Someone wanted Lina Inverse dead. And that someone was willing to pay Jey Kine a heck of a lot of money to get the job done. But even as the young, brown-haired mercenary sat on the bed in his tiny rented room, and hefted the large sack of gold coins - his advance payment - in one hand, he trembled in fear.
How on Earth am I supposed to kill the Enemy of All Who Live? Jey thought, swallowing painfully. Heck, the girl even spooks dragons! Maybe I shouldn't have taken this job after all...
He could take his chances and get out while he was still alive, running off with the coins and leaving his employer in the lurch.
But...
A greedy smile suddenly crossed Jey's face, as he remembered his new boss's last words before pressing this sack of gold into his willing hands.
"The moment this job is done," the cloaked guy had said, sitting across from Jey in the smoky bar where they'd met for the first and only time, "you will receive fifty million more gold coins."
Fifty million.
Fifty.
Million.
In gold.
Jey smiled dreamily. For fifty million gold coins, I could buy my own castle... I could live like some kind of prince... or king... Heck, I could BE a king! He liked that idea. He liked it an awful lot.
In fact, he liked the idea of being filthy rich so much that the task of killing the Enemy of All Who Live suddenly didn't seem quite so nerve-wracking. It's a risk, he thought, his resolve suddenly strengthened, a risk I'm willing to take.
Jey Kine dumped the sack of coins out onto the bed and played with the glittering golden disks, as he dreamily tried to decide what colour of tapestry would look best on his castle walls...
"Gourry!" a voice shrieked out of sheer indignation. "Get your hands off my roast chicken!"
Jey winced. He'd been sitting in a shadowed corner of this restaurant for the past hour and more, watching his intended target eat and eat and eat...
He wasn't sure what to think. All the stories about the infamous Lina Inverse had painted her as being a demon among demons, cruel and insanely powerful, a legendary creature whose powers and destructive nature separated her from mere mortals. The reality of the matter had been somewhat different - but not much. Still, it was something of a shock to learn that this young redheaded woman - no, girl, judging from her size - who seemed to spend all her time eating, sleeping, occasionally whining, beating up her companions (especially the blond), and, oh, incidentally, did I mention eating, was the one who had inspired such frightful tales.
Well, he thought to himself, no matter what she's really like, my target's in sight, large as life. I guess I should do something about that, then...
Jey had been preparing for this moment for days, ever since hearing rumours of a certain red-haired sorceress with a penchant for destruction being seen near Tallys City. He'd thought, what with Lina's reputation, that getting near enough to her to do the deed would be the hard part. As it turned out, getting close to the Dragon Spooker was as simple as scoping out the local restaurants. The hardest part of his job now, it seemed, would be actually going through with the assassination.
I can almost feel my gold coins now... With a greedy smile, he took a small packet of white powder from one pocket. It was harmless enough, until it was dissolved in liquid or scattered on food. Then, it would reveal its deadly nature. Pure poison.
Jey sighed. At least, he was pretty sure it was poison. He would have bought the most expensive and deadly poison the local apothecary could concoct, except for the fact that he'd long since run out of money. All those lovely golden coins of his had been spent weeks ago.
I never thought it'd take me so bloody long just to FIND the blasted girl, he thought in exasperation. I've been living on nothing but small beer and stale bread for days... He once again glanced over, mouth watering, at the massive amounts of food that were rapidly disappearing into his target's bottomless pit of a stomach.
Never mind that. Soon I'll be rich beyond anyone's wildest dreams, and able to afford a decent meal again. Soon. All I have to do is slip this powder into her food, and... and....
Jey wasn't exactly sure what the powder would do. Maybe the great Lina Inverse would foam at the mouth and keel over in agony; maybe she'd die a long, lingering death; maybe she'd go mad and destroy herself with her own legendary powers. Who knows? All the old wise-woman I nicked it from would say about it was, "It's dangerous! Dangerous!" Man, was she ever annoying....
Jey tried to put the delicious aroma of food out of his mind and concentrate on the task at hand. I have to do it fast, sometime within the next few minutes, he thought. Lina won't be eating for too much longer - no human could possibly eat much more than she already has - and besides, it's late; she and her friends are the last people left in this restaurant, besides me. They're sure to pack up and go pretty soon.
Jey could do the job tomorrow or the day after, now that he was sure of Lina's whereabouts, but he wanted to get it all over with as soon as possible. And frankly, he was down to his last few copper coins. If he waited any longer before doing the job and collecting his reward, he'd have to pawn his sword, or find a real job, or something equally unsavoury, to get enough funds to survive.
He'd been watching Lina and her three companions surreptitiously for the past couple of days, ever since he'd located them, in order to learn their strengths and weaknesses. He considered all that he'd learned.
Blondy over there is a dunce if I ever saw one, he thought. But he can swing that sword of his amazingly well, and he's always on the ball in a fight. Mark him as dangerous, then.
The other, dark-haired little girl seemed at times to be nothing more than a hero-wannabe, always spouting off about justice at the smallest opportunity. But just yesterday, he'd seen her blasting her way merrily through a gang of bandits. She'd seemed (to Jey's admittedly untrained eyes) to be as powerful as Lina, or nearly so. Can't count her out as useless, either.
And the last companion, the man whose face was always hidden.... There was something sinister about him; cynical and brooding, he exuded competence. Can't put anything past a guy like that, realized Jey glumly. Okay, all three of 'em seem to be just as dangerous as Lina herself. If I simply sauntered over and slipped the powder into her soup, one of them, like as not, would notice, and I'd be in real trouble. He shuddered. All the gold coins in the world couldn't save me from the wrath of people like them. Not to mention that they'd probably warn Lina about the poison. Well, he realized, with that appetite of hers she might well down the powder before they could stop her, but... I'd greatly prefer to live long enough to enjoy my fifty million gold.
For a moment, a dreamy look crossed Jey's face. Fifty million... Fifty million! I could buy a castle... maybe even two castles... full of tapestries... silverware made of real silver... Jey shook his head to clear it. I can't afford to think of that right now! I have to figure out how to get the poison into Lina. Without her or her friends suspecting it was me. Now how the heck am I...
"Waitress!" called out Lina suddenly, waving an arm in the air to attract the server's attention. "Bring me six more steak dinners! NOW!"
Despite his amazement at the redheaded sorceress's sheer capacity for food, Jey noticed the harried waitress taking down the order and disappearing once again into the kitchen. With a flash of logic, he realized, The kitchens! I'll poison the food before it's even brought out! Neither she nor her friends'll know, until it's too late. I'm brilliant...
Inordinately proud of his cleverness, Jey got up from his table in the shadows, leaving behind a half-drained mug of watery beer, and a small plate which had been carefully cleaned of even the tiniest crumbs. Next to the plate were his last few copper coins, payment for the unsatisfying meal.
He took up his sword from where it was leaning against a nearby wall, buckled the swordbelt around his hips, and walked out of the restaurant into the cool night air. Immediately, he made his way down the alley beside the restaurant. There's got to be a back door into the kitchen somewhere along here, he thought as he walked along the alley, almost tripping over some piles of garbage in the darkness.
The door, when he finally found it, was half open, probably so refuse could be tossed out into the alley with ease. Jey thanked his luck and crept quietly into the firelit kitchen, which was full of delicious smells. As soon as he was through the door, he ducked behind a counter to avoid being seen; it turned out he needn't have bothered. The chef was attending to a large haunch of meat roasting on a spit by the far wall. Absorbed in his labours, he didn't notice the intruder in his kitchen. The waitress was nowhere in sight, off clearing plates or whatever it is that waitresses do.
Jey stood up carefully and gazed around at the food which surrounded him. The roasting meat... something bubbling in a big pot, stew probably... vegetables on a chopping board... a small pot of coffee... I am sooo hungry... Never mind that! Where should I sprinkle the poison? He didn't want to waste any, and he had to make sure Lina got the lion's share. The meat would be the best bet, but the chef's right there... I won't chance it. The stew...? I don't think she ordered stew....
As he stood in the middle of the kitchens, trying to figure out what to do with his poison, someone behind him called out, "Excuse me?" It was a woman's voice. "What do you think you're doing here, sir?"
The waitress! thought Jey, beginning to panic. Oh no... have to get this done right now! Just dump the powder in something nearby.... The closest food-related item to Jey was the pot of coffee. It was set out on a tray, no doubt to be taken out to the customers. And since the only customers left in the restaurant at this late hour were Lina and her gang...
He smiled in relief, tore open the packet of poison, and surreptitiously dumped the contents into the coffeepot as fast as he could. Then, he turned to face the annoyed waitress, thinking fast. "I'm sorry," he said cheerfully. "I must be lost. I can't seem to find the bathroom."
The waiter stared at him as if he were a complete moron. "It's two paces to the right of the dining hall," she snapped. "Right by the huge sign saying "Bathroom this way." With an arrow pointing straight to it."
"Thank you!" proclaimed Jey with a smile. Relieved that his job was done, he whistled a happy tune as he walked out of the kitchen the way he'd come.