Chapter 77 – Rushing Through the Guards

After my run around the city, I didn't have time to have my massage with Alzi. But I had plenty of time to roll around in bed thinking about Nakuma. Some part of me is still scared of her, but after we got our affinities, there's something that draws me to her. Forcing me to work through that fear she put into me when we were kids. She was a menace back then, pulling my tails, throwing dirt, screaming. I hated being around her. Nakuma was always doing something to piss me off. Eventually, I feared just hearing about her.

I worked hard to limit my time with the crazy girl until we got our affinities. I didn't have much of a choice after that. The same elders taught us illusion magic, how to use mana and skills, and about our patron Goddess. She found a way to glue herself to me then.

She changed a bit.

She still didn't care about my personal space. The real change was what she did to me, hugging me, taking every chance she could to see me with less clothing on. Her hands willing to wander around my body. It was a confusing time. She had trained me to expect pain when she touched me. Instead, I felt a strange heat as her hands ran over my body and skin. I even liked it when her hands wandered.

Slowly, I stopped expecting pain from her.

She would take it too far, running her hands over places she shouldn't. Her hands stayed too long. Playing pranks on me so I would end up naked around her. Things that should've made me throw her away for good. I should be happy she finally ran off for good. But I just can't be happy knowing she's gone. Maybe I'm too used to sex and perverts after staying in a brothel for a decade.

My life has been meant to find a man to fuck into submission for over eighty years now.

Then there is Alzi.

Alzi does all the things Nakuma does but with a thought about me and my needs. She never pushed me to do things. Alzi will take everything I give and not a touch more. I've felt how much she wants to fuck me for years, yet she did her job without pushing me onto the bed.

I can worry about Nakuma later. She's a little rude, but she'll come running back. She never stays away long without the Queen holding her still. I'll have to apologize for yelling at her. But she needs to understand my limits. Alzi only changed me so much.

My bigger problem is the damn assassin guild. My slave has given me some cover, and I still have the way in from Nakuma's handler; the problem is all the guards. I may be able to kill two guards with my slave's help, but if she leaves, I'm fucked. That leaves me with two options, quit or poison all of the guards today and tomorrow.

I told Mai she'll get her revenge, so I'll just have to run around poisoning them all.

Six targets, I'll need to get four today and two tomorrow so I can have some mana left for the actual heist. As long as there are no surprises, I'll be fine. I just first need to get through my show.

...

The woman wanted me to play a silly little piece and sing, keeping my legs and mana in top shape. With the appointment done quickly, I start my run to the noble district to get the last damn dog. She should be here with her limited working hours.

Coming up to her house, I find the servant's door and wait for one to come through. I do my best to keep still while I wait, invisible off to the side. I only have two poisons with me that will kill at a set time. I have enough that do have a bit of a delay, but the exact timings for these will be wildly different. Each fight I do have to take should be just a short fight when the poison speeds up and finishes them off for me.

A maid pops the door open, and I jump in, sliding past her and having her body cover me for the alerting ward. My illusion flashes as it passes the border, but I get in without incident. I move quickly, looking for the coasting to the retirement guard. During the day, she should be in an open room for me to see her.

I slip around the mansion, dodging the maids and wives. I pass each luxurious room I used to be familiar with. I quickly check all the rooms on the first floor, so I push up the stairs and start my path.

Again, I don't find the old guard, just her husband reading a book, and get to the last floor. My hands shake as I keep coming up empty with every passing room.

"GIRLS I'M HOME!" echoes through the house. SHE WASN'T EVEN HERE! I ran around for almost an hour looking for this bitch!

I rush back down the stairs, just slow enough to stay silent with a touch of my sound affinity. I spot the target surrounded by her wives, getting a kiss from each as I reach the top of the first set of stairs. I start to calm down and wait for her to separate. I just need a minute alone to hit her with the poison.

I stalked her around the house as she relaxed, spending a short time in each room I rushed past before. With each room she sat in, I loosened my needs before I gave her the dose. Four rooms later, she went to the bathroom, giving me enough time alone with her to do my deed.

I have to sit through her business after I poison her, but once she's done and lets me out, I rush back to the servant's entrance for my next wait. Luckily for my nerves, I get out quickly behind an old maid and make my way to the assassin's hall. If I can't even go after the damn lazy guards easily, I'll have to let them lead me home.

Once there, I now have to wait for a girl to go off duty. I should be able to poison them on their way home, speeding the process up. I just need to get a needle stuck into them for a minute.

If only that were all. The more I count on the poison working, the worse I'll be if it fails to kill them. Or if they die too fast, raising the alarm in the guild. There are few poisons with consistent death times, and most are weak timelines, unlike the first poison we used. The shorter ones, I don't have the ingredients for, and getting them isn't easy. Not that I have the time to even brew the potions anymore.

To limit the mana I need to use over what is going to be a long night, I stand as far away as possible, hide my tails, and change my hair color to a standard brown. I find a spot next to a little fountain of the Goddess of the Sea and wait for my next opportunity.

It doesn't take long for it to come. I spot my slave coming down the narrow road from the noble district and walking directly into the guild entrance. I slowly make my way there, winding through the small crowd and preparing to follow whoever leaves the building.

Of course, with my luck lately, she'll pick the other damn dog and make me go running, trying to find the girls that aren't on duty.

The guards switch quickly, the off-duty guard walking out just as I reach the entrance.

I send an illusion of my old self walking down a random alleyway, my real body disappearing from sight. I follow the wood elf back towards her home, just a few paces behind.

She takes a turn down a smaller road, one with enough room for me to get right behind her. As I near, I bring out the poisoned needle and look for a good patch of skin to sink it in. Her hair blocking the back of her neck and long sleeves covering her arms force me to aim for her calf.

Not letting her turn onto a busier street, I throw the needle out as she takes a step. The needle goes in deep and starts letting out the poison without the guard reacting to the thin needle.

I let out a few paces between us, letting all the poison leave the needle before I used a touch of mana to bring the needle back to me. I run off, having taken four of the women needed out of the game. Not willing to risk a long wait for a guard change, I head to a section that has two women close together. At least one of them should be off duty.

The run does take me to the far side of the noble district, but I can always check a few houses on the way back if one is empty.

These two girls are basically neighbors; just a single house splits their large manors. I don't think they are the main wives in these marriages, unlike the women I've interacted with so far. They're closer to the royal castle. The mansions here start to have an actual yard to enjoy. Few even go for a smaller house to fit in a true garden that's normally only found in the countryside or on the Queen's castle grounds.

The first house I visit has my target actually enjoying the garden, watching the sunset behind the tall walls with a few maids, wives, and a husband. With my next target in sight, I start up the plan to close the distance. Their talking and laughter should let me slip in easily; the maids worry about pouring the wine and keeping their ladies' dresses clean from spills.

I make my way across the lush green grounds, trying to keep a bush between me and the party. While I am invisible there is no need to get overconfident in my stealth.

Bush by bush, I make my way to the gazebo. I stop at the final bush and look to see if each wife has a particular wine they drink. I don't want to poison too many girls or get the man. More nobles that die the more likely the Queen comes knocking. Get a man, and I may just start a war. It won't be hard to trace this back to Nakuma or me; I doubt there are any other assassins in the city besides her own that could kill seven nobles within a few hours of each other.

Unfortunately, the guard is sharing her bottle with others, so I'll have to poison her more directly. I wait for her glass to nearly empty and make my way to the table, ready to spike her refill. The maids all put the cup down for a few seconds to grab the wine bottle, giving me a perfect time to dust the glass with poison.

The maid makes the familiar movement, placing the large wine glass on the white-clothed table. I pour the poison over the bottle just as she turns to pick up the wine bottle. She pours the drink without a thought and delivers the poison to my target. I see her take a drink and then make my way out of the garden, ready to go to her neighbor.