The first order of business Percy had after Thalos left was to grab a drink. Oh, and to pick a place that was open and wait for the assassins.
The fact that they had changed their objective from killing to capturing was strange though. He suspected they might be interested in using him to make weapons for them.
What he wasn't surprised about was the fact that the Baron and guard commander were working for Sion and House Eurides. This town grew a lot of plants used in tonics and medicines.
And drugs, opium in particular. Of course, it was only used for painkillers and the occasional high. This wasn't Sion's main field for growing these things, there were probably more hidden around Demetria.
But this place was certainly tied to the Sion and the Whitemoon, who distributed the drugs. So Percy had an fun idea.
Soon he was exiting town after briefly stopping at an inn to waste time. He stopped at the gates to let Commander Dorian see him, offering the man an innocent smile.
Once he was outside, he walked round the walls and stopped at the small fields where they grew opium.
He walked through the field of tall swaying green stalks smiling. At the top of them were delicate white petals that looked paper-thin. The white wave of petals fluttered in the wind, glowing slightly in the sunlight.
If you came here high it'd feel like a dream. The opium plants dancing, the cool breeze, the golden sunlight. It was peaceful and beautiful.
But it couldn't be forever. Percy sensed the intruder before he said a word. The sunlight faded, a heavy cloud came rolling over the field, and when he turned Percy came face to face with a man standing there in the shade, between the stalks of opium.
The man was very plain by Percy's standards. Not too tall, but not short, cropped black hair and tanned skin. He was wearing a brown tunic and trousers, one could just mistake him for a farmer confronting a boy walking into his fields.
"How may I help you?" Percy asked, raising an eyebrow. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩~𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢~𝔫𝔢𝔱
Viper stood there for a moment somewhat scared he had been recognised. Perseus Amphene was the complete opposite of him. Half black, half white hair, eyes that shifted from purple to grey in a hypnotic dance.
There wasn't anywhere on the planet the lad could go and he wouldn't be recognised. It irked him, flashy, rich bastards. The boy was also handsome in an unsettling way, it was like smelling the rain before a storm.
"This used to be my dad's farm," Viper said unconsciously. He blinked once he got a hold of himself. He had his fellow assassins all around him and he just revealed a part of his past.
"It's not yours now?" Percy asked. "Sorry to assume your dad is… has passed on, right?"
"Yes. A couple years ago, but I didn't want the farm so I sold it off and went my way."
Percy frowned, that was sad in a strange way. The man must have had other dreams of course, but it was a nice patch of land.
"Well I'm sorry to intrude…" he realised he hadn't asked the man's name.
"Evans, my name is Evans," Viper hurriedly lied. "Well I actually saw you entering and wanted to ask your name."
Viper stepped closer, Percy glanced down at the distance between them. But he still smiled like nothing was wrong.
"Tell me, why did you sell your father's farm?" he asked, strolling sideways through the opium stalks. "If you do, I may tell you my name."
Viper followed him carefully, losing sight of the boy under some of the taller stalks. He just needed to get a bit closer. The boy's weapon was hidden under that brown cloak, it couldn't be drawn quickly.
"I wanted to make something for myself. And I wanted to see all the world had to offer."
"Are you sure you didn't just feel above all this?"
Viper stopped, face wrinkling. "What."
Percy stopped a few feet from him, staring the man right in the eyes.
"I said, are you sure you didn't think your father was a twat for spending his whole life as a farmer? You went out there to make money, gain fame and renown," he said, gesturing dramatically.
"No, I didn't," Viper said tightly. "I loved my father, and I respected his hard work, even if he was…"
He stopped speaking, feeling something writhe in his stomach. Percy stepped closer and he suddenly remembered his mission.
"Even if he was small-minded?" Percy guessed, "Jealous? Scared of failure? Your father's father owned this farm too, right? It shows in the land."
"What shows?" Viper asked.
"Your heritage of course," Percy smiled, sending that same feeling of wrongness running through Viper once again. "Too bad you've let it become a den for your more ghoulish friends."
Viper's frozen mind suddenly darted back to the mission. With a flick of his wrist a small needle fell into his hand, and less than a second later he tried driving it into Percy's neck.
But his hand was caught by the invisible shield of Percy's pendant. During the journey to Sonea, Percy managed to get it working, at least for a short time. It was under his shirt, in contact with his skin, tapping spirit energy from him to automatically use the shield.
Percy reached into his storage with his mind and instantly pulled out nine things. A gas mask, and eight stun balls. The mask appeared over his face and the four stun balls in each of his hands.
All the remaining assassins jumped out of their hiding places as soon as they saw Viper's hand stopped, their invisibility spells broken as soon as they moved.
Viper only saw the mask appear over Percy's face and knew something was wrong. He raised his other hand to warn the assassins but it was too late.
Percy threw the balls against the ground and white sparks flew, blinding all of them. He summoned his other Spellbolt from storage, voice buzzed from under the gas mask.
"Time to have some fun."