《Blade of Gaia》


 Chapter 1

    I waited so very quietly, not moving the slightest nerve. Any out of place movement could get me in trouble. Stealth was vital for an assassin. I was in a warehouse, hiding behind a stash of wine barrels. Bandits had attacked a town and captured its storage complex. The town was willing to pay a high price to get the warehouse back under their control.


    ¡°Look at all this crap! There are food, clothes, and equipment everywhere! Those bastards back at the village sure are screwed!¡± I heard one of the bandits say.


    ¡°Will y¡¯all shut the hell up and start packing? The town guards are probably headin this way! So get going you filthy pigs!¡± yelled another who I assumed was the bandit leader.


    I smiled. They were expecting an attack from outside, not the inside. Every piece of the puzzle was falling into place. The only thing I had to do was to wait for the signal. Suddenly, a banging on the giant wooden doors of the warehouse echoed throughout the building. The noise startled the bandits.


    ¡°They¡¯re already here men! Get ya shitty arses ready!¡± the leader yelled.


    I took in a deep breath before I vaulted over the barrels of wine. My eyes counted five bandits, four underlings, and the leader. It was easy prey, easy pay. Two retractable hidden blades situated on top of the arms. A bit longer wider and longer than your traditional hidden blades but just as deadly if not more. They were the perfect defensive and offensive weapons.


    By the time one of the bandits realized I was inside with them, it was too little too late. I plunged a blade into the neck of a bandit and the other in the cranium of another. They died without batting an eye. Their dead bodies collapsed onto the ground, alerting the remaining three, whom all turned to face me.


    ¡°Who da hell are you? Killin my men, you got balls for attacking by yourself. Get him!¡± the leader yelled at his remaining men.


    His two men circled me, tightly gripping their weapons; a longsword and battle-ax, an interesting combination I thought. The axeman lunged at me, his weapon ready to strike my neck. His muscles made his attack far too easy to predict, it was cute. He swung in a horizontal arc; which I ducked to dodge. My arms jabbed at his chest. The blades ripped right through his soft skin, easily penetrating his lungs. I pulled back my arms and turned to face the swordsman. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw the bandit lose his grip on the ax. He stumbled onto the floor, clutching his chest as blood filled his lungs.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The swordsman attempted a simple stab at my chest. I met his strike with my own. My arm seemed to snake around his blade and hit his hand. Howling in pain, the bandit let the longsword clatter on the ground. The bandit doubled over spewing profanity that would¡¯ve made any sailor proud. His cursing was swiftly halted with a stab in between his eyes. I turned to the remaining bandit; the leader.


    ¡°Is that the best you¡¯ve got bandit?¡± I jokingly taunted.


    A flintlock pistol was leveled at my chest but he looked like a ghost. His face was so white, it looked almost transparent. He was clearly shaking uncontrollably. The pistol refused to be steady,


    ¡°What kinda monster yer you? My men couldn¡¯t even touch ya!¡±


    I raised my face to meet his gaze. If his face could get any paler, it just did. Even with both hands on his pistol to try and steady his aim, he was shaking like an earthquake.


    ¡°That mask! No, it can¡¯t be! You¡¯re him aren¡¯t you?! That freak of nature! You¡¯re a monster, a demon, the Blade!¡± he yelled.


    He was quite rude and didn¡¯t even let me answer. His finger tightened on the trigger, except the gun never fired. The only sound that was created was the sound of the pistol clattering against the ground. The leader looked at his gut in horror to find a blade nesting there. He looked back at me before falling dead, being replaced by another figure.


    ¡°Took you long enough Elrith,¡± I said.


    She lowered her head. I gave her a shake of the shoulders as reassurance. She looked at me.


    ¡°But overall, your entrance and distraction were helpful.¡± I praised.


    She beamed with pride. That¡¯s to be expected when you¡¯re the student of an infamous assassin. We made our way back to town to collect our reward. As we made our way to the mayor¡¯s office, the townsfolk looked at me in fear. My reputation as a highly lethal assassin and unnerving looks didn¡¯t convey peaceful to others. The iris of my right eye was blood red, while the entirety of the left side of my face was covered with a mask: half a face of a dragon. Smoky black hair to complete my ¡°charming¡± looks made me look more like a delinquent than anything else. Clothing makes the man was the saying and a black, ripped cloak made me. My physique radiated fear, fear can be weaponized.


    ¡°You truly live up to your name assassin.¡± The mayor exclaimed once we had reached his office. ¡°The good people of this town thank you. That warehouse is vital to our survival. Please take your reward of 1,000 T (Terres).¡±


    We took the money and left. It was getting dark so we rented a room at an inn at the edge of town. It had only a single bed, which meant I was getting another sleepless night on a couch. Elrith was busy getting some food ready to eat. I had a rule of working alone in the paste, yet she became an exception, my only student. I remember the day I took her in.

 Chapter 2

    Rain and freezing winds were constantly pelting me. High in the mountains, these storms were constant. I was hiking up the mountains following my prey. Earlier in the week, a shrine maiden had offered a great sum of coin to rescue people who were kidnapped and planned to be sold as slaves. The sum of coin was quite high some 1 million Terres. The reward was understandable if you take into account who exactly was kidnapped. According to the shrine maiden, the enslaved people were Wolf sprites. The planet of Vexel is an unforgiving, cruel world. Humans aren¡¯t exactly the only intelligent species to walk the face of Vexel. Sprites, ogres, elves and many more species live alongside humans. Wolf sprites happen to be a rare sub-species of the Spirit kingdom. The other more common Sprites such as the Fox and Tiger sprites litter the world. However, Wolf sprites are only found in small clusters on Vexel. They are a highly protected and endangered species.


    ¡°Please, I beg of you assassin. Please rescue them and ensure their safe passage back home.¡± The maiden begged.


    That was about a day ago and I still haven¡¯t caught up with them. But I was gaining on them fast. Sometimes distant yells of the slaves or slavers would echo throughout the mountains. I had to move fast but quietly, I couldn¡¯t risk giving away my presence. The harsh weather conditions were troubling but I didn¡¯t falter, I kept moving forward. As night closed in and the conditions worsened, I was forced to set up camp in a nearby cave. Obstacles always tried to halt me, but I wasn¡¯t going to give in.


    ¡°An assassin¡¯s path is never an easy journey,¡± I told myself, reciting the words of my father.


    I stared at the fire I had made to keep warm, letting the warmth seep into me. These few moments of peace and tranquility were rewarding to me, a rare delicacy for the troubling life I lead. The moment was short-lived as the noise of footsteps echoed in the cave drawing nearer. Had I been found out? No that was impossible. Hiding behind a slab of rock, I patiently waited for the person to come into the open. She suddenly burst into view, soaking wet from head to toe. She was one of the Wolf sprites and must have escaped from the slavers. I smiled knowing that I was not far from my targets. I observed the girl as she collapsed near the fire to keep warm. She couldn¡¯t be older than twenty years old. Hysterical laughter emerged from her lips.


    ¡°I did it! I can¡¯t believe I managed to escape. Freedom at last!¡± she said laughing.


    I stepped out from my hiding spot to confront her. Instantly, her ears perked up and alerted her to my presence. She sprung up to face me but a deep gash on her right leg caused her to fall to the floor. She cried when she realized who exactly I was.


    ¡°You! You¡¯re the Blade! The raiders must¡¯ve hired you, didn¡¯t they?! Here to bring me back, we¡¯re doomed!¡± she yelled.


    ¡°Please calm down. I¡¯ve been hired by the shrine maiden back at your shrine to bring you all back. I do not work for the raiders.¡± I reasoned.


    I kneeled next to her and started to give her injuries as much relief as possible. It also allowed me to get a better look at her. She was one of the slaves alright. She wore a large dirty tunic, littered with holes and stains. Cuts and whip markings covered her entire body. On one of her ears, a price tag was placed. I quickly took it off. Once I was satisfied that her more grave injuries were taken care with, I gave her my rations, which she devoured.


    ¡°Listen, I need to know where the others are. They need to be rescued as well. Can you tell me exactly where these raiders are?¡± I inquired.


    The Wolf sprite informed me that they couldn¡¯t be more than a couple kilometers away from my current position to the east. She said while they were busy making camp that she and a few others ran for it but she was the only one who survived. The others were killed. I told the girl to stay put. I made my way to their camp, to end this chase. Three dead bodies were on the cold ground. I closed their eyes in respect.


    ¡°You¡¯ve all died a noble death. May your journey to enlightenment come to a peaceful end. Now go, walk the stars and join your kin in the sky.¡± I preached.


    Their bodies shimmered and vanished into the air. May they rest well I thought as I continued my way to the camp. Soon enough, I reached their camp. It didn¡¯t look much to me. A big bonfire was erected in the middle of the camp. I counted only two tents, which I assumed was strictly for the raiders. All the slaves huddled beside the slowly dwindling fire. I counted ten captives, male and female and two were children all equally beaten like the girl back at the cave.


    ¡°Come out, come out little raiders.¡± I sang humorlessly.


    Right on cue, seven raiders exited the tents into view. The party from the looks of it was composed of lookouts, swordsmen, and a leader; the common raider party. The leader called two of the swordsmen over, talking to them and pointing in my general direction. At first, I thought I had been spotted. But I dismissed the thought. They were a search party, for the girl back at the cave.


    ¡°Let the prey come to you,¡± I mumbled.


    Things were already turning in my favor. The two search and capture raiders geared up and headed up. To conceal myself, I laid on the ground and let snow pile on me to make a natural camouflage.  Heavy footsteps and the crunching of snow and ice gradually got louder. Only when the noise was starting to diminish did I move, following them from behind. Naturally, their guards were down not expecting anyone or anything to attack them. Walking in back of the closest one, I kicked him in the back of a knee, easily breaking the bones. As the immense pain registered in his brain, he crumbled to the ground. With a satisfying snap of the neck to end him, the other raider was pierced in the heart with a blade.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s two of them.¡±


    Heading back to the bandit¡¯s camp, I gleaming item slung on the back of one of the corpses caught my attention: a crossbow with a quiver filled fill bolts. Lady Fortune was blessing me today. Everything was falling into place, in my favor. I grabbed the weapon and its ammo and dashed to a nearby cliff that allowed a sniping position. The sprites hadn¡¯t moved an inch; they were still huddled up together. The two lookouts were at opposite ends of the camp, doing anything but being lookouts. One was stargazing while the other was cleaning his rifle. The two remaining swordsmen surveyed the slaves.


    ¡°The leader is probably in his tent.¡±


    My first priority was to eliminate the lookouts. If they were to spot me, they¡¯d alert the others or maybe even kill the sprites, and I couldn¡¯t risk that. The nearest lookout was the one stargazing. I loaded a bolt into the crossbow and took aim. The bolt flew and planted itself in the back of his head. I didn¡¯t have time to be satisfied with my kill, as the snow beside me exploded. Yelling and shouting from the raiders and Sprites broke into the air.


    Running downhill towards the rifle the stargazer had dropped, the other rifleman was constantly shooting me while the two swordsmen ran towards me. Ditching the crossbow, I grabbed the musket and made aim at the last lookout. With a pull of the trigger and an echoing boom, she dropped dead onto the ground. With the swordsmen closing in on me fast, the rifle couldn¡¯t be reloaded in time, but it was still of use to me.


    ¡°Die asshole!¡± yelled a bandit as he raised his sword.


    My reply was to hurl the rifle at him like a javelin. The rifle flew straight and true, stabbing him in the gut. Quick to finish the job, I yanked his sword out of his weakened grasp and stabbed him. Whirling around and bringing up the sword to block the incoming sword strike. We hacked and slashed at each other, but I couldn¡¯t get to him.


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty good for a bandit. Someone train you? A town guard?¡± I asked as our swords clashed.


    He only grinned. ¡°Nope used to be a soldier of the royal army myself.¡±


    A former soldier of the royal imperial army. The Royal Imperial Army of Gaia is the army of the Imperial Gaian Empire. The Empire is the ruling Kingdom of Gaia. It controls the entire west of the continent. The other two kingdoms are the Sixth Sanctum ruling the east and the Valkyrian State to the south. When the Empire which is normally ruled by a king was suddenly ruled by a queen, not everybody was fond of the idea.


    ¡°So you left the army just because Rex¡¯s daughter took charge?¡± I pressed on.


    The bandit shook his head. ¡°I got discharged for killing a superior.¡±


    Bringing back my sword I attacked him again. As expected he easily blocked and parried it. I reached into my cloak as we backed off. I grabbed the object and threw it, which was easily deflected.


    ¡°A throwing knife? You doubt my skil-¡°


    He was cut off as I thrust the sword into his neck, silencing him. The knife was a simple feint. The sword was dropped as I made my way to the Wolf sprites cutting of their bonds.


    ¡°What about the Captain? He¡¯s still in his tent.¡± One asked.


    ¡°You can deal with him. It¡¯s one against ten err eight if you exclude the children.¡±


    I left them to their task as I went to go fetch the other girl from the cave. On my way, I heard what was a terrified scream and gunshots.


    ¡°We are forever in your debt assassin,¡± said the shrine maiden. ¡°Here is your reward of coin as promised.¡± She handed me a bag with the coin.


    I stared at the bag of gold coin now in my grasp. With this much coin, I wouldn¡¯t have to take any new jobs for a long time. But I rejected the offer putting the bag in the maiden¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Keep it. You¡¯ll need it more than me. Use it to hire guards, to invest in better defenses. Use it to help aid your Wolf Sprites. I can make coin from other jobs.¡±


    With that, I left the shrine and headed out.


    ¡°You¡¯re the Blade aren¡¯t you? The man who rescued us?¡± a feminine voice asked.


    I turned around to face the girl. I recognized her instantly. She was the Sprite that tried protecting the two young Sprites. But that was all I noticed. Now being up close I got a better look. The first and most obvious thing was that she had three tails, which surprised me. I¡¯ve heard of one or two tails but three? Her tails were two different colors. The right one was completely white and the left one was pitch black, while the middle on was a mixture of both. This trait carried over to her eyes and hair as well. I¡¯d give her an age of seventeen.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me.¡± I bluntly stated.


    She didn¡¯t seem at all frightened by me. I was surprised, most people trembled in fear.


    ¡°Well sir, I just wanted to thank you for saving us.¡±


    I blankly looked at her not responding. In all honesty, I took the job mostly because of the reward.


    ¡°Not the talker I see. Well, I''ll make this quick. I want you to train me in the ways of an assassin.¡±


    Surprise coursed throughout my body. Nobody has ever approached me and asked me to do anything like this. Jobs or bounties were the only things I was asked to do. Never to train somebody.


    ¡°No. you will stay here at your shrine. More people will just slow me down.¡±


    ¡°Jeez, your real gloomy aren¡¯t ya? Look I¡¯m asking to leave for a single reason.¡±


    No response from me.


    She sighed. ¡°I want to leave this place, this shrine.¡±


    ¡°Why leave this shrine? Don¡¯t Sprites live at shrines?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Normally yes, shrines are the only home for Sprites. It¡¯s where Sprites search for Enlightenment. But I hate it here. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re aware of the beliefs us Sprites, but the number three is considered as the unholiest number; the false number. I happen to be born with three tails. The Sprites here have shunned me no matter how hard I help. In our belief, I¡¯m a Sprite who is born to represent the bad in life. My parents were embarrassed and humiliated when I was born and would still be.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re dead,¡± I stated.


    ¡°Yeah, they reached Enlightenment according to the shrine maiden. Look, Mr. Assassin, nobody will be sad to see me leave. They¡¯d actually prefer it.¡±


    I was backed into a corner by this stubborn girl. She was determined to come with me. If I refused she¡¯d follow me or continuously be a bother. Killing her would be unethical and I am forbidden to do so. Accepting was my only option as far as I could see.


    I sighed in defeat. ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll take you in Sprite. My word is absolute law.¡±


    ¡°I have a name you know. It¡¯s Elrith. How about you Mr. Blade, what¡¯s yours?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Seth Nox.¡±

 Chapter 3

    The sun had not risen yet when we had left the next day. Our horses walked along the main road heading closer towards the Imperial capital. Elrith, as usual, was complaining about the heat. Gaia was known for having unrealistically brutal heat during the months of summer. Some days could become hot enough to melt stone. Everything on Gaia and in turn Vexel was out to kill.


    "So Elrith, where are you bringing us to anyway? You haven¡¯t told me anything yet.¡± I asked her.


    We¡¯re heading to a town called Bear. I talked to locals from that town we previously were at, and they told me about travelers and fleeing citizens have reported supernatural events. They begged me to investigate so I accepted.¡± She explained


    ¡°What¡¯s the pay like?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± she asked.


    I sighed. ¡°What did they offer? What amount of money are we going to get from this?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ um, nothing, I said we¡¯d do this for free.¡± She said lowering her head.


    Great, just great. ¡°How many times have I told you that you only take jobs that give coin!¡± I shouted.


    We continued our journey in silence while I fell in deep thought. The town of Bear is an economic powerhouse within the Empire. Lush forests spanning far and wide, giant lakes, fields for farming and dozens of coal, gold, silver mines to its name, Bear is a big money maker. If its steady line of supplies it gives to the Empire were to be cut off, the Empire would be weakened. If there was really a threat to Bear, no doubt the capital would send soldiers to investigate, but that would take weeks, months even for them to arrive.


    Elrith broke the silence as if reading my mind. ¡°So why isn¡¯t the empire dealing with this? Why don¡¯t they send some soldiers to secure the town?¡±Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    ¡°For multiple reasons. It¡¯s possible that the royal family is not fully aware of the situation around Bear. Even if they were aware, with the ongoing political dispute about the ruling figure and the pockets of rebellion, the empire is currently busy.¡±


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Will we go investigate?¡±


    I sighed, I shouldn¡¯t take it. There was no point in taking this job. It made no coin, it had nothing to offer, except for lots of praise, which was useless to me, but ultimately I gave in and accepted.


    It was about noon when I decided we stop to rest. The heat was had gotten the best of me, and I needed to cool off. We stopped by a lake close to the road, surrounded by trees to block out the sun¡¯s rays; it was a little utopia. I washed in the lake while Elrith went hunting for food. If my calculations were correct, we¡¯d reach Bear tomorrow at nightfall. I tried to calm my mind, but no matter what that damned letter always resurfaced. Before we left our previous town, the mayor had given me a letter.


    ¡°What does she want this time?¡± I told myself upon seeing the envelope.


    A simple glance at the seal and an ordinary person would either beam with honor or tremble in fear. On the envelope was the seal of the Royal Imperial family; the rulers of the Imperial Gaian Empire. The family crest was imprinted on the wax seal; the letter G engulfed in flames, while crossed with two swords. Under the crest held the family motto: Pride, Loyalty, and Honor.


    I tore open the envelope, pulling out the letter and read what was written on it:


    It has been a while, Seth. You certainly know how to get attention around Gaia. The Imperial court is starting to understand how deadly you really are. You owe me a favor and I¡¯m calling it now. Get to the capital as soon as you get this message. Don¡¯t disappoint me Blade.


    Yours truly,


    Valentia Crimvern


    House of Crimvern


    I tore apart the letter as soon as I was done reading it. The message was already imprinted in my mind.


    ¡°Damn her! I¡¯m not her errand boy!¡± I yelled out.


    ¡°What are you yelling about Seth?¡± Elrith asked from behind me.


    Shit! I was too caught up in my thoughts that I didn¡¯t hear Elrith drawing near me. I lunged for my mask and hastily put it back on my face. I wrapped a towel around my waist and got out of the lake.


    ¡°Why do you always hide the left side of your face Seth? She asked. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it?¡±


    ¡°To hide an arc of my past, a reminder that no one, even I, is fated to a painless life,¡± I replied. ¡°Come let us move on, we still have ground to travel.¡±

 Chapter 4

    ¡°What do you make of this?¡± Elrith asked.


    We had arrived at Bear exactly at night the following day. The townsfolk weren¡¯t happy to see us and kept their distance. In fact, I felt that some looked surprised that I was in town. Elrith and I immediately started investigating the town, looking for clues and hints.


    ¡°I asked some of the locals,¡± Elrith stated, once we met back up at the town square, later that day. ¡°Based on what I was told, the supernatural activity only occurs at night.¡±


    I nodded, letting the information sink in. It looked like supernatural forces were indeed at work here; meaning should be taken care of, as soon as possible.


    ¡°Did you find anything Seth?¡± Elrith asked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask around, but I did snoop around the town. Nothing seems out of place, meaning the culprit is probably staying out of town.¡±


    Elrith nodded at my statement. Knowing that we would only find this culprit at night, we had no choice to book an inn, and wait the day away. Elrith took off, claiming she wanted to investigate some more, which I found odd. She never did extra work, unless I asked (forced) her too.


    I, on the other hand, asked the inn owner if there was someplace I could practice. He hesitated when he saw me, sweating quite a bit, but he asked me to follow. He led me outside, behind the inn, where a makeshift practice ring, was constructed. I thanked him and started practicing on some wooden dummies.


    ¡°Stab, slice, back step,¡± I muttered under my breath, telling myself the actions as I performed them.


    ¡°Dodge, dodge, slice, and lunge.¡±


    ¡°Well, well, should I be honored or worried that the Blade is currently staying in my town?¡± A voice asked.


    I turned around to meet an old, short and plump man. He was dressed in a brown, three-piece suit, with a navy blue tie. He wore small round glasses on the tip of his nose. A well-groomed, white, mustache completed his look.


    ¡°Can I help you?¡± I asked him, putting on a defensive stance.


    The old man laughed. ¡°No need to be so defensive. I¡¯m only here to talk. I¡¯m the mayor of this town, Bart Baldwin. Please, please, sit.¡± He said, beckoning me to sit with him at a nearby table where tea was present.


    ¡°Why are you so calm about talking to me? Most people would be scared.¡± I told him.


    He took a sip of his tea. ¡°Oh don¡¯t be fooled Mr. Nox, can I call you that?¡±


    I nodded.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Nox, but do not be fooled by appearances, I am very much scared of you, but I do not show it. Fear is a powerful weapon, you should know that more than anyone, but if you don¡¯t show fear, the weapon becomes useless.¡±


    I leaned forward intrigued by what he was saying.


    ¡°Yes of course fear is powerful, but you¡¯re one of the only few that have not shown fear towards me, frankly it¡¯s quite surprising.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m an old fellow now. I¡¯ve seen lots of events, seen lots of people. You could say that age has made me wiser. I¡¯m a man of knowledge. Knowledge is a great weapon. Mr. Nox, I¡¯ve met my fair share of criminals and thugs, I used to be part of this towns, town guards. I showed my fear when I was younger, but I learned that if you take the fear away, you remove their main psychological weapon.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    The mayor took out a pocket watch, looking at the time. He put it away, finishing his tea and stood up.


    ¡°I must sincerely apologize Mr. Nox, for the sudden departure, but I must leave for a meeting that takes place in a couple hours. It has been a pleasure to talk to you.¡± He reached out for a handshake, which I returned in kind.


    The day was turning into the evening when Elrith finally came back.


    ¡°I did some looking a bit outside of town and found an old abandoned, decaying mine camp. There are a few buildings still standing, and of course the mine, but I dared not to explore it alone.¡±


    ¡°Well investigate the mine, when night falls. That¡¯s where the culprit may be hiding.¡± I added.


    Elrith nodded, and then suddenly remembered something. ¡°Oh! Now don¡¯t be mad, but I booked us a reservation at a fancy looking restaurant named the Bear¡¯s Delight.


    I knew I shouldn¡¯t have left her go alone.


    Night time had arrived, so we went to the fancy restaurant that Elrith had booked. It would be a strain on your coin, but luxury wasn¡¯t something I was used to or got to enjoy often. So once in a while, having some enjoyment was welcoming. We arrived at the restaurant and immediately we stood out. I wore a simple black three-piece suit, along with my mask. Elrith, on the other hand, wore a dress, half white and black. It was a weird fashion statement.


    ¡°Good evening, Sir, Madam.¡± The waiter nervously said, when seeing who he would serve. ¡°What will you two have your supper tonight?¡±


    ¡°I will have a Gaian tuna with the best wine you have, while the girl will have steak with juice.¡±


    ¡°What kind of steak and what kind of juice?¡± The waiter asked.


    ¡°Gaian steak, with extra ketchup and Bearberry juice.¡±


    ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll be back with your food.¡±


    Soon later we received our food. Elrith ate like an animal, which could be accurate, considering she was part animal. I ate more well-mannered, taking my time. Also, I had to take my time considering I had a mask that covered half my face. Eventually during our ¡°date,¡± I decided to tell her about the letter I had received some days ago.


    ¡°The Empire sought you out and you¡¯re not even going!?¡± she said choking on her piece of steak. ¡°Have you gone completely insane?¡±


    I distracted myself with my wine glass. It was filled with a thick-sweet, Valkyrian Transit red wine. The color wasn¡¯t the most appealing, however, with a crummy red color. I amused myself by twirling the wine in the glass.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going immediately,¡± I replied. ¡°I plan on wrapping up things here first. Nobles have to learn some patience. I¡¯m not a lap dog.¡±


    We continued eating as time went by. Out of boredom, I started to eavesdrop on the conversations of others. None were useful or interesting for that matter, I returned back to my plate. How boring people can be.


    We finished our supper, paid and left. As we exited, a woman yelled.


    ¡°Thief! Murderer! Savage!¡± she let out with a blood cry.


    A man was on the ground beside the woman, red stains on his shirt. A bloody dagger was beside him. A few meters away a man was running out of town.


    ¡°Finally, something interesting in this town,¡± I said and sprinted after the individual, with Elrith close behind.


    The man proved tricky to catch. He would bob and weave, running into random alleyways, zigzagging to try and avoid me. Finally, we burst out of town, into its outskirts, with dense forests straight ahead. The man was losing steam from running. I could hear his heavy breathing; I could see the sweat drenching his clothing and I felt like I could hear his heart beating heavily. We dove into the woods, the man hiding behind trees. I stopped running, not to make any noise. I stood there, motionless, carefully listening.


    ¡°Come on; show yourself, I don¡¯t have all day,¡± I whispered to myself.


    I was answered when I heard a twig snap behind a tree. I lunged towards the tree. Before the man could leave, I grabbed him by the neck, lifted him up and slammed him against the tree.


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill me please!¡± I had no choice! I would die if I didn¡¯t comply!¡± the man squealed, as I tightened my hold on his neck.


    ¡°What do you mean? Why did you have no choice? Who would kill you?¡±


    The man¡¯s eyes darted left to right, extreme fear in them. ¡°No, no, no, I can¡¯t. I¡¯ll be killed, she¡¯ll kill me!¡±


    ¡°Answer me, or I¡¯ll kill you!¡±


    The man panicked even more at that remark, but I got my answer nonetheless. I nodded and released my grip on his throat; he crumpled to the ground, having a coughing fit.


    ¡°So will you let me liv-¡±


    I cut him off, snapping his neck. He was a murderer by harming that man back in town. He deserved to die. I stood there in the forest, thinking of what he had said: She. The killer was a she, and that¡¯s when I realized that Elrith was nowhere to be seen.

 Chapter 5

    I made my way back to town, retracing my steps to return back to the inn. All the while, my brain was going into overkill. Could Elrith be the killer? Why would she be the killer? Or was it possible that it wasn¡¯t her, and the culprit was just another female? Too many questions stuck in my brain, with no answered to them. I entered my room at the inn and finally changed back into my cloak. Back in familiar clothing, and re-equipped with my hidden blades, I felt more at ease.


    ¡°That¡¯s better.¡±


    Another note of suspicion was that the dress Elrith wore to go to the supper was sprawled over one of the beds. That meant Elrith came here, changed back into her regular garb and then left. I left the inn walking around the town, looking around if there would be more criminals, but the streets were very peaceful. The only thing that was of any threat to this town was me. Then I remembered the faces of some citizens from earlier today. They didn¡¯t express happiness that I was here to take care of the problem of the town, but they didn¡¯t display that emotion. They expressed surprise and shock that I was in town.


    ¡°This town didn¡¯t have a problem, Elrith purposely lured me here,¡± I muttered aloud.


    The only problem was that she was nowhere to be found. I asked around town, to anyone who dared to talk to me, but alas, nobody knew where my runaway wolf spirit ran off too. My last hope was the mayor, so I made my way to his office.


    ¡°Come in,¡± he called out when I knocked on his door.


    He looked up from his paperwork and displayed surprise when he saw it was me.


    ¡°Assassin, what a surprise, I never expected you to come visit me. Is there I can help you with?¡±


    He pointed at a chair in front of his deck. I took up his offer and I sat down.


    ¡°Now before you ask me anything, I must thank you for, um, disposing of that thug who dared harmed this community. Many citizens reported you chasing after the criminal. As mayor of Bear, I must thank you.¡± He stated.


    ¡°Please I don¡¯t need any praise, I was only doing what was just.¡±


    The mayor played with his mustache. ¡°Very well, so what may I help you with tonight?¡±


    ¡°Have you seen a Wolf spirit around here recently? She is my¡­ disciple per sy, and she has disappeared, after the incident with the previously mentioned thug.¡± I explained.


    The mayor stayed silent for a bit, taking the information.


    ¡°I see.¡± He started. ¡°This is quite troubling to hear. The town of Bear has a good reputation within the empire, and I¡¯ve worked hard to maintain it. If news of murder and disappearance of people, reach other towns, what we as a town have worked hard to build will be ruined. But unfortunately assassin, I have not seen your disciple you speak of, I am truly sorry.¡±


    I nodded and thanked him for his time. As I was about to leave he spoke once more.


    ¡°Actually, if it wouldn¡¯t mind to investigate, there have been some rumors that people have been spotted near the abandoned mine just north of here. Maybe your friend could be there. Of cour,se you¡¯ll be paid.¡±


    The mine, of course! It had completely slipped from my mind. I had talked with Elrith of investigating that mine tonight.


    ¡°Thank you for the new information mayor. Keep your coin, this one is on the house.¡±


    I exited the mayor¡¯s office and headed north, to the abandoned mine. I was convinced that is where Elrith was. I also came to terms, that Elrith may not be who she said she was all this time. I accepted that I may have to kill her. Upon reaching the mine, I recalled what Elrith told me when she first found this spot. The camp indeed has worn out, decaying buildings, with the entrance of the mine in the middle of camp. A campfire was flickering nearby, confirming the mayor¡¯s rumors that someone has been in the vicinity. Lights also laminated from the mouth of the mine, heavily suggesting someone was down there.


    ¡°Only one way to find out.¡±


    So I entered the mine, following the lit torches that hung on the mine¡¯s walls. The mine itself was quite small. The narrow pathways made it very claustrophobic. Suddenly, the pathway started to get steeper. The only option was to go down. I was on constant guard. I was as silent as I could not to give away my presence, and intently listening to my surroundings. Nothing, I couldn¡¯t hear anything. That wasn¡¯t reassuring. Yet I still pushed forward, trudging along, going deeper and deeper into the belly of the beast.


    ¡°Woah.¡±


    The pathway suddenly made a straight drop. I peered down the hole. It was pitch black, no torches to light it up. I got down on my knees, feeling where the drop started for a ladder, there wasn¡¯t one. I would have to climb down this drop without any aid.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Well here goes nothing.¡±


    I unsheathed my blades planning to use them as tools to help me descend the drop, but I felt rocks. I decided to use the rocks to descend down. Delicately, I would navigate my way down the black pit, feeling the wall with my hand and feet for rocks to latch on. I put a hand on a rock, and started to shift my weight onto it, but it gave way and fell down the pit. I almost lost my composer and could¡¯ve followed that rock, but I managed to get a grip on another stone.


    When my left foot felt dirt underneath it, I felt relief filling up inside me. Finally, I made it to the bottom. The drop opened up to a giant cavern, which was also lit up by torches. If there was someone in this mine, they were in here. Walking to the middle of the cavern, I scanned my surroundings. The drop I just climbed down from seemed to be the only way out of here. At the edge, there was a metallic gate, with tools and a stack of dynamite on the other side, but the door was locked. I walked back in the middle. There was nobody here. Did they realize there was nothing to offer here and they simply left? No, there was definitely someone here. But where? From above!


    I lunged away from where I was, but a tad too late. I felt a blade graze my right leg. I winced in pain and rolled to the ground. I unsheathed my hidden blades to face my attacker. My heart dropped as my fears were confirmed. My assailant was indeed Elrith.


    ¡°Nice dodge Seth, but a bit too slow.¡± She taunted, while licking the blood off her daggers.


    ¡°What are you doing Elrith?!¡± I yelled at her.


    She crocked her head as if dumbfounded by my statement. ¡°I thought it was pretty obvious, I¡¯m trying to kill you.¡±


    ¡°But why?! I took you in! I trained you!¡±


    She laughed. I stood there stunned. ¡°Oh please. I remember when you took me in. Did you really think I was that helpless? Ha, that¡¯s pathetic. I never was captured by those bandits.¡±


    ¡°What about the ragged clothing, the wounds, the cuts?!¡± I yelled, desperate to find answers.


    ¡°It was a disguise to fit in, and the wounds were self-inflicted. All to make you take me in as a disciple and it worked!¡±


    ¡°So from the beginning you wanted to kill me, why wait so long?¡±


    ¡°Yes, from the beginning I wanted you dead. You see, your existence makes it hard for my little group and me to operate, so we made a plan to kill you. I waited so long because; a few months ago when you took me in, if I attacked you, you¡¯d easily kill me. I couldn¡¯t kill you during the knight as you never trusted me. But know I¡¯m stronger, you¡¯ve taught me so much, so now I can kill you!¡± she grinned.


    ¡°Like you¡¯d manage to actually kill me.¡± I spat at her. ¡°I¡¯m the Blade of Gaia!¡±


    ¡°Ohhhhh, scary, but you don¡¯t threaten me Seth. Plus you¡¯re wounded. I have the advantage.¡±


    ¡°I cared for you.¡± I muttered.


    ¡°Yes I suppose you have, now Seth, let us dance!¡±


    Elrith surged forward, slashing her daggers wildly at me, yet with deadly accuracy. I dodged and stepped aside to avoid her attacks, learning her attack pattern but when I put pressure on my injured leg, pain shot through me. I groan and fell. Elrith turned around and slashed at my chest. I rolled away from her, almost being slashed across the back. I got back onto my feet and slashed my blades at her. She dodged my attack easily and thrusted a dagger, directed at my chest. Ducking, I grabbed her hands and exposed my blades, aiming for the heart. She sensed this and swiftly kicked me in the chest. I grunted and let her go.


    ¡°Not bad Seth, not bad at all.¡± She taunted.


    ¡°Who is this group anyway?¡±


    ¡°I rather not reveal their identity, but let¡¯s go with O.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who made that man kill someone aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Correct, you¡¯re the one who told me fear is a powerful weapon. I just used it to fulfill my agenda.¡±


    Elrith charged me once again, viciously slashing and stabbing. I parried her attacks and threw in my own slashes and stabs, with no fruition. I had taught her well, maybe a little bit too well. I couldn¡¯t get a hit on her; I was stuck on the defensive.


    ¡°What¡¯s this? Only avoiding my attacks? I never knew the Blade was such a coward! You certainly don¡¯t live up to your reputation.¡± Elrith said while laughing.


    She took another lunge at me, but this time I was able to get a hit. She was to confident that she¡¯d win, that she made a crucial error. She decided to go for an overhead strike instead of a simpler and faster shank. I parried her attack and kicked her in the leg, with enough force to potentially break bones. She howled and slammed onto the floor.


    She turned around to me, while she clutched leg, as I drew near. I felt anger resonating deep inside, ready to erupt, demanding to be set free. This time I gladly obliged. Her confidence was washed away, and fear took over.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your eye? Why is it glowing so much?¡±


    ¡°Taunt me all you want, hurt me all you want, but betraying me is inexcusable. Elrith, you will die, and it will not be a pleasant death.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t scare me Seth!¡± she yelled with a wavering voice. Fear truly was a devastating weapon.


    She got back up, lunging at me. This time I was on the offensive. I got a slash on her arm, her leg and her back. They were deep cuts, she was soaking in her own blood, but she wouldn¡¯t give in. Elrith constantly got back up and attacked me, but her strength was failing her. The decisive blow that ended her arrived. She tried to stab me, but I had predicted the move. I put pressure on my wounded leg, ignoring the pain, and dodged to the right. I brought my blades up and swung for her arm. Elrith didn¡¯t have the time or strength to evade me; my blades cut clean through her arm, slicing it clean off. She let out a blood hurdling cry as she fell to the ground, blood everywhere. I thrust my blades into Elrith¡¯s heart, effectively killing her. Her body went slack and crumbled to the ground.


    I sheathed my blades and knelt next to the corpse. The anger inside of me, vanish, satisfied that I had released it. This kill was a painful one. It carried weight, something I¡¯ve never experienced. Was this what grief felt like?


    ¡°You poor fool, you could¡¯ve never beaten me.¡± I whispered.


    I searched her body and found two objects: The key for the metal door and a bloody note. I opened it and read it.


    Dear Sister,


    Your mission is to become a disciple of the assassin called Seth Nox, also known as the Blade, wait for as long as you need and when the time is right, and kill him. He is a hindrance to our plans. May you be victorious in combat sister.


    -D.

 Chapter 6

    Dawn had surfaced when I left the mine. Lighting a match, I threw on a trail of oil I had left. Flames spawned from the oil, diving deeper into the mine. The cave collapsed in on itself as the dynamite was ignited and exploded. It would be the tomb of Elrith. I left Bear on the horse Elrith and I had used, leaving the caravan though as it was no longer necessary. My destination now was Imperium; the imperial capital of Gaia. I had a reunion I was not looking forward to having. I traveled deeper and deeper into the body of the empire, alone only accompanied by my thoughts and my stead.


    I thought back to the letter I had found on Elrith¡¯s corpse. It was haunting me. I was no stranger to being targeted by assassins, but I¡¯ve never seen someone who wanted me dead, to take so much time. The letter mentioned Elrith as a ¡°sister¡± but I doubt it was meant as in an actual sister. My guess was that¡¯s what Elrith¡¯s group called each other. This mysterious D person was troubling. If an organization had people as passionate as Elrith about killing me or killing people in general amongst their ranks, this would prove problematic. I pushed the thought back, this was an issue I wouldn¡¯t be able to face alone, and I¡¯d talk about it with Valentia when I reached the capital, as much as I despised the idea.


    I continued down the path for what seemed like hours until I could finally see the gleaming towers of Imperium in the distance. There it was; Imperium, the capital of the Gaian Empire. The city itself was magnificent. I¡¯ve visited the city a couple of times when I was younger with my family, but I disliked the city. It felt fake, synthetic. Down the road were a group of guards mounted on horses. I noticed they were wearing purple; the signature color of the Crimvern family.


    ¡°The bodyguards of Valentia Crimvern I presume?¡± I asked.


    They grunted in acknowledgment.


    ¡°We are. We¡¯ve been ordered to bring you to Miss. Crimvern immediately. Come with us.¡± One explained.


    A few minutes later we entered the city of Imperium, the crown, and jewel of the mighty empire. Huge walls and battlements surrounded the city. There were always guards on lookout. However, the city was one of the least populated in Gaia. Nobles, aristocrats, politicians, the wealthy and royalty lived in Imperium. The guards mostly ended up protecting gardens then people. As we made our way up to the royal palace, civilians looked at me with fear; husbands protecting their wives, mothers hiding their children or even walking away, but most looked at me like I was a commoner, a spec on the earth.


    ¡°What is he even doing here?¡± I heard someone say.


    ¡°I cannot believe they¡¯d let a filthy criminal like him in the royal palace?¡±


    I ignored them as I continued my way to the castle. When we finally made it to the castle, I stared at it. The castle was a magnificent thing. It was giant. No, giant didn¡¯t give the castle justice; no word that existed seemed to give the Royal Castle the justice. It was constructed out of white marble, white wood, and white steel, effectively giving it the very uncreative nickname: The White Palace. The palace had huge walls and battlements surrounding the palace, with knights from the royal army patrolling the ramparts. The palace itself was surrounded by gardens, giving the palace color and life.


    We demounted our horses and made our way inside. I had my breath taken away from me. Inside the palace, it felt like you were in heaven.


    ¡°Holy shit.¡± I gasped.


    Red, Valkyrian carpets were everywhere on the floor. On the ceiling hung thousands and thousands of crystal chandeliers. Huge windows made way for the sun¡¯s rays to hit the chandeliers, so rainbows filled the palace. Vases with exotic plants lined the halls, maids, and butlers around every corner. I looked at portraits of the previous kings that rule Gaia that were on the walls. The palace and its royal inhabitants sure had expensive tastes. Valentia¡¯s guards lead me to her office.


    ¡°Wait in here please.¡± The guard told me as he ushered me into the room, closing the door behind me.


    I paced around her office, waiting for Valentia to arrive. The office was bare, which was surprising. Then again, Valentia was never someone who liked the expensive stuff. Her desk was made out of simple birch wood. Official documents littered the desk. The only three chairs in the office were also made of wood, but they had black cushions on them. Behind her desk was a simple window, with blue drapes. A portrait of her as a child hung on the wall, with vases of more flowers beside it. I stepped forward to look at the papers.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t touch my desk if I was you.¡± A voice called out.


    I clenched my fists recognizing that voice all too well. I turned around to see Valentia Crimvern leaning against the door.


    She had changed from the last time we met. She was taller, sturdier; clearly, she has been working her body. Her hair, chestnut in color, was cut short, to her chin. Her indigo eyes were filled with authority and mal-intent.


    ¡°Valentia.¡±


    She walked up to me and embraced me in a hug. Something I was uncomfortable with.


    ¡°I missed you, Seth, it has been too long.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say that I can return the sentiment, Valentia. Your letter, it said you wanted me, now I¡¯m here, what is it that you want?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re no fun Seth, always work and no enjoyment. I cannot believe this is how you treat a childhood friend.¡± She said as she made her way to her desk.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°I am only here because you requested me, if not for that I would not be here,¡± I replied.


    She sighed. ¡°You¡¯re so boring at times, but very well. With direct orders from her royal majesty Luna Gaia, I Valentia Crimvern, order you to partake in the Gaian Senate.¡±


    Valentia sentenced me to hell. Being called into the Gaian senate was a fate worse than death. I did not want to tangle my life with useless politics, especially politics that include the entire continent. The Gaian senate was held every year by the three leaders of the three factions on the continent. The discussions usually involved talks about improving peace, internal conflicts, trade agreements, and the other continent on the planet: Zeal.


    The Senate building was built with a similar feel to a courtroom. The rows of seats are for the numerous senators and citizens, with high ranking officials being seated where the jury normally would. The most noticeable difference, however, was the three thrones that replaced the judge¡¯s seat. The throne on the left was carved out of stone, with runes embedded in it. On the complete right, the throne was made out of obsidian, with decorative engravings. The seat of power in the middle was made of pure gold, with red leather covering it. I stood in front of the thrones.


    ¡°Break a leg.¡± Valentia had told me before she left me here to suffer.


    Yeah, break a leg. Next time she does this to me, I¡¯ll break her legs.


    ¡°All kneel for the most holies!¡±


    As one, everyone stood and knelt as the three leaders entered and took their respective seats. I did not kneel.


    On the left sat the Valk of the Valkyrian State; Blake May. She was a fierce woman in her early thirties, who reunified her country, what used to be called Valkyria when it fell into a civil war five years ago. The then current ruling government wanted to invade the Empire. The citizens, however, didn¡¯t want a war so they rebelled against their government. Ultimately the population won, and seeing how Blake May, was a well-respected figure, she was elected to rule the country that is now known as the Valkyrian State. She was a confident, morally driven woman. Her black hair was tied in a braid that went down the length of her shoulders. Her blunt green eyes demonstrated to all her authority and power. She stared at me with great disapproval.


    ¡°Seth Nox¡­ how amusing,¡± she purred.


    Drath Nav, the emperor of Sixth Sanctum, sat on the right throne. He was an old man, late in his seventies, holding the title of emperor since the age of twenty-five. He didn¡¯t get interested much in anything, but he was a cunning man. He¡¯d pull strings from behind curtains, corrupt politicians; assassinate political rivals etc. He was a man of deception and a known backstabber. It has been rumored that he deliberately planned the death of his older brother, 20 years ago, so he could rule. He was a power hungry human being.


    ¡°The Assassin! This is quite surprising, how wonderful.¡± He said in-joke mockery upon seeing me.


    I simply stared up at him in silence. He better hope that nobody asked me to assassinate him. I would happily oblige. The Nox clan of assassins has a rather bumpy relationship with Nav. A few years ago he tried to annex the land of the Nox clan, so he could have them as his personal assassins. It made sense, seeing as the Nox are considered the best assassins on the continent. But the clan didn¡¯t want too. A small guerrilla war broke out between Nav and the clan. The emperor only pulled out when the Empire and Valkyrian State threatened to declare war on theSixth Sanctum.


    Finally, the queen of Gaia; Luna Gaia, took her throne. I was taken back by surprise. She seemed quite young for someone to be in power, my guess was close to my age: eighteen. She was a carbon copy of her mother; Vanessa Moon, shiny silver eyes and moon white hair that flowed behind her shoulders. Originally, after the death of her father, her uncle was supposed to take rule, until she came of age, yet the brother refused, so Luna was crowned as the first Gaian queen to rule the nation.


    ¡°SETH NOX!¡± Blake exploded. ¡°You have not knelt! Have you no pride!?¡±


    Here we go, I thought. I waited till everybody was seated once again before speaking. ¡°My pride need not worry. I was born in the Northern Regions, where no nation has authority. Therefore I have no alliance to any of the three nations.¡±


    Blake¡¯s face twisted into one of pure rage. ¡°You ignorant piece of-¡±


    ¡°The boy speaks the truth, Blake. Stop acting on traditions for once and maybe you¡¯d be a more enjoyable person.¡± Drath Nav said, cutting her off.


    ¡°You dare pick his side, Drath? A murderer over a leader? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve also forgotten the time you tried to conquer the Northern Regions?¡± she questioned.


    ¡°Well, at least he and I have something in common.¡± He said, ignoring Blake May¡¯s last remark.


    Blake fell quiet, so did the Senate. Luna still hasn¡¯t spoken and decided to remain quiet.


    Blake remained speechless and quickly recomposed herself. She coughed.


    ¡°Very well,¡± she replied in disgust. ¡°Seth Nox, heir to the Nox cl-¡±


    ¡°I am no longer the heir to the clan; exile has stripped me of all titles of heritage I¡¯m afraid.¡± I corrected.


    Nav leaned forward. ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is true emperor. I was exiled for killing a family member.¡±


    Blake coughed and continued. ¡°As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, you have been called, called to help the three nations and Gaia. Heed our callings and aid your homeland.¡±


    The Senate exploded in the outcry. The senators were shouting at the top of their lungs, demanding an explanation, justice, my execution. They were such children. Eventually, Blake raised her hand, and silence retook the Senate.


    ¡°Normally I would not seek the aid from murderers or men, but these are dire times, and desperate measures need to be called into action. Your Highness.¡± Blake beckoned to Luna.


    Luna nodded. ¡°Seth Nox, the reason we called you is for your insight, about some killers.¡±


    I raised a brow. ¡°Killers your highness? I¡¯ve dealt with multiple killers, but I don¡¯t see how this relates to me.¡±


    ¡°The killers are assassins.¡±


    The word assassin rolled over the Senate. Alarm and distress broke out. Shouting at me being behind the murders, demands for my execution.


    ¡°SILENCE!¡± Drath bellowed. ¡°Speak when spoken to you dogs. Your queen is speaking!¡±


    The room instantly went quiet, as shock and surprise. This was something unheard of for the emperor to do. But it worked. Blake also looked surprised at Nav.


    Blake took over for the queen. ¡°What her Majesty was trying to say, is that the threat we face are assassins like Seth Nox. We were hoping that you could give us some insight on this.¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°I am not aware of any group of assassins being foes to Gaia, so please enlightened me.¡±


    ¡°I knew reaching out for the Blade was a waste of time,¡± Blake muttered.


    ¡°Even so, he still is our biggest asset in this situation. He shares a common thought process with those men,¡± Drath intervened.


    ¡°So you say, but he is still a danger to us as well. His kill count is high.¡±


    Blake sighed and stood.


    ¡°This talk is wasting precious time. The Senate has much more important matters to discuss, assassin, we will talk later in private, leave us.¡±


    I bowed in mockery, turned and left while being flanked by two guards. Good riddance.

 Chapter 7

    ¡°Enter and close the door.¡±


    I entered the room and closed the door behind me. The room was fairly small room, with a single table in the middle, with an oil lamp hovering above the table. Three wooden chairs circled the table, and two were occupied.


    ¡°The emperor isn¡¯t here?¡± I asked as I took my seat.


    Blake crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. ¡°No, he¡¯s sitting in the corner invisible. Of course, he isn¡¯t here you imbecile!¡± She sighed. ¡°The useless twit bolted as soon as the Senate finished. The man is only useful when it comes to manipulation nothing else. I wish he would die already, so his son can inherit the throne. Men are such useless things.¡±


    Her gaze fixed on mine. ¡°But maybe some are less useless than others.¡±


    ¡°Praising me now? You are a woman of mystery Valk.¡± I said as I couldn¡¯t resist the temptation to poke fun at her.


    ¡°I should¡¯ve said nothing to you.¡±


    Luna Gaia coughed to get our attention. ¡°Let us get back to the topic at hand.¡±


    Blake nodded. ¡°Very well your majesty. Assassin, in recent days, urgent news has come to our attention. Strong, important political and financial figures from all three nations have vanished, they were killed.¡±


    I leaned forward. ¡°By who?¡±


    She hesitated. ¡°We¡­ we don¡¯t know who or what is killing these important figures. We told you that we believe it may be an organization of assassins.¡±


    I leaned forward, directly into the Valk¡¯s eyes. ¡°Are you suggesting that the Nox clan is the guilty party?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not. When these killings reached our ears, we contacted the clan. They say they took no part in these killings and pledged their support in helping us find out who these culprits are.¡±


    Blake handed me a ruffled piece of paper. It was covered in dry blood. On it was a single thing, a marking; three diagonal slashes on top of an O.


    ¡°This.¡± She started as I gave it back to her. ¡°This is always marked on the victims¡¯ bodies.¡±


    ¡°I may have some information on this matter,¡± I said.


    Both the Queen and the Valk looked at me in surprise.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I believe that I was attacked by a member of this¡­ organization.¡± I took out the piece of paper I had found on Elrith¡¯s corpse and showed it to the leaders. ¡°This organization wanted me dead.¡±If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Blake scoffed. ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t want to see you dead?¡±


    ¡°Fair enough, but that¡¯s not what I meant. They called me an obstacle to their objectives. They wanted me dead so badly, they had one member become my disciple and she tried to kill me.¡±


    Blake¡¯s tone changed. She was serious again. ¡°This changes everything then. We originally assumed it was a small terrorist organization, occasionally managing to kill their targets, but at a cost of heavy casualties. If they indeed sent one member to stalk you, they must be planning something big. This comes at the worst time as well!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked.


    The Valk sighed. ¡°It¡¯s Zeal. We strongly believe that the nations in Zeal will once again vote to try and invade Gaia. Tensions are high over there, famines, civil disorder. We do not need another war. Both continents are still recovering from the last war 30 years ago.¡±


    Her Majesty spoke up, bringing back the conversation to the matter at hand. ¡°Seth Nox, I task you with finding and pursuing these killers, and bring them to justice.¡±


    ¡°I understand your concerns, but what do I gain from all of this? Freelancer jobs are the source of income for me.¡±


    The queen and the Valk looked at each other. Blake eventually sighed and waved at me in a ¡®just tell him¡¯ sort of way. Luna nodded.


    ¡°Seth Nox, if you accept to hunt down and kill our enemies to the Empire and Gaia, Blake May, Darth Nav and I will offer you ten million gold coins. On top of this generous sum of coin, you will be pardoned for all crimes,¡± she paused and continued. ¡°And if you do prove successful I will give you the position of commander of the Empire¡¯s royal assassins as well as my personal bodyguard.¡±


    I stared at them in stunned silence. This was a hefty reward they were offering. They must be very desperate to get rid of this thorn in their sides if they plan on giving me all they were offering.


    I scratched my head. ¡°Is this really all worth it? This seems a bit excessive, even for me.¡±


    ¡°We must ensure that we¡¯ll have your full cooperation Seth Nox. This group, whoever they are, are no laughing favor. We need full cooperation, so this measure will help ensure we have it.¡± Blake explained.


    I stood up, my mind made up.


    ¡°Very well, I will depart at once.¡±


    Luna coughed. ¡°Not so fast Blade, there is one more thing, regarding your new partner.¡±


    I sat back down. ¡°New partner?¡±


    ¡°Well didn¡¯t you say that your previous one tried to kill you?¡±


    ¡°I did, but that doesn¡¯t mean I need a new partner, I work better alone.¡±


    Luna nodded in agreement but pressed on. ¡°That may be true, it¡¯s undeniable. The number of deaths to your name, in such a short period of time, is admirable.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re a murderer that is.¡± Blake interrupted


    ¡°The point is, this will be a serious task to undertake. This organization is clearly very clever and cunning. This organization is probably also huge, with many members across the continent. There is no way you can deal with this yourself. I mean they managed to make sure you took one of them in as your own disciple just so they could kill you. We will provide you with a partner who can have your back.¡±


    There was no beating the young queen. I felt that no matter what I would say or do, she would insist on a partner. I threw my hands up in defeat.


    ¡°Very well, I¡¯ll have another partner. Who is it?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Valentia Crimvern will tell you all the details. She was the one in charge of finding you a new partner. she refused to give us any details on the matter." Luna stated.


    I nodded. "Valentia is very stubborn when I have to do with me. Very well, I like seek her out."


    "Good luck Seth Nox, the lives of many lay on your shoulders." the queen stated.


    "Yes, I suppose I have to put some trust in you now assassin. Please do complete this mission. If you prove yourself... useful, I may use you again in the future." Blake stated.

 Chapter 8

    ¡°Help! Guards! H-help me please!¡± An old aging man cried out.


    Blood and gore painted the room. The corpse of his wife was in front of him; her dress ripped apart, her body covered in multiple stab wounds. Her neck was twisted so violently that bones stabbed through the flesh. She was beautiful once, a gorgeous, caring woman, whom the old man would she to his jealous friend. She was a beautiful rose. Now she was a hideous monstrosity. The old man backpedaled and ran out of the room in the hall of his house. He was greeted with more bodies; guests, guards, and family.


    ¡°What is going on here?¡± he asked himself.


    Tonight was supposed to be a peaceful night, he reminded himself. Tonight was supposed to be a fun party with a bunch of people from across the continent, deals to be made, agreements, and gifts! Tonight was supposed to be full of entertainment and pleasantry. Tonight was supposed to be relaxing!


    The old man stopped and hugged the wall, he was going hysterical. He had to get out, and warn the Senate, get support to raise an army and kill these assassins. Assassins. The word tasted like oil in his mouth. He had seen the Blade on the Senate floor, being addressed by the three powers. It was outrageous to think that the three leaders would think about hiring such scum. He knew this Seth Nox was the mastermind behind these killings, he had to be. The Blade himself stated that he was exiled from his clan. He had no allegiance. Someone must¡¯ve paid him a large sum of coin, there was no other option.


    ¡°Where are you, Senator? Come out, I only want to talk!¡± rang out another voice.


    The Senator¡¯s eyes widened, the killers knew he was still here. He bolted down the hall as fast as he could. He had never been more terrified in his entire life. His breaths were rigid and short, his heart beating unbelievably fast. This was the end, wasn¡¯t it?


    ¡°I must not lose faith, I must not lose faith,¡± he kept whispering to himself.


    Instantly a flare of pain in his side erupted. It instantly crippled him, collapsing on the floor. He cried out in pain and looked at his side; a shining silver knife had sprouted.


    ¡°Found you, Mr. Senator. You know it¡¯s not nice to run away from your guests.¡±


    It was that voice again, this time bone chillingly close. With a last ditch effort, the old man ripped off the knife and threw it in the direction of the voice, hoping it would hit that damned killer. His heart fell when he heard the knife hit and skid on the floor.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    With great difficulty, he got back on his feet, and limped to the closest room he could find, closed the door and locked it.


    ¡°Oh my goodness,¡± he gasped.


    He reached his limit, he threw up. His supper and wine erupted from his stomach out of his mouth. In front of him was his boy or rather the thing that used to be his son. His son was his pride and joy, a young lad sixteen years of age. He was so proud of his son, who now lay before him, met the same fate as his mother. His son had his chest opened up, his entrails spilling out, while he was tied to a chair. His eyes had been gouged out, with a cutting knife stuck in his neck.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry son, I failed you,¡± the old man said to the body.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t failed anyone Senator.¡±


    It was that voice again and directly behind him. The old man jumped, tripping and falling on the ground, close to his son¡¯s corpse. He couldn¡¯t see the killer but he knew the killer was directly in front of him.


    ¡°It¡¯s more like, your country has failed you, Senator. As you can see, your friends and family have met an uh, unfortunate end. But if it makes you feel any better, you¡¯ll be joining them rather quickly.¡±


    ¡°Please, what do you want from me I¡¯ll do anything!¡±


    ¡°Anything?¡±


    ¡°Anything! I¡¯ll give you money, power, land-¡±


    The silver of a blade emerged from the black. The old man could only let out a scream, as the bladed thrust into him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like people who beg for their lives. It is a shame though; he didn¡¯t even let me enjoy his death.¡± The killer said clearly disappointed.


    ¡°So? The task is done, we can leave.¡± Another killer said, joining the other one.


    ¡°True, but I prefer targets that give a fight.¡±


    ¡°Well what¡¯s done is done; I¡¯ve finished clearing the second floor. We¡¯re done here.¡±


    ¡°Do you believe that Sister Elrith will succeed in killing the Blade?¡±


    A pause. ¡°Sister Elrith is a devoted follower to the cause; however the Blade is too powerful. He has stricken fear into every person on the continent of Gaia. I believe that we will never see Sister Elrith ever again.¡± The second killer honestly answered.


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame. The Blade will be a hindrance to our plans. He should be killed immediately, by me preferably!¡±


    ¡°The elders will in due time send someone that will be able to kill the Blade, but for now your mission here is down we are leaving.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re no fun, you know that right?¡±


    When guards arrived at the mansion the next day, they were greeted by the gruesome killings that had taken place.


    ¡°These killings are getting more and more frequent.¡± A knight told his buddy. ¡°This is getting out of hand.¡±


    ¡°Continent¡¯s falling to shit I say.¡± His buddy responded.


    They, along with a group of knights and local authorities, were cleaning up the mansion. Carrying the bodies away carefully, so they could be looked at. They cleaned the mansion from top to bottom, so that it could be resold to some other rich prick.


    ¡°Like anybody is going to buy a mansion where someone fuckin died.¡± The knight cursed.


    ¡°People are stupid pal, complete morons. They¡¯ll bite if the price is just right.¡±


    The cleanup of the mansion took a few days, the mansion was huge after all, but eventually, the cleanup was finished and the mansion went back on sale.The results of the autopsy of the bodies came in a few days later. The only traces of the killers were the markings on the body of the dead Senator: three vertical slashes under an O.

 Chapter 9

    The next day, Valentia and I were situated in the central garden of the palace. It was right in the middle of the palace, with it built around the garden. It was a thing of beauty. A large pond was located in the middle of the garden, which the females of the castle loved to swim in, according to Valentia. Trees neatly littered the area, providing cool shade from the sun¡¯s warmth. Then troves of flower beds stretched out far and wide. Almost every type of flower could be found here: Tulips, Roses, Dew, Moonflower, Maskz, Cardinals etc. It was an impressive garden.


    I was leaning on the trunk of a tree nearest to the pond, just relaxing; a luxury I wasn¡¯t accustomed to. Valentia, on the other hand, was happily swimming, trying to strike up a conversation with me.


    ¡°Hey, Seth?¡± She started.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Remember when we were kids? How we met here and hung out?¡±


    That question caught me off guard. Our childhood was a topic Valentia didn¡¯t step in often. ¡°I remember yes,¡± I said leaning forward.


    The only reason we met in the first place was due to the fact that the Nox clan happened to be visiting Imperium to train the royal assassins.


    10 years ago


    ¡°Seth.¡± My dad called out.


    I turned to face him. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Mom and I will be a bit busy for now; we have to help train some people who aren¡¯t as strong as the Nox clan. So for the meantime why don¡¯t you explore the palace?¡± He suggested


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I come with?¡±


    My mother got on her knees and took my hands in hers. She smiled at me, with that warm, tender smile of hers, something that you normally don¡¯t see from killers.


    ¡°Seth, baby, it¡¯s just you aren¡¯t old enough for this sort of training. When you get older, and your body develops more, your training will continue ok? So explore the palace for mom.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Alright, mother.¡± As a kid I rarely said no to my mother, she was the only one that kept me reined in.


    So I left, while my parents and other members of the Nox clan were busy training assassins from the royal imperial army. As I made my way around the palace, servants and nobles wandering the halls greeted me, tried to make small talk or outright ignored me.


    I stared at all the expensive paintings that decked the halls, with the busts of previous emperors. They all looked so serious and old, it creeped me out.


    ¡°Can I help you child?¡± asked a voice from behind me. I looked to see it was a servant of the household.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    I shook my head. ¡°No, I¡¯m just looking around; my parents are busy with some training.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you must belong to the Nox family I presume.¡± He bowed. ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet a member of the Nox family in person.¡±


    I was a bit shocked at his kindness that I took a step back confused.


    ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m not royalty.¡±


    ¡°Of course not, but surely you must know of your family history. The Nox clan has always gotten along with the Gaia Dynasty ever since the founding of the Empire. Before your clan became assassins, it is believed that they were the highest house of royalty after Gaia, and members of both houses often intermingled and married. It was only until your ancestor¡­¡± he trailed off when he saw how confused I was.


    ¡°Sorry about that, it must be a lot for someone as young as you. When you get older, you should explore your family¡¯s history, it may surprise you.¡±


    Our talk ended when I asked him a place to rest and he gave me to the central garden of the palace. I thanked him and left. I made my way to the garden, which upon reaching, it took my breath away. It was absolutely stunning. Trees neatly littered the area, providing cool shade from the sun¡¯s warmth. Then troves of flower beds stretched out far and wide. Almost every type of flower could be found here: Tulips, Roses, Dew, Moonflower, Maskz, Cardinals etc. In the middle was a pond with a nearby tree to provide shade. The tree near the pond was the tallest of all the trees and it gave me the urge to climb it.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    I ran towards it, promptly jumping and reaching for the lowest branch. Once I grabbed it I pulled myself up onto it. With one hand I reached for the next branch, and the next and the next. I stopped climbing it once I was about halfway up and decided it was good enough. The branch was pretty thick in width and it could easily hold my weight. I leaned back against it end simply enjoyed the weather.


    ¡°Hey! What do you think you¡¯re doing in that tree? Get down from there now!¡± a voice demanded.


    Opening an eye, I looked down to see a girl staring up at me, clearly upset.


    I thought about ignoring her, but from the looks of it, this girl would probably not leave. I sighed and made my way down the tree to confront this girl.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± She yelled once I reached the bottom.


    I looked at the tree then back at the girl. ¡°Clearly I was kissing the tree.¡±


    ¡°Haha, very funny. Tell me who you are and what you¡¯re doing here immediately or I¡¯ll see that you¡¯re escorted to jail by guards!¡±


    ¡°By whose authority?¡±


    Her face turned to one of pure shock. ¡°You don¡¯t know who I am?! I don¡¯t know if I should be surprised or outraged.¡±


    She coughed into a closed fist before continuing any further.


    ¡°My name is Valentia Crimvern, heir to the house of Crimvern. Our house has been a dear friend to the house of Gaia.¡± She exclaimed.


    I stared at her dumbfounded. I knew who the Gaia family was obviously, but I¡¯ve never heard of the Crimvern family before.


    ¡°Is that so? Never heard of your family before.¡± I said dismissively.


    If her face could turn redder from anger, she certainly achieved it. I almost could picture fumes coming out of her head.


    ¡°Why you!¡± she yelled at me and lunged forward.


    Present Day


    ¡°I remember we only used to fight, I wouldn¡¯t exactly call that a friendship Valentia,¡± I stated. ¡°We would constantly be at each other¡¯s throats whenever we met.¡±


    She laughed. ¡°Well, of course, you didn¡¯t even know who I was, naturally I¡¯d be upset.¡±


    She swam up to the edge of the pond, resting her arms on the grassy shore.


    ¡°You sure you don¡¯t want to take a dip?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good.¡±


    ¡°What afraid I¡¯ll see you naked?¡± she joked.


    ¡°No, just not interested.¡±


    She sighed but pulled herself out of the pond. ¡°Mind throwing me that towel?¡± she asked, pointing to the folded towel beside me.


    I flashed a rare smile. ¡°Get it yourself.¡±


    ¡°Perv, you want to see me up close don¡¯t you¡± she laughed.


    As she made her way towards me, I quickly got up and threw the towel at her. ¡°I was joking idiot.¡±


    ¡°Such a shame.¡± She replied in a voice that I couldn¡¯t find out if she was joking or not.

 Chapter 10

    She wrapped the towel around her and told me to follow her to her office, where she promptly changed into clothing. She sat down on the window sill, staring outside, clearly avoiding me.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re my partner eh?¡± I asked, not wanting to waste any time.¡±


    Valentia sat on the window sill staring outside.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe they¡¯d make you-¡±


    ¡°I volunteered.¡± She said, cutting me off. ¡°I volunteered to be your partner for this.¡±


    I stared at her in stunned silence. ¡°What do you mean you volunteered to be my partner?¡±


    Valentia averted her gaze and refused to meet my eyes. ¡°Because I wanted to be with you.¡± She muttered.


    ¡°What?¡±


    She got up from the window sill and sat on her desk. ¡°I said because you need a partner. You can¡¯t tackle this problem by yourself.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯ve got no fighting experience Val.¡±


    Out of nowhere, she lunged at me. She almost tackled me as I wasn¡¯t expecting her to lunge at me. But I still dodged to the side. I turned towards her ready to face her, but she was unexpectedly right in my face and pushed me to the ground. She straddled me and the tip of a dagger was at the base of my neck.


    ¡°My, my. Is it that easy to beat the Blade of Gaia?¡± she joked. ¡°As you can see Seth, I happened to take up self-defense classes and learned to wield some blades. And Val? I haven¡¯t heard you call me that in a long time.¡±


    Valentina sheathed her blade and got off of me. She extended her arm out, offering her hand. I took her hand, and she helped me back onto my feet.


    ¡°You only caught me off guard Valentia,¡± I responded.


    She smirked, savoring the fact that she bested me in combat, for once, even though it wasn¡¯t a well-earned victory.


    ¡°Look, Seth, I¡¯m going to be your new partner for this mission, like it or not, this decision is final.¡± She proclaimed.


    ¡°I bet it is final. You¡¯ve got the court and the royal family probably backing you up. I¡¯ve got nothing backing me up.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve got me now to back you up.¡± She joked.


    ¡°Still, I want to see your skills in action before I, we depart,¡± I ordered.


    Valentia sighed. ¡°Of course you do. You¡¯re really stubborn, you know that right?¡±


    ¡°It must have rubbed off somebody who¡¯s stubborn as well,¡± I added, jabbing at her.


    She nodded, not catching on, or refusing to acknowledge that fact that she is stubborn.


    Valentia led me throughout the palace. She navigated the halls with such ease, which surprised me. This palace was massive, and how somebody could navigate it without getting lost was beyond me. She led us to the training facility that guards used to train.


    ¡°Here we are.¡± She announced upon arriving.


    The training facility was the only normal looking room in this entire luxury filled palace. Weapon racks littered the room holding all sorts of weapons from swords to battleaxes, bows, and arrows. Any weapon you could think of, it was here. Training dummies, in armor for knights and soldiers to practice their swings were also present. In the middle of the room itself, was a fighting ring, elevated slightly, like a boxing ring, where you go spar with other people.


    When we arrived, there were a few knights and guards doing various activities. When they saw Valentia enter the room, they all immediately saluted her or bowed; whichever one was quickest to do. I, of course, did not receive the same treatment as her. Upon seeing me, their eyes and stances turned hostile.


    ¡°What¡¯s he doing here?¡± A knight asked


    Val raised her hands and ordered them to stand down. ¡°Do not worry; he¡¯s not here to kill any of us.¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡± I humorlessly said.


    Valentia flashed her eyes at me. ¡°Don¡¯t make this harder for me will you?¡±


    Valentia fixed her attention back to the soldiers. She explained that she was leaving on a mission with me (much to the dismay of every knight in the room).


    ¡°You can¡¯t possibly be willing to leave with that thing?¡± one stated.


    Val¡¯s eyes were daggers when she looked at that particular knight. ¡°Do not interrupt me when I¡¯m talking. One more outburst and I¡¯ll have your tongue.¡±


    That effectively shut him up for good. I doubt any of them knew the real reason she turned hostile. Despite treating me like a tool, she was quite defensive over me being insulted. Valentia continued to explain the situation. She said that I had requested a friendly duel, to evaluate her skills before we headed out for our mission.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°So here we are.¡± She finished. ¡°We¡¯ll be taking the fighting ring now. You are welcome to watch if you wish too.¡±


    I got up into the ring removing my cloak. Underneath my cloak, I wore leather armor. I had to be quick on my feet, after all, I was an assassin. I didn¡¯t wear armor originally, but after my fight with Elrith, I decided that I¡¯d get rid of a bit of mobility in exchange for some defense. My leather armor wasn¡¯t much. A chest plate, with arm bracer gauntlets and greaves, also made from leather.


    Valentia saw that I was wearing this new armor and whistled. ¡°Hold up a sec, I need to get changed.¡±


    She went into the changing room, which belonged to the men, kicking out all the men that were currently using it. The Empire had only recently allowed women to join the army, with a decree from Luna Gaia herself. It was a recent change, so changing rooms for women hadn¡¯t been constructed yet. And even with the new decree, not a lot of women volunteered to join, they had to be drafted.


    Valentia came back a few minutes up, also wearing leather armor that looked suspiciously like mine, except for a few minor details. The first was the chest plate, obviously, as she had breasts and I didn¡¯t. Around the legs and arms, she had more leather for more protection, but that was about it. Val noticed I was looking at the armor and responded.


    ¡°Oh, I saw you going to the royal blacksmith, with your request for your leather armor, and I went with your judgment and ordered the same thing, with some changes.¡± She explained.


    She got up onto the ring facing me; she wore a belt that housed the sheaths to her two daggers. I unsheathed my hidden blades from their hidden sheaths on top of my arms. In return, Val took her blades out of her sheaths.


    ¡°So how do we decide when the match is over?¡± She asked.


    My answer was to lunge at her, going straight for her chest. She read my movements and parried my blades by crossing hers in an X.


    ¡°Rule one: No matter the opponent, never let them have an opening to attack,¡± I said, using the weight of my body to press down on her.


    She managed to push me back. I jumped away from her, leaving some space between each other.


    ¡°Did you see that? He¡¯s fast!¡± A knight watching the fight remarked.


    ¡°But Val managed to hold him off.¡± Another remarked another.


    Valentia was slightly distracted by their comments as she turned her head towards them.


    ¡°Shut u-¡±


    I cut her off by using the opportunity to attack her. I slashed towards her with the blade on my right arm. She realized her error and tried to block my strike. My blade grazed her arm ever so slightly, but it still managed to draw blood.


    ¡°Rule two: Never be distracted from your opponent, or you¡¯ll get yourself killed.¡± I continued.


    ¡°Thanks for the advice, Seth.¡± She muttered through gritted teeth. We stayed away from each other, circling the ring, both of us looking for an opening. Despite being able to get an attack off, she quickly learned, and kept her daggers close, ready to block if I attacked. I suddenly ran towards her at full speed. Valentia saw me coming and raised her daggers to strike, but before she could I slid in between her legs. I kicked her in the legs, causing her to fall down. A thrust my blades at her but she rolled away and was quickly back on her feet. I removed my blades from the floor and faced her once again.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised Val, looks like you weren¡¯t all talk earlier in your office.¡±


    ¡°Of course not. I can¡¯t stand people who are all talk but cannot back it up.¡±


    She proceeded to charge at me, changing from being on the defensive to the offensive. She slashed and hacked at me wildly, trying to get through my defense, but I blocked and parried with ease.


    ¡°You¡¯re too predictable Val,¡± I commented.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    She tried to thrust both her blades into my chest, but that was a costly mistake. I sheathed my blades and grabbed her arms so firmly I halted her attack. ¡°Yeah, predictable.¡±


    I pushed her arms to the side and head-butted her. The impact of our head colliding loosened her grip on her blades. I knocked them out of her hands, causing them to fall to the ground. I kicked them off the ring, leaving Val with only her fists and feet as weapons.


    ¡°Rule three: Never let your opponents disarm you. Without weapons, you¡¯re extremely vulnerable.¡±


    Anger filled her eyes. She wasn¡¯t used to being beaten around like this. It was a nice change. Ultimately she raised her hands announcing her defeat.


    ¡°I quit, you win this fight Se-¡±


    I cut her off once again, punching her in the stomach, causing her to double over in pain, then I gave her an uppercut her in the jaw, sending her sprawling onto the floor.


    ¡°Rule four: The fight isn¡¯t over until your opponent is unconscious or dead.¡± I continued.


    Val got back up and spat blood on the floor, wiping her mouth. She balled her fists and we started fist fighting. I found myself smiling. I was enjoying this fight. Maybe it was the fact that I could finally release that pent up frustration I¡¯ve had towards Val all those years ago. Our fistfight went on, each of us managing to get some hits in. Val managed to punch me square in the lungs, punching all the air out of me, leaving me wheezing for air. I doubled over, and Val stood there happy that she¡¯d injured me to a certain degree. I punched her in the knee, causing her to fall as well.


    ¡°Come on get up, this isn¡¯t over,¡± I told her, getting back on my feet.


    I unsheathed my blades. ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t have a weapon!¡±


    ¡°Rule five: Don¡¯t expect your opponents to give you an equal footing,¡± I explained her lunging at her.


    She dodged my attacks frantically, not wanting to get hurt.


    ¡°You there, give me my blades now!¡± she yelled to a knight who had picked up her daggers.


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am!¡± he shouted throwing them at her.


    With ease she plucked them out of the air, gaining applause from the spectators. I was impressed as well. The fight drew on and on for what felt like hours. Valentia was losing an uphill battle and she knew it but refused to give up. She only recently started training for this mission. I, on the other hand, had been training in fighting all my life; it was the only thing I knew how to do. Yet, Val was determined to finish this fight. Determination, I like that. But ultimately, I won the fight. Her moves were becoming sluggish, more predictable than before, and she was drenched in sweat, heaving for air. I too was getting tired, I¡¯ll give her that, but I was still able to go on. Val stabbed at me, which I easily blocked. I disarmed her and with my leg swept her off her feet. I put my foot on my stomach my blade pointed at her throat.


    ¡°The match is over,¡± I called out.


    Valentia stared up at me, anger and frustration all over her face, but she accepted her defeat.


    ¡°It¡¯s my loss.¡± She admitted as I helped her back on her feet.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell the royal court that you¡¯ll get a partner that¡¯s more accustomed to this. I¡¯m clearly going to be a hindrance.¡± She announced.


    ¡°You¡¯ll do Val. You¡¯re right, you aren¡¯t at the same level as I am, but I could train you like I did Elr¡­ like I did with someone I knew. You¡¯re determined to get better. From this match, you have what it takes.¡± I reassured her.


    ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that I ultimately won the match.¡± She said grinning from ear to ear.


    I remembered why I asked her to fight me, to see if she was good enough and I had just admitted that she could better than just good enough if I trained her along the way. So I won the fight, but she won the war, ever the cunning one as always.


    ¡°Yeah, I guess you won this match.¡±

 Chapter 11

    Valentia and I left on our mission a few days later. We were going to leave on a mission without any leads on where to start when a messenger had arrived bearing grave news to the royal court. He bowed to Luna Gaia and Blake May, who had not yet left for the Valkyrian State.


    ¡°Please rise and speak.¡± Luna started.


    ¡°Thank you, my queen. It was a heavy heart that I announce that another senator has been killed.¡±


    ¡°When did this happen!?¡± Blake shouted.


    The messenger backed up a few steps away from the Valk. ¡°It was the day after the Gaian Senate. Guards found the senator¡¯s mansion a gory mess, with everybody inside dead.¡±


    ¡°This is the third attack this month,¡± Blake muttered.


    ¡°Thank you, please go to the kitchen get some food and water, get some rest to recover.¡± The queen ordered.


    ¡°Yes, of course, my queen, right away.¡±


    ¡°Valentia, Seth,¡± Luna called us.


    ¡°Yes, your Majesty?¡± Val responded.


    ¡°I want you to investigate the mansion of the senator, investigate the bodies if possible, find these killers and kill them.¡±


    Valentia owed deeply. ¡°Of course your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°So where did the senator live exactly?¡± I asked Valentia once we were on the road.


    ¡°The senator lived in a nearby town literally called Coin. It¡¯s a town where lots of rich people live in, hence the name Coin. The senator was apparently hosting a giant party when the killings took place.¡±


    ¡°What was the party the senator was hosting?¡±


    ¡°Dunno, but if I had to bet coin, it would be a party for trade deals and such.¡±


    ¡°You have parties for that? You aristocrats sure are weird.¡±


    ¡°Well, what were you gonna bet on?¡±


    ¡°Just a normal party, like any normal person would have,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Well, the rich aren¡¯t exactly ¡°normal¡±.¡±


    ¡°Clearly.¡±


    Our horses trudged along the path heading to Coin. We took two horses for the journey. To be more specific I ordered for two horses. I did not want to ride with Val. It would drive me completely crazy. We each had food for about a week each, with a camping tent for the two of us. That was the only thing I couldn¡¯t get two of.


    ¡°Hey, Seth?¡± Valentia started.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°When did you get that mask? The times you came to the palace you never had that mask covering half your face.¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    I touched my mask. ¡°I got this mask a few years ago when I was exiled from the clan,¡± I replied.


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s it. I answered your question, I¡¯m not answering anymore.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a gloomy person.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the reminder.¡±


    We traveled the remainder of the trip in quiet. I didn¡¯t feel like talking about anything, especially when Val brought up my exile from the Nox clan and the mask that soon followed. The town of Coin, slowly came into view over the horizon, which made me happy, the conversation would shift to the mission.


    ¡°Let¡¯s investigate the mansion first,¡± Val suggested.


    I nodded in agreement. We arrived at the mansion and were horrified to find out that the town, had cleaned up the scene of the crime, and re-sold the mansion. The new owners refused to let us in.


    ¡°Do you not understand you, dolts? A crime, a murder happened here! With the authority of the queen, you must let us in!¡± Valentia yelled at the new owners of the house.


    ¡°What are you talking about Ms. Crimvern? There was no murder in this house. If there was, we would not have bought this house.¡± The owners reassured us.


    ¡°Besides.¡± The husband followed up eyeing me. ¡°We won¡¯t let you in with him present.¡±


    ¡°I hate the rich,¡± Val muttered as she stormed back to our horses.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you rich yourself?¡±


    ¡°Those are just details Seth!¡± she yelled back.


    On the orders of Val, we made our way to the mayor¡¯s mansion. Val wanted to know why he didn¡¯t let the royal court investigate the murder scene before cleaning it up.


    ¡°Business, Ms. Crimvern, business. The reputation of this town is that it¡¯s the most peaceful town in the empire, after the capital of course. The rich want a nice town to live in, away from crime and thievery. If we had waited for the court, some citizens may have found out what happened and left.¡±


    ¡°You do realize you¡¯ve tampered with the murder of a senator of the Gaian Senate? That¡¯s a crime punishable with the lowest sentence being thirty years in jail, and the worst being capital punishment. I should have you trailed!¡± Valentia exploded.


    The mayor gulped, probably not realizing the crime he had just committed was that severe.


    ¡°Please, don¡¯t put me in jail! I don¡¯t do well in jail. I¡¯m simply too good for jail. Ms. Crimvern, if it may help you, we haven¡¯t buried the body of the senator yet. We were going to tell the town that he along with all his guests, were murdered by bandits in a gruesome act of violence when they were coming back from a walk in the woods. The funeral is tomorrow, however, so you only have tonight.¡±


    ¡°Well, its better than nothing,¡± I told Valentia.


    ¡°Yeah but it¡¯s not that much better.¡± Was her response.


    The mayor led us into a room where the dead body of the senator lay. He let us in the room, told us something he had something to attend too and left us. I had a sneaking suspicion he didn¡¯t want to be near a dead body.


    Apart from being stabbed and slashed, the senator¡¯s body was in pretty good shape. There was also the case of the killer''s mark.


    ¡°Three vertical slashes over the letter O. Just like Blake May had said,¡± I confirmed when we found the marking on the sole of his feet. ¡°But where do they want us to go from here? We just found a dead end.¡±


    Val shook her head. ¡°No, we could get something from this.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Look at the markings. The vertical slashes point up to the right.¡±


    ¡°Your point Val? Isn¡¯t that just this group¡¯s marking?¡±


    ¡°Well yes, but look at this. Man, I¡¯m glad I decided to bring them along.¡±


    She rummaged in her bag and brought out some papers which all bore the groups markings. The papers turned out to be a detailed list of the murders of this group. She had three lists, for the three nations.


    ¡°All the markings on the bodies of the killed in the Gaian Empire, the vertical slashes point upwards to the right. Every boy found in the Sixth Sanctum, the slashes are inverted, pointing to the left.¡±


    My heart sank a bit when I realized where she was going with this. ¡°Let me guess, all the killings in the Valkyrian State, the slashes are horizontal, pointing up.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. This means that this group may be hiding out Northern Regions.¡± Valentia said confirming what I dreaded.


    I didn¡¯t think I would have to return to the Northern Regions, where I was born and raised. Where I was trained to be what I am right now. Where I was exiled and left for dead. I was going back to somewhere I haven¡¯t stepped foot in five years.


    ¡°Are you fine with this? Val asked.


    I didn¡¯t answer. She didn¡¯t need an answer; we had to go there anyway. It was the only place where we might get answers. And there was one group that may have the answers. I was going home.

 Chapter 12

    The Northern Regions, the uppermost land on the continent of Gaia. A kingdom once reigned there. The people who lived in the North (some still do) were called Northerners and the kingdom was once known as the Northern Kingdom (Northerners had no imaginations). The existence of the Northern Kingdom had a short existence, only ruling for about two centuries before it fell into ruin. Nobody bothered to try and rebuild another kingdom, as the Northern Regions were not the ideal area to house thousands of people. Few animals could live up in the North and vegetation was like an oasis in a desert. No kingdom had reign or jurisdiction on the Northern Regions, but the Sixth Sanctum under Drath Nav once tried to conquer the region only to be stopped from a coalition between the Valkyrian State and the Gaia Empire. Only small tribes of Northerners lived here, along with the Nox clan of assassins.


    The Nox clan moved to the Northern Regions a couple decades ago to isolate themselves from the three kingdoms, raising and training the children in peace. Since the Northern Regions was unconquered, the Nox clan had no allegiances, they didn¡¯t answer to anyone; the only person that held authority was the elders of the clan.


    ¡°Where exactly does your family live? I doubt they have a giant village in this frozen hell.¡± Valentia asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see when we get there,¡± I replied back.


    ¡°Or you could just tell me asshole.¡± She grumbled.


    We trudged along the snowy ground- having ditched our horses at the furthest town in the Gaia Empire- making the rest of journey on foot. Snow horses existed, of course, a mighty breed of horses that had a heavy coat of fur to protect itself from the unforgiving cold of the Northern Region, unfortunately, Val and I couldn¡¯t manage to get one. We also had to spend some coin to get warm fur coats. Fools would venture into the Northern Regions, underestimating the weather, and freezing to death. It was quite common to stumble on a frozen corpse here.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t your family move somewhere secluded AND warm?¡± Valentia complained, shivering from the cold.


    ¡°Well, the clan had considered moving to the Isle of Reef. Would¡¯ve you preferred if we had moved there?¡± I asked her sarcastically.


    I knew she shook her head even though she was behind me. The Isle of Reef was an island off the coast of the Valkyrian State that like the Northern Regions has remained unconquered. Its weather is more pleasurable, having the constant presence of the Valkyrian summer, but it was riddled with very dangerous plants and wildlife. Exotic, deadly poisons could be extracted from plants and animals, with no known cure due to people being rightfully fearful of venturing to the island.


    ¡°Hey, Seth,¡± Valentia called out.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°So I listened to your Senate hearing, and you said you were exiled from the clan because you murdered a fellow family member. Is that actually true?¡±


    I didn¡¯t answer immediately. I took in a freezing breath of air and exhaled, looking at the mist that escaped from my lips. Snow clung on my coat, my mask, and my face. It burned as it melted onto my skin.


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t. I never murdered someone in the clan. I was just somewhere at the wrong place at the wrong time. I was accused of murder, but I had no way to prove my innocence so I became the murderer.¡± I answered.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Valentia simply replied.


    The rest of our journey was mostly kept in silence, with the howling of the wind and the occasional small talk, usually instigated by Valentia. It was usually about my personal life, but I wouldn¡¯t get into man details or I would just refuse to answer if it got too personal.


    ¡°What about you Val? What¡¯s been going on with you?¡± I asked to remove the spotlight off of me.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve taken over father¡¯s role of Master of Intelligence. He and mother are happily enjoying retirement together at the family¡¯s new villa (constructed by the late Rex as a thank you for many years of loyal service). My younger brother has become a lieutenant in the army, having his own little command.¡±


    ¡°I do believe that I asked what was going on with YOU, not your family Val.¡±


    Valentia ignored my remark entirely. ¡°Father and Mother keep pestering me about when you¡¯ll visit again. ¡®When is your boyfriend Seth gonna visit,¡¯ mom would always ask me.


    ¡°Boyfriend? What makes her think that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°I may have lied a couple of times.¡± I heard Valentia snicker.


    ¡°Of course you did.¡±


    ¡°You should be honored, Seth. Most people would die to be my significant other.¡±


    ¡°Falling on my sword sounds like a better option,¡± I replied.


    ¡°Oh shut up. Over the course of this mission, you¡¯ll find the love you have for me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, sure.¡±


    Over the horizon, a mountain chain came into view. Our destination was right within view, what used to be my old home. I felt my heart start to race; I could feel my heart beating in my chest. Despite being exiled, it was still home to me.


    ¡°Is that it over there?¡± Valentia asked.


    ¡°Yes, it is, those mountains are our destination. The Nox clan lives in those mountains. We¡¯ve been digging giant caves in those mountains for years now the village was built there, constantly growing. Despite that horrible weather, agriculture is possible in the village, thanks to the heat of the mountains.¡± I explained to Val.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    We eventually reached the foot of the mountain chain and sure enough, a cave was there, leading into the belly of the beast.


    ¡°Won¡¯t random people just enter the cave to seek shelter?¡± Val asked as we started to walk deeper into the cave.


    ¡°The entrance of the village is way further down, we may be a clan of assassins, but we¡¯re not heartless, we let the mouth of the cave for Northerners to rest and set up camp when the weather outside becomes dangerous, if they go too far, they¡¯ll be stopped by scouts and if they resist, they¡¯re murdered.¡±


    After a while, humidity replaced the cold of the outside. Stalagmites and stalactites became more frequent, little ponds of water sprouting up left and right, with the occasional sound of water dripping. Soon after, the humidity was gradually replaced with warmth. We stopped to remove our heavy fur coats, put back our cloaks and stuff our coats in your travel bags, which held all our equipment.


    ¡°We should be entering Nox territory shortly, stay vigilant,¡± I warned Valentia.


    I heard her pull out her daggers from her sheaths. She knew when to listen, that was good. We ventured on, slowly this time, scanning our surrounding¡¯s constantly. Nox assassins were the best of the best, learn to not blend into the shadows, but become the shadows themselves. My exile from the clan would¡¯ve probably made me rusty in spotting the scouts. Only an idiot would screw up this golden opportunity.


    ¡°Die murderer!¡± someone yelled, his voice echoing throughout the cave. Had the clan become morons after my exile?


    Straight ahead, a figure was sprinting at me, sword in one hand. He wore a similar cloak as mine, with some minor details, like the emblem of the Nox clan, and it wasn¡¯t as torn as mine. From our current distance, I couldn¡¯t clearly make out who was charging at me. I unsheathed my blades, surging forward to fight him.


    ¡°Be careful Val, there are usually two or more scouts!¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡±


    The moronic assassin raised his sword and so did my blades, they struck, steal hitting steal. With our weapons pressed against one another, I could now see who I was fighting. I was disappointed.


    ¡°Nice to see you again Ymir.¡± I humorlessly joked.


    His jaw tightened. ¡°Don¡¯t call me that fucker.¡±


    ¡°Brother then?¡±


    ¡°Even worse! You¡¯re not my brother, you never were!¡± He yelled.


    I see he was still as short-tempered as he was in the past. Nice to see some people never change. That means he should be a piece of cake to handle. Unfortunately, I heard behind me sounds of metal meeting metal, meaning the other scout had decided to join the fray. Good thing Valentia was there. Ymir I could handle, but Ymir and another Nox member, I highly doubt I¡¯d win.


    ¡°Get out of my way Gaian.¡± The other scout told Valentia, this one female.


    ¡°Fat chance. I¡¯ll be your opponent.¡± Valentia told her.


    ¡°You? Please, your presence is almost an insult to my skills.¡±


    ¡°Overconfident about her skills, is that you Delilah?¡± I called out.


    I heard her laugh. ¡°Nice to see you still haven¡¯t changed Seth after all these years.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here on important business; I request to speak to the elders.¡±


    Ymir laughed. ¡°Like I¡¯ll let you anywhere near our village after what you¡¯ve done.¡±


    Ymir and I broke off and started to spar. It was mostly a game of dodging and blocking. I had some opportunities to strike and injure him, but I couldn¡¯t bring myself to harm him, even if Ymir clearly wanted to see his sword burrowed in my gut.


    ¡°Damn it, you¡¯re still as sharp as ever,¡± Ymir yelled in frustration. He looked over to where Delilah and Valentia were fighting and a smile spread across his face. ¡°Can¡¯t say the same about your friend though.¡±


    I didn¡¯t believe him, I had given a few training lesions to Valentia as we made our way here. She wasn¡¯t perfect, but she certainly improved from our spar back at the royal palace. I doubt she was already defeated.


    I pushed my attacks against Ymir, trying to wear him down, tire him out. He slashed with his sword; I dodged to the side and punched him right on the side of the stomach. He released his sword, giving me my victory. Ymir was never good at hand to hand combat. We duked it out, flying punches at each other. Ymir¡¯s punches were predictable but he was an assassin; he was still quite strong. Blocking one of his punches still hurt like hell, but so did mine. I grabbed his arm and threw him over my shoulders, slamming him onto the ground where I used him as my personal punching bag until he crumbled onto the floor. Now it was time for Delilah I thought as I turned around to help Valentia.


    ¡°Stop moving Seth, or I cut her throat,¡± Delilah ordered. I froze in my tracks. Delilah had already defeated Val it seemed, but now without its costs. She was bruised all over, having some cuts on her arms and cheeks and a bloodied nose. Valentia was in a similar condition. The only difference was that Delilah wasn¡¯t on her knees with a knife to her throat.


    ¡°Sorry Seth, I tried my best.¡± Valentia apologized.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologize Gaian; you put up a nice fight. Train with us and you¡¯ll be able to best at least Ymir in no time.¡± Delilah told her.


    ¡°Great job Delilah! Now we can kill both of them.¡± Ymir eagerly exclaimed behind me.


    She shook her head. ¡°Absolutely not Ymir. Seth said he had important business with the elders. He may not be with the clan, but he has the right to seek a meeting with them.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Delilah.¡±


    ¡°Seth Nox being thankful?¡± she asked raising an eyebrow. ¡°That¡¯s quite unlike you.¡±


    She let go of Val and made her way to Ymir who was brushing himself off. I ran to Valentia and made sure she was alright.


    ¡°You are to follow us at a distance, step any closer and we will see that as a declaration of hostility and we will kill you,¡± Delilah warned. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    So we followed them, as we dove deeper and deeper into the cave. We passed other scouts and sentries who glared at me, some with awe, some with delight and some like Ymir, with absolute anger. Eventually, torches appeared, along with a paved floor, streets, the cries and shouts of children and playing, archways, rivers filled with fish, houses and statues of Nox clan members, we had arrived, I had finally arrived home.


    ¡°This way,¡± Delilah told us, heading towards the center of the town.


    Knowing Delilah, she¡¯d purposely take the route that would have the most people just so they could gawk at me and sure enough, she did. In mere minutes, the announcement of my arrival and a Gaian girl (they didn¡¯t know who Valentia was) had spread throughout the entire village. I could see people on the rooftops looking down at me, people in their houses peering at me through the windows. I had become an attraction, I hated every second of it.


    Valentia squeezed my hand and held firm. She probably was extremely nervous, this was probably the first time she had ever seen the village and being a tourist attraction certainly didn¡¯t help.


    We eventually reached the center of the village. It was a giant circle, with a river surrounding it, only accessible by connecting bridges. In the middle of the center was a ten-foot statue of Mathieu and Vanessa Nox, the founders of the Nox clan of assassins. Standing in front of it was a middle-aged man, with a broad build, brown beard, brown eyes and greying hair. I immediately recognized him of course.


    ¡°You¡¯ve finally returned Seth.¡± He said.


    ¡°I have returned father.¡±


    Father looked beside me to look at Valentia. He gave her a deep bow.


    ¡°Valentia Crimvern, what a pleasant surprise. What brings you here?¡±


    The name Valentia Crimvern sent ripples across the mob that had gathered around us. Ymir and Delilah immediately backed away when they realized that the Gaian was actually high ranking nobility.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry ma¡¯am; I didn¡¯t realize who you were.¡± Delilah apologized, bowing deeply.


    I saw Valentia grin slightly, she was enjoying their discomfort.


    ¡°I¡¯m here as Seth¡¯s partner while he¡¯s on official business.¡± She replied.


    Father nodded and beckoned us to follow him.


    ¡°Let us talk somewhere more private, away from prying eyes and ears. I¡¯ll see if your business is worth a talk with the elders.¡±

 Chapter 13

    Father led us to the chieftain¡¯s house, where the leader of the Nox clan lives. We entered to find it empty.


    ¡°So where¡¯s the chieftain?¡± I asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s met a tragic fate, unfortunately. I¡¯m a temporary leader until the elders officially elect a new chieftain.¡±


    ¡°Murdered?¡± I asked.


    He nodded. ¡°We believe that her death is linked with your official business Seth. We¡¯ll discuss further, but you two need tending. Valentia looks like she¡¯s about to pass out from exhaustion.¡±


    ¡°Rest would be greatly appreciated, sir.¡±


    Father scratched his beard. ¡°Thought so. Well, we¡¯ll let you two use the bathhouses to clean yourselves up; I¡¯ll go make sure that you two will have your privacy.¡±


    ¡°Val, I¡¯ll show you the way to the women¡¯s bathhouse,¡± I told her.


    Valentia nodded in thanks but before we could leave father coughed.


    ¡°Seth you know the traditions.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± I asked puzzled.


    ¡°Well, a couple of weeks ago I had a private meeting with various leaders of the three kingdoms. Valentia¡¯s parents were kind enough to be the ambassadors for the meeting despite their retirement. They said you two were engaged.¡±


    I shot Valentia a glance of bewilderment. She avoided my gaze, but I saw her blush. First, she annoys me as we work on finding a group of murderers and now her parents tell father that we¡¯re engaged. Clearly, the Crimverns have a history of having a few loose screws. But thankfully I had some outs I could use.


    ¡°Well, we aren¡¯t really engaged father.¡±


    He laughed. ¡°No? Well looking at Valentia who¡¯s red like a ripe tomato says otherwise. You don¡¯t have to be so shy about it Seth. I was going to find out eventually.¡±


    Time for plan B.


    ¡°Well I¡¯m no longer part of the clan now, I was exiled. I do not have to follow clan traditions.¡±


    ¡°But you are still a Nox and you are still my son. As long as that stays true you will honor tradition. You will bathe with your fianc¨¦e.¡±


    So Valentia and I both walked to the bathhouse that was used only for engaged couples. When we arrived it was deserted (thanks to my father¡¯s orders). I elected myself to go in first. I removed my cloak and clothing and entered the bathroom. The bath was in the traditional Valkyrian style; a giant bath with buckets to wash your head and a water pump nearby to fill the buckets with cleans water. The baths were always kept at a warm temperature, hot enough for the room to be misty.


    I stepped into the giant bath. Immediately the warmth of the water surged into my body, numbing my muscles as they finally got a chance to relax, causing me to almost slip into the bath, but I managed to get in without tripping. I sat down, letting the warm water splash against my naked skin, removing the dirt and grime. I never realized how much I missed these bathhouses. This was bliss, absolutely divine. I let my thoughts drift away, letting my mind momentarily forget about what I was here for.


    I heard the door open, grabbing my attention. Valentia had arrived. I stared at her as she hesitantly made her way to the bath. I quickly found out it was because she had no towel to hide with. She was blushing like mad.


    ¡°Mind not staring?¡± she asked me as she arrived at the edge of the bath.


    I grinned. ¡°This is a part of you I¡¯ve never seen before; blushing, shy. Don¡¯t know if I like it or not.¡±


    ¡°Shut up Seth. This is embarrassing; nobody has seen me nude before.¡±


    ¡°Really? So I¡¯m the first one? What an honor.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell if you¡¯re joking or being serious.¡±


    ¡°I wonder what happened to the overconfident Valentia back at the castle.¡±


    Valentia stuck out her tongue, as her confidence slowly came back. To prove her point that she wasn¡¯t overconfident, she made her way over to me and promptly sat beside me. I stared at her the entire time.


    ¡°Like what you see?¡± She joked.


    This time it was my turn to blush slightly, but thankfully Valentia was too busy splashing water over her breasts to see me blush. To be honest, I did like what I saw. Valentia had a gorgeous figure, she was a Crimvern and they were known for their looks. But I would never admit that to her, it would be another weapon in her arsenal for her to use to annoy me.


    ¡°You know, this is the closest we¡¯ve ever been,¡± Valentia remarked.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    I frowned. No, it wasn¡¯t. On our journey here we had to stick close to keep heat. We only have one tent to share and Val is a hugger, I¡¯ve lost count of how many times I¡¯ve woken up stuck in her bear holds. When Val saw my confused expression she laughed and slapped my chest.


    ¡°Not like that you imbecile. I meant emotionally. You¡¯re always guarded; refusing to say much or give much away, yet right now you¡¯re joking with me as we sit here, together, naked and vulnerable. Don¡¯t lie; you enjoy my company Seth Nox.¡±


    ¡°I hate your company, you¡¯ve been annoying ever since we met,¡± I answered.


    Val looked down into the water and tried to hold in her laughter.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I mean you¡¯re saying one thing but your body is clearly saying something else. You do enjoy my company.¡±


    I looked down and saw what she was talking about. I splashed her with water and told her to shut up. She laughed, got up and tackled me to the ground. My head submerged under the water and I fought back against Valentia. I grabbed her and pushed her off me, coming up for air. I looked around for her. She was a couple of feet laughing. I chased after her and when I reached her, pushed her into the water. This continued for a while until I heard myself laugh. I paused. I actually laughed. Not a humorless one but a laugh filled with genuine happiness.


    ¡°See?¡± I heard Valentia say. ¡°There¡¯s still some emotions left in you.¡±


    She made her way towards me until our bodies were squished together, her chest against my chest. She got on her toes so that we could be face to face. Her face was so close I could stare deeply into her indigo eyes. Normally they were hard, commanding and slightly sadistic, but now they were tender, docile and full of care, like the eyes of a mother. Our lips were so close I thought she would kiss me, but her hands drifted towards my mask.


    ¡°Why do you still wear that mask, Seth? What are you hiding behind it? What does it mean to you?¡± She asked.


    I pulled away from her and touched my mask as if to make sure it was still there. ¡°Like I told somebody once, it hides a part of me that I lost and will never gain back,¡± I said remembering Elrith. ¡°But now, it¡¯s more a tool of fear than anything else.¡±


    Val crossed her arms over her chest and huffed in frustration. ¡°Sometimes I swear that you¡¯re insufferable. I¡¯ll get you to remove that mask one day Seth, I guarantee it.¡±


    ¡°If that ever happens, I¡¯ll take your hand in marriage.¡± I joked.


    She raised a brow. ¡°Is that a bet?¡±


    ¡°Take it as you like Valentia.¡±


    She smirked. ¡°A bet it is. Now get over here so you can wash my back, that¡¯s an order.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    We left the bathhouse once we had finished cleaning up and fully dressed Valentia decided to wear a robe while I put my cloak. If anything I was more exhausted then before I got in the bathhouse because of Valentia. She, on the other hand, was in big spirits, completely rejuvenated, happily clinging my arm, snuggling me. Father, who was waiting out of the bathhouse, looked at us and a smile spread across his face.


    ¡°Looks like you two had fun in there.¡± He pointed out.


    Val nodded happily, pressing herself even more on me; I could see her chest with ease if I just looked down. ¡°Of course sir, we had lots of fun in there, we should do it again soon Seth.¡± She winked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give him any ideas!¡± I groaned.


    ¡°Follow me, there¡¯s someone that wants to meet you, Seth.¡±


    ¡°The elders?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Soon enough Seth.¡±


    We made our way back to the chieftain¡¯s home. Along the way, villagers bowed in respect towards father and Valentia. I did not receive such treatment. I was scoffed at, ignored and had death threats sent my way (and if they wanted some could manage to kill me).


    We reached the house, father opened the door and a woman was standing at the entrance. We immediately recognized each other. She surged forward and hugged me. It was hard to forget who your mother was after all.


    ¡°Mother.¡±


    ¡°Seth! It¡¯s so good to see you again. How I¡¯ve missed my baby boy since you were exiled. How have you been? Have you been eating well? Getting plenty of rest?¡±


    We broke our hug. ¡°I¡¯m fine mother, I swear.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t lying now are you?¡±


    ¡°Of course not mother.¡±


    ¡°Come in, come in, we have so much to talk about.¡±


    We sat in the central room of the chieftain¡¯s house, a commuting area of sorts. We all sat on cushions while mother went to fetch some warm tea. She came back shortly after, handing each of us a glass of tea.


    ¡°Despite your exile, you¡¯ve managed to make a name for yourself out there son. The Blade of Gaia.¡± Father remarked.


    ¡°Well, I have to find a way to survive after all. Being trained as an assassin, killing for money seemed like the most logical choice.¡± I answered.


    Mother looked Valentia, who was still unfortunately snuggled up against me. ¡°And you dear, I¡¯ve heard from your father that you¡¯ve replaced him as Master of Intelligence for her Majesty. How is that working out for you?¡±


    ¡°The jobs a challenge that¡¯s for sure. My desk is flooded with reports day in and day out. Frankly, this is like a vacation for me.¡±


    ¡°Also I¡¯ve heard from your parents that you two are engaged. How did it feel when he proposed? When¡¯s the wedding? Will I¡­ will we be grandparents?!¡±


    ¡°Mother!¡± I yelled in protest.


    I saw a mischievous grin spread across Val¡¯s face when she realized that she could humiliate me in front of my parents. That grin was replaced with a warm smile. Val patted my head as if I was a child, hugged me, smothering my face in her chest.


    ¡°The day he proposed was the happiest day of my life, emotions were so high, and I could barely contain my emotions. Seth had tears in his eyes when I said yes! Her Majesty herself gave us our blessing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you!¡± I whispered to her.


    Val continued to stroke my hair. ¡°I¡¯m sorry darling; it was the happiest day of our lives. We haven¡¯t made any arrangements for the wedding. The queen and the other royal families are arranging our wedding. As for you being a grandmother Miss. Nox, we¡¯ll all have to wait and see.¡±


    I broke free from Val¡¯s chest prison to see my parents holding hands, lost in happiness about my supposed marriage and having a new member of the family. Family huh.


    ¡°So where¡¯s Ymir then? I asked changing the topic.


    The atmosphere changed gradually as my parents recovered from the lies Val spouted.


    ¡°Ymir is still having trouble dealing with your exile, even after all these years he still thinks you murdered that fellow clan member. But deep down I know that he believes you¡¯re innocent.¡± Mother replied.


    The four of us continued to make small talk until there was a knock at the door. Father excused himself and left to go see who was at the door. He came back shortly after with a scroll. He tossed it to me. It read:


    The elders of the Nox clan of assassins have been informed about the arrival of the Blade of Gaia, otherwise known as Seth Nox, a former member of the Nox clan. Seth Nox seeks an audience with the elders. This audience has been granted. The elders will speak with Seth Nox and his associate Valentina Crimvern about the matter at hand.


    Valentia clutched my shoulder. I rolled the scroll back. I gave my parents my thanks for allowing Val and I safe passage through the village. It was time to meet the people who exiled me after so many years. The reunion was not going to be fun.

 Postponed/Hiatus/Whatever

    Hello all,


    Some of you may have noticed that I haven''t posted in quite a while and that''s simply due to the fact that I feel like I''ve lost the creative inspiration for this story, I don''t exactly know how I want to lead this story, how to expand it. I''ve written various drafts of what is supposed to be Chapter 14, but I haven''t been happy with the results. So, for the time being, I will be putting this work on hiatus until further notice. I''m terribly sorry, it sucks but it is what it is. As soon as I can get that creative POW needed to get this story rolling again, I will definitely start posting more.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Cronos_Infinity