When the King Calls...

[Demetri Malius]

I could feel the blood as it slowly seeped out of the wound, forming a single bead at the edge before sliding down my cheek. It always seemed that I found myself in the most inhospitable of situations. I cursed the gods that had put such horrid luck upon me before focusing on the task at hand. I had dealt with a few assassins before, as a thief does have his enemies, but never had he gone against one of these Shadow Walkers. They were supposed to be the cream of the crop, the best in silent killing, with no evidence left behind. It was said that anyone who seemed to vanish from within a city was taken and killed by the shadowy group of assassins. Now, I was facing one myself.

I watched as the assassin gave a grin, grasping the poison that he had just shown me and popping open the cork. That grin was always the same for these type of people. The smile between a thief and an assassin could almost be mistaken for each other, but when one looked closely, there were ever so different. With a thief, a smile is made out of cunning and skill, the ability to take and steal without a single soul knowing. A small glint of the eyes gave off the confidence of being able to be hidden in the shadows, the world untouched and blind to their actions. However, assassins wanted so much more. They live to be feared. The glint of confidence becomes the eyes of one who needs control. They seek not to leave the world untouched but to leave it in fear, as nobody would be able to escape their blade. As for me, I observed. To see what others are blind to, to hear what others are deaf to, and to understand what others have failed to learn. This assassin shall not be my end.

At the same moment, I drew my own dagger, as well as a buckler from the nearest wall. Alas,neither were as well forged as the killer's blade and sword-breaker, but my own dagger had done well to help me in the most dire of my own situations. I smirked as I remembered the time I fought off three guard's who managed to hear my shuffling as I was snatching a necklace out the window of a noble's home

"What are you smirking at, rogue? This is the end for you!"

With a flurry of movements, blades struck and sparks flew as I began to defend myself from the barrage of attacks from the disguised shopkeeper. The blades seem to act on their own, leading their owners through their attacks, and calling upon their off-hands to create the opening for more. I watched the blade that seeked to end my life, its murky-black color and rough texture, the curved edge along one side with a serrated edge on the other. Clearly a weapon for a killer of the shadows.

The swordbreaker was elegant as well, more than a few times I had become worried that it would live up to its name against my dagger when it lodged itself in its rigged openings. Once I defeated this vagrant, I might have to take those weapons for myself.

Our clash seemed to go on for eternity, neither one allowing the other to gain a foothold or advantage on the other. that is, until I decided to make a change in my movement. I knew that the assassin would believe that I had shown my hand, but I was far from done. With my next deflection of his blade, I did not retreat it back to to protect me, and instead ontinued my assault ith the buckler and shoved it right in his face. With his stagger I quickly rotated and spun my body for a follow up kick, his poisoned blade knocked out f his grasp. What good did that do for the ignorant fool now?

As I grinned at my wit, the assassin had a surprise of his own, the moment I had finished my assault, a sharp pain eruption on the side of my arm, by the shoulder. I quickly turn to find that the bastard actually stabbed me with his swordbreaker The wound was not too deep, but I had no time to act on it, I needed to-

My thoughts were cut by the air screeching and a flail was swung at my head. With a quick movement, I brought my buckler to my head and stumbled as the force of the spiked ball shattered my bones and broke my focus. Before I could regain it, another blow came from the side. I could hear the wood splinter as my balance betrayed me, the world spinning as I fell.

Sudden unfathomable pain.

The damned swordbreaker.

What worse could have broken my fall? The rigged blade had managed to sink further into my arm, completely going through it and into my torso. I groaned in pain before I looked for my assailant, only to suddenly find cold, iron chains wrapped around my neck.

"I admit you have nice stance and posture, but your skill was not enough."

My eyes began to bulge and I struggled to breathe. My hand reached for the metal but they couldn't pry the chains away.

The chains...

My vision faltered, the air reeked of my own blood. Was this my fate? Do die during a quest I did not even ask for?

I hear commotion. There is shouting.

The chains loosen, but it is not enough...

Chains. Blood. Darkness.

Take me.