Merely Existing

Chapter 13: Trouble from Zeraphus

Beleth's POV

They were no ordinary intruders, they were professional assassins. That much was clear from well-planned attack and swift escape. They ran along twisted lanes, straying further from the neighbourhood and towards the town, probably hoping to rid us in the crowd. I had to admit that was a very good plan, even the way they skilfully accelerated at every sharp turn was a nice tactic.

Unfortunately, they messed with the wrong people.

No matter how professional and skilled they were, we just happened to be a step ahead. By 'we' I meant me and Blacky, not those clowns trailing behind us. Well, they were not complete clowns either, since they managed to keep up with us. The blonde was the furthest away, panting heavily while Keith and the second prince was not far behind me. Both of them seemed to be the athletic type (unlike the blonde) but they were not trained enough for they still panted slightly with a sheen of sweat already forming on their faces.

My attention snapped back towards the assassins ahead who had turned to the direction of the park. I looked at Blacky who was running beside me for any commands.

Wait. This situation was beyond weird. Blacky? Running beside me? Since when has that ever happened?

In all these years, I had not once seen Blacky running alongside with anyone, for the simple reason that no one could even catch up, not to mention maintain her speed. Always, whether during training or missions, always, I had been chasing after her fading back, following her lead, running behind her shadow.

At that time, even though her her figure was small, her back so tiny, but the shadow she casted was enormous in my eyes, like that gap between us that I could never fill. And even then, she was not going full out, purposely lowering her speed for the rest of us to follow behind.

So....

What the heck is happening here?!

Noticing my stare she turned to look at me too. Mysterious silver eyes that pierced right into the soul obviously knew what I was thinking but instead of answering, she subtly nodded her head.

She was going to end it now. The park was the borderline of the neighbourhood and town, which means it's our last chance to capture them before they completely escaped. It also provided a nice wide space for combat and less places for hiding.

Just like that, in one blast too fast for the naked eye, she suddenly appeared in front of the intruders, stopping them in their tracks. I stopped right behind them, holding out a hand to signal the others to halt too, then I made motions for them to circle the enemy.

We had them cornered.

"HOW DARE YOU ATTACK MY MASTER'S HOUSE!!!"

An idiot shouted at the top off his lungs and charged like blind bull at them. Needless to say, the next second he was blasted off to the other side by the one of them who was apparently skilled in martial arts.

So much for cornering them. That idiot left such clear opening.

"Are you after my brother, you bastards?!"

The second prince threw a knife at them, only to have it deflected back at him. It would have hit him too, if it weren't for the blonde who knocked him out of the way. But then he just collapsed and stayed panting on the floor, too exhausted to move. Meanwhile, the idiot was climbing back to his feet again, probably to charge at them again like the fool he was.

Forget cornering, the bunch of clowns were already defeated.

I realised that these clowns would be more of a hindrance than a help to Blacky. Not only are they too individualised, but they had zero experience, teamwork or tactic.