Next life planning
'If they have a curse that prevents them from running away, it would explain why they are so stubborn trying to find me instead of escaping,' Frederick mused.
While Frederick was observing the flying creature, the monster nor the archer had given up on hunting him. He could clearly see that they were looking desperately for him.
Yet, no matter where they looked, they couldn't pinpoint Frederick's exact position. To them, it seemed as though Frederick might have run away. Moreover, they couldn't see Frederick or the traces of his previous shots because of his coat, which created a layer of shadow around him, concealing the light of his shots.
"You think he ran away?" the archer asked, still searching for Frederick.
"No. My curse is still active. He's still here... Damn it, I feel like shit. That guy must have used some type of ability or authority that allows him to hide. But it's fine. It's only a matter of time before the poison takes effect. We just have to wait a bit," answered the creature with its high-pitched voice.
"R-Right, we only have to wait. He's also bleeding, so it will worsen his situation."
And so, the two waited for the poison to take effect, flying under the cover of several bridges. After a while, the creature became weaker and started flying erratically. Seeing this, the archer's face turned pale.
The insect's body was riddled with holes, blood flowing profusely and staining its shiny exoskeleton. Its wings were also severely injured and covered with holes.
"I-I can't hold on much longer. I think he's weak enough for us to finish him. He probably lost a lot of blood and lost consciousness," the creature panted.
Slowly, the flying insect left the safety of the bridge and began circling the island where Frederick was hiding.
'He must be very weak. Even if he survived the poison, there's no way he's in any condition to shoot properly anymore... Yeah, he must be focusing on using his authority to hide from us-'
Without any warning, a bullet struck the archer's arm. The archer's face distorted in pain as the bullet passed through his flesh, tearing his skin and flesh.
"AAARGH, what the fuck!"
"Shoot back! He's over there!"
The man quickly nocked an arrow and aimed at where the bullet came from. Yet, before he could release the arrow, a barrage of bullets hit the insect, forcing them to retreat under one of the bridges once again.
The creature tried its best to avoid the bullets, but in its weakened state, it could only do so much.
"I ... I can't fly for much longer. We will have to land, or we will fall," the monster groaned in pain as blood continued to flow from the wounds.
"F-Fall? I will most likely die if we fall. Only you can fly... can you not hold on?"
The creature seemed to hesitate for a moment before replying. "If I keep flying, I'll definitely pass out from blood loss...My head hurts like shit and I am rapidely losing my calculative power."
"It's your fault! Why did you agree with me to attack him despite your instinct telling you to flee?!" blamed the archer wrongfully as his hand started to tremble. The insect just stood silent. He was too tired to argue with the archer.
Without another word, the flying creature landed on the island where Frederick was. Surprisingly, Frederick did not shoot them and let the beast and the archer down.
The archer had a blank look on his face and was holding his bow, ready to shoot anything that dared to move while the beast was lying on the ground, still bleeding.
Seeing that nothing happened after a few seconds, the archer finally relaxed a bit and let his guard down.
'Did we make it?'
But suddenly, something moved in his peripheral vision, causing him to reflexively shoot. However, as soon as he did, he immediately regretted his action because he noticed that what he shot was, in fact, a pebble.
"Shit, shit, shit"
He cursed and frantically started looking around, trying to locate the shooter, but he could not see anything. His hands were shaking, and cold sweat was running down his forehead. Against an archer like him, his worst nemesis was an invisible foe that he could not detect.
"We're not playing around. Come out, or I'll shoot!" yelled the man, his tone slightly shaky and fearful. However, nobody responded, and the area remained quiet and lifeless.
"It's fine. The poison should be taking effect. Even if he's invisible, he can't do anything."
The man took a deep breath and decided to calm down, 'As long as we are together, we can handle it-' Yet when he turned his head, he was shocked to see the dead body of his companion lying on the ground in a puddle of his own blood. His body actually turned back to human form.
"H-How? When? Who-?"
Before he could finish his sentence, a sound rang out behind him. As the archer turned, he saw a shadow moving. His eyes widened as a hand wrapped around his neck, squeezing it, and lifted him in the air.
With a panicked look, he looked at his attacker and tried to free himself, but he could not move a single muscle. He couldn't even breathe and even dropped his weapon.
"Authority Smith. Do you know one?"
Frederick looked at him calmly. His grip was strong and firm, and he showed no sign of letting go. The man was still alive because Frederick had discovered something interesting.
When he discretely assassinated the insect-like creature, it actually dropped five different authorities. It was something impossible... Unless a permanent smith forged additional authorities on him.
As he had guessed, he had a transformation-type authority that allowed him to change between a giant insect and a human form. However, he also had another vast array of other authorities.
The archer had no choice but to reply, and he tried to speak, but the only thing that came out of his mouth were gibberish and incomprehensible sounds.
However, Frederick did not immediately release his hold. Instead, he kept the same position, and the archer's face became increasingly pale. After a moment that seemed like an eternity, he was finally released.
As he fell to the ground, clutching his throat as he gasped for air, he was already in the process of getting up when he noticed a gun pointing at his head.
"What were you saying?" asked Frederick.
"H-How did you know?" answered the man with a panicked expression.
"So you did met one. Where and when?" Frederick continued asking without answering the other's questions.
"P-Promise me you will let me live and I will tell you everyth-" before he could even finish his word, Frederick slowly put his hand on the archer head.
Suddenly, the man felt as if his body was boiling alive. He tried to scream, but no sound came out of his mouth. His whole body felt like he was being torn apart, and no matter how much he tried to struggle, he could not move.
With a desperate expression, the man tried everything in his power to fight back or flee, yet it was as if his body was frozen. After a few seconds, the pain stopped. The man was still alive, but he was trembling and breathing heavily and stained his clothes.
Ignoring this, Frederick repeated his question. "Where and when?"
"I-I-I...I will tell you. Please, please stop... No more ...No more."
"I'm listening."
"...We met one about two weeks ago! But ... We killed him."
"I see. Where did you met him then?"
"I- I don't remember everything, but there was definitely a fountain in the middle of a desertic island."
"Describe his physical appearance as clearly as possible."
The archer was a bit perplexed by Frederick's question. What was the point of asking questions about something that already happened?
"Uuh ... the guy had a thick beard, was tall, and had a big belly. He looked a bit homeless."
"That's not enough. Be more specific."
"I-I don't know! It was a while ago, and I didn't pay attention to him after we forged the authority we wanted!"
"Then what about his authority? Where is it?"
"...I ... I don't know. We also wanted his authority, but ... when we killed him, it did not drop."
"You're lying. You must have it. Tell me where it is." threatened Frederick as he directed his hand toward the archer once again.
Seeing this, the man started to panic and desperately tried to explain. "No, no, no! It's true! I swear! We didn't get it! It did not drop! We were surprised too but i swear I am telling the truth!"
Frederick looked at him and thought for a moment. He knew that he was likely telling the truth. Back in Dyrroth, Aake had created her own dungeon-like story in an attempt to send candidates into the realm. Yet, after her death, she did not drop her authority like other candidates.
'So for some reason, authority smiths won't drop their authority at their death... I wonder why.'
"Do you know the guy's name?"
"I-I don't know. He did not talk from start to finish; he did not utter a single word... I think he was mute…"
"I see."
Without warning, Frederick pulled the trigger, and a bullet pierced through the archer's skull. As soon as the bullet hit his head, the archer's body slumped and fell to the ground. The whole process was extremely quick.
'I will have to find and save this smith next time. It is a bit unfortunate, but I can't do anything about it now.' he thought.
However, Frederick was more focused on the pleasant notification that appeared in front of Frederick.
<Congratulations 1 on reaching level 10. Please assign your free points to an attribute>
- Constitution + ( 18 -> 19)
- Mind + ( 18 -> 19)
- Perception +( 15 -> 16)
- Dexterity + ( 15-> 16)
"A bit slow but better than nothing..."
After a moment, Frederick started to walk away from the dead bodies. He was now done with the island and could continue his journey.