The Crimson Assassin Chapter Six: Life is Strange
Authors notes:
Im back to writing, thanks to everyone who posted a review. Without further delay I give you teh next chapter.
Once the charade was all over, the assassin stepped out of the office with a new vigor. He finally got rid of his room in the neutral and got one in the Ionian wing, the first thing he wanted to do is go check it out.
As he was walking he thought of all the time of service to the league he had to do, it was rather annoying. And how did he manage to bring down the whole tower?
"Nevermind... Finally I'm here." The assassin said as he stood in front of the door of his new room, the door was plain, undecorated expect for the large number 21 engraved in it.
He was about to open it when he felt someone's eyes on him, it was an uneasy feeling, of being watched. He turned in the direction of where the long hall ended, seeing only shadow.
"May I help you?" He said gazing into the shadow.
And from it emerged, two eyes glowing yellow under a dark blue facemask. A man was standing there, watching him, dressed in dark blue armor, a ninja it seemed.
No answer came, the stranger kept watching him. The assassin decided to shrug it off as there are too many crazy people in the institute, he must be one of them.
When he closed the door behind him he was pleasantly surprised at what he was. There appeared to be only three rooms. The living room was rather simple. There were traditional Ionian paper walls, or Shoji. In stead of carpets or mosaics the floor was completely covered by Tatami, a type of floor made of rice straw. On the center of the room was a low coffee table with four pillows on each side. On the wall next to the door of the living room was hanging a large scroll, and on it some words he couldn't read, probably in Ionian.
He slowly started moving towards the first door opening it, it was the door of his bedroom. Like the living room it was simple, like he asked for. Besides the king sized bed and long white curtains obscuring a window there wasn't really much furniture. Just besides the wide window was a large wardrobe, made of some sort of red wood with a depiction of a golden dragon on its wings. One thing that caught his eye was a katana holder that stood out from the rest of the room by being ornate. As he moved to inspect the sword he realized it was just a decoration.
He removed the sword from the holder and left his weapons in its place.
The room was lit by a lantern that was standing on a single nighttable besides the bed. The room was everything he wanted. It was simple and practical.
For now he decided to lay on his bed and take a nap, his room was now in complete silence, the only thing that could be heard was his steady breathing.
He slowly closed his eyes, and when he did, a certain purple mage came to his mind.
Syndra
She could be considered a friend, given their similar pasts. Besides there was something there, he just couldn't say what.
And with that final thought he had faded into the realm of dreams…
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
Thero'gar had met his contact on the dusty roof of the abandoned garrison at the edge of town. The cloaked figure gave him an letter which he took, the two men didn't exchange a word during the process.
He managed to get to the city walls and from there jump on the flat roof of a building. It was late at night and thick mist was covering the whole area of the capital.
As he jumped from roof to roof he opened the letter and took out an red note.
455455!|\\|
`/0|_| 4|23 +0 63+ !|\\| +0 +|-|3 |235!|)3|\\|(3 0|# 4?454|2 4|\\||) 31!|\\/|!|\\|4+3 |-|!|\\/|. |-|3 |-|45 833|\\| (4|_|5!|\\|6 |2!0+5 4|\\||) |)35+0|2`/|\\|6 |34(3 0\\/3|2 +|-|3 \\|/|-|013 |(!|\\|6|)0|\\/|, |-|3 !5 4 +|234+|-| +0 |\\|4+!0|\\|41 54|#+3`/ 4|\\||) |\\/||_|5+ 83 |)341+|-| \\|/!+|-| 4((0|2|)!|\\|61`/.
The note was written in a coded language knows as leet. What the note acctualy said was
Assassin
You are to get in to the residence of Aqasar and eliminate him. He has been causing riots and destroying peace over the whole kingdom, he is a treat to national safety and must be dealt with accordingly.
From what he heard this Aqasar was some sort of harbringer, prophet, seer. He was telling the people that an army of destruction was approaching. Thero'gar didn't care, the empire was full of false prophets like him, he is just another head to add to the pile.
He already saw him so he knew what he looked like.
Somewhere around noon he was watching him from the shadows of a small alleyway. He was standing on a makeshift podium speaking to the crowd around him, telling them of slaughter, that they weren't safe, that the Void will come.
The reason he was sent to kill him was that the people actually trusted in what he said, The Void, pff.
As the letter was dropped by the assassin it seemed to burst into flames and vanish completely.
The prophet was staying in an nearby inn named "The Curved Knife". He watched the three floored building from a nearby rooftop.
He saw a glimpse of his white hair by the window on the top floor.
The assassin made a handseal with one hand and said "I vanish…"
With that he became a cloud of crimson mist, slowly creeping in the room from the window, reappearing under the prophets bed. Now all he had to do is wait until he lies down and then…
"I knew this day would come…" The elderly man said.
Thero'gar was shocked least to say, he was absolutely sure he didn't make any sound when he was entering. Besides the man couldn't see him.
"You know the floor isn't a place to be lying around, you are going to catch a cold."
Now he was sure the man somehow spotted him, but how? The assassin blinked behind the man who was sitting on a chair in front of the fireplace.
"The cold doesn't bother me…" The assassin coldly replied.
The old man sighted.
"How did you know where I was?" The assassin asked, as if he didn't really care.
"I'm a prophet you know, I have seen the future. Thero'gar of the Actos."
"You know me?"
"Of course I know you, I know everything." The prophet said.
"I do my best to help this miserable realm and its people to not get destroyed and this is how they repay me? By sending an assassin to kill me." The old man said in an angry tone.
"Well nevermind, I knew what was going to happen to me if I choose this road, if the Emperor wants to leave the people in darkness so be it. He will regreat it soon enough."
The man slowly rose from his chair and with the help of his walking cane slowly approached the table in the corner. He grabbed a bottle and started drinking it.
"How rude of me… do you want some?" The prophet said continuing to drink it until it was empty.
"Why do you ask me and drink it all?"
"I already knew your answer boy."
"I wasted too much time here…"
"Indeed you have, I just wanted to have one last drink before I die." The man said as he returned to his chair near the stone fireplace.
"Do what you must assassin…but know this, you cant change your future, I know, I tried." With that he grabbed his long white hair and pulled it to his side so that his neck became exposed.
The assassin lifted his sword and in one swift strike the limp body fell on the floor. Thero'gar picked up the head of the prophet, now dripping in blood and placed it in a brown bag which he tied.
Now with the bag over his shoulder he jumped of the window into the darkness.
Thero'gar slowly opened his eyes. He got into a sitting position as he rubbed his eyes. He then realized he didn't have anything to do for the rest of the day, it was already getting dark.
Sleeping wasn't an option anymore, he didn't sleep a lot anyway, it was luxury.
He opened his wardrobe only to be unpleasantly surprised by a white variant of his armor on a hanger besides his original one.
"Didn't I leave this thing back at my room?" He thought to himself, he almost spat at it as he took out his normal armor which he brought with him on his way to his new room.
Now in full battle attire he exited his room and tried to remember the layout of the institute he heard from a summoner earlier.
He was trying to get to the training rooms, it was getting dark so no one would be there to bother him.
He silently made his way trough the hallways until he got into another hallway that was connecting all the training rooms, both big and small.
He entered the first room and when he looked inside it he saw that its empty. It wasn't lit at all and the bright crystal lantern seemed to be broken. That didn't bother him, as he could see in total darkness as he would see in daylight.
The room had a few targets for archers, some weights, and in the center of the room a sand circle that was most likely a sparring arena.
He went to the center of the sparring arena he sat on the sand crossing his legs.
It was a long time since he meditated last, too long. He emptied his mind and steadied his breath, well at least tried to.
He couldn't stop thinking, of stuff, of her. She wasn't important anyway, just a potential ally.
He tried to focus but then he felt a strange unease.
He felt like there was someone else in the room.
Like he was being watched.
He opened his eyes and turned around in the darkness but found nobody, must be getting jumpy.
He tried again to focus, clearing his mind, sharpening his senses.
Footsteps…
Silent…
Barley hearable…
Someone was in the room he guaranteed it.
"Embrace the Shadow…" Said a deep voice, too deep to be human.
"OR DIE IN DARKNESS!" His sixth sense triggered and on instinct he rolled dodging two blades sticking from a gaunlent, aimed at his neck.
He quickly got up and raised his hands close to his face protectively.
What he saw in front of him were two bright red glowing orbs.
The figure was a ninja by appearance, its armor intimidating, two bladed gaunents on its arms.
Have they came to finish him off, still hunting him? They infest every realm he has ever visited. Protecting balance, pff. They were the reason his clan was getting eliminated. The Actos were a threat to balance, and blance must be saved, ha.
His rage was getting larger by the second.
Thero'gar recklessly attacked the ninja not caring that he didn't have a weapon. He dashed and aimed a right hook at the ninjas helmet. The ninja pulled his head backwards avoiding the punch but the assassin turned around and tried to hit the ninjas head with his left elbow.
The ninja ducked and jumped with a right uppercut to the assassins chin. The hit connected but the assassin seemed unaffected. Thero'gar used his chance and tackled the ninja and in seconds they were both on the ground, the assassin on top of the ninja.
Now that Thero'gar had him in place he grabbed his neck with his left hand and pulled his right hand behind his back forming a fist.
The assassin gathered all his strength in his fist bringing it down.
The sand in the ring raised in a dust and the concrete around the ring cracked.
To his surprise the ninja was replaced by a black transparent version that disappeared in a burst of black smoke.
"Impressive…" The black ninja said as he appeared behind the assassin.
Thero'gar heard metal grinding against metal as his blades extended. He quickly blinked behind the ninja catching him by surprise as he aimed a legsweep and got the ninja on the sand below him .
The qassassin jumped seven feet into the air and aimed to land with his knee on the ninjas head, but the ninja rolled out of harm's way, the ground cracking under the force of his strike.
The ninja backfliped onto his feet, now disappearing into the ground.
"Mwa ha ha ha ha!" The ninja menacingly laughed as Thero'gars eyes narrowed.
The room suddenly became filled with thick red mist, the assassin vanished from the ninjas sight.
"Join ussssss"
"TRAITOR!"
"Ha ha ha ha" Said numerous ghostly voices within the mist that seemed to belong to no one.
Suddenly the assassin appeared a couple of feet in front of the ninja dashing quickly closing the gap between them.
Thero'gar connected a punch to the ninjas midsection sending him flying backwards.
The ninja hit the wall behind him, concrete dust could be heard falling to the floor.
The ninja fell to his knees.
"We will meet again…" Was all he said before disappearing in a portal made out of shadows.
The assassin panted, after this he hated the institute even more.
He needed some fresh air.
He walked out of the training room and into the hallway taking a turn to enter the institute gardens, or forest as he liked to call it due to its sheer size.
He dusted himself off as he took a walk on the cobblestone pathways.
He touched a pouch at the back of his belt where his daggers were usually put. Out of it he pulled out a small flute, he inspected it as if to see if it was broken or not.
The flute was sturdy, made out of carved Garok tusk, but still all that tumbling could have damaged it.
He got off the pathway and into a nearby group of trees, where he found a isolated stone in the grass.
He decided to sit on it and play the flute for a bit. Playing the flute was probably the only thing he liked in the world, the only thing he was good at, except killing that is.
He lowered his mask and brought the back end of the flute to his lips.
He started playing a soft tune. It was telling of a sailor at sea who was desperately searching for his home, at the end he didn't find it. Life sucks anyway.
He jerked quickly pulling his mask down at the sound of footsteps in the soft grass behind him expecting another attack.
His tense shoulders relaxed as he saw a familiar silhouette of the only person he thought of as a friend.
Syndra…
"Relax… its just me." She said approaching him and sitting besides him on the rock.
"I was taking a walk and then I heard you playing, didn't think you were the type to play music." She said looking at her feet.
"Why are you doing at this ungodly hour?" The assassin asked.
"I cant sleep… nightmares. What about you?" She asked.
"I was trying to meditate then some random guy tried to kill me, so we fought a little then he disappeared… then again it could only be my hallucinations, this place is driving me insane." The assassin complained
He couldn't help but notice that Syndra was acting a bit stiff around him lately. He really wanted to help her overcome her problems, she was a nice girl and all.
"Syndra…"
"Hmm?"
"You know if you are still worried about that… how should I say incident back at the festival, don't. I realize you were intoxicated and didn't know what you were doing. The kiss it didn't mean anyt…" He was interrupted as Syndra tackled him onto the grass pulled his mask down with a bit more force than necessary and pressed her lips against his.
Although the master assassin was a expert killer, master of offence and defense he didn't really know what to do.
Instinctively he closed his arms around him and kissed her back.
From childhood he was taught to repress feelings and now they all came to the surface.
She tasted like strawberry…
Hope you liked dis
