Death Smith - Book 2 - Chapter 25

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Alcohol and brotherly love

Late in the afternoon.

Late-April, 14 AR.

Ireland, Dublin, inside Lance’s hideout.

Lance cautiously peeked out the door, trying to see if anyone had followed him back to the building he was renting. He scanned the street, looking for any sign of movement. The street was empty, but he found little relief in the matter. The anticipation was getting to him, no matter how much he tried to persuade himself that he was in the clear. His heart was beating like a drum in his chest, each thump echoing his fears. He was sure that even Ash and the birds inside the building could hear it.

He had fled the black market after the Smith had pulled a strange gun on him. He had tried to remember which street he had parked his van while constantly looking over his shoulder. Lance had walked for blocks, turning this way and that, until he eventually found the right street. He had felt like someone had been following him for a while, even seeing someone dash around a corner at one point. When he finally reached his car, he felt a wave of relief wash over him. His hands were shaking as he fumbled for his keys, and he half-expected someone to jump out and attack him. But when he got the car started, he breathed a sigh of relief and drove away.

That relief had been short-lived, seeing as uncertainty was gnawing at him. Although he had taken care of those three goons, he didn’t know how many there could be out there, searching for him. And while he felt confident in his fighting abilities, he also knew just how one-sided a gunfight could be.

He could still feel the ache in his right hand from having punched the man in the chest and having hit his white-shard. The whole fight had been a blur, with instinct taking over when Lance had felt pressured. He had taken down three people in a matter of seconds, including one Rifter. He had felt Thomas’ anger and rage surge through him, feeling the need to protect a friend. It was based on previous memories of how Thomas had protected him in the past. Lance had been so focused on the fight, on winning, that he hadn’t fully realized what he was doing.

He had always felt that he was above hurting people. He thought he was not a bad person. Not like the three people he was trying to bring to justice. But it surprised him at how little it had shaken him in that moment, feeling ribs break, joints dislodge, and consciousness leave people. ‘I am a good person, having to do bad things to fight bad people. I am still a good person,’ Lance told himself, not knowing if he was reassuring himself in that moment or holding onto a facade. He fought and killed monsters, but that felt different compared to the fight he had just been in.

‘I messed up. I am so stupid,’ Lance told himself as he locked the door tightly, knowing full well he’d feel the urge to look outside again in a few moments. ‘Why didn’t I double check my work? I had one job, store it inside the inventory and retrieve it again,’ Lance thought, remembering the way the man in the black market had pointed at the single monster claw.

The bit of skin and flesh still attached to the claw had been a dead giveaway that he had butchered the monster outside of a Rift. ‘That Rifter… that Smith took one look at that single claw and nearly figured me out. I am not sure what he would have done if his mind hadn’t gone towards an outbreak.’ Lance swore to himself that he wouldn’t make the same mistake again. He knew why it had happened, seeing as the element of excitement, a lack of sleep and greed had been a major factor.

‘Ireland is over for me. Despite what that Smith said, there is no way I’d be able to trade at that black market now. It’s better if I leave the country. Perhaps find a different market elsewhere,’ Lance thought before he turned his gaze to his side, seeing his companions all lined up and waiting for him.

Both Icarus and Ash were staring at Lance strangely, as if they could see something more than just Lance’s body. Their eyes were now a bright blue instead of the dull grey they had been before.

When he had returned home, he had immediately given Ash two upgrades. One was a Rift-glider eyeball, and the other was a bit of Centaur-toad muscle. Visually the Rift-glider’s eyes had turned Ash’s own eyes blue, similar like what had happened to Icarus. The Centaur-toad’s muscle hadn’t changed Ash’s appearance at all, or not that Lance could see. He figured most of the changes had happened internally. It was hard to see if Ash looked stronger or not when his baseline was that of Thomas’ already powerful frame. He opened his status screen and observed his companion’s increased stats and speculated on how it might improve their combat capabilities.

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Retainers

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Ash

Human

1x

+2 Sight +Minor heat vision

+4 Speed

+100 Durability

Icarus

Falcon

1x

+2 Sight

+Minor heat vision

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It was hard to judge just how much more useful his two companions had gotten, seeing as their stats didn’t improve like a Rifter, but rather like an item. The most noticeable was Ash’s increased durability. Just looking at Ash’s stats, Lance could see that his companion could now sustain a hundred more points of damage to his durability before he’d break and no longer function. That meant that Ash could be out in the field longer without Lance having to worry as much each time Ash took a hit.

The four extra points in speed looked useful, but it was hard to judge that now. If it were anything like a Centaur-toad, it would be useful in evasion or in Ash’s attack speed. Lance figured he’d need to test this out extensively before he’d feel comfortable with Ash in the field.

The increased sight and heat vision for both Ash and Icarus were the most exciting. Their extra few points in sight might help in ranged combat or in scouting. Still, with two crows and Icarus’ already good eyesight being what it was, Lance wondered if it would even make that much difference in the grand scheme of things. The minor heat vision was the true gem in all of this. Although the Rift-gliders were very weak monsters, they had a knack for always being able to spot a Rifter. ‘I will need to test that when I have the time. If they truly can see heat signatures, it means that Icarus as an airborne hunter and scout will be even deadlier, and Ash will become even better at ambushing.’ The thought of Ash going out at night to kill monsters while wearing his new armour and shadowy cloak was enough to temporarily calm Lance down.

The first upgrades for Ash and Icarus had cost ten back-shards, while Ash’s second upgrade had been a hundred shards. ‘I only have a handful of shards left. Enough for minor repairs, nothing more,’ Lance thought as he looked at Alpha and Beta, almost feeling guilty for not being able to upgrade them. Still, for all the courage he was feeling, he also remembered the size of the gun that the Smith had pointed at him. Higher levelled Rifters might be able to shrug off small calibre bullets, but Lance was far from that stage. He knew that angry goon from the black market with a rifle and a lucky shot could easily end his life. ‘I need help.’

He then grabbed his phone and texted Mira and Iyas, asking them to meet up earlier that evening.

* * * * *

Three hours had passed since he had texted Mira and Iyas. During that time, they had met up in a pub for drinks while Lance had come clean about what had happened to him in the black market. He had not shared the parts of the claw, or anything that might hint at his class as a Death Smith. Both Mira and Iyas had been silent the first time Lance had told the story, but after that, Iyas had grinned while ordering more drinks and snacks for them. By the time Mira had demanded Lance explain things for the third time, Iyas had been laughing nonstop.

“Admit it, you nearly wet yourself when you ran over here,” Iyas said, as he threw another peanut in the air before deftly catching it with his mouth.

“I drove here.”

“I hope you placed plastic sheets on the seat beforehand,” Iyas said, as his grin widened even further.

“Come on, Iyas, this isn’t funny. And might I remind you of the fact that you were the one that gave Lance the address in the first place? Why would you even know such a thing?” Mira asked as she pulled the bowl of peanuts away from the tall man while giving him a stern look.

“I… well, I know a guy who knew a guy. Wait… why am I on trial suddenly? He is the one who went on a rampage,” Iyas said as he feinted innocence. “Besides, this will blow over in a few days. The black-market wants to remain hidden, not attack Rifters in public. And Lance gave them a proper scare. If not, imagine what three Rifters will do to them?”

Lance smiled at that as he finished his beer, cradling the empty glass in his hands. He found comfort in discussing it with them. True, that he suddenly had two Rifters at his side was reassuring, but that he could discuss things further with Iyas was most helpful. “I’ll get us another round,” Lance said as he left their table and got the three of them another drink.

By the time Lance got back, Mira had partially covered Iyas in peanuts while making fun of him. Again, Lance noticed the chemistry between the two of them and occasionally felt like the third wheel. He handed them their drinks and heard Mira explain about her desire to try some GRRO sanctioned work to broaden her experiences while Iyas said that he was thinking about taking a holiday to Spain or at least take some time off before jumping in his next Rift.

As Lance started on his drink, he tried to calm his nerves. He forced himself to trust in Iyas’ words that people from the black market wouldn’t be gunning for him, or at least not so publicly. He’d still leave the country as soon as he could, but now he’d do so with the knowledge that these underground markets were all over the world.

The plan for now was to pour a few drinks into Iyas and learn how the man usually found those markets or try to get a contact from him who’d know. That would get the ball rolling again. Lance wouldn’t mess up the next time. He was about to formulate his ‘Iyas-beer-strategy’ when Mira suddenly jumped up from her seat and pointed at one of the many bottles that were on display on the wall behind the bar. “Guys! They have my favourite drink here. We should do shots!”

“The night is still young, how abou-“ Iyas started only to be silenced by Mira’s determined gaze.

“I yield,” Lance said as he held up his hands, not wanting to test Mira’s resolve.

“Shots it is! Besides, we still need to properly celebrate that we made it out of the last Rift in one piece,” she stated clearly before signalling for the bartender to make his way over to the table. “Besides, what is the harm in a few shots?”

* * * * *

A few hours later, Lance left the rear exit of the bar as he stepped out into the alleyway. He had told Mira and Iyas that he was going to empty his bladder. Truthfully, Lance simply wanted some fresh air, seeing as he needed to make a choice when to leave Ireland. ‘Should I leave in the morning or accept to join a party in the morning and clear another Rift before I go?’ He took a few steps further into the alleyway. Looking back, he could see a camera hanging above the entrance of the bar, recording anything that came near the door.

He knew he was safe in the alley due to Icarus that was flying above in the air. He brought the bird out before he had entered the bar and had instructed it to attack any threat when Lance gave the order.

Mentally, he went over the pros and cons of his decision. If he left in the morning, he’d probably choose the safest option, but if he stayed, he’d have a chance to upgrade Alpha, Beta and further upgrade Icarus. Getting Ash to his third upgrade would probably take him several Rifts, seeing as the cost of upgrading him further was up to a thousand black-shards already. ‘Upgrading my companions would also boost my protection. But relying on them will expose my unique class to people.’ He opened his phone and checked the time. He considered purchasing a plane ticket for tomorrow morning when he heard the door bar door open.

Iyas waked into the alley with a handful of peanuts and an amused grin on his face. “Are you done watering the plants? Mira was getting worried about the state of your bladder.”

“I think Mira is too busy with other things,” Lance parried as he turned to face the Rifter, matching his grin. “Or other people.”

“Ah. Well, she is a lovely lass, and who doesn’t like a woman that is also a skilled shot?”

Lance nodded in agreement as he wondered if Iyas might have similar feelings for Mira. He then placed his smartphone back in his inventory before he and Iyas started walking towards the door. “She’d probably hit us if she found out we were gossiping about her.”

“She’d probably do worse. Speaking of women, who were you calling or texting?”

Feeling the need to come up with an excuse, Lance used Oliver’s latest mail. “No girl. Just the little brother of deceased friend of mine. The lad occasionally sends me music or weird Rift related headlines. Sort of personal fan and surrogate younger brother. He’s a good lad,” Lance said with a smile as he and Iyas neared the door.

“Ah, being a replacement brother is a tough job. Hell, just being a brother is a chore. Trust me, I have a sister,” Iyas said as he threw another peanut in the air before he caught it with his mouth again. “But you grew up with a brother, so at least you have some experience, right?”

Lance stopped suddenly with a confused look on his face. “I never told you I had a brother,” Lance commented as Iyas stopped as well. Several peanuts dropped from Iyas’ hands as a silence fell upon them. A second later, the tall man vanished, only to appear beside Lance as he plunged a knife into Lance’s stomach.

“I guess my sister wins this time,” Iyas said as he twisted the knife out of Lance as he watched the young man fall to his knees as if paralysed. “She’ll no doubt hold this over me, like usual. Competitive twins and all.”

“W… wh…”

“Don’t bother speaking or moving. The poison I coated the blade with works quickly, even on Rifters,” Iyas explained as he squatted to look Lance in the eyes before he slowly pressed the tip of the knife against his chest. Moments later pressed it inwards, stopping until he fully sheathed it. “I heard you had fire in your eyes, but she omitted the fact that you have sharp ears as well. Still, we had fun with our little play while it lasted, right?” Iyas twisted the knife sadistically before he yanked it out. Then, he stabbed Lance’s left shoulder, forcing more pain into the helpless young man.

“You know, I was worried you figured me out when you started asking me about the black market. But here I am, exposed because of a verbal fumble. Funny rea-” Iyas stopped talking when heard the door open behind him.

“Lance, Iyas? What is taking you guys so long?”

Lance’s eyes went wide as he heard Mira’s voice in the distance and the sound of her prosthetic leg on the pavement. He wanted to cry out, to warn her, but no words left his throat. Iyas’ body was blocking his line of sight of her, but he knew she was getting closer.

‘No!’ Lance thought as he tried to fight against the effects of the poison. He could feel it hinder him both physically and mentally. He tried accessing his Inventory to get Ash out to defend him but found that it was nearly impossible to keep his mind concentrated long enough to access the options. ‘Mira, run!’ Lance screamed internally as he watched the amused expression on Iyas’ face before the man vanished before he was right next to her in a flash of movement and steel.

Moments later Lance noticed Mira fall next to him with her hands clutching her slit throat as her life began to leave her. The pained and confused expression on her face nearly undid Lance in that moment. He felt powerless to help her and to help himself. Lance tried retrieving Ash again but failed. He tried signalling Icarus in the sky but lacked the voice to call out for him.

“Look what you made me do, Lance,” Iyas said as he squatted in front of him, showing Lance the bloody knife. The grin on his face was the same one he had shown Lance when they had been laughing and drinking together. Now, that smile shocked Lance to his core.

“Wh… why…” Lance finally managed to whisper past his throat as he watched Iyas toy around with the knife.

“Simple.” The tall man paused for obvious dramatic effect as he placed a finger underneath Lance’s chin, forcing him to look him in the eyes. “Because Kira asked me to.”

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Author: Osirium

Copyright: 2022 OsiriumWrites

Released: 2022