Chapter 3

The four men who had played at cards earlier in the afternoon, now made their way quietly up the stairs in the dead of the night. High above outside, the moon had reached its zenith. The leader of the four sported a golden nose-ring, Carran, and was experienced in this kind of work. Just months ago he had performed a similar job at another inn. Granted that inn had been in a backwoods border town, but the mark had had twice as many guards than their current objective and his crew was the same as back then, He glanced behind him down the stairs. Directly behind him were the two brothers Audley and Avery, who currently held crossbows that looked tiny and toy-like in their meaty hands. Audley preferred the shortsword at his waist whilst Avery, who grew his beard long and thick, took joy from using those big fists of his. Past those two, and looking like a rat caught in a granary was Cullen. Scrawny and small, almost tiny when compared to the likes of the brothers above him, Cullen was still one of the meanest knife-fighters Carran had met. Carran would keep his eye on the room across from the mark's, where two of the mercenaries were slept. Meanwhile Cullen would watch all their backs. According to the innkeeper, now dead behind his counter with a slit throat, the other two were bedded further on the other end of the inn.

Good thing too, that man with the nasty scar, the easterner, made chills run down Carran's spine. Like being in the same room with a pit-dog he knew was trained to kill. It was also a good thing that he had three more bravos waiting downstairs in case of trouble. Others he'd worked with over the years, all tough, armed, and experienced at 'night work.' As for the Adhakan and his dog, well he had two men waiting in the woods for a signal from the mark's window.

Everything was set, the men were in place, the mark and his guards should be well in Nocturne's realm, secure in the knowledge they slept along a royal highway. Carran didn't know who had the pull to remove patrols from a royal highway but they paid well and an unsuspecting mark was an easy mark.

Slowly Carran led the three up the stairs and down the hall. Each of Carran's steps was measured and carefully placed. His feet moved ball to heel to slow the descent of his weight upon the wooden planks. He winced at the creak from behind him and turned his head just enough to glare at the two brothers, daring them to make another noise. He trained his ear for any other noise in the hall but was satisfied to hear only silence. The four killers continued down the hall a few more steps before they finally arrived.

To the right of Carran was the merchant's room, with two of the sellswords staying in the room on his left. Carran handed the master-key to Audley before training his own crossbow, cocked, at the door of the bodyguards. He checked to see if everyone was in place. Avery stood next to the mark's door, crossbow cocked and ready to storm in when Audley opened the door with the key, his crossboy also raedy to fire. Cullen stood behind Carran with his knives unsheathed- just in case. Even in the lowight of the half-burned down lamps, Carran could look Audley in the eye before giving a nod to begin. Carran then put all his focus onto the door in front of him, ready to fire at whoever opened it.

He heard the click of the key, the creak of the door… and the twang of the crossbows' release. He knew the bolts had struck true by the thuds from the now open room and the silence that followed. "Check the bodies." Audley, or Avery, grunted in answer and Carran heard the two large men step into the room. Likely they had set their crossbows aside and kept their hands close to the pommels of their shortswords. As the floorboards groaned beneath the massive weight of the brothers, Carran kept his attention trained on the door in front. Some of those sellswords had actually looked dangerous. There was something familiar about the leader, the blond one with the sabers. The same went for the easterner with the scar. But where...

"Carr-!" went Audley's voice from behind, and the mercenary turned his head to look, only to see the big man drop with his throat ripped open and arterial blood pouring forth. Before Carran could turn around he heard the door before him open. He fired the crossbow but a hit to the crossbow threw the shot off. Hands gripped his wrists and pulled a knee to his gut. Winded Carran could do nothing as he was grabbed by the nose-ring right and pulled to quickly met the doorframe. So ended the mercenary career of Carran of Holt.

Finished with the crossbowman, Naruto turned his attention to the rattish man with the knives. The Rat leapt at Naruto, blades striking out with viper-like speed. Naruto evaded with miniscule steps and slight shifts in body mass. Acknowledging the man had some skill with those knives but not nearly as much as the fellow thought he had, Naruto struck out with a small throwing knife he had hidden in his sleeve. The knife struck into the jugular, and it was a few moments before the Rat realized he had been hit. His attacks slowed and he reached with one hand to feel the knife at his neck before dropping to the ground. The whole time Naruto's face carried all the calm stoicism of a cliffside.

The half-elf looked to the room where the client's were supposed to have been to sleeping, to see Zuko stepping out of the dark. The steel claws of his gauntlet were covered in blood and gore. Zuko surveyed Naruto's handiwork in the hall and let out a scoff of disdain, whether for the dead men's lack of skill or Naruto's efforts in dealing with them, the sellsword captain didn't know. Naruto tilted his head down the corridor, listening for any movement. He then motioned for Zuko to follow and stalked towards the stairs, hands slowly sliding his sabers from their sheaths. Even with his half-elven ears Naruto couldn't hear Zuko unsheathing his own blade.

When they reached the rails overlooking the common area, Naruto noticed that the downstairs was at its most crowded since his bands' arrival. There was one man with a shortsword at the foot of the stairs, just leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. Were they not trying to be silent, Zuko would have scoffed again in contempt. Two more men sat around a table near the lit hearth, playing cards in hushed tones.

Naruto looked to Zuko with a broad, toothy grin and even the easterner couldn't hold back a smirk knowing what his leader had planned. Zuko crept towards the stairs whilst Naruto took some steps back from the rails. He'd need a running start after all.

Rucca hated being a standby, especially when he was playing second fiddle to the likes of Audley and Avery, gods even that worm Cullen was higher on the ladder. Nothing was going to go wrong with Carran leading a team of those sorts on the… what the- Rucca's thoughts ended with the sight of a blond haired man crashing down onto the table where Geor and Olf were sitting, breaking the cheap wood. Geor doesn't even have time to fall over in his chair as a silver blur rips up his torso before reaches the ground dead. Olf actually gets up, knocking his chair back, and reaches for a club at his belt but is knocked out by a fast-moving pommel to the chin.

Rucca draws his own short sword and considers whether he should help or run but a length of cold steal up through his side and into his heart spares him from making a decision.

Zuko cleaned the blade on what look to be the least filth-ridden of the would-be assassin's clothes before turning to where Naruto had the knocked out man lain against a wall. The easterner chose not to sheath his weapon as he went over to his leader, noticing the man had sheathed only one of his silverwood sabers and with the free hand was pulling something out of one of many small leather satchels. From a few spans away Zuko could easily smell the salts Naruto now brought down to the unconscious man's nostrils.

With a jolt the fellow woke up, eyes wide, and tried to pull his head away with such force he slammed the back of his head into the wall behind him promptly returning him to unconsciousness. Naruto stared at the again knocked out man, gaze unwavering save for a few blinks, "I think I did that wrong."

Two men skulked their way from the woods towards the rear of the inn and the stable. Upon clearing the treeline they raised their readied crossbows at the entrance of the stable. They'd been warned of the Adhakan and his mongrel but that problem would soon be solved and some extra horses would be available for the traders- One of the men's thoughts was cut off by 140 pounds of canine slamming into his side, massive jaws crushing down on the shoulder. The other man tried to turn his crossbow on the attacking beast but was stopped by a hatchet suddenly burying itself in the front of his skull.

Out of the shadows stepped Kiba, steps careful to not make any noise, and ears trained to detect the slightest stray sound. The Adhakan made way towards where his dog finished crushing the side of the crossbowman's neck. The massive warhound turned from his kill to his master, barely panting from the exertion of a running charge and leap, with a broad and wide grin on his face. "Good boy." Kiba cut off a less bloody swath of a body's clothes to wipe the gore away. When Akamaru was mostly clean, and the hatchet retrieved and cleaned, Kiba made his way into the stable and within the coach. Kiba leaned over to the side of coach and rapped three times on the door panel. "All clear out here."

When a small panel slid open Kiba expected the 'coachman' to respond, he did not expect, "Thank you," the new voice was soft-spoken, yet firm as if beneath the velvet smoothness was a layer of iron, "My man will soon be out to reharness the horses. I suspect your leader will soon have us on the move."

"Yeah… just sit tight while I check on Shino." Kiba didn't bother waiting for a reply before making his way towards the last stall on the right, Akamaru at his heel. The Adhakan Hillman peered around the wooden stall wall before addressing Shino sitting cross-legged inside, "Well… what do your little friends say? There anymore left?" and if his voice held a little bit of longing well who could be blame him, those mercenaries had been barely an effort to deal with.

The brim of the Ahjukan's hat barely tilted upward before, "My familiars report none alive save for those of our party and one prisoner with the captain and Zuko."

Akamaru snorted in what from a human would have sounded like distaste. Kiba absently reached down to scratch the warhound's ears, "I hear you boy, Danny boy could have handled this lot." It was a few moments before Shino responded.

"Perhaps, given time and information and preparation. But the enemy is dead, the client is protected, and all of our party are alive and well." The wide-brimmed hat tilted, "Daniel and the client's bodyguard have exited their room. They are now conversing with the captain."

"Since when do bravos murder innkeepers and try to kill people on a royal highway?" Danny asked whilst checking through the pockets of one of said bravos. There might be something to indicate who had hired the would-be assassins but… nothing. The young man looked to Zuko, who stood up after having checked through another bravo's pockets.

"Nothing," growled the scarred swordsman, "Whoever hired these scum was smart enough to leave nothing to chance." Zuko turned to Naruto who turned to the man quivering and nervously glancing back and forth between the tip of a silverwood saber at his neck and the man holding the saber.

"Please! I don't know a thing. Not even Carran knew. I was there when he agreed to the job, but it was just middle-men he talked to. Please don't kill me! Please!" Oh man, thought Naruto, the guy actually started blubbering. He pulled back and resheathed the saber but before the wretch could utter another word, a swift kick knocked him out for the third time that night. The sellsword captain turned to Daniel, "Check on Shino and Kiba, then bring out some rope… the kind that itches if you can find some." The last part he said with a grin that Daniel returned, followed by a curt nod from a soldier to his superior office.

The bandaged bodyguard, for there was no doubt he was a bodyguard, what with the steady controlled way he walked and the thick flowing clothes meant to cover armor… and the four knives Naruto had spotted hidden here and there and the fellow's person, also moved for the stables, "Hold it!" barked Zuko who then marched up to the bodyguard with casual grace, eyes watching for the slightest tells, "Who has the power and money to set up an assassination on a royal highway, especially barely a day from a city?"

To the bodyguard's credit he turned enough to address Zuko while maintaining a smaller profile, "Are you rethinking your contract already mercenary? Typical sellsword." The arrogance and noble breeding practically dripped with each word. Naruto had served with and against enough knights to know one by the tone alone. They tended to have to the same attitude for sellswords. There was something familiar about that voice but for now…

"Not now Zuko." The captain hadn't failed to notice the flexing of Zuko's clawed gauntlet, a tell that often proceeded violence and mayhem. "Get everyone packed and ready to go. We're not bothering with first light." The easterner growled before turning his head slightly and nodding in acquiescence. He still shot a glare at the bodyguard as he passed into the corridor leading to the stables. The bodyguard waited a few moments before continuing to the stables to check on his master but was stopped when he realized a silverwood saber held against his throat? "If my men die from your client's lack of information," the voice that whispered into the bodyguard's ear sent shivers of primal fear through his blood, "I will cut their shares from your bosses' flesh. Am I clear?"

"Yes Captain Uzumaki." How could he have almost forgotten who and what this man was? This was the man about whom Marcionan mothers whispered about to their children. Be good, stay out of the woods or the Bloody Fox will come for you.

"Alright then." The saber left the bodyguards throat and he could the ominous hiss and click of the blade returning to its sheath. He could almost hear the jovial gin that spoke now, so soon following a bloody promise. "Good talk."

The five mercenaries, warhound, and carriage prepared to set out as the moon neared the end of its nightly voyage, just before the rays of the sun could break across the horizon. Daniel was checking his stirrups when he noticed something, "Umm captain."

"Yeah Danny?" Naruto responded whilst bridling his horse.

"Where did you get that ring?" Naruto checked to see that there was indeed a gold ring over a gloved finger, But where had he… oh…ewww. He quickly tugged the ring off and tossed it off into the lessening dark.

"What ring?" he returned before climbing up into the saddle.