Already doing a chapter of this again. I think I'm just going to go back-and-forth between them like this. I update so frequently that it shouldn't leave a very big gap in either story.

Anyway, this is mainly where this story connects to Always Together, but it's not really necessary that you read that before this. For those that haven't, Jin is just another OC of mine. For those that HAVE though, you've probably already noticed that he's a bit...different...from what you might remember.

Chapter 4: Jin the Assassin

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Croc asked, looking skeptically at the bowl of wolf fur in Ox's hooves. The two had rejoined late at night and were heading back to the academy building.

"Of course I'm not sure. I'm not gonna pretend that I know how exactly the Soothsayer's powers work. But I figure it's worth a shot. If she can read the future of the Lang Qun, maybe she can tell us more about what they're planning."

"But...those wolves you got it from are in prison. I don't think they have much of a future."

"I know. It's just...we don't have a lot of options here."

He couldn't argue that.

They walked through the doors of the academy. "Alright, let's send out a message to the Soothsayer and tell her to meet us here," said Ox.

"No need for that."

They froze in the doorway as they saw the goat in question already sitting in the middle of the room, even having her fortune-telling bowl ready. "You're already here? Did you foretell our arrival?"

"No, I got a message from one of the prison guards. They seemed to have an idea of what you were up to."

"Oh..." Ox suddenly felt like an idiot. "Then you already know what we want you to do?"

"Yes, but I can't guarantee anything will come of it."

"That's fine. Just please try."

The Soothsayer nodded and motioned for them to bring their bowl over. She took a peek inside and laughed. "My, you sure went overboard, didn't you?" Ox tried to avoid further humiliation by just tossing the fur in. Just like before, they took a few steps back as the Soothsayer threw the powder in and smoke filled the room. Ox bit his lip and Croc crossed his fingers, both hoping to get something, anything, useful.

For a moment, it seemed like their hopes were dashed as all they saw were the same images of the wolves, which they now knew to be the Lang Qun, followed by the image of Shen's weapon again. The Soothsayer didn't bother to say anything during this, which only confirmed that this was just a recap.

But then something changed. Instead of the final image of Gongmen City in flames, they saw only a single building, looming ominously on a mountainside. "Is that...the fireworks factory?" Croc asked.

"Yes," the Soothsayer answered. "I foresee the Lang Qun coming to this building in the near future."

"Why?"

"Why else? They want Shen's weapons."

Ox clenched his fists. "That's impossible! None of those weapons exist anymore! How could they find them at the factory?"

"Keep watching and find out," she answered.

The image of the factory faded away and was replaced by that of a wolf standing upright and holding what looked like a scroll in a raised paw. "That's Kai Hui," Ox growled. "I'd know that prissy stance of his anywhere. But what's that thing he's holding?"

The Soothsayer gazed deeply into the smoke in concentration. "Hmm...I am not sure, but I know that it is what the Lang Qun seek."

"What? I thought you said they were after the weapons."

"That's it!" Croc pounded his fist into his palm. "Those must be the blueprints for the weapons! If they get those, the Lang Qun will be able to reproduce them!"

"I think you're right," Ox said nervously. "The blueprints must be hidden somewhere in that factory, somewhere that we never found when we destroyed the weapons themselves."

As the final image faded away, the smoke receded once again. The Soothsayer looked up at them with a small smile. "Well, that was better than expected, don't you agree?"

"Yes, very much so. Thank you, Soothsayer."

"How were you able to see all that anyway?" Croc asked. "I thought that you wouldn't be able to read those wolves' futures with them in prison and all."

"My seeing is not limited to a single path. In the same way that I could see multiple paths for Lord Shen based on his decisions, I saw what those wolves would have been a part of had they not been captured. You could say that their pack unity worked against them this time."

Ox was quick to get to his hooves. "Right! We need to get to that factory now!"

Croc was about to agree when he saw a small glint out of the corner of his eye. Focusing his vision, he could see the glint coming from behind a column on the upper level of the academy. It took him only a second to realize what it was, and a second more to realize that he needed to act.

"Look out!" He tackled the Soothsayer to the ground and immediately afterward heard a high-pitched whizzing sound followed by a loud crash.

"Woah! What the heck?!" Ox stepped back a bit as the Soothsayer's fortune-telling bowl suddenly exploded in front of him, a crossbow bolt embedding itself in its remains.

"Awww...and here I thought I might get a bonus for offing the goat too."

Ox and Croc both glared up at where the shot had been fired as a strange individual walked out from behind the column. He was a fox, dressed almost entirely in green except for a white sash around his waist and a pair of brown boots. He leaned casually against the column, one metallic crossbow pointed at the two of them, and another one hanging from his side, along with a small bag that presumably contained more bolts. His muzzle was formed into a psychotic smirk.

Ox huffed. "Great, another nutjob. And who are you supposed to be?"

He gave a mocking bow. "Jin the Assassin, at yer service." He paused mid-bow. "Well, technically the Lang Qun's service, but ya get the picture."

"An assassin? Sounds like Hui really doesn't want us getting involved."

"Something like that." Jin eyed the two of them back and forth, looking much like a predator cornering his prey. "And now that you've learned that bit of knowledge, I'm definitely gonna have to put ya down. But first..." His crossbow moved and pointed at the Soothsayer again, now lying on the floor. "...I really want that bonus." He fired.

Croc moved once again to protect her. In her prone position, he couldn't very well push her out of the way this time, so instead, he whirled around and crouched over the goat as the bolt neared. It bounced harmlessly off his impenetrable hide and fell to the floor. It felt like a small tickle to him.

Ox wished that he could get a painting of the look on Jin's face right now. "...Well, crap." He turned and ran out the door.

"Hey!" Ox leapt up onto the upper level and gave chase, followed closely by Croc.

No way in hell was he getting away that easily.

Ox and Croc charged out of the building into the open street. They looked around warily, but couldn't see Jin anywhere.

"Up here!"

They looked up onto a curved rooftop across the street. Jin the Assassin stood on top of it, illuminated by a full moon. "It's been a long, long time since I've had a real challenge." He snatched the other crossbow from his waist and pointed both of them at the two masters. "Come and get me!"

They obliged, jumping up after him. Still having higher ground due to the curved roof, Jin fired both crossbows at once. Croc again spun around quickly to deflect the bolt with his hide, while Ox used his horns instead. They both reached Jin at about the same time and attacked him from opposite sides. Jin repositioned his crossbows and used them as makeshift shields, blocking both Ox's fist and Croc's foot.

"Heh heh heh. Yer gonna have to do better than that." Jin broke both blocks at once and spun around, bashing Ox in the face with one of his crossbows and kicking Croc in the chest. He then attempted to shoot Ox at point blank, but the bovine recovered quickly enough to lean back and let the bolt pass over his head. Croc came back in and swung his tail at Jin. Unexpectedly, the fox dropped his other crossbow, grabbed onto Croc's tail, and swung him around into Ox as he tried to stand back up. The two skidded to the edge of the roof before they managed to stop themselves.

"Come on, is that all ya got?!" Jin kicked the other crossbow back up into his paw and fired a bolt straight up into the air for no apparent reason.

"This guy's completely insane," Ox groaned, getting back up.

"Yes, but that also makes him unpredictable. Can you find his weakness?"

"I'll try." Ox stared intently at Jin, his world going into slow-mo as he analyzed him for weaknesses. His vision went to his sash, then one of his crossbow-wielding paws, then the tip of his tail, and finally centered on his muzzle. "He has a glass jaw. One good punch right in that creepy smirk should lay him out."

"I don't suppose you have a plan on how we should do that?"

"Sure I do. I'll distract him, while you get up there and nail him in the face."

"Not exactly the most creative plan, but I'm game."

Ox and Croc rushed the assassin again, this time putting their plan into effect. "Hey fox boy, over here!" Ox, being the bigger, slower, and louder target, had little trouble getting Jin to focus on him. While it wasn't really possible to rapid-fire a crossbow, Jin was reloading and firing at such a rate that he might as well have been. Ox wasn't fast enough to avoid most of the shots, but he was perfectly capable of just standing there and deflecting each of them while continuing his taunts. Meanwhile, Croc was slowly sneaking up on the assassin from behind.

Unfortunately for them, Jin was smarter than he looked and they didn't notice as he loaded a very specific bolt into his crossbow. As that bolt was fired at Master Ox, he raised his hoof to deflect it, seeing too late that there was a small fuse attached to this one. The resulting explosion tore up part of the roof and knocked Ox onto his back. He wasn't hit directly, but his arm and a good part of his chest were covered with burns, which proved immensely painful.

"Ox!" Croc shouted before he could stop himself. Hearing his cry, Jin turned around in an instant and shot a bolt into Croc's gut. He gasped and staggered back from the blow, taking one step too far and falling over the edge.

Seeing his friend's plight, Ox struggled to get back up, but was in too much pain to do it fast enough. He could only stare up helplessly as Jin aimed the crossbow at him next. His smirk looked more deranged than ever. "Ah ha ha ha! So much for a challenge. That was way too easy. But hey, at least you'll make me some good coin."

*SPLASH*

Jin froze as he became aware of the reptile now standing behind him. Before he could react, Croc's tail hit him in the back and he flew forwards, tumbling along the ground. Ox finally got up and intercepted him as he tried to regain his balance, nailing him with a punch straight to his jaw. Jin spun through the air, right over Croc's head, and off the roof.

"How did you do that?" Ox asked.

Croc gave a sly grin. "I landed in a canal. Getting back up here from the water was a piece of cake." On cue, they heard another splash and looked over the edge where Jin had fallen. A large ripple was left behind on the surface of the canal, but the fox was nowhere in sight. "You don't think he's dead, do you?"

"I doubt it. He's probably doggie paddling away somewhere as we speak."

Croc laughed, which turned into a series of coughs as he hunched over. For the first time, Ox saw his wound. The bolt had already fallen out, probably from when Croc swam up through the water, and the gaping hole was leaking blood. "Stay here," Ox commanded, laying Croc on his side and leaping off of the roof. He came back only moments later, carrying some bandages from the academy building. He used the bandages to wrap up Croc's torso, covering the wound. "That will do for now, but we need to get you to a healer."

"No," Croc coughed again. "We have to get to the fireworks factory and find those blueprints. We've already wasted enough time here."

"I'll go to the factory. You stay behind and get some rest."

"If you think I'm letting you take on the Lang Qun alone, you're crazier than that assassin."

"You're in no shape to fight!"

"Neither are you," Croc argued, gesturing to his burn marks. "I could smell your burnt fur from ten li away. Either both of us go, or none of us do."

Ox glared at his partner for several seconds, but he refused to back down. He finally relented. "Alright. But you had better be careful."

"You too."

They both jumped down from the roof and didn't stop for anything else as they headed for the fireworks factory.