Curious, Kaizen silently approached the cages, making sure to stay out of the guard's sight. Kaizen tried to touch the magic barrier and was stopped by a weak electric shock. However, Kaizen didn't even want to imagine what that barrier could do if he insisted on trying to cross it. He realized that he would have to find another way to investigate this strange hut.
Looking more closely, Kaizen noticed that there was a small space in the magic barrier that allowed some people to enter and leave undetected, and the guard was standing right in front of that entrance.
This guard was a human sitting on a chair, and he didn't look like any other mage, for he had golden accessories and looked different from the other mages, as if he felt too important to dress like most. His haircut was short and he had tattoos on his neck and face. Kaizen also noticed that this man was holding a shiny object in his hands, a pocket watch that seemed to be of great value.
However, Kaizen did not expect his own aura to be noticed.
Stopping his cigarette, the guard turned his head and inquired with an angry expression:
"Tsk! What are you doing snooping around here, man?! Are you looking for trouble or are you trying to steal my merchandise?" the man asked in a loud, angry, threatening voice. "This is no place for snoopers, don't you know that?"
Kaizen prepared to reply, but before he could say a word, another man appeared from inside the stall. This other man looked exactly like the guard, as if they were twin brothers.
"What's going on here? Is this son of a bitch snooping around our goods?"
"There is no need for violence," Kaizen said seriously, keeping his hand on the hilt of his sword.
The mercenaries stared at him for a moment, assessing him, and noticing that Kaizen had his hand inside his cloak. The two exchanged glances and then began to laugh.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! This guy really thinks he can intimidate us, brother?! He must have a lot of balls to think that. I'm going to make him pee his pants in fear, then I'm going to cut him up into little pieces and feed them to those hungry things."
The hungry things he was talking about were the magical creatures trapped in small cages that looked really hungry, growling and trying to bite anything that came near them.
There were small, slender goblins with green skin and glowing eyes; burly, muscular lower trolls with sharp fangs and rough skin, only the size of an ordinary dwarf; and even a wyvern cub, a winged creature with shiny scales and sharp teeth. The cages were stacked on top of each other, and the creatures were trying desperately to escape, causing the bars to swing and sounds to echo through the hall.
"I've got a better idea, brother. HEHE... Let's take this son of a bitch's grimoire and rip out all the pages in front of him, then we'll have a barbecue. You know, they say that meat with adrenaline still in its veins is the tastiest kind of meat."
"Good idea!"
It was noticeable that the two mages were not very conscious. Their pupils were red, and although the first brother had looked normal while smoking before, the slightest hint of an intruder was enough to make him act like a hungry animal. His eyes showed his inhumanity, as if he was completely out of his mind.
'Did these guys drink some magic mushroom tea or something?' Kaizen wondered.
Suddenly, one of the brothers stepped forward, pulling his grimoire out of his pocket and floating it beside him. With a look of confidence, he held out his right hand. But before he could conjure any kind of magic, a blade sliced through his back, easily breaking him in two.
In the next instant, a shower of blood and a large amount of guts flew towards the second brother, who stood still in shock at what he had just witnessed.
Kaizen, wielding his sword firmly, watched with disdain as the first mage's body fell to the ground in slow motion. This mage's grimoire fell to the ground at the same time as its owner's body.
Then Kaizen lowered his sword and sighed, disappointed in himself for being careless earlier. He should have been more careful and resisted his curiosity about the magic barrier. But now there was no turning back, his cover was on the line, and fortunately there were no other people in this hallway but them, so he was determined to take advantage of the situation.
He raised his bloody sword, faced the other remaining mercenary mage, and said:
"I didn't want this to happen, but he left me no choice. You should have been more careful who you were arguing with. It is not polite to threaten people like that," Kaizen said, keeping his tone calm and controlled. "Now, don't even think about moving. This will be quick."
The remaining mercenary laughed sarcastically, widening his eyes like a madman. "You think you can defeat me alone? I'm not like my brother, I'm much more experienced and smarter, so I'll avenge him by killing you!"
The mage raised his grimoire and cast a spell as he jumped backward. The spell was a lightning bolt that flew out of the pages of the book and into the psyker's chest. The player, however, was quicker, and with one agile movement, he dodged the spell and immediately approached the mercenary with a swift thrust, making a quick slash at his leg, as he had no intention of killing this guy before getting information.
The mercenary staggered as he was cut, but still managed to cast another spell at Kaizen.
Damn, that was a shallow cut. Kaizen thought as he realized that his caution was overdone.
This other spell from the mercenary was a ball of light that exploded in the air near Psyker, throwing him backwards like an explosion.
Kaizen quickly got up from the ground and ran towards the mage. He swung his sword, but the mercenary managed to block the first blow with an energy shield.
"You don't use any spells, magic or potions? Just that blunt sword? What kind of strange mage are you? Huh! You must have no talent with mana, so you resorted to this kind of primitive strength." The mercenary sneered.
At that moment, Kaizen realized that even though this mage was on drugs and had recently lost his brother, he was still underestimating him because he did not use a grimoire. This made him think that this mage wouldn't even consider the possibility of Kaizen using a spell, so Kaizen did just that.
[Activating Class Skill <Telekinesis>.]
The mercenary suddenly felt a hand grab his throat and pull him down with a truly terrifying force. He had never felt anything like this before, and by the time he processed what was happening, he was on the ground with his neck being pushed down by this mysterious force and his head being kicked by Kaizen.
"Do you know who Adohorn is?" asked Kaizen in a serious and confident voice, kneading the mercenary on the dirty sewer floor.
...
Edited by: DrHitsuji
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