Assassins

"What information?"

Willam asked the guard who was allowed in. 

"Baron Asher is no longer in the capital." 

"What?!" 

None of them could believe the man they were plotting to spy on had long left the capital, and the Ashbourne territory was so far that no one could remember the way after 12 years. And true to their thoughts, most of the path was like a desert.

There were no forests, for almost all greenery had been eaten up by the abyss essence's dark energy.

While they were baffled, far away from the Tigris City, two horses with two riders could be seen. 

Asher looked at the wheelchair in the cart pulled by Alex's horse and chuckled. "I might not have a need for that anymore."

"What do you mean, My Lord?" 

Alex lifted his head to look at the scorching sun, which had made even the golden sand radiate heat, and looked at his hand before turning to Asher.

"After this, Count William might not invite me for any gathering any longer, and the Dukes don't even know I exist."

"I see." 

After the brief chat, they continued their journey at a moderate pace. Asher considered being monitored, so he made sure he left early, and their speed at the start had been fast, but once it became noon, they had to slow down or lose their strength.

Where they were was like a desert. Asher could only see sand dunes for miles, but this place was once fertile ground with lakes and forests. 

When he was 10, he remembered looking through the carriage and seeing the northern red oak trees, and the road used to have sparse grasses, but now the sand had covered the road and it was just golden sand for miles.

"My Lord, do you see that?" 

Alex pointed at a small blurry thing in the distance.

Asher squinted but still couldn't see it clearly, so he urged them to go closer at a faster pace. When they got there, he saw a young woman with cuts all over her body. Her clothes had torn parts, and it seemed like she fainted from either losing lots of blood or the scorching sun had sapped her strength.

Asher lifted his head and saw light footsteps that came from the distance, stopping where she lay. It was her footsteps that were once deep, but the sand had covered the depth, making it light.

In the next few hours, it would be gone, and the woman might also be buried under the sand. 

"What should we do?" 

Alex turned his head to Asher.

"Check if she's alive." 

Alex nodded and dismounted, and as he approached the woman, Asher heard the sound of the system.

Ttring…

[Abrupt Quest: Survive the assassins. (0/5)

[Reward: Awaken a random talent.]

'Assassins!'

Asher's eyes fell on the woman once again. "Alex, draw your sword!" 

The moment his voice fell into Alex's ears, he swiftly drew his sword, and the woman who seemed to be dead sprung up, thrusting her rapier at his chest while in a kneeling position. 

Clang! 

Alex deflected the rapier and staggered backward due to his unbalanced posture. At that moment, four silver-ranked men burst out of the sand and ran toward Asher with their weapons drawn. 

Asher quickly reached out for his waist, only to realize his sword wasn't there. He was to be a cripple, so he couldn't carry his sword!

Swoosh! 

He rolled away from his horse, and an arrow grazed the horse. 

Thud! 

Asher fell on the ground and rushed for the cart. Alex had already left the woman, racing toward the four men. 

He intercepted two and rolled forward, avoiding their blades. Still on his knees, he swung his great sword backward, cutting through the assassin's leather armour! 

The other two closed the gap. One wielding twin daggers leaped, and the other swung his broad sword. Time seemed to slow down, and Alex realized these assassins were highly skilled. They certainly weren't hired by a low-class noble.

Bam!

Asher appeared behind the man wielding a broadsword and slammed his foot against the man's back. This gave Alex temporary relief, and the sharpshooter swiftly released an arrow that grazed Alex's left cheek.

However, Alex was out of the death trap and swiftly dispatched the assassin, wielding two daggers. After cutting down the assassin, Alex faced the assassin wielding a broadsword and the woman with the rapier.

While fighting, he located the position of the sharpshooter but couldn't do anything as these two assassins were on his toes.

Silver light suddenly emanated from the woman, and her power increased spontaneously. Before he could react to her sudden speed burst, she had already pierced his shoulder. 

Her expertise was speed, and she was clearly faster than him.

Alex clenched his teeth and held the rapier. He swung his sword so fast that the air whistled, and it cut the woman!

He pulled out the rapier and flung it at the other one. It pierced through his chest, and he fell backward.

Alex fell on his knee. "That rapier was poisonous!" 

He gasped. 

"Lord Asher!" 

He lifted his head and saw that Asher had brought down the archer.

Asher looked at his dying bodyguard and saw a notification. 

[Survive the assassins. (5/5) Completed.]

[Would you like to upgrade your silver-ranked swordsman Alex to a gold-ranked sword knight before the awakening process begins? Yes or No.]

'Yes.'

Swoosh! 

This time, Alex emerged as a 7-foot-tall man with bigger arms and a sword two times wider than before. He was clad in chainmail and steel chest plates that only covered his chest, steel vambraces, and poleyns that had sharp edges over his knees.

His boots were also made of fine steel, and those parts that did not have steel were protected by chainmail.

A round steel helm that had an opening so small that it seemed like the helmet had no opening for the eyes covered his head. 

Alex looked like a dreadful knight, and the silver cape with the symbol of a roaring wolf marked him as an Ashbourne knight!

Standing at an impressive height of 7 feet, Alex had no doubt transformed into an intimidating warrior on the battlefield.

Thud! 

He fell on one knee. 

"I greet the Lord."

[Ding! Your awakening will commence in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1…]

Thud! 

Asher collapsed.