章 65: The Apprentice Robber
An entire week. It took me an entire week to finally reach the capital, Artia. During that week, I have seen a lot of cavaliers and knight roaming around the road. Not a single trace of bandits or a monster was found. I guess only near the frontiers will I be able to spot such beings. Even if I was slow down a lot by all those armed men blocking my way, the distance between Lucia and Atria is pretty huge. More or less the length of the desert when the ritual was once again working. It is really highly inefficient to let such a huge area without doing anything. Well, one time, I did find another crossroad with two roads leading to the South so maybe I missed a city. But the crossroad had a military camp regulating and controlling the traffic. Not a chance that I will come near it to read what was written on the wooden plank.
And I learned something else with that. Oslo can't read the language spoken by the humans inside the holy kingdom. He doesn't have any memory of such language inside the minds of the Tomb Kings and he never learned it. So while he can understand what is spoken, he is unable to read the same sentences if it is written on a paper. I find it a little funny that a god can understand when people are speaking but not when they are writing. I realize more and more that the System had given me a huge gift with the comprehension of all the languages of the world of Astria. Something that seems so useless in a fight is, in fact, more important even than some of my spells.
Like my melee skills. I never used since the experiments on those pigeons. The reason, they are costly in mana and need me to be in contact with my victim. The only beings that I approach are those that I know won't see me and can be killed with my claws alone. I presume that if I had chosen the path of either an assassin or a warrior, I could have learned some skill with very low cost in MP and deadly to everything close to me. Unfortunately, all the fighting passives or skills seem to have been locked forever. But I won't complain, especially when I can create some big and strong skeletons.
Unfortunately, I hoped that by the time I reach the capital, I could have an army. But all those men on their horses have crushed that hope. So I am alone on my little hill near Atria.
(Not really alone, but I will let it go this time. And all the other times too, since you always forget my presence.)
Since you are not physically here, I consider that I am alone. But nice job finding this small hill. I can really see by my own eyes how Atria is, instead of relying on you and your reports, which are all excellent, just not as perfect as my own vision.
First the size of the city. One word, huge, really, really huge. Ronta is barely one-quarter of Atria. And that's just counting the city inside the walls. From every direction, some small towns are spreading outside the protection of the walls. Sometimes, they are nice towns looking exactly like the inside of the city. But most of the times, it is more looking like a bunch of broken house, dirty market and the houses of shady individuals. In other words, the slums. Only the western towns seem safe and peaceful, the rest are all composing a huge ghetto.
Apparently, I will not even need to infiltrate the sewers to attack the capital, they are already offering me their most dangerous specimens on a plate. The idea of Oslo is getting more and more appealing. First of all, my skeletons, when I manage to obtain a disguise for them, will be able to just roam around, provoke some fights and kill their targets without even a reaction from the crowd. But for that, I need a complete set of cloth and even a veil or a mask. With, of course, a weapon, like a saber, a sword or a spear.
Oslo, find me the closest weapon dealer or gang.
(And how am I supposed to do this? Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a real target, everyone is cloaked and armed? There is more sword hanging around their waist than the number of drink inside a pub. Give me a moment, ok, I find I see something promising. Two humans playing dice in front of an entrance and with a third controlling those entering. I guess it is the guard and the reinforcements. For each visitor, the two playing are stopping and analyzing the foreigner. Definitely not a small gang, but you ask for a gang, I find it. Here, it's the location.)
It's a little far inside the slums. It will be hard, even for me, to go that far without being noticed. And while everyone is shrouded in darkness, they are all humans. A small silhouette with barely 1.20 meters in height will quickly be discovered in the crowd. The child kidnappers or child lovers will have some ideas about me. As for the rest, they will be puzzled, maybe some will think of a dwarf, but I am afraid that the most knowledgeable will make the link with the ratmen. And while I can be sure he will sell this information at the highest price possible, the authorities will still be informed in the end.
No, I can't go during the day, and I think the night will be pretty agitated too. So, another time for me to jump from roof to roof, with the help of [Nightfall]. Since it is still the middle of the day, I can invoke two new skeleton warriors, to prepare my army. Oslo has found a recent tomb nearby; I will use this to hide my undead servants inside. And if someone is trying to dig the body inside the tomb, well, he will have to face two living skeletons. Something that he probably wouldn't expect.
The moon can already be seen; it is time for me to make my move. I cast [Nightfall] on myself and prepare to approach the city. The moonlight is not enough to make me visible on the roof. But I can see a lot of movements inside the roads and dead ends. The slums are never really sleeping. I carefully approach the house that was designated by Oslo. It is quite a huge house, with an additional floor. The good news is, close to it there is another huge house. He had told me about three guards, two that were playing dice. Now, they were replaced by two drunk men, but their purpose is obvious. They are always roaming back to the door leading inside the building. Even if they try to make them look totally drunk, it will probably not fool a lot of people.
As for the third man, he is still standing near the door. He should not be the same that Oslo saw, so he is not tired, like the two patrolling. The good thing for me is, they are absolutely not looking above them, so I can safely land on the roof without a problem. Now, I need to break in, there is no chimney on the roof, so I have to break a window and enter. That will make some noises. Oslo, lead me to the window without anybody near it.
(Ok, go forward a little and then three steps to the right. There, if you can hang on the edge of the roof, you will be in front of a window. At this point, whether or not you manage to open it silently, it is not my problem. But I have checked a little the building and there is a lot of armed men. At least thirty in the first floor and probably more in the basement. Those on the first floor are sleeping, that's the good news.)
I am sure that a normal ratman could have open it with some lockpicks easily and quicker than a normal human thief. The problem is, I didn't get that training. So I have to open it with my strength. Or, I can try to melt it. Yes, that would be more efficient than punching it and make a horrible sound. With one hand, I grab the edge of the roof and with my other hand, I cast [Create Acid] on the window. I can see the glass melting, with the wooden frame. I am such a genius.
I slowly destroy the entire window. But the acid is melting the wood a lot quicker than the glass. And at the moment where the wooden frame is destroyed, the remaining pieces of glasses fall because of the lack of support. I only notice it too late and can only see it fall.
TLING TCHING TRING
Oh, bloody hell.
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