A Rattling Monster

Chapter 20: Memories from the past

To escape from the trap that they have planned, I need to break one of the security checks. For that, I have multiple choices but the most possible is either incapacitate the guard or remove them. The first solution could be done if I could poison them but the problem is, their food and water are watched during the entire day and even all the night. It is not like the butcher that is sleeping during the night.

Talking about the butcher he really has a poor life. My action has mysteriously turned him into the public enemy. All the terrible things I have done are put on his back. The birds and the orphanage are now a mass murder committed by a demonic follower. The butcher, that many thought respectable, was, in fact, a madman. He first tried his poison on the bird and after seeing the effect, decided to destroy the orphanage. Seeing fear and worries spreading across the city, he decided to sell an infected meat to bring even more chaos. I heard that he was quickly executed in the morning and that now the population is safe. But, while the commoners are in the dark, I still see a lot of guards and priests.

That means it is a ploy to make the population calm while maintaining their focus only on me. I didn't expect the mayor to be that ruthless and quick. I need to be really careful about that man. I heard that the mages and the alchemists, to prevent any problems, has brought the cure of the butcher's poison. While it was unexpected, I was at first confused. Did they really manage to create a cure that quickly? But apparently, the local merchant and nobles had attended a reunion in the City Hall where they had seen inside a bottle the venom. And the effect of the cure was enough to make all threat disappear. That is another thing that I have to watch out. But while they have cured my poison, it was a much weaker one that the one I have now.

The efficiently of the powers inside Ronta is very scary. I thought that they will be powerless but I have to readjust my plan. The one good thing is, inside the sewers, I can safely listen to the conversation and hear the latest news. They have no way to prevent me from knowing everything that they made public. But, for the things kept in the dark, I can only think about it and prepare myself according to my estimates. That means that the security around every exit of Ronta will be greatly improved. I need to make either a general panic to allow my escape in the confusion or to create an incident so big, so huge, that the guards will be mobilized and I can break through with a potential fight. Currently, if my [Create Poison lvl 8] touches a guard, he is dead.

Now, what target can I choose? The castle? I need to reach the mayor to be effective and since he doesn't seem like a complete moron he won't move without a solid protection. The Church? Those damn priest should be able to cure my poison quickly enough. For the Mage Tower, it is the same, those alchemists seem really brilliants, concocting a cure that quickly. Maybe it was fake but they still managed to identify everything that I have done. It leaves the Guild of the adventurer. But the number of people walking in and out is really important. And their skills are unknown maybe they could feel my presence thanks to spirits or the thieves and rangers will spot me. But if I managed to create chaos inside their building, they will all flee quicker than a rat leaves a sinking boat.

So I need to hit them hard. Let's first wait the night and reach a good observation point nearby. I need to poison an important person, not necessarily the Guild Master since he should be the strongest being inside. But at least one of the intendant or the receptionist. The face that every adventurer sees each day, the person they laugh, cry or quarrel with. Now I just need to wait.

For two days, I noticed a pattern. Right before midnight, a young man enters the building and a dwarf goes to the local restaurant and then return to the Guild. Weird, I thought that all dwarves have big beards, so why he doesn't have one. Maybe we were wrong on Earth, dwarves don't always protect their beard like it is their ancestor. Then at midday, it is the turn of the young man to leave the Guild, he then eats at a nearby pub and goes to an inn, visibly drunk. That means there are at least 2 people relaying themselves to assure the service inside the Guild. And the young man each night brings a bottle with him, a bottle that he bought at something called the "Shield and Sword". I need to know if he buys the same thing each time or if he likes to change his drink.

He buys only a drink named "Green Coast Wine". I would have called it vodka if it was on Earth because it has a very high alcohol content. Or the Green Coast people are used to that type of drinks. But since he buys the same thing each night, I can target him. Right after his death, the adventurers will be panicked and try to leave the city. The Guild is the closest of the North Gate so I should leave by the South Gate. I can't underestimate the reaction of the mayor. My only problem is the fact that "Shield and Sword' never close. My mission will be hard, but who will notice a small little rat.

Those building made of woods are all the same. With each level, I am quicker to dig a hole. It looks like I am in the reserve. Now I need to search for my drink. I spend a lot of time before finally finding 8 bottles of it. Since I don't know which one will be bought, I poison every one of them. I then slightly destroy a part of the papers where the name was written, on every bottle. That way, when the young man will leave this building, I will know if he took one of my bottles. That will allow me to flee from the scene of my future crime.

Right when I finally regain my hiding, I see the ignorant man leaving and, in his hand, his future death. My time has come to leave Ronta for good.

(Well at least he couldn't have known that it was poisoned. Not like the other human that brought blue meat. There is an orphanage wiped out, a flock of birds falling from the skies and their best idea was to buy a blue meat. Anyway, I wonder if he survives. I mean he is working in the Guild of the adventurers, the chances of surviving with all the local potions and priest are quite high.)

Humming, Martin was reaching his post when he heard behind him the sight of Audrea. He could already hear nagging about the bottle in his hand.

"What Audrea? Do you want to taste that Green Coast Wine again? I remember the face that you made back then."

"Oh shut up Martin, you are lucky that father didn't fire you for being drunk."

The female dwarf was clearly upset about that memory. It is true that a dwarf is highly resistant toward alcohol but that wine is the product of a demon. She passed out by just drinking half the bottle.

"And I am not drunk, I would need to drink the entire bottle for that. I just take a small sip once in a while, to make stay awake. It is hard to patiently wait for something to happen, especially near dawn."

"So you're gonna already drink it? Right now?"

"Why not?"

And right after saying this, Martin began to open the bottle and drank one-third of its content. But, just after the third sip, he spat everything in the face of Audrea. Who screamed.

"By Makan, did you really need to do that? I have to wash myself now. Martin? Hey, Martin?"

He couldn't answer her questions, because the poison already silenced him. He was shaking and trying to save Audread by warning her. But he could only see her staying near him while the poison was infiltrating the pores of the dwarf. In the last try before dying, he shouted one more time before drowning in his blood. That shout, even if it was a weak one, managed to reach Lansco. Fearing the worst, the Guild Master could only see Martin bleeding a black blood and the scared face of his daughter that was shaking uncontrollably.

Without waiting for another second, he quickly grabbed her and rush toward the home of the Archbishop Mathews. At his arrival, the guards that were trying to block him were blown away and he violently destroyed the door. Mathews was, of course, awake because of all the noise the dwarf had created. But only after seeing Audrea in his arm and her pale face void of life did he realized what happened. Even if she was dead, he tried all the major prayers, all the blessing that he knew. He even begged the Goddess herself to save the daughter of the Guild Master. But the only thing that he could hear as an answer was the crying father next to the body.

"I'm so sorry Irissa, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have let them escaped. I should have fought with you Irissa. You were so proud of our daughter. You said that one of us need to stay alive. It should have been you. You should have resigned of the Iron Beards after her birth. It shouldn't have been me. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. You trusted me. And I failed you. I'm sorry."