Chapter 160: You Know What That Means

“Thanks for the head, Polikarp,” I said, taking it from him. It had some scuff marks and appeared to be missing some teeth that I could have sworn she used to have before, but otherwise it seemed in usable condition. I just hoped she wouldn’t whistle like Jerzy’s head did.

I cast [Headhunter] followed by [Artifact Index] to see what my new trophy was all about.

[Headhunter - Anna Sikorzanka, Pyromacer]

Weapon modification:

Toggle: [Flame On]

+8 Strength

+7 Barrier

+15% Stamina Regeneration

Gear modification:

You no longer get cold.

+8 Strength

+7 Barrier

+20% Fire Resistance

[Pyromacer]… Not [Pyromancer], but [Pyromacer]… First I thought I misread it or that the System had made an error, but then it hit me. She used a flaming mace. It was actually her Class name. This was the most dad-joke Class I’d ever seen. I looked down at her face. She didn’t strike me as the fun, joking type. Maybe I was the only one who saw the humor in this.

I didn’t know what [Flame On] was, so I asked the System.

[Flame On]

Type: toggle

Cold steel is overrated.

Sets one or multiple of your equipped weapons ablaze. Weapons engulfed in flame deal additional Fire damage.

That was very useful for me. The no longer getting cold enhancement was also very useful, especially in this weather. Winter would probably be even worse in this place so it would definitely come in handy. I wouldn’t even have to wear a coat or a cloak. I could just wear nice dresses all the time and show them off. I could look good all the time. What a powerful enhancement.

“Polikarp,” I said, looking him dead in his unfortunately shaped face. “I appreciate your service. You showed initiative. I’m getting you a new shoe. Two shoes even, so they match. Ones that don’t squeak. Maybe a hat, too.”

He blinked.

Oh no! He probably thought I mentioned the hat because he had an oddly shaped head. Which he did. “Uhh,” I stammered. “The hat is a bonus. It’s not because your head is a weird shape. You just look like a man who could use a hat. Likes hats, I mean.”

Polikarp immediately shrank into himself and grabbed his head with both hands, a hurt look on his face. Oh no! That came out totally wrong!

I stared at his bulbous head. “I, uh, I’m sure we can find someone who can make a hat for that thing. Oops. No. I meant for your head. Not a thing, haha. Is it hot in here?”

“We’re outside,” Bogumir said. “And it’s cold.”

“Haha, yeah,” I said, adjusting my collar. “What I was trying to say is that you have a normal head, I just think you would look very handsome in a cool hat. That’s all. Even more handsome than you already are. Sorry, I’m not good at… talking… to handsome men?”

I glanced at Kasia, who just shook her head. Not my best moment, but in my defense, his head was staring at me. It was staring at everyone. The more you looked at it the stranger it was, the more it pulled you in. I wondered if he was born like that or if something bad had happened. Was I a bad person? Maybe it was part of his Class and it was all intentional. It had to be, just like his shoe and his name. Yeah, I didn’t have to feel bad, he did this on purpose. Polikarp was smarter than he looked. Clever ruse, Polikarp, but you won’t fool me with that big head of yours.

I gave him a knowing nod, silently letting him know that I had deciphered his skillset. You can’t hide a high-level build behind a bulbous cranium and squeaky footwear, Polikarp. I see you.

Polikarp frowned in response, clearly impressed that I’d gotten the better of him. That I had figured him out in a single glance. I gave him another silent nod. Don’t worry about it, buddy, nothing gets past me. Better men have tried and failed.

The fight had given me two levels, taking me to 25, which meant I now could equip an additional [Headhunter] totem. I attached the [Pyromacer] head to my belt and immediately felt my body’s temperature rise to a comfortable “just right”. With that taken care of, I also had a new notification to deal with, that I’d gotten when I hit 25.

“Hecate,” Vasil said. “If you are done with the head. We need a strategy for Banda Masvih. Just because you use two different faces does not make it safe to go against two powerful organizations at the same time. You are still not strong enough to take on the Church by yourself. You do not have enough followers. You cannot be at war with these two at the same time.”

“We can worry about them later,” I said, waving him off. “It will probably take a couple of days before they send more people. I’ll figure something out by then. I’ll improvise. I’m good at that.”

“I still think we should discuss this.”

“Fine. But if they’re as powerful as Bogumir says, why aren’t they running the country? Seems like the king and the Church have a lot more power. They even have a god backing them. Supposedly. What does Banda Masvih have?”

“Well, for one,” Vasil started. “They are a very secretive organization. No one knows who they are or where they are. It is assumed there are many cells that operate somewhat independently of each other. What we know for certain is that Maswav is the leader.”

“Yeah,” Bogumir added. “And we have no idea what he looks like. We don’t even know what his Class is. We don’t know where he’s from. All we know is that their tentacles stretch from Pomorze all the way to Rus Czervona. Maybe even further now. They are constantly expanding.”

Hubert raised his hand. “Um.”

“Yes?” I asked.

“If you want to find out where they are, you should follow the money.” He adjusted his spectacles and looked terrified that he had spoken up at all.

“Follow the money? Hubert, they literally just came here to get money. The trail starts and ends in my pocket. And that’s where I like my money. In my pocket… or in Vasil, I guess.”

“N-no! That’s not what I meant. If they came here every month, and collected their… regional stabilization fee, then there must be something in Viswa’s books. It likely will not be labeled as such, but if you let me take a look at the town’s financial information I am sure I could figure something out. Enough to give us a lead, perhaps. It might give us an edge.”

“Good idea,” Vasil remarked. “It is better than nothing.”

“Very well. Good idea, Hubert,” I said, patting him on the shoulder. “Get right on that. It can never hurt to have more information. Anything else I should know about these guys? I’m assuming they don’t just extort people.”

Vasil pressed his little froggy hands together. “They pretty much do everything. If there is money in it, they do it. Especially if it’s illegal. Smuggling, gambling, extortion, assassination, illegal trade. They operate plenty of legal businesses as well.”

“If it bleeds or runs a profit, they do it.” Bogumir crossed his arms. “I have no doubt they have infiltrated the Church as well. And everything else for that matter. They always seem to be several steps ahead. They also seem to try to steer clear of the Church and the king as much as they can. It’s like they are operating in their own little world away from everyone. You know they’re there, but the moment you look, they’re gone.”

I tapped my chin. “Seems strange to me that the Church hasn’t worked harder to stop these guys then. Especially if they’re everywhere and so dangerous.”

“Like I said, they’ve tried. I think they mostly let them be, unless they directly interfere with Church business, or if it’s very obvious that they have a hand in something. They have refined their methods over the past twenty or so years. It’s just harder to prove anything these days.”

“Okay, first of all, since when does the Church need to prove anything? Second of all, standing in the middle of the town square demanding a sack of gold isn’t exactly inconspicuous.”

Bogumir shook his head. “Dealing with rich merchants and nobles is different from dealing with witches or monsters. Those things have to be handled delicately. As for your second point, they probably knew something wasn’t right when they entered the town. I doubt the handoff would have gone like this in the past. You probably spooked them. The town is suspiciously empty at the moment.”

“Hmm. That’s probably true. Well, we still have a couple of days to come up with a plan. Oh, and I forgot to mention one thing you should probably know.”

“What is it?” Vasil asked.

“That fight took me to level 25. So you know what that means.”

Vasil’s eyes widened. “Class advancement.”

“Exactly.”