The Zero Hour | #Wattys2016

Chapter 15 - Goodbye (Part 3)

"Oh give me a break, he dodged it again," Rei sighed. He leapt at the assassin again and swung his right dagger in a wide arc. The assassin immediately disappeared in a puff of smoke. Without blinking, Rei reached for an icicle and threw it far left. Amadeus felt the wind on his face as the icicle soared past, missing him by inches. The icicle made contact with one of the assassin's onyx daggers, knocking it out of his hand. The assassin did a backflip and retrieved his dagger before merging into the darkness again.

One immediately stepped in between the danger and Amadeus, using his large frame as a shield. Izumi drew her icicles from her belt but frowned when she could not get a clear shot at the assassin. Rei and the assassin traded flurries of dagger attacks at intense speeds, making them look like blurred lines to Amadeus.

"Stay back Izzy, this is not a battle you can win." Rei shouted as he fended off a low arc swing of the assassin's dagger. The assassin was holding his daggers with the blade facing outwards, focusing on piercing or stabbing motions. Rei however was holding his daggers with the blade facing inwards, resting against his forearms – this stance focused on slashing motions. Both of them had very different fighting styles but Rei seemed to be able to keep up with the assassin.

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Izumi's years of training kicked in, overriding her emotions as a daughter. She obeyed her commander's orders and hesitantly sheathed her icicles. She stood back quietly, watching the battle unfold. Her body remains alert and tense, ready to be called in at any moment.

Izumi gave Amadeus a concerned look and drew two icicles from her belt. One continued to cover Amadeus with a single arm, like a father stopping his son from running across the road.

Rei didn't look like he needed any help. He was fighting toe-to-toe with the assassin. To Amadeus, it looked like he was winning. With a back step, Rei feigned to the left and slashed to the right, finally making contact with the assassin. The assassin stumbled backwards; some of his blood fresh on Rei's frost dagger. The assassin trembled slightly, but kept a firm grip on his daggers.

Suddenly Rei's eyes opened wide. "What is—" He didn't manage to finish his sentence; both his frost daggers slipped from his hands and fell onto the ground with a thud. He shortly collapsed onto the floor. Rei didn't need to see the assassin's face to know that he was amused by this turn of events. Wasting no time, he dashed forward to deliver a deathblow on Rei.

"Father!" shouted Izumi as she threw two icicles in the assassin's path, just slowing him down in time to reach her father's side. She immediately drew her frost daggers and crouched low, assuming the basic defensive stance that she learned in during her martial arts training.

The assassin clashed with her next, and she locked her daggers with his. Fully utilizing her low center of gravity, she flung him over her head and slammed him hard on the ground with the momentum of his own attack. She quickly spun around and plunged her dagger into the assassin's heart but all it pierced was the sandy ground. The assassin had managed to roll away and immediately vanished again.

Concentrating, Izumi closed her eyes and slowed her breathing. Focusing her sixth sense, she became increasingly aware of her surroundings. The assassin was circling the campfire, counter-clockwise.

It suddenly dawned upon Rei what had happened. "The water," Rei muttered weakly, interrupting her concentration.

"What is it, father?" Izumi asked while attempting keeping her supernatural senses on alert. She was expecting another attack. The assassin wouldn't have been scared off so easily.

"The water," Rei continued, "he put night essence into it."

A deep sense of dread filled Izumi's heart. She knew all too well what night essence was. It had paralyzed Rei first due to the exertion of his body during the fight with the assassin. It was only a matter of time before it affected the rest of them.