CH35: Clandestine Meeting With DarkBlade

***

Two days passed quickly.

It was the day I was to meet DarkBlade again.

I got another message from the man.

[Message: Let us meet under the same sky as our first meeting.]

I felt DarkBlade needed to work on making his messages sound more cryptic... but then again if it was overly cryptic there's a possibility I might not understand it.

The message simply meant we were to meet at the same time as our first meeting. This was secure enough in the open messaging board used by the organisation as only the two of us knew the time we met.

Anyone who wants to spy on us would have to wait the entire day.

I know from experience that the efficiency of surveillance decreases the longer a person as to wait.

Besides, I wasn't particularly worried about being surveilled. The Mask of Loki wasn't for show.

Anyway, I arrived at the Charwell mall around 8pm in the evening.

I was dressed in a black suit with a white shirt and a black boater hat. I also had a white jester mask on my face.

The mall was open 24-hours a day. It was just that not all the shops would be opened during that time. Also, wearing masks wasn't seen as strange in Landrose and possibly the world of Arun.

No one would think much into a man wearing a mask. It might be suspicious at night but people wouldn't look much into it.

Thanks to my little recon, I knew the likely places DarkBlade would choose for our meeting.

Be it assassins, spies, or anyone in general who didn't want anyone to know what they were talking about, the consistent thing everyone looks for in a location for their clandestine meetings was a place where people couldn't eavesdrop on their conversation.

This didn't change in Arun and so there were only so many spots that fit the bill.

I walked to a small garden just north of the main mall building. There were benches located in the three cardinal directions with the door in the fourth.

An old man with medium height and build was seated opposite the door. He looked unremarkable at first, however, this was only to the untrained eye.

He emitted a subtle aura. An aura that I was very familiar with. It was the same aura I felt following me that night in Pyremonte.

This old man in his mid-fifties was undoubtedly DarkBlade.

I was surprised.

For one, I didn't expect DarkBlade to show his face. More so because I didn't expect him to be so old, considering his ease of movement.

It also made me realise just how talented Rowland was to reach Champion-rank in his middle ages (forties at most) and my Father for reaching Lord-rank before he died (around his twenties... thirty at most).

I realised just how impressive the founders of the DoomMane Guild were.

I walked to the old man and sat across him on the bench.

From our body language, it would be difficult to tell we knew each other. It looked like we were two strangers who happened to meet and were enjoying gazing at the beautiful flowers in the garden.

Then, I did something which shocked the old man noticeably.

I removed my mask.

[Mask of Loki]

Type: Artefact-type Blessing.

Remark: A mask crafted from Yggdrasil, the world tree in the Spirit realm. It is one of Lord Loki's most cherished artefacts.

Effect: The masks grants the wearer the ability to change their face and physique to a pre-set look.

Number of Pre-set: 1

Status: Equipped.

Like the old man was, you must be wondering why I removed my mask and showed my face.

Well, it's because the {Mask of Loki} doesn't need to be worn to be 'equipped'.

I only need to put it on first to equip it, but I can remove it at anytime and the effects won't go away.

The mask grants me the ability to change my face and physique to a preset that could come from my conscious manipulation or from my memories.

I chose the latter.

The face the old man, DarkBlade, saw wasn't the face of 'Leo Xander' but rather 'Alex Fury'.

The soldier Alex Fury reincarnated into the world of Arun as an assassin.

I couldn't think of a more fitting use for the {Mask of Loki} than to emphasize this.

The Preset I chose was my look in the first life just after the three-year war which caused my draft into the military.

Fortunately, 'Alex' and 'Leo' looked remarkably different.

'Alex' was a twenty-year old black youth with black hair and black eyes. His expression was like that of a strict stoic soldier who had seen a lot of war. He stood at about 180cm and had a lean physique (shorter and less buff than Leo).

[A.N: Dropped a picture in comments that might help with imaging.]

"Are you an idiot? Why would you reveal your face?"

"You're showing your face, aren't you? I felt its only right I reciprocate."

"Have you forgotten what we talked about before?"

"I didn't forget. However, I haven't spend these three-plus years doing nothing. I cleared my tracks. The House of Death won't be able to track me down just with my face."

"You seem so sure. You don't know how scary the world is, kid."

"Look into my eyes old man." We gazed at each other. "I've seen enough."

The memories of my time during the war replayed in my mind. The raw emotions of the horrors of the battlefield which baptised the naive me to the cruelty of the world schooled my expression.

As a fellow walker of the dark path of the world, I'm sure the old man could tell what I've seen from my eyes.

And hence, give him an explanation for my thirst for strength and power to control my fate.

"Are you sure you can't be tracked?"

I nodded.

"That's good." The old man tapped his cane on the floor. "I'll have to give up the information I know about you to the organisation."

"They have control over you."

"Somewhat, but no. Let's just say it's to my benefit to give some interested parties the information I have on you."

"Oh, I see." I nodded in understanding. "You can do that with a clear conscience. Even if I tell you my name, no one would be able to find me with just that."

I turned to him.

"Do you want to know my name?"

"No. Zero is enough."

I chuckled.

DarkBlade was interesting enough.

Both of us became silent for a moment.

We weren't acting cool or anything like that. Instead, we were trying to feel out our surrounding and make sure no one was listening to us as we were about to get to the real purpose of this meeting.

"You've done well these last few years. The organisation has its eyes on you and so you have the opportunity to rise to become a true member." DarkBlade revealed. "Usually, an assassin who can takeout a Knight-rank becomes a true member of the organisation..."

"In that case, shouldn't I already be a true member. The target of the last contract, which was organisation-issued by the way, had Knight-level ability."

"While the organisation understands that, as reflected by the extra merit points you gained after you turned in the contract, the powers-that-be decided that you still need to take a promotion contract to ascertain your skill level."

"What does that even mean?"

"Let's just say some people believe the unorthodox methods you use to kill makes it difficult to be sure you can take on a Knight-level contract."

"So, they want me to prove it?"

"Aye."

There was another spell of silence.

I used the time to digest what I was just told while DarkBlade seemed to be contemplating telling me something.

"What is your endgame in the organisation?" DarkBlade asked.

"I don't understand the question."

"Do you just want to be an assassin or do you want to rise within the organisation?"

"I have no interest in taking control of the organisation if that's what you're asking."

"Listen, kid. In that case, you need a backer... someone who can litigate on your behalf within the organisation."

"Isn't that what you are for? You are my recruiter, are you not?"

"That's not how things work within the organisation. A recruiter only brings in good seeds to the organisation. As for being your backer, that's another person's job."

"Who?"

"A Broker." DarkBlade responded. "A Broker is an Agent's go-between in the organisation. They help you get contracts that suits as well as claim the reward for you once it's done. They fight for your benefit within the echelons of the organisation."

'I see. If I understand this right, a Broker is similar to a Handler.'

"So, if I had a good Broker, I wouldn't need to do this promotion contract to become a true member of the organisation."

"Most likely you'd have become a true member by now."

"I see... So, what does the Broker get in return. A cut of my earnings."

"Maybe, but that's not the most important thing." DarkBlade pulled his cane to him as he leaned on it while still seated. "The most important thing they earn in return for helping Agents is influence."

"Influence?"

"Pure Agents are people like you, assassins who only care about the job. On the other hand, Brokers are people who want to rise up the leadership ladder of the organisation. They can be Agents themselves or support staff within the organisation. In order to gain the required influence they need to move up the ladder, Brokers form factions by contracting with lone Agents."

"I see... a symbiotic relationship is formed. The Agent completes contracts and earns reputation within the organisation. His Broker is allowed to use that reputation for his own interest. In exchange, the Broker provides better conditions for the Agent."

"Aye." DarkBlade nodded. "The most sort after and influential Brokers usually have a number of successful Agents in their faction."

"Must I have a Broker?"

"No. But I advise you to consider it."

I unconsciously released a sigh. I understood very well why DarkBlade gave me this advice.

I thought back to my past life. One of the reasons Taskforce 47 was so effective was because we didn't have to face the politics and bureaucracy of government. This was due to one person.

Our Handler... Megan Bowman.

She was a tough woman. She fought tooth and nails for us to get us everything we needed. We didn't have to worry about support from home thanks to her. She was also the one that managed to keep our original team together for as long as it did.

Eventually, Bowman earned too many merits from the work she did with my taskforce. She was assigned more responsibilities.

She resigned as the taskforce's handler. She said our taskforce was too important not to be given a dedicated handler. She had too much work and couldn't give us the attention we deserved.

We were reassigned another handler. The guy tried his best but he was no Bowman.

The original members of Taskforce 47 decided to hang our boots after Bowman left.

So, I understood the importance of a handler... a broker.

"Is it possible for me to get an exclusive Broker?" I asked.

DarkBlade turned to me in surprise.

"You're a greedy one, aren't you?" Then, he looked back to the flowers. "It will be difficult to find a good Broker who would tie themselves exclusively to you. Those you'd find are most likely to be rookies."

"I don't mind. I only want someone whose sole attention would be my interests. I don't need anyone with clashing priorities. In exchange, I'm confident I can gain as much influence as the person needs."

I looked to DarkBlade.

"I don't need preferential treatment. I don't need handholding. If anything, I welcome difficult contracts. The only thing I need is someone who can prevent me from being screwed over. Do you have any recommendations?"

I asked DarkBlade for his recommendation because he was a high member of the organisation and so would know the available Brokers. Also, I had a hunch this was where the conversation was leading to.

He was waiting to suggest a Broker to me, if not, this conversation wouldn't have started in the first place.

"There is a Broker who is also looking for an exclusive Agent." DarkBlade revealed with some hesitation.

"That's good then. So why the hesitation?"

He sighed.

"This person's situation is... unique. For whatever reason, they're looking for an exclusive assassin. Whoever it is, has to take a test. Only the person who passes the test can assure the Broker they have the potential to become the person they need. So far, fifteen Agents have taken the test, none survived...

"Including a Noble-ranked Agent."

(To be continued...)

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