Midnight Massacre II

"What are you going to do?" Kolvar whispered nervously. The devilish smile on Hunter's face freaked him out. Step by step, Hunter moved toward Xander's bed. He was as quiet as a mouse. Having no other choice, Kolavar followed him behind. When Hunter reached the bed, he gently grabbed the chalices on the stool beside the bed. He put them on the ground. Kolvar didn't quite get why he was doing that. The crimson-red dagger in Hunter's hand glistened. For a few moments, Hunter looked at Xander's sleeping face. The images of Xander whipping Parker left, and right flashed across Hunter's eyes. Elita, Xander's wife, used to watch Xander beating up the slaves without batting an eye. She had never bothered to stop him because she couldn't care less about the slaves.

Hunter clenched the dagger tight. He looked at Kolvar.

"Hold him tight," Hunter whispered.

Kolvar felt reluctant, but before he could do anything, Hunter suddenly plunged the dagger right into Xander's throat. The dagger ignored the defense talisman and pierced Xander's fatty flesh. Xander immediately woke up as Hunter stabbed his throat once again. Xander squirmed. His hands wiggled, searching for something. Unfortunately for Xander, Hunter took everything his hands could reach and placed them out of his reach. Kolvar grabbed Xander's legs instinctively. Xander's groans woke up his wife.

Before she could open her eyes, Hunter stabbed Elita in the throat repeatedly. In a few seconds, he stabbed her almost twenty times. Hunter put his hand inside Xander's mouth to prevent the merchant from screaming. Not that Xander could scream after Hunter stabbed his vocal cords several times. Yet, Hunter kept his hand inside Xander's mouth just to be safe. Who knew what kind of hearing sense the guards next room possessed? Hunter did not want the guards to storm the room because of Xander's groans.

Xander grabbed Hunter's head using all his might. Xander's nails cut through Hunter's face. Three bloody lines appeared on Hunter's face. He gritted his teeth, ignoring the pain. Blood pumped out of Elita's and Xander's bodies. Hunter's face turned red while Kolvar lost all the strength in his body. He had never expected this. He was actually witnessing and aiding a cold-blooded murder. When he looked at Parker's face, he saw no signs of hesitation or fear. Instead, Kolvar noticed a grin.

As far as Hunter was concerned, he was passing the judgment Xander and Elita deserved. These two were not saints. In fact, Hunter thought this was a merciful death to them. He would have opted for a more painful brutal death if he had time.

"HRRRGHH!" Xander groaned.

Kolvar felt Xander's legs slowly ceasing to move. Elita had stopped moving as blood-drenched the sheets beneath her. More blood oozed onto the ground, forming a puddle. Xander, on the other hand, kept squirming. The fat merchant held onto his life and fought against death. Hunter slowly lowered his head. He was close enough to touch Xander's ear with his nose.

"I am going to do the same to all your kids," Hunter whispered into Xander's ear. Then, he raised his dagger and brought it down into Xander's heart with enough force to pierce through it. Hunter's threat was the last words Xander heard before his soul left the world.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for killing an Apprentice level 5 mage. The reward is 5000 Experience points and 600 Badass points]

[Congratulations to Host for reaching the Apprentice level 2]

Finally, Hunter entered the realm of cultivation. By killing Elita, who was a level 5 apprentice mage, Hunter received enough points to reach the first stage of the cultivation.

Anyone would have felt elated but not Hunter. He was more focused on the task at hand. Without wasting any time, Hunter searched the room. He began his search with Xander and Elita's bodies. He grabbed a few astral coins from Xander's pocket. While he was searching the room, Hunter noticed Kolvar shivering. His face was pale.

"Move your ass and search for more astral coins," Hunter growled.

His words made Kolvar shudder. The next few minutes were spent searching the room. Hunter sighed inwards, looking at the jewels on the bodies. But he chose not to take them because if someone initiated a search for the murderer, having the deceased's heirlooms and jewels would be the suspect number one. Hunter didn't take that risk. Instead, he scoured the room for astral coins. His search for valuables led him to a wooden cupboard. The cupboard slowly creaked open. Hunter noticed stacks of neatly pressed clothes, scrolls, and a few bottles of devil's breath. But none of them drew his attention as much as the small box before him. But before he touched the box, Hunter willed the system to scan for any safety runes. A greedy merchant like Xander would rarely keep his belongings without any security measures.

[The system requires 400 badass points to perform the scanning]

"Take it," Hunter didn't even take a second to consider. Granted, badass points were valuable, yet his current situation needed more astral coins than badass points. Hence, Hunter agreed to pay the system what it asked for. Besides, Hunter didn't think arguing with the system would bear any fruit. In a blink of an eye, his 1000 badass points were reduced to 600.

[The system has found a protective rune on the box. The rune requires Xander's fingerprint to open. If anyone else touches the box, it will result in an explosion of poisonous gas stored inside the box]

As expected, Xander had placed a security measure in place. Hunter turned around to walk toward Xander. Kolvar stared at Hunter without batting an eye. To Kolvar's surprise, Hunter began to chop Xander's wrist with his dagger. Kolvar felt the urge to throw up. But he managed to control his guts. Meanwhile, Hunter chopped off Xander's wrist and brought it back to the box. Blood trickled down from the dagger and Xander's wrist. He placed the bloody hand on the box. As soon as Xander's hand touched the box, a weak light emerged from the wooden box. Then, Hunter heard a click. Finally, the box opened. Inside the box, Hunter saw a pouch of astral coins, a key, and a scroll.

"Jackpot," Hunter grinned. He took the pouch and the key. It was heavy. He knew there must be at least five hundred astral coins inside. He wanted to open the scroll and read, but time was of the essence. He still had to kill the guards and Xander's kin before escaping the manor. So Hunter stuck the scroll between his waist and the ragged tunic he wore. Kolvar stood in front of the bed like a statue. Hunter had to slap Kolvar on the back of his head with his bloody hand and drag him out of the room.

Hunter and Kolvar stepped out of Xander's room. Hunter seemed like nothing happened. If it weren't for the blood on his face and hands, no one would say he murdered two people. In Kolvar's terrified state, he failed to notice the dim light in his chest. The light flickered a few times before fading away song with the slave bond between Xander and Kolvar. In fact, every slave who was bound to Xander was freed. Simply put, no master, no bond. Hunter was an exception because Xander had a slave bond with Parker. When Parker's soul faded away, so was the slave bond.

"Get your shit together elf," Hunter slapped Kolvar once again.

"We are going to kill the guards and that bitch,"

Kolvar shuddered. His entire body trembled with mixed feelings. Fear clutched his heart, yet Kolvar's legs followed Hunter behind. When Hunter reached the door to the guards' station, he stopped.

"System, I need something from you. I need something to keep the guards from waking up when I kill them one by one," asked Hunter.

Compared to Xander, he knew the guards would be more vigilant, and a small groan might wake all the others. If that happened, he was as good as dead. So Hunter decided to ask for help from the system.

[The host doesn't have enough points]

[The host can take a loan of two thousand points and buy a one-time use-only sleeping gas. It will put the guards on deep sleep for four hours]

"I'll take it," Hunter accepted the system's suggestion. Although he hated debts, he was positive he could earn the amount in a few weeks. Besides, he had to kill the guards to escape this place without being chased down. In a few moments, a round glass bottle with gray smoke materialized in Hunter's hand. Kolvar was speechless. He couldn't guess where Parker was getting these things from or how.

"System, how long will it take for them to be in a deep sleep?"

[Fifteen minutes] answered the system.

"Then I have some time to kill," Hunter grinned, slowly pulling the wooden cork up. He used the key he picked from Xander's room to open the guards' room. The gray smoke slowly slid through the gap and mingled in the air. After emptying the entire bottle, Hunter closed the door.

His gaze swept across the corridor.

"Now, you're going to show me Elisia's room. I have something special planned for her,"