The Zero Hour | #Wattys2016

Chapter 16 - Jagged (Part 1)

The Onyx assassin stopped and knelt down next to Rei. Rei stared at death in the eye without a hint of fear. He grinned at the assassin, his eyes turning into slits. Izumi watched in horror as the assassin cocked his head to one side and raised his dagger over Rei. Izumi shut her eyes tightly and looked away.

In a swift downwards motion, the assassin sheathed one of his onyx daggers on his hip belt, leaving one of his hands free. With his free hand, he patted Rei's face three times, as if to say 'Nice try, but you lost'. Rei's smug smile quickly turned into confusion. "What are you doing? You were trying so hard to kill me a minute ago."

The assassin ignored Rei. Standing back up, he turned towards Amadeus.

"Get back here!" Rei shouted. "Hey, I'm talking to you!"

"Father, what's happening?" Izumi asked with a trembling voice. They were all paralyzed and at the mercy of a skilled Onyx Assassin.

The confusion on Rei's face faded as he realized what was about to happen. Velox Tacitoque, swift and silent. The Onyx Assassins never kill unnecessarily.

"Amadeus, get out of here!" Rei shouted with urgency in his voice. "The assassin isn't after any of us. He only wants you!"

Hearing this, Amadeus struggled in place desperately willing his body to cooperate. His body trembled in response but refused to move. He watched as the assassin steadily approached him. The campfire crackled in the background, flickering in the wind. Behind the assassin, in the distance, he spotted the tiny lights that dotted the peak of the mountain range – the Jagged Peaks. Is this how it ends? I was so close... we were going to reach the Jagged Peaks tomorrow morning.

Amadeus turned his head to look at Izumi. There was no fear in his eyes, only resignation. There's no point in giving in to fear now. I'm paralyzed from the head down, there's nothing I can do. At least the rest of them are safe, I should be brave for them. He smiled weakly at Izumi, who looked afraid. There's so much I wish I could've told you."

Izumi didn't return the smile. She looked confused and fearful. What is this I'm feeling? Life just goes back to normal. Father is safe. I should be relieved, but I'm not. Thoughts raced through her head. Why do I even care if this commoner dies? I just met him yesterday. Somehow, he's... different.

"Amadeus, don't die!" she screamed. "I don't want you to die!"

With dagger in hand, the assassin slanted his head, examining his mark. They paid me so much to kill this little boy? I'm insulted. He left his drinking water alone in the Rokuth town for hours. It was so easy to slip in the night essence.

Warmth bloomed within Amadeus's heart upon hearing what Izumi said. He was glad that he meant something to Izumi. With renewed strength, he tried to reason to the assassin. "Hang on, let's talk about this. I surrender, there's no need to kill me." The assassin remained silent, ignoring his pleas. There's no surrending to an assassin. Raising his dagger, the assassin prepared to claim his mark.

I'm not going to talk my way out of this one, Amadeus thought as he shut his eyes tight and cringed, anticipating the assassin's strike.

*******

Velox Tacitoque. This had been recited mentally many times before in the past, being a tradition of the Order. The Onyx Order always recited their creed before claiming a mark. Holding the dagger in both hands, the assassin plunged it deep into Amadeus' heart.

Crunch.

To the assassin's surprise, the dagger sounded like it had hit a rock. No... it wasn't a rock, it was a large hand. The Rokuth whom was travelling with them had reached out at the last moment and held the dagger in place, only an inch away from the mark's heart. The assassin pulled back with a swift backflip, and simultaneously drew another dagger before flowing back into a fighting stance. The situation had just changed from one of clear victory to a very dangerous one indeed. The Rokuth would have to be approached with caution; his dormant ability to be evaluated.