Chapter 026

After the incident, the gathering continued. Vincent became quiet after being warned by the Beyonder hosting the gathering. But he kept shooting dirty looks at the offending burly man. The burly man had no intention of being that quiet. He kept making fun of others, as he outbid them and won a few extraordinary items and Beyonder ingredients.

He was oozing the impression of rich, confident, and arrogant. Some people in the gathering gave weird looks of recognition at him.

After everyone got their turn, the host announced the end of the gathering. Everyone who successfully sold something paid the host his cut. The burly man was the first to walk out. He didn't sell anything, so he didn't have to pay a cut to the host. He did not choose any of the secret exits, rather he swaggered out of the main door. The confidence he seems to be oozing discouraged those people who were having some thoughts from going after him.

Soon after, Vincent walked out of the room with Kate.

He and Kate did not make any bids after Vincent failed to win the bidding for the sword.

"So how do you feel about your first gathering?" asked Kate, when they were at the bar having drinks.

"Not so great. I want to kill that man" said Vincent angrily.

"I'm not surprised. But he is obviously a veteran of gatherings. He accomplished his objectives by staying within the rules of the gathering. My guess is he will be only too glad to have some chump attempt his life" said Kate.

"You think he was being brash to encourage others to go after him, so that he can get all their possessions?" asked Vincent.

"There are more things valuable from Beyonders than simply possessions. Anyway, I suggest you give up the idea of getting back at him I know you have" said Kate.

She then met Vincent's gaze and said, "I know that look in your eyes. You want to tear him to pieces right? Actually, that level of provocation is way too common in Beyonder circles. You just haven't adjusted from the shift from a highly respected aristocrat to just another Beyonder, so you get easily triggered. You should get rid of your previous mindset as soon as possible. Sequence 8 isn't invincible in the world. Even my Sequence 7 isn't. You should concentrate on becoming a Sequence 7 as soon as possible. We can then proceed to the next step of our plans. If you do your part well, becoming a Sequence 6 isn't out of the question" said Kate.

"Oh? Wouldn't that mean I would be stronger than you and your superior then?" asked Vincent looking at her with shining eyes.

"Get your head out of the gutter. It's a chance, which I have too. Also, you aren't irreplaceable. If you fail, we have backups in place. So don't get cocky" said Kate disgusted.

"Can I commission an assassination with the Order?" asked Vincent after some thought.

Kate raised her eyebrows and said, "Of course. An organisation full of Assassin's naturally perform assassinations. But it's certainly not going to be cheap. In fact, it's going to be incredibly expensive. Also, I told you you are more and more likely to encounter such a guy when you participate in more such gatherings. What's the point in assassination one?" asked Kate.

"Just tell me if it's possible or not" said Vincent crossly.

"It's possible. But it's going to cost you 5000 pounds I think" said Kate.

Vincent gritted his teeth and said, "Do it! I will transfer the money to the Order's account immediately"

Kate looked at him weirdly, but nodded in acknowledgement anyway.

"I will see if I can find any information about him" she said as she left.

Vincent walked out of the room back into the bar. There, he saw the person who sold the sword he wanted sitting on the counter, still wearing the mask. Vincent thought for a moment, before approaching him.

"Good morning. I wanted to ask you a few questions" said Vincent as he sat down next to the man and gestured to the bartender for a beer.

The man took a look at Vincent, before turning back to the beer he was drinking.

"I don't suppose you could tell me where you found the sword?" he asked.

The man looked at him again, before turning around and saying, "You want it? Too bad the brute took it. He will never spit out what he swallowed"

"You know him?" asked Vincent excitedly.

"No. I know of him. He comes to some Beyonder gatherings quite frequently. Loves antique weapons and making fun of others" said the masked man.

"Any idea who he is?" asked Vincent.

The masked man stayed silent. He then subtly rubbed his fingers. Vincent noticed it. His face turned irritated, but he withdrew some notes amounting to 50 pounds and pressed them into his fingers.

"I don't know his name, but he goes by Bladerunner. I heard he is a Sequence 7 Weapons Specialist. He frequently comes to regular gatherings. If you want to lure him out, show off a nice weapon. He will come running. But be warned, he is not a fool or a weakling" said the masked man. He then stayed silent.

Vincent smiled, and walked out of the bar. The masked man stared at his back as he was leaving.

After Vincent was gone a while, he stood up and walked into a private room.

He looked at the burly figure with a huge broadsword and said, "I hope you know what you are doing. That weapon is the only lure we have on hand. If it's lost, this operation will have probably failed. I did as you asked and gave the information to that idiot Instigator. Though I doubt he has the balls or strength to cause problems for Heldium"

"Don't worry. I know what I am doing" came the reply.

The masked man shrugged, took off his mask and left it on the table, turned around and walked away.