A rickety old building stood deep in an alley somewhere inside East Prontera. Some signs of the white paint that had been on its walls still showed but most were scraped off or soiled by the dirty environment to a dingy gray. There were multiple cracks on the tiled roof that were merely covered with waxed cloth in case of rain.
For the poorer masses in Prontera this was the most they could afford, treating it as the higher ups treated the better-known inns such as the King's Cavalry. A rusty sign creakily swung in the wind, most of the picture was faded away but the name had been crudely repainted identifying the inn as the "Winning Horse". Fitting for the people who lived in these parts, loosing hope that they'd get the better things in life through hard work so they relied on sheer dumb luck, which was often a cruel mistress.
Jared went in the establishment; there were no more than five roughly dressed men in solitary tables drinking from dirty mugs. The innkeeper had his eyes on Jared since the moment Jared entered the door. He hoarsely called from across the room "Is there anything I can get you sir?" Jared took one look at the dirty glass the innkeeper was wiping with an equally dirty cloth and shook his head.
Jared walked up to the man. "But… I am looking for a certain friend, a certain Mr. Sinel," whispered Jared quietly enough so that only the innkeeper and himself could hear.
The innkeeper looked at him for a moment, as if wondering what a perfectly respectable bard was doing in an inn like his. "Third room upstairs," he answered. Jared thanked him with a nod of his head and pushed twenty zeny across the counter, which the innkeeper took much to earnestly for Jared's liking.
The boards creaked noisily as Jared walked through the upper floor towards the third door. He knocked three times on the door and somebody inside opened it only far enough to show half his face. The man was Shaga.
"You're late Jared," said the assassin in a frustrated tone and still refusing to open the door fully.
"I'm sorry, Shaga. I ran into some…um…trouble on the way." Began Jared leaning on the door " Somebody followed me."
Shaga opened the door and looked around the hallway for a sign of anybody eavesdropping on them. It was a good minute or so till he was satisfied. "So I take it you lost him right?" asked Shaga.
Jared gave a little chuckle and patted the assassin on the back. "Shaga, do you really think I'd go here if I wasn't sure he wasn't following me anymore."
Shaga studied him looking for anything out of the ordinary before he answered. "I guess not. Come, this matter is not safe to discuss in hallways." "Shaga stepped aside and let Jared enter. He took one look at the empty hallway before he closed the door behind them.
Jared took a chair while Shaga looked out the window and searched again. "Do you know who was following you?" asked Shaga not taking his eyes away from the window.
"He was an assassin, and got very close to me before I noticed him" said Jared, "he never left his cloaking so I didn't manage to identify who he was."
"Do you suspect he was from Malacca," asked Shaga finally turning to face Jared. His eyes were serious and boring into Jared's skull for answers.
Jared placed his hand on his chin and thought. It could have been. He was indeed taking longer than usual with this particular sabotage mission. He knew that he was on the good side of the entire guild. Even cold Lucia had taken a certain shine on him, which meant she didn't shove him when they crossed paths in the guildhalls. But still, the longer it took the higher the risks that he would be found out. Jared ran his hand through his hair and tried to think of what to do.
"You're taking much to long with this mission," said Shaga as if he was reading Jared's mind. "What's keeping you? Don't tell me the great master saboteur has lost his touch." Shaga gave a chuckle of morbid amusement.
"Don't dream to early Shaga," replied Jared beginning to get irritated "It's just that I had underestimated Persha in the beginning. Getting to her is as hard as catching smoke with your bare hands." The lie rolled off Jared's tongue perfectly. He met Shaga eye to eye to make more convincing and he waited for the assassin to speak back with some droll remark.
Indeed Shaga gave another morbid chuckle and this time pounding his fist on the window ledge once. "I distinctly remember you saying that you'd…what was that? Play her like your mandolin, was it? My dear master saboteur it seems like you're the one being played, that dancer girl has got you dancing with her hasn't she?"
Shaga's words managed to penetrate through Jared's shield of coolness. Jared did remember him saying that he would play Persha like his mandolin and his own words hurt him. He couldn't bear to have himself hurt Persha; it would be like tearing his own heart from his chest, no worse.
"Don't be idiotic Shaga, a woman wouldn't be able to break my defenses. Years of training have numbed my emotions," again the lie just rolled off "Tell lord Ituralde that I don't know when I will be able to complete this mission. This meeting is over, I'm going back."
Jared stood up and headed for the door and just when he was about to turn the latch Shaga spoke from behind him. "That message is virtually impossible for me to relay to lord Ituralde," he said
"Why not?" asked Jared coldly,
Shaga chuckled a third time and it was really getting to Jared. That laugh that seemed to tell everybody that Shaga enjoyed seeing others in pain. If Jared was a man of weak will a fight would have broken between both of them right now.
"Lord Reginald has been getting very impatient, impatient being an understatement. He has already killed three serving men this month out of frustration over you taking too long in sabotaging Malacca. He gave you until the end of the month, Suldam is already preparing for war first light on guild wars we attack already."
Jared was clutching the door latch so tightly from anger that his knuckles were turning white. He was using all his energy to keep from taking his anger out on the assassin.
"End of the month Jared, do you understand," said Shaga
Jared turned the knob and stepper out of the door "Yes," he said icily before he slammed it shut behind him.