The Ghost of Fiore

The Contract

This is the mask Ember wears

There was nothing quite like a fair on a beautiful day. People were laughing and chattering, birds were singing as people fed them crumbs, and there was the ever-present sound of money exchanging hands that formed the perfect backdrop for the perfect day.

Honestly? It felt like even the earth itself had conspired to make this the best day possible in Shirostume. It was warm, but not too hot with nary a cloud in the sky as a gentle breeze passed through the square, keeping the people cool as they milled around. Completely oblivious to the monster that lurked among them.

Crowds like this made it beyond easy to hide as I followed my prey. All I needed to do was dress a bit more girly and keep moving, and nobody suspected a thing.

Yes, it certainly was the perfect day. The perfect day to complete a job.

My target, an oaf of a man with a beer belly and a turkey leg in each hand, was boasting loudly to anyone who looked in his direction about some business deal he had made the day before. One that I had certainly listened in on, and one that was far less legal than he was boasting.

It was pathetic. I had been watching him for a week and even I knew what a waste of space this man was. He ripped off every person who made a deal with him, and even worse? He decided that it would be a good idea to act as an information broker for rival dark guilds.

Normally this would be fine. I wouldn't be here if it was a few people with bruised egos. No. This man sold info to both guilds and then went behind their backs and sold all the info he had gathered to a corrupt politician, looking for a boost.

He had pissed off all the wrong people, which is exactly why they brought me here.

Not that I could complain. Vendetta's tended to pay well, especially a week ago, when I thought this would be a one day job.

I weaved through a group that had come between me and the man. There wasn't much reason for me to be watching him anymore. I had gotten all the information I needed from him about two days in. No, if it were just him, this would have stayed a one day job. The man was an idiot, but the amount of money he had, spoke volumes.

No, the reason I was still in this stupid town, going to a fair and pretending to be a normal girl instead of going home and getting paid was his bodyguards.

It was so frustrating. These bodyguards didn't seem like anything special at first- I'd been able to get around watchful bodyguards more times than I could count- but they'd quickly proved me wrong. This group of wizards was genuinely the only reason he was alive through at least three other assassins.

And you know what? That wasn't even the worst part... The worst part was the fact that this group of wizards was a rag-tag team of kids. Kids about my age, mind you!

Sure, you could say I was irritated. You could even say I was pissed... Because I was.

Do you know how hard it is to get information on a bunch of preteens? No one had heard about them! No one knew their powerset, and No one knew how they had managed to keep my target alive for so long!

It had taken the better part of the week doing my own personal research to find out their magic, and it took staging a major accident to get samples of all their blood.

It was ridiculous!

But I was a professional. There was no way I would be shaken by a small group of powerful wizards. I had been taught well and I knew how to do my job.