Assassin of the Cursed Mist

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Cotillion

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The dagger cut its way through the air, striking its target with a resounding thwack. Boxer stepped forward and pulled the dagger from the bullseye - his skills had been honed to perfection. He was the top assassin in the Assassin's Guild of Paurthea. The dagger back in its sheath, concealed beneath his cloak, Boxer stepped out on to the balcony, and perched on the railing.

A nervous tension permeated the air of Paurthea; rumblings of civil unrest had been coursing through the rumour mill. Boxer grunted, the hair on the back of his neck rising. He felt the urgency of the night coming. Better get to my post, he thought. As the top assassin in the guild, Boxer had been tasked with protecting the King's daughter. He dropped from the railing on to one of the rooftops below, swiftly and silently making his way towards the King's mansion.

A soft hissing was his only warning. He barely managed to duck before a crossbow bolt struck the wall where his head had been only moments before. Black and gold feathers on the end, the colours of the Kyzuka mercenaries. Intriguing. Someone had hired mercenary assassins; he had to hurry. Normally he would have turned around and fought his attack, but time was of the essence, he would just have to throw his would-be killer off of his trail.
 
Princess Nadia stared Out of her the window of her room, on the highest floor of the castle

Her fathers city was too quiet now. The citizens had made it clear that they wouldn't talk when asked by

those comming where they mightve dissapeared to after they disappear

Well, in particular where she dissapeared.

She ran her fingers through her curly dark locks and stared almost in a daze at what

The kingdom had become since the invasion of the mercenary.

"God save us" She whispered as she backed away from the window silently.

"Quickly child you must wait downstairs from now on, starting when the assassin gets here you cant be out of his sight

do you understand that?" Her Uncle, and also her fathers right hand man said calmly as he led her by the arm downstairs

Things like this scared Nadia.. when people weren't panicking, something is wrong.

When times were so hectic that you couldn't even panic.. something was wrong.

The scariest weren't those who do evil things in the open, but those who do it silently among us.
 
Boxer wove his way through a crowded marketplace, trying to elude his pursuer. He had to give them credit, they were good at what they did, but he was better. Ducking in to one of the buildings, Boxer thought about where he should go next. If they weren't expecting him to use the sewers, he could make his escape unnoticed, but if they thought he would go down there, he would be trapped. Deciding it was worth the risk, he dropped down in to the sewer using a hole that had been dug in the cellar, and was careful not to make too much noise as he hit the water. He remained silent for what felt like an eternity, waiting to see if he was being followed, his heart thumping louder and louder. But no one had followed him.

Boxer made his way through the tunnels, towards the castle, making haste wherever he could. He emerged from the sewers a few steps from the castle, reeking of human waste. It didn't bother him, but it might bother the Princess. He didn't have time to wash though; he had to get to her and protect her, before it was too late. The castle guards recognized him, letting him in and leading him up to the Princess's room.
 
Princess Nadia and Her uncle meet him half way, since they were on their way down.

"Ah, This is the one, Boxer".. he says as he pushes me gently towards you "Are you taking her some where or are you staying here?" Her uncle says as they make their way down the stairs

"Taking me somewhere?!! what do you mean?" Nadia didnt know it would be this bad, she thought their army was good enough and that Boxer would only be some type of body guard for precaution

She was obviously dead wrong.


"Why do you smell like that?" She asks when they make their way all the way down the stairs

"If we are going anywhere, do you care to wash up and change.. you smell like you just made your way out of a sewer" Nadia continued as she covers her nose.




"The washing area is right down the hall if you do care to wash sir.. unless you feel Theres no time" Her uncle looked serious as he said this.. it made Nadia feel panicked..

What could possibly be this dangerous??
 
"I think it best if we stay here, and find some place to hide. It isn't safe out there tonight. I barely made it here alive," Boxer replied. Washing, and clean clothes, sounded nice right about now. He contemplated whether or not he would take them up on that offer. The only drawback he saw was that he wouldn't be wearing his white and red assassin's robe, which gave him mobility. He would need to take a look at the clothes they had on hand before making his decision. "And as a matter of fact, I did just come out of a sewer."

"Are there any easily defensible rooms in here? I am not sure if they will be bold enough to assault us here, but it doesn't hurt to be safe," Boxer said. "If we make it through the night, we will be leaving first thing in the morning. Make sure you pack light."
 
Her Uncle pointed upstairs "The rooms by the windows are of course not the best but The rooms in the middle, are the best for defense seeing as you cant really hit them from the outside" He said.

Nadia looked upset and scared "wait what do you mean if we make it through the night? aren't you the best of the best? there should be no reason we dont make it threw the rest of the night" She looked frustrated and horrified at his words.. and how nonchalant he was being about the whole situation.

"Hush child.. his job is to be realistic about situations like this now show him to a room on the middle of the upper floor." Her uncle said, handing her keys

Nadia sighed leading him upstairs to one of the rooms "If you want.. Ill take your clothes and have them washed and ready for you after your bath" She said softly unlocking the door


Nadia was sort of a mean spirit.. however this was the man that could potentially save her life.. So she decided it was best to run things as smoothly as she could.
 
"Do not misunderstand me. I am the best. But even I cannot stop a horde of attackers, should they choose to attack us tonight," Boxer responded nonchalantly. It was not in him to brag, he was just stating the truth. "I think I shall take you up on that offer of a bath." Hiding in one of the rooms in the middle of the castle was a good idea, in theory, but if they got trapped inside there would be no way out. Boxer thought on that, finally coming to the conclusion that they should hide in one of those rooms. He wouldn't be able to defend two entrances at once, and the one doorway would serve as a funnel, ensuring he would only have to face attackers two at a time at most.

On the far side of the city, small explosions rocked a marketplace. They were barely audible to them deep inside the castle, but it was still a cause for concern.
 
Nadia sighed hugging herself

the thought of diying over something she really had no control over was sickening to her, she looked at the assassin and smiled a little to cover her fear "So your going to be staying close to me the whole night I assume?" She nodded "Well.. at least if I die I die being protected by the best.."



"Where are we going tommorow If I might ask?" She was curious.. and scared... at least knowing was better then not knowing.
 
Boxer took a bath as quickly as possible, washing off some of the sewage that had caked itself on to his legs. It smelt pretty rank, whatever it was. She had asked him where they were going to be going; he didn't rightly know, and thought on that while in the bath. There were thousands of places they could go, all of them dangerous, the journeys there even more dangerous. They would be watching the castle, waiting for them to leave, ready to strike at a moments notice. Boxer examined himself in the reflection of the water. Signs of a beard were cropping up, and his hair was starting to inch passed his jawline. His appearance was foreboding to those that looked at him; his deep green eyes betrayed him, letting everyone who stared in to them know that he had killed before.

Boxer dried himself off. He knew where they would go in the morning, if only they survived the night. Pulling his clothes back on, he was ready, the warm water refreshing him, making him ready for battle. He stepped in to the room they would be spending the night in. "Princess Nadia? Tomorrow we ride for my parents home. Their house is deep in the mountains, nobody would expect us to go there. It'll be safe."

The explosions outside were coming closer to the castle. What had begun as a war among assassins had quickly turned in to a fully blown riot, sappers setting off bombs seemingly at random. Many men fought in defense of the king, others fought defending their homes, but it was all for naught. The rebellion was gaining momentum, fire burned through the city like a wave crashing down on a sandy beach, leaving nothing but rubble in their path. Boxer steeled himself for what was to come; the night would be long, full of death. The rebellion marched its way through the city, straight towards the castle they were hiding in, calling for the King's head on a pike.
 
The princess could hear the screams comming now.. she couldn't even sleep much less pretend to.

She looked at the assassin who seemed just as troubled as her

"My father is going to be okay.. right?"

Despite the fact that it was not her battle, and that the only reason the rebels would come for her to

would be simply that her fathers blood flowed threw her veins she couldn't help but have sympathy towards her poor father

It was bad enough knowing your part of the target

But she wondered what her father felt at this second.. to know that if they could take any one - it would be you

She almost wanted to leave then

for the sounds of screams and yelling and cursing rang threw the city now.. at high alert.
 
"I do not know, Princess. I fear that the battle outside is going poorly right now. But you should know that the men protecting your father are elite warriors, and have seen many battles," Boxer replied. Truthfully, he did not like how the King ran the city. Extortion was rampant, people were being beaten over nothing. Many guilds formed in an attempt to stop merchants and tradespeople from competing amongst each other, instead working together to try and provide food and shelter for guild members. They started cropping up slowly, and before long, most trades in the city had a guild. Not long after the formation of the guilds, the King started extorting them, growing ever greedier, always demanding more and more money. Those who couldn't pay were tortured, and if they still couldn't pay, they were killed. The King himself had created the assassin's guild, his own personal band of silent killers, striking at those who dared oppose him. Though Boxer did not agree with his methods, or politics, he was paid well. And if he refused to do as he was told, the King would let out Boxer's terrible secret. A secret that Boxer intended to take to the grave.

"Princess, do you know of any other ways out of the castle? We might need to escape if the battle comes here," he asked. The Princess looked like she was in shock, as though she was not sure why the riot broke out. And he couldn't fault her for that, perhaps she did not know of her father's corrupt ways.
 
Nadia looked at the assassin,

She was terrified now, she couldn't hide it. The situation was getting more

and more real as time passed

She looked up

"Well.. there's the laundry shoot just there" she said pointing to the one

on the wall,

Each room had it, which would lead them straight to the basement and out of the exits close by

She sighed sitting closer to Boxer

She felt she was safer this way


"I am exhausted but I fear if I fall asleep I wont wake up"

She said hesitantly leaning her head on his shoulder.

He was hard, very muscular.. which didnt bother the princess much

it was the closest thing to a pillow she had right now
 
Boxer felt the Princess drawing closer to him, a look of near panic on her face. At least he knew they had a way out of the room if things started going south. Before he knew it, the Princess rested her head on his shoulder, some of the worry fading from her. Not wanting to overstep his bounds, Boxer tentatively wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer, offering her some form of comfort. "You should try and sleep, Princess. We have a long journey tomorrow."

Frantic shouts pierced the ominous silence of the castle. The rioters had made it to the front gate, fully intending to enter the castle, sappers already laying explosives at the gate. The defenders were outnumbered, and they wouldn't stand a chance once the gate fell.
 
Nadia awakened immidiatley hearing the gate fall


She sat up and watched as the royals seemed to be running about gathering their most precious items, and escaping on foot or in carriages discreetly hidden amoungst the forest behind the castles


All of the rooms of the castle were open as they fled and she stood, a look of terror now etched perfectly across her face

and in her hazel eyes..

She looked towards the laundry shoot and then at Boxer

"We must go!" she shouted shaking the man she had slept under for a few hours

"they are here!"
 
Boxer tentatively looked at the laundry chute. He couldn't be certain of how safe it was at the bottom of the chute, which meant he couldn't let the Princess go down first. "Listen. I need to go down the chute first, to make sure it's safe. The door is barricaded, which should hold out long enough for me to secure the laundry room."

With that, Boxer leaped down the chute, his daggers in hand. There was no sign of life. "Princess, it's safe" he yelled up the chute, hoping she could hear him. By the sound of things out in the halls, it would be a matter of minutes before the entire castle was overrun. They needed to get out of here fast.
 
The princess could not hear him over the screams

and she could tell the screams of angry rebels were comming closer

"Boxer??!!" She half whispered so not to let them know she was in the room

Then heard the room being banged hard on by fists and then it sounded like other things

She decided to take her chances,


She kissed her Rosary and then slid down the shoot, hoping that Boxer was safe,

and that the rebels wouldnt catch

on
 
The Princess emerged behind him, dropping out of the laundry chute. Boxer nodded at her, indicating that the room was clear. "We won't be safe here for long, they are coming closer. We need to get out of the castle, but I'm afraid I don't know the way out of here, so I need you to lead."

Boxer heard shouts coming from above; the attackers had figured out that the laundry chute could have been used as a method of escape. "Quickly Princess, we must go!"
 
The princess looked around, trying to visualize the laundry room in the light.. it was dark now so it would be hard to think about it.

She took his hand and led him past Laundry baskets and things, feeling on the wall to try and visualize where the door might be.

she finally found it and opened it slowly

"Should we look around, or just go??" She asked him in a rush
 
"We should go. I fear the castle has fallen, we need to get out of here as quickly as possible."

Boxer couldn't remember the last time that he had felt so nervous. At any moment they could be assaulted and it would be up to him to fend off the attackers. He grasped one of his daggers in his free hand, readying it just in case he needed it. "Lead the way Princess. If you see any one, get behind me."
 
Nadia moved swiftly throughout the castle grounds

she knew exactly where everything was..

how far it was and what detours to take..

She kept him close by holding his hand behind her as she made her way out


"I hope my father is okay.." She began in a worried voice, but

before she could finish, a man jumped out from behind a tree in the garden, a dagger in his hands

"Your not going anywhere princess! I need your blood!!"

The Nadia screamed jumping behind Boxer.

The man began to charge towards him "You want a piece of me boy?"