"As you may already know, a rebel movement has been gaining momentum within the Southern Duchy. The rebels have already captured a viscounty and are planning to expand the territory under their control.
I wish to launch a counter-operation against them, but with citizens being held hostage, I fear that any aggressive action could result in the loss of innocent lives.
Therefore, I find myself turning to the two of you for assistance," Nico said, as Leo chuckled internally at his words.
Nico had no idea that Leo was a silent member in the uprising guild and that the same rebels that he sought assistance to destroy were the same ones that Leo was supporting for his own gains.
"What exact assistance are you looking for? If you think that we can infiltrate the Viscounty and free it from the hold of thousands of rebels, then you're overestimating our capabilities.
We are Assassin's and our speciality is not one vs one million warfare" Ben said, as he sarcastically urged Nico to be more specific.
"Naturally, I understand that Assassin's like yourself can't take out entire rebel governments, but what about some key personnel?
If we compile a list of their leaders, can you take them out?" Nico asked, as Ben looked towards Leo for confirmation.
Shrugging his shoulders, Leo displayed his nonchalance over the matter as he already knew that taking players out was never going to be possible.
While players could be imprisoned, there was no other 'Permanent' solution to eliminate them, since death within the world of Terra Nova was not permanent.
"We will take up this mission Duke, however, only for the right price" Ben said, as he expressed his willingness to work for the Duke as long as he was compensated fairly for his work.
"Naturally…. I wouldn't expect an Assassin of your stature to work for free.
Whether it's territory, money, artifacts or my influence, as long as I can provide for them, I will happily pay you a price that you feel is fair" Nico said, as Ben nodded at his words.
"Very well then Duke, call for us when you have a list ready…. We will quote a price based on the number of targets and mission difficulty–" Ben said, as Duke Nico stood up from his chair to shake hands with Ben.
"Thank-you for your help, Master Ben" Nico said, as Ben curtly nodded his head and signaled for Leo to exit the room.
However, right before he left, Ben made sure to add the sentence that Nico needed to hurry to get them that information as they were not planning to stay in the Southern Duchy for too long.
"Also Duke…. We are here for two more days, so try and get me my information by then.
If not, we will come back to complete your mission after 15 days.
We can't leave Crest-Hill Barony unattended for too long afterall" Ben said, as he did not give Nico any chance to retort and left the mansion.
*********
( Meanwhile Eren )
As soon as Eren was taken to a proper prison and slapped with chains, a system notification told him that he had lost all his levels.
[ System Notification :- The Demon Whisperer has been caught by the human camp and hence loses all levels ]
[ System Notification :- The penalty for the unique class 'Demon Whisperer' is triggered and player Eren is now slapped with a 120 days leveling penalty where you cannot gain any levels for another 120 days.
All the excess stat points that you have gathered throughout your gaming journey have now been removed and your physique returns to level 0 ]
[ System Notification :- The special class 'Demon Whisperer' now becomes inactive as after being captured by humans the demons shall no longer trust you as one of their own.
You can now either choose to support the humans against the demons in the war, or restart your life outside the Empire once you secure your release in-game. ]
[ System Notification :- Time before players release clause is activated
120d: 00 h: 00 mins ]
As soon as Eren was officially captured by forces of the Empire, his unique class's failure condition triggered and he was slapped with several penalties.
Already weak from starvation, once his strength returned to that of a level 0 player, he simply collapsed, hanging by the support of his chains as he could not longer even stand on his own two feet.
The parched sensation in his throat tripled as he started to feel really thirsty, however, as he opened his eyes and looked into the eyes of his captors, he knew that he was going to receive no water from them as mercy.
"Water…. Please, I've had nothing to drink for three whole days…. Please…. Water, I beg you" Eren said as soon as his choker was removed, however, Vice Commander Phill was in no mood to give in to demands.
"You want water? Sure buddy…. Why don't you tell us the name of the current demon king and the names of his underlings, and then maybe we give you a sip" Phill said, expecting Eren to spit on his face and rebel, however, Eren proved to be shockingly co-operative.
"The current Demon King is called Anos. Everyone respects him, and the only underling of his that I know is Count Vaugn…. He's a powerful man too but nowhere near the Demon Kings level.
Count Vaugn was the one to kidnap me and take me to the Demon King's castle…. I'll tell you the full story but give me water first" Eren said, as the whole interrogation room was stunned by how easily he sang.
'Was it supposed to be this easy?' Phill wondered genuinely as he signaled for an underling to feed Eren some water.
*Gulp*
*Gulp*
*Gulp*
Quickly drinking the whole bottle, Eren tried to rehydrate himself as fast as he could, however, given how thirsty he was, one glass was far from enough to satiate him.
"Want more? Tell me that story…." Phill said, as Eren took in a large breath of air and began narrating his story truthfully from the start.