Part 9: Murder, Inc.

Part IX: Murder, Inc.



Playing as an assassin is one of the harder backgrounds in the game. You're expected to split your SP between civil and combat skills, and if you choose poorly? Good luck. One thing I'll say is impersonate isn't a bad choice for assassins, unlike most of the other backgrounds.



Here we are at the guild's HQ, which you're familiar with. I decided to name the PC Gaius Stabbius -- it seemed appropriate.



Ah, Neleos. It's always good to see a smiling face.

: Only fifty?



: He's just arrived and someone wants him dead already?



Enough farting around -- we've got a mark to kill.





RIP

We don't have any levels in persuasion, so there's only one thing to do: stab the guard in the neck.



It doesn't kill him, but it removes a good chunk of health.





Using nets to entangle the guard makes the fight much easier.





It's not too difficult to put this guy down, but we have to use aimed strikes to pierce his armor. Get used to this.



Finally, he takes a dirt nap.



We loot the bodies and take everything from the nearby chest



Time to scram.



I believe the perception check is for the sphere. The PC ends up with the map no matter what.







: Do you have time for a few questions?



: I'm surprised we operate so openly.





: How did it become a proper business?







Before we see Feng, let's talk to the other guild members.



This is Coltan.





Coltan raises our alchemy a bit, which is indispensable for assassins.



In the next room are Agatai (the guy in front of us) and Dias.



Agatai is a big conversationalist.

: Can you teach me how to fight like you?





It's his way of saying "No, I won't teach you."

: Tell me about the Ordu.





You didn't answer my question, asshole.





Dias is more helpful. Good thing he lived to tell the tale, because dying at the hands of a teenager would be embarrassing as fuck.



Last stop is Fulvio.



: So far. Any tricks of the trade you can share with me?



With that out of the way, we go see Feng.





When negotiating over the payment for offing Cassius, we can use our assassin background to squeeze out a few more imperials.



We persuade Cassius to leave, but this time our PER lets us know he's lying. There's only one response to this.



Ah, that was satisfying.





Something else to note: An alchemy of at least 2 allows us to know the ring is fake.

Time to get another job from Neleos.



: Always.







: Are you sure that they are spies?



: Payment?





Here's the house.





Huh. I didn't expect this.



: What happened to him?

Please ignore the dagger in my hand and answer my questions.



If nothing else, maybe we can get the spies' descriptions from her.

: Does anyone else live here?



: I'm looking for two people. They are probably not from around here. I have a message for them.



Waaaaait a minute...



Damn spy acting like an old man covered in feces!





The fight isn't too hard, especially when you use poison.







The lady gets off a few lucky shots and I end up with 7 HP. We win, just the same.



Fuck.

: What kind of help? And what assurance do I have that you would keep your word to an assassin?



Puh-leeze.

: No deal. Hand me the reports and I'll let you walk away.



Our persuasion isn't high enough to pass this check, so let's go with the other choice.

: What choice do you have?



Shit.

Remember Dias' story?



Death count: 6





The second round is much better thanks to higher HP and some nets.





Mission accomplished.



I nearly died for these fucking reports. I hope it will be reflected in my pay.



I don't know what Agatai teaches us. Presumably, "don't get hit."

At this point, I get Dellar's quests and go to Rhaskos to convince him to poison some wine. If we use body count...



...we fail, because it's not high enough. I guess killing only 4 people doesn't impress these days.



He wants 100 imperials, but fuck that.



If we leave and come back, a new option pops up.

: The guards are looking for you! They'll be here any minute!



So long, Rhaskos.



Let's do this.





Hopefully, this will work.









Don't mind the strange aftertaste -- the vintners are trying a new, um... formula.

If we return to the outpost...



Looks like someone is suffering from a case of... sour grapes.



One down, but there are three more to grapple with, all in heavy armor. The fight is over so quickly, I didn't capture any of it.



Death count: 7







On the second go around, I manage to kill two of the guards, but the dipshit with the crossbow one-shots me.

Death count: 8



Third time's the charm. This time, I crafted a dagger and used sharpening stones to up the damage.







Incredibly, I came out of this more or less unscathed.



One of the bodies has the mine key. I like the item description.



Oh, good.



There's five more people in the mine. Three are lightly armored, but it's still a bear of a fight.



The narrow tunnel is great if you're a range-focused fighter. It's not so great when you're reduced to using a fucking crossbow that takes 5 AP to reload. It becomes downright frustrating when the enemies get close and stomp another mudhole in your ass.

Death count: 9

Next time: Impressing others through wanton murder