 Posted:
Mon Jul 04, 2005 3:14 am |
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The time had come. It was not much disputed that he was the greatest assassin in the realm, but it was time to prove it once and for all. Narial Thrikill had stalked the world, striking fear into anyone who walked the streets of old Tarach’Knor for far too long without being tested, one-on-one, by another assassin. It was time for flesh and blades to fight flesh and blades, nothing more.
Kaid stood at the entrance to the city, looking down the broad main thoroughfare slicing its way below the vaulted, curving stone roof of the massive cavern that held the home of the Moon Elves. He was reassured by the weight of the steel in his fists, Shadow Fang in his right and the Elemental Blade in his left. They would be tested this day.
Without a sound, Kaid slid into the crowds, flitting from shadow to shadow, eyes piercing every gap in the flow of traffic, darting to every opening in every building and every side street. He knew Thrikill would not be far from the center of town. That was the center of business, where the money came from; every assassin’s lifeblood. He stopped near the front door of a building, shadowed by a stack of goods waiting to be put into storage. Kaid’s blood was up now, he could almost smell his target, feel her in every pore of his skin. He let the sounds of the day wash over him. The crowds became blurs of color as his eyes focused beyond them. Death was Kaid’s game, it was his work. Death was his life, as ironic as that sounds. There was no better hunter in the world than Kaid and no hunt had ever been as important as this one. The city’s central fountain was only a few tens of meters down the road to his right and when Kaid saw it he smiled. Of course, it should have struck him earlier. There were dozens of people there of all ages and sizes and Kaid couldn’t tell which one was his target, she was too good, but he knew that one of those everyday-looking people was her.
Hiding in plain sight, as he should have suspected she might be. Kaid grinned again and sheathed his blades. He could play that game, too. With that, he stepped out into the crowds and nonchalantly made his way past the fountain, even pausing to flip a coin into the roiling waters like some innocent pedestrian wishing for good fortune. Then he rounded the fountain and started making his way back up the street without looking back. There would be no doubt that Narial would recognize the challenge. Kaid Evershade went nowhere by accident, and what could he possibly need to wish for?
Kaid drifted toward the wall on his right side, picking up his pace ever so slightly as he approached a side street. The slightest misstep now would be death and death wasn’t in his plans for today. Not his death, anyway. Three more steps and Kaid was about ten feet short of the alley. Just as his foot hit the pavement Kaid plunged into a crouch and spun, daggers in hand, and slashed viciously behind him without hesitation. A figure dived over the slashing blades and rolled to its feet on the far side of him. Kaid was already standing, facing his opponent and poised for the next move. He had guessed correctly. She couldn’t let him reach the alley without diminishing her odds.
Narial was slender and her pinched features could even be considered attractive in a menacing sort of way. Her silver-hued skin shone from beneath the folds of a light cloak as she glided from step to step, moving as to have a wall behind her and Kaid instead of on one side. Her stare was predatory, but also calculating. She knew this was no ordinary quarry. She knew the significance of this battle.
Kaid lunged but dodged away. Narial barely reacted, recognizing the feint. Kaid quirked a little half-grin at Narial, toying with her. She curled her lip in what almost became a snarl.
“This is it, elf-bitch. I’m ending the game.†Kaid had stepped back, well out of reach. Any true attack on her part would have been suicidal considering the gap and Kaid’s speed, and he didn’t expect a feint.
“Did you come here alone, Evershade? No army of assassin underlings? No magical friends or human shields?†She was angry. Kaid could tell. She did not want to be tested and that was to his advantage. It was impossible to tell which way this fight would go and she was more bothered by that than he was.
“Nope, just a battle of the two deadliest blades in the land, one-on-one, winner takes all.â€Â
“But you have so much to lose, Evershade.†Her eyes flashed now and she actually cracked a smile. Kaid smirked; she was going to try mind games. “You are wealthy, and powerful. Much more powerful than I am. You run the most influential guild in the realm and you could be jeopardizing that. I am no match for you in stature, all I have are my skills. Are you that confident in yours?†She struck.
It wasn’t an attack to draw blood, that would have been impossible, but it was more than a feint. She lunged and redirected, forcing Kaid to react and then looking for an opening in his reaction. Kaid was not caught off guard. He stepped into her redirection instead of shying away from it, catching one of her blades with his and stabbing with his other. She spun and danced away. There was a long tear in her cloak, but Kaid guessed no blood.
“Yes.†That would be the last word spoken in this battle. There was no room left for anything but steel resolve and fiery intention.
Narial’s eyes blazed with pale fire. Kaid met that gaze with his own icy emerald stare. Again Narial danced in and dodged back out, the whole movement almost as quick as thought. Kaid lunged with both blades out in front of him but at the last moment dropped his right fist to aim at the midsection, his left fist still plunging toward the throat of his nemesis. Both blades were rebuffed with a steely clang and he spun back, quickly sliding to one side. The combatants stared each other down again, feet constantly moving, posture constantly shifting, keeping balance and disguising movements.
Kaid allowed himself a silent acknowledgement of her skill. She was a perfectly honed tool. It was very seldom that he found an opponent without a physical weakness. His only edge was mental. She probably thought she had the same edge. You can’t be the best without knowing you are the best.
She wasn’t making a move, which had Kaid a little puzzled. She was generally an extremely aggressive fighter from what he knew of her, which was everything. Kaid feinted and she didn’t react. She had expected the feint. Kaid grimaced and feinted again, but just as he should have pulled out of the feint he collapsed to the ground, sending a leg out to catch Narial behind the ankle and immediately spinning back up into a low crouch. Narial toppled backwards but rolled and immediately sprung back up to her feet, blades at the ready for Kaid’s onslaught but Kaid paused ever-so-slightly so she overbalanced to receive a blow that never came and he lunged. Knocking her extended weapons aside with one dagger, he slashed his other across her upper chest as she leaned back just in time to avoid a fatal throat wound.
Kaid danced back again, satisfied with the crimson streak on his blade. Narial snarled her wrath and pressed the attack against Kaid, a flurry of dagger strokes so fast it looked like she was juggling moonlight. Kaid met blade with blade again and again and again, deflecting every blow but unable to find a gap to press his own advantage. She was now pressing him back and if he didn’t find an opening soon he would be unbalanced and vulnerable. With increasing urgency, Kaid struggled to keep deflecting the blows. It was unbelievable that she could keep this flurry of strokes up for so long.
Finally, she struck her blows just a fraction too far apart and Kaid grabbed the opportunity to slide between her outstretched arms and shove her back. He was too rattled to press the attack, however. For a fraction of a second Kaid thought Narial might have looked impressed with his own ability to repel her attack, but it was fleeting.
Their bodies were warm now. There was a sheen of perspiration on Kaid’s forehead and though his breathing still came easily his muscles were starting to feel the familiar pangs of physical exertion. Narial’s breathing was slightly more labored and there was a tightness to her grace now that suggested tension.
She was inching back now and Kaid took the opportunity to strike before she got too far from him to try. She got her blades up barely in time to deflect his blows, surprisingly late in Kaid’s estimation. His momentum carried him slightly and she didn’t resist, but instead spun in a lightning flash, circling behind Kaid and leaving a pair of gashes across his back. Kaid spun to face her, shrugging off the pain and attacked immediately back. He couldn’t let her regroup. She was pressed back by his onslaught and was a half-second too slow deflecting one of his blades, which resulted in a rather deep gash across her forearm.
Again they broke apart, each angrier that they had given blood and more focused because their imminent mortality had been brought to the fore. Kaid danced left and feinted right, extending his body to a dangerous equilibrium, lighter on his feet than dust in the wind. Narial appeared caught for the briefest moment, unsure whether to force an attack or dodge back because Kaid’s intentions were so well-masked. That hesitation was enough. He flashed a blade toward her face which she deflected, but as he did so he slammed his leg into the small of her back, sending her sprawling to the ground and as her body flew past he sliced his other blade down the length of her back. She rolled to her feet with only the slightest stagger.
Narial knew she was lagging now. She had to make a move and Kaid was ready. She lunged, appearing to make an attempt that made her dangerously vulnerable. Kaid hurried to adjust to this unexpected tactic but as he did so, Narial dropped to a knee and in one fluid movement spun around behind the off-balance Kaid and plunged a blade into his side. His stagger barely moved him out of the way of her second slashing blade.
That was bad. Kaid was reeling from the blow and knew he didn’t have much time to spare if he wanted to stay ahead of the loss of blood. Narial was not in good shape and danced away to avoid an immediate counterattack. She wanted to let the wound do her work for her.
Kaid swayed a little in place, trying to ignore the searing pain in his side. His vision momentarily blurred and he blinked in frustration. Narial was floating away to his left, inching farther back, each instant making an attack on his part more dangerous to attempt. Kaid released a low growl as he darted forward, only slightly favoring his injured side. As he approached an idea formed that he almost wished hadn’t come to mind. It was now or never time.
Narial’s eyes lit with triumph as Kaid came forward, almost lumbering by his standards. He flashed his left arm up, fighting against the pain, his Elemental Blade lashing out at Narial. She saw her opening and fluidly swung out beyond the dagger stroke to circle behind Kaid and end the fight. As she did so, Kaid threw his weight behind him, reversed his grip on Shadow Fang, and let it ride. He would either bury his blade in her belly or he would fall to the ground and he would die.
Kaid couldn’t see it as his blade slammed into Narial’s gut and her eyes widened in shocked surprise. Shadow Fang pulsed and he felt that oh-so-familiar shadowy kiss as Narial’s life seeped into his veins and healed his wounds. He tumbled backward and did a quick somersault onto his feet. His wounds were now little more than sore spots; his side had almost stopped bleeding.
Narial toppled, dropping to her knees and immediately struggled to get up. She staggered badly and was barely able to keep her balance. When she raised her eyes, Kaid’s blade was at her throat and, of course, his other blade was held low and ready to deflect any last gasp effort on her part. It took her only an instant to notice all this and the next instant Kaid had dragged the deadly sharp edge of his dagger across her throat. She dropped to the ground in a heap.
He stood over the body for only a few moments. He had no need to admire his work. It was done. Kaid Evershade had defeated Narial Thrikill one-on-one, to the death. He bent to wipe his blades clean on her cloak where it wasn’t already soaked in blood, stood, sheathed, and walked away. |
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Anonymous
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