บท 136: Triki

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Flashback :

Michael sits at the side of the group's makeshift camp while staring at the Book of Commoners in his hands. His Riki spirit was max level and he'd already received items from the roulette wheel. So all that was left to do was actually meet Riki himself, along with using his new Spirit slot to pick a new hero.

He breathes deeply and begins preparing himself for his talk with Riki, unsure if the thief/assassin would be like Slark or not. Hopefully, he'd be more understanding and adaptive to his new situation, as he struck Michael as the rational sort, but it wasn't anything concrete.

After a moment of affirming his determination, he opens Riki's page and watches as the picture of Riki the Stealth Assassin starts to animate. The tiefling-looking creature slowly blinks as he glances around the darkroom with both wariness and interest.

He stands and ignores the piles of gold in the corner of the room and slinks towards the window, examining the outside of this building he'd found himself in... He seemed to be in White Spire, yet the city before him contained none of it's trademark 'charm'. He couldn't hear or see any fighting, explosions, screams, or even angered yells of aggrieved shop owners... In fact, he couldn't see anyone...

White Spire looked like a ghost city, not like how it was yesterday night-... "Oh, I see." he mutters, his blue hand trailing through his short beard. "Gondar, I knew accepting a drink from you was folly, but I never thought that you would be foolhardy enough to take a contract on me... Well played." he says with a grin, determining that he'd died and this was his afterlife.

He'd been invited to White Spire by Gondar, the Bounty Hunter, for a job that'd supposedly make them both incredibly rich. Riki glances at the piles of gold in the corner of the room, it'd worked, but it seems that the job was only a secondary objective for Gondar, as Riki's bounty paid far more than anything they could steal from any vault.

Riki was superior to Gondar in almost every way, sneaking, assassination, subterfuge... But it seems one of his one weaknesses, Poisoncraft, had been the end of him. Perhaps he should have taken those lessons he'd been offered when he was younger?

Riki shakes his head and lets out a sigh, opening the window and leaning against it to get some fresh air, "So this is the afterlife? I was expecting a reunion with my family, but I suppose if Karma exists, this would be it." he mutters, remembering the day his family was betrayed and slaughtered, leaving him the only survivor. It'd been that day that turned him to such a life, one that suited his talents well but lacked the honour suited to his family name, one of the many reasons why he'd never used it.

Michael watched as the assassin rested against the window in thought, not really knowing how to introduce himself. He shakes his head and finally decides to just be blunt with it, "Hello Riki, I am Michael." he says, causing the tiefling's eyes to shoot upwards as he stares at the sky where Michael's face presumably sat.

...

"Oh no... If this is karma then I demand a retrial!" he exclaims while pointing at the giant face in the sky, "I did nothing deserving of being eaten by some devourer of worlds! Nor one as stupid-looking as that! I might be an assassin, but I still have standards!"

Michael wants to start his explanation but can't get a word in through Riki's babbling. "And 'Michael'? Who names a being like that Michael!? Certainly not himself, but if he did then perhaps such a simpletons name would be suited to it!"

...

With Riki not stopping his rant, Michael decides to just do this face to face with him, he knew the way the book presented him would give most heroes a bad impression... Unless they judged him as their god or something... He pushes his will into the picture, and pops into existence behind Riki, next to his pile of gold.

"Riki, I'm not some eater of worlds, please calm down so I can explain what's happening." he says placatingly.

Riki quickly turns around as two large daggers find their way into his hands, his eyes glaring hard at Michael, "What is there to explain!? I'm dead, so you must be some sort of grim reaper!?"

Michael shakes his head and slowly walks to the table and sits down, "It might seem weird but I'm not really the one controlling this place. Again, my name's Michael and I found this book called the Book of Commoners-" he starts, briefly explaining his and Riki's situation as the assassin listens contemplatively.

....

"So, I'm your prisoner and you're my warden, intentional or not." he states matter-of-factly, rubbing his beard in thought. "Is there a chance of escape, you think?" he questions, more to himself than to Michael.

Michael shrugs anyway, "Well, if Slark can't escape then I doubt you have any better chance."

Riki's eyes widen in amusement, "You've got that slimy fish locked up too? Ahahahaha! Now, isn't that truly ironic," he shakes his head at Michael curious look, "Whenever we worked together, he'd never stop bragging about escaping Dark Reef, as if I or my compatriots could give two caring thoughts for it. The braggart even did so to his victims, 'You ain't much compared to life in Dark Reef', or, 'There is a reason I'm feared in Dark Reef', as if those people could care less about his history as he butchered them. During those times I wondered if I just take his substantial bounty. Never got around to it I suppose." he says and Michael smirks as he earnestly listens to Riki talk shit about Slark. It seems they at least had their dislike of that fish in common.