Tales of Xalthia

Chapter 34: Assassination

Time sets back to when Tsuki and the others decided to call it a night and get some rest. It was an average night as nothing particularly abnormal was happening. That is, until it was around midnight. In the near empty streets outside of Phi's place, the only people that are usually out this late are local guards and knights patrolling the area. Most, if not all of the citizens were sleeping. However, three tall hooded figures approached one of the businesses around the corner from Phi's place. The three of them were walking in a triangle formation with a small girl in the center. It was the same girl Tsuki and the others had run into at the town entrance. Except this time, she has a metal collar around her neck attached to a heavy chain which was being held by one of the tall figures. The girl's eyes were almost lifeless with her head hung low. As they approached the building, another figure dressed in black clothing stood on top of one of the buildings, watching them from one of the tall roofs as they entered.

The figure dressed in black had two short swords attached to the back of his waist. There wasn't much visible skin aside from the areas around his eyes which had a very distinct and vibrant violet color to them. Their face was almost completely covered in cloth. Once the figures and the girl stepped into the building and closed the door behind them, a lone security guard stood outside by the door. The figure watched the guard and came to the conclusion he wasn't going to move anytime soon. After several minutes passed, the black figure used the cover of darkness to jump from rooftop to rooftop until he was on the roof of the building they entered with extreme stealth and seemingly perfect stealth. The figure watched the guard some more and when he had his back turned briefly, the figure drew one of the short shorts and jumped off the roof, landing behind the guard. In one swift motion, the figure threw his left arm around him, covering his mouth before swinging his other arm around that was holding the short sword, stabbing it through his chest. The guard's groan was muffled by his hand. He tried to kick and scream but soon fell silent as his body went completely limp. The figure took out the short sword and hid the body so that no guards passing by outside would notice. He then wiped the blood off his blade by using the clothing of the death guard to wipe the blood off before sheathing it once more. The figure then approached the door and peered inside it carefully. They scanned the inside and saw that there was no one around so they entered the building, closing the door behind them.

Inside appeared to be your average place of business. They had various items around shelves, a shop counter, register and just about anything else a shop would have to be able to do business. However, there was a door behind the counter that appeared to have a heavy duty lock to it. Unfortunately, it was locked but that didn't stop the assassin. He grabbed onto one of his short swords once more and in one swift stroke, he drew the sword with incredible, blinding speed. He had sliced the lock clean off before sheathing it again. He then grabbed the lock before it could hit the ground and placed it on the ground gently before entering through the door. On the other side of the door was a series of steps that led down into darkness. It was like the steps led to the depths of hell. The figure followed the steps down, carefully being aware of his surroundings. Eventually, he made it down to the bottom where the steps led down to a medium-sized chamber with tables, chairs and a fireplace. He appeared to be in some sort of underground dungeon with several connecting tunnels to it. The assassin used the cover of darkness to conceal himself as he looked around the chamber. There were three tunnels that went into different directions with five people in black cloaks. Among the cloaked people, there were three Demi-humans in tattered, loose and dirty clothing serving them as if they were maids and butlers. They all had the same metal collar on as the young girl did. Taking down all five at once would be an easy task for him but he had to get the Demi-humans away from their oppressors. He then reached behind him, taking off what appeared to be a bomb of sorts. He pulled the pin and tossed it towards the center of the chamber. The sudden sound of something falling on the ground alerted the cloaked people until the room was suddenly completely enveloped in smoke. The assassin then rushed out from the darkness, grabbing onto the Demi-humans through the smoke and pulled them away from the cloaked people, putting distance between them. After being enveloped by smoke for about 40 seconds, the smoke disappeared. Once the smoke had disappeared, the cloaked people noticed that the Demi-humans were on the far side of the room near the stairs that led up towards the exit and standing in front of them was the assassin with both his short swords drawn.

One of the cloaked figures gave the assassin an evil glare, drawing his sword and pointing it at him. "Who the hell are you!?" he shouted. He waved his sword around angrily.

The assassin examined the cloaked figures, seeing that they were all on edge before looking back at the Demi-humans behind him who appeared to also be fearful of him. He then turned his gaze back towards the cloaked figures. "So, this is where the slave trade operation is being conducted. Right under the public's noses too" he said in a somewhat muffled tone due to the cloth over his mouth.

One of the scrawny-looking cloaked figures who already had a dagger in his hands was just about ready to lunge at the assassin. "What's it to you!? Are you from Esseand? Or are you a sympathizer for Demi-humans?" he asked. Before even giving him the chance to answer, he rushed towards the assassin, thrusting the dagger forward in a quick but sloppy stabbing motion.

The assassin made a swift and seamless motion to the side, dodging the attack. He then slammed his elbow against his hand, making him drop the dagger before drawing one of his short swords and plunged it into his chest before leaning in closer to him. "You shouldn't be too hasty to find out your answers. What you may find may kill you, after all" he whispered into his ear. He then took the sword out from him and kicked him back with force. The cloaked figure was dead before he hit the ground. He then looked up at the remaining four figures. "Since your late comrade seemed so eager, I'll answer his final questions for you. I'm your worst enemy. I affiliate with no one. Your slave trade operation here ends here tonight" he said. His eyes had an extreme cold and violent nature in them.

The remaining four hesitated at first but then all charged at the assassin at once. The confrontation, however, was over in a flash. The assassin drew his other short sword, bent down, taking a stance the the blades help out in front of him in the shape of an X. Then, in an instant, he shot forward with seemingly god-like speed, suddenly appearing out of nowhere behind the group. The group fell silent and froze in place for a moment. As the assassin swung the short swords to get the blood off of the blades and sheathed them afterwards, a rush of blood shot out from the four figures as they fell to the ground. Just like the previous figure, they were dead before they hit the ground. What had happened was that the assassin delivered swift, precise attacks to each individual. The attacks happened so fast that they couldn't have been seen.

He then stood back up, faced the three Demi-humans and approached him, giving them a slight wave. The cold and violent nature in his eye disappearing. "Don't be afraid. I'm not here to bring any of you harm. I've come to set you free from this life of servitude" he said.

One of the Demi-humans, who had ears and tail of a dog and appeared the be around in his thirties, cautiously gave him a cautious look. "W-who are you? Who sent you here?" the older male said.

The assassin shook his head as he slowly approached them. "I'm just a shadow. No one sent me" He then stopped once he was within arm's reach of them. The two other Demi-humans, who appeared to be around eighteen and twenty years old, were both females with ears and tails of a cat were hiding behind the older male. He then took a stance, grabbing onto one of his short swords once more. "Don't move" he said. In a swift motion, he drew the short sword with incredible speed, slicing the metal collars off of their necks just like what he did with the heavy duty lock. Afterwards, he sheathed his sword.

The Demi-human who appeared to be eighteen years old, tensed up when the assassin sliced the collar off of her neck. Once she felt it slide off, she put her hand up to her neck."T-The collar!" she said.

The other Demi-human, who appeared to be twenty years old felt around her neck and couldn't feel the collar at all. She then turned to face the younger girl, grabbing hold of her hands and giving her a smile as tears of happiness streamed down her face. "They're gone! We're free, sis!" she said, nearly jumping with joy.

The older male also felt around his neck and felt no signs of a collar binding him. He couldn't help but give the assassin another, more relaxed and calm look. "I'm sure you have your reasons for not revealing your identity but one thing's for sure. You're not in league with Sirione or their slave trade operation. Regardless, I thank you for freeing us" he said, bowing to him.

The two females also bowed to him with the youngest first speaking out. "Thank you very much. I won't ever forget this" she said.

The assassin shook his head at the young female. "Think nothing of it" he said. He then looked at the older male. "Where are the rest of the Demi-humans being held at?" he asked.

The male pointed towards the path that went off towards the west. "The cells where everyone's being kept are down there. As far as I'm aware, there should be no one down the other two tunnels" he said.

The assassin looked down in the direction where the male pointed and nodded. "Alright. I'll take things from here. You folks should get out of here while you can" he said. He then pointed towards the stairwell that led up towards where he came from. "I've already dealt with the guard on-duty so you should be able to make a safe getaway with the cover of darkness" he said.

The male turned around and at the stairwell leading up and nodded. "We'll take your advice. Again, thank you so much for rescuing us. Please pass my wishes along to the others when you find them" he said. He then faced the assassin and bowed at him once more.

With that, the male led the way up the stairwell. The two girls bowed to the assassin once more before following the male up the stairs. Once they ascended up the stairwell and disappeared from view, the assassin turned around and started to make his way down the path leading to the west. It was a long, dimly-lit passage that branched off to different sections and rooms. He couldn't see anything except the darkness off in the distance. Drips of water from the ceiling occurred frequently but not much else sound was made throughout the tunnel. Eventually, the tunnel opened up to a medium-sized chamber with jail cells and individual human-sized cages. The smell in the chamber was putrid. It was one of the most foulest smells he's ever smelled. Accompanied by a foul smell normally found in waste disposal facilities was also the scent of blood. The assassin remained in the cover of darkness as he entered the chamber cautiously and scanned the room. There appeared to be no guards around the chamber so once he made sure the coast was clear, he stepped out of the shadows. As he did, he heard pained groans and violent, raspy coughing coming from the jail cells. The assassin stepped closer to the cells, now completely revealing himself to the dim lighting and saw a group of Demi-humans chained up. Some were chained together, others chained to the wall. They appeared to be mostly adults but there were some in their teens too. There didn't appear to be anyone else around the same age group as the young girl he previously saw before entering the building. His sudden appearance and dark, strange clothing made the Demi-humans extremely weary of him and kept to themselves. They didn't interact with him or anything. That is, until a much older male sitting up against the bars spoke up.

The Demi-human's fox ears twitched as he turned around to face the assassin, slowly standing up due to how physically weak he was. The male appeared to be much older than the one from the other chamber. He looked like he was in his late fifties. "W-who's there?" he asked in an old, raspy tone. He couldn't see very well to begin with and due to the dimly lit chamber and the fact that the assassin almost perfectly blended into the darkness, it took him a moment to notice the assassin but that's only due to the small amount of skin around his eyes showing.

The assassin looked at the old man who appeared to be extremely thin. It's like he hasn't ate anything in a good while. Almost as if the slave traders were starving them. One thing he did pick up on right away though was the fox years and tail he had which resembled the young girl that was escorted into the building by a chain. "A shadow" he said.

The old man took several sniffs of the air around the assassin. After several moments, a sense of relief and hope came over him. "You smell different than the slave traders. You're not one of them, are you?" he asked.

The assassin gave him a silent shake of his head. "The slave trade here is a problem that needs to be dealt with. It's been going on for too long so I'm putting an end to it since the Esseand government can't intervene" he said. He then faced the lock that was binding the jail cell, grabbed onto one of his short swords and, just like with the previous sets of locks and collars, he sliced it in half. He grabbed onto the lock, setting it down on the ground and opened the cell door. The commotion then drew the attention of the other Demi-humans. "Rest assured, I'm not your enemy. I'm setting you all free. I need everyone to remain absolutely still and keep quiet" he said.

The assassin then stepped into the cell and approached the shackles and chains that were bound to the Demi-humans. There were different kinds of bindings. Ankle shackles, shackles that bound their hands to the wall, metal collars like before and shackles that connected to each Demi-human to further prevent any possible escape. Like before, he sliced through every shackle and collar with ease, freeing them from what bound them.

The assassin then left the cells and pointed down the hallway where he came from. "The exit is down there. Once you get to the other chamber with bodies on the ground, there will be a stairwell leading up. Once you're out, get as far away from here as possible using the cover of night" he said.

The old man tilted his head when he mentioned something about bodies on the ground which made him think about the three Demi-humans that should of been around that area. "Were there three of us there too? There was an older male and two girls" he said.

The assassin looked at him and nodded. "Yes. I've already freed them and watched them leave. I already dealt with the guards in that area so you should be able to get away safely" he said.

The old man sighed with relief, knowing that three of his own kind had already been freed safely. "I see. However, I think there's still going to be a problem. Around this time is when they change out the guards around these tunnels. If they reach that chamber and find that their comrades are dead and find us trying to make our escape, we'll all surely be put to the sword" he said. This caused some worry and distress among him and the rest of the Demi-humans.

The assassin fell into thought for a moment. As he thought back, there were two other tunnels leading into different directions that lead to who knows where or who. The fact that he's also been met with fairly low numbers of guards and slave traders also makes him feel a bit uneasy. This was a very big operation that's been going on after all so the level of guards should be much higher. He then soon nodded and made several quick hand signs. Moments later, a clone of the assassin appeared next to him. "He'll safely escort you all out of here just in case you are met with any type of resistance" he said. He then turned to his clone. "See to it that these people get out of here safely. Eliminate any slave trader that gets in the way. Be quick about it" he said. Cloning was a very tricky and, at times, risky ability that's unique to people like him. He's able to make up to two solid clones of himself, giving them a portion of his energy. However, the more clones he has out, the less energy he himself will have. Not only that but cloning gradually saps away his energy so the longer they're out, the more at risk the main body of the assassin will be at risk. If the caster of the cloning were to die, then any clone of themselves will subsequently disappear.

The clone nodded."Leave it to me" the clone said. He then faced in the direction of the tunnel that led towards the exit. "Let's get a move on. Time is of the essence here" he said.

Before the clone could start escorting them out to safety, the old man raised his hand slowly and faced the assassin. "Please wait a moment. There's still one of us further in. A young fox girl around the age of eight was taken to where we're sold off to. I beg of you, please do everything you can to save her" he said. He then pointed down towards the tunnel on the opposite end of the jail cells that led even further into the shroud of darkness.

The assassin looked at the crowd of people and realized that the girl he previously saw was, in fact, not present. He couldn't leave the girl to her fate, whatever that may be. A fate that wouldn't be good for her, no doubt. "I'll take care of her. Don't worry, just make sure you all escape" he said. He then looked at the clone and gave him a nod.

The old man bowed to him slowly. "Thank you. I hope we get to meet again. We have to repay you for what you've done for us. Please be safe and good luck" he said.

With nothing else needing to be said, the clone started to escort the Demi-humans down the hall from where the assassin came from. The assassin stayed in place and watched them as they all soon disappeared into the darkness of the tunnels. As the clone walked away, he could feel his energy gradually draining which means he was short on time. Once they were gone, he picked up the pace and headed down the tunnel that the old man pointed out to. Thankfully, compared to the previous network of tunnels, this one was a straight path and was much shorter. As he walked, he could feel the path start to go upwards at a steady rate. He then soon eventually came to an opening on the far end of the tunnel. Beyond the opening was a large, two-story room. It appeared that the tunnel had connected to what appeared to be an auction house of sorts. There were several benches where numerous people were sitting on the first floor, guards armed with bow and arrows stationed around the second floor balconies, looking down at the auction taking place and other armed guards with swords scattered around the first floor. The building was packed full of people and at the far end of the building was a stage where an auctioneer stood with two other guards. Standing in- between the two guards was the young girl he had been looking for. She still had the collar around her neck with the chain being held by the guard standing to her right. The assassin could hear people making very high bids for the girl. Bids that exceeded twenty thousand Gald and still kept climbing with appeared to be no end.

This posed a very big problem for the assassin. The tunnel connected to the second floor rather than the first which would of made things a lot easier. Not only was the room crowded with people making bids for the young girl and several armed guards scattered around the place on both levels, the room was completely lit up. There was no speck of darkness to be found. Which means, he can't rely on stealth to take down the guards and free the girl. Even if he could take the guards out on the first floor, the archers on the second would easily see him and if he tried to take the archers out, the guards on the first floor would see him. He wasn't going to have a choice. He was going to have to reveal himself. Before, it wasn't a problem because there were only five guards and he was able to take them out before they could alert any other guards. There was no one else around them besides the three Demi-humans that he had freed. This time though, there were civilians mixed in with armed guards. He was not going to be able to act or leave without being seen. As he contemplated what very little options he had, he heard a loud voice come out from the crowd below.

The muscled auctioneer clapped his hands together as the commotion from the crowd making bids slowly came to a stop. "Alright, the bids are in! This young fox girl will do just about anything you tell her to without a fuss! Have her make you food, do your laundry, clean your house, do your shopping or have her do all those tedious and strenuous chores you hate doing yourself! Heck, you can even use her as a tool to vent out your frustrations! So, who will be the lucky person to take home this obedient fox girl!? Just remember, used goods aren't returnable!" he shouted. He was then handed a slip of paper and read it for a moment. With a nod and grin on his face, he then looked back up at the crowd, holding out his arm towards the young girl, who hasn't moved an inch. "And the lucky winner is...!" the man shouted.

The time to act was now or never. The assassin couldn't afford to wait any longer. He then pulled out the rest of his smoke bombs, pulled their pins and tossed them all into the room. Within seconds, the room was completely filled with a very dense, thick smoke. It was nothing like first chamber. A normal person was almost completely blinded by the smoke, rendering their vision useless unless something was right in front of their faces. He used the sudden commotion of the crowd and coughing to mask his movements as he rushed into the room and ran along the upper balcony where the archers stood on guard and alert. Unfortunately for them, smoke used as cover and ranged attacks don't mix well together. The assassin used the confusion to quickly strike down the archers, putting his hand over the mouths to muffle their pained groans and screams. Once he made a full circle around the upper balcony, making sure that the archers were dead, he jumped down onto the second floor and carefully made his way over to the other armed guards that were scattered around and alert. Thanks to the commotion and panic of the crowd, it appeared that no one caught onto the guards being killed.

The auctioneer coughed violently as he tried to make sense of what was going on as the smoke had appeared out of nowhere and due to his loud voice, he didn't hear the clatter of the smoke bombs hitting and rolling against the ground. "What's going on!? What's the meaning of this!?" he shouted.

Still hidden within the smoke, the assassin stood in the center of the room, surrounded by a confused and panicked crowd with his short swords still drawn. "I seem to have forgotten to place my bid. How about I take the girl for free with your blood as payment?" he asked in a very cold tone.

The auctioneer was immediately put on alert as he drew a pair of swords, looking around through the smoke. "What!? Who do you think you are!?" he shouted.

The smoke then soon started to clear up around the room. As the smoke disappeared, the silhouette of the assassin started to form through the smoke and soon he was completely revealed to the auctioneer, the two guards standing on the stage next to the young girl and the crowd of people around him. This sent further panic through the crowd as they all tried to rush out of a separate exit. Seeing the auction disrupted also angered the auctioneer.

A vein could be seen popping out of the auctioneer's forehead as anger consumed the entirety of his face as it turned red with rage. "You little punk! How dare you disrupt this auction! Do you have any idea who you're dealing with!? You'll pay dearly for this! Guards, kill this intruder!" he shouted, waving his swords around.

There was silence. No movement or attack was made by the guards. Unfortunately, the auctioneer didn't realize that his armed guards had already been taken out. The assassin continued to give him a cold, death-like stare as he slowly approached the stage. "I'm afraid they won't hear your commands. I already made sure of that little obstacle" he said. He then gestured the man to look around the room.

The auctioneer looked around the room and saw the bodies of his archers and swordsmen laid dead on the ground. This only angered the man even more. "You little...!" he said. He then looked to the guards standing next to him. "What am I paying you for!? Kill him! I want his head!" he ordered.

The two men nodded and quickly charged at the assassin, drawing their swords. Unfortunately, they were both far outmatched. Once they were within arm's reach of him, it was as if time came to a crawl around the assassin as time slowed. After several slow moments, the guards froze in place as the assassin walked past them. After he did, blood erupted from their chests and fell to the ground, the blades on their swords being sliced in half. To the normal eye, it was like an invisible force had attacked them. In reality, the assassin used his god-like speed to deliver two swift slashes with his short swords. One slash to cut the blades and the other to cut the guards. Once the assassin reached the stage, he stopped and stared up at the auctioneer and young girl.

The young girl, who had been silent and motionless the whole time, appeared to have return to reality with a bit light returning to her eyes as she looked around the room and seeing what has happened. She's been hearing and listening in on what's been happening so she was fully aware of the situation. Her eyes then met up with the assassin and was initially afraid of him but once she sniffed the air around him, her tension and nerves calmed down almost instantly as the fear in her eyes vanished as a sense of calmness took its place. "You..." she whispered softly.

The auctioneer quickly grabbed onto the chain that was attached to the girl's neck and yanked on it hard, forcefully pulling her back towards him as he slowly backed up off and away from the stage towards the back corner of the room where another tunnel was. "I don't know who you are or who sent you here but I'll get you back for this!" he shouted. He then turned around and tried to make his escape through the tunnel, dragging the girl behind him. Unfortunately, his path was soon blocked by the assassin's clone from before who had appeared in a puff of smoke.

The assassin slowly approached the auctioneer once more, cutting off any other means of escape for him. "Escape is futile. You have nowhere else to run and the Demi-humans you've enslaved have already been set free and scattered across the wind. Your little slavery operation here is over. All there is left to do is to clean up the mess" he said.

The auctioneer's anger and rage broke past the boiling point when he was told that the Demi-humans were freed. He then faced the assassin once more with a blazing fire in his eyes. "You bastard!" he shouted. He then took one of his swords and pointed the blade to the young girl. "If we can't have her, then nobody will!" he shouted.

Before the auctioneer was able to do anything else, the assassin quickly threw a kunai at him with blinding speed and struck him in his right shoulder that was holding onto the sword, forcing him to drop it as he staggered back in pain. Then, the clone grabbed onto the man's left arm and, effortlessly and with no hesitation, broke it which caused him to release the chain as he screamed out in agonizing pain. The clone then picked up the girl in his arms and leaped forward to the assassin, setting her onto the ground gently.

The auctioneer, struggling through the pain, barely had any idea on what has fully happened as it all happened so fast. Before he knew it, his arm was broken and the girl was now by the assassin's side. "H-how did you-?" he started to ask.

Before he could finish, the assassin lunged forward and delivered a swift attack in the shape of an X across his chest. The attack was deep and lethal as a rush of blood shot out. The man groaned in even more pain as he soon fell onto his back and died. Afterwards, there was silence. The assassin then used a clean part of the auctioneer's shirt to wipe the blood off the blades. He then looked back at the clone and gave him a nod. The clone nodded back and disappeared in a puff of smoke, the remaining energy of the assassin. He then approached the girl once more. "Hold still" he said. He then sliced the collar off from around her neck, releasing her from it and the chain before sheathing his swords.

Despite everything that just happened since returning to her senses and hearing everything that went on, the young girl didn't even flinch at all. She took another sniff of the assassin before looking up at him, her fox ears twitching a bit. He definitely didn't have the scent of a slave trader and his actions just now clearly proved that. What she did smell was a familiar scent she's smelled before which made her feel at ease. "Thank you...um..." she said.

The assassin then patted the top of her head gently and knelt down to her so he was eye level with her. Unlike his previous interactions, his demeanor was more gentle and calm since he was talking to an eight year old girl. "Let's get you of here. How does that sound?" he asked. As he said that, he felt something change inside of him. His energy was running very low and they still weren't exactly safe yet.

The girl gave him a quick nod, putting a small smile on her face. "Sure. That sounds good" she said.

The assassin then gestured for her to climb onto his back. "Hop on and hold on tight because I'll be running very fast" he said. Running low on time and energy, he would have to use the rest of his energy and put it into his speed if he wanted to get back to where he initially entered the tunnel system quickly.

The girl tilted her head a bit before climbing onto his back. She then wrapped her arms around his neck and held onto him tightly. Being so close to him now than before, his scent became even more apparent and familiar to her. This caused her to rest up against his back.

Once the girl girl had climbed onto his back, he supported her weight by supporting her legs as he carried her on piggyback. He then jumped up to the second floor and faced the tunnel he came from. Then, with his god-like speed, he darted down into the tunnel, not stopping for anything. Since his cover was now surely blown due to the commotion of the auction house, he was no longer concerned about being quiet and stealthy. It only took him minutes to reach the initial chamber where he had freed the three Demi-humans. However, he was met with additional armed slave traders and guards that came from the other tunnels who had caught wind of what happened. They numbered to be about fifteen.

One of the more aggressive and muscle-toned guards wielding an axe slammed the blade portion against the ground, glaring at the assassin who was holding their enslaved fox girl on his back. "And just where do you think you're going with our property? You're going to pay for freeing our slaves and killing our comrades" he said.

The assassin, already feeling extremely worn out from having put most of his remaining energy into his speed, was getting a bit reckless. There was only one exit and the group of guards and slave traders were blocking is exit. He couldn't afford to set the girl down so he took his arms away from her legs so he could draw his short swords. "I grow tired of this. Don't worry, I won't let them take you again" he said.

The girl nodded, wrapping her legs around his waist and held on tight. "I believe you. Just be careful" she said.

The assassin then charged at the group with intense speed. Unfortunately, he couldn't fully take advantage of his god-like speed due to insufficient energy but his speed was still enough to make most of his attacks appear visible to the naked eye. It was a bit challenging, having to fight a group of people by himself with someone on piggyback and as a result, both of them were scrapped and cut but nothing to severe. Eventually, the group fell and once they did, the assassin continued to make his way up the stairwell. He soon returned to the business building and stepped outside into the cover of night.

The assassin looked around and saw that no one was around. It appeared that the local soldiers didn't catch on to what has happened yet. He then knelt down so that the girl could climb up off him. Everything seemed rather normal until girl mentioned something to him that put him on alert once more.

The girl climbed off his back and sniffed the air once more. For the first time, she could smell freedom and it felt nice to her. However, she soon caught the scent of a group of soldiers approaching from the east from the markets. She then tugged at the assassin's sleeve. "I smell what appears to be soldiers coming our way" she said. She wasn't concerned about them because the smell they were giving off was also familiar to her. It was the smell of the local soldiers that do their nightly patrols of Chesberry.

The assassin looked around and saw flickers of flight and faint commotion from the group off in the distance. He knew now that his time was officially up. He then looked at the girl once more, giving her one last pat on the head before standing up. "It must be Esseand soldiers and the local town guard. Stay here and they'll help you out. You can trust them" he said.

The girl looked at the assassin, tilting her head once more. "What about you?" she asked.

The assassin smiled at her but unfortunately, it couldn't be seen due to the cloth over his mouth. He did chuckle a bit though. "I'm a shadow of the night. It's time for me to disappear for now. Don't worry, you'll be safe from here on out" he said. He then jumped up onto the roof of one of the nearby buildings and started jump across several other buildings using the cover of darkness, disappearing into the night.

Moments after the assassin left, a squad of Esseand soldiers and a couple local town guards approached the scene. Two of them immediately took notice of the young girl and went to tend to her while the rest entered the building the girl and assassin came out of. Not wanting to cause a commotion in the middle of the night, the guards and soldiers did what they could to contain the situation and learn what they could before having to report it to their superiors when it became light outside.

To be continued...