Aaron studied the piece of parchment Iris had gave him with interest. He could read the strange handwritten language without issue. There was very little information given about the three tasks. A name and past address for the Alchemist and the merchants home as well as the location of the guild Elders villa. That was it. It should be enough, but he would have to do some investigative work first. Not his first time doing that kind of thing. It was in fact his modus operandi, how he had planned all of his kills in his last life. But in this world there was no internet that gave him unlimited access to people’s personal information. No cameras or trackers he could install. It all depended on him and his enhanced senses. Granted those senses were leagues better than any sensory equipment he had ever had, but it needed his active participation. Which was a huge downside. He could not set up three observations at the same time. But he would make do. He suspected people would be his best source of information going forward.
Aaron looked out towards the Town as he stood on the top of a tree and thought about how to best tackle this. He had expected to be doing some work for the district, but not this soon. But he had been given assurances. He had allies in this city now. Not that he would rely upon them, but at least he had more options now in case of an emergency. Problem was if it was an emergency he was not sure if the district would actually help him, or at least he did not want to rely on them if possible.
The tasks themselves were interesting. Designed as tests and yet clearly all of them were created to further the districts interests. Except the last one, the one with the guild elder. But then again Mars himself was an Elder and this might be part of a political strategy Aaron did not understand yet. He knew he was still very ignorant about many things in the Tower. Iris had been interesting in that regard. Illuminating. Normal people, those who had not been selected as Vessels or had talent as a mage, were disenfranchised in ways he had only guessed at before. Still the young woman had been intriguing. She had told him quite a lot about Mars and his methodology. He had sent someone expendable, but someone smart, pretty and innocent. Mars had clearly tried to appeal to him with her and the woman being obviously open to sleep with him had only reinforced that. Any reaction or action Aaron could have taken would have given Mars more information and a better picture about him. The same was also the case in reverse. Mars was shaping up to be one of those mob bosses who were in Power because they were really freaking good at their jobs. Rare to find competence in that position, especially because usually the most brutal monster would take the top spot. Obviously those two were not mutually exclusive.
So much of this reminded him of his old life, of working for Vassily as a kid. That man had not been as competent as Mars seemed to be, but time would tell. For now Aaron had to make a decision. He could either wait to do these tasks or push forward and do them before Mars could get too many eyes on his new targets. He was sure Mars was already observing the places on the list to watch him. But if this was a trap, then it was a bad one. He would spot any trap from miles away, but then again Mars did not know that yet. Still Aaron doubted Mars actually would set a trap for him. If he waited there would be more eyes, but he would be less predictable and it would reduce the risk he took by quite a bit. Aaron thought about it and then decided to do the easier jobs first and then take his time with the third. He suspected a lot more security around a guild elder than a merchant or a rogue alchemist after all.
Aaron was confident in his ability to escape or fight and kill most opponents of course. But he wanted to do these missions as quietly as possible. He also tried his best to remind himself that he was in the lowest level of the tower and that Vessels grew in power quickly. That mages could kill him from a distance if they were good enough. The lightning mage and Merlin came to mind. Both had given him some trouble with their magic. Would he be able to win against them as he was now, multiple minor cultivation ranks higher? It would be easier to fight them for sure. But he still did not think he could beat them if they were protected by a group. If he got spotted and hunted in the Town he would not be hunted by one or even just a single group, but dozens, maybe hundreds again. Numbers he could not contest and would probably have problems to fight for a long time. He simply did not have the tools to deal with big groups. Every fight he had taken in the past was one where the advantages were stacked in his favor. Ambushed, harried, whatever he could do to make the enemy less of a threat, Aaron had done it. In an open fight he was not sure how well he would do.
So it was best to stay out of sight and keep fights to a limited number of people. One day when he had a few major cultivation realms under his belt he was sure he could decimate any army coming after him. But that was in the far future, possibly decades or even centuries. It was difficult to wrap his head around the fact that he already would live longer than anyone he had ever met in this life, except the other cultivators of course. But it was still mad that if he just kept surviving he would outlive anyone in the Town. His perspective and plans had to take that into account. Long term strategies were much more viable if you had time after all. Aaron was decidedly not used to that sort of thinking. He knew he had to change his perspective eventually but for now he was content to race forward and gain as much power as fast as possible.
Aaron was hungry and eyed the town the same way someone would look at a restaurant when they were starving. Of course he could hunt and cook some Venison, but compared to what he had eaten at the night market his own cooking fell short by a lot. He was sure he would eventually be a better cook than most people simply because he could smell temperature changes in dishes, could taste the most minute changes in flavor if he concentrated his senses. Eventually he would cook perfectly. But even then he would need tools, spices and ingredients other than just meat. He had to swallow his saliva, his thoughts all about food and he grunted in annoyance. If this trait of his would be commonly known then all his pursuers had to do was starve him out and he would be done for. But he could not help himself. He wanted fresh bread, pastries and meat roasted over the fire. He wanted spices, flavor. Each and every dish from the most delicious to the strange at the night market had been a revelation for his enhanced taste buds. His constant hunger made everything taste like the essence of life itself.
Aaron leapt up into the air, clearing the moat around the Town at a remote spot and then floated down into a nearby alley. Almost everyone living here was out working this time of day and the smell of the moat kept lingering people at bay. Without questioning himself Aaron walked through the poor district and his nose guided him to a bakery at the corner to one of the more commonly traveled roads. He entered the shop and stood in a small line while he marveled at the smell of fresh bread and the enticing loafs and pastries displayed in wooden showcases. It smelled heavenly, like sugar, fruit and freshly baked bread. The people in the store gave him some space as if they could feel that he was not one of them and for a moment Aaron thought they might have recognized him from the wanted posters, but then he realized that everyone in the store was a normal person but him. None of them were armed and his obvious lack of winter attire and array of potions at his belt made it clear that he was most likely a Vessel. Aaron gave the people a reassuring smile he had reserved in his old life for children and old women. Granted with mixed results. Children were often more perceptive than adults and he distinctly remembered once where a young girl had been scared of him, while he had been over at his friends house.
The memory came out of nowhere and Aaron barely even remembered the “friend”. One of the relationships he had nurtured to seem normal in college. But that little girl had seen through him. Had hidden from him behind her mother the entire time. He had attributed it to her being shy at first, but when they had left he had heard the little girl say that Aaron was a bad man. She had been right, but luckily his smile worked on the people in the store. Now that he turned out to be friendly they seemed less tense, especially as Aaron patiently waited in queue.
He bought a whole loaf of bread, some butter and some pastries. A baguette looking thing and some sweet pastries filled with apples. He thanked the baker and left the store quickly and ate the baguette without anything but a bit of the butter. It was delightfully crunchy on the outside and light and tasty on the inside. The sweet pastries almost burst in his mouth they were so brittle and the apples were sweet and tart. It was so good and Aaron was not even sure if his enhanced senses, his hunger or the pastries themselves were the reason. He went past a butcher shop and bought half a dozen sausages and some cheese and ate them with the bread as he walked through the streets. The sausages were a bit bland, a first in this Town, but Aaron supposed he could not expect everything to taste like gods gift to man.
As he walked past the busier streets he soon found that street Vendors were common here, extremely common, although by far not as tightly packed and diverse as at the Night market. He snacked on the cheese, finding it remarkably tasty with the freshly baked bread. As he tried to find the spot of his first target, asking some of the street vendors for directions now and then while he bought more food. The purse he had stolen from Mahast was getting emptied at an alarming rate, but Aaron could honestly care less. The food was worth it. Few of the food vendors disappointed him, most of their food tasted great or at least good and when he finally reached his destination Aaron’s hunger had been reduced to merely appetite. The burning hole in his stomach had vanished.
The street where the Alchemist had lived was relatively prosperous. Crafting classes seemed to do really well for themselves. Their skills somehow helped them with their Craft turning it into a cheat to make money. The address where the Alchemist had stayed was a nice house that looked well kept, even though it was on the older side. Idly Aaron wondered where they got the stone for some of the buildings. This house had a stone foundation and a wooden frame and walls otherwise. Aaron found himself a vendor whose food he liked and settled in. He took sips from the stew the man sold and concentrated his senses on his hearing. He ignored the bustle of the midday streets around him and listened to the house behind him. But it was silent and the more he concentrated the more apparent it was that the house was empty.
Now that could mean many different things. The alchemist could be out or he had moved on. He could also be dead in there and nobody would be any wiser. Aaron checked with his sense of smell, but besides the lingering smell of chemicals there was nothing in there. Which meant it was as he had suspected. The rogue alchemist had gone somewhere else. Aaron turned to the street vendor who had two big bubbling cauldrons, one of which he was filling with new ingredients.
“This stew is fantastic, how long do you cook it for?” he asked the man, who was old and clearly a normal person.
“Depends, usually 3-12 hours. The late stew is the best though, you are lucky.” the man said with a wink.
“That I am, the meat basically falls apart. Venison is hard to cook though, no?”
“I cook it with the bone, that is the secret. Keeps the meat from drying up.”
“Hmmm. You know what you are doing.”
“Thanks.”
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
“Say, are you here often or does your cart move around?”
“You can usually find me around this area unless someone steals my spot.” the old man said with a frown. Clearly that had happened before. Aaron pointed at the building where the alchemist had lived.
“Say I remember a friend telling me I could buy potions here too, in that house. But its empty now.”
The man studied Aaron closer this time and his attitude changed just a bit as he spotted the daggers in his belt. He was more careful with his words, Aaron noticed.
“Yeah, an alchemist lived there, but really you should not buy potions from anywhere but the guild.”
“I know, I know. But they are expensive. If its made by a real alchemist, a classer, then there should not be too much of a difference no? Except its much cheaper.”
“If you say so.” the man said wearily.
“You wouldn’t know where the alchemist went by any chance?”
“No.” the man said curtly.
“Oh common, you are here often, you know what is going on on these streets. Help me out here.” Aaron said and put shards on the table, a few shards extra than what the meal had cost. The old man eyed the shards and hesitated. Aaron raised an eyebrow and put a few more to the pile.
“Well...you did not hear this from me. But three days ago the guy left with most of his tools.”
“Right, where did he go?”
“Towards Skutler street. That is all I know.” the old man said and pointed towards a direction. Aaron gave the man a grin.
“Thanks, I’ll be back for that stew, appreciate your help.” he said and waved goodbye before walking down the road towards this Skutler street.
Street signs were a rarity, but he eventually found one leading him to the less affluent buildings closer to the moat. He was basically at the other end of the poor district from where he had entered the Town. Aaron sauntered down the street. He had noticed that there were less or no guards hanging around the streets around the moat. And those he had walked past had not been to keen on watching faces, just looking for trouble. Aaron had kept away from them, but without making it obvious. He was still worried he would be noticed, but for now if he kept to crowds and did not use any of his obvious powers he felt like he would be fine. Unless of course he bumped into someone from the manhunt and was recognized. So Aaron tried his best to stay out of the way of Climbers, just like the normal people on the street.
Which was easier and easier to do out of the way here closer to the moat. Tanning shops and other ill smelling businesses were doing their business here and Aaron almost gagged from the smell. Not his favorite for sure. He still scented the air for chemicals and after wandering around a bit in said street he finally caught the scent of chemicals. As useful as his enhanced senses were, he still could not help it and feel a bit like a dog while he followed the scent. This was in no way shape or form natural. He doubted even a dog could just follow the smell like he could, too many other smells were in the air. And Aaron too had to change directions twice as he got confused. But eventually he stopped in front of a small run-down building with shuttered windows and barred doors. Aaron walked around a bit and then ducked into a small alley between this building and the next. The backyard was equally dilapidated, an old half broken down cart sat in a corner and some broken boxes and barrels were in the other end. But in between the trash he spotted a cleared path where the snow had melted first. It led to a basement door, which was made out of stone and a door that looked brand new with heavy metal hinges and reinforcements.
Well it looked like he had found the new laboratory, the smell confirmed that too. Aaron listened for anyone in the basement, but besides some soft bubbling and a fire he heard nothing. No breath, no heartbeat, no movement. So Aaron looked for a place to hide. He walked around a bit until he he in the end pulled some of the broken boxes behind the cart and squatted down there. He sat down on his legs and calmed his mind. While he waited for the Alchemist and some customers he started to cultivate. The mana here was not as abundant as towards the wall of the floor, but any little bit helped. Not that it would really amount to much compared to a spirit. But it was good practice and he had nothing better to do at the moment.
Aaron did not really know how long he sat there until someone came into the alleyway. A few hours probably? It was past mid day for sure. Quickly Aaron did a full sweep with his senses, noticing anyone around here keeping an eye on him or this place as well as anyone else in range. Which was a lot of people it turned out. The alchemist came around the corner with a heavy set man who wore simple clothing and a big club. The alchemist himself wore better clothes, still simple to blend into the environment, but there were some tells. A nice silver clasp holding the cloak the man wore, an expensive looking belt buckle. Nothing a normal person could not afford if they worked for a year or two, but it was clear to Aaron that this man did not work hard for a living. He had not the muscled look nor did his hands look anything like a workers. He did have some scars on his hands though, burn or acid scars and he smelled like alchemicals even through his perfume which also ousted him as too rich for this place.
“How long will this take?” the man with the club asked.
“An hour or two. Synthesizing is difficult even with a skill. Is your distribution network ready?”
The man with the club sneered. “Sure.”
“Don’t get coy with me, I am making us all lots of shards. More than you could ever make with honest work.”
“Sorry...it would just be easier if you did not move every 2 weeks or so.”
“Well easier yes, but then the district would find us and they are not known for their mercy.” the alchemist said with a slight shudder and looked around wearily, but Aaron was not visible at all from behind the cart. Then the man pulled out a key and opened the door.
“Stand guard, I don’t want to be interrupted.”
The man with the club shrugged and shouldered his club with a sigh. “Don’t like the smell anyways.”
The door closed behind the alchemist and Aaron listened to him hanging up his cloak and then starting to work. He heard glass clink, powders being filled into something, it sounded like sand, fires being started and heated up. He thought about bursting in there right now, but then he paused. He checked the surrounding area and noticed a breath coming from a roof across the street. Huh, someone had followed him or the alchemist. Interesting. Aaron stood up and walked out form behind the cart casually. The man with the club at first did not notice him because Aaron had made it a habit not to be too loud while walking. His steps were quiet, simply because otherwise it would annoy him. The man flinched when he saw Aaron and he brought his club up.
“Piss off.” he snapped and only then he noticed Aaron’s daggers. Aaron walked closer without hurry and the man backed off slightly.
“Who are you? What do you want?” Aaron hesitated and then pulled the red arm band out from under his shirt sleeve and the man blanched. But before he could alert the alchemist, Aaron shot forward and backhanded the man with a resounding slap, sending him to the ground. That was better. He was able to regulate his strength properly again. The man was not unconscious, but he would feel that for a while. Aaron grabbed him by the neck and dragged the groaning man to the door. He pushed it open casually as the alchemist had not locked it behind him and then looked over the lab. It looked like any lab he had been in during high school. Tables with beakers and all kinds of glassware, ingredients in small trays where everywhere. Just the Bunsen burners were missing replaced by a stove with hot coals and open fire. The alchemist frowned as the door opened. He blinked at him and then spotted the red armband. He shrieked and turned around trying to flee.
Aaron sighed and let the man he was dragging go and leapt after the alchemist who was running to the back of the laboratory. He slammed his knees into his shoulder blades and brought him down with a crash. The alchemist grunted and Aaron shook his head.
“Did you really think you could escape once we found you?”
He turned the alchemist around and hauled him to his knees. The man had hit his head and was bleeding and Aaron sighed again and looked for a health potion on the man. He found nothing of course so he looked around in the lab, found some red colored potion with health labels and then poured it over the man’s open wound. The man now without his club came to his feet at the door holding his cheek that was getting red and bruised really quick.
“Alright gentlemen. This little rogue drug lab ends today.” Aaron said and unsheathed one of his daggers and held it at the alchemists throat who was still healing and groggy. The man at the door paused and looked like he was thinking of running away.
“Stop, you were his distributor no? You are part of this, so don’t run or I’ll have to give you a real beating that you won’t forget."
The man paused and Aaron looked down to see how the alchemist was doing. He was fully there again, his eyes wide as he felt the blade at his throat.
“The district is displeased with this and they sent me to send you a message. One you won’t forget so quickly. But don’t worry, I am not here to kill you today. Unless you do something stupid and my knife slips of course.” Aaron turned to the man standing uneasy at the door.
“Alright come in and pack up all the finished drugs, potions and ingredients.”
“What...what are you gonna do to us?” the alchemist said fearfully.
“To him? Nothing. He is just a powerless fool trying to make the most out of a shitty situation. You on the other hand are an idiot. You don’t defy the district without having the strength to back it up. So you will pay. Now tell him how to pack up your stuff properly.”
Aaron watched as the alchemist reluctantly told the henchman to pack up the ingredients and finished drugs in different containers. He then made the men put all of the stuff into a big sack that looked to be a leftover from the previous owners of this basement. Aaron scented the air and frowned.
“Please open the stash near the chimney as well.” The alchemist froze and Aaron just chuckled as the man got out a small bag of crystal dust. It sounded like sand, but the smell was distinct enough. Aaron had seen it in the open, it looked like small glassy sand, tiny crystals that were so fine they glittered in the light. Now with all the illicit goods in the sack Aaron smiled at the two men.
“Now to the punishment. I will take this fools class from him and you will tell everyone what happened here today. Use your “distribution network” as this fool calls it to spread the rumor. Tomorrow I want to wake up to fearful whispers of the district being able to take your class away if you cross us.”
The man looked incredulous and the alchemist scoffed.
“That is impossible.” he said and Aaron chuckled and reached out with Soul Catcher. His hand rested on the man’s head as he pulled the spirit off him. It was easy, the spirit weak and it barely struggled at all as he pulled it off his former host. The alchemist cried out and Aaron let him sag to the ground.
“What...what did you do?” the alchemist whimpered.
“Check your status, your class is gone. Your status is gone. You are now just a normal person with no powers whatsoever. What you are experiencing right now is the backlash of losing your class. You will feel horrible and be bedridden for a few days.” Aaron looked at the man without the club who stared at Aaron and the alchemist with wide eyes.
“Will you spread word about what happened here?” Aaron asked and sheathed his dagger. The man nodded rapidly.
“I want to hear it.”
“Yes, I will tell everyone.”
“If you cross the district, you lose your class.” Aaron repeated and then searched the alchemist for his purse. He found it, took it and opened it. Not a bad haul. He selected one full mana stone and flipped it to the man still just standing there.
“So you don’t go hungry. But I would suggest finding some honest work or going to the district and asking there, begging for forgiveness.” Aaron said and walked over to the sack, took it and shouldered it carefully. Then he walked out of the basement leaving the two sorry fools behind. Aaron walked around the corner of the alley and searched with his ears for the breath on the roof and found it before the man could hold his breath. He was trying to be quiet and Aaron did not see him immediately. But then he spotted him at a second glance up to where he knew the breath was. The man’s eyes widened and Aaron smirked. He walked across the street and he heard the man scramble back. With a leap out of view he jumped up to the roof and heard already quick steps running away.
“Stop, please don’t run, I have a message for Mars.” Aaron shouted after the man, who turned out to be a masked rogue in a dark cloak looking every bit a criminal. But he was silent and quick. Definitively a Vessel. The Rogue stopped and stared at him with wide eyes, but he kept a very respectful distance. Aaron smirked and threw the sack to him casually. The man blinked and caught it with an audible grunt at its weight.
“Those are the drugs and base materials from the alchemist. I took his class too. Task done.” Aaron said, gave the man a wave and jumped back down into the alley. There he made sure his red armband was hidden under his sleeve again before he stepped back out onto the street. He could hear the Rogue following him to the edge of the roof and then pausing there.
Aaron straightened and walked away. Now with one task done, it was time to see if the merchant was easier to find than the alchemist.