BXBX NOVEL Chapter 23 - 22 The Job
\'What the hell is going on, I realize that my skills might be rare for someone at my level, but I am still just a level nine right now, why am I garnering all of this attention.\'
As Marcus was wondering what kind of events had led him to being a party of interest for so many people the man holding the book on fire magic started to get a bit impatient.
"While I understand you may be a bit startled by my proposition, I will need an answer soon since after all the noise you made even with my interference the guards will show up soon."
Snapping out of his delusions Marcus began to think quickly about what to do.
\'While that book on fire magic is tempting this guy may know something about those slavers that have Lilia, if he knows anything I will do whatever job he wants.\'
With resolution in his eyes Marcus opened his mouth to respond to the man offering him a job.
"That book certainly is tempting but there is something else I want instead if possible. You seem like the kind of sketchy guy that knows things most other do not, there should have been a group of slaver that came through here between three weeks or a month ago. If you have any information on them, I would be more than willing to help you."
After hearing Marcus\' request, the man seemed quite shocked, he did not expect that Marcus would ask for something other than the magic book, and especially not information. However, the man began to smile before saying, "yes that certainly is possible, I do happen to have information on the many slavers that come and go through this town. Now then since you have agreed, go to the Invulnerable Tortoise Inn, once you exit the alley it will be four hundred feet down the road on your left. There will be a room ready for you, and I will come visit you some time tomorrow night and we can hammer out the details."
The man then disappeared as if he had never been there leaving Marcus alone with the three men, he knocked unconscious. Marcus quickly activated his stealth skill and made his way out of the alley. He then headed in the direction of the Invulnerable Tortoise while thinking about his next move.
\'Worst case scenario this is another ambush, and I will have to abandon Irene\'s body, but I do not think it is. That man felt incredibly strong to me, and I have no doubt that he could have easily beaten me without any trouble. He said he would come tomorrow, and we could work out the details, hopefully this job he wants me to do is not too unethical.\'
While thinking Marcus arrived in front of the Invulnerable Tortoise and immediately could tell something was different about this inn from the others he visited.
\'This place almost seems to radiate a certain invisible pressure, as if I am about to walk into a den of tigers.\'
Marcus opened the door to the inn and walked inside, when he did the scant amount of noise inside the inn stopped and everyone looked over towards him. Marcus could immediately feel the pressure that these people gave off. Marcus, however, did not lose his nerve and began appraising everyone in the inn. To his surprise everyone in the inn was higher level then him even the inn keeper. Marcus then approached the burly woman that looked like she could wrestle a bear who was standing at the front desk. When Marcus approached the desk, the woman took out a key and said, "Second floor all the way to the end on the left".
Marcus grabbed the key and moved towards the stairs, once he was out of sight he stopped and listened as quite conversation returned to the inn now that the newcomer was gone. Marcus swiftly found his room unlocked it and went inside, before letting out a deep breath.
\'Whew, all of those people are monsters, I could not see the level of any of them and the pressure they let off was suffocating. This certainly is not like the friendly neighborhood inns I had visited earlier today; this is a den of monsters.\'
Marcus then moved towards the bed and laid down getting comfortable and falling asleep quickly in the warm embrace of the second bed he had slept on since coming to Mirrion.
When Marcus woke up, he headed downstairs to find something to eat. Finding a lone table Marcus sat down and soon a beautiful young woman came to take Marcus\' order.
"What would you like."
"Um I guess I will have the special with a glass of water."
"Okay"
\'Wow that was some cold service, did I do something to her, I hope the special is not something really weird.\'
After a couple of minutes, the server came back with Marcus\' order and the bill.
"That will be twelve copper."
Marcus then took out his coin pouch counted out twelve copper and handed it to the server who promptly left to attend to the other patrons. Marcus then looked down at the breakfast that was brought out to him and his stomach started to rumble.
\'This looks pretty good, the main is some type of fish and the sides are a piece of black bread and vegetable soup.\'
Marcus then began to eat, first taking a bite out of the bread and finding that it was quite different from what he had eaten on earth.
\'Wow this pretty is hard, this is nothing like the soft bread I used to eat, I think I did read about how in medieval times the bread they ate was much harder and they would often dip it into soup to soften it up.\'
Marcus then dipped the bread into the vegetable soup and found that it became much easier to eat.
\'It is still a bit tough but at least I can get my teeth into it now.\'
He continued to eat his meal until he had finished off every last morsel of food in his bowl and on his plate.
\'Man, that was good, the soup tasted really good, being full of carrots, potatoes and some type of vegetable I have never seen before. While the fish was cooked to perfection it was a bit flaky but not tough and had a great flavor like a better trout. I wonder what I should do now, should I go explore the town a bit more or should I just stay here and wait until tonight for my meeting.\'
After thinking it over for awhile Marcus decided to stay at the inn, he really did not want to get into more trouble walking around the town and figured he could wash up and practice magic at the inn. Marcus headed over to the front desk and asked if there was any way he could take a bath. The burly inn keeper then went and grabbed a small metal tub and told Marcus he could get water from the well out back. Marcus went out back and filled every free inch of his item box with water. He then went back to his room and filled the tub and used fire shot on the water until it was a nice temperature.
\'Ah this feels great I have not had a hot bath since coming to this world, I think I am going to have to make some room in my item box for a portable tub and a lot of water. It is still a bit weird to be in a woman\'s body if I still had my original body, I would be getting pretty hot and bothered right about now. However, I do not really feel much of anything right now maybe because I am ghost now or because of the connection I have to Irene\'s soul.\'
Marcus leisurely bathed until he overheated and had to climb out of the bath to cool off. He then started to practice magic to increase his skill level and figuring out applications for his iron threads spell.
\'Ugh training a skill to level it up is much harder than just dumping some skill points into, I wonder how much more I will have to do before I can level up lightning and fire magic.\'
Marcus\' then heard a knock on his door and then looked out the window seeing that it was already nighttime.
\'I guess I lost track of time training magic and it is time for my clandestine meeting.\'
Marcus then got up and opened the door seeing the same cloaked man, the man came in and sat down on the chair in the room as Marcus was closing the door and locking it.
\'Well let us get down to business, there is a certain lieutenant of the captain of the guard who is quite corrupt, and I have been unable to find any hard evidence against him so I would like you to plant these incriminating documents in his residence."