Chapter 13

TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter may contain violent scenes unsuitable for young viewers.

After getting to know everything he could possibly get out of the young royal investigator about Theodore Hilston, Ruben looked at the star that appeared on the surface of the glove and rubbed it while thinking.

"What do you know about the Marked" Ruben finally asked.

"I don't know, I only know that they have a star sign on their palm which can't be hidden, even when they cover it, like your glove. That all the higher ups are Marked as well as some older investigators" Filsan answered.

Knowing Filsan was withholding some information, he took out another needle and held Filsan's ring finger to insert the needle.

"I don't know! I really don't know!" Filsan kept screaming.

Seeing his reaction Ruben moved on to his pinkie.

After he was done inserting the needle in the last finger on one of the man's hand he said, "I know you aren't saying something. Tell me."

"I can't" Filsan shook his head frightened.

Sighing, Ruben moved to his other hand and started the process with the thumb again.

"I can't, I really can't, they'll kill me." Filsan said the last part in a whisper.

This time, Filsan was more insistent so Ruben continued all the way to the ring finger before he spoke.

"I'll tell you but they can never know it's from me." Filsan finally said full of tears, snot and sweat.

"Not a problem." Ruben said nodding his head.

Seeing Ruben agreed, Filsan sigh and said, "As a royal investigator, I don't only investigate things. I've seen and done some things that keep me up all night.

One of the task I had to do after I was given my promotion was covering up for powerful Marked. I can't say who... I really can't..." Filsan stopped took a deep breath then continued.

"I've seen dead young females tied up, I could tell that many indescribable things had been done to them while they were alive. There were even bodies which were tortured to the point that it was no longer identifiable... I... I... I had to write off their death as accidental in my reports... There was nothing I could do... I don't know why they do it but they did."

[The Keeper Of The Realm shook his head]

[The Keeper Of The Realm say some consellations like that form of entertainment]

[The Mistress Of Animals say she finds them repulsive]

[Shapeshifter Who Loves Pranks gives a righteous look]

[Shapeshifter Who Loves Pranks says the guilty should be punished]

Seeing the chat Ruben nod his head understanding the situation and continue listening to Filsan.

"I was told that it's part of the job... The Marked royal investigator seem to look at it like it was natural... like... like they understood why those nauseating things were done on... on innocent people... they act like it's nothing only frowning slightly. Whenever I spoke up... They would say that I don't understand... that I should just 'do my job' and not ask questions" Filsan said while crying like a baby.

Looking at the time, Ruben knew that he should stop soon or he wouldn't have enough time to return Filsan.

Looking at Filsan he sigh, bending down and started taking out all the needles.

Looking at Filsan he took out the Apprentice Mage's Healing Potion from the Space ring and said, "Alright, drink up. Don't worry, it's a Healing Potion."

He then poured the content into Filsan's mouth.

The blood stopped dripping from his fingers and Ruben could see all the marks caused by the needle closing up and Healing.

He then look at Filsan in the eyes face to face and activated Memory Alteration.

He noticed Filsan's eye getting dull as soon as he activated the skill.

"You will forget everything that happened in this room. You will wake up thinking you had a bad dream from the tiredness. You never left your room in the inn." Ruben said to the Filsan.

As soon as he deactivated the skill he struck Filsan's pressure point making him unconscious.

He then untied Filsan and wiped him down from the sweat, snot, tears and blood.

Putting Filsan's sleeping attire back on, he carried him back into his room in the inn.

He put Filsan back on the bed and left after making sure everything on Filsan and the room looked normal.

Returning to his room he then said to the air, "That will be all. I'll return whenever I do something exciting or fun."

[Shapeshifter Who Loves Pranks sponsored 100 Steam Coins]

[Shapeshifter Who Loves Pranks say as long as the Marked keeps his words]

Seeing the few consellations left in his channel all agreeing to him, he smiled and used Concealment.

As Ruben planned, Filsan woke up tired in the morning and blamed it on the nightmare he couldn't remember, forgetting the whole ordeal completely.

After having breakfast in the bar, Ruben decided to look for a weaponsmith later.

He needed to buy bullets for his revolver.

As the bullets for Ruben's glock were special, he felt that it would be better when he found a good weaponsmith and his Disguise improved.

Although he could change his face slightly, he still hasn't completely put his trust on Disguise.

He didn't worry when interrogating Filsan since his memories were altered, making it slightly unnecessary.

Ruben ended up buying 60 bullets, each being 4 coppers making him spend 2 silvers and 40 coppers.

*NOTE: 100 coppers = 1 silvers, 80 silvers = 1 gold

On his way back to the inn for lunch before returning home, he passed by the slums.

He sensed a group of men going around. He would usually leave ignoring everything as it's common in the slums, his could feel his guts telling him to observe and follow them.

Trusting his guts as it has saved his life more than he could count as an assassin, he went to a hidden spot.

He stopped the Concealment, used Disguise and wore a hooded cloak he took out of the space ring.

With the hood covering almost more than half of his face, he followed them unnoticed.

With the Observing Eye, he checked all 5 men who were kicking down doors collecting money from crying families.

He guessed the leader to be a Marked as all the normal humans didn't have skill category while his had a skill category although it's empty meaning that he didn't have any.

Name: Kron Smith

Race: Human

Health: 970/970

Stats:-

Strength: 24

Agility: 19

Stamina: 20

Perception: 15

Mind: 18

Skills:-

- none

Ruden ignore what the group of men were doing and continued.

He could see them pulling a person from every family that seem to be unable to pay them.

Crying, begging on the floor, children and young ladies were taken and pulled away.

The men, especially the Marked would kick and beat up the family members that tried to stop them.

Leaving only when they were half dead.

[Righteous Judge Of The Dead says he will sponsor the Marked 200 Stream Coins for each of those evil mortal killed]

Ruben read the chat seeing a message of a consellation that joined when he was away from the channel.

[Righteous Judge Of The Dead says he looks forward to seeing their soul]

He saw the people taken from their families stuffed on a horse drawn wagon.

He continued to follow the wagon by foot.

Since his stats was slightly higher, he didn't struggle to follow the wagon which was slower than most carriage.

They finally arrived at a small cottage at the edge of the city, away from people.

Seeing the people taken dragged one by one into the cottage, he used Stealth and went inside.

Inside, he saw around 40 children, young men and women sitting on the floor quiet and frightened.

There were three men, one he saw was a Marked from the Observing eye over looking the group of taken people.

He could hear screaming and begging on the floor above.

Seeing that there was no other rooms on the first floor, he head upstairs.

"Stop screaming you b*tch!" A man said followed by the sound of a slap.

As soon as Ruben reached the 2nd floor, he saw 3 men who were Marked according to the observing eye.

Two man was r*ping a women at the same time, one on each end. They had her tied up hands behind her back and hung from the ceiling on her belly.

If someone were to look closer, they could see that there was no life in her eyes, like that of a dead person. Silent and not struggling to the despicable things done to her.

The third man was using his hands to penetrate the second women with her struggling and begging the men to stop constantly with tears flowing down her face.

[The Mistress Of Animals is disgusted]

[Righteous Judge Of The Dead says he will sponsor the Marked more Stream Coins if the Marked kill the three vile creature]

After taking in the scene, he hit the third man in the head making him unconscious then took out the other two men in the room by throwing two throwing star blades.

The blades stuck on to the back of the head of one man and in between the eyebrows of the other.

{A Marked killed, 350 exp gained}

{A Marked killed, 350 exp gained}

[Righteous Judge Of The Dead sponsored 500 Stream Coins]

[Righteous Judge Of The Dead sponsored 500 Stream Coins]

[The Keeper Of The Realm sponsored 500 Stream Coins]

[The Mistress Of Animals sponsored 1000 Stream Coins]

Since Ruben was still using Stealth they didn't notice him nor their friend passing out before dying.

The star blades then returned itself after the two men died. He then went back downstairs, ignoring the other people in the room.

As they could constantly hear what happened upstairs, the three guards looking after the other taken people didn't react much to the sound of a body dropping.

As soon as he saw the guards, he threw three blades in a quick sucession at the three men, hitting their head with precision, instantly killing them.

{A Marked killed, 350 exp gained}

As Ruben's passive skill increased the speed of the blades as well, the guards did have time to process anything before their death like the men upstairs.

The other human traffickers who were outside unloading the people they had just taken from the slums noticed something wrong in the cottage and immediately prepared themselves.

Unfortunately for the criminals, Ruben was already outside and started eliminating them one by one starting with the Marked.

{A Marked killed, 300 exp gained}

{A Marked killed, 300 exp gained}

[Righteous Judge Of The Dead sponsored 1,000 Stream Coins]

[Righteous Judge Of The Dead sponsored 1,000 Stream Coins]

[The Mistress Of Animals sponsored 500 Stream Coins]

[The Keeper Of The Realm says good work]

[The Keeper Of The Realm sponsored 500 Stream Coins]

[Shapeshifter Who Loves Pranks says its too easy]

[Shapeshifter Who Loves Pranks sponsored 50 Stream Coins]

[Lord Of The Desert sponsored 10,000 Stream Coins]

By the time the people kidnapped understood what was happening, all the human traffickers were already eliminated by Ruben.

Ignoring the looks they were giving him he said in a low tone with killing intent, "Leave now."

The children and young man who were going towards him to thank him stopped.

Everyone was suddenly frightened of him, it felt like they were going to be dead the next second if they didn't do as he said.

So the moment a young lady closest to the window ran out, everyone immediately followed after her.

Ruben head upstairs right after the first person started leaving the premise.

Upstairs, he saw the woman who was violated by the unconscious man sitting and crying, annoyed, he grabbed some clothes he could find in the room and threw it at her still naked body.

After cutting the rope of the lifeless girl tied up in the air, he looked at her in the eyes and said to the other, "Take her and get out now."

The crying lady was still unable to process what he was saying and sat there so he repeated it but with bloodlust he trained during his days as an assassin, "Take her and leave now."

Although he understood the girl had gone through a traumatic experience, he too had seen too much and grew numb to all these.

He couldn't care less about their mental well-being.

He just wanted the cottage empty and interrogate the unconscious man.

Understanding the man that saved her may not be as heroic as she thought and she pushed down all her thoughs temporarily, grabbed the other girl and struggled out the cottage after wearing some clothings Ruben passed her.