2025-02-01 11:57:29The city's bell tolled like a death knell, its echoes swallowed by the thick smoke curling through the ruined streets. The scent of burning flesh clung to the air, mixing with the putrid stench of spilled intestines and drying blood.
Kael staggered against a half-collapsed wall, his breath ragged, his side burning from the wound that carved through his flesh. The stranger’s words still echoed in his mind, but there was no time to dwell on their meaning.
Reinforcements were coming. He heard them before he saw them the rhythmic march of boots against stone, the clanking of armor, the murmur of voices exchanging orders. The Shadowborne's elite hunters had arrived.These were not city guards or common foot soldiers. These were killers trained in the same art as Kael, assassins raised from childhood to perfect the craft of death.
A hiss of steel echoed through the air as Kael pulled a discarded sword from the corpse at his feet. His daggers were still strapped to his belt, but he would need something heavier, something with reach.Blood dripped from the blade as he took a steadying breath, ignoring the raw pain slicing through his ribs. If he fell here, he would never uncover the truth. He would never break free.
The first assassin turned the corner, a towering figure in blackened leather and chainmail. A wickedly curved saber gleamed in his hand. His eyes locked onto Kael's, and a slow, predatory smile spread across his scarred face. "The prodigal son," the assassin muttered. "Your little rebellion ends tonight." Kael did not respond. He hurled himself forward, the sword in his hand a blur of motion. The assassin parried, steel shrieking against steel.Kael twisted, dodging the riposte meant to open his throat, and drove his knee into the assassin's gut. The man staggered back a step, just enough for Kael to slash downward, slicing deep into his shoulder.
The assassin let out a pained roar but did not fall. Instead, he hurled himself forward in a deadly arc of saber, and Kael barely managed to parry the blow, only to have himself sent stumbling back.The assassin seized upon the opening created by the blow and delivered a vicious kick straight into Kael's aching side.
Agony exploded through his ribs. He hit the ground hard, rolling over a corpse to put distance between them. The assassin stalked closer, his movements measured and confident. "You should have stayed loyal," the man sneered, raising his saber for the finishing strike. Kael’s fingers found the cold grip of a fallen dagger. He didn’t hesitate. With a sharp flick of his wrist, the blade flew through the air, burying itself to the hilt in the assassin’s throat. The man gurgled, stepping backward, his eyes wide in shock. His saber slipped from his grasp and clattered on the bloodied cobblestones.A strangled gasp left his lips before he hit the ground, his life seeping out onto the cobblestones in a crimson pool beneath him.
Kael pushed himself upright, wincing at the protest from his wound. One down. But more were coming. He heard them more footsteps, more blades unsheathing, more hushed voices whispering his name like a curse. He rubbed the blood from his face, then turned to meet them. The smoke yielded another figure, fluidly gliding forward like a panther.She drew two daggers, with their wicked edges sharper than any other knives in this firelit chamber.
Her face was unreadable, and yet Kael knew her.
Selis. They had trained together. She had been his closest rival, his equal in every way. And now she was here to kill him. "Kael," she said, her voice calm, emotionless. "Don't make me do this." "Then don't." He tightened his grip on his sword, his pulse hammering. She sighed. "You know I have to." Then she struck. Lightning-fast, her daggers were a flurry of death. Kael barely managed to keep up, blocking, dodging, and countering. She was relentless, pressing him harder than any opponent before.The air rang with the clash of metal. Sparks flew as their blades met again and again.
A shallow cut opened across Kael's cheek. Another sliced his forearm. He was losing ground, his body already battered and bleeding. But he couldn't stop. Wouldn't stop. Selis feinted left, then twisted right. Kael barely managed to sidestep, but she was faster her knee slammed into his gut, sending him sprawling. His sword slipped from his grasp, skittering across the blood-slicked stones. She loomed over him, one dagger raised high. "Goodbye, Kael." He moved on instinct. His hand shot up, seizing her wrist before the dagger could plunge into his heart. With a grunt of effort, he yanked her forward, twisting their bodies until he was on top of her. His other hand found his remaining dagger and drove it into her abdomen. She gasped, her eyes going wide. Blood bubbled from her lips as she stared at him, something like regret flickering in her gaze. "You. should have run.," she whispered. Kael swallowed hard, his breathing ragged. He had no words. Only the weight of another life lost at his hands. He pulled himself upright, stumbling backward as Selis coughed once, then fell still. Her sightless eyes leered at him, and he could not look away. More footsteps. More enemies. He was running faster than time. He turned his pain aside and snatched up his sword, racing. He weaved through the alleys, not focusing, his limbs heavy, his vision blurred. He had to get out of there, out of sight, before all of Shadowborne could uncrush everything in its way. But as he turned the next corner, he skidded to a halt. A figure stood in his path. A tall, imposing man clad in dark armor, his sword resting lazily on his shoulder. His piercing golden eyes locked onto Kael's, and a slow smirk curled his lips. Darius. Kael's blood turned to ice. His elder brother. His executioner. "Running, little brother?" Darius mused. "How disappointing. I expected more from you." Kael tightened his grip on his sword, his body screaming for rest. But he had no choice. Darius chuckled, stepping forward. "No more games. No more running. This ends tonight." Kael braced himself, his breath steady despite the dread curling in his gut. Then Darius lunged. The last thing Kael saw was the flash of steel before pain engulfed him, and the world went black.
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