Chapter 1099 Assassin's Guild Invitation I
Utilizing shadow teleportation, Michael swiftly closed the distance between himself and the approaching mercenaries.
As the lights in the manor suddenly went out, the orc guards patrolling the area were startled. Their surprise quickly turned into shock, and one guard exclaimed, "What the hell just happened?"
Another guard, looking frustrated, cursed the runes, muttering, "Damn these runes! Always causing trouble at the worst times."
In an attempt to regain control of the situation, one of the guards ordered the others, "Check on the power room and the Celestial crystals. We need to get those lights back on!"
"How helpful, they disable the runes," Michael mused as he watched the mercenaries approach the manor.
Using his shadow teleportation, Michael quietly entered the manor through an open balcony. Inside, he activated his X-ray vision to locate the guards and get a sense of the layout.
"Who are these guys?" asked Pink through the earpiece.
"Do you think she sent them?" Pink inquired, concern lacing her voice.
"Probably," Michael replied calmly, blending into the darkness of the room he had entered. It appeared to be some sort of storeroom, filled with cupboards, racks, and a table.
As the mercenaries effortlessly leaped into the manor, Pink suggested, "Don't kill them. We might need to work with them in the future."
Michael couldn't help but chuckle. "Aww. I'm hurt. You really thought I was going to kill them?"
"I missed this," Pink said with a mix of relief and delight in her voice. Being out in the field with Pink's voice guiding him brought back a wave of nostalgia for Michael.
As he was blending with the darkness and plotting a way to incapacitate them all, Pink continued.
"Elmer must have alerted Thalindra about your plan to deal with the manager," Pink speculated.
Michael had overheard everything Elmer had discussed with Thalindra through the Spyder he had placed on Elmer. It was a bit surprising to Michael to discover that Elmer was actually an undercover agent for the elven kingdom, Valandor. Michael regretted not using two Spyders on Elmer, which would have allowed him to also place one on Thalindra when Elmer met with her.
But Michael had a plan to address his regret soon.
"Ah, she hired humans, how cute," Michael commented from the shadows. With his X-ray vision, he could see the face of one of the mercenaries when their hood shifted slightly, revealing a lack of pointy ears and an average body size. It was a clear indication that these weren't Thalindra's own operatives. After all, a sensible handler like her wouldn't want her own agents to potentially point fingers at her.
Eventually, one of the mercenaries, sent by Thalindra, entered the room through the same balcony that Michael had used.
"They are talented enough to avoid the guards," Michael observed quietly. He waited for the mercenary to turn around, knowing that his innate ability allowed him to remain invisible and blend seamlessly with the darkness, rendering him undetectable to the intruder.
"Target is in the right wing of the manor. I am moving in," the mercenary whispered into a crystal device in his hand. These crystals functioned like earpieces, allowing them to communicate with each other, although their range wasn't as extensive as modern earpieces.
As the mercenary took a step forward, Michael gently tapped his chest, activating his concealed armor. Upon tapping the skull medallion on his chest, the armor swiftly spread out from the medallion, enveloping his body. Michael raised the hood, and the armor completed its transformation by fitting a skull-shaped mask onto his face.
Michael's eyes, now shining with an eerie darkness, analyzed the mercenary's aura and revealed that the intruder was significantly weaker than him, marked by the green aura surrounding him.
In the blink of an eye, Michael dashed toward the mercenary. Before the mercenary could even sense Michael's presence, Michael struck him from behind with a powerful punch, rendering him unconscious.
Swiftly, Michael caught the crystal the mercenary had dropped, preventing it from hitting the ground and shattering. The gray crystal pulsated slightly in his hand. Placing the crystal into a small compartment built into his waist armor, Michael retrieved several Spyders and miniature drones from his inventory.
"Drones and Spyders are active. Be my eyes and ears," Michael instructed Pink.
With the knowledge he had imparted to her and the runes embedded in the system, Pink could now connect to the mirrors in her safehouse to receive feeds from Michael's Spyders and drones. Michael directed the spyders and drones to explore every nook and cranny of the manor.
"I've spotted two mercenaries approaching the room next to your location. It appears to be empty. You have the green light to incapacitate them," Pink relayed to Michael.
Having Pink as his remote observer made dispatching the mercenaries much more efficient. Utilizing his agility and the cover of darkness, Michael moved stealthily toward the room's doorway, positioning himself to intercept the mercenaries.
"The orcs are attempting to activate the backup crystals to illuminate the orbs. Time is of the essence," Pink updated him.
One of the mercenaries conversed with the other, questioning their presence in this section of the manor. "Why are we even in this part of the manor? The target isn't here."
The other mercenary replied confidently, "I know. The rest of our crew will handle the target. We should grab whatever valuables we can find in the meantime. We'll fence them later for some extra coin."
Michael couldn't help but snicker at the mercenaries' avarice. After all, he was planning a heist for coins himself, so he couldn't judge them too harshly.
With a sly grin, he plucked a gold coin from his pocket and flicked it across the room, creating a small but attention-grabbing noise.
The mercenaries immediately perked up, their greed getting the best of them. "What was that?" they exclaimed, their heads turning toward the source of the sound.
In a flash, Michael moved in closer, his swift actions leaving the mercenaries bewildered. He deftly knocked their heads together, rendering them unconscious. Afterward, he opened the nearest door and unceremoniously deposited their unconscious forms inside.
As Michael moved stealthily toward the east wing, he continued to rely on Pink's assistance in tracking and neutralizing the mercenaries. Their communication remained discreet but efficient.
Pink's voice whispered in Michael's earpiece, "There are two more mercenaries ahead, lurking near the grand staircase. I'll guide you through."
With Pink's guidance, Michael seamlessly blended with the darkness, his movements a shadowy dance. He approached the mercenaries from behind, his senses heightened in the darkness. He could hear their hushed conversation and smell the faint scent of their armor.
Michael struck swiftly and silently. With a well-timed elbow to the back of one mercenary's head and a swift knee to the stomach of the other, he incapacitated them. They crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
Meanwhile, the orcs guarding the manor patrolled the area with torches and conjured light orbs, their movements casting eerie, flickering shadows on the walls. The mercenaries, as well as Michael, remained hidden in the shadows, keeping a close eye on the orc guards' movements.
Pink's voice remained hushed as she informed Michael of the orcs' positions. "Two guards coming from the west corridor, one from the south. Stay low and keep to the shadows."
Michael followed Pink's guidance, expertly navigating the dark corridors. He utilized every nook and cranny, using the environment to his advantage. With calculated precision, he dispatched the guards one by one, ensuring they didn't raise the alarm.
The mercenaries, too, followed Michael's lead, silently and cautiously avoiding the orc patrols. It was a delicate dance of shadows and silence as they continued their stealthy advance toward their target.
In a tense turn of events, Michael and the mercenaries found themselves converging in the same dimly lit hall with the orc guards. The hall's shadows provided some cover, but the flickering light orbs conjured by the orc guards made the situation precarious.
Hidden in the darkest corners of the room, Michael and the mercenaries remained undetected by the orc guards. The mercenaries, unaware of Michael's presence, discussed their plan.
"We need to be quick," one of the mercenaries whispered. "The manager's room is just down the hall."
Meanwhile, Pink's voice came through Michael's earpiece, a thread of anxiety in her tone. "You're surrounded by guards, and the mercenaries are closing in on you. Be careful."
Michael knew he had to act swiftly to take down the mercenaries without alerting the orc guards. As the mercenaries moved closer, he bided his time, waiting for the perfect moment.
The situation was becoming increasingly precarious. The orc guards, growing frustrated with the sporadic darkness, muttered curses and threats. One guard grumbled, "By the gods, these orbs are useless. How are we supposed to guard anything in this darkness?"
Pink chimed in, her voice tinged with concern, "Ghost, they're almost on you. You need to move now."
With precision born of years of experience, Michael struck. He lunged from the shadows, taking advantage of a flickering light orb to mask his approach. In a blur of motion, he incapacitated the mercenaries one by one, rendering them unconscious without a sound.
As the mercenaries crumpled to the floor, Michael swiftly dragged their bodies into the deepest recesses of the hall, hiding them in the shadows. It was a delicate dance, avoiding the orc guards and their feeble light sources while concealing the fallen mercenaries.
Pink breathed a sigh of relief through the earpiece. "Nicely done, Ghost. Now, continue toward the manager's room. We're running out of time."
With the mercenaries dealt with and the orc guards none the wiser, Michael resumed his stealthy advance, leaving no trace of the confrontation behind.
With the mercenaries out of the picture, Michael proceeded stealthily through the manor's east wing, nearing the manager's room. However, just as he was a mere few doors away from his target, the orc guards, in a desperate move, activated the backup crystals. The result was an abrupt illumination of the manor as the runes and light orbs sprang to life, bathing the manor in light.
As the light flooded the hallway, the distant orc guards noticed the unconscious mercenaries sprawled on the floor and shouted in alarm.
"Hey, lads, we got trouble here! Some folks tried to intrude!" yelled one orc guard.
"What? Who the hell got past us? Sound the alarm! Call for backup!" another orc barked.
"Be quick! They might be after the manager!" a third orc exclaimed.
Ignoring the chaos, Michael activated his X-ray vision. Simultaneously, Pink's voice sounded in his ear with a mix of shock and surprise.
"Ghost, you need to make your move now. Someone else has entered the manager's room, and he doesn't look like a mercenary," urged Pink, pushing Michael to storm the room without wasting a second.
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