You Owe Me Two

Chapter 1 - Age Old Killer

××Zypher××

I silently made my way around the small worn down cabin. Golden light poured from the curtainless windows. I made sure to keep to the shadows between the light. I noticed a single fiery blue lantern hanging off a wrought iron hook above the front door. I ignored the easy entrance and picked a window near the back to take a glance into the home.

It seemed the cabin only had one room, filled with all the amenities one might need. My targets back was turned away from the window and hunched over a wooden desk. There was a perfectly placed bookcase creating what seemed to be a makeshift wall that was just tall enough for me to stand behind. A grin slipped onto my face as I locked my gaze onto the area behind the bookcase.

"Teleport," I breathed into the darkness. Black smoke swirled around me, blocking my vision for only a second. As it dispersed, I appeared inside the cabin and behind the bookcase.

I stepped out and began my advance towards the gray haired man. My steps made no sound on the old wooden floors. My fingers grazed the large knife attached to my side, twitching in anticipation for the kill.

"Are you here to end me?" I paused. The old man stood up straight but did not turn.

"Yes. How did you know I was here?" I questioned. It would be beneficial if I could avoid this happening again. The man turned at my words, allowing me to view his scarred face. His eyes were a milky white and covered in scars, signifying his blindness. That wasn't the most startling part of his appearance though. That title belonged to the entire right side of his body. It was warped, sagging and miscolored. A clear sign of magic overexertion against a stronger magic than his.

"I sensed you enter." He stepped passed me and to a wooden table on the other side of the room. I watched silently as a feathered pen and a yellowed piece of paper materialized in his grasp.

"A special ability, I presume?" I would let him write his letter. I walked up to a shelf hung on the wall and examined the strange jars and objects. Large colored crystals, rocks, and many different containers holding plants and unknown substances. The last jar caught my eye above all though.

"What is your name?"

I refocused my attention on the target, watching as the letter disintegrated. His wrinkled hand sat the pen on the table. I narrowed my eyes. This would be the last question I answer.

"Calamity."

"Unsurprising it would be your killer family to take my life but not what I wish to know. I wish to know the name of the man who does so," He explained, his words were soft, calm. He wasn't scared to die, he seemed resigned to his fate.

"Zypher," I spoke. I kept an eye on his hands as I got closer, making sure he wouldn't use my name in a spell against me.

"I am ready." The old man smiled with crooked teeth, increasing the many wrinkles on his aged face. I was almost convinced he really was happy about this fate.

Wasting no more time, I pulled my knife from my belt and swiftly brought it across his neck, splattering blood on the table near us. I side-stepped as his body dropped to the wood floor. It landed with a hard thud.

I sighed, knowing in seconds my annoyingly talkative contractors would be here to collect the old man's belongings. I usually did not ask questions, I would kill and then be gone as my family was trained to do but these two had not shut their mouths about their reasons. The old man was an elderly wizard and his cabin had been filled to the brim with expensive and ancient items over his many years of life. They, filled with greed, wanted it all for themselves. Who was I to deny good money?