I shoved Kuro into a clearing in the forest, before pulling out my crossbow. While I'm used to hunting and fighting at night, I almost always had some sort of light. If not from the moon, then a torch. The moon is just a tiny silver, too dim and too low in the sky to be of use. I keep walking anyways. This was a scout mission. If I had brought a torch, we would be spotted almost immediately. And knowing Blackwell, he would never let us get away with it.
A twig snaps and I whipped around, before sighing in realization. Kuro's guilty face and raised hands gave it away. I shook my head and continued. Kuro trails before me, silent. But I don't see anything. Just a typical forest floor, spongy with moss, brown with wet leaves and fallen branches.
"Are we nearly there yet?" Kuro whines.
I put a finger to my lips, before shifting my attention to the treetops ahead of us. I just saw a pair of owls shoot into the sky. Might be nothing; owls hunt at night. But birds flying out of trees are also nature's way of telling you there are people nearby.
I clutched my crossbow tighter, and backed into Kuro. He, too, was alert, sword raised and glistening in the moonlight. Silence. I pulled on my hood, and put on my mask. It was made of a black leather, and covered my nose and neck. Except my eyes. Kuro did the same, and I handed him a bandana. He tied it around his nose and mouth, and I nodded in response. Even though we were on a scout mission, we could not risk being recognized. Both of us played an important role in the Order and society, and if we were discovered, we would be executed immediately for treason. And of course, murder. I lowered my crossbow slightly, before hearing the crack of a heel on a twig. Firing an arrow in the direction of the noise, I heard a grunt of pain as the guard fell to the ground, clutching his arm. I notched another arrow in place, shooting again. It hit him directly between the eyes, and I saw his eyes roll backwards as he fell forwards with a thud. I arched an eyebrow at Kuro, and he scowled in response.
"Pointy things at the ready then." He laughed, before pulling his sword out of his scabbard, and looked around for any incoming troops.
I released another arrow behind my back, and heard a scream as the arrow pierced the man's tights, nailing him in the place where the sun doesn't shine. The man seemed to still hold his man part as he collapsed, and I saw a gush of blood streaming down his pants. Ew. Kuro seemed confused, staring at me as if I had two heads.
"Eyes on the field, not me, simpleton," I called as I released another series of arrows, taking out three other guards that came charging at us. There were more heading our way, and I grab Kuro by his wrist and drag him away from out of the clearing and into the covers of the trees.
A guard charges at us, and Kuro swings his blade. It slashes the guard across his chest, and a dark red begins to spread through the fabric as he fell to the ground with a thump.
"Good job," I whisper, and he grinned back at me. "Nearly there-"
I hear it whistle through the air before I feel it: the fist of a guard that came swinging towards my face. I dodge, but was a second too late. His fist hit me on the cheek, and I dropped my crossbow. I lose my footing and stumble to the ground, sprawling face-first into a pile of leaves and dirt. I wiped the back of my hand against my face and felt a stream of hot blood gushing out from my nose. A guard steps forwards, while stomping down on the crossbow. I heard the crunch of wood and the pang of string as the weapon snapped in half, and I winced. That was my favorite one. Now he was going to pay for it.
Kuro holds his sword in front of him, swinging and jabbing at the two guards in front of him. He continues to try and land a hit on the two, but the guards are fast. They dodge blow after blow, and continue to land hits on Kuro instead.
