Hitman with a Badass System
chapter-1259

Two days later, in the bustling heart of the city of Goldspire, Borgin stood by the window of his spacious room, his gaze fixed on the lively streets below. Behind him, his team of beast tamers busied themselves with meticulous preparations for their next venture. The sound of oiling crossbows mingled with the rhythmic knitting of nets, while others checked the inscriptions on hand-sized rocks, ensuring the potency of their runes.

In the midst of this focused activity, Thoric, a stout dwarf with a penchant for straightforwardness, broke the silence. "So, are we just going to pretend like nothing extraordinary happened in that dungeon?" he asked, his brow furrowed in disbelief.

Borgin, ever the pragmatic leader, turned from the window to face his team. "And what would you have us discuss about that, Thoric?" he inquired, his tone suggesting that the topic was of little consequence.

With a sigh that spoke volumes of his incredulity, Thoric downed the remaining ale in his mug and slammed it onto the table. "We were in the company of a god, the God of Darkness himself, and here we are, going about our business as if it's just another day!" he exclaimed, unable to mask his astonishment at their nonchalance after witnessing the divine in such close quarters.

Borgin merely shook his head, a gesture of resignation to the complexities that came with deities. "Dabbling in the affairs of gods only brings trouble to our doorstep. As mortals, it's best we steer clear," he advised, his experience as a leader shaping his perspective on such matters.

A seasoned beast tamer, his gray hair a testament to his years and his face lined with the scars of countless encounters, chimed in with his own wisdom. "I've been on this earth for seventy years, faced death more times than I care to count. Not once did any god, not even Nithroel, the Goddess of Hunt whom I've prayed to every single day, come to my aid," he shared, his voice laden with a mixture of resignation and bitterness.

Unbeknownst to the old beast tamer, Nithroel, the Goddess of Hunt, whom he had devotedly prayed to throughout his life, had been trapped in the mortal realm for thousands of years. This imprisonment rendered her incapable of hearing the prayers of her followers or intervening on their behalf. The beast tamers and hunters revered Nithroel, seeking her blessings for success in their pursuits, while the beasts and prey turned their prayers towards Gaya, the Goddess of Monsters, hoping for protection and survival.

This division in divine allegiance set the stage for an inevitable fallout between Nithroel and Gaya. Their worshippers, embodying the very essence of hunter and hunted, naturally found themselves in opposition. The recent conflict between the two goddesses was not just a clash of divine beings but a manifestation of the longstanding rift between their respective followers. Still marveling at the surreal experience of having been in the company of the God of Darkness, Thoric couldn't help but reminisce,. "I mean, hanging out with the myth, the legend himself... And to think he looked so handsome and chill for a god. Didn't feel like we were with a god, you know? He didn't have that high and mighty air most gods who don't even bother showing up in our world seem to carry," he joked, a light-hearted attempt to make sense of the encounter.

However, Borgin was quick to temper the lighthearted mood with a note of caution. "Looks can be deceiving," he said, his expression serious. "We should stay as far away from the gods as possible. That's exactly why I never breathed a word of this to the Kraken clan elder. We can't afford to meddle in the affairs of gods."

The old man nodded in agreement. "Smart move," he affirmed, understanding all too well the wisdom in Borgin's words.

Their discussion was abruptly interrupted as a young beast tamer in leather armor burst into the room, panting heavily. Thoric immediately scolded the youngster for his lack of decorum, but the urgency in the young man's demeanor demanded their attention.

After a moment to catch his breath, the young tamer revealed his startling discovery. "Phoenix has been spotted in the distillery district, stuck there," he blurted out, his news shifting the atmosphere dramatically.

The moment Thoric heard the young man, he sprang to his feet, his eyes wide with astonishment. "Holy shit," he exclaimed, unable to hide his excitement at the prospect.

"Are you certain?" The old man, spurred by the gravity of the claim, pressed the young tamer for confirmation. The youngster elaborated on his earlier hesitation, explaining his initial skepticism of the rumors. "I heard the rumors yesterday but wanted to make sure before saying anything. Rumors can be just lies, after all. But I went there just in case, and I saw him... a young man with red fiery eyes and hair, as if he was trying to walk through air, blocked by something invisible. I watched from the shadows as he turned and left, his body igniting in flames for a moment. And that fire... it looked different," he recounted, still visibly shaken by the sight.

Piecing together the information, Borgin concluded with a mix of disbelief and realization. "I'll be damned, a Phoenix stuck inside the energy barrier, unable to transform." The revelation of such a legendary creature, trapped and powerless within their city's confines, presented a scenario none of them had ever anticipated.

Quickly seizing the moment, Borgin with a decisiveness born of years leading the beast tamers, decided to capture Phoenix. "Prepare everything. We'll capture the Phoenix in his human form, which is both more valuable and vulnerable without the ability to transform and fly."

Thoric, caught up in the potential windfall, couldn't contain his excitement. "Imagine the gold we'll rake in by auctioning off the Phoenix," he said, envisioning their fortunes turning overnight.

However, Borgin, ever the strategist, quickly dismissed the idea. "That's like slaughtering the goose that lays golden eggs for a single meal," he countered, his vision far-reaching. "No, we'll keep him caged. People will go mad just for a glimpse of him. He'll be our tree that sprouts gold coins."

"Finally, Fortuna has smiled upon us," The old man, with a gleam in his eye, nodded in agreement.

"It's time we moved on from this taming life and settled down like kings."

"What about those pesky griffins, are we still going after them or not?" Thoric, shifting the focus back to their original quest, inquired. His question underscored the lingering responsibilities they had yet to fulfill.

"Yeah, we have a time limit on that contract." The old man chimed in, emphasizing the urgency,

Borgin, well aware of the complexity of capturing a legendary creature like the Phoenix, weighed their options. He understood that the venture into the distillery district wouldn't be straightforward. Yet, he also recognized that the energy barrier surrounding the area was designed to trap, allowing creatures and monsters to enter but not to leave. This gave them an opportunity to observe the Phoenix's capabilities firsthand and devise a strategy accordingly. "We'll head to the distillery district first and test the Phoenix's powers. If he proves difficult to capture, we'll then shift our focus back to the griffins, catch them, and hit the Phoneix with all we got," Borgin decided, setting their course of action.

Unbeknownst to Borgin and his team, Michael and Gaya had anticipated their move. They had already infused the air within the distillery district with a stinking potion, cleverly masking its scent amidst the overwhelming foulness of the area. This strategic move ensured that Borgin and his beast tamers, upon entering the district, would unknowingly inhale the potion, weakening them significantly. This weakening would provide the griffins, once freed from their cages, with the perfect opportunity to kill the beast tamers.

In other words, Borgin's plan to prioritize the capture of the Phoenix, while pragmatic, unwittingly played into the hands of Michael and Gaya.

Meanwhile, a couple of buildings away, Gaya was perched with binoculars in hand, her eyes trained on Borgin's movements. A satisfied smile played on her lips as she observed their unwitting quarry making his way toward the distillery district. "Borgin took the bait. He's on his way," she remarked to Michael, her voice tinged with anticipation.

Michael, who had already invested a substantial amount of his badass points into acquiring a rune capable of teleporting the Phoenix out of the distillery district despite the barrier, responded with a smile of his own. "Keep watching him," he instructed Gaya, his confidence evident in his tone. "The assassination isn't over until the target dies."

As Borgin and his team of beast tamers neared the distillery district, they halted just outside its borders, their gazes fixed on the shimmering translucent barrier that enveloped the abandoned area. "By the gods, what is that stench?" Thoric wrinkled his nose in distaste. The foul smell emanating from within the district overwhelming his senses. The odor, a potent mix of decay and the unknown, seemed to seep into everything, promising an unpleasant venture ahead.

Borgin, however, remained focused, understanding the gravity of their mission. He turned to his team, his expression stern.

"Our primary objective is to assess the Phoenix's capabilities," he warned, his voice carrying the weight of their daunting task. "If the Phoenix proves too powerful, we retreat immediately and devise a new strategy. This isn't about bravado. It's about being smart."

With that, Borgin took the lead, stepping cautiously towards the barrier. One by one, the team followed, bracing themselves against the stench that Thoric had so eloquently lamented. As they crossed the threshold, the barrier enveloping them momentarily before letting them pass, they found themselves within the eerie silence of the distillery district, the air thick with the potion that Michael and Gaya had prepared.

(I was trying not to write this chapter but without this chapter, the upcoming chapters feels cut off. So I decided to release this. Also, three things happening in this arc, The assassination, Andohr's Plan and The State of mortal realm. So bear with me jumping POVs because at the end of this arc, something huge will happen and this is me setting up the stage)