A draft kicked up a flurry of snowflakes which sent pinpricks of numbness across Ryuu's face as he waited on top of his perch.
"He's late,"Ryuu mumbled,before hearing the sounds of twigs snapping and soft curses,a telltale sign of a human.Ryuu quickly jumped down from his perch and leaned against a tree.
"Took you long enough,"Ryuu snarled at the approaching figure.The middle aged,heavyset man approaching him was none other than Phineas Thorn,his informant.Phineas ambled his way to the base of the tree and lowered his considerable bulk against it,and spread out a map with markings on it on the ground.
"Well,let's get straight to business,shall we?My arse is freezing itself off here,"Phineas articulated.
"Axel's made his base here,"he said,pointing at a mark about a 100 paces away from where they stood.
"They used go and raid smaller towns for supplies,but after the black sword put a price on his head,he's fortified his camp and kept to it.He hardly leaves his tent now,and does nothing but gorge himself on meat and wine while his men patrol the wall.Should be an easy enough mark for you,"he finished with a flourish.
"What took you so long?I almost froze to death waiting,"Ryuu vented.
"Isn't my fault this place is in the middle of nowhere.Good luck kid.Stay safe,"Phineas said.
"Aren't I always,"Ryuu replied,before bounding in the direction of the camp.
What started as a jog quickly turned into a sprint as he bounded through the snow, his legs closing up the distance between him and the camp.Ryuu focused on his breathing as he ran and soon enough,he was within sight of the camp.
Just as Phineas as had said,the camp had been haphazardly fortified,and sharped stakes made of wood had been pounded into the snow at close proximity to create a wooden wall.Men stood at what seemed to be the entrance,sitting on rocks and playing cards.
This should be easy,Ryuu thought.
Ryuu quickly moved to the back of the camp,using the woods as cover so that none of the men noticed him.
He bounded up a tree to gain a look at the inside of the camp,and Axel's tent was easy enough to spot.It was the largest one in the tiny camp,located at the centre.The men in the camp seemed to be no better than their leader,as they all staggered around the camp swearing at thin air and falling flat on their faces.
Ryuu bounded up to the highest point of his tree and he then jumped to the next one,and then repeated this until he reached the tree closest to the camp,and then he leaped from it,clearing the wall and instinctively rolling on impact,the snow masking the noise he made.
Ryuu wasted no time as he sneaked to the centre of the camp,hiding behind barrels and inside empty tents whenever he heard the telltale sounds of men-the rasping of thier mouths as they breathed in the cold,the sound of thier chests heaving.In no time at all he reached the center of the camp,where he unsheathed his dagger-a pale two hand long blade forged of myrthil.He clutched the blade tightly in his hand and entered the tent.
Axel lay at the corner of the tent, sprawled out on a chair,an empty bottle in his hand.He was an easy mark for sure,but something felt off about the whole situation.Nevertheless,Ryuu snuck closer to Axel,and appeared to lower his dagger.Axel suddenly turned around,a battle axe in his hands,and lunged towards him,dropping his bottle and trowing his chair back.Ryuu quickly dodged to the side and using Axel's own force against him,pinned him to the ground.Ryuu slammed his wrist to the floor,causing the axe to clatter to the ground.
"Why?We where allies,dammit!"Axel forced out.
Ryuu leaned into his ear and started to whisper,"I'll let you in on a little secret for you to take beyond the veil.Every man I have ever killed has been an ally of the guild.Farewell."
He then drove his dagger into the back of Axel's neck,the flesh giving way to the blade like rotting wood.No matter how much he killed ,he could never get used to this feeling.
Axel spasmed on the ground for a while before succumbing to the thralls of death.
"Rest in peace,"Ryuu whispered,closing Axel's eyes and standing up,wanting to depart before several armed men armed with weapons found out that he had killed their leader.
YOU ARE READING
Reaper's Aide
FantasiaWorking as an assassin for a guild of theives and butchers isn't exactly what one would call the high life,but it's all that Ryuu has ever known.Turned into an assassin to repay a debt that was never his,all he longs for is to live a quiet life by h...
