The God of Jesters
Chapter 131 - 3.01.3 Another old friend.

Chapter 131: 3.01.3 Another old friend.

He complained before taking out a small vial filled with a highly flammable chemical compound in it, which "accidentally" fell out of his hands.

The window that was opened by him while entering also seemed to be locked now. Odd in a way if not for his experience with dealing with such situations before. Even if he can’t see or smell it. He knew either a mechanical latch or a magic rune was at word and trying to open that lock might have unpredictable circumstances.

None of which he wished to face. Considering the man he had kept track of was a dwarf, he could feel that the locks were mechanical and with the need to keep this place secret, it also meant that most of the time it should be hidden weapons, silent and lethal.

Or no weapons at all. Directly locking him inside, until the people who were currently reaching for this room dealt with him or any such intruders.

Meaning, that exit was a trap, and who knows if there had been a senior of his that might have suffered due to it. Because he didn’t wish to follow the fate of his seniors that might or might not exist. With the fire spreading and soon to be reaching the chemicals used to process these human skins. It won’t be long before a big explosion.

Or not, he wasn’t sure.

*tap *tap

One wall and then another, he soon found one he felt was hollow. ’It really is here?’ He had expected this, but it really was the case. So without much of an issue, his hands transformed into that of a bear and he destroyed the fake wall in half, matching the small explosion that shook the building.

Inside it was a magic circle with some rotten bodies strewn on the side. ’The day is getting too unpredictable.’ Last night was already too much for him, but for a man who needs to get stronger for his revenge, he still had to steal a living for himself.

Unluckily, he fell for some trap or whatever this was. Which was too coincidental if he has to say it. But things have progressed this far. So why not see it through to the end?

That was his thought when the light on the magic circle flickered and the runes etched on the walls around the magic circles came alive, slowly dampening the magical radiation this room might have been releasing.

’They are rich.’ Keeping so many runes active requires a lot of magic energy, meaning whoever was part of this operation or whatever this was, had a good background. Well, that was easy to notice with how the owner of this floor had regularly eaten at expensive restaurants. Mostly alone at times.

’Yes, there were a few people from time to time.’

As he had thought, the circle shone for the brightest before a dwarf appeared, holding a shotgun and covered in runic armor.

Not the same one as he had met before, but still, from vitality alone, he matched that of an adept Knight.

"You didn’t sleep?" He asked in surprise. He found it weird that the intruder hadn’t fallen asleep due to the intoxicating gas that might even cause a master-level knight to feel groggy. But Max remained unharmed, only treating the smell as the mixture of rot and life that he had seen before.

As for considering what this dwarf meant? Max didn’t bother with it, for the moment the dwarf said those words, he fired his gun.

But none of the pellets from his gun hit his body, as Max appeared behind him and tried to rip and slash his neck. An attack that was stopped with a sound of metal clanging. A sign that the dwarf wore armor.

Though this didn’t mean he would not make something of this dangerous move, with one on his index finger, while he tried to move away from the dwarf, he poked it in the dwarf’s eyes which were not protected by the armor.

*Peik, with a single finger that injured his eyes, used the time that the dwarf was squirming in pain to kick the dwarf with both of his legs toward the room where the chemicals burned.

"Burn with them." He said before he noticed that some other dwarves had come from the side, bringing with them fire extinguishers, while crying for more water.

’Just how many?’ He wondered, but from the vitality, he knew this was his option.

Before the dwarf could stabilize, Max ran, jumping into the fire as a scale-covered his skin and then diving headfirst into the dwarves that were dealing with the fire. "Kill him!" One of them shouted, causing many of these dwarves to run toward him.

However, those that could get close found themselves suffering from clean injuries with one of them dying after his throat was slashed off.

And then, breaking the siege, Max rushed to the stairs and then exited the building.

Leaving the surviving dwarves confused and scared over who they just met.

******

Due to Max’s rash exit, incapacitating many of the dwarves. The fire couldn’t be stopped, causing it to spread and burn the whole apartment building.

Of course, the tub of chemicals and human fat that were stored in various rooms of the building were not to be blamed. It was the electronics and furniture. Or so the news as well as the fire department explained such a bizarre fire in a rich district of Bothal.

Which ended up confirming Max of one thing.

’Coming here was a mistake.’ He thought, drinking some wine on the rooftop. Whenever he has a job, a bug rat would be waiting at his bedside at night along with an insect.

And tonight was a free night, leaving him alone to his thoughts.

"No, being with them was the beginning of it all. That was my greatest mistake."

’Killers never deserve a happy ending.’ This is a line his old master, who belonged to the nature church, always told him. And it seems to be true.

Nothing in this world is free and if you ever try to expect much of it, the world will do its very best to bring you down.

But this is how he has always lived and keeps on living. For this was his fate.

******

Well enough about Max, he is a great man on his own but pretty boring when it comes to his personality.

Just like a salted fish, he lacks the flavor that would help him reach his full potential.

And that flavor was a lot closer to him than one might expect and it was not Fahna, his eventual enemy.

But someone else, someone a bit bizarre.

Some wished for my demise as well. However, this woman’s reason was a bit weird, to say the least.

Sitting in a room, next to a group of loyalists that were able to escape from Durum after her whole tower was treated as criminals. Kassandra asked them in a calm voice. "Why are you here? Freedom is hard to come by. Staying with me will only bring you trouble."

"Tower master, we have promised to follow you until our dying breath, and we won’t be abandoning our promise."

"The being I have been hunting most of my life might be watching us even now and with you meeting me, you have put a target on your head as well. Are you sure you intend to come under my wing again?" It was a bit embarrassing considering how this little girl was so knowledgeable about me. It was probably why I couldn’t find her till now until I noticed these little rats sulking around and then coming to this small bar.

Which is how I learned that Kassandra was here.

"Without your teachings, we are nothing. Whatever your request is, we will try our best to fulfill it."

"Then prove it to me first, Go and find the details about this incident," Kassandra said, before pointing at the newspaper about the fire that Max caused. "I have an inkling that my enemy might be involved in this." Kassandra was never a fool, she had known why these men had requested a meeting with her. Among the many reasons they came to her, two of them seemed more likely.

One of which was to learn of the remaining spells and knowledge that she had kept to herself, a desire that they had been upfront about since the start, which made it even more unlikely. Leaving only the other option more likely.

Which was a trap to capture her. These men never escaped on their own, instead, they were here to act as bait to drag her out. But none of it means that she won’t be using them for her own use. Just like what she did with the Mage Institute, she intends to do with these fools.

"Ye.. yes Master." The greedy guys said yes and soon left the scene, along with the illusory body of Kassandra that disappeared as if the sun had gone down in an instant.

She was never here, she is still hiding from me.

But soon, I will find her and I will let her meet my new good friend Max. Who knows, what kind of friendship the two might blossom with?

Would it be something spicy and energetic like Max? Or would it be cold and callus like Kassandra?

Or would this relationship be a mixture of the two, who knows?

I am even looking forward to it.

I can’t wait for the two to meet.