"Darling, I'm sorry I left you alone until now. Come on, let's go to bed." Gavin said gently, as he lifted his wife. He was about to leave the room, but he heard the sound of broken glass.
He turned around, but because of the accumulated tiredness, his reaction was slower than usual. He tried to jump back and draw his sword, but it was too late. A glass bottle shattered on the wall behind him, splashing green liquid onto his back.
"Argh!" He screamed in pain as the liquid spurted down his back. His shirt instantly melted as his skin sizzled from the slime acid.
He leaned forward, shielding his wife from the acid using his own body. He quickly focused the mana around his back, using the bronze body skill. The muscles in his back tightened and the sensation of pain lessened until it became bearable, which allowed Gavin to get a look at his enemy.
An incredibly small man was in front of her, entering through a broken window. By his stature, he wasn't bigger than a 10-11 year old kid, but the fact that he already had a formed core and was able to circulate mana told the captain that he couldn't underestimate him.
He was dressed in black clothes, a gray coat and a mask covering the lower part of his face. Gavin saw that his core was still incredibly weak, but he couldn't protect his wife and fight an assassin at the same time.
"Who the hell are you?" Gavin asked, trying to buy time to wake his wife. He shook her body, trying to wake her up, but there was no response. He looked away for a brief moment and saw a dart stuck in her neck, dripping blood and an unknown transparent liquid.
"What did you do?" Gavin removed the dart, glaring at Athos. The latter responded by taking two glass bottles from his belt and throwing them.
Gavin was alert this time and managed to dodge it in time. When the bottles smashed against the wall, the green liquid exploded and began to corrode the wall.
Athos threw a fourth bottle, but Gavin couldn't dodge it in time forcing him to break the bottle with his sword. Lucky for him, this time it was a feint, there was only water in the bottle.
Gavin knew he wouldn't get anywhere like this and that the acid in his back would only get worse with time. He also knew he couldn't fight with his wife around, because if the enemy had half a brain, he'd obviously aim for her.
With no choice, he turned around, trusting the bronze body's ability to defend him and ran as fast as he could towards the front door. He knew the little assassin couldn't keep up with his speed and would only have two choices: recklessly pursue him or flee.
But to his surprise, he did nothing. He continued to stand there, as if he was waiting for something. Gavin became alert and tried to accelerate, but sudden dizziness hit him. He fell to the ground off balance, his limbs going numb and his vision blurring.
In a last desperate effort, he tried to use the mana to amplify his voice and call for help, but it was in vain. The poison in his body not only made his body numb, it also uncontrolled his mana flow.
No matter how much he focused, he couldn't control his mana. His bronze body ability disappeared and the acid returned to corrode his flesh. He gritted his teeth and tried desperately to look for a way out of this situation.
'When did he poison me?' Gavin thought, looking for any clues that might help him. It was then that he saw half-opened leather bags by the windows. They were pouring out a white powder that immediately evaporates on contact with the air.
They were melting into a colorless mist, which explained why he hadn't detected it sooner. Even though the fog had mana, it was dispersing through the air.
"Whew, you finally fell. I was starting to think it wouldn't work." A boy's voice was heard behind him.
Despite the numbness caused by the poison, Gavin felt as if his body stiffened for a moment. He recognized that voice. It was the voice of someone he wanted to hunt down and kill with his bare hands.
"A..aa..at." The captain tried to scream his name with all his might, but he couldn't.
"Did you have fun? Torturing my mother while she was helpless? Using her body like a doll with the strings cut? Answer me, did you have fun?" Athos said madly. The captain was not the only person who had spent the last few days without sleep.
Originally, Athos wanted to better prepare himself before attacking the captain, but he was unable to hold back. The idea that the man who had captured his mother, who had taken her from him, was alive was agonizing for him. He'd only slept for 8 hours tops this entire week, having nightmares every time he closed his eyes.
Sleep deprivation, grief over the loss of his mother, and the intense hatred that burned through his mind every time he thought of the culprits, brought him to the brink of a breakdown. He had lived a calm and peaceful life until now, this whole sudden ordeal was putting him on the brink of insanity.
Athos made minimal preparations and attacked as soon as he had the chance. He acted recklessly and immaturely, taking unnecessary risks on a plan with more holes than a sieve, but by sheer luck, he managed to come out on top.
Athos crouched in front of Gavin's face with a maddened look and said, "Captain, do you remember what you did to her? How many times did she scream? I hope you remember captain, because I'm going to do even worse to you." And..." Athos looked at someone behind the captain. "With whom you love."
Gavin's eyes widened. He tried to attack Athos with everything he had, but Athos just laughed at him.
"It's useless, captain. We'll have plenty of time to talk, but for now, sleep." The poison in his body blurred his vision and before long, he passed out.
"I'll love to do that." Athos muttered to himself, as he looked at the two bodies on the ground. He hurried on, quickly scooping up what was left of the mana powder uncontrollable. It was a precious item now that Athos' resources were scarce, but more importantly-
"It's a family recipe. Ironic, isn't it captain? You've been captured by the secret family poison you destroyed." Athos said, while laughing wryly. He'd felt broken inside ever since he'd seen his mother killed and used as a puppet. Being able to spit the venom back was intoxicating.
"But I have to admit, this thing is terrifying. How did my father come up with the idea to mix a paralyzing poison with a corrupted magic root and turn it to dust?" Athos wondered, looking at what was left inside the bags.
"Now, enough rambling, I have to get these two and get out of here before anyone sees me." Athos talking to himself, taking the bodies to a nearby sewer trapdoor.
"I'll bring your wife too, so you can watch while I play with the person you love." Athos spoke to the unconscious captain, as if waiting for an answer.
"I'll also leave a present behind, that should distract the guards for a while." Athos said with a mischievous smile.