Meanwhile, back at Stonehold city, some silent undercurrents had begun rippling through the city.
Due to the beast tide, there had been a rapid influx of people into the city. This situation made it easy for the city to be infiltrated by the members of the demonic faction.
Multiple 'shady individuals' were able to bypass the security checks at the city gate and successfully enter the city.
In a tavern located on the outskirts of the city, the seats were packed as the patrons were enjoying their beers. Loud and boisterous laughter could be heard as the drinks flowed.
It was the typical atmosphere present in a tavern. Multiple conversations were taking place making a rather unruly atmosphere.
In a dimly lit corner, four figures sat around a battered table. The hooded cloaks they wore were unremarkable enough to blend in, but there was something about them that set them apart from the rest of the tavern's patrons. A quiet tension.
"Do you folks fancy a drink?" a soft voice broke through the quiet.
The waitress, a young woman with auburn hair tied back neatly, approached their table. She balanced a tray of tankards with ease, her plain brown dress and stained apron making her seem every bit the unremarkable tavern worker.
She smiled politely, her tone cheery. "Long road ahead, I'm guessing?"
One of the hooded figures looked up, his face impassive. "Something like that."
As she set the tankards down, her movements were smooth, practiced. But the man who spoke noticed the way her hand lingered for just a fraction of a second longer than necessary as she slid the last mug in front of him.
Beneath it, tucked against the warped wood of the table, was a small slip of parchment.
"Let me know if you need anything else," she said, her voice carrying the same polite cheer as before. She gave a small curtsy and walked off to tend to another table, leaving the man to subtly retrieve the note.
He unfolded the slip beneath the table, keeping his movements hidden. His sharp eyes scanned the short message written in tight, hurried script:
Target: Adrian Thorne
Possible location: Stonehold city
Status: Preferably alive
A quick glance was all it took for him to capture all the information written on the parchment.
With a subtle motion, he passed the parchment towards his silent compatriots. They all took a quick glance at it before the last member waved his hand, turning it into dust.
They all sat in silence for a few moments before one of the other members broke the silence.
"Well, now we know why the elders said this mission was very important. Who would have thought we would have the chance to hunt down the 'young master' of one of the twelve great families?
This is going to be a splendid addition to our resumes, isn't it?"
A raspy voice came from the individual sitting to the leader's right as he made a couple of snide remarks.
"Indeed, this was .... unexpected."
A calm and serene voice responded from the member sitting directly opposite to the earlier man.
The smaller frame and beautiful voice made the gender of the individual quite obvious.
"Hmph, here I thought we were called here for some big mission. It turns out we're just hunting a little brat."
A slightly annoyed voice came from the last member of the group, who was sitting directly opposite the leader.
"Alright now, there must be a reason that the elders decided to send us for the mission. He was after all the young master of a powerful family. Who knows how many life saving contraptions he has?
The leader said in a nonchalant attempt to pacify his teammate. The other two nodded in agreement, leaving the remaining member to sulk by himself.
When a few individuals finished their drinks and left, Kael motioned to his companions. "We're done here." They rose as one, leaving a few qi stones on the table to keep up appearances.
The waitress, stood by the bar, wiping down a mug. Her expression was neutral, but her eyes flicked toward the leader as they passed. He gave her a slight nod, an acknowledgment of her role in this operation.
Outside, the air was cold and damp, the moon hidden behind a shroud of clouds. The group moved away from the tavern, the quiet night broken only by the soft crunch of their boots on the dirt road.
Adrian didn't know this yet, but he had just become the target of one of the most powerful assassin groups below the Nascent soul realm stage.
*****
The sound of hooves echoed along the uneven road, muffled by the dense morning mist that curled through the forest.
A convoy of carriages rolled steadily forward, all of them being pulled by a pair of sleek, muscular horses whose dark coats shimmered faintly with each movement.
In the center of the convoy was a particularly luxurious carriage, far grander than the rest. The crest of theVyre family hung proudly in the sides of the carriage as it moved at a leisure pace towards a particular direction.
This was obviously the convoy from the Vyre family. Sitting in the luxurious carriage were two individuals.
One of them was a middle aged woman whose face dawned a few wrinkles at the corners of her eye and mouth.
Even though she was past her prime, it was not hard to imagine that she would have been a stunning woman in her youth.
Opposite her sat a young lady, her purple hair shining due to the rays of light from the sun shining through the open window of the carriage.
Her beautiful face was staring outside into the window, her mind lost in various mundane and unimportant thoughts.
Suddenly, she turned her head to face the middle aged woman.
"Elder Glenda, how much longer? She asked in a slightly weary tone. They had been travelling for days now and she was already tired of the monotone view of the forest.
The middle aged woman's eyes turned to face the young woman as she answered her question with a slight smile on her face.
"Young Miss, we'll arrive at Stonehold city before nightfall." She patiently replied.
The one in front of her was the young mistress of the Vyre family, the granddaughter of the current Patriarch, who was one of the strongest individuals on the continent, Belladonna Vyre.