Infiltration (Brigits Flame Dec Week 1 Comp)
Title: Infiltration
Author: Aquarius Galuxy
Fiction type: Prose, original fiction (Novel idea #2)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Suspense
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: some gore and violence, maybe murder/death
Word count: 1,129
Summary: An assassin infiltrates an enemy's hideout to save her brother.
Author's Notes: Written for brigits_flame's December Week 1 contest, topic being "Cue". It took me a whole half-day to write this, mostly because I was unmotivated and uninterested in writing it. =\ My writing style feels worse than before somehow, and I hope this isn't too boring! Sort of beta-ed by my sis, waiting for Jiyu's input. It's meant to fit right into a novel, but I doubt my standards are there yet. =\ Does it need more of a backstory to it though? o-o
The night breeze chilled slivers of her exposed skin as she pressed close to the brick walls of single-storey buildings, blending into the deepest shadows. House by house, she crept towards the deserted compound at the edge of the city, her gaze darting to her surroundings, rubber soles noiseless against the packed dirt ground.
Ito thanked the gods that it was cloudy tonight. Dagger in hand, she slipped into the copse of trees skirting her target location and surveyed the patrolling guards. There were a handful of them, too many to take down without arousing suspicion. Smoothly, she slid her weapon back into the leather sheath at her thigh, replacing it with the grappling hook strapped to her hip. This was just like another job, she reminded herself.
Except that it was her very own brother trapped in this place.
When the guards were yards away from the far end of the wall, she sprinted forward and swung the hook up, hearing the soft thunk of metal on stone two seconds later. One swift tug was all she had time for before launching herself up the wall, her arm muscles accustomed to the strain of her weight as she pulled herself to the top of the enclosure, securing her position with one black-clothed leg. The guards on patrol never saw the swaying rope ascend the boundary, coiled into a loop and tucked back onto their intruder's hip.
Adrenaline coursed through her veins. Perched on the periphery of enemy's hideout, Ito glanced over the vague shadows of various buildings, biting her lip. There were at least ten buildings within the brick boundary, and more guards than would prove easy for her to locate Izumo. She pushed herself off the wall, landing lightly on the ground below in a crouch.
Even with the inky form-fitting outfit covering her body and head, she could not shake the feeling that her presence was known somehow, that she had slipped up somewhere. Where were they holding her brother, and what were they doing to him? He knew nothing of her assassinations, nor of her being a ninja. Her stomach clenched with worry.
Drawing her dagger once more, the assassin started when the clouds shifted and almost revealed her position, cursing under her breath. Her eyes swept over the compound; she began her search methodically, sneaking over to the first cottage. The glass window was dark, and the interior was silent. With a slight shake of her head, she ascertained that the coast was clear, before slipping over to the next building.
Ito cursed the moment she rounded a corner, staring at the shocked countenance of a bulky guard. He opened his mouth to shout a warning, at the same time her left palm flew up to deliver a sharp strike to his neck.
His pupils rolled upwards, and he collapsed onto the ground in a heap. She breathed an inward sigh of relief, glancing over her shoulder to make sure that no one had spotted them. With hardly time to waste, she crouched down and shoved the guard to the base of a wall, where he would be hidden by the shadows. This marked the turn of her hourglass.
Voices sounded towards the middle of the silent compound, drawing her attention to a large building with lit windows. She made her way there, a trace of nervousness entering her blood. Guards patrolled every wall. A sharp scream punctured the air. Her blood froze.
"You will tell us where your sister is!"
"I don't know, you bastards!" She recognised that voice, knew it all too well. "And even if I did, I wouldn't give her away to scum like you!"
Another scream. "Where is she?" the other man bellowed.
Something heavy clattered to the floor - Ito clenched her fists and prayed that he wasn't too badly injured. Bile threatened to rise from her stomach, and her heart thundered hotly in her chest. She had to save Izumo before his torturers left him without limbs. Desperate now, she sought the cover of the shadows, circling the building from a distance to find a discreet entrance.
There was only one. It was a tiny window to the attic. A man walked to and fro beneath it. She tensed her calves to sprint forward the moment the guard started walking away from her, only to have a large hand grab her upper right arm tightly, yanking her back.
For a moment, all thought left her mind, until her senses returned, bringing with it an instinct to spin around, transferring her dagger to her left hand. The dull glint of a blade a foot from her face forced her to jerk back in order to avoid the blow, slashing at the wrist that held her captive. He grunted in pain, his grip loosening. The beginning of a high whistle erupted from his lips. In alarm, she twisted fully around and jammed her dagger straight into the guard's throat, ignoring the crunch of cartilage and thick blood spraying onto her knife and bare hand.
The other men would soon be here.
Ito yanked her dagger back out, turning back to the building. The guard gurgled and met the ground behind her. It might have been luck that the clouds had shifted back into place. She sent her gratitude to the gods, sprinting over to the sole guard strolling away from her and dealing a swift blow to the back of his neck. The grappling hook was back out before he had even properly fallen, hurriedly aimed into the open window. The alarm would be sounded any minute now.
In seconds, she was within the attic of the building, returning the hook back to her belt. The sound of splintering wood below drew a wince to her face. Izumo was suffering because of her, and she would not stand for it. It hurt inside just thinking of how much he was going through.
Glancing around, she saw the only path in the attic that held promise: a narrow gap between some crates under the slant of the roof, that required her to move on all fours. Light from beneath filtered through slits in the attic floor. Progress through the crates was slow, though she noted that the place was far less dusty than a neglected attic was. The voices were drawing closer now. Ito placed her hands carefully onto the path ahead of her, lowering her front to peer through the slits.
The floor beneath the upper half of her body gave way suddenly, swinging downwards.
She lost her balance and toppled head-first through the hole in the floor, stunned, landing in a heap in the midst of a dozen armed guards, each aiming a sharpened spear at her throat.
Author: Aquarius Galuxy
Fiction type: Prose, original fiction (Novel idea #2)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Suspense
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: some gore and violence, maybe murder/death
Word count: 1,129
Summary: An assassin infiltrates an enemy's hideout to save her brother.
Author's Notes: Written for brigits_flame's December Week 1 contest, topic being "Cue". It took me a whole half-day to write this, mostly because I was unmotivated and uninterested in writing it. =\ My writing style feels worse than before somehow, and I hope this isn't too boring! Sort of beta-ed by my sis, waiting for Jiyu's input. It's meant to fit right into a novel, but I doubt my standards are there yet. =\ Does it need more of a backstory to it though? o-o
The night breeze chilled slivers of her exposed skin as she pressed close to the brick walls of single-storey buildings, blending into the deepest shadows. House by house, she crept towards the deserted compound at the edge of the city, her gaze darting to her surroundings, rubber soles noiseless against the packed dirt ground.
Ito thanked the gods that it was cloudy tonight. Dagger in hand, she slipped into the copse of trees skirting her target location and surveyed the patrolling guards. There were a handful of them, too many to take down without arousing suspicion. Smoothly, she slid her weapon back into the leather sheath at her thigh, replacing it with the grappling hook strapped to her hip. This was just like another job, she reminded herself.
Except that it was her very own brother trapped in this place.
When the guards were yards away from the far end of the wall, she sprinted forward and swung the hook up, hearing the soft thunk of metal on stone two seconds later. One swift tug was all she had time for before launching herself up the wall, her arm muscles accustomed to the strain of her weight as she pulled herself to the top of the enclosure, securing her position with one black-clothed leg. The guards on patrol never saw the swaying rope ascend the boundary, coiled into a loop and tucked back onto their intruder's hip.
Adrenaline coursed through her veins. Perched on the periphery of enemy's hideout, Ito glanced over the vague shadows of various buildings, biting her lip. There were at least ten buildings within the brick boundary, and more guards than would prove easy for her to locate Izumo. She pushed herself off the wall, landing lightly on the ground below in a crouch.
Even with the inky form-fitting outfit covering her body and head, she could not shake the feeling that her presence was known somehow, that she had slipped up somewhere. Where were they holding her brother, and what were they doing to him? He knew nothing of her assassinations, nor of her being a ninja. Her stomach clenched with worry.
Drawing her dagger once more, the assassin started when the clouds shifted and almost revealed her position, cursing under her breath. Her eyes swept over the compound; she began her search methodically, sneaking over to the first cottage. The glass window was dark, and the interior was silent. With a slight shake of her head, she ascertained that the coast was clear, before slipping over to the next building.
Ito cursed the moment she rounded a corner, staring at the shocked countenance of a bulky guard. He opened his mouth to shout a warning, at the same time her left palm flew up to deliver a sharp strike to his neck.
His pupils rolled upwards, and he collapsed onto the ground in a heap. She breathed an inward sigh of relief, glancing over her shoulder to make sure that no one had spotted them. With hardly time to waste, she crouched down and shoved the guard to the base of a wall, where he would be hidden by the shadows. This marked the turn of her hourglass.
Voices sounded towards the middle of the silent compound, drawing her attention to a large building with lit windows. She made her way there, a trace of nervousness entering her blood. Guards patrolled every wall. A sharp scream punctured the air. Her blood froze.
"You will tell us where your sister is!"
"I don't know, you bastards!" She recognised that voice, knew it all too well. "And even if I did, I wouldn't give her away to scum like you!"
Another scream. "Where is she?" the other man bellowed.
Something heavy clattered to the floor - Ito clenched her fists and prayed that he wasn't too badly injured. Bile threatened to rise from her stomach, and her heart thundered hotly in her chest. She had to save Izumo before his torturers left him without limbs. Desperate now, she sought the cover of the shadows, circling the building from a distance to find a discreet entrance.
There was only one. It was a tiny window to the attic. A man walked to and fro beneath it. She tensed her calves to sprint forward the moment the guard started walking away from her, only to have a large hand grab her upper right arm tightly, yanking her back.
For a moment, all thought left her mind, until her senses returned, bringing with it an instinct to spin around, transferring her dagger to her left hand. The dull glint of a blade a foot from her face forced her to jerk back in order to avoid the blow, slashing at the wrist that held her captive. He grunted in pain, his grip loosening. The beginning of a high whistle erupted from his lips. In alarm, she twisted fully around and jammed her dagger straight into the guard's throat, ignoring the crunch of cartilage and thick blood spraying onto her knife and bare hand.
The other men would soon be here.
Ito yanked her dagger back out, turning back to the building. The guard gurgled and met the ground behind her. It might have been luck that the clouds had shifted back into place. She sent her gratitude to the gods, sprinting over to the sole guard strolling away from her and dealing a swift blow to the back of his neck. The grappling hook was back out before he had even properly fallen, hurriedly aimed into the open window. The alarm would be sounded any minute now.
In seconds, she was within the attic of the building, returning the hook back to her belt. The sound of splintering wood below drew a wince to her face. Izumo was suffering because of her, and she would not stand for it. It hurt inside just thinking of how much he was going through.
Glancing around, she saw the only path in the attic that held promise: a narrow gap between some crates under the slant of the roof, that required her to move on all fours. Light from beneath filtered through slits in the attic floor. Progress through the crates was slow, though she noted that the place was far less dusty than a neglected attic was. The voices were drawing closer now. Ito placed her hands carefully onto the path ahead of her, lowering her front to peer through the slits.
The floor beneath the upper half of her body gave way suddenly, swinging downwards.
She lost her balance and toppled head-first through the hole in the floor, stunned, landing in a heap in the midst of a dozen armed guards, each aiming a sharpened spear at her throat.