Hitman with a Badass System

Chapter 656: Tracking down Elder Lenora

As soon as Gaya heard these words, she rose up from the bed as though someone had set a fire under the bed. Her eyes watered.         

    

“Where? Let me see him,” Gaya jumped off the bed. She didn’t even put on her usual robes. Instead, she was ready to leave the room with the red pajamas Michael bought her from the system store.      

With a simple nod, Michael willed the system to teleport them both to the pocket dimension attached to the dark forest abyss. In a blink of an eye, the scenery around her changed. When she appeared in the pocket dimension, she saw Azazel standing beside the apple tree. There was someone with no hands shackled to the tree. Just as she was about to rush toward the vampire, Michael grabbed her hand.     

“Remember, you are Aelia,” Michael whispered into her ears.     

She hasted toward the vampire,     

“What do you know about Adelia Ashton?”  asked Gaya. Following her question, Puma repeated everything he had told Azazel and Michael. Her body trembled, listening to Puma. It was evident to Michael that she was feeling a strong urge to kill Puma. Azazel saw her eyes glimmering with shock and anger. After hearing everything from Puma, she stumbled back. Michael quickly caught her and wrapped his arm around her.      

“Tell me, how do I meet Lenora?” Her eyes turned predatory. For a moment, her human eyes transformed into the eyes of a cobra. She hissed at Puma.     

“If you kill a death squad assassin and take the head to the lonely wyvern tavern on the outskirts of Kingdom Maven. She will come to meet you,” said Puma. But to Michael, it sounded so simple. There was no way a powerful Elder Vampire like Lenora would come meet him without any backup or intention to kill. Besides, it didn’t make any sense. Why would anyone ask where I can meet the one who sent you to kill me or why would anyone go to that tavern?      

Michael thought after killing Puma, Lenora would track him down somehow or send another death squad member. Unknowing to Michael, not making sense was one of Lenora’s traits. She liked to play mind games with her foes and with her own kind. Defying logic and sense was the way she survived as an Elder vampire for so long. But Michael wasn’t wrong either. After killing Puma, whether or not he travels to the lonely wyvern tavern, she would track him down. The tavern was there to attract daredevils such as Michael. In a way, Lenora’s plan worked because Michael had already made up his mind to visit this tavern.     

Pulch!     

Blood spurted out suddenly as Michael and Azazel saw Puma’s head flying in the air. They turned their gazes at Gaya to see a bloody silver sword in her hand.      

“I am going to meet her and find my mother. I shouldn’t have stopped trying,” she clenched her fist.      

“You’re not. I am,” said Michael.      

“What?’ Gaya looked him in the eyes,     

“I said you are not going to meet Lenora. I am. Puma was after me. So it’ll only make sense if I go to meet her,”      

As Michael expected, Gaya shook her head.     

“No. I am not putting you in danger so I can find my mother. You are both important to me,” Gaya was firm in her decision, and she would fight for it. Michael could see it in her eyes. Honestly, Michael didn’t think she was making a decision with overwhelming emotions like anger or sadness. Anyone would do the same in her shoes. After all, Adelia was just a person to Michael, but to Gaya, Adelia was her mother.      

How could Gaya remain still after learning her mother was turned into a vampire and being hunted by powerful beings?      

“What do you think will happen? You waltz in there, and they will tell you everything you want to know,”     

“I will make them,” Gaya growled. Killing intent soared through the roof in her eyes.     

“No you can’t,” Michael bluntly said.      

“Think about it. Why does Lenora meet the one who kills her elite puppies? The one who killed her elite was better. So she will most probably turn you or if you resist, kill you,”      

Michael, who lived two lives, knew how people like Lenora would think. If he were a vampire and found a powerful being like Gaya, he would turn her too. The more powerful people in the clan, the safer and the better they were.      

“Don’t make me fight you, Michael,” said Gaya, taking a few steps back.     

“I won’t let them turn you. If the price for knowing what happened to my mother is turning into a vampire, I will do that in a heartbeat. But I won’t let them put a finger on you,”     

“Listen,” Michael’s voice became stern.          

    

“I am not telling you not to go. I am telling you not to go alone. I have a way to get everything we want without turning into vampires or dying,” Michael stepped closer. Soon, the Dark Lord’s armor covered his body along with the dark shroud. After turning into the Dark Lord, the area around them grew darker.      

“How?” asked Gaya. Until now, his plans never failed. Although she didn’t want Michael’s Ghost persona to get tangled with the vampires any more than he already had, she saw no harm in listening to his plan. With his help, she could find his mother faster.     

“What’s the vampires’ biggest weakness? The sunlight. Let’s give them something that could fix this weakness. They will have no choice but to reveal everything in exchange for this fix,” said Michael.      

The current level of the system was unable to create a formula to cure vampirism. However, it was enough to give Michael a potion to protect the vampires from sunlight for a couple of hours. Of course, Michael could enhance the potion and make the effects last longer, but it was enough for the vampires.      

“System, give me that formula,”     

His four hundred thousand badass points were reduced by half after the order to the system. Eventually, the system engraved the formula into his mind. Fortunately, he had all the ingredients he needed to brew this potion in his personal herbal garden in the Sunrise sect.     

“I have the cure. This way will work, trust me,” said Michael. He took a step forward and grabbed her shoulders.      

“You trust me right? I won’t let anything happen to your mother. She is family,” Michael squeezed Gaya’s shoulder. Her eyes welled up hearing his words. Strangely, she felt reassured when he heard him.      

The next few hours were spent on teleporting to the sunrise sect, collecting the herbs and brewing the potions. Afterward, Michael ordered Azazel to hide a crate full of potions in the dark forest. He only took one potion with him as a proof. Considering there was no better time than the present, Michael immediately teleported to Gisel and then flew to Maven as the Dark Lord. When he reached the outskirts of Maven, he landed in the woods and walked out of it as Ghost and Aelia.      

The lonely wyvern tavern was built along a lonely man-made path. As far as eyes could see, there was no building or any signs of life. It took Michael some time to finally locate the tavern. From the outside, it looked dark, disturbing and ugly. Small stones and thick, hardwood logs made up most of the building’s outer structure.     

It was hard to see through the small, stained glass windows, but the coldness from within could be felt outside.     

“This is depressing,” said Michael. No doubt the vampires hang out in this place. Judging by the tall trees around them, it would be hard for the sunlight to peek through even in the middle of the day.     

As Michael and Gaya entered the tavern through the old, metal door, they were welcomed by the smell of alcohol and aromas of what’s probably food, hopefully.     

The bartender was neither old nor young but looked like a villain out of a children’s book. With his long mustache, the scar on his face, and the eye patch didn’t help his personality. He was rubbing a glass with a cloth, though it was not getting cleaner. The man made no effort to acknowledge Michael and Gaya’s presence.     

As expected, It was just as horrible inside as it was on the outside. Wooden beams supported the upper floor and the lanterns attached to them. The walls were decorated with mounted animal heads and small animals, though most have become worn and broken, giving the place an even creepier feel. The tavern itself was almost completely abandoned. The few people inside didn’t seem like a welcoming bunch. Whoever they were, staying as far as possible from them was better. They were all dressed in creepy black hoods and smelled like blood.  Now that Michael recalled, he did hear something about the tavern from Heinberg. Supposedly it was infamous for something, but for the life of he couldn’t remember what for. Though judging by everything in this place, it must be something creepy.     

Michael led the way to the bartender, letting Gaya carry the head of Puma in a sack. To Michael’s surprise, he heard the few people in the tavern sniff the air as though they could smell the blood from afar.     

“Are you lost or something?” The bartender didn’t even bother to look at Michael when he talked.      

“Not lost. Just searching for someone who visits this tavern often,” said Michael. He calmly pulled out the wooden bar chair to sit beside Gaya.     

“Whoever it is, I am pretty sure we don’t know them,” said the bartender.     

“Name Lenora ring any bells?”      

Finally, the bartender looked up at Michael. Michael smiled. It was obvious he was in the right place. Otherwise, the bartender would have looked shocked and the three guys at the back would have stood up, probably to beat them up.     

“The tavern is closed. See yourselves out,” The bartender raised his voice at Michael.      

“So you do know her,” Michael pulled the glass the bartender placed on the table toward him. He took out a water pouch from his inner coat pocket and poured the water into the glass.     

“I lost count of how many times I’ve said this. We can do this the easy way or the hard way,”     

Instead of answering Michael, the bartender signaled the three behind Michael, wordlessly telling them to throw Michael and Gaya out.