Yor Forger: The Assassin Who Knew Too Little

Every Princess Has Her Thorns

"Alright class, mind your step!" called Mr. Henderson, "Be careful not to look down!" The high, grassy mountains surrounding Barvinich stretched many miles. The students had a big day planned to match such a massive location. They had been driven up the long twisty roads to a high altitude hiking experience. Compared to the foot of the snowy mountains, the air felt unbelievably thin, with everyone breathing sharper than they were used to, which made traversal all the more daunting.

At the bottom of the mountain, Yor and Agent Crow were back at it again. The high mountains and wide, dangling cliffs could be the bread and butter for an avalanche, especially if explosives were to be involved. Agent Crow stayed hidden with the assassin, glancing through his binoculars for any suspicious activity. "These mountains are bigger than anything I've ever seen," Yor stated in awe, "how do people navigate around here?"

Agent Crow explained that after establishing land, the settlers forged dirt passages that went around, over, and even through the mountains and caves. Later on, some of them were converted into roads to keep up with newer transportation. The older paths are still used for tourism and recreational hiking.

Yor was impressed before continuing to analyze the seemingly endless series of steep hills and rocky walls that obscured the horizon, "How are we going to cover all this ground?" she asked. Crow told her to keep her voice down, in spite of everyone else being on a separate hill.

Yor scanned the cliffs before seeing someone unfamiliar walking away from an edge. She grew more concerned before seeing the rocky wall leading up. The Thorn Princess decided to pitch in her strategy, "You search low, I search high. We can cover both regions if we stay separate." Agent Crow was reluctant, but couldn't help but agree, "Now you're thinking like a spy. Try not to leave any casualties out there, we can't risk leaving any evidence of our presence. If you find any bombs, return them to me!" he demanded. Yor nodded before he gave one last command, "And don't get caught!" he added before feeling something on his arm. He looked to his left to see a mountain goat gnawing on his sleeve.

Yor ventured forth towards the nearest rocky cliff where she saw someone disappear. There wasn't any place for her to reach out and start climbing, so she had to start getting resourceful.

CLACK!

She dug stilettos one after the other into the mountain wall as she climbed up like a woman-spider creature. The wall was only a few hundred feet, but felt like miles as the winds intensified. Before long, The Thorn Princess had reached the top, hardly breaking a sweat. Yor could hear a school group approaching. She looked in the distance and saw the entrance to a cave blocked off with caution tape. While the coast was still clear, she dashed inside like a ninja.

Agent Crow remained at the foot of the mountains, everything seemed peaceful as the tall grass bent gracefully in the wind. He was in his element, on the field, working alone, saving the world yet again. He initially worried for Yor, but felt she could still handle herself, she was slowly gaining his trust, as much as it hurt him to admit it.

A few hundred meters up, Yor admired the cave. Colorful icy stalactites hung from the cave roof as the inside seemed to go on for miles. The sound of water dripping echoed around her as gems seemed to change the color of the cave every few steps she took. Yor remembered Agent Crow mentioning that mining and crystals were one of the many motivations for settlers to move in and one of their many sources of profit. The sight was beautiful, but Yor had to keep focus. She could hear voices in the distance and decided to venture deeper inside to investigate.