Chapter 174: - Shadow Fire
The moon offered little light across the tops of the buildings, the few streetlamps that did dot the sidewalks and the roads for carts and carriages didn't reach farther than the edge of the roof. So, the shadows swarmed in this darkness like rats to the slums as a darkening figure made its way across the horizon, leaping from building to building like a shadow.
The streets were empty at this time of night, and what few people did walk the dimly lit roads were either thieves or beggars. No one would see this shadow as it danced from roof to roof like a living flame. Only the man who hid in her own.
'Repeat again, what is your mission?'
Lia couldn't think as her feet gilded from roof to roof, the wind brushing against her face like a cold chill from the mountains, mountains that were nonexistent in this city. The only mountains she saw were the piles of rubbish and trash.
Cain had made her memorize the details of the parchment, a bounty for ten silver pieces held on one man's head.
'Find and neutralize the Street leader Runko.'
'And what were the details of the neutralization?'
She leapt from one building across the wide street to the next, her shadow passing over the darkness squares. Only the mad beggars had seen her, and even then, no one would believe their stories of seeing a red eyed girl leap nearly fifty feet in midair.
'Runko is a notorious gang leader and happens to oversee a human trafficking ring. Slaves are illegal in this kingdom, so the bounty hunter has full rights to execute him.'
She repeated it like a textbook, the words still fresh in her mind like the hours of study she had been forced to follow. She could see the ink and the well written handwriting that stained the paper in ink, handwriting that was far from the other notices on the Station's bulletin board.
'It's strange that no one else took this mission. It's just a group of thugs and thieves.'
'Yes, but remember to you they're nothing more than rats you have to catch and slaughter. To others, they're like a bull charging them full speed.'
Lia shrugged, sinking into the streets and alleys between buildings, becoming one with the shadows that meddled with the darkness. Only her eyes were seen like embers in the dark, embers that would soon be snuffed out.
'You're right, it doesn't matter. I should be grateful that the lady even gave me this notice on my first job.'
She raised a dark cloth over her mouth and up to her nose, the tips of the hairs and bristles of wool brushed against her skin like pins and prickles.
She felt her heart beating, drumming to the sound of the fire that burned in her chest, the sound of the world around her and the end of the silence in the wind. She was ready, she could feel her skin against the wind, her senses sharpened and her breath settled like the smooth sound of silence.
It was an addiction, an intoxicating feeling that coursed through her veins like a poison that fiddled with her mind. Her shadow swiftly moved down the dimly lit streets until she had reached the far outskirts of the city, where buildings were little, and homes made of huts were of the many.
She was getting close; she could feel it. Like an urge that drove her forward, she passed many beggars and drunkards, people the same world of laughter and happiness that filled the streets in the parade had shunned. And for good reason. These people were thieves and martyrs who levied to believe the world as there's and only theirs.
Lia didn't spare them a glance, she only saw the large and wide building before her, making the other huts that dotted the land a mockery with their mudded stone and patches of thatch and straw for roofs. This building was grand, and with many windows, Lia watched the moon shine though the broken glass.
'It's time Lia…'
She took a deep breath, reading the monster inside that was practically banging against its cage.
Blood would be spilled tonight, and tomorrow the sun would rise red with the crimson that would run the streets.
She breathed out, a sigh escaping her lips, and one of relief. She knew what needed to be done tonight. And nothing else was on her mind - not the people that could be inside, the families these men might have, or the horror she would to this night.
All she could think about was death.
And then the monster took control.
***
The man stood before the window, as the pale moonlight stretched across the empty room as his shadow was casted against the carpet, kept silent like the night. His eyes watched the trees blow in the wind, his mind wavered and thought back to the moment his pen and ink stained that paper.
He was in deep thought as the door to his large office slowly opened to spill the torchlight of the hall across his floor, chasing away the darkness he relished in. It was comforting to feel the heat of the torches and candles, but in his heart, he knew he belonged with the shadows.
"Speak."
The two men who entered, dressed in well-tailored white suits with gold and silver cufflinks snapped in salute to their master, his back turned to them as it had always been when they reported to him. He was not someone who would turn to meet them, especially during a report.
The two knights knelt to the ground and as one spoke, the man's ears perked up as his head swarmed with thoughts and puzzles needed to be solved. Questions that needed answers.
"Sir. As you requested, the notice was given out."
"...and to which in particular was it handed to?"
The two knights shared a glance, a hesitating and lingering fear filling their eyes as they took a moment to breathe, afraid of what they would say next and what the response would no doubt be.
"A newly made Hunter. A C-rank."
"...."
The man said nothing, the silence in the room spreading like a fear that poisoned the minds of the two knights as they kept their mouths shut, their hearts beating like drums in their chest, but they showed no sign of worry. They were terrified, but they were dignified.
"You let a C-rank take on this mission alone? Why?"
One of the Knights spoke first, his voice cracking as he did but he soon regained himself before his master, his hands quivering as he voiced out whatever excuse he could muster.
"B-By the time we had already tracked down who took the notice, it was already given out. O-Of course I know this is only an excuse but-"
The man's voice, deep and thin, cut the man off before he could continue, his shadow crossing their faces as he slowly turned around. He had the eyes of a monster, a god, as they slowly passed over the two knights before him.
"No. Any logical excuse is reasoning I will accept."
He turned back to the large window, overlooking his vast garden and the many hedges of clean-cut bushes and grass. His lonely gardener had spent months working on it alone, and years even to get everything into fruit. He even spent a good part of the day moving about across the lawn to ensure that everything was neatly kept.
But it had made his garden the greatest in the city, and at night the fields shone like diamonds as they waved in the wind.
He sighed as he pulled his gloves back onto his hands, lifting them from the table with rough but delicate hands. Then he was before the two knights before they could even look up and catch sight of him approaching, his shadow falling over them like a looming sense of fear.
"This has taught me a lesson. The next time I want something done quietly, I should just hire some assassin or mercenary. The Stations always mess things up."
As the man passed the two white knights, they breathed a deep sigh of relief. Never once did they fear for their lives, but they fear his disappointment in them more. Because what mattered to them above their own lives was how this lonely man viewed them in life, and even in death.
"Gather a small platoon. We're going to their hideout."
As he passed the many torches and fires, the warmth and shadows flicking across his skin, his deep and worn features showed past his well-trimmed beard, his cleanly cut hair and his well-tailored suit. He didn't look the part, but this man was a warrior, and he was ready for battle.
"I just hope this C-rank hasn't screwed things up."
***
The dark halls loomed like shadows across the walls as the moon's pale light shone past the broken windows and creaking floorboards. The house had stood for many a year and many seasons had worn it down to broken bits of wood, metal and stone. Now it houses many in hiding, groups of ruffians and thugs that filtered through the streets with wicked smiles on their faces and demons in their souls.
The only thing that moved through the shadows now however, was the small flickering figure of a woman, whose red eyes shone like embers in the darkness.
Lia.
'Remember what we talked about.'
Cain's voice echoed in her head as Lia pushed her back up against a wall, peaking her ears around the corner to catch the sounds of creaking floorboards and muttered whispers floating down the halls.
There were people awake, people moving about, and soon they would find her if they continued searching the darkness for the routine intruder.
'Right. Go for the eyes and the throats. Silence their voices before it rises out of their chests.'
'Correct. Now focus.'
Lia closed her eyes, picturing the so that flooded her mind from a figure she couldn't see, but one she recognized well. In her hands she held nothing, but as the moon passed the windows and the shadows danced over her fingers, a long and curved dagger appeared as its steel shimmering in the glow.
The dagger was familiar to her, so she had no problem getting the feel for the hilt and the blade. It was given to her by a friend, but one who walked the darkness and the edge of death.
The dagger of the Shinobi, gifted by Kal.
'Lose the world around you and feel the dagger. Feel the leather on the hilt, how worn the edges are and how slick and sharp the steel is. This was a well-made blade, one that was taken care of. One that will take care of you.'
She could feel the leather hilt, the rounded bottom and the crude and rough edges of the strips that were wrapped around the steel. She could feel the cool blade in her hands, the sharp edges that cut her skin and drew blood from the tips.
She could feel the death it would bring with every cut; she could feel the lives it would reap that would fade into the wind like ash and dust. The silence that would settle after she was done.
Then she opened her eyes, her heart calm and still beating, like the slow beat of a drum as it died down into the still air around her. She felt she was ready. She felt her feet move and the first step as she appeared in the pale light of the moon.
Then, like a blur, she was gone.
'Go for the throats.'
Like a soldier Lia followed Cian's orders to their exact point as the world zipped around her, fading back and forth like shadows she appeared before the first of three. Before he could even turn or say anything, her knife east across his throat and blood traced across the air like a vapor trail.
Then she was gone again.
Lia needed to move fast for it, the other saw their friends drop to the ground dead, it didn't matter if she killed them all in the end, the whole house would be awake and know she was here. She needed to reach the other two before the first dropped to the ground.
And like clockwork she did, as she appeared before the next she didn't stop like the person before. She simply ran alongside his figure as it walked the halls, running her knife along the side of his neck as the skin began to separate and blood splattered and poured like a fountain out into the open air.
Then came the last, but she wasn't quick enough. The first body felt the ground just in time for her to reach the man, and his eyes tore across the hall to see his two friends falling dead to the floor. His voice was in her throat before the dagger was, and Lia was forced to cover his mouth with her hands and watch as the life slowly dripped out of him like the blood that snaked rivers along her hands.
The color was gone from his eyes in a flash and the dagger was pulled from his neck, dripping and red with blood that ran down her arms and her hands, as the smell of iron filled her lungs.
She couldn't help but stare, watching as the blood poured from between her fingers and down her arm before dripping onto the cue and rotting wood floor. It had been a long time since he killed, even if she threw out her punches every now and then, nothing was like the feeling of killing.
Nothing was as vile as the taste of death in her mouth, like a poison that flooded her stomach and made her sick. This wasn't how she wanted her life to continue, but all that happiness and glee that once filled the diner would all vanish into thin air if evil crawled up from the shadow.
'Let's move onto the next one.'
'...right.'
The halls were all the same and as Lia flashed between doors and passages, killing anyone who appeared before her whether they be man or woman. In her mind Lia wanted to stop and interrogate them, think and pry into their minds for the information.
Were they vile or just some innocent person who got caught up in all this.
But the blood that flashed across her vision always snapped her back to reality. She had nearly run all the halls and killed all the sentries on duty, but he knew there were more to find. The bounty had included the name of the gang leader among other things, so she knew he was hiding somewhere, but where?
Then her shadow danced across a certain door, one painted with faded red and pink colors. The colors mirrored the horrid smell that rotted her nose and lungs. She didn't want to open it as she stood for several lonely moments before the old door, her mind flashing and racing as her eyes slowly widened.
Blood. Red. Flesh. Death.
She instantly closed the door before ever turning her head around, the sight and stench of the room hit her like a hammer, a stench that made her stomach leap from her belly and not her throat. She could feel the bile in her mouth, but she swallowed it down.
Her hands began to shake, her mind began to flash again with the images of what lied inside. Even as she batted her fists against her own head, hoping to break apart those images to pieces and cast them from her mind, she felt her body give in on itself and she slowly sank to the floor.
Lia didn't know when she did it, but one of her hands soaked in blood came over her mouth and suddenly there were tears rolling down her cheeks. She wanted to forget that horror she just saw, throw it away and lock it up inside some chest that would be cast into the depths of her mind.
Then the image was gone, vanished like dust in the air.
'Get up Lia. There is more work to be done.'
She could remember her mind breaking from the sight, but the sight was no longer there and while the emotions were still fresh in her head, she knew who had Cain to thank for this moment of peace. Her hand gripped hard against her dagger, the steel shining in the light of the moon as the world spun around her like a drunken stupor.
She didn't ask for much. She only asked for one thing.
'Where is he?'
Her voice was so vile, so malicious, so cruel that even Cain felt a smile come over his face as a chill ran down his spine. Silently he was amazed, proud and in many ways in awe. He didn't take away any of her memories, he never got the chance as her mind and brain cracked like shattered glass, and suddenly the memory was gone.
She had cast it out herself to focus on the mission at hand. She was getting better, more honed.
She was a weapon.
Even as they stood before the last door in the house, a large old oak door that creaked loudly as it opened slowly, Cain watched her from the shadows. She was in no need of his help any longer, and from here on out, while she walked these streets, he would watch her rise from the ashes of her former self into the warrior she was set to be.
And as Lia's feet slowly glossed over the floor, past the many covers and past many pillows that dotted the ground. She ignored the many frightful eyes that watched her from the shadows of the room - she knew there were bound to be survivors.
After all, Runko wouldn't kill off his entire supply.
"Found you~"
Her voice was malicious and vile as her crimson eyes glowed like hot embers and fueled by the fire inside her chest, she turned her head to the darkness just in time to see a wide-eyed man bring down a large battle hammer over her head.
But even as the ground below her shattered and the world in this little house shook, Runko was met with the sight of nothing but broken bits of wood. He had sensed her approach; he wasn't dumb to believe he would be safe here forever. He knew that this day would come, but even as he brought his hammer down, intending to slit open her skull, he felt the fear prickle his skin.
Then the pain came, lacing across his back like a snake as his skin parted and warm blood spilled over his back as the air in his lungs left his grasp.
"Gah! Come here you b*tch!"
He turned and swung his hammer again, but he aimed high when he should have aimed low, for Lia was now next to his knees, nearly on the ground as her dagger danced across his skin, spilling warm blood all over her hands.
"F*ck!!"
He held one hand to his knee as blood seeped through his fingers, his eyes crossing over the entire room and the many people that hid in the shadows. He was searching for her, the red eyed woman who danced with the darkness and cut though his skin like butter.
Then he sensed it and he didn't give himself time to breathe as he ducked just in time to feel the air part above his head, the knife cutting through the air like an arrow as he turned his body and head. There before him now stood the red eyed woman, her features masked by the blood-stained cloth that covered her face.
"Got you!!"
He lashed out with his free hand, but because he was still kneeling on the ground and thus, he couldn't twist his knee else he would snap it like a twig. And so, as he punched out, he felt his body tug himself back and he missed Lia completely.
But she didn't miss him as her dagger sailed across the space between them, carving up the side of his face as steel flashed in his eyes and suddenly all he could see was red on his side.
"Ahgh!!"
His sounds of pain brought no comfort to Lia as she slowly approached him, his hands covering his face as the pain raced through his body. But she was overconfident in her abilities and like a rookie she made the mistake of not watching his hands or her surroundings.
Suddenly, as she was only a breath away, his arms shot out and Lia felt a shattering pain in her stomach that knocked her breath away. Time slowed down as the world moved quickly, stars floating on the edge of her vision, the walls closing in as she drifted further and farther away from Runko.
The father she got, the more she saw, and her eyes passed over the steel hammer that had shattered her ring cage to pieces. She didn't feel anything, even as her body broke through the wood and the glass behind her, even as she fell to the cold hard ground for the fourth-floor window. All she felt was something breaking inside her.
Like a cage that contained the monster.
As the world regained its momentum, Runko threw himself out the door and ran into the halls, believing the woman to be dead or at least barely alive; he wanted to reach her before she had a chance to regain her footing. So, he threw himself out the door and into the night's cool and crisp air, never noticing the shadow that painted the ground.
It took a brave little boy, a boy who had all the innocence in the world, a boy who didn't know what he was truly doing, to find the courage in his bones to approach the window. He was small, short and could barely look over the window seal as he looked back to the many other people hiding in the darkness.
He was silent, he was calm, but among all those emotions that flooded his bones like the hope that glowed in all their chests, he felt awe and amazement. His hand was raised, and a small finger pointed out into the night as he turned to face the many others in the shadows.
He never saw what they saw.
A red eyed monster covered in crimson fire passed the window by. With wings of flames, eyes of a monster and steel as bright as the moon, a demon fell from the sky towards the ground like a silent roar of thunder.
Death had come from above.
***
The man didn't know what to say, he didn't know what to feel as his eyes stared into the darkness of the night burning with tears in his eyes. He wasn't crying, he was amazed, because he wasn't looking at shadows or the night's cool and calming blanket of blindness that covered the many huts and buildings around him.
His eyes burned with tears because of the fire that burned before him, chasing away the night like the sun did at dawn.
The house he was searching for, in the same spot it had always been, was consumed by fire and smoke. Shadows of heat and ash covered the ground and danced along his face as he stood mesmerized by the sight.
His knights couldn't see his face, they couldn't tell what emotions he was feeling as many of them were too busy helping to herd the survivors away from the fire. They had been left outside as the house burned, and according to the sane who had watched everything go down, they were told to wait until the knights came.
'She knew we would be coming. She f*cking knew…'
The fire was like a star in the night, and the smoke filled the man's lungs as his heartbeat in his chest with a passion he hadn't felt since he was a boy, a teen training in the Knights program.
Then that moment sailed into the sky and past the stars that dotted the darkness like fireflies as one of his men approached, bowing slightly as he formally spoke.
"Duke, what should we do?"
The Knights didn't know what to make of the situation, or of the burning corpse that hung from the rafters before the Duke, his eyes locked onto the charred remains of Runko.
Then the Knight's eyes widened as he came around to face his master, a smile parting on the Duke's lips as he spoke softly to his soldier like a whisper filled with so much passion it left the knight in awe.
"Find me that C-rank."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone