gift from you. That’s at least what I plan to do.”
“Hmm… I’ll keep that in mind,” the kobold said thoughtfully.
It was at that moment that Durge noticed something from the corner of his eye. There was a rather special machine set up that had been designed to look like a very muscular demon with it’s arm stretched out, like it was waiting for someone to grasp it. Curious as to what this was, the orc decided to go and ask the worker there what it was.
“Excuse me, but what exactly is this game?” Durge asked the man standing next to the machine.
“Ah, my good sir! This is a test of strength!” the amusement park worker answered. “You are familiar with arm wrestling, right? This machine works in a similar manner. This here is called Bobby the Arm Demon. All you need to do is have an arm wrestling match with this guy and do your best to win!”
“...Bobby the Arm Demon?” Lexton asked bluntly.
“The owner of the park named it after his son, okay? I didn’t name it,” the worker replied, before turning his attention back to Durge. “So how about it, sir? Would you like to give it a try? Just five credits per try! And if you win, you’ll earn 20 000 credits as a reward!”
“...Why not?” the orc said with a shrug, before walking up to the machine. “This seems to be worth a try!”
“Durge, you do know that these guys are obviously going to cheat, right?” Lexton asked. “The amount of money they’re offering isn’t a small one, so they need to make sure that no one actually wins. That thing is probably filled with either technology or magical objects that make it impossible to even budge, let alone beat.”
The worker standing next to the machine was about to protest, offended by the kobold’s remark, but the orc managed to cut him off.
“Maybe, but it’s not like we’re gonna lose much by simply trying, so why not go for it just for fun?” Durge asked with a smile. “Besides, I’m pretty strong. I wouldn’t count me out, if I were you.”
The worker smiled, as he prepared the arm wrestling machine for use. The truth of the matter was that the whole thing was rigged, as the machine had a few magic runes within it, making it impossible to beat.
However, there was a bigger threat that Durge and Lexton were completely unaware of, as Zena was getting ready to use this opportunity to get rid of one of her targets. She had placed a special ring on her finger that had a small spike on it, which was poisoned. While the orc was focused on his arm wrestling match would be the moment she would strike. The poison was strong enough to kill most of the creatures in the badlands, so a simple orc like Durge would be easily killed.
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The assassin got the ring ready, as the orc clasped hands with the machine. Any second now she would move in for the kill. After that, she just needed to disappear into the crowd and wait for her chance to kill Lexton. A perfect assassination.
However, her will to go through with her plan was suddenly shattered. This was due to the fact that as soon as the match between Durge and the machine began, the mechanical demon’s arm was torn off, as the orc slammed it against the table.
Seeing such a feat of strength caused Zena to immediately decide against her plan, as the poison wouldn’t immediately kill its victim, giving the orc more than enough time to do the same to her that he had done to the machine. That was a fate she wished to avoid. The assassin could even swear that she saw the mechanical demon cry in pain as its arm was shattered.
“...Oops. Maybe I used a bit too much power?” Durge muttered as he stared at the destroyed piece of machinery in his hand.
image [https://i.ibb.co/0pNJss5/Ch-136-Pic-1.jpg]
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A bit later, Durge and Lexton had returned to walking through the amusement park, looking for things to do. The orc had offered his deepest apologies to the worker, who had been quite distraught over what had happened to the arm wrestling machine. He was worried over losing his job, as he would be held responsible for the machine being destroyed. Luckily for him, Durge had offered to let him have the prize money he had won, so at least the worker wouldn’t be in too big of financial trouble in case he ended up getting fired.
“I still think that you should have kept the money for yourself,” Lexton said. “After all, you did win fair and square. I don’t see why you should be concerned over his welfare, especially when considering the fact that they were the ones who were cheating.”
“I get that, but I just couldn’t leave that poor guy in the mess he was in,” Durge said a bit awkwardly. “I mean, cheating or not, I shouldn’t have broken the machine itself. Besides, when he began to cry over losing his job, I just couldn’t help myself.”
“I don’t see what’s the big deal with crying. We all get beaten down by the world and we all have reasons to cry,” the kobold said dismissively. “Just because you have a couple of tears in your eyes doesn’t mean I should care. Let alone help.”
“Well, I suppose that kind of view depends on the person in question,” the orc said with a shrug. “I personally don’t like the idea of leaving people in need of help to fend for themselves. Not saying you’re wrong in your mindset of simply walking away.”
Meanwhile, Zena was following behind her two targets, waiting for a new opportunity to come up. After seeing for herself just how strong Durge was, she was going to take extra care to make sure her chance for assassination would be perfect. She did not want to end up like the arm wrestling machine.
Suddenly, Zena got herself an idea as to how she could complete her mission. Hurrying past her targets, she looked for a game stall that had prizes that weren’t the usual stuffed animals and the like, as she knew neither of her two targets would be interested in them.
The assassin grinned as she spotted just what she was looking for. It was a stall, where the prizes were made up of different types of electronics. While most of them were cheap junk you could find just about anywhere, there were some very tempting prizes as well that could grab just about anybody’s attention. This would be her best chance to lure her targets to their deaths.
There was a young woman in her early 20’s taking care of the stall, waiting for potential customers to take notice of the stall and come to her. However, it seemed like no one was interested at all, leaving her with nothing to do. This caused the worker to get rather bored, as she simply stood at the stall, watching all the people walk past her.
This lack of awareness allowed Zena to sneak inside the stall and behind the worker. The girl was barely able to react, as a strangely smelling cloth was suddenly placed over her face before she fell asleep.
Moving quickly, the assassin hid the unconscious girl behind the stall and took off her uniform, disguising herself as a worker. Once she was dressed in her new outfit, she went back to the stall and waited for her targets to arrive, so she could enact her plan.
It didn’t take long for Lexton and Durge to come into Zena’s view. Now all she needed was for either one of them to notice the stall and take interest. It seemed like luck was on her side, as Durge looked in the direction of her stall and seemed to be interested.
“Hey, Lex. That place seems to have all sorts of machinery as its prizes,” the orc pointed out. “Do you want to go take a look?”
“Sure. No harm in doing that, I suppose,” the kobold said with a shrug.
Zena did her best to hide the grin that was threatening to give her away and instead forced her mouth to form into a friendly smile. Her plan seemed to be going perfectly. The game of the stall was simple. Those who tried it were offered a bunch of thin ropes to choose one to pull. The rope was connected to one of the prizes offered and whatever the player got they would win. The assassin’s plan was to cover the ropes in poison, which would get into your body through contact with skin. In her eyes, it was a foolproof plan.
“Hello there, good sirs! Would you like to try your chances at winning one of our marvelous prizes?” Zena asked, putting on her best customer service personality. “It’s just 10 credits for a try! Just look at all the things we are offering for those who are willing to try! If you’re really lucky, you can win things like new game consoles! You really can’t lose!”
The assassin held the ropes in her hand, offering them to her targets. She made sure that her hands wouldn’t touch the parts that were covered in poison, as it was strong enough to go through fabrics, so even her gloves wouldn’t be enough to protect herself from the deadly substance.
“Sounds interesting. What do you think, Lex?” Durge asked, waiting for a response from the kobold only to receive nothing from him. “Lex? Is something wrong?”
The orc turned to look over at Lexton to find the kobold seemingly analyzing the stall. He looked at the ropes being offered to him, before looking up at where they were attached on the ceiling and then to the prizes themselves. He spent around two minutes simply looking over everything, taking in every detail he could.
“Umm… Sir? I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to please hurry it up,” Zena said, struggling to keep up her disguise as she was starting to get angry. “This might be a place of fun and games, but we are trying to run a legitimate business here. If you keep holding this up, I’m going to have to ask you to leave, so other customers may come.”
“No need for any of that. We’ll be leaving anyways,” Lexton said as he turned around and began to walk away. “Let’s go, Durge.”
“Huh!? Hang on a second, Lex!” the orc called out to the kobold. “The prizes are really good here! Why would you decide to walk away just like that!? Shouldn’t you at least give it a shot!?”
“Why bother? I wouldn’t be able to win anything worth my time anyways,” Lexton replied. “That whole thing is completely rigged.”
“Excuse me, sir, but aren’t you being a bit unfair here!?” Zena asked, desperately hoping that she could convince the kobold to try out the game and thus fall into her trap. “I’ll have you know that we are running a legitimate business here and I cannot simply ignore such accusations! In fact, I’d say you owe us a try at the game for that remark!”
“I kind of have to agree with her. How can you claim that the game is rigged without even playing it?” Durge asked. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to throw such accusations without any evidence.”
“Why are you asking me for evidence, when it’s sitting right in front of you?” Lexton asked in return. “Anybody who uses their eyes for just a moment can tell that this whole thing is just one big scam!”
“Huh? What do you mean?” the orc asked. “Can you explain it to me?”
“Oh for the love of… Fine. Since it seems everybody else has turned blind suddenly,” the kobold said with a frustrated sigh. “For starters, the amount of ropes that she is offering doesn’t match the amount of prizes displayed. That tells me that even if you were to pull every single one of them, there are some prizes that would never come up.”
Hearing this explanation, both Durge and Zena looked at the ropes she was holding in her hand. They were so thin and bunched up that it seemed like an impossible task to count them all. At least without actually holding them yourself. Yet Lexton had apparently done that by simply using his eyes.
“Furthermore, if you look at the actual prizes themselves and the ropes that they’re attached to, you can tell by the way they are hanging how they aren’t the same size or that they’re attached to the ropes she’s holding,” the kobold continued his explanation. “This obviously only applies to the actually interesting and expensive prizes. It’s only the trash prizes that are connected to the ropes and you can actually win. Although, why would you want to? I’m pretty sure the cost of playing is actually more expensive than most of them.”
“H-Hang on a second! I have to protest these accusations of yours!” Zena said, desperately hoping that she could still turn things around. “How do we know that you aren’t just making this up in order to get something for free!? At least come over here and prove it, if you’re so sure!”
“Miss, I am not so stupid as to think that I would get anything for free here. After all, what authority am I supposed to complain to about this? All I want to do is get out of here, so I can stop wasting my time here,” Lexton said. “Besides, believe it or not, I’m not actually upset with you for trying to scam me. I’m just disappointed by how badly you’re trying to accomplish that. Do a better job and I might play your game as a sign of respect, but I won’t do that with amateurs.”
The assassin was left completely stumped, as all she could do was watch as the kobold walked away. Durge spared her an apologetic glance, before following after his companion. Once the two of them were gone, Zena allowed her rage that had been building up to finally blow up.
“GODDAMMIT! What the hell is this shit!?” the assassin roared angrily, as she twisted the ropes she was holding in an attempt to tear them apart. “I have the perfect plan, the perfect chance and they get just in front of me, yet it’s all in vain!? Because the jackasses running this dump cheat!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?”
Despite being taken over by her anger and frustration, Zena managed to notice a fatal mistake that she had done. She had been blinded by her rage so badly that she had failed to avoid grabbing the ropes she had poisoned from the dangerous parts. Upon realizing this, she began to feel the lethal chemicals move through her body. It wouldn’t take long until she was dead.
“SWEET MERCIFUL CRAP!” the assassin yelled out in shock.
Knowing that her life was on the line, Zena began to move quickly. She cut off the ropes and threw them in the trash, as she didn’t want anybody outside of her targets getting poisoned. She then placed a sign at the stall that said “OUT OF ORDER” and ran behind the stall, where she was on her own. Once alone, the assassin took out a syringe that had the antidote for her poison and injected it into her vein. Even though she was a professional, she was fully aware that accidents could happen, which is why she had a cure to all of her poisons with her at all times.
As soon as the syringe was empty, Zena took off her gloves and looked at the palms of her hands, looking for the signs of the poison. Upon being infected with it, the victim’s veins would turn dark green and become visible at the area of infection. If they disappeared, then it would mean that she had used the antidote fast enough and was safe. Much to her relief, the dark green veins were disappearing, until they were completely gone and her palms were back to normal.
“Oh, thank whatever it is out there above us all…” Zena said to herself as she let out a deep sigh of relief. “Had I been even just a couple of seconds later, it would have been the end of me…”
“Don’t know what you’re referring to, but you’re right! That wasn’t going to be the end of you!” a voice suddenly called out to the assassin. “I’m going to be your end!”
Zena turned around to see the amusement park worker she had drugged earlier and taken the place of. The girl had put on her regular clothing and was staring at the assassin with an enraged look on her face. It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out why she was so angry.
“What the…? You? Seriously? I was worried for a moment,” Zena said in a frustrated voice. “I knew I should have used something stronger on you… Whatever. If you simply get out of my way and don’t bother me, I’ll simply give back your outfit and we can go our separate ways. Deal?”
“That’s not gonna work! I’m gonna make you pay for what you did and might have done while I was unconscious!” the worker shouted.
“For the love of… Do we really have to do this?” the assassin asked, growing more frustrated. “Okay. Let’s just get this over and done with then. What do you want? A fight?”
“That’s exactly what I want!” the worker said as a smug grin came over her face. “Although, I’m not the one who will fight you. My little sister will do that for me!”
“Oh, I’m so scared,” Zena said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes. “And just what is she going to do? Hit me with her lollipop? Throw a plastic pony-?”
The assassin’s mockery stopped, when she felt a big and strong hand suddenly grab her shoulder from behind. She slowly looked behind her and saw the tallest and most muscular woman she had ever seen in her life.
image [https://i.ibb.co/fq909jb/Ch-136-Pic-2.jpg]
“May introduce my sister to you? She’s a professional wrestler, whose company is appearing in our park this week,” the worker said with a grin.
“...Please not the face,” Zena pleaded.