The Blitz (BEING REVISED)

Chapter One: The Blitz (Part One)

This is very new and only has a few parts so far, I will be updating with new chapters when ever I write them as well as editing the exhisting chapters once I get feedback.

*This Chapter is MOSTLY editied* 

*Edited as of January 2020*

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“This is Sleptaas,” the assassin heard a familiar voice say. She was the only person in the tavern, other than the barmaid; a cloaked figure leaning back against the wall in her chair, absently cleaning under her fingernails with a deadly-looking knife. She raised her head at their approach, the shadow cast from her beaked hood giving way to candle light, giving the newcomers a better look at her face. The bounty hunter’s expression was hard to read. She gave no emotion, not even in her eyes, which were a stormcloud gray streaked with golds and greens, burning mysteriously in the half-light. She had otherwise plain features that made her look ageless, not easily recognizable in a crowd and difficult to remember unless you knew her; the face of a killer.

The two people who had come into the tavern were, a tall, muscular man with a two-handed greatsword in the sheath on his back, who Sleptaas immediately recognized as Terogis, the guildmaster and father figure. With him was a very short girl. Her eyes, well-adjusted from her hours of sitting in the darkness, noted within seconds of her entry that the girl was a mage by the staff in her hand. She sized up the girl, as was her custom meeting anyone, and decided she looked thirteen. The girl was four maybe five inches shorter than herself, and was very thin with little muscle tone.
Sleptaas drank the last of her ale from the mug at her elbow and rose from her chair with a silent, swift grace. She removed her hood, a gesture of respect for the guildmaster. Upon closer inspection, the mage was very pale, from days of sitting inside reading, perhaps, and her eyes were a light silvery blue, almost white. Her honey-blonde hair was pulled back from her face with a blue ribbon that matched her mage robes.

“Sleptaas, this is Twanette,” the guildmaster said.

Sleptaas raised an eyebrow. “And?”

“She’s your new partner.”

The assassin bristled. She stood a full head and a half shorter than Terogis but drew herself up as if she meant to attack him. “You said nothing of the sort when you talked to me last night, Terogis.”

The guildmaster looked down at Sleptaas cooly. “I felt it was time for you to go back to your rogue ways, Sleptaas, and not your bounty hunting ones. And that would require a partner.”

“I don’t need a partner! I don’t want innocent blood on my hands, especially that of a little girl’s!”

“I’m sixteen!” the girl’s voice voice rose in protest.

Sleptaas turned and snapped at her, “And a girl you are!”

“Sleptaas, Merek’s death was not your fault,” Terogis said.

“Maybe not, but I refuse to drag one so young into battles she may not win!”

“Which is why I’m partnering her with you, an experienced woman who can teach her. She’s fresh out of the Academy.”

“That’s what I worry about…”

“Your assignment is in three days. I suggest you two prepare.”

He left the two alone in the empty tavern.

Sleptaas sat down in her chair and called for another ale, and Twanette shook her head when the assassin offered her one. They sat in silence for a while, and Sleptaas was on her fifth drink when she pointed to the fucanglong on Twanette’s shoulder, which the mage was absentmindedly petting.

“What’s his name?” Her voice had no slur to it despite the amount she’d drunk, but instead had a bitter note to it.

“Axe,” Twanette replied in the same tone.

“He’s cute,” she said from behind her mug.

“Yeah…” Silence filled the room, the only sound coming from the quiet humming of the barmaid. “How long have you been a bounty hunter?” Twanette asked, breaking the silence. “I’ve heard some of the Academy students talking about you.”

“Two years.”

“And what did you do before?”

“I was a rogue.”

“Who’s this Merek guy?”

Sleptaas had been taking a drink from her ale when Twanette said that, she flinched and seemed to sink into her cloak and the shadows. “He was my partner.”

“Yes, but he was more than that, wasn’t he?”

The assassin looked up at her with a look that could cut stone. “Why does it matter?”

“So it was more than just a partnership,” Twanette stated.

Sleptaas suddenly slammed her dagger into the table, pinning Twanette’s sleeve. The assassin leaned forward just inches from the mage’s face, her scarred hand still on the hilt of the knife. On Twanette’s shoulder, Axe snarled softly, electricity sparking in his flared nostrils, ready to defend his mistress. Sleptaas narrowed her eyes, staring down the young mage, breathing the scent of alcohol into her face. They held each other’s gaze for the longest time. What seemed like a lifetime later, Sleptaas pulled the knife out of the table and sheathed it in her belt. “I think the point has been made. I will talk about Merek when I feel the need to.” The blonde mage nodded, but was scowling.

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Alright, hey everyone! So, sorry this chapter is so short, but it is more of just a little taste. There will definitely be more added later and feel free to comment and tell me what you think. Suggestions would be helpful as well as editing tips, I'm extrememly new to this. :)

Have a good day,

Ellie