When the Black Knife Assassin awoke, she saw an unfamiliar ceiling, followed by a heavily armored warrior sitting beside her bed.
Without hesitation, she attacked.
The warrior wore no helmet, and her black blade stabbed toward his eye like a wisp of smoke.
The warrior neither moved nor dodged. The Black Knife Assassin thought she was about to succeed, but a white blade suddenly thrust in from the side, intercepting her lethal black knife with a clang.
The two blades were almost identical in shape, differing only in color. Both carried an otherworldly aura, and their wielders shared exactly the same fighting style.
The Black Knife Assassin looked at the white blade's owner, and soft red hair and a familiar face came into view.
"Melina?" The Black Knife Assassin's voice was terribly hoarse. It had been far too long since she had spoken.
"Vila?" A ripple of emotion entered Melina's voice as well. "I thought you were dead."
"Almost." Vila spoke in a dry, raspy voice. "You're still alive. Good."
But Melina raised her left hand and swept it straight through Vila's body.
The one who should have died hadn't, and the one who should have lived hadn't either. Perhaps that was what tragedy meant.
Vila fell silent for a second. "Who... did this?"
"Her."
"Her again." Vila's voice turned cold. "She deceived... everyone."
Melina did not deny it, but she withdrew her blade. "We aren't your enemies."
"We?" Vila looked at the heavily armored warrior. "Your relationship... with him?"
"I help him turn Runes into strength. In exchange, he must take me to the foot of the Erdtree."
"But just now... you protected him." Vila cut straight to the point. "Your... relationship... goes beyond... the contract."
Melina trembled slightly and awkwardly changed the subject. "Vila, stay. You're injured and need treatment."
"You want... my... strength?" Vila shook her head. "I won't... serve... powerful people... again."
"All right, then." Melina stepped aside.
Tarnished: "..."
Wait, I asked you to recruit her, and you gave up after getting rejected once?
An introverted girl really wasn't cut out for HR.
Seeing Vila put away her blade and prepare to leave, Tarnished hurriedly called out, "Wait!"
The Black Knife Assassin immediately went on high alert and drew her blade again.
"Tarnished..." For the first time, Melina gave him a pleading look.
"Don't worry, and don't misunderstand. I have no intention of hurting Miss 'Vila.'" Tarnished pronounced the name rather awkwardly before explaining his intent. "Well, nothing brings people together like a fight. Since I accidentally injured Miss Vila earlier, I've prepared some food and wine as an apology. Why not have a meal before you leave?"
"I'm not hungry!" Vila said coldly.
Then her stomach let out a rumble that sounded like a beating drum.
Melina: "..."
Tarnished: "..."
Vila: "..."
"Ahem." Tarnished cleared his throat to break the awkward silence. "The food's already prepared. If it doesn't get eaten, we'll have to throw it away."
"Food is precious. Mustn't... waste it." Vila sheathed her blade. "I'll... reluctantly... help you out."
"Thank you so much!"
Tarnished let out a long sigh of relief, but half an hour later, he realized he had relaxed too soon.
Because Vila alone had eaten three sheep, two chickens, six jugs of wine, and twenty-four pieces of honey bread!
Tarnished stared at the Black Knife Assassin in shock. Vila was astonishingly tall, half a head taller than him and definitely over 210 centimeters, but despite her height, she was not bulky at all. On the contrary, she was extremely slender. Her long limbs and streamlined torso even possessed a lean elegance, like an anime beauty with a leg-lengthening filter applied. Though her proportions utterly defied biology, they were exquisitely beautiful, displaying feminine grace to its fullest.
Of course, Tarnished wasn't studying her so closely because he was lecherous. He was wondering how that much food could fit inside such a slender body!
"Was that enough?" Melina asked.
Tarnished was a little speechless. Melu, oh, Melu, she's eating our food! Whose side are you on?
Vila set down a sheep's leg bone covered in teeth marks. "Enough."
Thank goodness. She'd finally had enough.
Tarnished breathed another sigh of relief and said politely, "There's more if it wasn't enough. Please, don't hold back."
Vila immediately said, "Then... two more... sheep."
Tarnished: "..."
Why couldn't I keep my big mouth shut?
"Heh."
Melina seemed to snicker, but when Tarnished turned toward her, she still wore that same wooden expression.
Fine. One day, I'll catch you in the act.
As he thought this, Vila polished off another two whole roast sheep and was finally full.
"How long has it been since you last ate?" Melina asked.
"Can't... remember." Vila thought back before saying, "The last time I ate... bugs... was... the last time."
Melina: "..."
Tarnished remarked as well, "Listening to you speak really is like listening to you speak."
Vila looked at Tarnished. "You're... mocking... me. But for... the food... I... forgive... you. In... exchange... tell me... who you want... killed."
"I want you to join Stormveil and become one of us," Tarnished said.
"I... said... I won't serve... powerful people... again. And... one meal... can't buy... my... loyalty."
"Why not give it some more thought?"
"No need... to think!"
"All right, then. If you change your mind, you're welcome anytime. Stormveil's gates will always be open to you."
Vila gave no answer either way. "Tell me... who you want... killed."
Tarnished shook his head. "I haven't decided yet."
"When you... decide... find me." Vila stood up.
Tarnished tried to persuade her to stay. "Why not live in Stormveil for now? Catacombs aren't really a place for people to live."
"No need. I'm used... to it." Vila walked toward the door.
"If you live in Stormveil, you get meat every day."
Vila turned around and came straight back. "Habits... can change."
Tarnished smiled and held out his hand. "Let's introduce ourselves properly. I'm Tarnished, as in the Tarnished."
Vila hesitated and glanced at Melina. Only after Melina nodded did she extend her hand. "Vila. Covenant of Silence-Vila. NO.6... of the Black Knife Assassins."
"The Black Knife Assassins have rankings?" Tarnished asked curiously.
"Yes. From NO.1 to NO.9. The lower the number... the stronger."
"Then what rank is Alecto?"
"How... do you... know... that name?" Vila grew somewhat wary.
Because I killed Alecto myself last time.
Of course, he definitely couldn't tell Vila that.
"I have my own intelligence network," Tarnished said evasively.
Whether Vila believed him was unclear. She merely gave Tarnished a thoughtful look and said, "Alecto... has no... rank. She's... the leader of the Black Knives... above all other Black Knives. Let's... make... a deal. Tell me... where she is... and I'll... serve you!"
Could it really be that easy?
Tarnished agreed immediately. "Alecto is in the Forlorn Hound Evergaol on the Moonlight Altar. The Moonlight Altar is on the cliffs directly above the Village of the Albinaurics. You can't get up there by conventional means. To reach the Moonlight Altar, you'll have to go around through the Underground Aqueduct."
Vila shook her head. "I need... to verify."
"How?"
"Take me... there."
"That's a bit troublesome. Going underground means taking a huge detour. We'd have to wade through a poison pool along the way, and there's an alien creature blocking the path at the end." Tarnished shook his head as well. "For now, I have no plans to head into the underground world."
"I... can... wait," Vila said calmly.
"It could take a long time." Tarnished thought for a moment before saying, "How about this? Let's both compromise. Taking you to Alecto, leader of the Black Knives, can be our ultimate goal. But until then, I'll offer another condition in exchange for your temporary cooperation. How does that sound?"
"What... condition?"
"I also know the whereabouts of another Black Knife Assassin," Tarnished said.
"Deal." A hint of urgency entered Vila's voice. "Where... is she?"
"In a hidden catacomb in Liurnia called the Death-Touched Catacombs. As for the exact location..." Tarnished smiled. "One of my companions just happened to acquire a map."
"Let me... see!"
"Of course." Tarnished addressed an attendant. "Please fetch Irina and Fia for me."
"Yes, Lord Tarnished."
Vila asked curiously, "Both... of them... have... maps?"
"The map belongs to Fia. As for Irina... you're injured, aren't you? She's an excellent healer."
Before you continue