Herald of death

"Do you have anything new on the Plague Merchant? Or am I to hunt someone new?" Ethan asks.

"You are to join Reaper six and Specter nine in Dubai," Tombstone says. "We have an occasion to eliminate three targets who gathered in the same area. This includes the Plague Merchant."

"Are you still leaving One out of the picture?" Ethan asks. "He wants nothing more than to eliminate him."

"Like we previously discussed, his actions around the Plague Merchant are nothing short of suicidal," she refuses. "Without mentioning that he's already on a mission."

Ethan sighs. 'They better not be hiding anything from me,' he thinks, the thought angering him.

"It appears that following your rescue of Specter nine, Ghaya's leaders had an internal fight, and only Yasin Hakeem remains." Pictures of urban battlefields and of the man follow each other on Ethan's phone. "He's your second target, and our client is paying extra for any additional dead Ghaya's members."

"Those are already two high-level targets," Ethan says. "It feels unlikely for them to converge at the same place without a common goal."

Tombstone confirms, "It isn't a coincidence. Your third target is a woman named Valeria Vex, an arm dealer with connections, suppliers, and clients all over the world. Our intelligence suggests that they plan to meet her."

"Suggest?" Ethan says, surprised. "It's rare of you to be uncertain when it comes to intel."

"This is a rare opportunity," she says. "And our clients are growing impatient; those three cases are starting to date. Valeria Vex has been on Six's plate for nearly as long as you began to hunt the Plague Merchant."

"If we hadn't dealt with dozens of other targets in the meantime, it would feel like you are questioning our efficiency," Ethan jests.

He can hear her chuckle slightly. "Then you can prove it once again by dealing with those targets," she says. A series of maps highlighting hotels, hideouts, and local contacts slide on Ethan's phone. "Our countermeasures are all active in Dubai, and you'll be able to access weapons and vehicles from our local suppliers."

Ethan silently absorbs the information, memorizing everything he can. "Will I be able to meet Six and Nine, or are we to act separately?"

"I was about to tell you. The three of you will meet at the Royal Crescent Hotel, where a suite has been rented," she says. "Given the suddenness and importance of the situation, you are to work together. While it endangers your anonymity, we deemed it necessary."

"Very well," Ethan says. "Anything else I should know that I won't find in the target packages?"

"I had a hit on the portrait we found under your home," Tombstone says. An old picture appears on Ethan's phone, followed by a late-nineties one, and then a recent image. "I've found several instances of his presence as a wealthy American businessman. Officially, his company has switched hands between father and son for around a hundred years. But given that his appearance hasn't changed, it is likely that he doesn't, or slowly ages."

"Where is he now?" Ethan asks. He realizes that he grips his phone with enough strength to bend it and relaxes his hand.

"It is unknown at the moment," Tombstone says. "He's extremely discrete, and who knows what abilities he can use now."

"At least we know what company he owns. After Dubai, I will investigate them," Ethan says.

"I'll collect every piece of information I can and send it to you," Tombstone says. "Your plane tickets and new passport are waiting for you at Jasper's."

"Tell him that I need an adjustment on the height to one ninety-five," Ethan says.

Tombstone stays silent for a moment. "Did you experience a late growth spur?" she asks.

"Kind of," Ethan answers. "I ate a fruit from the other side and grew taller."

"That sounds better than breaking your bones and pulling them apart for weeks," she jests. "I'll tell him; your papers will be available tonight. Good luck, Reaper five."

The call ends, and Ethan stores his phone in his pocket. He looks back at the class cards that have been floating around him. "I almost made a mistake," he jests to himself.

He takes his time to read every class he unlocked, hoping to use that knowledge against enemies who chose them. He takes pictures of the non-rare ones and sends the lot to Tombstone.

"I choose Arsenal," he says. The card vanishes as the new class appears on his status.

Ethan Reed

Lv.16 (Harbinger) High-Human

Lv.0/20 (Arsenal)

Strength: 26 + Charisma: 15 +

Dexterity: 23 + Perception: 19 +

Constitution: 23 + Willpower: 26 (24) +

Intelligence: 23 +

Available characteristic points: 4

Talents

Oracle

Pastseer

???

Titles

…

Abilities

…

Inventory (F)

"Inventory," Ethan says, but nothing happens. "Hum, how does this work?"

He pulls out Dark fate from the haversack and tries again, focusing on the dagger. "Inventory." As he speaks the word, the weapon vanishes into a glowing mist and digs into his hand. He moves his arm, expecting pain as it crosses his skin. He feels nothing but a slight tingle.

"Inventory," he says again, visualizing the dagger as he does for the haversack. The blade reappears in his hand. 'This is quite the upgrade,' he thinks, looking at the haversack.

Holding the haversack in front of him, he thinks, 'Inventory.' It blurs but soon returns to its normal state. 'That would have been cheating,' Ethan mocks in his mind. He empties the bag into his inventory.

Closing his eyes and thinking the word, he sees what his body holds. Everything is stashed in a small, though twice as large as the haversack's, space.

He spends a few minutes exercising by summoning and storing items as he moves. 'This ability barely costs any Ether,' he thinks. 'But this also means that anyone could be hiding undetectable weapons.'

With a snap of his fingers, he casts Silence. As the spell freezes the Ether, he tries to summon Skysong, but nothing comes. 'Good,' he thinks. 'That's an unpractical but available solution.'

Ethan stretches his back, turning to Russ. "That's early morning, and we have to wait till tonight. So, what about a small run of a few dozen kilometers? I feel like it would be nothing now."

Russ barks in response as if he understood the suggestion, happily waging his tale.