"Testing, testing, one, two, three.
Can you hear me, Deadeye?"
"Whoa. No one told me such a beauty would be the one assisting me. Dignitas sure knows how to motivate his club members." Elliott's voice, rough yet excited, sounded replied to the voice in his earphone.
While the Eri siblings would be going on their own mission soon, Dignitas had different plans for Elliott.
"Ugh, quit the flirting. I'm just here to make sure the job gets done properly. I don't want it done half-assed." Andrea sighed.
"Alright, alright. Anyway, where am I headed? Dignitas told me I'd be deployed west, but he never specified where." Elliott laughed, remembering how much of a pathetic excuse of a brief it was.
"He didn't even tell you where? I'm already beginning to regret signing my contract."
"Anyway, I haven't introduced myself yet. Hello, my name is Andrea Bolkins, but during all the missions we undertake, I am requesting for you to refer to me as the code name Dignitas gave me: Navigator."
"Oh, cool. What'd he give me?"
"Deadeye, that'll be your callsign. Alright, onto the briefing. The portal you just went through has sent you to Blacktear, the Rogue town."
Elliott mumbled as he inspected his guns. "Mm, never heard of it."
"Figured so. Blacktear is located on a small island to the southwest of the Regalian Continent, where we're located. It's supposedly a town filled with thieves, rogues, smugglers, or any non-do-gooders who seek to continue their operations without being spied on by the Hero Corporation."
"Okay, and for what reason was I sent here? I can't imagine my little self is gonna be very quiet, hah!" Elliott chuckled.
"Of course. But that's precisely why Dignitas sent you here. He wants you to cause havoc, while simultaneously taking hold of the one treasure that's stored in a very famous criminal's villa."
"And this criminal's name is?"
"We're getting there. Pablo Domasos, a well-known fugitive known for stealing some of the most expensive treasures known to man. My information tells me he's managed to nab not only the Mutant Serum, but even the Regalian Gemstone, the rarest gemstone that was one of its kind."
"But those are all nothing. The main reason you're here is to steal the antique gun "Spiritshot."
Andrea then went on to explain in detail about the B rank artifact. Spiritshot was used to refer to the revolver that was said to have been used to purge the living.
A popular folk tale described it as a "ghostly white" gun that fired shots that sounded like the screams of the dead. In addition to that, it was known for being able to shoot bullets that could pass through walls.
"Dignitas told me that if you are successful in retrieving the artifact, you can take it for yourself."
"Hoh… so this is a test. And one I'm going to get through easily. I'll show him I'm more than just a sharpshooter."
The area Elliott was teleported to was a small forest. After a few minutes of wading through knee-deep shrubbery and plants, he pushed apart a couple of vines that obscured his way.
And there it was, situated below the horizon. All the houses were painted a deep black, perhaps to blend in when night came. But at this time of the day, they stuck out like multiple sore thumbs.
"Navigator." Elliott called.
"Yeah?"
"Any restrictions? Am I now allowed to kill the town's inhabitants?"
Andrea went silent for a few minutes. Elliott assumed she went off to ask Dignitas.
"Dignitas says you can do what you want, as long as you prioritize obtaining the artifact."
"Copy that." He smirked. "Now then, it should be time to bring out Ol' Reliable."
Reaching behind his back, Elliott pulled off the rifle that was slung around him. It was a majestic, and somewhat expensive looking gun that ran the full length of his arm, and perhaps more.
Golden in color, the rifle had with it iron sights that were able to be switched to sights that could be zoomed in at any time. A mere flick of the finger, and the sights would magnify largely.
Then, placing the rifle onto a steady platform of rock, Elliott stared down the middle of his sights. Squinting his eyes, he spotted multiple people walking around the streets of the city.
"Huh. For a city filled with criminals, it's awfully civilized."
When he first heard of Blacktear, Elliott immediately assumed it was populated by outlaws. He figured there would be death and mischief being done in every corner.
"It's hard to believe, but practically no crimes are committed in Blacktear. At least, none have in the last two years." Andrea explained. "It's a system based on fear. Everyone who lives here has an enormous pool of assets that all supply their vast operations."
"In fact, if you turn one street, you're bound to find at least one B grade criminal who resides there."
"Sounds like my type of town." Elliott grinned.
After scanning the streets of the town, he was able to gather some more information on the lives the inhabitants were living.
Firstly, no one ever moved around by themselves. They either had bodyguards that followed them wherever they went, or some kind of defensive artifact that made them near indestructible when attacked.
Secondly, there was a surprising amount of caravans traveling through the town's streets. And surprisingly, they were able to move around without getting any weird looks from the people.
"A merchant caravan…? And no one seems to care about it."
"Even though it's a town filled with criminals, it has an economy of its own. Every few weeks or so, trade groups come through the island, selling their goods.
"So it's civil enough that even merchants are welcomed. I've got a plan, then."
"Tell me about it." Andrea asked.
"From what I see, the entire merchant caravan hasn't entered the town yet. There's still a dozen or so more carts that are located outside of the city."
"So you plan to blend in with the caravan as a merchant in order to gain entry? It's a good plan, but how do you plan on doing that?"
Elliott slung his rifle behind his back and stood up. Then, he started moving towards the path to the south of the city.
"You're the navigator, aren't you? How about you do your job and navigate me towards my destination?"
"Heh. Touché. Alright, I already have with me a list of the number of carts supposed to enter the city here. If there's still a dozen outside, you should still have enough time to hitch a ride on the last cart."
"Now that's more like it. Let's go."
***
"Alright, they should be passing through the area now. Make sure to stick to the plan, or it won't work."
"I've got it all under control. Just sit tight, and let me do the work."
In anticipation of the caravan passing through this road, Elliott hid himself in the bushes. Andrea said that the last few carts weren't as well-guarded as the ones in the front and middle, so hitching a ride would be easier.
"They're here. Time to set things into motion. Starting with…" Elliott stared at the revolver in his hands.
Eliminating all manner of sound he made (save for breathing), Elliott patiently waited in the grass.
Eventually, he could hear the voices of the caravan members. They didn't seem to be on high alert, as there were only around six or so guards defending the cart.
"Say, did they ever tell us what was inside this cart? I noticed that there were fewer of us assigned to the last carts." One of the guards said.
"Who knows? Maybe it's just food. The merchants have always made sure to sell the best of their surplus to the ruffians living here."
Suddenly, the guards heard sounds of shooting. Three bangs, each coming from the direction in front of them.
"Wh-what was that?! There can't be any bandits this damn close to the city, can it?" One of them yelped in shock.
"Definitely not. Unless they want to invoke the wrath of the Domasos'." Another guard replied.
Immediately after saying this, another sequence of shots could be heard. It was at this time that the guards began to think of this whole thing more as an indiscriminate attack on their caravan than a simple hunter foraging for game.
"I say we should go check it out. Could be dangerous." One guard said.
"I agree."
"S-seriously?! You guys are just gonna willingly head in that direction? That's asking for death!" The first guard spoke up.
"If you're feeling scared, then just stay here to guard the cart! We'll head over ourselves."
"W-wait, seriously, you can't leave me here!"
But the others didn't respond. Instead, they continued moving towards the source of the sound.
Eventually, the guard was left alone by himself. To feel safe, he stayed a surprisingly close distance to the horse who was dragging the cart. He was basically at a touching distance.
After around ten seconds of walking, an explosion suddenly erupted in the same direction of the gunshots. The guard shrieked, fearing the bandits might have used chaos magic to cast an explosion and wreak havoc.
Unfortunately for him though, the guard felt his vision fading. The last thing he felt was the feeling of something hard being smacked across the back of his neck.
Now that the guard was unconscious and unmoving, Elliott wiped his sweat. The horse seemed to not care about the whole situation, and merely kept walking along the road at a speed almost akin to a toddler taking its first steps.
"Hah. Good thing that worked. I had to use a whole lot of dynamite to make the distraction seem like an attack." Taking out a small length of rope and some cloth, Elliott began tying the guard.
After he had finished binding his arms, legs, and mouth, he simply threw him behind a thick pile of bushes.
Now that there was no one left, Elliott was free to continue. Pushing apart the boxes in the back of the cart, he made sure to hide himself thoroughly.
All he had to do now was wait. And thankfully, he didn't have to wait long. Elliott soon heard the easygoing voices of the guards, talking as if nothing had happened.
"Hey, where did that guy go?"
"Must've run away. Idiot can't even defend a single cart. Just one explosion was enough to send him running home to mama."
Silently apologizing to the unfortunate guard, Elliott made himself comfortable as best as he could. It wasn't easy, since the place was cramped, but he had to make do.
On the bright side, he now had a one way ticket to the inner areas of Blacktear. And he didn't even have to work all that hard to do it.