Aleron recalled the agreements the two discussed as they ventured through the forest during their first encounter:
He had the power to hire Orsen similar to an assassin in exchange for money. Orsen had the power to decline the assassination on his own accord. The relation between the two was to remain secretive regardless of the situation.
"So who do you want me to kill?" Orsen said as he continued to look down over Aleron who had now risen to his feet. "My elder brother and sister." Aleron said grimly.
[{Count Damian Scarletborne and Count Rosalind Scarletborne. This pair is one of the few upper class nobleman which is tier four with the older brother on the third array and the sister is the second array. They have a history of misdeeds however due to their position, they remain invincible.}]
'So that's why Aleron needs that vial so desperately.' "My older siblings are getting stronger and stronger and getting closer on inheriting the family inheritance while my faction in the royal court is getting weaker and weaker. I need them to be dealt with before they get out of hand. There is a meeting on discussing the proper heir for the inheritance later on."
As the two were locked in a conversation, a jingle came from the door indicating that someone else had entered. Looking at it, it was Reya who was visibly surprised by the presence of Aleron. Without fail, she attempted to get on her knees but a force prevented her from doing so along with a faint nauseating feeling which withered away.
"My noble." She said respectfully making a small bow. Aleron didn't hesitate staying any further and left the shop. "How do you know Aleron?" She quizzed. "May I ask why you are here?" Orsen diverted the question. So far, he had thought that she would keep her distance away from him but here she was.
"I came to check whether you had more vials such as the one earlier." "That was an allowance for letting me stay at your place. If you want another then you will have to buy one. He said as signaled towards the shelves. Looking at the prices, she was astounded with how pricey they were.
"If you want to make sales then you'll have to compromise and lower the prices because these are way too high!" The vial she needed would cost her a staggering 50 gold coins for it. She had received 90 silver quartz for hunting tier three monsters which was nowhere near the price required for the vial.
"If you can't afford it then you can leave. Besides, even if you could afford it, it would bring more harm than good to your body." "Your body hasn't fully adjusted to the sudden rise in tiers and consuming another vial could cause your body to explode or cripple your mana tier."
"Then how about I rent my place for one of those vials." She proposed. "I already have enough money to relocate to another place." Orsen said flatly. Reya was disheartened upon hearing that. "But I'm in no rush in moving out."
"Wait! If you can make such potions and elixirs, then why are you still in rank two? Can't you just automatically progress your way up the tiers?" Reya asked as she sensed that Orsen was still in rank two on the first array. "Because unlike you, I'm not restricted to tiers. I'm tier two and I can kill you faster than you can blink so what is the point in increasing tiers."
In an instant, Orsen appeared right in front of her. A look of horror was seen on her face. 'How did he move so fast? I didn't even sense him and he's a tier two!' A playful smile appeared on Orsen's face before flicking her on the forehead lightly.
"Dead." He said as he made his way towards the exit. "You can run the shop if you like but don't steal anything. If not, just close up." A dark eerie shadow covered his presence making him a shadowy silhouette. The only distinguishable feature about him was a mask, the same as the one he wore as the Troll Devil. A playful and sadistic smile with golden and black designs was its' eye catching prospect.
And with that, he was already gone. Reya looked around her as she saw multiple vials each alluring to the eye, promising blasphemous promises which would make orthodox methods of ranking up in tiers look like a joke.
But regardless, she refrained from taking any and decided to familiarize herself with them all. Orsen on the other hand appeared on the interior parts of the kingdom. He already knew where his targets were thus in an instant, he appeared at the scene.
A cutthroat life for the rich and powerful was nothing too shocking. He breached the manor that was in front of him undetected. It was lavish and grand in comparison to where he and his sister lived. It was littered with servants which ran to and from all over the place. Some had tier one ranks while others had none with few having tier two ranks.
Luckily for him, Damian Scarletborne and Rosalind Scarletborne were in the same room, where they were waiting for Aleron to make his appearance. The hall was massive with an archaic feel to it masked with an allure of mystery. In the middle, there was a long dining table with a middle aged man seated at one end who gave off a grim air of power infused with death.
He had completely grey hair and a smooth face despite his age of 400 years old. He was addressed as Count Maurus and to his right, his first wife sat known as Victoria. She had a mature charm suspended around her with her beauty and voluptuousness clearly standing out. To the left of Maurus, another gem sat known as Lirien who was just as beautiful however her allure was captivated in her frame.
She may be smaller in size in comparison to Victoria but her petite frame made her cute and adorable with the three at tier five. Maurus at the fourth array while Victoria was at the fourth and Lirien at the third. They could be considered behemoths with few competitors in their world.
"Do we have to wait for that slacker Aleron to start the ceremony?" Damian asked in frustration. Victoria had given spire to Damian while Lirien had given rise Rosalind and Aleron. Aleron didn't have that much interest in gaining power to begin with thus he slacked off and fell behind his other siblings which later on came to be a big deal for him as he found himself at the worst position of the three.
Lirien was glad that she had Rosalind because it meant that she was secured to have a good position and a good life of tranquility unlike Aleron who slacked off. Even in the royal court, he was known as a failure and an insult to the Scarletborne name.
"Yes." Maurus said as he anticipated that maybe Aleron wasn't going to come. As a father, he wasn't mad at his son but rather disappointed with what had become of him. He wished that he would put in more effort but that never came to be.
*Swing*
The grand doors swung open and Aleron's figure came into view. Looks of contempt and judgment were thrown his way but he ignored them and took his seat on the left side. "Since all of you are now here, we can finally begin the ceremony."
"Actually wait father, there is an important guest that has yet to make his arrival." Aleron spoke in an eager tone. "Did you invite outsiders at such an occasion?! Do you not know the traditions of the Scarletborne family or perhaps you have finally crumbled under the pressure of being a noble and lost it!" Rosalind spoke with a tint of scorn laced in her words.
However no reply came from Aleron as he proceeded to sit comfortably in his lavish seat and ignore the world around him. And right on cue, the so called "invited guest" made his way into the ballroom. Dressed in all black with an air of mystery hanging around him with a dangerous blade clutched in his hand, he looked at the family in front of him.
It didn't take a genius to deduce that he was an assassin but the problem was, didn't this profession usually take their work more seriously and take out their targets more stealthily. What kind of an assassin walks through the front door!
"Is this the reason why you're so confident?! He is a rank two assassin Aleron!" Damian said as he rose to his feet. Without orders, he charged at Orsen insanely quick, his movements barely perceivable by the naked eye with lightning quick reflexes as he brandished a short dagger. With his dagger aimed at Orsen's heart, the image of the figure groveling at his feet never came to be.
Just as it was an inch away, Orsen suddenly dodged to the side and positioned his leg so that Damian would trip and positioned his sword perfectly cutting his head off. It all happened in an instant that those who were observing the scenario unfold were perplexed with how the tier two assassin was able to counter Damian like that.
A soft thud was heard as Damian's head rolled across the floor with his blood slowly absorbed by the sword till it was nothing more of a withered shell consisted of a skeleton and dried flesh while his soul was hovered above the sword before it was pulled in by it bringing his life to a tragic end.
*Stab*
Orsen's heart was pierced from the back by Rosalind who had a smug smile before crushing it with her hand. Orsen turned back to look at her with his mask ever smiling. Sensing that something was off, she backed away immediately and stood far from him. He didn't die despite having his heart ripped out. He pointed his sword at her before charging at her.
The clash between the two gave way with Rosalind making several blows at Orsen however he failed to die. The fight then changed from her hitting him to missing every single attack she threw at him. Whether it centered on mana or bare attacks, nothing landed and it wasn't long before she found herself at her wits end.
Exhausted, she looked at Orsen who seemed unaffected by the fight and his heart slowly regenerated before the wound healed right after. She couldn't keep going on like this or else she would meet her demise in his hands.
"Enough!" A voice rang through the entire ballroom halting all movement. It was Maurus. He was visibly annoyed but deep down, he was shocked by Orsen's performance. Everyone present could sense that he was a tier two but he was toying with Rosalind as if it was nothing.
"I am willing to pay you double the amount my son paid if you stop your assault." He spoke however Orsen ignored him.
Rosalind who was visibly exhausted felt a painful stimuli run through her chest with her heart out of her body. Her body was raised above the ground and looking at the source, she could feel the cold beady eyes of the mask look back at her, enjoying her misery and pain with its devilish smile plastered on it.
'When did he get behind me?!' She thought as she felt her life slip through her fingers. Her soul and blood serving as sustenance for the sword. Orsen threw her body to the ground as the sounds of cracking bones could be heard. Maurus was now fueled by rage and why wouldn't he, his spires were callously murdered right in front of him.
"Do you know what you have done?!" His voice boomed through the entire ballroom. Orsen looked at Maurus who stood up from his seat. The entire place was packed with his aura stemming from his anger. "You'll regret ever walking in here kid!" He said as his body size grew exponentially. Victoria, Lirien and Aleron were visibly discomforted by the sudden shift of the mood of the room.