Chương 151: Chapter 148

For a long moment, there was silence as the vaporized man's guildmates stared in disbelief at Katie's armored form before their faces distorted, all of them becoming angry. Instantly, weapons were unsheathed, and magic began brimming around them. Sam could see their veins lightly showing through their skin, black as a moonless night. However, they made a rather big mistake. They didn't move away from Katie, a bona fide berserker.

Her jagged greatsword moved with impressive speed, raising and moving vertically amongst the gathered Abyss Vipers. The next moment, they, and Katie, were showered with black blood, the wounded people crying out in pain and surprise. Sam waited for another second, then quietly spoke up.

"Now!" All three of them took their prepared bottomless flask and flung the open containers at people. The red liquid flew through the air, and with a simple flex of his will, the wind picked it up and halfway aerosolized it. Another beat, and then an ugly sizzling sound, filled the area as the exposed wounds of the Abyss Vipers first began to smoke and sizzle, causing the people who had them to spasm, and then fall to the floor.

There were even a few in the back row, who hadn't been wounded by Katie's opening strike, but their mouth was open, and they swallowed some of the potion. The rest? Well, Katie didn't really know how to hold back. Soon, they were standing amidst a lot of bodies, most of them still sizzling, releasing a disgusting odor that only Sam's wind mana manipulation ability managed to keep at bay.

Katie was poking one of the dead bodies while the rest collected the meager drops from their would-be-assaulters as other players watched from far afar. Because the system judged, correctly, that they were going to be assaulted by the miscreants, Sam and his team didn't get PK status, but because they were much stronger, or smarter, the Abyss Vipers didn't drop much. The funniest drop was a stack of Black Blood skill books. With the one they got in the fracture, they got an even twenty to their names.

"So, what was that?" Clarissa asked semi-loudly as she walked up to him while he made sure that the wind carried their voices. He looked down at the corpses, making sure not to look at the players who were pretending that they were not listening, and answered.

"Black Blood. Healing Potion hurts them if it gets into contact with it." Clarissa shook her head.

"Tsk, tsk. So… immature of them to use that spell." Sam just shrugged.

"What can you do? It is a useful skill… if used correctly." He actually knew a skill that would negate the Black Blood's curse, but you would need to get it before the Black Blood. Poor Abyss Vipers… Information imparted to the eagerly listening crowd, which was probably already on the forums, bad time arranged for the Abyss Vipers, new enemies acquired it was time to make like a tree.

"Let's get out of here before they get back in bigger numbers…" They quickly hightailed out of the city that seemed to be a hive of activity as the knowledge of how to 'hinder' people with Black Blood spread through the city with alarming speed. The alchemist and potion sellers were raking in great amounts of gold based on the grins on their faces that they saw on their way out. No doubt the Abyss Vipers would try to hunt them down, but first, they would have to deal with all the players they exploited and abused.

They quickly departed from the road leading away from Marshgate and dove into the forest, trying to leave no clue of their passing. Stopping in a relatively dry and covered clearing, they finally sat down to rest and discuss the next steps. It was Clarissa, once again, who asked a very pertinent question as they took seats on fallen trees and rocks protruding from the ground. Katie was already scratching Puffball's back as the eldritch cat lazily lay in her lap.

Melody was angrily eyeing a generic plant, no doubt planning on how to shank it, and Dan's hawk, who still didn't have a name, settled on a branch above his owner.

"Why didn't people know that you can use health potion to hurt them? We can't be the only ones who got the book in the fracture…" Sam smiled at her sardonically.

"My best guess is they interpreted it in a way that said that the skill holder can't drink a health potion."

"Oh…" And as they say: that was it. Giving them a moment to think, he turned to his notification screen and finally opened the full quest screen. [You completed the quest: Eternal Vigilance!] [You proved your mettle. Return and deliver your report.] This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. It was bare bones, but it was enough for him. Closing the screen, he returned his attention to his teammates.

While he checked the quest, Melody won her fight against the plant and was proudly presenting the remains of her enemy to an exasperated Clarissa. Sam cleared his throat and began speaking.

"I have to finish the quest, and then I have some skill stuff to do." Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to him.

"Dan, go do magic stuff. We will need it."

"Got it, boss."

"Clarissa. Deal with the Healers' Guild and the poisons."

"Alright…"

"What about me?" Katie asked excitedly, leaning forward.

"You go and deliver these books and the loot to Lucy and then go and have fun." He said and handed over the items to the young woman.

"That's it?" she replied with a disappointed pout.

"You can go and hang out around the new fracture and keep an eye on the Steel Lions?"

"Booo! That's boring!" Sam thought for a moment, then had an idea.

"Any class quests?"

"Err, I don't kno-" She never finished her sentence as Puffball let out a giant yawn, showcasing her terrifying teeth and a portal made of darkness and everlasting slothful sleep opened under her and swallowed her between two syllables. The cat gave them a cheery wave with her tail and jumped after her 'mistress' and the portal closed with a disgusting squelch. [Perception Filter is now Level 15!] Sam and the other two blinked in surprise and then, silently, agreed that they wouldn't even mention it.

He stood up, dusting off his pants, and turned to them.

"Any questions?" Clarissa shook her head.

"I'll make sure they know about the poisons we found, then spend some time making sure Melody grows." Dan nodded.

"Good idea. Hawky also needs to get bigger to be able to carry me. Want some company?" Clarissa raised an eyebrow.

"Hawky?" Dan shrugged.

"He likes it." Soon Sam was astride on his faithful Lucky, riding toward the capital, Vividora. He would finish the quest and hopefully get a follow-up quest. With that finished, he would take a trip to the library and see if he could get some extra training. Lastly, he would then need to return to the Training Hall and see what happens. The trip back to the city was nothing interesting, with only a few monsters trying their luck.

He arrived at the city, where the crowds were still the same size, players, and NPCs mingling with each other in a cavalcade of noise and movement. Sam hopped off his loyal 'steed' and the wolf vanished into his shadow immediately, the noise of the crowd bothering his sensitive ears. He entered the city, navigating the crowd without any target in mind.

He was barely halfway through the first district when he felt someone bump into him, even though he kept a small pocket of air around himself as a buffer, to prevent pickpockets and the like. Before he could even turn around, Sam felt the weight of a small box in his pocket. Standing on the side of the street, he slowly and carefully took out the box that was somewhat bigger than an engagement ring box and opened it, pointing away from himself.

When no magic or curse manifested, he turned the box back to himself and took a look at it. Inside was a simple compass. However, as Sam took a closer look, he noticed it didn't point north. Chuckling a little, he took out the compass, chucked the box into his inventory, and began following the compass. The little artifact led him through countless alleys, giant roads, and sometimes even through houses.

Naturally, at first, Sam thought he would triangulate the objective, but that simply led him to the park where he first met the old man. Thus, he learned that he had to follow the instructions to the dot. Every time he reached the target, the compass would spin for a second, then lead him toward another destination. Still, an hour wandering later, he stood in front of a door of a nondescript warehouse. He only knew that it was the end of his weird journey because after he arrived, the compass didn't spin.

Sam stepped up to the door and knocked once, twice, and thrice. The door opened and the man who appeared in a warehouse worker's uniform took a look at him and, with a glance, took in the area behind him, grunted, and motioned Sam to enter.

"Follow me," the man growled and began to lead Sam deeper. After another labyrinthian maze, he was finally back in the same room where he was originally 'interrogated' about the information Tim had given him. He didn't even have to wait long before the door opened and the old man stepped through the threshold; the door closing behind him silently.

"So, you're back, kid. Good. What have you found?" It was phrased like a question, but Sam knew an order when he heard one, so he immediately began describing his experiences with demons. Though he made sure to mention the Abyss Vipers' excessive use of Black Blood. The man looked at him with a searching gaze before speaking up.

"You think they're cavorting with demons?" Sam shook his head.

"No. Not yet, at least. But with the amount of Black Blood and the way they were focusing on poison, it is only a matter of time before…"

"Before the Vile One makes contact," the old man spat. Sam simply nodded in answer.

"My thoughts exactly." As it was clear from the name, the Vile One was a demon who preferred using poisons. Sam didn't really have much memory of the Abyss Vipers, as they were quickly destroyed in some guild battles, and relegated to the bottom of the food chain. The man sent him a sharp look.

"You know the Vile One?"

"No, sir. But it's obvious from the name," he replied instantly while cursing inwardly. The old man continued to stare at him for a long moment, then nodded.

"Aye, the Vile One is a vile and wily bastard. Always with its concoctions and stuff." Sam simply listened. The old man grumbled a little more, then his attention returned to Sam.

"Alright, kid. You proved yourself. You're in."

"In? In where?" The man's smile was positively devilish.

"Nowhere." They left the room behind, with Sam following a step behind the old man and listening to his explanation.

"We are not exactly in the group of kill-all-demons, more like kill-all-asshole-demons," he explained as they walked along a long corridor.

"The group was put together way back when the seals went up. Even back then, they knew that those who had the will would find a way. Thus, Nowhere. Because nowhere is safe for those who circumvent the seals." Sam listened and nodded along. The other Sam never heard the name, and now it made sense why, but at least he knew most of the history of the group.

"We find people who fight against demons and make sure they have the support they need."

"Is it an international group?" The man waved his hand.

"Eh, more like most countries have their own group and we keep in contact. Postcards and shit."

"What would be expected of me?"

"The same thing you've done so far. Kill the demons who are causing trouble and report any information about major demons." He paused a little and continued a little softer.

"And try not to die early." Before Sam could react, the man stopped in front of an unassuming door and opened it. Behind the door, Sam could see another room, looking well-lived-in and decorated with pictures of dogs and other cute animals. Along the walls were giant cabinets, and paper files covered every available surface. In the middle, a giant desk was almost completely buried with files. Behind the desk sat a mousy little woman, graying hair held in a simple ponytail, and simple glasses adorned her aging face.

The old man waved to the little lady and turned to Sam.

"Doris will handle your onboarding. Good luck!" And without a word he began to power walk away, leaving a gaping Sam behind. He turned back and swallowed heavily. Bureaucracy. The enemy of mankind. The old lady gently smiled at him, but he could see in her eyes that she was the veteran of many battles and feared no men or gods.

"Welcome, dearie to Nowhere!" came the sweet voice and Sam suddenly found himself sitting in a rather comfortable chair that was nowhere to be seen a second ago. Doris, holding a rather high-quality ink pen, looked up at him and asked a simple question.

"First name, honey?"