"What do you want to ask?" Oswald asked.
The Lumbering Ent was defeated already. Jack's Therras and his few surviving wolves came and guarded Oswald's back, in case the assassin tried to flee again. Jet also did the same after receiving Jack's silent message.
Oswald looked around him. He failed to escape when Jack was alone. Now with so many surrounding him, the chance was even slimmer.
"First question, how are you still alive when your HP is already zero?" Jack asked.
Peniel spoke before Oswald answered, "You are using the Fake Death skill, right?"
"Yes," Oswald answered.
Peniel then explained to Jack, "Fake Death is a non-standard assassin elite skill that masks one's HP to appear at zero while it is not truly so."
"Hm, it's a good thing Grace suspected something was wrong. I would have been fooled otherwise. You should have told me there is such skill in existence."
"There are countless skills and spells in existence. Do you want me to spell every single one out to you?" Peniel retorted with an irritated expression.
Jack decided not to argue with his fairy companion in front of everyone. He asked Oswald his next question, "What are you doing here?"
"Hiding."
"From what?"
"From a disgruntled customer, a faction who feel slighted by my action, and a former employer who is offended by me taking an unsanctioned job."
"I take it this has something to do with that assassination attempt you pulled inside Daminos Square Garden?"
"You are correct."
"Well, then here comes the main question," Jack said. "I assume that you are hired to kill our team's healer. Who ordered the hit and why?"
Oswald was silent for a while, pondering. He then said, "You will let me go if I tell you?"
"I am for sure won't let you go if you don't," Jack answered without giving him a promise.
Oswald pondered again for a bit, this time while looking around at those who surrounded him. "Ah, hell," Oswald said, lifting his hands with a show of a defeated gesture. "The people who asked me for the hit are now hunting me, so I don't see any need to protect them. If you want to know, it was one of the Lord Chiefs of the Verremor nation, Abdu Raretooth. You should have seen him. He was there in the tournament as well. He was the one that masked me and slipped me into Daminos Square Garden amongst his entourages."
"One of the orc's rulers?" Jack mumbled. He did notice this one named Abdu Raretooth. This orc was always seen with Abasi Raretooth during the tournament. Jack had suspected this orc to be of a high station from the way Abasi deferred to him. Verremor was governed by the Council of Ten, comprised of the Lord Chiefs of the ten biggest tribes. This made Abdu one of the ten Verremor's rulers.
"Why do they want to target the human team's healer?" Jack asked.
"I'm not in the habit of asking my employer's motive," Oswald answered. "That is a recipe for not getting hired the next time, you know?"
"Did they ask you to hit the Vampire team as well?" Jack gave his next question.
"No, only the human team," Oswald answered.
Jack gave the matter some thought.
"Can I leave now?" Oswald asked, trying his luck.
"Tell me, why do you take the job?" Jack asked. "You said that job was unsanctioned, which cause you to get hunted by your own faction. Why takes such a risk. Are you so desperate for a job?"
Oswald chuckled. "I am never lacking for jobs, kid. Well…, the reason is that I owed this Abdu fellow in the past. He is cashing in this favor I owed him and I'm not one who ran from a debt. Plus, he offered me something irresistible. Can I go now?"
"And this Abdu is also hunting you now?" Jack asked, ignoring Oswald's question.
"Along with the Council of Virtus and the Assassin's Guild. One job and my life is reduced to a never-ending solitary. Sigh, maybe death is a mercy to me."
"Sure, I will do you that favor," Jack said.
"Hey, hey! I'm just saying it in the hope that you will let me go, considering that I already suffer due to living a fugitive life!" Oswald hurriedly said.
"Man, you shouldn't joke about that kind of thing. I almost went ahead and kill you," Jack said.
"Does this mean that you will let me go?" Oswald asked with a hopeful feeling.
"Of course not," Jack answered flatly.
"You are really mean, you know that?" Oswald said dejectedly.
"We can let you go, on one condition," Grace said.
"You will?" Oswald's face brightened again.
"We will?" Jack also asked, looking at her.
"As long as you agree to become my companion," Grace said.
"Why would you want a weak companion like him?" Jack said. "He is just an elite grade."
"Hey!" Oswald uttered hearing the insult.
"Elite? My inspect tells me he is Special Elite," Grace said.
"Oh?" Jack used his Inspect. When Oswald came targeting him at the Busculla Plateau, he was an elite grade.
*
Oswald (Special Elite Human, Assassin), level 51
HP: 189,000
*
"You increase your grade?" Jack uttered after reading the assassin's description. He also noticed the native had increased by a level.
"Remember when I said Abdu offered me something irresistible? It was a thing that upgraded my grade."
"Pill of Growth?" Peniel asked.
Oswald nodded.
"What's that?" Jack asked.
"It's a thing that is only useful for natives or pets. It can increase them by one grade," Peniel answered.
"Cool! We should search for that thing! I can increase Therras and Alucard's grades with that."
"Unfortunately, this pill's ability to increase a grade is only limited until Rare Elite. Once one reached that grade, the pill is useless. Both your pet and companion are already rare elites."
Jack slumped back after hearing that. Oswald turned to Therras, "that thing is a rare elite?" He asked. Therras replied by stomping its foot and huffed menacingly. Oswald backed off a step.
"Mine is also a rare elite," Jet said and pet his Crimson-mane Lion.
Hearing that, Oswald sighed and sat on the ground. He again gave a defeated gesture. "You outworlders are unbelievable. I bullied this kid around half a year ago, and here I am getting bullied instead. I give up. Do with me as you please."
Jack turned to Grace and sent her a silent message, 'You sure you want him as a companion?'
Grace sent a reply. 'I saw the way he fight against you on my way here. Although he was clearly at a disadvantage, he was cunning enough to think of a way out. I think he can be of a great asset if developed properly.'
'But he is hunted by many sides. Are you not afraid you get dragged into trouble as well for siding with him?'
'He can just stay here until he is strong enough. There are plenty of monsters here for him to level up. I will only call him at certain times when I need him.'
Jack nodded. He then said to Oswald, "What do you say? Are you willing to be this lady's companion? You will gain the ability to level up expressly like us, outworlders. You might become strong enough to not worry about those who pursue you anymore. It's not a bad deal for you, isn't it?"
"But I will be someone's lapdog. Ready anytime at her beck and call," Oswald said, and then added, "Even if I'm willing, I don't have a binding stone."
When Jack showed a puzzled expression, Peniel explained to him, "A binding stone is what a native uses to bind their pledge. This stone will then become a companion token."
"Don't worry about that, I have one," Grace said. She took out a tiny stone with the shape of a coin and threw it to Oswald who caught the stone. Oswald looked at it with a complicated expression.
"If you are not interested in being a lapdog, I can't always relieve you from your misery of living a fugitive life," Jack said.
"All right, all right! There is no need to push me like that. It's not like I get a choice, to begin with," Oswald grumbled.
Oswald unsheathed his dagger. Jack was alarmed for a moment, but then he saw Oswald cut his own hand and put the stone coin on his cut hand. He then uttered some unknown incantation. Runic symbols appeared around him. These runes then became smaller and swirled around the coin before submerging into them. The coin shone and changed shape. When the glow ended, what was now in Oswald's hand was a companion token.
Oswald flipped the companion token back to Grace, who also caught it deftly. The runic symbols appeared again when the token touched Grace's hand. She used her other hand to touch the center of the symbols' formation. The symbol appeared as if entering Grace's hand once she did.
"The contract is done, I'm your companion now," Oswald said and stood up.
Grace cast a healing spell on his new companion, bringing his critical HP up.
"You are free to do as you like, but I suggest you work hard to hunt monsters for leveling up. I will call you when needed," Grace said.
"Where are you all going?" Oswald asked.
"We are going to the Lost Forest," Grace answered.
"You people have a death wish or something?" Oswald asked. "In that case, I will tag along."
When Oswald saw their expressions, he said, "I just got the benefit of fast leveling. It will be a waste if I lost it so soon after. If you all are determined to enter that cursed forest, I might as well be there full time to help."
"You are just bored of being alone all this time, aren't you?" Jack asked.
"Well…, there is that as well," Oswald answered truthfully.
