Chapter 5 Chapter 4 The Long Night Before Dawn

Porg Reese knocked tentatively on the door of the small conference room.He's never been more comfortable dealing with the notorious "Mask of the Night."On the same morning, about 20 assassins accompanied the two leaders of the "Mask of the Night" to the Trinity Walled City. Many assassins who were more experienced than Pogue were looking forward to this seemingly simple task. Task. Guards in black robes searched the young magician before letting him in.Pogue noticed that the two guards looked rather inconspicuous, perhaps newcomers to the assassination ring.They wore the standard attire of the Westgate Hitman Group: inconspicuous squires and black eyepatch-style masks trimmed with silver.A guard bared his fangs and smiled at him, making Pogue think that his blood was more orc than human—a common occurrence among assassins—and the thought sent a shiver down the young wizard's spine.

Whether the two guards were human or not, though, Pogue felt uncomfortable.Even if these killers publicly showed that they were unarmed, he still knew that these people still had a lot of guys on them, and they had been trained to kill with bare hands. After the search was over, the two guards led the young magician into the room, and then they went back to the door, standing on both sides of the door with expressionless faces and continued to stand guard. Once they were gone, Pogue forgot they were there, for the young magician was more interested in the two sitting in the comfort of the room.Near him sat a thin man--if he was human--almost womanlike, and obviously very frail, making a constant series of phlegmatic coughs.There was no trace of beard on this man's face, not even stubble; the whole face was clean and soft, hardly like an adult.His listless eyelids drooped lazily, and his overly thick and full lips looked almost like a child's scribbled drawing.

Sitting across from this man was a muscular, incredibly strong guy.A full beard and a head of messy hair are fiery red, and a pair of arms can easily fold Pogue in two.The strong man, however, seemed less assassin-like (in terms of Pogue's knowledge of the Mask of the Night) than the thin man.He wears a very conspicuous large sword strapped to his waist, and he also bears many battle scars on his body.His attire was also very unlike any other killer: on his wrists he wore a pair of studded wristlets glittering with many small gemstones, and his plain white traveling coat was from a smaller northern cut from the back of a polar bear.

"Are you Porg Reese?" the muscular man asked in a smooth baritone voice with a sharpness and depth that Porg hadn't expected. The magician nodded. "Hello, fellow of the Mask of the Night," replied the young magician, bowing deeply. The burly red-haired man gave a curious look. "No one told me you were connected to the syndicate," he said. "I only heard that you had an agreement with the syndicate to leave." Pogue nervously shifted his weight from one foot to the other.Three years ago, he paid a lot of money to be allowed to leave the "Mask of the Night", and even if he paid these bribes, if it weren't for the fact that his father was an important businessman in the West Gate area - he had political connections with the group And connections——Pogue would have been dealt with as an incompetent member of the "Night Mask" long ago, that is——death.

"It's not easy to meet someone who claims to have been one of us," the red-haired man mocked, his otherwise civilized voice full of sarcasm. Pogue changed his posture again, and he had to try hard to remind himself that he was now in the Walled Trinity, his territory, and no matter how much Aballister and Dorigen despised him, they would help him . "The circumstances were extraordinary," replied the young magician.He flicked his brown hair tied into a rope uneasily, revealing the anxiety in his heart. "I have another mission that requires me to stay away from the West Gate area. As you can see, my departure benefits both parties. I have gained powers that you cannot understand, and if you can help me with this little mission, And get paid very well.”

The burly man grinned, as if mocking Pogue's supposed power, while looking at his weaker companion, who didn't seem very interested in the whole thing. "Please sit down." The burly man urged Pog, "I am Vander, the contact person for this small mission, and my companion is the 'Ghost', an extremely extraordinary and highly skilled person." Pogue took a seat between the two, staring at the seemingly untrustworthy partners in turn, trying to figure things out. "Any questions?" Vander asked after studying Pogue's movements for a while. "No." Pogue blurted out immediately.He forced himself to calm down. "I was just surprised that so many people were sent for such a simple task," he admitted.

Vander laughed out loud, but then stopped abruptly, and a look of wonder crossed his face.His angry stare fell on the ghost, and at the same time the whole body began to undergo a series of changes, and then, to Pogue's amazement, Vander and everything on him began to grow larger. The already huge sword became even bigger, and the Northland bear skin used as a cloak was no longer just a small piece of fur.Because Vander was still sitting, Pogue wasn't sure exactly how big he had grown—but Pogue guessed it was at least a full ten feet tall. "You are?" he half-asked, half-guessed the answer, recognized where the giant came from.Now Bogejang Kongo can't figure it out.It's shocking enough to have a very visible red-haired giant join the "Mask of the Night" group, and he's a Fubo giant?

Vander continued to stare furiously without letting go, black eyes fixed on the ghost just below bushy brows.However, he quickly regained his composure and leaned back in his chair. "Excuse me," he said unexpectedly to Pogue, "I'm indeed a descendant of giants, although I usually don't appear to be more than human." "Then why—?" Pogue asked. "Be careful." Vander quickly interrupted him, his low voice showing that he didn't want Pogue to continue asking. Pogue didn't want to argue with an eight-hundred-pound giant.He crossed his hands on his thighs as if to protect himself, trying to appear nonchalant.

"You have questions about the number of people we've sent?" Vander asked, returning to the magician's original question. "I didn't expect so many people to come," Pogue reiterated. "'Night Mask' never acts carelessly," Vander replied coldly, "tasks that seem easy are often the most difficult. We don't make mistakes, which is why we can charge high rewards." He Tilting the massive head to one side—a rather un-giant pose, Pogue thought—then looked at the pouch in the belt of Pogue's robes. The young magician took his cue, removed the pouch of gold from his girdle, and handed it to Vander. "It's half of the fee," he explained, "and your boss agrees to it."

"Your boss agreed too." Vander replied quickly, not wanting to give Pogue the upper hand. "I think it's a magician named Aballister." Pogue didn't answer, neither agreeing nor denying the statement. "And you will act with us as a representative of the Trinity Walled City, right?" Fan De was both asking a question and stating the facts at the same time, "It's another special situation." "This is also an agreement." Pogue replied firmly, but he kept moving his fingers nervously, which was in contrast to the firmness in his voice. "Both parties agree," he added shrewdly, "mainly because I was part of the syndicate and understand the way you do things."

Vander resisted the urge to puncture the inflated ego of the affectated young man.The giant knew that Aballister paid an extra sum of money to allow Pogue to participate in this matter, and that the young magician would be assigned this task, which was exactly the same as he had been in the assassination group in the past. Experience is irrelevant. "I'll go with you to Carraton," continued Pogue, "so that I can fully report on my progress to my superior-colleague." Vander smiled broadly at Pogue's slippery tongue. "Regardless of your role in Cadderly's death, the Night Mask will be paid the same," he said gravely. Pogue nodded. "My role is that of an observer, that's all; unless, of course, you, the principal, decide to change something." He agreed. "May I ask, what is your role in this matter?" Poe Grid paused for a moment, he knew he might be a bit over the top, but in this deal, he couldn't allow Vander to have such a big advantage. "It seems unlikely that a volbol is openly walking the streets of Kaladon. And what's the ghost going to do?" "His name is 'the ghost,' not 'the ghost,'" Vander snapped. "You'd better not forget that. As for my role," he went on, softening his tone a little, "it's none of your business." Vander was much more enthusiastic about protecting ghosts than protecting himself, which made Pogue very curious, especially since Pogue directly expressed doubts about the giant Fubao just now. "The ghost is the trailblazer. He will gather information and increase our understanding of the target." Vander continued. In the city - set up a base." Pogue agrees with this simple and straightforward logical reasoning. "Then we're leaving in the morning," Vander continued. "Are you ready?" "certainly." "Then this meeting is over." Vander announced abruptly and unquestionably, while gesturing towards the door.Two guards in black robes immediately came to Pogue and escorted him out of the room. As Pogue walked slowly down the corridor, he looked back at the door of the room several times.A Fubao giant plus a weak man?It was an odd combination, but Pogue had only been at Mask of the Night for a month and a day before begging to leave, so at least he had to admit to himself that his knowledge of the group's methods was very limited. Before long, Pogue put thoughts of Vander and the ghost behind him and focused on another meeting he had planned.At Aballister's request, Pogue would meet with Druzil to get to know Cadderly and his companions.The imp had fought Cadderly twice—both times in the cataclysm of Wall Trinity—and knew him better than anyone. Pogue was eager for this information.He was unhappy that the Mask of the Night had sent so many people on this mission, not that he wanted Cadderly to have a chance to escape, but that he wanted himself to be directly involved in the mission.What Porg Reese wanted more than anything else was to play a key role in the assassination, to gain the respect of Aballister and especially Dorigen. He was so sick of the taunts, hated being called "Little Pogue."When Pogue brought back the head of Aballister's troublesome son, the self-important Dorigen, with her broken and swollen hands and her valuables To be taken out, to run back from Simista—how would it feel?After all, Cadderly was the reason Dorigen was in such a mess. Pogue boldly imagined that his status in Trinity Walled City might also rise, becoming the second in command under Aballister.Dorigen's hand healed so slowly; the priests in the castle felt that many of her fingers would never be able to straighten at all.Correct hand gestures are very important when casting magic, so how much will Dorigen's magic be affected? Rubbing his limp hands eagerly, Pogue sped toward the meeting room, where Druzil was waiting.It will lead him to the road of prosperity. ※※※ "How dare you do that!" the Fubo giant yelled at his companions once Pogg was gone.He nodded to the two guards, and they hurried out of the room.The giant jumped up from his chair and took a menacing step forward. "I didn't know my... your... body would go back to normal," the petite man protested, trying to sink deeper into the cushions of the comfy chair. "I thought the magic would last longer, at least beyond the meeting time." The giant Fubo grabbed the slender man by the collar and lifted him into the air. "Ah, Vander," the giant snorted, with deceitful composure on his face, "Dear Vander." The Fubao giant's face suddenly changed with anger, and he slapped the skinny man on the chest. face, and broke his nose.One backhand slap swells one cheek, another swells the other.Then, with an evil smile on his face, the Fubao giant grabbed one of the skinny man's forearm and snapped it with such force that the man's fingers touched his elbow. The beatings continued for several minutes before the Fubo giant finally threw the unconscious man back on the chair. "If you lie to me again..." the red-haired giant warned, "if you ever humiliate me before a man like Porg Rath, I'll torture you until you beg me to kill you! " The small man, the real Vander, curled up in a fetal position, holding his broken arm in his arms, feeling terribly vulnerable and terribly imprisoned in the ghost's frail body. "I want my body," said the ghost suddenly, uncomfortably tugging at his Fubo body. "You're hairy and itchy!" Vander sat up and nodded violently, eager to return to his body. "But not now," the ghost growled at him. "Wait until the injury is healed. I won't go back unless my body is in perfect condition." He said maliciously, "Just like when I gave it to you." Vander slumped back in his chair.This game has been repeated many times over the past few years, but what other options does he have?There is no way for him to escape from the ghost's evil grasp, and he cannot fight against the ghost's magical power.Vander just wanted to get back into his body and give the skinny man a good beating, but he knew that the ghost would immediately switch back and Vander would have to suffer the pain of his attack.Vander knew that the ghost would continue to beat him, perhaps for hours, until poor Vander broke down and began to cry, begging his master to stop. The trapped volbol puts a hand on his broken human nose.It has begun to heal; the pain is gone and the bleeding has stopped.The severed forearm straightened again, and Vander could feel the tickle as the bones joined.After a few minutes, he began to think comfortingly: Then I can have my body back, my strong body. "I'm leaving," the ghost said to him.He pointed a finger at Vander threateningly. "Don't forget that you are with me in spirit." He warned, "I will come back for you and you only, Vander, no matter how far, no matter when." Vander looked away, unable to deny the threat.Once he tried to escape this terrible nightmare all the way back to his hometown on the Spine of the World, but ghosts thousands of miles away found him and forced a body exchange.Just to let Vander know how stupid his behavior was, the ghost brutally killed several Vander tribesmen including his brother on a desolate path east of Mirabar.Vander vividly remembers the horrifying moment when the ghost held his own eldest son's left arm in his own huge hand when the ghost returned his body to him. When Vander returned to the West Gate, he killed the ghost, nearly ripping the little man's head off his shoulders, but a week later the ghost walked into Vander's camp, laughing. Vander came back from his meditation and looked at the man he hated so much.The ghost stood looking down at him, wearing a black glove on one hand and a white one on the other, and a gold-rimmed mirror of a similar shape at the end of a gold chain around his neck. With a slap of the Fubo giant's palms, Vander felt himself levitate.His unyielding soul looked back with disdain at the frail body lying on the ground, and then looked forward to the huge square.A searing pain pierced through Vander as he entered his volbol body.His soul twisted and wobbled, adjusting itself to the proper shape, leading Vander to a new cycle of life. As usual, the ghost came out of the soul exchange process one step ahead of Vander, and was already sitting comfortably in a chair, gazing at the Fubao giant, waiting for Vander to gradually regain consciousness.Today, frail bodies wear gloves and mirrors—magical implements that always follow their masters.Once Vander showed that he would not attack him, the ghost clasped its hands and closed its eyes.Gloves and mirrors disappeared, but Vander knew from painful experience that these magical implements could be summoned instantly at any time. "You follow the plan and set out with the group members and the magician." The ghost instructed. "What are we going to do with Porg Reese?" Vander asked. "I don't trust him." "That's all right," replied the ghost, "you don't trust me anyway, but I know you're overwhelmed by my warm personality." Vander wanted desperately to punch the ghost off with the smug smile on its sleepy-eyed face. "The magician is coming with us," the ghost instructed. "Aballister paid Ryce to go with him. That's a heap of gold for such a small inconvenience." "Why do you do that?" Vander couldn't help asking.He was always amazed that these bad guys would come up with some seemingly meaningless plots. "Aballister believes that if he sends a messenger with him, he can gain some insight into the situation," replied the ghost. "This magician always wants to know everything. He can't stand anything that directly or indirectly affects the situation." to him, and it happened without his knowledge." Vander does not deny this.He had only seen Aballister once, and the ghost had spoken to the bony wizard no more than three times.But the Fubao giant did not doubt the ghost's insight.This skinny man has an unusual ability to grasp other people's personalities, especially their flaws, and he can always find ways to use those parts to his advantage. ※※※ The morning light could not help but make the young scholar blink.The light shone on Lake Impesk, and through the windows over the balcony door of Cadderly's room.Breakfast was already on the table next to Cadderly - noticing the surprising amount, he couldn't help smiling.They were bribes, Brennan's way of thanking Cadderly for helping to keep the secret.Federja would not have spared his son if he knew where Brennan spent his evenings. Cadderly was indeed hungry, and the food looked delicious, but when the young scholar noticed that the book of Universal Harmony was still open on the table by the window, he felt a deeper and more urgent hunger. .He only took a small bread, and then walked towards the desk. As before, Cadderly devoured the pages and their blurred words faster than his eyes could keep up.He flipped through the entire book in a few minutes, then started again from the beginning, almost desperately rushing forward so that the mysterious song would not be interrupted.Cadderly didn't know how many times he read the book that day.When Brennan came in with lunch, then dinner, he didn't look up from his reading or stop listening to the songs. The light of day faded away, but Cadderly carried on.When the room was too dark to read, his first thought was to go over and turn on the light, but he didn't even think it wasted the time it took.Cadderly hardly thought about what he was doing, just recalled a page he had read, a certain melody, and said a few simple words, and the room was filled with light. The streaming of the song was interrupted.Cadderly sat there blinking, surprised at what he had just done.He looked back and traced the steps he had taken in his mind just now, recalling that page of the book, its image appeared in his mind very clearly.He spoke the incantation again, changing the tone and changing two words. The light is gone. Cadderly slid out of the chair, staggering, and collapsed on the bed.He crossed an arm over his eyes, as if the gesture would help him block confusing memories of what had just happened. "I have to see the magician tomorrow morning," he said aloud to himself, "he'll know what's going on." Cadderly didn't believe his words at all, but he refused to believe the fact. "Tomorrow morning," he said again, hoping that sleep would bring him peace. For this troubled young man, however, there were still hours to live and dreams to dream in the morning. ※※※ Percival jumped on the window of the room—no, not the window, but the balcony door.Cadderly studied the strange sight, for the squirrel's large size made the door look like a small window.Cadderly knew intuitively that it was Percival, but why was this squirrel a full six feet tall? The white squirrel came into the room and came to him.Cadderly reached out to pat the animal, but Percival drew back, then rushed back, tearing at the pouch on Cadderly's belt with his now-not-fine claws.Cadderly started to fight back, but one of the pouches was ripped open, and the kakasha fruit kept spilling onto the ground. Those are hundreds, thousands of kakasha fruits!The giant squirrel eagerly stuffed them in handfuls into its swollen mouth, and the ground was quickly cleared again. "Where are you going?" Cadderly heard himself ask as the squirrel jumped away.At some point, the door was closed again, but the squirrel charged right there, knocking the door panel off its hinges.Then Percival jumped over the balcony railing and disappeared. ※※※ Cadderly sat up in bed—but it wasn't his bed, for he wasn't in his room, but lying in the lobby of the hotel.He knew that it was very late and the surrounding area was very quiet. Cadderly felt there was someone else in the room, a ghostly thing behind him.Gathering up his courage, he turned around abruptly. Then he yelled, screaming at the top of his throat in utter desperation.Dean Avery who treated him like a child, his mentor, was lying on a small square table in the room, with his chest completely broken. Cadderly didn't have to go over and examine it to know that he was dead, and that his entire heart had been ripped out. Cadderly sat up in bed—in his own bed this time.His room was very quiet, except for the occasional scratching sound of the balcony door under the evening wind.A full moon rose, silver light dancing through the windows, casting shadows on the floor. This peaceful scene seems to be far from enough to drive away the dream.Cadderly tried to remember that page, tried to remember that spell, that chant that bathed the room in light.He was tired and distressed, and he had barely eaten that day—and the day before.The images of the pages just didn't appear, so he lay still in the dim light, terrified. Only the moonlight shed quietly. And the dawn will take a long time to come.

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