The Final Favor

Nikki is expecting her old Master to take a while in waking up… She just hadn't had any idea how long a while would be. She left him on the mat in the same crumpled position that she had thrown his body into. He had hit the mat so hard, the fact that he was still breathing kind of surprised her, but then again, not really. He was a tough old guy. And defeating him like that really did do a number on her ego. She truly never, ever dreamed of beating Master, of all people, in a battle. It just seemed off limits, like outsmarting your teacher in front of the class. As fun as it was, it held consequences.

And if her master is the same as his clothes suggest, then there will be consequences. She just hopes that that won't include the favor that her life is quite literally depending on. She sighs out of habit. Whenever things were chaotic, and lately that seems to be a lot, Nikki always sighed, mostly to ease the stress and give her something to do.

She looks around at the old stations and glances up at the mat. Master still lies perfectly still. She decides to kill time and get a better look at the 'oh-so-deadly stations'. The closest one to her holds wooden arms that spin forward toward the victim in front of it. It looks like a regular tiki-torch with eyes and the square wooden body, only the mouth is odd. A perfect circle that probably had a pipe that connected to something. Probably poisonous chemicals, she laughs silently thinking about the people who were most likely asked to stand up and demonstrate the station. They probably got 3rd degree burns. Unless…

She crouches down and kicks the arms above her. When they spin, a mist squirts out of the tiki's mouth and sprinkles on her. Nikki grabs her arm where most of the mist landed, and tastes it. No flavor and no burning. She stands up and punches the arms. They flip while the spray falls on her again. And it's just what she figures. Water. Not chemicals, no venom, nothing. Just water.

She frowns at the station. If it was her studio and parents complained like they did to Master, she would crank up the stations to the point of kicking the soul out of the one in training. They would go home and beg their parents to stop complaining. All of their lives would depend on it. Poor Master. He lost creativity in these stations all because of some stupid parents.
At the thought, Nikki looks back at the mat and hears Master groan as he tries to move. She runs and jumps onto the mat landing right by Master's head.

"Well well, sleeping beauty finally awakens." She snickers while leaning closer to his face.

He coughs. "You beat me." He stammers the fact. Maybe he's in shock over the truth in those three little words.

Nikki pulls her mask into place, not daring to smile. That would make her look like an open target again. "It appears I did. And you have a bet to make up, a favor actually."

Master cringes. At least he was in a sitting position, even if it was more like a demented model. Her mask hardens. "What is your favor, young one?"

"You have a sword. A sword made of indestructible metal that not even steel, diamond, or copper, could break. I want it."

Master's face falls the tiniest bit. Nikki chalks it up as false sadness. "I'm terribly sorry but you are too late. Someone already beat you to it. My office was broken into not a few weeks again and the sword that you seek was stolen."

Nikki's anger bubbles. Her life is literally staked to that sword. Black Mamba already had a powerful sword that held histories of kills. The one Nikki is searching for is more history and measurement than any sword in the world. And it's gone. Nikki reaches behind her, grabbing her knife from the back of her pants. She holds it to Master's throat having found the guts to kill the lying scumbag. She knew about his bulletproof vault of weapons. Only he knew the code. "You're lying." She grits her teeth and leans forward, putting more pressure into his throat.

He gasps. "No-I…I promise. The sword is g-gone."

She presses harder, drawing a drop of blood. Master's face pales. "I am not playing games anymore old man. Tell me where the sword is, or you can kiss your miserable life goodbye."

Master laughs. "I wouldn't tell you where it is even if I knew. You are nothing but a dirty, skanky little girl without her parents. You're a low life assassin that will die young. You're suicidal for thinking you can take on the Black Mamba."

Nikki's nostrils flare and without so much as a breath, she slices his throat deep and fast, nearly decapitating him altogether. His blood coats her knife and covers her black shirt. His head lies over his shoulders, revealing the veins and arteries that run along through to the inside of his body. He falls to his side, dead.

She looks at him and falls down on her heels then collapses on her butt. She throws the knife at him again, not aiming. It hits the mat with a thud, like the final beat of her mission. Her mission that she can't even complete anymore.

Nikki puts her head into her hands and cries. Master wasn't lying. He didn't have the sword so where is it?

For a long time, Nikki sits there utterly defeated. She let her mom down, she let herself down, and she let her life down. She had lived her whole life since she was a kid to track down Beatrix and give her the pain that Nikki had felt. That was the least she owed, her life. And now Nikki couldn't even take that payment from her.

Nikki lies down with Master's blood creeping toward her. She watches the red streams flow to make a river together. The red to her symbolizes the loss of her will, the loss of everything she is. Master would be the last person she kills before herself. She wouldn't give Beatrix to end her life she wouldn't give the other assassins a chance to get money for killing her. She would kill herself before anyone else had the option to. She gets up and walks through the blood not caring about her shoes. She picks up the knife with tears still in her eyes. She holds the knife above her and prays.

In the middle of her silent plea to be forgiven, a noise comes from the lobby. She lowers her knife down and watches. The door toward the training area opens slowly. A bloody hand reaches up and catches it on the other side before it has time to close again. Nikki grips her knife expecting Beatrix or one of the assassins. "Who's there?" She calls out loud and clear.

"Nikki." A broken whisper of a shout greets back as Kyle stumbles through the door, soaked in blood.