Sinister Presence
With the deed finished, he straightened himself out as he looked over at the elf, who was still catching her breath after the ordeal.
"I've got a question," he asked. "Is there a library nearby?"
"A…library? Down the street…" She answered through heavy breaths.
"Thanks."
Casually without missing a beat, he took his leave with a now focused mindset. As he left the inn, the sight of the night sky above felt natural. He was always somebody that operated at night, finding the calmness of it more comforting.
It was surprisingly quiet at night within the large town, finding it peaceful at first as he ventured down the street, but slowly became unnerving.
'There's seriously nobody out here? Does this city have some sort of curfew that nobody told me about?' He thought, looking around as even a quick peek into an alleyway presented nothing.
There was a single place that still had rune-powered light shining within it, bringing him closer as he read the sign: "Green Seed Library."
'...Convenient, I guess,' he thought.
To his surprise, it was still open, bringing him inside as he quietly entered. He was greeted by an expansive interior of bookshelves, with nobody else in sight.
"Well, I need to at least find a librarian," he mumbled to himself, taking careful steps between the aisles of books.
It was a unique opportunity he found around him; the history of the fantastical world that was still a giant mystery to him.
"May I help you, mister?"
A softly-spoken voice came from behind him suddenly, forcing him to quickly turn around as his instincts spiked up for a moment. It completely caught him off-guard, finding the question coming from a woman dressed in all black, with an unorthodox dress that was centered by a corset tightened around her waist.
She was as pale as snow, with a beauty mark by the right corner of her mouth, having a bob cut that kept her pitch-black hair neat.
'Is she the librarian? I didn't even hear her come up behind me,' he thought.
"It is rare to get a visitor to the library at this hour. Is there a specific book you were looking for?" The woman spoke with a sly tone, holding a book in her hand as she tapped her slender fingers against its surface.
"Yeah, I'm looking for a book about the Tournament of The Chosen King. Got any like that?" He asked, watching the nameless woman.
There was something about her that felt off, though he blamed part of it on the inexplicable silence throughout the town. To him, she hardly resembled what he would consider a librarian, from the way she dressed to the sly smirk she had.
"The Chosen King, mm? Yes, I do believe we have something like that," the woman in black said, pointing down the library. "Just down the middle there."
"Alright, thanks," he said with a nod before following the directions given.
It was towards the back of the library, some aisles down. As he made his way over, he inspected the rows of books to find what he needed.
Poof.
"Ah?"
The few runes and lamps that brought light into the library suddenly went out, leaving him in complete darkness.
"Hello?" He called out. "It's a bit hard to read like this."
Only silence responded to him as he looked around, feeling the darkness become claustrophobic amidst the lack of a response.
'Something's up,' he thought.
Looking at his hand, he concentrated to visualize the mana in his body, sparking it into a flame that brought light to him. Creating a source of light only seemed to intensify the uneasiness he felt, isolating him from the intrusive darkness that surrounded him.
There was nothing to be seen nor heard, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that something was lurking, questioning where the mysterious woman was.
"Show yourself!" He shouted blindly into the shadows.
[Hypnosis failed.]
The indication from his own system alarmed him as he spun around, now confirming there was indeed somebody listening to his words.
"How wonderful. I can smell the fear coming off of you," sly words spoken through a soothing, yet unnerving tone pushed directly against the young man's left ear.
Just as he spun around, there was nothing to be found behind him, yet a presence returned at his back for a split-second. What sounded like a breath being exhaled sharply came from in front of him, knocking out the flame he conjured.
In his mind, the only thought he had was survival, feeling as though his life now hung presently in danger, faced with an unknown predator; one that prayed on misery.
Playful laughter met his ears, echoing through the shadow-filled library as he was left unprepared. It was difficult to focus on gathering his mana, finding it like trying to flick on a lighter in a panic.
"Focus!" He told himself.
[Hypnosis successful.]
The brief command soothed him from his anxiety for the moment, allowing him to regather a new flame. Just as the small, whimpering ball of fire came into existence, bringing with it a slight glow, he saw it–
A twisted expression, bathing in the darkness before him. With that ecstatic grin soaking in bloodlust came with it a visceral sharpness; the flickering flame was cut through by a slashing dagger.
It took every fiber of his being to lean back, feeling as the blade passed a mere breath away from his throat. By a passing miracle, he managed to avoid having his neck slit as he slid back.
"Not bad at all. Though I'm not surprised, my client did warn me that a bearer of the dragon insignia would be no pushover," the woman's sly voice spoke from the darkness.
He decided to toss his conjured flame into the air above the height of the shelves, producing a light at once that finally allowed him to see the one who targeted him.
"Client? Are you some kind of assassin?" He asked, touching his neck to make sure it wasn't actually cut.
"I'm somebody that enjoys cutting people up and I get paid to do it. I believe that does make me an assassin, yes," the woman answered truthfully with her ever-present, calm smile, swiftly bouncing her curved dagger from hand-to-hand.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone