Cover Blown

"With my melody and your dancing, we make a pretty good team. Maybe we should definitely team up from now, what do you think?"

The bard offered, wearing nothing underneath his jacket, openly showcasing his podgy body. A ragged short hair, hazel brown complexion, and handsome looks, all carried by the unending confidence instinctive to all bards.

In a tavern table of four, he was shooting his shot.

His usual charm that landed him plenty of non-insect travellers, was ineffective before the gorgon.

"My apologies, Balthazar, but I am simply a traveling dancer. My stay in this kingdom will be brief."

Suddenly, a voice rang from behind Yazmin, a voice that Yasmin was all too familiar with.

"Trust me, Balt, you don't want to partner yourself with this one."

Not paying any heed to what Althea said, the insect couple welcomed her.

All 6 of her legs, functioning as a makeshift chair now reclined. Pelka, whose constitution was nearly the same aside from her crimson carapace and slender body, stood to greet the Elarian adventurer.

"Althea, we've been expecting you, come and drink to celebrate our parenthood!" Pelka's mandibles bent to what would be resemble a smile.

"Yes, everything is on us, just eat and drink to your heart's content!" Khazan gestured for Althea to take the seat next to the Gorgon. "This one is the Gorgon I told you about in the letter! Zisha, this is our friend from Elaria."

And with that, Yazmin's cover had been blown. Had she known that this 'friend' that Khazan and his wife was expecting was the lightning blade, she should have dropped her consideration towards Khazan and simply denied the invitation.

Despite Althea glaring at her, Yazmin remained calm. A veteran assassin does not simply panic the moment things spin out of control, one must do their best to grasp and bend the situation to their will. Her revenge would come later, what matters is the mission.

Even as Althea took her seat, she was visibly on high alert.

"What's wrong, Althea, do you not like the food?" The worried Khazan asked.

Right before them was feast tailored for an insect's mandibles. Watermelons, strawberries, star apples. Even their drink was made from a blend so sweet, an infusion of mango elderflower and passion fruit, fermented and distilled into liquor. Highly considerate of their non-human companions, there even grilled meat on the table.

Pouring some juiced wine into her mug, Althea laxed a bit. Even the Gorgon right next to her must be aware that she cannot harm Khazan, lest she wanted a whole caste of warrior beetles on her tail.

"It's nothing." Althea raised her mug, celebrating with a smile. "Congratulations to you two on finally becoming parents, cheers."

"Cheers!" All three roared as they followed suit, raising their mug to meet in the air.

As they downed the mug, the liquor's sweetness overpowered the usual bitter taste but you could still savor the kick as it rolled into your throat.

"You don't drink?" Balt questioned the Gorgon.

"Medusa forbids drinking."

The Gorgon deity warned of their stone-turning powers weakening under the influence. Its inhibition interfering property messes with their spiritual connection to their Goddess.

"How rude, Khazan invited you and you're not even going to drink?" Althea mockingly sipped from her mug.

"Whether I drink or not is none of your business, lightning blade."

"Oh, you know my nickname, Zisha?"

Yazmin slipped. In her ire she forgot to withheld that information. Much like her identity, Yazmin remained calm and spouted another excuse.

"But of course, all adventurers know the Diamond Elarian Spellblade." Yazmin reasoned.

Pretending to be nonchalant about it, Yazmin lifted her pristine mask a bit above her lips simply to free her mouth. As long as she don't remove it completely, she will not accidentally trigger her petrification spell. Yazmin ate a stick of grilled boar.

Althea surveiled as Yazmin's fangs sunk into the juicy meat. Pretending to be an innocent dancer, huh, should Althea completely expose her right now?

Not yet. If Althea can probe who is behind the assassination plot, it might spare her a lot of headache in the future.

Yazmin was not oblivious to Althea's prying eyes beside her. With one alert to Khazan, the entire hive guard will put her on constant surveillance. Or worse yet, she might get kicked out from the kingdom.

The long coils of the Gorgon underneath the table unwound, "If you would excuse me, I need to head to the comfort room."

On her way, Yazmin flashed Althea a knowing glance, a glance that ordered 'Follow me'.

"I guess I need to relieve myself too."

Althea stood, but before she could follow, Khazan spoke.

"Althea...why do you carry your blade?"

Gripping the sheathe, Althea brushed off the question, "Nothing. You know it eases me whenever I have this in my hand."

Following close behind, Althea's eyes were locked onto the Gorgon in front of her.

+++

Seeing her reflection in the huge mirror, Yazmin saw Althea coming in from behind.

With a clicking sound, Althea locked the door.

"Zisha. Don't you think it's a bit disrespectful to use the name of your dead friend as a cover?" Althea's right hand hovered above her katana's grip.

"Zisha is not a friend of mine, merely a colleague. And besides, I think she would be pleased being able to make a contribution to the guild from beyond the grave."

From behind her red dancing skirt, Yazmin a pair of knives, sharp enough to cut simply from gazing at it.

"So, how do you want to do this, Yazmin. Do I need to cut both of your arms this time before you tell me who sent you...or are you going to save yourself from the humiliation of returning to Warija with both of your limbs missing?"

Unlike their previous encounter, Yazmin saw the electricity overflowing from Althea's sheathe as the Elarian postured to draw her curved blade.

Yazmin understimated Althea last time, she won't make the same mistake again. Treating their bathroom brawl as a life and death skirmish, all the muscles in her tail tensed, ready to move and showcase the superior agility of a Gorgon.

"Let's settle with the third or fourth option. I shall turn you to stone, or crush your bones within my coils. Both sounds mooore enticing. Don't you agree?"

Underneath her mask, Yazmin smirked. Surely there was no way Althea can use her quickdraw skill from the distance separating them?

While in a standstill, Yazmin formulated her offense. The first thing that Yazmin would do is throw a knife and use the distraction to...

The twitch was to sudden! Althea's katana was drawn in the blink of an eye, from it, a pillar of lightning crackled towards Yazmin!

The Gorgon's reflex, the reflex of a rogue was immaculate, her coiled tail acting as a spring that propelled her sideways into safety. Yazmin scowled, that lightning bitch! A direct hit would no doubt electrocute her into unconscious, or worse, it might outright kill her!

Yazmin used her powerful tail once more to launch her straight into Althea before she could do another attack!

Without her vest, her limited knives would only allow for a melee skirmish. After all, Yazmin was now aware of what Althea could do if she kept her distance.

Preventing Althea from unleashing her electric spells, her proficiency with the blade was tested against the prowess of Yazmin's skill with knives.

The clanging of metal-on-metal reverberated in the entire empty bathroom. Left, right, and from the side, Althea defended from every possible avenue as she was being pushed to the limit with how ruthless Yazmin was with her weapons.

Using all of her strength, Althea deflected with all of her strength, unbalancing Yazmin's hands. Upon finding an opening while Yazmin was reeling back, Althea's dual gripped Katana was swayed to the side, preparing for a powerful vertical slice.

There was no way that Althea was thinking of outright slashing her, Yazmin's speed would render Althea open even as she slices the Gorgon's belly.

Althea stopped, her blade already drawing blood as it touched the Gorgon's skin, ready to slice diagonally from below Yazmin's right lung up all the way up to her left shoulder.

For what reason did Althea stop?

It appeared that Yazmin's knife threatened to puncture the dome of Althea's skull while her other one was ready shank the neck.

"For a spellblade, you're too damn good with the sword."

"Unfortunately, flattery won't be enough for me to spare you."

Two diamond adventurers, it was no surprise to them both how they ended in a stalemate. But it was a state that they cannot remain in for long.

Should Yazmin go right ahead for their mutual demise? After all, Yazmin might be dismembered herself, but there was no way Althea would survive being stabbed in her brain.

No? The mission comes first. Yazmin cannot disappoint the Guild Mistress.

That was it, the mission! If it goes well then she might even rope in Althea to help her.

"Do you know why I am tasked to end Melsa?"

"Because you've been contracted?"

"Thank you, commander hindsight. But the real reason is far more sinister. My contractor has tipped me of her connection to the cult of the First Fallen. Her benevolent alchemist persona is simply cover, underneath her mansion is where she hides her abhorring experiments."

"You lie! I've known Melsa since forever, I owe her twin sister my life. I will not tolerate your slander against them!" Althea grit her teeth, her focus on maintaining her blade touching Yazmin's skin remained even as anger sparked within her.

"Unfortunately for you, I have evidence. Do you know that woman that's always by her side, Vicious? She's an ex-warijan adventurer who defected to Melsa's side. Now what would Melsa do with a cold blooded killer like Vicious?"

Yazmin had faith, an honorable adventurer like Althea should not let this matter slide. But what bothered Yazmin was what Althea mentioned about her owing Melsa's twin her life. It would be problematic if Althea decided to side with the twins.

The Elarian guild's second in command, was at a loss whether to believe the Gorgon or not. If what she said is true, then doesn't that mean that her father also has ties to the cult?

Althea wanted to slice the Gorgon in half for simply suggesting, damning the fact that even she might not survive after. Is this what her father was being cryptic about? Is this connected to her real birth mother that he mentioned?

So many questions. All would be unanswered if both of them perished.

Althea smoothly sheathed her Katana. Satisfied, Yazmin hid her knives behind her skirt.

"If find out that you're lying, I will alert the Khazan of your true identity. I shall investigate this matter first. For the meantime, you will NOT make any move on Melsa, do you understand?" Althea threatened.

"That's fine, but in exchange of standing put, I want you to aid me in killing Melsa when the time comes."