'Shadow of the Assassins' ... AGAIN
Neither wanted give the other the advantage they needed about the other.
“When I’ve killed you I’ll make a nice hat out of your tail!”
The half fox teen snarled. “Don’t even touch my tail or I’ll rip your balls off!”
Laughing, the axe wielder rushed forward, finally funding an advantage over his opponent. The fox was mad and that now made him vulnerable. He knocked the katana out of his hands and threw him up against the wall. His axe cracked in the air at his throat.
“You’re dead now,” snickered the winner.
“And you’ve accomplished your hit,” announced a voice.
The class turned to their purple haired teacher.
“Ax, put fox-boy down,” said Wretched.
The axe wielding Assassin in training let go of Iscus and let him slump to the ground. The half fox withheld a grunt of pain when his butt hit the hard cobbled floor. Ax sauntered back to the circle of students, ignoring their compliments at his amazing style.
The Wretched, a full fledged Assassin and their current teacher, picked up Iscus’ Katana and threw it at his feet.
“Can anyone tell Iscus where he went wrong?” she asked. She gave the class a menacing glare, reminding them off the punishments for answering questions incorrectly.
There was a silence until an unsure voice broke the silence.
“He let … his emotions control his …actions?”
The Wretched cut through the students until she stood before the young blonde girl that had answered. She shook visibly in front of the Assassin. Cocking her head, she frowned.
“Jeff, you associate with his pitiful fighter,” said the Wretched to another student without looking away. “She could teach you what you lack to even be considered as a real Assassin.”
With that, the Wretched turned and left the room. It was her nonverbal way of saying that class was over and they were free to go. The rest of the class filed out, moving on to practice their fighting skills or to study, leaving only four teenagers.
Ax absorbed his weapons back into his body. “The Master said I was progressing excellently. I will be able to graduate into the Guild in record time!”
“Well good for you,” Jeff snorted. “Just don’t forget about the rest of us lowly students when you make it big.”
The red-head walked over and offered a hand to Iscus who was still on the ground. He gave the half fox his best half smile, trying ton reassure his friend. He took Jeff’s hand and got up sullenly.
“Oh, Ax won’t forget about us, will you?” asked the blonde girl. She gave him a shy smile, but he ignored it. “We’ll all be together forever.”
Jeff rolled his eyes, but because her optimistic mood always surprised him. “Sure thing Kel. Whatever you say.”
Kelipelle was thrown against the stone wall. She yelled in pain and slumped to the ground. An angry teenager stood over her about to swing a shovel. She simply knew that it would probably collapse her skull in when it hit her. Manual labor had made her attacker strong.
“KEL!” screamed Jeff.
He slammed into the teen and knocked him to the ground with a thud. Her attacker didn’t get up. Jeff gave her his half-smile while offering his hand to her.
Some things never change, she thought, accepting his hand.
He easily pulled her up. The two of them surveyed the skirmish that had broken out in the streets of the moor-locked village. A group of young rabble-rousers intent on revenge had attacked.
Sadly, it was something Kel was getting very used to very quick.
Not that you can blame them though, she though. We are Assassins … former Assassins … whatever! What matters is that we’re both trapped here and we have to deal with each other ... can’t we all get along?
She laughed out loud to her joke, making Jeff give her a worried look.
“This isn’t getting to you is it?” he asked nervously. “You haven’t finally snapped? I mean I know fighting isn’t your thing but-”
“I’m fine,” she said, giving him a reassuring smile.
Three striking girls, the Erinyes Triplets surrounded a group of older teens. Kel could never tell them apart, but she knew their names; Alec, Meagan and Tish. They held out their hands, making the points of a triangle. A soft, incoherent chanting arose from them and the angry men they surrounded stopped dead in their tracks.
The Erinyes Triplets were strong and mysterious. Kel feared them almost as much as she feared the older Assassins like the Owl. Before the massacre, the Triplets were about to become full-fledged Assassins themselves.
The entranced men suddenly fell to the ground, rigid as wood. Screaming, a girl jumped out and attacked one of the Triplets. The two teenagers fell to the ground as a screech erupted from the Triplets.
“Foul little wench!” cried one of the standing Triplets.
The third walked to the attacker as she punched the former Assassin-in-training. The Triplet grabbed the attacker by the back of her neck and threw her off of her sister. The attacker hit a cobbled wall and fell to the ground.
“Meagan, are you alright?” asked either Tish or Alec.
Meagan nodded, standing up. “That filth hurt me!”
An elderly man in robes, yellowed with age walked down the street. A golden dot on his forehead glinted in the light. The few remaining insurgents stopped once his intimidating presence hit them. They looked up at him in fear. And it wasn’t just the attackers, but the defending Assassins in training as well.
“Stop this at once!” he bellowed. “When will your senseless thirst for bloodshed end?”
A man bleeding from a cut above his eye snarled. “When you damned Assassins are all dead! You killed our loved ones! You deserve to burn in hell for eternity!”
“Eternity is never as long as you think,” the old man sighed. “But we not your enemies any longer! What threat can imprisoned animals do? The Guild of Assassins are no more, and neither are the Domino. A group with bloodlust to match us. Stop this incessant fighting before I take you over my knee!”
The simple, yet very real threat silenced the youth. He stepped back and ran down the street. His still conscious comrades followed closely behind, leaving the few attackers unconscious in the streets.
“Sir!” said Jeff, saluting the man.
He was a well respected member of their now defunct Guild. He was known as the Unicorn, one of the oldest and still alive members of the High Council. In fact, there was only one other still living member to help guide them. Ever since the Tower Guardian had trapped them in the universe with their enemy, the Domino, they had had little guidance.
“Carry the unconscious to the hospital,” the Unicorn ordered. “Let them wake up and know how their ‘friends’ abandoned them. Assassins would never abandon their own if they could help it!”
“But we’re not Assassins any more,” murmured Kel.
The Unicorn heard her and turned to her, giving her a smile. “No my dear, not truly. But we are still a clan, a family and we must protect each other.”
We must still protect ourselves from the Dominos! Even though the Expanding Darkness no longer feeds on their soul!
“For now, help these ruffians, then return to the base,” said the Unicorn.
He turned and walked into the town, getting lost in the fog. Jeff sighed and grabbed the shoulder of Kel’s attacker. Helping him, the town made yet another visit to the hospital where the dying Assassins and Dominos lay next to each other.
Kelipelle sighed and looked out over the moor. As usual they were foggy and depressing. They had been that way for as long as they had been there, on the edge of Dartmoor. At one point the city had seemed like a save haven, until they learned it was the home of the Dominos. At least she was alive and had survived the massacre of the Assassins.
But they all weren’t there.
So much time has passed since I said those silly words, the teen thought. We’ll all be together forever? Ha!
She ran her hand through her hair and shed a tear. Gone were the days of studying and sparring with her three friends. Gone too were the days when she would lay awake at night and dread becoming a ruthless killing machine.
The Guild of Assassins is no more, thought Kel. Iscus is no more …
That very same thought came to her at least once a day. She felt she had to keep reminding herself what happened. She was so scared that one day she would simply forget the friends she had lost and the few good times she had had.
Because nowadays she spent her time living in fear.
The Dominos, an evil group of angry people had tried to kill Kel and the rest of the Assassins. They had absorbed a strange and mysterious evil that allowed them to pursue their darkest wish. Because of it, almost all of the Assassins throughout the multiverse had been brutally slain.
Not that we didn’t deserve it.
Now they were both trapped; the Assassins and the Dominos, in the same universe with no hope to escape and only one order.
Get over it.
The demand and their unique incarceration had been caused by someone many of the Assassins saw as a child. The current Tower Guardian had helped save the Assassins from extinction, even though he had had several bad encounters with them before. By closing off their universe and preventing the Assassins’ escape, he had disbanded one of the oldest organizations in the multiverse with the snap of his fingers.
Iscus really would have liked him, Kel thought. He was everything he ever wanted … if only he hadn’t died!
Kel chocked back a sob and stepped away from the edge of the tower, right into a person. She gasped and looked up into Jeff’s freckled face. He gave her a reassuring smile.
“Thinking of Iscus again?” he asked.
The only thing Kel could do was nod, admitting the truth.
“Ax will say I’m being sentimental again, but I can’t help it!” she said.
“Ax is still moody,” explained Jeff. “He’s still getting used to only having one arm. And he’s never happy. Honestly, have you ever known him to smile? Or be cheerful about anything?”
Kel smiled and whipped away a tear.
“Come on, the Heart wishes to speak with us,” said Jeff. “Seems the Scottish government out there still isn’t happy at having us here.”
The two teens walked back into the musty Wormwood Castle that was their home. It wasn’t far from the moors they had hid in or the village where the remaining Dominos lived. It wasn’t anything like the Academy had been, but it was the only safe place they had to live.
While the rest of the world they now lived in had limited technology for electricity, they were forced to use candles and torches in the castle. Torches lit the interior hallways that led to the large reception room where a large gathering of about thirty former Assassins and students waited. Many still showed signs from the massacre that had almost wiped them out. Bandaged limbs and amputations were visible on almost every person in attendence.
Except me, thought Kel. I escaped without a single scratch. And why? Because I was a coward and hid …
Jeff and Kel pushed through the crowd until they found Ax at the front. He was sullen and stoic as usually. His shock white hair was cut short against his head. He merely nodded when he saw them.
“Any idea what it’s all about now?” Jeff asked.
Ax shrugged.
A hush fell over the crowd as an old crone walked into the room, assisted by a beak nosed man. She was bent over and gray hair escaped from her red and white hat. Her dress matched the ridiculous pattern on her hat and was accentuated by a single red heart on her bodice. In her fat little hands she held a faded heart shaped fan. It was the Heart herself, one of the other oldest living Assassins.
The Heart looked out over the gathered crowd. Her crazed gaze seemed to catch each and every single eye. When it seemed she had looked into the soul of each and every being there she began to shout.
“We must act! Both the United Scottish Kingdom and the local town of Dartmoor want our heads! We are a threat to them when we are but a handful. They could kill each and every one of us off, finishing the job of the Dominos. Why even today another group of our students were almost killed again! To survive we must find a way out of this universe that the wretched Guardian trapped us in! If it were not for our few numbers I would say we should wage war with the outside world!”
The Unicorn let loose a growl from his hunched over position in the corner. “You withered old maniac! Have you forgotten that the Guardian promised to track us down if we did escape?”
“Ha! What can he do to us? He is an infantile!”
“He may be weak, but his companions are not,” said the Unicorn. “He has the sorceress and the devil. And several others in his band are not to be trifled with either. He also has befriended many strange and powerful beings in his tenure as Tower Guardian. Only a madwoman would order us to run about like our heads were chopped off!”
The Heart grimaced at the insult. Her usually uncontrollable rage was starting to quickly boil over. She tightened her grip on her fan and took a menacing step towards the other, older Assassin.
“She is partly right!” said a young, tall Assassin. “The local governments want us dead just because we were Assassins once. The Guardian signed our death certificates by leaving us here. As living beings we deserve the right to try and survive! I think that does mean finding a way out of here.”
Agreeing murmurs filled the room.
“But we should also try to work with the government and Dartmoor,” added another Assassin. She stepped forward, clad head to toe in circuitry embedded in her cat suit. “If we can’t work something out with them, maybe they know an exit the Guardian wasn’t able to find and destroy.”
The previously silent, beak nosed man stepped foreword then. He raised a gloved hand into the air, silencing the argument.
“Brothers and sisters, you are all right!” he cried. “And the Heart does also agree, even though the horrors we have had to face make her impassioned.
The Heart nodded. She was old and crazy, but also very clever. She knew how to work the argument so she still got what she wanted, but with the backing of the other Assassins. That skill had also saved her life once before when the Assassins wanted to kill her themselves.
“We should divide our resources then,” she said smiling. “Like the Prophet says, preservation is our most important goal at this time. And starting an unnecessary fight with the locals would be bad form. We will continue our … forced policing of the village of Dortwood. When the representative from the U.S.K arrives I want one of our best Assassins to lead the talks … Unicorn! It should surely be you. Take some of the eager young one with you. Your knowledge and their passion will be a good combination.
“Meanwhile, I have a new plan that has been in discussion since we were stuck here. A small group of you will dig through the history of this universe to find any forgotten doors that we can use to escape. Local legends, old fairytales, folklore, anything! They will hold the key to our escape. Owl, I want you to lead that group.”
The gathered Assassins turned to face the back where the silent Assassin stood. Her entire body was covered by a pale green armor. A silvery cloak of long metal blades hung from her shoulders. Black, lifeless eyes stared back through her detailed helmet.
The Owl nodded.
The Heart started coughing painfully and doubled over. She would have collapsed completely if a young steward named Ace hadn’t dashed forward and caught her. Using him as a crutch, she hobbled towards the door. The Prophet ran up and took her other side. All three of them exited the room. The congregation started to break up. Her failing health had cut many meetings short.
Kel jumped when a hand grabbed her shoulder. She turned and gasped. The Owl was standing over her.
“You will accompany me,” she stated simply and walked away.
A shiver ran down her spine as she watched her walk away.
“Ya,” said Jeff. “She’s a creeper.”
“Why me!?” Kel whined. “She scares me, I won’t be able to get anything done! And why was she chosen? She’s a fighter not a researcher!”
“She was chosen my child because she can defend herself well,” said the Unicorn, sneaking up on her as well. The girl gave a little jump when he spoke. “The people here will not like us digging around in their records, no matter the reason. Besides, she has much experience dealing with interdimensional travel. She will know how to look behind the message for the truth.
“A pity though … I was hoping I could make use of your assistance in my endeavors. If I must embark on this arduous task the Heart has given me, I’d much rather do it with your help.”
Shrugging, he walked away.
“He’s a creeper too,” Jeff laughed. “I bet you could have really helped him.”
Kel smacked Jeff. “Stop it!”
“The Unicorn is one of the most respected Assassin!” growled Ax. “He has fought in many battles and killed many worthy advisories and if he wants to young flesh then he deserves it.”
Ax walked away without smiling.
“Was he joking?” Jeff asked, unsure.
“It’s Ax … he doesn’t usually joke,” grimaced Kel. “Eww, Ax!”
Well, I have more, like I'm up to page 19. But I may go back and change that a lot so I just want to post this and see if people like something or hate all of it. I'd especially like to get people's reactions on the main characters.
Word count thus far for today? 10118. Though I hope to write some more before the day is over, so the day's count may very well be higher.
Outtie 5K
P.S. Break it out!
“When I’ve killed you I’ll make a nice hat out of your tail!”
The half fox teen snarled. “Don’t even touch my tail or I’ll rip your balls off!”
Laughing, the axe wielder rushed forward, finally funding an advantage over his opponent. The fox was mad and that now made him vulnerable. He knocked the katana out of his hands and threw him up against the wall. His axe cracked in the air at his throat.
“You’re dead now,” snickered the winner.
“And you’ve accomplished your hit,” announced a voice.
The class turned to their purple haired teacher.
“Ax, put fox-boy down,” said Wretched.
The axe wielding Assassin in training let go of Iscus and let him slump to the ground. The half fox withheld a grunt of pain when his butt hit the hard cobbled floor. Ax sauntered back to the circle of students, ignoring their compliments at his amazing style.
The Wretched, a full fledged Assassin and their current teacher, picked up Iscus’ Katana and threw it at his feet.
“Can anyone tell Iscus where he went wrong?” she asked. She gave the class a menacing glare, reminding them off the punishments for answering questions incorrectly.
There was a silence until an unsure voice broke the silence.
“He let … his emotions control his …actions?”
The Wretched cut through the students until she stood before the young blonde girl that had answered. She shook visibly in front of the Assassin. Cocking her head, she frowned.
“Jeff, you associate with his pitiful fighter,” said the Wretched to another student without looking away. “She could teach you what you lack to even be considered as a real Assassin.”
With that, the Wretched turned and left the room. It was her nonverbal way of saying that class was over and they were free to go. The rest of the class filed out, moving on to practice their fighting skills or to study, leaving only four teenagers.
Ax absorbed his weapons back into his body. “The Master said I was progressing excellently. I will be able to graduate into the Guild in record time!”
“Well good for you,” Jeff snorted. “Just don’t forget about the rest of us lowly students when you make it big.”
The red-head walked over and offered a hand to Iscus who was still on the ground. He gave the half fox his best half smile, trying ton reassure his friend. He took Jeff’s hand and got up sullenly.
“Oh, Ax won’t forget about us, will you?” asked the blonde girl. She gave him a shy smile, but he ignored it. “We’ll all be together forever.”
Jeff rolled his eyes, but because her optimistic mood always surprised him. “Sure thing Kel. Whatever you say.”
Kelipelle was thrown against the stone wall. She yelled in pain and slumped to the ground. An angry teenager stood over her about to swing a shovel. She simply knew that it would probably collapse her skull in when it hit her. Manual labor had made her attacker strong.
“KEL!” screamed Jeff.
He slammed into the teen and knocked him to the ground with a thud. Her attacker didn’t get up. Jeff gave her his half-smile while offering his hand to her.
Some things never change, she thought, accepting his hand.
He easily pulled her up. The two of them surveyed the skirmish that had broken out in the streets of the moor-locked village. A group of young rabble-rousers intent on revenge had attacked.
Sadly, it was something Kel was getting very used to very quick.
Not that you can blame them though, she though. We are Assassins … former Assassins … whatever! What matters is that we’re both trapped here and we have to deal with each other ... can’t we all get along?
She laughed out loud to her joke, making Jeff give her a worried look.
“This isn’t getting to you is it?” he asked nervously. “You haven’t finally snapped? I mean I know fighting isn’t your thing but-”
“I’m fine,” she said, giving him a reassuring smile.
Three striking girls, the Erinyes Triplets surrounded a group of older teens. Kel could never tell them apart, but she knew their names; Alec, Meagan and Tish. They held out their hands, making the points of a triangle. A soft, incoherent chanting arose from them and the angry men they surrounded stopped dead in their tracks.
The Erinyes Triplets were strong and mysterious. Kel feared them almost as much as she feared the older Assassins like the Owl. Before the massacre, the Triplets were about to become full-fledged Assassins themselves.
The entranced men suddenly fell to the ground, rigid as wood. Screaming, a girl jumped out and attacked one of the Triplets. The two teenagers fell to the ground as a screech erupted from the Triplets.
“Foul little wench!” cried one of the standing Triplets.
The third walked to the attacker as she punched the former Assassin-in-training. The Triplet grabbed the attacker by the back of her neck and threw her off of her sister. The attacker hit a cobbled wall and fell to the ground.
“Meagan, are you alright?” asked either Tish or Alec.
Meagan nodded, standing up. “That filth hurt me!”
An elderly man in robes, yellowed with age walked down the street. A golden dot on his forehead glinted in the light. The few remaining insurgents stopped once his intimidating presence hit them. They looked up at him in fear. And it wasn’t just the attackers, but the defending Assassins in training as well.
“Stop this at once!” he bellowed. “When will your senseless thirst for bloodshed end?”
A man bleeding from a cut above his eye snarled. “When you damned Assassins are all dead! You killed our loved ones! You deserve to burn in hell for eternity!”
“Eternity is never as long as you think,” the old man sighed. “But we not your enemies any longer! What threat can imprisoned animals do? The Guild of Assassins are no more, and neither are the Domino. A group with bloodlust to match us. Stop this incessant fighting before I take you over my knee!”
The simple, yet very real threat silenced the youth. He stepped back and ran down the street. His still conscious comrades followed closely behind, leaving the few attackers unconscious in the streets.
“Sir!” said Jeff, saluting the man.
He was a well respected member of their now defunct Guild. He was known as the Unicorn, one of the oldest and still alive members of the High Council. In fact, there was only one other still living member to help guide them. Ever since the Tower Guardian had trapped them in the universe with their enemy, the Domino, they had had little guidance.
“Carry the unconscious to the hospital,” the Unicorn ordered. “Let them wake up and know how their ‘friends’ abandoned them. Assassins would never abandon their own if they could help it!”
“But we’re not Assassins any more,” murmured Kel.
The Unicorn heard her and turned to her, giving her a smile. “No my dear, not truly. But we are still a clan, a family and we must protect each other.”
We must still protect ourselves from the Dominos! Even though the Expanding Darkness no longer feeds on their soul!
“For now, help these ruffians, then return to the base,” said the Unicorn.
He turned and walked into the town, getting lost in the fog. Jeff sighed and grabbed the shoulder of Kel’s attacker. Helping him, the town made yet another visit to the hospital where the dying Assassins and Dominos lay next to each other.
Kelipelle sighed and looked out over the moor. As usual they were foggy and depressing. They had been that way for as long as they had been there, on the edge of Dartmoor. At one point the city had seemed like a save haven, until they learned it was the home of the Dominos. At least she was alive and had survived the massacre of the Assassins.
But they all weren’t there.
So much time has passed since I said those silly words, the teen thought. We’ll all be together forever? Ha!
She ran her hand through her hair and shed a tear. Gone were the days of studying and sparring with her three friends. Gone too were the days when she would lay awake at night and dread becoming a ruthless killing machine.
The Guild of Assassins is no more, thought Kel. Iscus is no more …
That very same thought came to her at least once a day. She felt she had to keep reminding herself what happened. She was so scared that one day she would simply forget the friends she had lost and the few good times she had had.
Because nowadays she spent her time living in fear.
The Dominos, an evil group of angry people had tried to kill Kel and the rest of the Assassins. They had absorbed a strange and mysterious evil that allowed them to pursue their darkest wish. Because of it, almost all of the Assassins throughout the multiverse had been brutally slain.
Not that we didn’t deserve it.
Now they were both trapped; the Assassins and the Dominos, in the same universe with no hope to escape and only one order.
Get over it.
The demand and their unique incarceration had been caused by someone many of the Assassins saw as a child. The current Tower Guardian had helped save the Assassins from extinction, even though he had had several bad encounters with them before. By closing off their universe and preventing the Assassins’ escape, he had disbanded one of the oldest organizations in the multiverse with the snap of his fingers.
Iscus really would have liked him, Kel thought. He was everything he ever wanted … if only he hadn’t died!
Kel chocked back a sob and stepped away from the edge of the tower, right into a person. She gasped and looked up into Jeff’s freckled face. He gave her a reassuring smile.
“Thinking of Iscus again?” he asked.
The only thing Kel could do was nod, admitting the truth.
“Ax will say I’m being sentimental again, but I can’t help it!” she said.
“Ax is still moody,” explained Jeff. “He’s still getting used to only having one arm. And he’s never happy. Honestly, have you ever known him to smile? Or be cheerful about anything?”
Kel smiled and whipped away a tear.
“Come on, the Heart wishes to speak with us,” said Jeff. “Seems the Scottish government out there still isn’t happy at having us here.”
The two teens walked back into the musty Wormwood Castle that was their home. It wasn’t far from the moors they had hid in or the village where the remaining Dominos lived. It wasn’t anything like the Academy had been, but it was the only safe place they had to live.
While the rest of the world they now lived in had limited technology for electricity, they were forced to use candles and torches in the castle. Torches lit the interior hallways that led to the large reception room where a large gathering of about thirty former Assassins and students waited. Many still showed signs from the massacre that had almost wiped them out. Bandaged limbs and amputations were visible on almost every person in attendence.
Except me, thought Kel. I escaped without a single scratch. And why? Because I was a coward and hid …
Jeff and Kel pushed through the crowd until they found Ax at the front. He was sullen and stoic as usually. His shock white hair was cut short against his head. He merely nodded when he saw them.
“Any idea what it’s all about now?” Jeff asked.
Ax shrugged.
A hush fell over the crowd as an old crone walked into the room, assisted by a beak nosed man. She was bent over and gray hair escaped from her red and white hat. Her dress matched the ridiculous pattern on her hat and was accentuated by a single red heart on her bodice. In her fat little hands she held a faded heart shaped fan. It was the Heart herself, one of the other oldest living Assassins.
The Heart looked out over the gathered crowd. Her crazed gaze seemed to catch each and every single eye. When it seemed she had looked into the soul of each and every being there she began to shout.
“We must act! Both the United Scottish Kingdom and the local town of Dartmoor want our heads! We are a threat to them when we are but a handful. They could kill each and every one of us off, finishing the job of the Dominos. Why even today another group of our students were almost killed again! To survive we must find a way out of this universe that the wretched Guardian trapped us in! If it were not for our few numbers I would say we should wage war with the outside world!”
The Unicorn let loose a growl from his hunched over position in the corner. “You withered old maniac! Have you forgotten that the Guardian promised to track us down if we did escape?”
“Ha! What can he do to us? He is an infantile!”
“He may be weak, but his companions are not,” said the Unicorn. “He has the sorceress and the devil. And several others in his band are not to be trifled with either. He also has befriended many strange and powerful beings in his tenure as Tower Guardian. Only a madwoman would order us to run about like our heads were chopped off!”
The Heart grimaced at the insult. Her usually uncontrollable rage was starting to quickly boil over. She tightened her grip on her fan and took a menacing step towards the other, older Assassin.
“She is partly right!” said a young, tall Assassin. “The local governments want us dead just because we were Assassins once. The Guardian signed our death certificates by leaving us here. As living beings we deserve the right to try and survive! I think that does mean finding a way out of here.”
Agreeing murmurs filled the room.
“But we should also try to work with the government and Dartmoor,” added another Assassin. She stepped forward, clad head to toe in circuitry embedded in her cat suit. “If we can’t work something out with them, maybe they know an exit the Guardian wasn’t able to find and destroy.”
The previously silent, beak nosed man stepped foreword then. He raised a gloved hand into the air, silencing the argument.
“Brothers and sisters, you are all right!” he cried. “And the Heart does also agree, even though the horrors we have had to face make her impassioned.
The Heart nodded. She was old and crazy, but also very clever. She knew how to work the argument so she still got what she wanted, but with the backing of the other Assassins. That skill had also saved her life once before when the Assassins wanted to kill her themselves.
“We should divide our resources then,” she said smiling. “Like the Prophet says, preservation is our most important goal at this time. And starting an unnecessary fight with the locals would be bad form. We will continue our … forced policing of the village of Dortwood. When the representative from the U.S.K arrives I want one of our best Assassins to lead the talks … Unicorn! It should surely be you. Take some of the eager young one with you. Your knowledge and their passion will be a good combination.
“Meanwhile, I have a new plan that has been in discussion since we were stuck here. A small group of you will dig through the history of this universe to find any forgotten doors that we can use to escape. Local legends, old fairytales, folklore, anything! They will hold the key to our escape. Owl, I want you to lead that group.”
The gathered Assassins turned to face the back where the silent Assassin stood. Her entire body was covered by a pale green armor. A silvery cloak of long metal blades hung from her shoulders. Black, lifeless eyes stared back through her detailed helmet.
The Owl nodded.
The Heart started coughing painfully and doubled over. She would have collapsed completely if a young steward named Ace hadn’t dashed forward and caught her. Using him as a crutch, she hobbled towards the door. The Prophet ran up and took her other side. All three of them exited the room. The congregation started to break up. Her failing health had cut many meetings short.
Kel jumped when a hand grabbed her shoulder. She turned and gasped. The Owl was standing over her.
“You will accompany me,” she stated simply and walked away.
A shiver ran down her spine as she watched her walk away.
“Ya,” said Jeff. “She’s a creeper.”
“Why me!?” Kel whined. “She scares me, I won’t be able to get anything done! And why was she chosen? She’s a fighter not a researcher!”
“She was chosen my child because she can defend herself well,” said the Unicorn, sneaking up on her as well. The girl gave a little jump when he spoke. “The people here will not like us digging around in their records, no matter the reason. Besides, she has much experience dealing with interdimensional travel. She will know how to look behind the message for the truth.
“A pity though … I was hoping I could make use of your assistance in my endeavors. If I must embark on this arduous task the Heart has given me, I’d much rather do it with your help.”
Shrugging, he walked away.
“He’s a creeper too,” Jeff laughed. “I bet you could have really helped him.”
Kel smacked Jeff. “Stop it!”
“The Unicorn is one of the most respected Assassin!” growled Ax. “He has fought in many battles and killed many worthy advisories and if he wants to young flesh then he deserves it.”
Ax walked away without smiling.
“Was he joking?” Jeff asked, unsure.
“It’s Ax … he doesn’t usually joke,” grimaced Kel. “Eww, Ax!”
Well, I have more, like I'm up to page 19. But I may go back and change that a lot so I just want to post this and see if people like something or hate all of it. I'd especially like to get people's reactions on the main characters.
Word count thus far for today? 10118. Though I hope to write some more before the day is over, so the day's count may very well be higher.
Outtie 5K
P.S. Break it out!