Hitman With A Badass System

1212  Mark of death

As Shar died, her power-up, the blue scaled dragon, dissipated into thin air, leaving a stunned silence on the battlefield. The adventurers, some still caught in the grip of greed and adrenaline, began to process the gravity of what had just happened.

"Holy shit, we just killed Shar!" one adventurer exclaimed, his voice trembling with a mix of shock and realization.

"Damn, she was a follower of Morbus, the god of plagues. Are we screwed now?" another voiced out, fear creeping into his tone.

Yet another, trying to regain focus, said, "What's done is done. We need that key now. Move!"

Cautiously, many adventurers moved towards Elrion, who stood solemnly near Shar's body. The golden layer signifying his power-up slowly faded from his body as he bent down and picked up the key.

"Shit, Elrion's got the key!" one of the adventurers panicked, realizing the implications.

"But it's Elrion, the hero of Aurumvale, and a legend in the realm of gods. Do we really want to cross him?" another hesitated, voicing the dilemma they all faced.

Finally, Elrion examined the golden key in his palm, his eyes narrowing as he read the same words Shar had seen before her death. "Got you, old bones." He read and frowned, noticing that the key was hastily made, lacking the elegance of the real key he had seen in the possession of the young woman who had defeated the ape statue. He didn't know her name, but the image of her was clear in his mind.

"This... this is a fake," Elrion realized aloud, his voice tinged with both surprise and understanding. "We've been duped into killing Shar... not that I regret her demise."

It dawned on him that the orchestration of Shar's death was likely the work of the black-robed young man and the woman. He turned his head towards the direction where he had last seen them, only to find they had vanished.

"We've been played," Elrion said with a heavy sigh. Then, he casually tossed the fake key to the approaching dwarves.

On the other hand, Lysandra gracefully landed beside the dwarves before gazing at the key.

"It's a fake." she calmly stated,

"What do you mean it's a fake?" one of the dwarves asked incredulously.

"They're just trying to fuck with us!" another chimed in angrily.

Ignoring the growing commotion, Lysandra continued, "We've all been manipulated into taking out Shar while those two escaped with the real key."

As the reality of their situation sank in, panic spread among the adventurers. The fact that they had been manipulated into killing Shar for a fake key caused a wave of anger and confusion.

"Damn it, we've been tricked!"

"We killed Shar for nothing but a fake? This is bullshit!"

"Those cunning bastards, they played us like fools!"

The adventurers' frustration was palpable, their voices rising in a cacophony of anger and disbelief. They cursed Michael and Gaya, using a variety of swear words to refer to them.

"That black-robed son of a bitch and his partner got us good!"

"I swear, if I get my hands on those two..."

"They're going to pay for making us their pawns!"

Amidst the chaos, Elrion couldn't suppress a chuckle amidst the chaos, realizing the depth of the trickery they had all fallen for. "Trickery at its finest," he commented, a mix of admiration and annoyance in his tone.

On the other hand, the adventurers, fueled by their anger and sense of betrayal, rallied against Gaya and Michael. "They can't have gotten far! Let's catch those sneaky bastards!" they shouted, ready to pursue.

However, their plans were abruptly halted as Shar's body began to decompose rapidly before their eyes. Green specks of light emerged from her corpse, swirling ominously in the air.

The moment Lysandra saw the scene, she recognized the danger they were in. "Everyone, step back now!" Lysandra quickly ordered.

Looking at the green fumes, Elrion knew the god of plagues had infused Shar's body with his essence to spread chaos, and plague upon his worshipper was killed. Although he felt disgusted at Morbus, he knew the time was of the essence. Hence, he quickly looked at Lysandra and a power-up atop a nearby building. Exchanging quick nods of understanding each other, Elrion grabbed Lysandra's hand and threw her toward the power-up on a broken building. The force of his throw sent her gracefully flying, and she landed neatly atop the structure.

"Don't breathe in the fumes!" Elrion shouted frantically, gesturing for everyone to retreat.

The dwarf who was holding the fake key inhaled the air and immediately grimaced. "What the fuck is this stench?" he cursed. Moments later, his eyes turned a sickly green, and he began coughing up green blood.

"Shit, what's happening to him?" his companions exclaimed in horror.

Finally, Lysandra, now empowered with the ability to use Celestial energy, raised her hand skyward. "Cleansing Gale!" she declared, casting her spell. A large swirling wind formed above Shar's body, beginning to suck in the toxic green fumes.

Meanwhile, several unfortunate adventurers who had inhaled the fumes started showing symptoms similar to the dwarf's. Their skin blistered and bled as they coughed up green blood, their bodies convulsing in agony before they collapsed to the ground.

Elrion, who had held his breath, quickly ushered others away from the area, his expression one of urgency and concern. All the while, Lysandra's spell worked tirelessly, cleansing the air of the deadly fumes, and preventing further contamination.

As Lysandra's spell worked its magic, the green fumes began to dissipate, filtered out of the air. The adventurers who had managed to avoid breathing the toxic air heaved sighs of relief, though their expressions were marred by the grim sight of those who had died in agony.

"Thank god that's over," one of the adventurers said, relief evident in his voice. n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

However, the moment of respite was short-lived. An elven woman, looking at her friend, noticed something alarming. "Your forehead... there's a green glow on it," she said, her voice tinged with fear.

Soon, more adventurers began to notice similar green glows on the people next to them. The atmosphere quickly turned from relief to dread.

Suspecting something, Elrion raised his long sword before his face, using its reflective surface to look at his own forehead. The green glow was there, unmistakable. "We've been marked by Morbus," He sighed deeply.

A wave of shock and fear rippled through the group as the reality of their situation set in.

"Holy shit, we're marked for death!"

"Morbus, the god of plagues? Are we all going to die like this?"

"This can't be happening... Damn, those two for leading us into this!"

The adventurers, overwhelmed by their dire circumstances, instinctively began to pray to their respective deities.

"Zorian, God of the Sun, shine your damn light on us in this dark hour!" one adventurer called out, gazing upwards.

Another dropped to her knees, pleading, "Seshat, I need your guidance more than ever. Don't leave us in this mess."

"Sitting around won't help. We need to keep moving forward." Elrion asserted firmly.

As the adventurers prayed, a tangible mix of hope and desperation filled the air, each clinging to the belief that their gods would save them from the curse of Morbus. However, not everyone shared this sentiment.

A group of dwarves, who didn't align with any gods, expressed their skepticism. "When's the last time a damn god gave a crap about us, eh?" one of them grumbled, his voice tinged with bitterness.

"Yeah, right," another dwarf chimed in, "like the gods have ever lifted a finger to help us before. Bloody useless, the lot of them!"

His friends nodded in agreement, joining in with their own curses. "Those high and mighty gods are probably laughing at us right now!"

Amidst the growing discontent, others began to join the dwarves' sentiments. "If we're going down, we're taking those two conniving bastards with us," a hardened adventurer declared.

"Yeah, to hell with praying! Let's hunt down those two and make them pay!" another added, his words fueling a new resolve among the group.

This shift in mood marked a turn from helpless despair to a vengeful determination. United in their anger, the adventurers began to rally, ready to take matters into their own hands.

Meanwhile, Gaya and Michael were observing the unfolding drama from afar, using a mirror in Michael's hand which relayed live feed from drones hovering above the scene.

"They are pissed as fuck," Gaya chuckled, watching the adventurers' growing agitation.

"Do you see now why I didn't kill Shar myself?" Michael said, his eyes not leaving the mirror.

"Yeah, the last thing we need is the god of plagues as our enemy," Gaya agreed, understanding the bigger picture of their strategy.

"Let's head over there and see what's going to happen next," he suggested as he looked towards the golden house in the distance.

After a few moments, Michael and Gaya walked towards the golden house. In Gaya's hand was the real key, its presence a constant reminder of the chaos they had left behind.

As they passed the nearby buildings, Gaya couldn't help but find them creepy, their shadows casting eerie shapes in the fading light. She glanced back, wondering about the fate of the adventurers they had outmaneuvered. "What do you think will happen to those adventurers?" she asked, a hint of concern in her voice.

"If their gods don't save them, they're as good as dead. Gods like Morbus don't take kindly to losing worshippers," Michael replied with a certain grimness,

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