The shadow assassin lay flat on the table, his face twisted as if he had just swallowed a dead rat. At this moment, he felt like a fish laid out on the chopping block—completely at someone else's mercy.
"I can hide you for a month," Aldric said, playing his opening move. "When the time's up, we'll split Antoine's fortune, then go our separate ways."
The shadow assassin, Colin, forced a pained expression that suggested he was being considerate rather than desperate. "That won't work," he replied, countering immediately. "A month might be enough for me to barely regain mobility, but if the entire harbor district is crawling with paladins, I'll have no way to find a ship out of here."
He paused for a moment, pretending to think for Aldric's sake. "And if they catch me… under their interrogation, I might accidentally let slip something I shouldn't."
"No problem," Aldric replied calmly, placing another card on the table. "My teacher has a good relationship with the paladins. If I get word you've been captured, I'll have my teacher denounce you as a Chaos cultist and burn you at the stake. No interrogation, no mercy."
The heavy blow landed hard—Colin's expression darkened.
"I've also heard that your own organization has a bounty on you," Aldric continued, chaining another strike. "One month is plenty of time for the assassins' guild to tear this city apart looking for you, isn't it?"
"State your terms, witcher," Colin finally said through clenched teeth. "As long as you can get me out of this cursed city before those damned paladins arrive, I'll pay whatever price you ask."
"Excellent," Aldric said with a faint smile. "That's a good start."
He reached into his coat and took out a small bag, tossing it lightly in his hand. "I want this—Leomund's Secret Treasure Chamber."
Colin's eyes widened in fury. "Impossible! You can't just take all the money for yourself! I need that gold to start a new life under a new name!"
Aldric gestured calmly for him to relax. "Don't get so worked up. If your wound reopens, I'll charge you extra for the treatment."
Colin took a deep breath and steadied himself, though the anger still burned in his eyes.
"Here's my offer," Aldric said evenly. "We'll keep the original split. The equipment goes to me. The money and precious metals we divide equally—but the spatial pouch is mine. Consider it my payment for saving your life. And, to sweeten the deal, I'll make sure you're safely put on a ship to another continent. I'll see you through to the end."
He wasn't sure whether Colin could understand that Eastern proverb—sending Buddha to the west—but from the flicker in the assassin's eyes, Aldric knew he had him. The man was pure pragmatism incarnate. If the price was fair, he'd sell anything.
When Colin opened his mouth to haggle, Aldric cut him off sharply.
"Don't bargain. You only get one chance. Agree, and we shake hands and split the profits. Refuse, and I'll kill you right now, then hire a wizard to break the bag's password. Choose your next words carefully—they'll decide whether you live or die."
Truthfully, before yesterday, Aldric had considered killing the assassin and finding a mage to crack [Leomund's Secret Treasure Chamber]. After all, it was just another stolen magical item—there couldn't be many layers of protection beyond the opening code.
But now things had changed. The only caster Aldric knew within Port Anthony was the blind-eyed witch who ran the alchemy shop. And if he went to her… well, what happened to the assassin might easily happen to him next.
His mentor wasn't in the city either, and the witch's attitude toward him remained uncertain.
However, after yesterday's encounter with the old captain, a new path had opened, one that promised long-term prosperity. With Antoine's hoard as seed money, Aldric could finally begin a seafaring trade enterprise.
He'd secured the starting capital and found the right professionals. Rather than taking the easy fish, it was better to learn how to fish—to make his fortune grow through investment. Sacrificing a bit of immediate profit to ensure the success of a greater plan? That was a trade he could live with.
He wasn't worried Colin would reject him. The assassin had no leverage here.
And indeed, after a long silence, Colin finally nodded, his face still pale. "I accept your terms. It's… fair. But you must guarantee my safe passage out of the Southern Colonies."
"Deal." Aldric smiled warmly, as if complimenting a student who had finally learned his lesson. "Now, there's only one small issue left in our partnership."
The fish was already on the hook—was there any chance it could escape now?
"I need you to tell me the password to the spatial bag—right now."
Colin's expression froze. Then it turned cold. "You're joking."
He felt as though he'd been toyed with by this witcher apprentice. Even injured, a shadow assassin was never one to await death quietly.
"Relax," Aldric said lightly. "I'm not breaking our deal. But I need the funds first to fulfill my end of the bargain. You don't seriously think getting you on a ship out of Port Anthony costs nothing, do you? You're a wanted man who robbed the lord's treasury!"
Colin's grip tightened around a surgical knife he'd somehow produced. "Buying a ship doesn't cost that much!" he snarled, though in the back of his mind he couldn't help but wonder—who really robbed Antoine's vault?
Aldric chuckled, plucking the knife deftly from his hand. He turned it over curiously—it was the same scalpel Vittoria had brought last night. He could have sworn he'd told her to take it away and dispose of it properly. For it to end up back in the assassin's hand… that alone proved why this profession was classified as high-risk.
"You're right," Aldric admitted calmly. "I am buying a ship. That's how I can get you aboard. And as of now, in the entire port, only one vessel can possibly set sail before the paladins arrive—the one I'm buying."
"What does that have to do with me?!" Colin snapped. "And what guarantee do I have that you won't just kill me after opening the bag?"
Aldric met his eyes and smiled faintly. The assassin tried to avert his gaze—but couldn't. He knew he was retreating.
"Because," Aldric said, "I no longer care about that money."
Colin blinked.
"Thanks to those damned Chaos cultists," Aldric continued, "there's a fully loaded merchant ship sitting in port—its captain and owner both dead. That gives me the perfect opportunity to step into the maritime trade."
He extended a hand and began counting on his fingers. "I've got an experienced captain who just lost his job. I've got good standing with the local lord, who'll likely offer me favorable taxes. Tell me, with all that going for me—why would I bother killing you?"
Colin's thoughts began to blur. Something about this didn't feel right, but he couldn't quite place it.
"Maybe to cover up the fact that we stole Antoine's treasury together?" he said uncertainly, shaking his head as dizziness crept in.
Something about this whole negotiation, he realized, had been off from the very start…
(End of Chapter)