Chapter 12 Chapter IX Recognized

The wizard walked slowly through the door, while the killer hid in the shadows and watched the wizard's actions.Other voices followed Ravel into the room from the corridor, but the wizard didn't seem to notice.He just closed the door and went to his personal wine locker against the wall of the audience room, only a candle glowing faintly on it. Entreri clasped his hands eagerly.What kind of punishment is he going to give this guy for not telling him about the Doug Perry sneak attack?Should we just attack him verbally, or simply kill him? With a glass in one hand and a thin candle in the other, Ravel walked towards a candelabra.As more and more candles are brought to flickering life, the room grows brighter.Behind the ecstatic wizard, Entreri emerged from his hiding place.

His warrior instincts immediately put him on the alert.Something at the very edge of his consciousness—but what? — warned him.Maybe it has something to do with Ravel's unhurried demeanor, or maybe it's just a passing moment. Ravel turned around, and jumped back a small step—just a small step—when he saw Entreri standing in the middle of the room.Once again, the killer's insight nagged him.The wizard wasn't as frightened and surprised as he'd expected. "Do you think Doug Perry can beat me?" Entreri asked sarcastically. "Doug Perry?" Ravel came back to his senses. "I didn't see the man—"

"Don't lie to me," Entreri interrupted calmly. "I've known you for too long, Ravel, and I can't believe you don't know about this kind of stuff. You've watched Doug Perry, no doubt, just as you know all the moves of all the players." "Obviously, not all of them." The wizard replied coldly, alluding to the unexpected guest in front of him. Entreri also had little confidence in his last words, but he didn't delve into the question. "You agreed to give me notice before Doug Perry attacked me," he said loudly.If the wizard has bodyguards around, let them know about his inconsistency. "Nevertheless, he jumped out with a dagger in hand, and my friend Ravel didn't warn me beforehand."

Ravel sighed and stepped aside, slumped in a chair. "I do know about it," he admitted. "But I can't react accordingly." He noticed the killer's dangerous eyes and quickly added. "You understand me. All communication with you is forbidden." "The algae," said Entreri. Ravel spread his hands helplessly. "I also know that Ravel rarely follows such orders," Entreri continued. "This one is different," said another voice.A tall, thin man in fine clothes and a turban walked into the room from the wizard's research room. Entreri's muscles tensed.He had just checked that room, and the other two rooms in the wizard's suite, and there was no one there.Now he had no doubt that they were waiting for him.

"My guildmaster," Ravel said. "Quentin Podew." Entreri didn't even bat an eye.He had already guessed. "The Zaowei order this time did not come from a single guild, but a joint issue of the three most powerful guilds." Quentin Podieu clarified. "There is only one dead end to resist this order." "If I use magic to contact you, I will be discovered 100%." ​​Ravel tried to explain.He chuckled lightly to ease the tension. "Besides, I'm not worried about anything," he said. "Doug Perry isn't really a test for you yet."

"If so, why was he allowed to attack me?" Entreri asked Bodew. The guildmaster shrugged. "I can't control that person's actions at all." "You don't have to worry about it anymore," Entreri replied grimly. Bourdieu managed a smile. "You have to understand our situation..." he began. "Will I believe the words of the man who gave the order to kill me?" Entreri asked skeptically. "I didn't—" Podew began, but he was interrupted by a woman's voice from the wizard's study. "If we thought that Quentin Podew, or other important figures in the guild knew and allowed this attack, there would have been no living people in this guild's stronghold."

A tall, black-haired woman entered through the doorway, followed by a strong warrior with a long, curly mustache, and a thinner figure, as he hid his figure behind a black cloak Even Entreri dared not conclude that he was a man under the veil of a man.Behind the three, two heavily armed guards strode into the room, and, although the last one had closed the door, Entreri knew that there was probably another wizard nearby, for although he only glanced He glanced at several other rooms, and it was impossible for so many people to escape his eyes without the help of a wizard.Also, the demeanor of this team is very relaxed—too relaxed.Even if each of them was good at fighting, there was no way they could defeat Entreri with the strength of these men alone.

"I'm Charlotta Vespa." There was a cold light in the woman's eyes. "I would like to introduce you to Kaza Jordyn and Hand. We are both deputy chiefs of the Pasha Basadoni Guild. Yes, Pasha Basadoni is still alive, and seeing that you are doing well, he also very happy." Entreri thought it was a lie.If Basadoni was still alive, the Basadoni Guild would have contacted him earlier, and they would not meet in such a dangerous situation. "Have you joined any guilds?" Charlotte asked. "Not when I left Calimport, and I've just come back now," replied the killer.

"Now you've joined." Charlotte said with satisfaction.Entreri felt he was in no position to deny her claim. That way, he wouldn't be killed—at least not yet.At night, he no longer had to be wary of sneak attacks from various killers, and he no longer had to deal with reckless idiots like Doug Perry.The Basadoni Guild regards him as one of their own, and allows him to accept any mission he wants to do—except, of course, to assassinate people within the guild—but his main contact is the one he never trusts. Kaza Jordyn, and Hand. He sat quietly that night on the roof of the Brass Gambler and knew he was content with the turn of events.He couldn't have had a better way out than this.

Even so, for some reason he couldn't fully understand, Entreri wasn't happy at all.He's back to his old way of life, if he still wants to live like that.With his skill, he would soon be restored to his former glory, but he now knew the limits of that glory, and even if he could easily become Calimport's highest-ranked killer again, this status would not fill his heart. emptiness. He didn't want to repeat the old life of killing people and getting paid.It was not a momentary impulse of emotion—never was it! —but the old life had failed to stir the spark of excitement in the man.

But because he was always practical, Entreri decided to stick around for a while.He made his way to the edge of the roof, jumped soundlessly to the ground, and walked through the front door of the Brass Gambler. All eyes were on him, but he walked nonchalantly across the common playroom to the door at the back of the room.A halfling tried to stop him, but his evil eyes made the little fellow back off.The killer went all the way to the door and pushed it open. Once again, as he expected, the extremely obese Dun Dun jumped into his eyes with great pressure. "Artemis!" Ding Dun's voice sounded happy, but Entreri still noticed a hint of tension in his voice, a reaction that was common to killers. "Come in, my friend, sit down and eat something, and share my beautiful companion." Entreri looked at the mountain of sweets in disgust, and the two phony female halflings crawling on top of the bloated scum.He sat down at a safe distance, but he didn't touch the many plates of food in front of him, and frightened a female halfling away with a dangerous look when she tried to approach him. "You should learn to relax, to enjoy the fruits of your labor." Dun Dun said. "I heard that you returned to Basadoni's command, so you are free." Entreri noticed that Dundun clearly hadn't noticed the irony of the incident. "What good is your hard and dangerous work doing if you won't be able to relax and enjoy it?" Dundon asked. "What's going on here?" Entreri asked bluntly. Dun Dun stared at him, with a puzzled expression on his face drooping due to obesity. In explanation, Entreri looked around, gesturing at all the plates, women, and gigantic bellies. A look of pain appeared on Dun Dun's face. "You know why I'm here," he replied quietly, lifelessly. "I know why you're here...to hide...I'm not against that," Entreri said. "But why?" His eyes flicked to the plate and the woman again. "Why are these?" "I chose to enjoy..." Tonton began, but Entreri didn't want to hear that. "If I could bring you back to your old life, would you do that?" the killer asked. Dun Dun stared at him blankly. "Would you be happy if I could change the situation on the outside and free you to walk out of the brass game?" Entreri continued pressing. "Or, have you been satisfied with this excuse and stopped?" "You're talking riddles." "I'm telling the truth!" Entreri shot back.He tried to look directly into Dun Dun's eyes, but those drooping eyelids filled with sleep undoubtedly resisted him.He couldn't even believe it, his anger towards Dun Dun was getting stronger and stronger.A part of him longed to draw the dagger and gouge out the heart of this scumbag. But Artemis Entreri never killed in a fit of rage, he fought the urge so hard. "Will you go back to the old days?" he said slowly, emphasizing each word. Dundon didn't answer, didn't even blink; but in the awkward silence, Entreri had learned the answer, and it was the last thing he wanted to think about. The door of the room was pushed open and Wawel walked in. "Is there a problem here, Mr. Entreri?" she asked sweetly. Entreri stood up and walked towards the door. "I'm not the one with the problem," he replied, walking past Wawel. Wavel grabbed his arm—a dangerous move!But luckily the killer was lost in thought about Dunton and didn't react to the offense. "About our deal," said the female halfling. "I may need your services." It took Entreri a long time to figure out why that remark offended him.Even if Wawel didn't bother him with her ridiculous demands, he had enough to think about. "So, what would you give me in exchange for the services you require?" he asked. "Information." The halfling replied. "We've talked." "You told me about the algae, and that's something I could have imagined myself," Entreri replied. "So you are of no great use to me. As for what I owe you, I will naturally repay you soon." The halfling opened his mouth, as if trying to protest, but Entreri just turned and walked through the common playroom. "We will no longer welcome your visits," Wawel called after him. Entreri didn't really care, because he didn't want to see that Dundon again.But, for imposing effect, he turned around and stared dangerously at the halfling, even though he knew there would be no gain in practice. "That's not very wise," he said, and walked out of the house, back into the dark street, and continued to stay alone on the roof. After thinking there for a long time, he understood why he hated Dun Dun so much.Because he saw himself.Of course, he himself would never have gotten so bloated, since he never overeat.But what he saw was a creature crushed under its own weight, a creature succumbed to despair.For Dundon, what defeated him was simple fear, which imprisoned him in a hut, buried him in lust and gluttony. For Entreri, would it be indifference that defeated him? He spent the night on the roof thinking and couldn't come up with an answer. The sequence of knocks was exactly correct, first two knocks, then three, then two more.So Entreri knew when he got up from the bed that it must be someone from the Basadoni Guild.Usually Entreri would have been on his guard anyway - usually he was never up all night - but he didn't do anything, not even reach for his dagger.He just walked to the door and opened it without asking. He didn't know the jumpy young man in front of him, with silky black shoulder-length hair and shrewd black eyes. "By order of Kaza Jordyn," the man said, handing Entreri a rolled parchment. "Stop!" Entreri called to the young man as he turned to leave.He turned to salute the killer again, and Entreri noticed that one of his hands had been thrust under the light-colored cloak, no doubt reaching for his weapon. "Where's Jordyn?" Entreri asked. "Why didn't he come and give me this thing himself?" "Please don't, my good sir," said the young man, bowing repeatedly, in a thick Calishite accent. "I just know to come here and give it to you, that's all." "Kaza Jordyn told you to do this?" Entreri asked. "Yes." The man nodded frantically. Entreri closed the door, and then he heard the sound of the freed figure fleeing at full speed. He stood there, thinking about the parchment and the messenger.He understood why Jordyn hadn't come to him in person, because that would have shown too much respect.Several deputy chiefs of the Basadoni Guild were afraid of him-not that he would kill them, but that he would gain a higher status than them.And now, Jodien asked such an unimportant person to report the news, in fact, he wanted Entreri to understand the status of the organization, and Entreri was only slightly higher than the bottom of the small role. Entreri shook his head resignedly. He had to accept all this stupidity.The assassin untied the parchment scroll and unfolded it.The order is very simple. It gives a person's name and last address, and states that this person should be eliminated as soon as possible, preferably that night, but no later than tomorrow. There is another note at the end of the order, which tells the recipient that the assassination target has not joined any guild, has no special relationship with city and merchant guards, and has no powerful relatives or friends. Entreri considered the information carefully.Possibly a very dangerous opponent, but more likely, Jordyn deliberately gave him a very easy task to belittle him and tarnish his reputation.In the past when he was in Calimport, Entreri's talents were used to assassinate guild leaders, wizards, nobles, and guard captains. If he can successfully complete this kind of task, his prestige among his subordinates will be greatly improved, and his status will also rise rapidly, but this is something that several deputy chiefs do not want to see. It's okay, he's decided. He took one last look at the address, it was in an area he was very familiar with in Calimport.Then he went to get his tools. He heard the cries of children nearby, for the shabby house consisted of only two rooms separated by a thick cloth.Entreri glanced over the edge of the cloth and saw a rather ugly woman tending a child.She begged them to be quiet and threatened them with the words of the children's father. After a while, she came out of the back room.The killer watched his every move from behind the curtain.The woman began to tidy up the housework, and everything was in order; he knew that she had reached the breaking point. A door made of another rag was pushed open, and a skinny young man entered.He looked emaciated, with sunken eyes and a beard that hadn't been shaved in days growing in a mess on his chin and cheeks. "Have you found it?" the woman asked sharply. The man shook his head.It seemed to Entreri that his eyes were sunken a little deeper. "I told you not to work for those people!" the woman scolded. "I knew nothing good would happen—" She stopped suddenly as his eyes widened with terror.Behind her, he saw, silently, the killer emerge from behind the rags.He turned as if to run away, but the woman glanced back and screamed. The man stood still.He couldn't leave her. Entreri watched all this calmly.If the man had not stopped and continued to run, the killer could have thrown the dagger and finished him before he escaped the house. "Don't kill my family." The man turned to Entreri and begged, spreading his hands pitifully. "Don't kill me here either." "Do you know why I'm here?" the killer asked. The woman began to cry, slurring some words begging for forgiveness, but her husband stopped her gently but firmly, and pushed her into the children's room. "I've tried my best." After she left, the man said quietly. "I begged Kaza Jordyn. I told him I would find the money." The old Artemis Entreri would never have taken any interest in any of this.The old Artemis Entreri wouldn't even listen to that.The old Artemis Entreri would simply do his job and walk out the door.But now, he found himself a little interested, and because he didn't have other important things, he was not in a hurry to finish this task. "If you are willing to raise your hand and let my family go, I promise I won't cause you any trouble." The man said. "Do you think you might cause me any trouble?" Entreri asked. The helpless wretch shook his head. "Please!" he begged. "I just wanted them to have a better life. I happily accepted the task of sending money from Longshoremen Street to a secret location, because the simple task paid more each time than I did honest work. And more." Of course, Entreri had heard such things.These stupid guys called "camels" would sometimes join a certain guild and perform some missions of sending money for the guild. Although the amount of money was not very large, it was already an astronomical figure for these poor people.Guilds employ these people for this kind of task only to keep rival guilds from knowing who is transporting funds.Even so, after a while, other guilds were able to analyze the transport route and who the camels were, and they would steal or rob the transport money.And even if these poor camels managed to escape the raids of the looters, they would be quickly wiped out by the guilds who hired them. "You know how dangerous the organization you work for is," Entreri said. The man nodded. "Just a few deliveries," he said. "Just a few. I'll quit when I'm done." Entreri laughed and shook his head at the thought of the idiot's ridiculous plan.Being a camel is not quitting.People who become camels will immediately know too many secrets inside the guild, so they will not be allowed to leave.There are only two paths before the camel: the first is that the camel performs well enough and is lucky enough to finally get a more secure position in the guild; the other is that the man or woman (for women were also frequently employed by the guilds) were killed in robberies, or were subsequently killed by the guilds who employed them. "Please, don't do that here." The man pleaded. "Don't let my wife hear my last screams, and don't let my son see my dead body." Bitter bile welled up Entreri's throat.He had never felt so disgusted, and he had never seen a more pitiful person than this guy. He scanned the whole house again, and the walls and door made of rags.On the only bench in the room was a single plate, from which it seemed probable that the whole family would eat. "How much do you owe?" he asked.Although he could hardly believe that this sentence came out of his mouth, he also knew that he couldn't force himself to kill such a useless person. The man looked at him in surprise. "That's the king's treasure!" he said. "Close to thirty gold coins." Entreri nodded, then produced a pouch hidden under his black cloak.He weighed it and knew it contained at least fifty gold pieces, but he threw it at the man anyway. The stunned man caught the pouch and stared at it so disbelievingly that Entreri thought his eyeballs were about to pop out of their sockets.Then he looked at the killer again, his emotions were extremely agitated, and the expressions on his face were mixed. "Remember you said that after repaying the money, you will have nothing to do with any guilds," Entreri said. "Take good care of your wife and children." The man opened his mouth not knowing what to say.Then suddenly he fell to his knees and kept kowtowing to his savior.Entreri turned and stormed across the house into the filthy street. He heard the man calling him behind him, his voice full of thanks and gratitude.But in fact, Entreri knew that his actions were not out of mercy.He cared nothing for the man's fate, or his ugly wife, or his children, who were undoubtedly ugly, too.But he still couldn't kill that piece of shit, and even though he knew he'd been doing him a huge favor by freeing the man from his miserable life, the killer still couldn't do it.No, Entreri just didn't want Jordyn's plot to succeed, and Jordyn was trying to tarnish his name with this dishonorable murder.Camels like this were supposed to be handled by the newcomers of the guild, the teenagers, and it was an insult to Kaza to entrust Entreri with such a thing. He decided to quit. He quickly returned to his room at the hotel, packed up his things and left, and then came to the door of the Brass Gambler.He wanted to just open the door and walk in, because he felt that Wawel would never be so stupid as to really not welcome his visit.But he reconsidered and walked away. He wasn't in the mood to talk to Wawel, he wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone. He found a small nondescript hotel in another part of town and asked for a room.He was probably already on the territory of another guild, and if that guild found out he was a member of the Basadoni guild, he might be in trouble. He doesn't care about these. The first day passed without incident, but that did not relax him.He knew that many things were going on, and they were all in the shadows of silence.He was perfectly capable of discovering messages leaking from the shadows, and could learn many things from them, but he was not in the mood to do so.All he wanted to do now was to let things run their course and see what would happen in the end. On the second night, he came to the lobby downstairs and ate alone in a corner.Several groups were talking nearby, but Entreri wasn't paying attention.But when a halfling walked in, he noticed the unusual situation, as halflings were not common in this part of the city.Soon the halfling spotted him and sat down on the bench opposite the killer. "Good evening, sir," said the little one. "How do you like your meal?" Entreri watched the halfling and knew that the man was not interested in food.He tried to find the weapon hidden on the halfling, but in fact, he didn't think Wawel would send someone against him. "Can I have a taste?" the halfling said aloud as he walked towards the killer. Entreri took the hint.He scooped up a spoonful of porridge, but held his arms out so the halfling could come closer to him. "I'm from Wawel." The little guy whispered as he leaned over. "The Basadoni Guild is looking for you. They are in a bad mood. They know you are here, and they have obtained the permission of the Explorers Guild. They will enter this site tonight and be ready." After finishing speaking, He swallowed the spoonful of porridge in one gulp, then returned to his seat and rubbed his belly. "Tell Wawel that I owe her now," Entreri whispered.The halfling gave a slight nod, then moved away from the killer and ordered a bowl of porridge.While waiting for this bowl of porridge, he chatted with the hotel owner and ate at the bar.Entreri thought quietly. The killer knows he can get away.But he didn't want to do that in his heart.No, he decided to just let things take their course and see what happened.Anyway, he didn't think they were going to kill him.He finished his meal and went back to his room to continue thinking.First, he extracted a board from the interior wall so that his hands could reach the girders in the downstairs room.He put his legendary dagger and some coins there.Then he put the board back in place, and took out a dagger with the same shape as the previous one from his bag and hung it around his waist, but this dagger did not have life-sucking magic attached to it.Afterwards, he set an improvised trap on the door.Of course this is no deterrent, just to tell his visitors that he is here.Having done this, he crossed the room, sat down in the only chair, and took out a few dice and played them on the small table next to the chair to pass the time. It was late when he heard the footsteps of visitors.The man was clearly trying to stay undetected, but the noise he made was louder than Entreri's normal walking.The footsteps stopped, and Entreri listened more attentively, the sound of metal piercing the crack of the door reaching his ears.He knew that an ordinary thief could undo his impromptu trap in two minutes, so he leaned his hands behind his head against the wall and waited. The sound disappeared.There was a long, uncomfortable silence. Entreri smelled something in the air: something was burning.For a moment, he thought they had set the whole building on fire, but soon he realized that the smell seemed to be from burning leather, so he looked down at his belt, and at the same time, his chest Last sting.A chain of necklaces he was wearing—attached with several lockpicks that appeared to be ornaments—went through his shirt and touched his skin. Only then did the killer realize that all metal objects had become red hot. Entreri jumped to his feet, yanked the necklace off and dropped it to the floor, then twisted his wrist so that the belt and the heated dagger fell to the ground. The door was knocked open, and two Basadoni guild soldiers rushed in one by one, and went to both sides of the door respectively. The third soldier took a crossbow and aimed at the killer and entered the room, standing between the first two. But he didn't shoot, and neither did the other two with swords. Kaza Jordyn came in and stood behind the archer. "Knocking on the door is as effective as doing so much work," Entreri said grimly.He looked at the equipment that fell on the ground, and the red-hot dagger made the wooden floor emit a puff of light smoke. In answer, Jordyn threw a coin at Entreri's feet.It was a curious piece of gold, with a unicorn's head insignia on the side facing the killer. Entreri looked up at Jordyn and shrugged. "That camel should have been killed," Jordyn said. "He's not worth the effort." "Should that be your decision?" Basadoni's adjutant asked. "It's just a small decision. Compared with the things I decided before..." "Ah!" Jordyn interrupted him abruptly. "That's your fault, Mr. Entreri. You know, nothing you ever knew, or did, or was told to you was worthless. You're not the Master of the Guild, you're not an Adjutant, and you're not even now. A qualified soldier, and I suspect you will never be a qualified soldier. As I expected, you are out of control. You are only getting my approval. Only if you complete that mission and are alive, you will There is a possibility of full acceptance within the guild." "Recognized?" Entreri laughed. "your?" "Grab him!" Jordyn ordered to the first two soldiers to enter the house.As they cautiously approached the killer, Jordyn added: "The man you were trying to save has been wiped out, as has his wife and children." Entreri barely heard him, and if he did, he didn't care about it, but he knew that the extra slaughter was just to add to his pain.Now his situation is difficult to choose.If Jordyn brought him back to the guild, there was no question that he would be physically punished and expelled.Can he accept such an ending? No, he would never allow anyone to treat him like this, let alone this person in front of him.Although Entreri looked calm on the surface, and even spread his hands in a non-threatening gesture, when the two soldiers gradually approached him, the muscles in his legs tensed up. Two men with swords came to either side of him, reaching for his arms, while a third soldier aimed a crossbow at the killer's heart. Entreri jumped up vertically, kicking out with both legs, hitting the two soldiers in the face before they could react, sending them both flying.But as soon as he hit the ground, he grabbed one of them and pulled him over, just in time to block the incoming arrows.Then he threw the moaning guy on the ground. "First mistake," he said, as Jordyn drew a handsome saber.The soldier who had been kicked aside struggled to his feet, but the one who had shielded Entreri from the arrow lay motionless in front of the killer, with an arrow lodged deep in his back.The crossbowman was trying desperately to reload his arrows as quickly as possible, but to Entreri's further annoyance, it was clear that there was another wizard nearby. "Stand back," Jordyn ordered the soldier beside him. "I'll take care of this guy." "For reputation?" Entreri asked. "But I don't have a weapon. What does that look like in the rumors on the streets of Calimport?" "After you die, we will naturally put weapons in your hands." Jordyn smiled evilly. "My people will insist it's a fair fight." "Second mistake," Entreri murmured, for the fight was far more fair than Kaza Jordyn had imagined.Basadoni's lieutenant made a deliberate thrust, and Entreri swung his forearm to intercept, but stepped back, avoiding the blade.Jordyn turned around, and so did Entreri.Then the Killer charged forward in a quick lunge and was forced back by the saber strike.Jordyn was careful not to let it cut Entreri with his knife. But Entreric did not intend to cooperate with the opponent's actions.He changed the size of the circle slightly to prepare for the next attack. Jordyn rushed forward, while Entreri leaped backward.Jordyn continued to move forward, this time the killer also rushed forward, forcing Jordyn to block.But, again, Entreri didn't take the opportunity to attack.He just stepped back into position, and then, to the astonishment of everyone in the room, began stamping his feet hard. "What's the matter?" Jordyn looked around, but he didn't see that beside Entreri's foot, the necklace, still red and hot, jumped up with the force of the stomp, just enough for Entreri to move It wraps around his toes. After a while, Jordyn came forward aggressively, ready to deliver a fatal blow to the killer.Entreri kicked out, kicking the necklace into the adjutant's face.Quick as he expected, Jordyn grabbed the necklace with his free hand, but immediately he roared with pain as the extremely hot necklace burned his palm. Entreri rushed forward with lightning speed, knocked Jordyn's sword arm aside, and hit Jordyn on both temples with both fists.Jordyn passed out, rolled his eyes, and lost strength in his arms.Entreri banged his forehead hard into the other's face.As Jordyn fell backwards, the Killer grabbed him and turned delicately, placing Jordyn between himself and the crossbowman.Then, taking advantage of the crossbowman's bewilderment, he pushed Jordyn so hard that the two collided, and the archer's best arrow fell out. 余下的那名剑士从旁边冲上来，但即使以卡札·乔迪恩的标准来看，他也还不是一名合格的战士。 恩崔立轻易避过他那笨拙的攻击，然后在他反应过来之前，抓住了他握剑那只手的手腕。恩崔立用力扭着那只手臂，令对方感到十分痛苦，同时失去了全身的力量。 那个人伸出另一只手，试图以它来挽救自己的生命。恩崔立用掌重击对方被扭住那只手臂的肘部，使得那男人再度感受到极度的痛苦，握剑的手也不得不松开了。 恩崔立抓住那柄剑，刺入了那倒霉士兵的肚子，剑尖再向上一挑，切开了他的肺。 杀手甚至没去想要把那剑抽出来，就直接要将这个人的尸身也掷向那名十字弓手，后者正在上另一只箭。但一个更为危险的敌人，那名一直没有现身的巫师，从门口冲了进来，他的长袍在身后飘舞着。 恩崔立看到那巫师手上举着一根细细的棍子——他猜测那是一支法杖——然后想都没想就将尸体掷向巫师。两者撞在一起，巫师飞了出去。 “我得到你的承认了吗？”恩崔立对依然不省人事的乔迪恩叫道。与此同时，他并没有放松自己的行动，因为十字弓手仍在威胁着他的生命，并且巫师也很快爬了起来。一支箭射中了他身体的侧面，他感到一阵剧痛，但他咬紧牙关，不顾疼痛一个鱼跃打破了木质窗框的窗户跳了出去，落在十英尺之下的地面上。他设法以连续两个滚翻减轻了从高处落下的伤害，然后马上站起来开始跑。此时另一支箭从另一个不同的方向射来，击中了他旁边的墙壁，但他并不感到惊讶。 整片区域里都塞满了巴沙多尼公会的士兵，他们从所有能够藏身的地方钻了出来。 恩崔立加速冲入一条小巷，在他面前，一个个子很高的人正弯下腰准备一下抱住他，恩崔立毫不犹豫地从他头上跳了过去。然后他迅速跳上一座建筑的屋顶，再跳过另一条小巷到了另一个屋顶上，然后他一直重复着这个行动。 他来到了主街旁边，因为他知道，追杀他的那些人希望他陷入某条小巷之中。他爬到某座建筑的墙上，以高超的潜行技术配合上夜色，天衣无缝地将自己的身形和建筑的轮廓混成一体。 “抓住他！”呼喊声在四面八方此起彼伏地响着。许多士兵就在他潜藏之处的下面跑了过去，但并没有人发现他。随着时间的流逝，叫喊声也逐渐减弱，消失了。恩崔立失血不多，但他知道自己伤得很重，可能会死。最后他终于从藏身之处滑了下来，此时他甚至连站起来的力气都没有了。他用手摸了一下身侧受伤的地方，摸到了温热的血，还有那支箭的末端。 他有点喘不过气来。He knows what that means. 他很幸运，当他回到旅馆时，太阳还没有升起来，并且，虽然旅馆里明显还有巴沙多尼的士兵在，但他要去的那个地方没有人看守。恩崔立借着地上的破木头找到了他居住的房间，并计算出了他藏东西 的地方大概有多高。他不得不十分安静地行动，因为他听到一些人在他的房间里交谈的声音，乔迪恩也在其中。他极力控制住自己不去呻吟，但事实上，他痛得想大叫。 他在那风吹雨打的朽木上缓慢而安静地搜索着，最后终于找到了他的匕首和小袋。 “他身上一定有魔法物品！”他听到乔迪恩的吼声。“再施展一次侦测魔法！” “没有魔法物品，乔迪恩大人。”另一个人说，这个人很明显是那名巫师。“如果他有的话，他一定是在来这里之前就把它卖了，或送给别人了。” 虽然恩崔立身上十分疼痛，但当他听到乔迪恩气急败坏的咆哮声时，他不由得微笑起来。的确没有魔法物品，因为他们只侦测了他的房间，而没有侦测楼下房间的墙。 杀手手中握着匕首，走在依然静悄悄的街上。他希望在附近遇上一个巴沙多尼的士兵来发泄他的怒火，但事实上，现在的他甚至没把握击败一个初出茅庐的战士。不过，他还是在一座建筑物的背面找到两名醉汉，他们靠在墙上，其中一个在睡觉，另一个则在喃喃自语。 杀手如死神一般安静地走过去。他那把镶嵌着珠宝的匕首有一项非常有用的魔法能力，它可以吸取被攻击者的生命，并将其传给它的持有人。 恩崔立首先吸取那名自言自语的醉汉的生命。吸取完毕之后，他感到好多了，因此他用力把那支箭挖了出来。疼痛几乎使得他昏了过去。 但他还是振作起精神走到另一名醉汉旁边才倒了下去。 很快，他从小巷中走了出来，精神饱满，丝毫看不出刚受过很重的伤。力量再度回到他身上，他甚至希望现在还能在这一区内找到卡札·乔迪恩。 但他知道，斗争才刚刚开始。虽然他拥有无与伦比的技术，但他知道巴沙多尼公会的强大。他知道，他没有办法同整个公会相抗衡。 他们看着那些试图杀死他的人进入旅馆。他们看着他冲出窗子，然后在阴影中奔跑。他们的眼睛比巴沙多尼的士兵敏锐得多，因此他们看着他以非凡的躲藏技术潜伏在墙上。而现在，他们带着些许的欣慰，以及他们首领不停的点头赞许，看着他走出了小巷。并且，即使是他，阿提密斯·恩崔立，杀手中的杀手，也不知道他们的存在。