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Jackal glanced at what remained of his tentacle arm. After it was severed by that well-dressed man, the bleeding refused to stop until the open stump had been stitched together and sealed with a layer of medical glue. Even though his body couldn’t feel any pain, for some reason, he had the compulsive urge to look at it every so often. He imagined if it did have any sensation, the limb would be unbearably itchy.
“Guild Master Joe,” a voice said through a shell-like device placed at the corner of Jackal’s desk. “Mary has cleared the eleventh floor and is returning to the base.”
Jackal nodded. Like Lindyss had said, a new body required a new name, and even though he still thought of himself as Jackal, the rest of the world would address him as Joe. At the very least, if that well-dressed man heard people talking about a Joe, he wouldn’t automatically connect the conversation to him, Jackal, someone that should’ve died. “I heard you,” Jackal said towards the shell. “Keep up the good work.”
Jackal got off his couch, which had been moved to the desk because he no longer fit in his old chair thanks to the sheer size of his new legs. He exited his office and headed towards Mary’s room. He opened the door and closed it behind himself before kneeling off to the side, all three of his heads doing their best to look at the floor. Not long after, the door was pushed open, and a red-haired woman dressed in black armor stepped over the threshold. Jackal bent his back, bowing his torso. “Welcome back, my liege.”
Mary glanced down and furrowed her eyebrows. “Where’s Jackal?”
“He was assassinated,” Jackal said. “I was elected to replace him as the leader of the Virtuous Hand. As an important member of our cause, he knew the major guilds wouldn’t sit quietly and let him grow his strength equal to theirs peacefully. I am one of the many contingency plans he prepared in case he died before finishing what he started. My liege can address me as Joe.”
Mary frowned. “Who killed him?”
“A man named Kim Hajun,” Jackal said, keeping his eyes on the ground. “I ambushed him in return as revenge, but due to a lapse in judgment on my part, he escaped. There are pictures of his face posted outside; perhaps my liege has seen them on the way here.”
Mary nodded. Who did this Kim Hajun think he was? Only she was allowed to dispose of her subordinates. She walked over to the throne on the other end of the room and took a seat, taking her usual position, resting her cheek against her hand with her elbow on the armrest. “Any news on Hyeonnam Tokki?”
“He still hasn’t set out to deliver your invitation letter,” Jackal said. “Rather, it seems like he’s working hard to climb the tower. Instead of monitoring Hyeonnam Tokki’s movements, perhaps it’d be wiser to monitor the new faces entering the tower. What’s the name of your friend?”
“Vur,” Mary said. “But if he’s coming, then Tafel should be with him as well.”
Jackal froze.
Mary raised an eyebrow upon seeing the chimera’s reaction. “Is something the matter?”
“Vur,” Jackal said and raised his heads. “Is he a man with golden eyes? And is Tafel a woman with purple eyes and horns?”
Mary sat up as she uncrossed her legs, her greaves clanking as they hit the floor. Her eyes narrowed at Jackal. “How do you know that?”
“I’ve met them,” Jackal said. “I saw them on the second floor of the tower. Not only that, but this body of mine was created by the one they call their aunt.”
Mary flinched. “That woman is here too?” she asked and furrowed her brow. “What about Grimmoldesser? Did you see a black dragon with them?”
“No,” Jackal said. “There wasn’t a black dragon with them, but we did receive reports about an ocean-blue dragon being present on the first floor. I assumed that was Vur, but perhaps it was a different entity?”
Mary exhaled. “Alright,” she said. “Are they still on the second floor? Find them for me.”
“Yes, my liege,” Jackal said. “Right away. Shall I invite them to our residence using your name, my liege?”
“No,” Mary said and shook her head. “When you find them, bring me to them. Prepare a large gift of geums for them as well. I’ll help them pass through the first ten floors before climbing the tower myself.”
“It will be done, my liege,” Jackal said and lowered his head, making it impossible for Mary to see his expression.
***
“Well, it looks like Kim Hajun’s invading another tower, so we won’t be able to interrogate him,” Lindyss said, glancing down at her root bracelet. The rising sun peeked above the treetops within the residence, illuminating the ground while leaving long shadows stretching across the forest floor.
“How do you know that?” Erin asked, poking her head out of Lindyss’ hair.
“Kim Hajun isn’t the only information broker out there,” Lindyss said, lowering her hand. “Along with buying supplies, I also made some friends.” She glanced at Vur and Tafel, who were sitting by the campfire with bleary eyes. “It’s not like the two of them were going to.”
Erin nodded her head. “I can see why Grimmoldesser sent you here with them.”
“Can you?” Lindyss asked and rolled her eyes. She glanced down at Vur and Tafel. “Why did we bother getting a residence if the two of you were going to sleep outside like a bunch of homeless raccoons?”
Vur yawned, his eyes squeezing shut. He closed his mouth and blinked a few times before looking up at Lindyss. “Tafel wanted one.”
Tafel wiped at her eyes before flicking her eye boogers into the campfire. “Well,” she said, blinking at Lindyss, “at least with a residence, when we sleep outside like homeless raccoons, we don’t have to sleep with someone keeping watch.” She stood up and dusted off her robe. “Alright! Let’s get ready to see the fourth floor.”
“You’re not going back to the smithery?” Lindyss asked.
Tafel shrugged. “I’ll go at the end of the day; an hour of practice should be enough. I never told the smiths I’d go back and spend all my time there.”