Chapter IX - Onward to the destiny

4:30 in the morning, Red Lane Street.

The ghostly silhouette of Lucas, the Brotherhood's horrifying a.s.sa.s.sin, emerged on the roof of a house. A moment later it appeared in an alley nearby, and the next moment, it already leaped toward to the broad main street.

Blood stained on the ground, dozens of bodies lying around, among them there were the Brotherhood's elites wearing the black bands and also Blood Bottle's members with red scarfs tied around their head.

Again, Lucas uttered an angry roar as his silhouette disappeared. When it emerged once again, he was already on the signboard of the opposite store.

As if he was trying to escape from something behind him.

Unceasing noises of fighting could be heard in the distance.

Suddenly Lucas's originally anxious face turned into a calm and fierce expression, both existed at the same time.

In a blink of an eye and through a strange angle under his left armpit, Lucas's saber thunderously thrust to his left rear like an Omanba snake preying on it victim!

Not a single sign of a soul there, however -

"Ripped!"

A sound of torn clothes came!

"My blade hit you."

"The Ghost of wind, Rolf."

Lucas lifted the saber and slightly wiped the blood on its tip. The anxiety and anger on his face had disappeared without a trace, replaced by a cold-blooded expression that concealed madness within.

"Ah, Lucas 'The Quiet a.s.sa.s.sin', is it your luck really good, or you could actually feel my position?" A strange yet gentle voice came like it was floating all around.

Lucas quietly maintained his original posture and remained silent.

"An a.s.sa.s.sin like you, such a pity that you're in the Brotherhood."

As the voice faded away, a figure appeared on the road in front of Lucas.

The figure was a blue-haired man in gray skin-tight suit and tattoos on his face. The man laughed, touching his left collarbone where there was a wound bleeding slowly.

Lucas's pupil suddenly shrank, his thrust should have perfectly pierced the opponent's heart and instantly pulled back the moment it break the atrial blood vessels. But in the end, his saber only managed to scratch his collarbone?

Lucas was surprised for a moment but quickly returned to his calm state, quietly preparing for the next strike.

An a.s.sa.s.sin must always believe that his next strike will be a lethal hit.

If Rick was here, he would surely disagree with Lucas's nickname - "The Quite a.s.sa.s.sin". Didn't that annoying a.s.sa.s.sin have an uncountable amount of nonsensical lines he used to mock me?

Even Thales the transmigrator would nod in agreement: when playing "fairies fighting" with Veronica, Lucas didn't seem to be too "quiet".

However at this moment, with a pair of malicious eyes Lucas's whole body was motionlessness. As he stood still like a statue on the signboard, his aura was indeed full of a terrifying "tranquil".

But the next moment, Rolf, known as the Ghost of wind, suddenly changed his expression.

"Well well well," Rolf snorted. "I didn't expect that Carrick could be killed by Maurice. Surely that d.a.m.n fatty is one of the Brotherhood's six Great leaders after all huh?"

"I will avoid for now, but don't get me wrong, our game isn't over yet, 'Silent a.s.sa.s.sin'."

After a moment, Rolf disappeared.

In the meantime, one of the six Great leaders of the Black Street Brotherhood - Maurice, manager of human trafficking business, appeared along with and with a fierce looking elite force at the corner.

"Boss!" Lucas instantly jumped down from the signboard and greeted Morris.

"It's the Ghost of Wind, Rolf."

The fat old man Maurice nodded and dropped a body on the ground.

It was the body of a st.u.r.dy man who seemed to have suffered extreme pains before his death. If the Brotherhood's underworld doctor, Dr. Ramon the Freak, was there, he would a.n.a.lyze and soon discover that the man's lips turned purple before his death, his canthus had hyperemia and part of his nails were pink.

The warrior with mystical power from a nomadic tribe in the Eastern Continent, Carrick "the Wolf of war", died of suffocation just like that.

"Have you found the others yet?" Morris gravely asked.

He didn't express any joy after eliminating a strong enemy - especially since the other side was a warrior with mystical power.

Lucas also shook his head with a serious expression: "No. But I encountered several vaporous obstacles in some areas, the "air wall", and according to what I heard in the past," The a.s.sa.s.sin paused, and said with terrors and worries in his voice: "I suspect, they belong to 'the Magus of Air'."

"Magus of Air? Air wall, f.u.c.k!"

Maurice spitted bitterly, no matter which mystical power user, whenever a man heard that the enemy he is facing is a magus who also happens to be able to restrain his ability properly, he won't be too happy.

For this must-be-success-without-failure sudden raid, the Brotherhood gathered almost all of its elite forces in Enteral Star's headquarter, arranged them into groups to ensure a surprise fatal strike. However, when the elite members of the Brotherhood were at the very beginning of the raid, they were already scattered by a few powerful gusts of wind. Some parts of Red Lane Street were no longer even accessible. The mighty elite forces were suddenly split into a hydra who can't tell its own heads or tail.

In the poems sung by the bards, the monster hydra Killina was eventually killed by the hero Nair after he decapitated its head one after another.

Now it seemed, the one who scattered them had to be the Magus of Air.

That terrifying man, I hope I won't to run into him head on. Maurice listened to the continuous sound of fighting and distinguished the direction.

"It's supposed to be us gathering be our elite force and suddenly attack the Blood Bottle's branch on Red Lane Street. But turned out it was them ambus.h.i.+ng us --It's so f.u.c.king shameful that I already lost my face to Dark Night's Divined Domain."

"The opponent only had two magi and already dispatched one in preparation for us, but we all run into him to die like a bunch of idiots! Our brains must be dumber than the G.o.d of Dark Night!"

Maurice cursed using those blasphemy words while he was brainstorming swiftly.

"There has to be a traitor! After going back I want to squeeze out Rance's lungs! That decrepit old b.a.s.t.a.r.d, this is not how you do intelligence!"

Lucas bowed his head, cleverly not to follow his boss from the Brotherhood's "Great Six" to curse another one who was also from the "Great Six".

Maurice took a deep breath and quickly came to a clear judgment:

"Since the enemy is a magus and we have no master above the rank of Absolute Boundary - the attack on Red Lane Street has failed completely. Spread out and send this order to all of our own people: give up your goals, return to your original course, and break out in full force! "

"Let's go back to Black Street!"

-------------------

Yara looked at Thales, the expression on her face gradually turned blank.

It seemed to be a long time that had pa.s.sed.

Thales, on the other hand, stood still and stared back at her.

Until the other muttered a breath and gently lowered her head.

"You stinky little imp."

Still maintained a blank expression, Yara kept staring at the dark ground of the cellar.

Thales didn't dare to breathe even just a bit heavier.

But then, the young female bartender quickly and quietly said:

"You - you - have anyone ever told you -"

Thales listened attentively.

"- that you matured very early?"

This time Thales was dazed for a moment.

Mature early?

It - it's just transmigration - hah ha.

Let me quickly think about it, when being confronted by the locals with suspicion, how did my transmigration predecessors get away with it again?

And then, scratching his head with a red face, the transmigrator said with embarra.s.sment:

"Hey hey - I'm very mature? Hah ha, well that's just - Yara, I understand what you mean, but I still enjoy my current single life, I have not yet want -"

"Tuck!"

Yara's instantly had a twisted expression and severely poked Thales's forehead with her finger!

"Little imp, you stop right there for me!"

"And call me sister Yara!"

Thales painfully rubbed his forehead, piece of a memory vaguely emerged again before his vision.

It was a warm sunny afternoon.

"Wu Renren! So if this Dota2 match is not done you can't go with me huh! You stop right there for me!"

"Why are you always saying the same thing lately?"

"Hey, this is a famous quote in the 2D world, of course - how dare you queue for a new match?"

"Oh, my friend already dragged me in, I feel kind of embarra.s.sed not to go!"

"With that Dota skill of you? Grzz grzzz! You stop right there for me!"

"That same line again - Hey, my gaming mouse!"

Tiles rubbed his head and buried that piece of memory in his brain.

What is happening? My old memory is appearing more and more recently.

Although it is a good thing to find many past knowledge and wisdom, still you can't just keep having flash backs at critical moment right?

He shook his head, looking at Yara whose face already had a different expression, and clearly said:

"I do not ask for much, we only need to get through Red Lane Street so we can escape to the Blood Bottle's territory. After that we can take care of ourselves. No one will know it's you so you won't get in any trouble! Now, it's the time before dawn so the night is the darkest. From the Undercity District to Red Lane Street, it is not a problem for you to hide us from eyes of the Brotherhood."

"I wouldn't dare to say that if it's any elsewhere, when we appear we will be noticed by the Brotherhood right away. But the Red Lane Street, it is the crossing section between the Brotherhood and Blood Bottle gang, and the only chance for us to escape! The Brotherhood will certainly take the time to capture the beggars who flee everywhere, so until they finally react to us, it is impossible to track us down to the Red Lane Street!

At this moment, the confident and decisively Thales slightly curled up his lips.

"Haizz!"

Yara uttered a sigh and closed her eyes.

"So when the other beggars are fleeing everywhere, you are heading straight to Red Lane Street, not bad for a plan. With my skill and experience, hiding from the Brotherhood's eyes and ears also isn't without a chance."

When her eyes opened again, they suddenly become sharp and shrewd, vicious and terrifying, as if for a moment, she became an a.s.sa.s.sin once again.

Even Thales also rarely saw this look of Yara.

"But when you get to Blood Bottle's territory, are you truly safe? Your hand can play them like a fiddle, but it's only temporary."

"The Brotherhood has countless members and superior fighting forces. Even their enemy, the Blood Bottle gang is also at disadvantage when going against them. Finding out the real culprit is only a matter of time."

"And afterwards, where else can you go? As long as you're still in Eternal Star, the Brotherhood of Black Street will always find you."

"Even if you travel out of Eternal Star, how would you know that the Brotherhood won't be even more terrible and unscrupulous than they are here?"

Yara's words seem to instantly hit the weak spot of Thales.

Thales palely swayed his head.

Right, his plan hasn't come that far yet. With limited ability and wisdom, he simply cannot predict what will happen after Red Lane Street.

But weren't they left without any path?

Excepted for the Red Land Street.

"That's our business." Determined, he said stiffly.

The shrewd and vicious a.s.sa.s.sin Yara (rather than the lazy and indifferent bargirl Yara) shook her head.

"But it is impossible -"

Looking at Yara still shaking her head, Thales got anxious again.

In order to win over Yara's help, he had tried his best to solve all the problems. From dragging out the emotional aspect and the relations.h.i.+p, to even activating his mouth cannon to shoot out a bunch of righteous words, but he still failed? How can I play it like this alas!

This isn't Football Manager!

There's no other choice, as a Earthshaker in a critical team fight moment, you cannot let your greed for kills or greed for gold get to you and miss a Echo Slam!

Go Earthshaker, ECHO SLAM!

"I know, when compared to offering us food and water or giving me this dagger, this request is truly excessive. But please, look at the three children over there, all of their hopes are in this bar! Help me! And moreover -"

Thales said with difficulty.

Yara raised her eyebrow.

The transmigrator was very reluctant to say the following words, because in his opinion, they were completely naked constraint and torture.

"Moreover - you still owe me a life debt right?"

Thales firmly said.

"What?"

Yara's eyes were full of doubts and surprise, but then, she laughed out loud.

The female bartender pulled out from her thigh a wolfleg knife and placed it in front of Thales.

"This life debt? You aren't saying something like since you suggested me to change my weapon into this shape, you feel that it is a life debt right? Well, maybe it is, barely one, but you're taking advantage of this life debt way too much."

Thales saw the wolfleg knife.

He instantly thought of his past memory with Yara.

That was quite a long time ago.

"Yara Yara, I think of a way to make up for your lack of power and speed when using knives!"

"How many times I have to tell you, call me sister Yara! Go away, a little imp who doesn't understand fighting, has no mystical or divined power, and obviously no knowledge about magicen, don't bother me in my exercise time."

"Yara! But this's the one! Just look at this painting!"

"Eh? The shape and curvature of this knife - little imp, where's it from? It seems quite interesting."

"This called a dog - leg - knife! Believe it or not, it's a weapon from another world!"

"Huh, what's kind of name is dog - leg, even if someone wants to use it, change the name into something fancy and respectable okay! Also, call me sister Yara! And what's this other world stuff, just watch less dramas from Dark Night Temple please. The people there are a bunch of nut job! "

Thinking to this part, Thales shook his head and putted away the memories.

He firmly said word by word the following:

"No, not because of that life debt. What I depend on is - you, you're the one who triggered Clyde and turned him into this state, you made him lost his mind and went crazy, you caused  the disastrous casualties of the beggars and made sure that we can only run away. This is your life debt."

Thales heavily finished the sentence.

The voice went down.

Yara's eyes wide-opened. Looking at him incredulously, her beautiful eyelash kept shaking.

"How - how could you -"

Thales's still had some doubts in his mind before, but looking at Yara's expression, he could finally have a conclusion.

"Yes."

Thales nodded, his heart plunged heavily again.

"You pieced Clyde's hand before didn't you? He was cursing you while calling out your name. And when Clyde's biggest disgrace was mentioned he might get furious, but he would feel even more shameful. How could he go crazy to the point of torturing the beggars to death? I don't know happened back then, but Clyde must have come to the Sunset bar to drink, provoked you, and somehow gone crazy and lost his mind. And then he rushed into The Ruin and slaughtered - slaughtered half of beggar. "

"That has to be it."

"So in fact, half the beggar's deaths are related to you."

At this moment, Thales could see the s.h.i.+vering within Yara's eyes for sure.

You d.a.m.n little imp.

Yara cursed in her mind, but the constantly trembling hand which was holding the wolfleg knife already betrayed her at that moment.

Too clever.

That's just a dozens of begging children. Yara heart trembled, I didn't even kill them by my own hands, it has nothing to do with me.

It was all because of Rick, that d.a.m.n accountant.

It has nothing to do with me.

Nothing, right?

In front of Yara's eyes suddenly appeared a b.l.o.o.d.y baby wrapped in a precious blanket, and then, she raised her own knife.

At that moment, her heart seemed like it was somewhat heavy and stopped beating.

"So, please help the four beggar children in front of your eyes, because this is - this the life debt you owe us."

Thales heart felt extremely uncomfortable, but he still painfully spoke out this sentence.

Yara tightly closed her eyes and inserted the wolfleg knife back to the holster on her boot.

"Of course, if the shape of the wolfleg knife is also a life debt, then pay it too. Don't you worry about having too many debts?"

Thales seemed to feel the depressing atmosphere and laughed for a bit.

It was just that his laugh was very reluctant.

After a long while, Yara opened her eyes again.

She looked up gently.

"Thales, you are really a special kid."

"You could always land a hit on other people's vital spot."

"Clyde was probably killed by one of those hit."

Her tone was somewhat impotent, making Thales felt uneasy again.

But her next words let Thales's heart feel like it was dumped straight down into an ice cave.

"But it's useless, even if I agree to help you and sacrifice my life to protect you kids - you cannot get through Red Lane Street."

Yara spoke out one word after another.

Every time she paused it was like taking away Thales's life.

"Because tonight, the Brotherhood will attack the Red Lane Street."

"It has already begun. The Red Lane Street will become the most horrifying battlefield in Eternal Star tonight."

The time around them seemed to stop itself. It took quite a while before returning to normal.

"What are you talking about?" Thales faintly asked with his trembling lips.

"Just give up. You know, since Red Square Street is already a battlefield, no matter how strong I am, or even with power like 'the Kingdom's Wrath', it is impossible to bring along four heavily injured children through the battlefield of two big gangs."

Yara sadly said.

Thales shockingly looked at Yara, then looked back at the three children who had almost finished their breads at the distant. When Carina saw him looking at them, she was still happy and waved her hand back. That four-year-old girl was always easy to forget the pain.

"Rest a.s.sured," Clint licked the crumbs on his hands and patted on Ryan's chest, who was still in fear: "Thales will find a way for us to escape."

"Agree, Thales is the smartest, he can do everything!" Carina raised her half a loaf of bread and pleasingly add.

However, on the other side of the cellar, in front of Yara, the transmigrator who held the faith and hope of these beggar children was desperately burying his face into both hands.

"How could this be……"

"Why did the Brotherhood attack Red Lane Street today ... ..."

"Why tonight ..."

"It shouldn't be ..."

"Hah ha, unexpected, unexpected ..."

"Hah ha ..."

"Any elsewhere, we simply cannot go ..."

"Except for the Red Lane Street and the West Ring District after it, the Brotherhood has their eyes everywhere ... ..."

"Unless we went straight to the First Undercity District, from there to the sewers, and the Devil's Path, that place is the Iron Bat's territory ... ..."

"No, the Iron Bat have long been subordinated to the Brotherhood of Black Street ... ..."

"Go back to The Ruin? Erasing all traces of Clyde's corpse ..."

"Impossible, other children already knew ..."

"They will certainly find out it was us ..."

"What to do now ……"

"What to do now!"

Thales's face lips were pale while his forehead was full of cold sweat.

Yara also felt a bit unwilling to accept this, but she could only shake her heads and pat his shoulder.

"You kids stay with here with me," said Yara with a sigh. "I have a trustworthy person who can hide you for at least a month."

"I can go find the old man," Yara paused for a while and reluctantly said: "The brotherhood places a great deal for the old man's face, and you kids - at least you won't die."

But certainly it's a life worse than death - The hopeless Thales added in the bottom of his heart.

"Sometimes," As Yara looked at Thales' dispirited look, she was moved by the fact that even such a smart boy could have a moment when he reach the end of his rope "We have to accept our destiny."

Thales's vision suddenly blurred again.

"Renren, alas, she's gone, you, you, you need to hold your grief... Hic hic ..."

"I ... I'm fine, rest a.s.sured ... rest a.s.sured, auntie, I'm fine ... I'm really..."

"I know, Renren. Hic, sometimes, we have to accept our destiny. If she's gone, this is a pit all of us must walk through, without exception, hic hic."

"Auntie ... you ... she ..."

"To accept our destiny ... hic ... alas, our destiny ... alas ..."

Accept destiny.

What is my destiny then?

Transmigrating into this world and being slaughtered?

Should I just accept it?

Ridiculous.

I have read so many books.

Done so much research.

Written so many essays.

How can I accept my destiny.

How can I believe in the so-called destiny!

Tiles jerked his head up and made Yara screamed out.

His eyes were full of determent and anger this time.

"Little imp, are you - okay?" Yara asked tentatively. Somehow, at this moment she was a little scared of the seven-year-old boy.

"They stay with you."

Thales suddenly spit out a word.

"All three of them will stay behind. You will also stay here so you can protect them. Tell the others, tell them you just happen to caught three beggars."

Thales said with an emotionless face, as if everything had lost its color in his eyes.

"What?" Yara was a little surprised but Thales didn't care.

"I'll match my words with the other three children. I am - I am the murderer who killed Clyde alone."

Thales continued to blankly speak with a special emphasis on the word "alone". "When the Brotherhood comes, you tell them just like that."

Yara frown: "Then what about you? Let me hand you over to them?"

"I will travel alone."

Do not know why, Yara suddenly realized that this child has made a decision.

And no one can violate his decision, let alone stop it.

But she cannot let him jump into his own death like this.

After all, he. . .

"You won't get out from even the Undercity Disctrict, little imp. When the morning comes, the Brotherhood will certainly discover a clue and their scouts will take you back. At that time, you will wish that you have begged me to kill you instead."

Yara said with a complicated expression.

Thales turned his head, the coldness within his eyes was frightening.

"Yeah," Thales said coldly. Since being transmigrated, he who spent a year in the outskirt base of the Brotherhood and four years in Undercity District, was fully aware of the Brotherhood's methods and capabilities. "Basically I can't escape."

"But they can survive without suffering more from what Clyde left."

No, Clyde has already given them an unforgettable pain for the rest of their life, he silently said.

Yara stretched out both hands and putted it on top of his shoulders but turned her face away to the other side.

Thales felt Yara's hands, the stable and accurate pair of a.s.sa.s.sin's hands, was trembling slightly.

No, I still have a place to go.

The only place.

And I already knew that, right?

Thales burst out a laugh.

Destiny, in fact it does exist.

It's playing with you.

You can also play with it.

He hopefully looked at the three that had just eaten their breads - they were not beggar - children anymore.

The transmigrator turned around, firmly but calmly looked to Yara.

Looking at the gloomy face and flushed eyes Yara, Thales gently opened his mouth.

"It's half past four, the dawn will come shortly. There is still some distance to the Red Lane Street and I need you to tell me all the location of the eyes I should pay attention to."

"I'm going to depart soon."

"Onward to the Red Lane Street."

------

Author's Note:

1. Football Manager - The series of games in which you manage football teams, players often have the feeling: I have done everything I can regardless of tactics, psychology, lineup, or public opinion - but no matter how heavy my save files are, I still can't win the match!

When facing Yara's rejection, Thales also felt the same sense of powerlessness.

2. Earthshaker, a hero in Dota2 game, whose final ability Echo Slam only deals pure damage, and the greater number of enemies in its given area, the bigger the damage. When with a sufficient number of enemies, it can even flip over a losing team fight, so the timing of the Earthshaker joining the battlefield with Echo Slam is very important. Because of the desire to maximize the amount of damage, waiting cautiously for more people to gather, getting hesitated or a late Echo Slam may result in a missed opportunity for a good team fight; and being too hasty and Echo Slam too soon in a spa.r.s.e crowds is only a waste.

Facing Yara's rejection is like playing the Earthshaker, between hesitation / caution and risk / decisiveness, Thales chose the latter.

Translator's note:

Picture of the dog-leg knife.

https://www.google.com.vn/search?q=chinese+dog+leg+knife&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjyj8D0ztDZAhUCm5QKHXXKAKsQ_AUICigB&biw=1366&bih=588#imgrc=fhml74o-YqsyYM: