Chapter 131: Less of a Threat than a Mosquito
The streets were growing darker. Not that it was much of a surprise being night and all, but the trail was clearly leading out of the seedier parts of the city and going towards some of the more affluent location.
While Jonas had advised them to stay in the inn, Kim wasn't going to let him take all the risks by himself. She was confident that he'd already realized that she was tailing him, but didn't care if he hadn't. She wasn't sure why he was following this group but didn't really care either. She was going under the assumption that Jonas had noticed something about them that had caught his interest.
Not that she cared what that 'something' was. She'd rather still be in bed with Elin, and was pretty sure Elin was under the impression that she herself was still there, but even if Elin had woken up and realized that she'd left, she wasn't too worried. She was sure Elin would assume she had her reasons and would be back.
However, as she continued following Jonas, she couldn't help but feel like something was off about where they were heading. Not that she wouldn't be surprised if some wealthy merchant or lord or lady were involved with the assassination attempt that had yet to occur, but more that she was getting an uneasy feeling like they were going to either get themselves discovered or find themselves in over their heads in a battle that they weren't prepared for.
Although, as she thought about it, she wondered if Jonas had planned for such an event, as he still had his Shadow Merge skill that would allow him to run from any circumstance like that, so long as he had a shadow he could essentially melt into. Only, Kim wouldn't be able to do something like that, which meant that she might be in more trouble than Jonas if something like that happened.
Not that it deterred her. She'd tested security systems for long enough that she was confident she'd be able to run regardless of how trapped her opponent thought she was. Only, here she wasn't familiar with the terrain and buildings, so she was at a disadvantage and she'd always preferred studying those kinds of things before she ever went on a job before. So, this would be a new experience if she had to find her way without knowing what turns would be best for her to take.
She quickly ducked behind a building as she noticed someone else coming by with a lamp. It briefly shot her ability to see in the dark, but hoped they'd pass by quickly. So long as she didn't see the lamp itself, she was sure her vision would return to being able to see in the weak moonlight as well as she had a minute ago. She could only hope that she didn't lose track of Jonas before then.
After the light disappeared, she waited another minute before looking out on the street again. She gritted her teeth as she didn't see Jonas, not that she was really that surprised. She quickly moved down to where she'd last seen him, then started checking streets and alleys to see if she could find any sign of him. If she couldn't find him again, she was sure that she'd have to just head back to the inn and just wait to hear from Jonas.
That wasn't an ideal option, but if she couldn't find him, she wouldn't have much of a choice. Especially with the size of the city. She also didn't know the city's layout well enough to know if an alley would connect to a larger street and act as a shortcut or if it would merely end up as a dead end. There were too many variables that she couldn't be sure of and didn't want to deal with, so she determined if she couldn't find Jonas with in the next few streets, she'd have to accept she'd lost him.