A/N: Thank you for the reviews, favorites, follows everyone! I hope you all enjoy this update :3

I will never be able to fully express my gratitude to my beta, xXLiquidSugarXx.

~9~

An incessant pounding in the back Yuri's skull woke him. His mouth was dry, and he was lying on something cold and hard. He attempted to open his eyes, but the pain spiked and sent him cringing back into darkness. The sound of banter and laughter filled his sluggish ears.

The memories of getting ambushed in the alley and being arrested flooded his mind. He tried to open his eyes again when he remembered Repede's pained whine, but was unsuccessful. He couldn't hear any whining or barking now, and his slow thought process finally spit out that Repede wouldn't be locked in prison with him. Thoughts of the dog chained up somewhere made his blood boil.

Yuri clenched his fists and finally managed to crack open his eyes. Dull grey stone filled his vision and he made a resolution to break out and find Repede immediately. First, he needed a gel.

"Hey!" Yuri tried to shout, but it came out raspier then he would have liked. "Haven't you assholes ever heard of due process?"

Laughter broke out next to Yuri and a voice drawled, "Ya won't be gettin' anythin' like that around here."

Yuri's heart practically flew into his throat before his mind caught up to the fact that Raven wasn't here. It was just someone from the Union. He shifted his gaze from the ceiling to the cell next him. A group of two men and an older women were sitting down and playing a card game in a cell that was almost twice the size of his own. They were looking over at him in amusement.

"What did you expect from the Empire? Summary executions are pretty popular in this city," one of the men grumbled. He was skinny and looked younger than Yuri.

"It's a disgrace." The man with the Dahngrest accent shook his head.

"You look like you need a gel, dear. You're bleeding all over the bench," the old woman commented.

"Don't ya have a few, Jake?"

"Yeah, but I'm not gonna just give him one for free. He has to do something for me first," the skinny man smirked.

"What's he gonna do? All he's doin' is lyin' there like a lump."

"I could think of a few things."

"You are a fiend!" the woman replied indignantly. She stood up with a huff and held out her hand. The skinny man reluctantly handed her a gel.

The women bustled past the card game and approached where metal bars divided up the cells. She pressed the gel into Yuri's hand. "That should fix you up."

She turned back around and rejoined the game, ignoring the skinny man's irritable muttering.

Yuri stared at the small green gel for a moment before swallowing it. The pain in his skull slowly receded, and he sighed before closing his eyes again. He was exhausted. He would just rest his eyes for a few minutes before thinking up an escape plan.

"The guards are coming! Put away that damn game before they beat the lot of us!" a new voice exclaimed, knocking Yuri out of his doze.

The group in the cell next to him scrambled to hide the cards away. The sound of metal boots clanking on stone was ringing in the hallway outside of the cells. The last card was shoved out of sight the moment two knights appeared at the far end of the hall. All of the prisoners in the surrounding cells were dead silent and many took on the ruse of being asleep. The knights where whispering to each other, neither one concerned with checking over the prisoners. Yuri was able to catch what they were saying as they passed by his cell.

"-you hear? The First Captain's in the city."

"You're kidding! What's a big shot like that doing all the way out here?"

"Tell me about it. And no one even saw him come into the city. He just appeared on Captain Dilan's doorstep. Of course, Dilan is throwing a last minute party to welcome him."

"Then I'm glad we're not patrolling up in High Town tonight. Dilan and that hag Lieutenant of his are probably bellowing at every knight and servant within reach."

"Yeah, I heard Ricky's girl is working as a servant up there—"

The two knights had turned around and wandered back down the hall, falling out of Yuri's earshot. A low murmur started up in the cell block once the knights left. Yuri pushed through his exhaustion and forced himself to sit up and get off the prison bench. He needed to break out and head up to Dilan's place while that party was still going on. If he could just reach the bastard in time, he wouldn't have to risk waiting around in this rotten city any longer.

Distant shouts started up where the knights had disappeared to, and the prisoners fell silent again. The door at the end of the hallway banged open and much softer footfalls than the clanking of the knights filled the corridor. A tall and thin man wrapped in skin tight black clothing glided down the corridor. The only spot of color on him were the glowing red goggles covering his eyes. The smell of blood filled the hallway, and the hair rose on the back of Yuri's neck. He fell into a defensive stance, his heart beating erratically. Prisoners sent catcalls after the lithe man, but he paid them no mind and continued walking until he came to a sudden halt in front of Yuri's cell. He slowly withdrew a key from his pocket and unlocked the door. He opened the door and paused, silently staring at Yuri through his unnerving goggles. Yuri was just beginning to relax, thinking he might have misread the situation, when a black blur sped toward him. Yuri rolled out of the way, and the screech of metal hitting stone filled the prison as the man's dagger sparked against the wall. The prisoners were shouting and yelling around them.

"Kill," the crazed man hissed at Yuri.

He spun with his dagger heading for Yuri's throat, but Yuri crouched low to avoid it. He kicked out and tried to knock the man off his feet, but the man jumped into the air to avoid the kick. Yuri flew back into a stance and took a few swings at his attacker. The man weaved around them easily and tried to jam his dagger through Yuri's defense. Yuri danced out of the way, almost colliding with the bars of the cell as he landed on the metal prison bench.

"Stab," the lithe man snarled at Yuri as he swung his dagger in a powerful arc, aiming right for Yuri's heart.

Sliding off the bench, Yuri managed to avoid the dagger. He sprung to his feet and took a swing at the madman and was rewarded with the sound of crunching glass when his fist collided with the man's goggles. The lithe man stumbled back, losing his grip on his dagger.

"KILL!" he screeched at Yuri, and dived at him with his bare hands raised like claws.

Yuri raised his foot and kicked the man in the stomach before he could get grabbed. The man collapsed onto the floor and Yuri picked up the discarded dagger. He raised it up as the madman had earlier and brought it down into the man's back with as much force as he could. The crazed man bellowed in pain, and Yuri pulled out the dagger. He climbed onto the man's back, disregarding the blood quickly staining his pants. He pulled the man's head back to expose his neck and held the dagger to his throat.

"Who sent you?" Yuri demanded, his voice cold as ice.

The madmen began laughing at the question. It was a high pitched and broken laugh that drilled into Yuri's ears and sent fear trilling down his spin. Yuri tightened his grip and shook the man, the dagger cutting enough to draw blood.

"Who sent you to kill me?"

The lithe man only laughed harder.

Yuri's patience wore thin, and he drew the knife across the man's throat to cut off that terrible laugh. The man gurgled as blood rushed from his throat and mouth, and Yuri released him and stood up, the knife still gripped in his hand.

The prisoners were silent again, all of them staring at Yuri with differing degrees of fear. All except the man from Dahngrest.

"Leviathan's Claw sent 'im," he said quietly.

Yuri approached the bars of the cell. "Who?"

"The assassins' guild, Leviathan's Claw. They all dress like that and they're all fuckin' nuts."

Yuri looked back at the bloody mess behind him, his heart still pounding from the adrenalin rush. Fantastic. He had a guild of psychopaths out for his blood.

He sighed before approaching the body. A ring of keys and some small change sat in the assassin's pockets. Yuri held up the keys and jangled them. He turned to face the cellblock at large, as every eye was still trained on him.

"I'm letting them out," he threw the keys towards the cell next to him and the man from Dahngrest caught them. "If they want to unlock the rest of your cells, that's their business."

An uproar started as Yuri calmly made his way out of his cell. He would leave the decision of who should go free to the people who had helped him. Yuri had no idea who in the cell block was actually guilty of a crime or had just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. His calm steps faltered when he entered the guard office just outside the cell block. The office was covered in a gruesome display: the knights who had been guarding it had been torn to shreds. Another shiver ran down his spine at the realization that he had been one misstep away from being nothing but a gruesome smear on the cell wall.

The prisoners' arguing knocked Yuri out of his reverie, and he quickly scanned the room for an evidence cache to retrieve his bag and sword. Unfortunately, there wasn't one in the office. Yuri peeked out of the office door to see that it led into a side street that was deserted. It was late, and all the surrounding houses were dark, their intricate stone facades gloomy in the night. A few more knights lay brutalized in the street, and he knew he had to get moving, least he get blamed for these murders. He felt a pang of remorse. Even though he had a clear escape route these knights didn't deserve such a violent end just for doing their job.

He waked into the street and went around the back of the jail to find a small, weed ridden yard. A metal post sat off to one side and Repede lay next to it. As Yuri approached him, Repede cracked open his eye and let out a reproachful bark. Yuri's stomach clenched at its subdued tone.

"This blood isn't mine," he told Repede as he untied the chain holding the dog captive.

Repede had bandages wrapped around his middle but otherwise looked unharmed. The knights must have been smart enough to realize the value in a war dog. Yuri tried to put his hand on Repede's head, but the dog moved away from him with a gruff bark.

"I'm not leaving the city just yet. The bastard I'm after is throwing a party as we speak. I need to strike now."

Repede still refused to face him.

"I'll be more careful in the future. We won't get arrested like this again."

Repede let out one short and sharp bark before turning back to look at Yuri with a scrutiny almost made him squirm.

"Come on. We need to get out of sight before more knights show up."

Repede begrudgingly started walking and the two slipped into the shadow of a nearby alley. The jail was located much higher up in the city than where they had been when they were arrested, and Yuri was pleased to see that the imposing mansions at the highest level were only a few sets of stairs away. Distant noises of a wild party created a dissonance to the otherwise quiet night.

All Yuri had on him was the knife he'd taken from the assassin and his blood stained clothes. He didn't have time to go looking for his things now, though he felt a distinct loss at the absence of Clay's scarf. He consoled himself with the idea that he'd find it after he took care of Dilan, though it was an empty comfort.

The streets were still deserted as Yuri and Repede made their way to the first set of stairs, a result of the late hour and the curfew placed on the city. Knights were few and far between, and once the horror at the jail was discovered, many of the patrollers rushed in that direction, leaving the stairs to High Town completely unguarded. Yuri and Repede made a mad dash up the stairs, and rushed down the street past darkened houses. The last set of stone stairs were wide and had a railing that had been covered with carvings of dragons spiraling around one another. Only a single knight carrying a spear stood at the foot of the stairs, and he barely had time to react before Yuri struck him on the back of the head. He crumpled to the ground, and Yuri dragged him into the dark of a nearby side street.

Yuri leaned against the side of nearby house with rich brass decorations surrounding him, Repede, and the prone knight. His clothes were sticking to his skin, and Yuri knew that he wouldn't be able to blend in at the party covered in gore. The knight's light plate armor shone silver in the moonlight. Yuri pushed off from the wall and leaned over the knight. The knight wasn't much taller than him and was only a little broader. The armor wouldn't fit like a glove, but it was a decent match. A chuckle burst from Yuri's mouth, and he had to force himself to stop once it started becoming a bit hysterical.

The last time he'd worn a knight's uniform he'd been fleeing from Zaphias with Clay running in front of him and with Flynn left behind in the city. Now he was going to steal a set of armor so he could murder a Captain.

Repede nudged him in the leg, a clear sign to hurry up. Yuri went about undoing the straps on the knight's plate, gauntlets, and boots. He pulled off the heavy black clothing the knight wore beneath it and left the poor man in his smallclothes. He scanned the street again, but it was still empty. The laughter and music of the party was louder than earlier, grating in his ears. He stripped and pulled on his disguise, lucky that he'd found a man who favored such light plate. He slipped the knife onto his borrowed belt and walked back to stairs, amused at the soft clank he made with each step. It was a sound he hadn't made for years.

The spear the knight had held lay at the bottom of stairs and Yuri picked it up. It wouldn't do him much good in a fight as he'd never trained to use one, but he had to look the part. He made his way up the last flight of stairs to the top of the city, Repede walking next to him. The mansions at the top level were few and far between, and the one with an uproarious crowd surrounding it and live music spilling from it marked his destination.

The upper level was heavily patrolled. Knights walked in groups up and down the street and surrounded the outskirts of the party. One group was passing by when Yuri stopped at the top of the stairs, but the leader simply nodded at him and kept walking.

He approached the party with a deceptively casual pace, his eyes and ears sharp. He thought he was in the clear when he broke into the crowd, but a harsh voice stopped him.

"Soldier!" A woman's voice practically barked as a hand landed on Yuri's shoulder.

He turned to face her and was put face to face with a woman who was both taller and broader in the shoulders than him. Her face was deadly serious.

"The Captain has requested someone to take care of a situation on the second floor. Since you're just milling about, go and take care of it." Her lip curled at the sight of Repede. "Where did this mutt come from?"

"He was with a dissenter who was arrested. I thought he'd be more use here than chained to a pole," Yuri lied smoothly.

She grunted. "Just make sure he doesn't shit on the floor!" She set her scowling gaze back onto Yuri. "I better hear about nothing but sterling behavior from the Captain or you'll have your pay docked!" She turned around and began to storm off, bellowing at another group of knights who had been mingling with the crowd instead of patrolling.

Yuri turned back to the party, setting his sights on the second floor. Dilan was up there raising hell, and he's just been given "orders" to take care of it. He slipped into the mansion after maneuvering through laughing and drunk nobles. The front room was less crowded then the outside, and the noise of music was muffled. A set of grand stairs with golden railings led up to the second floor and were guarded by a knight who looked dead on his feet as he leaned heavily against his spear. Yuri approached him with unwavering confidence.

"No one—"

"I'm here to relieve you."

The knight wore a helmet so Yuri couldn't see his expression. "Really?" he asked, his voice distorted.

"Yeah, you look like you need it."

"I've been standing here for hours. It took you long enough to show up! I can't wait to get back to my bunk," the knight grumbled before ambling away.

Yuri watched him go in disbelief. He hadn't expected that to go so well. Repede barked smugly at the retreating knight before starting to climb the stairs. Yuri went after him, his heart rate beginning to pick up.

The upstairs was empty of partygoers and lit only by the moonlight. The sound of a woman's muffled sobbing filled the hall, putting Yuri on edge. Repede had stopped at one of the closed doors and was sniffing at the floor in front of it. The sobbing was loudest when he stood in front of the door, and Yuri lingered outside it for a moment before continuing down the hall. He couldn't burst into a room and expect to be welcomed with open arms. The woman could be Dilan's wife for all he knew.

One of the doors in the hall was open and a dim, flickering light shone into the hallway. Yuri approached it, his steps quiet on the carpeted floor as Repede followed behind him. The room was empty, and the woman was still sobbing a few doors down. Yuri stepped into the room. The bed looked both comfortable and expensive and the furniture was wooden and fine. The fire in the grate had burned down to almost nothing but coals.

Repede growled and faced the balcony, where the stain glass doors had been thrown open. Male voices drifted into the room and Yuri moved to the right side of the doorway to get a better look. He peered around the edge and saw two men standing on the balcony, one leaning against the railing. Both had their backs to him. The one leaning on the railing was fat and very tall, easily a few heads taller than Yuri. The other was much shorter and slimmer. He had dark shoulder length hair and stood with ramrod straight posture with his hands held behind his back.

"-sure he wants me to lighten up on the unwashed masses? These people are diseased and uneducated and more than half of them aren't even Imperial citizens." The one leaning on the balcony stood up and stepped into the shorter one's space. "They have less worth than dogs. The Commandant shouldn't concern himself with my city. You tell him that if he has a problem with how I govern Heliord he can say goodbye to fifty votes on the Council."

Yuri was still holding the knight's spear in his hand and his grip tightened at these words. He was certain the tall man was Dilan, which meant the other must have been the First Captain. He had no interest in trying to murder the First Captain and resolved himself to wait until the man left. He could kill Dilan just as he had murdered Ragou, in his sleep.

Silence had descended on the balcony as Dilan glowered down at the First Captain, who refused to face him. The sobbing that had become a drone in the background chose that moment to rise in volume and the tension was broken.

"That damn woman! I thought I ordered for her to be taken care of!" Dilan snarled as he turned toward the doorway.

Yuri's heart flew into his throat as he turned away from the glass doors, scanning the room in a panic. His eyes landed on a nearby armoire, and he rushed towards it. He dropped his spear before jumping inside to hide. He had seen Repede slip under the bed when the dog saw his fear, and hoped neither one of them would be discovered.

"I'll break her damn neck!" Dilan was screaming now. "Lowborn scum should be grateful I even wanted to have her, the whiny sl—"

Dilan's tirade abruptly cut off and Yuri heard what sounded like a scuffle. He nudged the door of the armoire open a bit and peered out, but saw nothing.

"Schawnn, what do you think y—" Dilan cut off with a terrified cry that was followed by a muffled thump.

Yuri's blood went cold. Had he just overheard what he thought he'd overheard? He peered out of the armoire again, only to see the form of the First Captain making his way into the room. He stopped in the middle of the room, panting as if he'd just run a long way. His back was lit up by the white light of the moon, and his front was tinted orange by the dying fire in the grate. All Yuri could make out was a curtain of hair covering the man's face.

The Captain's breathing evened out as his head tilted down. Yuri's eyes widened when he saw what the Captain was peering at. The spear Yuri had dropped was lying in front of the Captain's foot. In one fluid motion the Captain went into a defensive stance and rested his hand on the sword that hung at his hip. Yuri tried to move father back into the armoire but only succeeded in disturbing the hangers around him. At the noise, the Captain's head snapped towards him.

Yuri's heart stopped when the Captain's one visible eye met his through the crack of the doors.