Chapter 4: Faction 3
"If a man is to shed the light of the sun upon other men, he must first of all have it within himself."
Romain Rolland
Present Day
He fell to the ground, standing as he hurriedly wiped off his clothing. They called him a Jumper, someone who had the ability to travel to and from the three factions. He had just arrived in faction 3, hoping his current outfit didn't make it so he stood out too much. Dark jeans paired with a brown long-sleeved shirt. Not too out of place, right? He rubbed his shoulders, suddenly feeling the absence of the jacket he had on in faction 2. Hm. It must have gone its own way, maybe as far as faction 1, he joked to himself, imaging his jacket bursting through a random wall in the marble, white faction. A group of girls in dresses giggled as they passed by him, whispering amongst each other. He smirked at them, winking before heading to his destination.
Taichi Kamiya has come to the conclusion that he is the only person, in all three worlds, who has it figured out. And he was probably right. Out of all of the factions he enjoyed faction 3 the most. No one ever seemed to pay attention to what anyone else was doing, unless you were too happy or of high nobility. Tai fell on the 'too happy to go unnoticed' side of the scale. He was actually a leader in rebellion against the 'great savior' Myotismon. Here, in faction 3, he was known as Tyler Roul, a nobleman who distributed books.
He whistled down the street, smiling at the people who passed him, only getting some smiles back. As long as he was making some type of difference, the rebellious man didn't care. Turning a corner, Tai passed a of men in a huddle full of whispers. "Any gossip gentlemen?" Tai flashed them a smile, along with a sac of gold coins. The men gasped, all grabbing for the coins. Tai pulled the bag away, raising an eyebrow. "Nah, not so quick. Gossip first." The first man nodded quickly, clearing his throat, "Yes, yes of course. Word on the street is that Tyler Roul is back in town… Some are going as far to say that he is a Jumper." The man's eyes shifted, his voice lowering to a whisper. "Linus, I hear, is being paid a large sum to have his best assassin take care of the man." Tai's eyebrows knitted as he listened. "Take care of him?" He questioned, "who is the one paying Linus?" Not knowing who, all of the men shook their heads. Tai nodded, acting like he was not affected by the information. "Well, guess it sucks to be this Tyler," he lazily threw the coins into the huddle, quickly turning on his heels to figure out how he was going to save his ass.
Shit. He's catching on faster than I thought, Tai tried to make it seem like his pace wasn't frantic or hurried. He slipped into the small shop that he used as a waypoint, where the others involved in the rebellion met up. "Tai! You made it. We were starting to worry." A tall, lengthy blue haired man reached out his hand to shake Tai's. "Yeah, the jump was a bit shaky today. They seem to be getting harder. Nice to see you, Joe." Tai's hand locked the man's, shaking, before he pulled him in for a hug. "Has my sister been around lately?" Tai questioned. "Oh, Kari? She's in this faction, I'm just not sure where." Tai nodded, satisfied with the response, greeting the other men in the room.
"Alright, men. I have some news. It seems that Lord Tyler Roul is on Linus' To Be Assassinated list and I would really enjoy it if that wasn't fulfilled." A man they called Mel shook with laughter, slapping his knee. Mel was an older man, with broad shoulders and a corse beard. "Oh no. Not our precious prince. How dare they," nothing but sarcasm left the man's mouth, making the others in the room laugh with him.
"Okay okay, I get it. But let's not forget that I, Taichi Kamiya, am Tyler." Tai noticed that his claim did not make the situation anymore serious. "… Please let me live!" He dramatically fell to his knees in front of Mel, giving into the joke. "How would the rebellion go on without me? How could we possibly win?" The back of his hand pressed against his forehead. Joe rolled his eyes, pulling the man to his feet. "This is all fun and games, but how are we going to prevent the inevitable death of precious Tyler Roul? Linus has the best assassins. I'm not sure if they've ever missed their mark." Joe sighed, sitting in a wooden chair.
"I was hoping Marla would be here and we could ask if she had any men." Marla was the captain of the guard, double crossing the king and recruiting soldiers for the rebellion against Myotismon. Mel raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Do you really think that woman is going to let you 'borrow' her soldiers that, mind you, she has worked so hard to recruit?" Tai scratched the back of his neck, chuckling nervously, "I mean… Yes?" He let out a long breath, looking at the ceiling "I mean, if we want to win this rebellion, it would be nice if we didn't let one of the few active Jumpers die in the process." Just as Joe opened his mouth to retort, the door to the shop swung open.
"So, I've heard that Lord Tyler is on Linus' shit list." Kari chuckled, smirking at her older brother. "Meh meh Linus' shit list meh meh." Tai mocked his sister playfully, nudging her. "Where have you been?" The girl's clothes were muddy. "Just getting dirt on the latest scandals of faction 3." Kari, like the other digidestined engulfed by the mist that day, had a pattern of swirls on her body, her's ran up the back of her hand. Unlike the dark black of the others, her's was a bright white. Taichi had one too, same color, his just happened to run up the side of his body. Joe always noticed the colors of their swirls, making him self-conscious of the black pattered that traveled up his shoulder blades onto the back of his neck. "Anything other than the suspected death of our precious Lord?" Joe questioned, keeping his eyes away from Kari's hand. "Hmm… Nothing but the latest affairs. Faction 3 is so boring." Kari sat by Joe, resting her legs on the table. A knock sounded at the door, "Does Marla still not understand that she can just come on in? We don't bite." Mel said as he stood, opening the door.
Marla pushed past Mel, entering the lair where the others sat. The captain of the guard was a taller woman, her legs long and muscular. She had dark black hair that she wore in a long braid. Dark charcoal lined her blue eyes, making the colored orbs stand out against her dark skin. The gold cloak that marked her captain of the guard was nowhere to be seen, it was replaced by a deep red cloak, shielding her identity from the public.
Tai flashed her a smile, but not his usual. It was more of a 'I need a favor, so please help', type of smile. Marla blinked, giving him a confused look. "Why do you look like you smelled bad cheese?" He rested his hand over his heart, acting hurt. "Wha-What? Marla, you know that's just my smile. But I do need a favor. A favor that might have something big in it for you" The woman shrugged, cleaning her nails "I'm listening…"
Taichi leaned against the table, his eyes locking on her's. "So, I'm not sure if you've heard, but Lord Tyler Roul has landed himself on Linus' kill list." Marla pondered what he was saying, "can't say I'm surprised. You guys haven't exactly been laying low." Tai nodded, "Fair enough. Anyway, back to the favor. I need protection. I can fight, yes. I have some strange abilities, yes. But against the top assassins who have a perfect track record? Can't say I'm too confident." The brunette's face was serious, a hint of worry in his brown eyes. Marla thought for a second, deciding on whether or not it would be worth putting her guards in danger like that. She rolled her shoulders, sighing as she moved her weight between her feet. "Tai… You know I can't put my guards in danger like that… I can give you ten. Is that enough to guard you through the next few nights?"
Tai's face lit up as he pulled the woman into a hug. She pulled away, not one for contact. "Can we please think of a different way to celebrate? You smell like faction 2, not my favorite." Tai cleared his throat, thanking the woman with a failed high five.
"This is all great, yes. Ten guards for the mansions we have somehow reserved for Mir. Roul." Mel was thinking rationally. "Last I heard, the man's top assassin took out twenty-two men by himself. Tough lad to beat." This changed the mood of the room. Joe ran his fingers through his messy hair, nodding as he thought of a solution. "What if we spread our own rumor? The rumor that Tyler is being protected by more guards because he caught wind of his rumored assassination." Kari nodded as she stood, readying herself to go back out on the streets. "Yes! Joe. That's a great idea!" She squealed, excited to have a part in this. "I'll start the spreading, talk to you guys later." She bolted out the door, on her way to alert the town.
Marla smiled, "What it was to be young. Alright, well I guess I'll send my choice of ten over to the mansion. Tai, don't get yourself killed." She stood, nodding at the men before taking her leave.
"Well, I thought that was going to be harder." Mel shrugged in disbelief. "I guess she cares a bit more about the rebellion than we all thought." Clapping his hands, the husky man stood to tend the shelves of his shop. Joe went back to his studying. He was currently reading a book on what had been documented on the past about The Reckoning, an event he vaguely remembered experiencing. Tai stood, looking at the two men "Well alright, I guess that's it." He grabbed a coat he left in the faction, turning to make his way to Tyler Roul's mansion.
Two nights later
Taichi paced the floor, finding himself growing more and more anxious. He knew the attempt would be coming, he just didn't know the exact moment. The man had hardly slept since he had travelled to faction 3 since receiving the news. He made his way around the mansion, double checking every window, lock, and door to make sure he was the safest he could be. Marla had ended up lending him fifteen guards, rather than her promised ten.
He cracked his knuckles, restless. "Trouble sleeping, Lord Roul?" A curvier woman stood in the doorway of his room, a light blue dress hanging over her body. She was the daughter of a nobleman who was trying to network with 'Lord Roul' for a type of alliance. Tai was not used to this, and he sure wasn't into the Lord's daughter.
He nodded in her direction, "Yeah, you could say that." Tai stood, walking to the woman. "Clarissa… How about you go home tonight?" The woman rolled her eyes, turning away from him. "You always send me home, Lord Roul. Is it me? Am I the problem?" Tai shook his head quickly, still unsure of the customs of faction 3. "What? No that's not it. It's just… It's not safe here right now. I can walk you out?" She smiled and shook her head. "That won't be necessary, I know the way out since you've sent me out so many times."
Guilt hit him. He had been sending her away quite often. Actually, she had only stayed with him once, a night neither of them talk about much. Lost in his thoughts, Tai hadn't realized that the woman had escorted herself up. Raking his fingers through his bushy hair, Tai walked to his room. I guess I could try to get some sleep.
The man lied down onto his bed, pulling the blanket up to his chin. He fell asleep, thinking all of the windows had been shut, but he did miss one. The one Clarissa had opened to get fresh air before he sent her home. This one open window, opened many doors that Tai had always thought were locked.
"We can't just stand here huddled discussing all night! We have to at least try!" The words came from Taichi's blonde companion, Yamato Ishida. Yamato was always the one to let Taichi know when he had derailed, keeping his brunette friend on track. Though he spoke his words with confidence, Yamato wa- Tai's dream was interrupted from the sound of a loud clank and the guards feet running down the hall.
He tensed, unsure if he should run or remain where he was. His window was locked, and the door. In his mind, he was safe. Reaching into his nightstand, Tai pulled out a small dagger, holding it under the blanket, you know, just in case. He closed his eyes, trying to at least act like he was asleep.
Moments later tai heard it. The sound that untrained ears would probably miss. The air vent clicked open, an almost silent thud filling the room. Tai did his best to keep his breathing steady, his fingers clenching the knife he had grabbed for himself. He was quiet, the assassin. The air vents? Genius. Tai heard him flick the dagger into his hands, his own clenching his tighter.
The door burst open, the assassin hesitating. As quickly as he could, Tai grabbed his attackers wrist, surprised at how small it was. He turned, his brown eyes meeting crimson. A girl? Familiar? The cloaked figure gasped and quickly moved to twist his arm off of her's. He hissed as pain shot up his arm, his fingers reflexively letting go of her arm. She leaped towards his window, inhaling sharply as the guard's blade made contact with her side. The cloaked woman didn't miss a step. With trained precision, she pulled the blade from her side, throwing it at the guard and not missing.
The small, cloaked form slipped out his window, a trail of her blood left on his carpet. Tai's breathing was fast and heavy, his knuckles white from clutching his own dagger that he forgot to use. The assassin's dagger had been dropped onto his bed. He quickly jumped out of bed, racing to the guard's side. "It's too late for him, he doesn't have a chance." The guard had died quickly, his blood spilling across the floor from his throat.
Taichi caught his breath, replaying the event in his mind. The cloak, a dark blue. The suit, midnight black. Size, the assassin was… Small. Maybe 5'2", almost a foot under his own height. No wonder this assassin had such a good reputation of sneaking, he was actually a woman, and a very petite and quick one at that. There was one more detail he could not let go of, her eyes. She had hesitated with her killing blow, maybe she remembered him too. He remembered them, but not their owner. He's have to ask Kari and Joe.
Knowing he wouldn't possibly be able to fall back to sleep, Tai grabbed the dagger left behind by the assassin. He studied the blade, the sharp metal a dark blue color to match the woman's cloak. It was a nicely made daggers, black swirls flowing up the hilt. He noticed that it pulsed in his hand, coaxing him to use the power it called for. Confused, he pocketed the blade, spending the rest of the night trying to piece together his memories.
*Author's Note*
Alright guys, that's my start on this story. I'm not sure if it is weirdly confusing to anyone, or what. I hope you have all been enjoying it! Happy readings.