Chapter 2: Council of Ten

John's time in the bath was quite pleasant, as he used hot water to create a steam-filled room. He leisurely scrubbed his body, making sure to get every crevice and speck of dirt off his weary bones.

Now finished he released a content sigh, as he thought to himself. 'That did it... There's nothing better than taking a nice hot bath! Oh, wait a minute…'

As John turned to take a step out of the bath a realization came over him. He realized he didn't have a clean set of clothes. He stood in thought for a moment before coming to a conclusion. His conclusion was that there had to be a change of clothes somewhere in the room. It seemed to be in pretty good condition so he assumed it was a guest room of sorts.

After opening the bathroom door, he walked out while wiping his face with a dry towel but right as he did so, he heard a shriek that made him jump; his towel slipped out of his hands.

In front of him was a maid, holding a pair of clothes over her eyes. Her cheeks were bright red.

"What's wrong?" John questioned the woman, having a puzzled look on his face.

"Well, sir, you are very naked right now." She pointed down toward his lower area.

He just gave her a blank stare but a couple of seconds later, when his mind finally caught up to what he said he scooped up his towel and covered his lower body, a flustered look on his face.

An embarrassed chuckle fell from his lips. "I'm really sorry about that, I didn't think anyone would be out here."

"No, it's fine. I should have knocked to inform you I came in."

The maid who now uncovered her eyes and after an awkward pause looked back at John. This time she clearly saw his body. Many injuries were visible. One of the most notable was a scar over his midsection. It was so big that anyone else would assume the person having it would have been crippled for life, if not dead.

"May I ask where you got that scar on your abdomen from?"

John opened his mouth to answer but no words came. He closed his mouth; looking down for a second before replying.

"I'd rather not talk about it."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. That was such a rude question, especially for a guest like you! I don't know what came over me!" Now flustered, the maid put the change of clothes on the bed and left the room in a hurry without waiting for a response from him.

Now alone in the room, John found himself reflecting on the encounter with a look of confusion. He had no clue what happened in the past minute. Regardless, the woman's words strayed in his mind, making him look down at his abdomen, deep in thought.

Luna did this to me... I still can't explain that night. How I survived, or rather- why I survived... Especially when everyone else I'd known and loved died…

His eyes watered slightly as his thoughts kept running. A sadness filled his face as he slowly rubbed his deep scar.

It was not the kind of sadness that was sudden and instant, it was one that had to be held back constantly. One where that feeling never truly left him. Every time he'd laugh, every time he'd feel a sense of joy, he'd remember that night, as well as the whole day leading up to that chilling encounter.

He thought of how he'd played with his friends, brushing off his mothers' concern earlier that morning. If he knew what he did now would he have tried to do anything differently? Would it have even made a difference? Regardless, he found himself longing for those days to return, if even for one moment but alas- the world was not that forgiving.

He released a tired sigh before raising his head, the look of sadness being concealed once more for the foreseeable future.

After throwing on his new outfit he started to make his way out of the door, prepared for the details to be given for his job. Now entering the room he once again spotted Mr. Meyers, this time however his daughter Laura was seated beside him. She had a cheeky smirk at the sight of him as he walked further into the room.

"Oh, wow Mr. Stinky is back." She pointed at him, releasing a playful laugh.

John scratched his head, a slightly awkward demeanor about him, as he was unsure of what to say.

"Ha-ha. Yes, I guess I was Mr. Stinky…"

"Selvic, please sit."

John obeyed, and now before the pair, his expression was focused and attentive. After a brief pause, Mr. Meyers started speaking.

"So, I will give you the full details of this job now. As you can tell from my mansion and exotic items, I am a very wealthy man. In the city of Albaede, there is an election soon to be held for a major seat on the Council of 10. I am supposed to be backing one of the runners financially. That itself wouldn't be a big deal. Are you able to follow so far?"

"Yes, thank you."

Wow, this is actually a pretty big deal! The council of 10 makes big decisions for the country of Lubin. Sometimes good, sometimes bad but the bottom line is they're a very important organization. They definitely have their fair share of enemies, I can see why the reward was so high now…

"So, I announced who I would be supporting at the pre-election gathering. Soon after that, however, I received a threatening letter saying I would be eliminated if I supported that man instead of another."

"Wait, so are you saying one of the other candidates running wants you to support them instead? Do you have an idea of who they might be?"

"Unfortunately, no, I have no idea about the identity of the sender. However, an assailant did attack the mansion a day ago, that's why I felt the need to hire a bodyguard. You see threats are common in political maneuvers like this but a physical attack is something else entirely."

"Right, I'm glad you and your daughter were okay."

"Thank you, that assassin was no match for Ariene."

John perked up, thinking to himself, Oh, could Ariene be that maid from earlier who'd greeted me at the gate?

"Also, I feel the need to apologize to you."

The sudden apology coming from Mr. Meyers removed John from his thoughts.

"What's there to be sorry for?" He questioned.

"I feel the need to apologize since I've hired other bodyguards, meaning you won't receive the sole reward."

John looked down for a moment before looking back up in slight confusion. "If you hired other bodyguards what is the need for me?"

Mr. Meyers sighed, clearly frustrated before giving his answer.

"Trust me Selvic it's no personal thing. I couldn't find many if any good adventurers around this city so I posted the job request all about. The three I hired are actually quite close to the city of Albaede. It would've taken too long for them to arrive here. Despite that fact, however, I know how foolish it is to travel alone."

"Oh, I see now."

"Yes, I didn't only hire you thinking of you as second rate however, I've seen your portfolio. You are a 22-year-old man who has cleared 12 D-rank missions, 9 C rank, and 4 B rank. That is an exceptional number of resolved jobs, big or small for someone your age."

John blushed slightly at the unexpected praise.

"I'm glad you think so highly of me. I'll do my best not to disappoint!"

"Good. Now, that's all the information I have at present. I'd like to head out immediately since the threat letter I received said the deadline for a response was May 19th and it's currently the 17th."

John nodded and they stood up at the same time. Mr. Meyers crouched down and smiled warmly at his daughter Laura before kissing her forehead and walking away.

"See you later daddy. You too Mr. Stinky, you better bring my daddy home safe!"

John released a light chuckle. "Right, I'll protect him with my life, Laura."

With that last exchange, John turned and walked outside the room with Mr. Meyers. Before the pair could move any further though, someone caught his eye, the white-haired maid who greeted him at the gate, bringing him inside as well.

She was standing outside the door. Her demeanor was calm and laid back, giving the impression she wasn't listening or even waiting for them. It was like she was standing guard. Her eyes quickly fell on the pair as she turned, giving a respectful bow in front of them. "I promise, I will watch and guard your daughter with my life, Sir." Her voice was smooth, not having a hint of hesitation in it, and when she raised from her bow her eyes were serious and determined.

"Thank you, Ariene, I appreciate that." Mr. Meyers told the woman with a smile oozing gratitude.

John thought to himself. 'Oh, so my hypothesis was right about her being the person who supposedly warded off the intruder. Honestly, since Mr. Meyers, the main target from the threat letter is leaving I don't see her needing to do much. I'm sure it's still reassuring for her to stay here with his daughter though, can never be too careful.'

After their interaction, and a few more brief words being exchanged between the two, Mr. Meyers walked past her, John following from behind. After passing through the many corridors once more, the pair reached the mansion doors.

"Do you have everything, Selvic?" He questioned, turning to John.

In response to his question, John looked down at himself. He had his sack and... well, that was it.

"Yes sir. I'm all ready to go if you are." He responded.

With provisions seemingly secure, the two exited the mansion, entering the carriage which had been prepared for them prior.

As they pulled off, John looked at the mansion through the back window of the carriage. He could see Laura waving at them from the office window with Ariene standing right beside her. Unlike Laura who was extremely energetic, waving wildly Ariene had a very stoic demeanor as she stood attentively, her arms being clasped in front of her.

John thought to himself. 'Even though Laura was a little rude, she seemed like a good daughter. I have to make sure to pull off this job successfully and bring her dad home!'

***

John sighed as he looked out the window of their carriage. They had been riding for what felt like hours.

He wasn't too sure if it had been as there was no watch or clock around them. The only marker for the time was the sun, which while barely over the horizon earlier over their brief journey so far made its way far into the sky, being downcast over everything. John could say so far it had been a pretty serene ride, with him hearing the chirping of birds many a time.

While John wouldn't outright welcome a fight, he could truly say he needed something, anything, to distract from the boredom attacking him at every passing moment.

'I need some exercise or something… I'm starting to get cramps.' He thought to himself groggily.

Even though his joints were stiff, he could be grateful for the cushion underneath him which was soft, showing the highest quality ride was secured.

"Hey! Step out of the carriage!"

The carriage drew to a stop at the command and John stood instantly, looking toward Mr. Meyers who gave a nod of approval. John smirked slightly, thinking to himself, 'Could this be the exercise I'm in desperate need of?'

After stepping out of the carriage, he scanned the area.

There were about 4 men who were wearing plain brown cloaks standing in a circle formation around the carriage.

While they were wearing cloaks, their faces were uncovered. They didn't appear to have any defining features among them however, having simple black hair, the one who stood out the most was the one who called them out.

He had a scar going across his bottom lip and his skin was noticeably tanner than the rest of his comrades.

Besides him, there was another, a bit to John's left who while looking normal physically, had a different air about him.

He suspected that man, as well as the scarred one in particular, were more experienced in combat as they had smug expressions.

John turned toward the scarred man who he assumed to be the leader, calling out to him.

"What does your little posse want Mr. Thug?"

The leader let out a dry chuckle, a sinister smirk on his face.

"My name is Scar for your correction, not 'Mr. Thug.' and isn't our goal obvious? We want that man you're trying to protect behind in that carriage of yours!"

John stretched his arms up as he walked towards them. "That's a simple goal. You guys seem to be on the weaker end though. You're probably a test the real assassins hired. It's annoying that I'm not getting taken seriously though…"

Before the thugs could say anything in response, John dashed towards them.

He targeted Scar first, quickly raising his hands in a fighting stance. The man followed suit, getting in a stance of his own, and without exchanging a word, the two traded powerful blows back and forth.

Scar pulled his arm back, going for a huge swing; but John saw this coming and smoothly ducked before countering, grabbing the leader's arm, and sending him stumbling back a couple of feet.

Just as he was about to continue his assault, the sound of footsteps from behind caught his attention.

'Okay, multiple people...maybe about three?'

He quickly turned around to see the assailants. Two held small daggers while one had a katana.

The two with daggers were closer so John enacted his plan. He took a short step forward, grabbing the two dagger wielders' arms right before they could slice down. Their faces widened with shock at the maneuver and before they could react with a grunt he lifted them off the ground, spinning them.

After he released them they went flying at the one with the shortsword. He ducked, however, seemingly unphased as his comrades went flying over him. Now in a low stance, the man swung his blade towards his legs but John simply hopped over it.

'That was a weird decision to go for my legs, he should know I can just jump...wait a minute! Oh no!'

John turned his head behind to see the leader, Scar inching closer to him. The man had both hands on his blade, clearly about to slash down on him for a fatal blow. It was clear this was a coordinated attack. John had been so focused on the 3 goons in front of him that he neglected to think about their leader.

In a flash, John tensed his muscles and with one smooth movement, twisted his body. He moved his shoulder to the left so that when the leader slashed down, the blade barely grazed it. However, upon doing this, he lost sight of where to land.

As a result, his outer thigh got slashed the second his feet touched the ground. Not even hesitating a second, John kicked the thug with the katana and punched Scar, which sent the pair back a couple of feet.

After that, he swiftly stepped back until he was by the carriage again, leaning up on the side of it.

The men, now feeling confident at seeing his minor wound, smirked and all started walking towards him, their faces drowning in confidence.

Mr. Meyers poked his head out the carriage window. "Hey Selvic! Are you okay?" He shouted, slight panic in his voice.

"Yes sir. I'm sorry, they just looked weak so I underestimated them. I'll finish this shortly though."

"Wow, what a joke! Finish us? With that shoulder and leg injury?!"

The instant those words finished leaving Scar's lips, John burst out into laughter.

It was a lighthearted laugh, which shouldn't have come from the man in this current situation, or at least that's what Scar thought. The sudden outburst caused him to stop his advance, the rest of his men alongside him.

"What's so funny!?" He barked, a scowl on his face.

"Well, you see. I'm going to fight seriously now."

"What do you me-"

In an instant, John appeared directly in front of the four men. Before they could even react, he threw a total of four punches, each aimed at their chins, hitting them precisely.

They all fell down without another word leaving their lips. Their pupils were blank, showing they would be out until night at the very least.

Mr. Meyers stared in awe. He couldn't believe the speed at which he dispatched them.

It made it look like he'd been merely toying with them, just like a father does when teaching his son how to play catch. John turned to face his employer now, a smile on his face. Some sweat was on his brow but he quickly wiped it.

"I'm very sorry. That took a little longer than expected, I hadn't fought in a good while. You won't see a disappointing performance like that again."

After the Carriage had gotten far away from the site of the battle Mr. Meyers spoke. "Is your injury okay?"

John looked down at himself briefly, checking himself. Besides the cut on his outer leg, he remained virtually untouched.

"Yes sir, I'm fine. It's not a super deep cut, at most, it would only slow me down slightly."

"Okay, let me know if anything changes for the worse, then we could plan accordingly."

"Alright."

John stared out the carriage window deep in thought.

'There's one thing bothering me… Right when that guy went for my legs, I sensed someone else further away watching. That's partly why I'd lost track of the other one, I was trying to focus on where the presence was. The weird thing was they felt close yet I couldn't locate their position directly. I might've picked a job so dangerous the pay won't even come close to making up for it…'

John sighed, choosing to shake the thought away. He had steeled his resolve in a short amount of time that no matter what happened; he would do his job to the best of his ability.