When King Sombra seizes control of the Crystal Empire, the Assassin Brotherhood will stop at nothing to end his unjust reign. It will take all the cunning, resources, and willpower they can muster, but what if they lose themselves in the process?
Nothing is true. Everything is permitted. We work in the dark to serve the light. We are Assassins.
Since time immemorial, the Assassin Brotherhood has fought and died to maintain harmony on Gaia. Now, the greatest threat in 1,000 years manifests itself in the form of King Sombra. He has seized control of the Crystal Empire, and we fear his ambition spreads to the rest of the world. Harmony must be maintained at all costs, even if things must get worse before they get better...
My name is Equeir Alahad, and this is my story.
A/N: As this is my first story on this site, constructive criticism is encouraged, and please be specific.
I stood there among the crowd. Hundreds of ponies of the Crystal Empire had congregated here in front of a parapet with several prisoners due for hanging at sundown. To King Sombra, they were traitors, but to the Assassin Order, they were heroes. They gave us vital information when we needed it, and now paid for it with their lives.
As the a member of the Crystal bureau, it was my duty to capitalize on this as an opportunity. After all, it wasn’t every day Captain Consector put himself out in the open. Thus, I stood here, alone, in a mass of helpless citizens of the Crystal Empire, ready to pounce.
“These ponies,” Consector began, “are traitors to the Crystal Empire and our beloved King. Their crimes are as follows…”
As the he read off the list, I surreptitiously pushed my way towards the front. I drowned out all distractions and obstacles until it was just him in my sights. I quickly formulated a plan.
A few soldiers strode the roofs encircling the center, scanning the area for suspicious activity, but I knew they didn't see me. Assassin robes were magically designed make the wearer semi-invisible: any onlooker would be subconsciously inclined to disregard the wearer, despite the rather conspicuous white clothing. Such a disguise worked very well in crowds, as any observers, be it a public speaker or guard in a watchtower, typically would not focus on a single pony.
The captain didn’t notice me either as he stood in plain view on top of the raised platform in the town center. I positioned myself so I was about five paces from the parapet’s wooden steps and the sun was at my back; it would give me another slight advantage.
“… and treason. For these crimes against the Empire, they are hereby sentenced to public death.”
My mission, however, was not to save the prisoners. My primary objective was to eliminate Captain Consector -- Sombra’s local lieutenant -- by whatever means necessary. He had been prying into Assassin affairs as of late and had significantly weakened our holdings in his district. In fact, the captives due for execution were taken in a raid on a safehouse less than a week ago. Clearly, if the Brotherhood was to further its plans to destroy King Sombra and his regime, the Captain had to be removed… permanently.
I felt bad for letting our informants die, but they knew the risks and were among the minority of Crystal ponies who dared defy their king. Besides, the best way to get close to Consector was to make him feel safe. Allowing the hanging to proceed unhindered would give him a sense of security, albeit a false one.
A guard pulled a lever and the floor underneath the prisoners gave way. As their nooses snapped taught, I saw Captain Consector relax his tensed stance. Now was my chance.
I darted forward right as the guards turned to leave. I was at the steps before they noticed me and reacted accordingly. One guard swung his spear at me. I easily ducked under his clumsy attack and drove a dagger into his unprotected neck. Another guard rushed to intercept me. He was still a full six paces away when I expertly hurled a throwing knife into his eye.
There were more guards surrounding the parapet, but they were too far to interfere. Captain Consector glared at me with both brutal conviction and utter fear. He had drawn his sword – not that it would help him – and stood in a defensive stance about twelve paces away. Taking the initiative, I used the now one-eyed soldier – who was on the ground writhing in pain – as a launching pad. I spread my wings instinctively to control my descent and disorient my target, who, given by his squinting, was partially blinded by the setting sun.
I executed it perfectly. My silhouetted figure was hard for the Captain to focus on. My flaring wings further disrupted his concentration. I ejected the hidden blade on my left hoof, he didn’t notice. After all, how could he? Looking into his eyes, I could tell he was terrified.
His death was assured.
I batted his sword away from my path and proceeded to drive my bladed hoof into his throat.
My senses went into overdrive and time seemed to slow down as I stood over the deceased captain, closing his eyes with a hoof, wiping a feather in his blood, and reciting the traditional Assassin death oration. His death would be a significant victory for the Brotherhood. With him gone, Sombra would have no experienced officers to replace him and would either assign an inadequate captain or expand his district to the jurisdiction of another officer. Either way, his hold on the area was weakened and Assassin activity could persist relatively unimpeded.
It was with this thought running through my mind that I hardly dodged an incoming javelin.
“Assassin!” I heard a guard shout, as if it wasn’t already obvious.
I had lost the element of surprise; it was time to make my escape.
Multiple units were rapidly converging on my vicinity. They pushed and shoved their way through the throngs of alarmed and confused Crystal ponies fleeing in every direction. Using my wings to give myself initial propulsion, I dashed past them and out of the town square before they could so much as turn around.
I had eliminated the Captain and completed my mission, now I had only to leave the city and return to the bureau. The loss of their commanding officer combined with the mass panic of local civilians and the onset of night should throw the local guard into chaos and cover my escape. Still, I could not simply fly away: they would be expecting that. Instead, I hid in a large cart of hay that somepony happened to be pulling through the area. It was uncomfortable, but I remained in the cart until the driver left the city.
I took one last look behind me and smiled at what I saw. Despite the sun having set hours earlier, it shone like a beacon in the darkened landscape. Torches and bonfires illuminated the streets in an emergency measure by the guard to find me. Thousands of ponies were being kept awake so the troops could search every nook and cranny of the area in a vain attempt to locate one Assassin. Was I really that dangerous? I chuckled as I considered the thought and made my way to the southwest.
If this was the damage one of us could cause, then the entire Brotherhood could take down an empire.
A brief journey brought me back to the Crystal Assassin bureau a few miles from the border with Equestria. The unassuming building took the appearance of a normal travellers’ lodge, however it also served as one of the bases of operations for the Assassin Order in the Crystal Empire. A small wooden sign on the front porch advertised “vacancy” in white letters, a code meaning there were no non-Assassin patrons currently staying and we could conduct our business anywhere on the premises.
I entered the foyer where a small bell above the door announced my arrival.
The pony at the front desk, a Crystal mare by the name of Renida, maintained an appearance of boredom, resting her head on her forehoof and rolling a pencil across her desk. Upon seeing me, she immediately perked up. I noticed her pink coat and turquoise mane regain some of their luster and her pupils dilated.
“Oh, hello Equeir, how did your mission go?” she asked.
“It was a resounding success. Another of Sombra’s lieutenants has joined his victims in the afterlife.” I replied, removing my hood and exposing my brown mane.
"Did you happen to save any of the prisoners?"
"No, should I have?"
Her mood immediately sank. "It's just, well, one of them was my friend. His wife and daughter have been hiding with us since he was arrested and I was hoping they could flee to Equestria as a family."
I stepped over and laid a hoof on her shoulder. I stared into her eyes for a few seconds and realized they were moistening.
She's going to cry, isn't she. I thought.
My fears were confirmed when she hugged me and cried into my robes.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know they were so important to you. But I had a job to do, and saving their lives may have jeopardized the mission."
She continued sobbing into my robe for a few minutes while I just stood there and hoped she'd cry herself out sooner rather than later.
The war had taken a toll on all its participants, myself included. My own parents perished at the hands of King Sombra during his original coup d'etah some years prior. Whereas I channeled my pain and rage into a sworn vengeance on my parents' killer, others apparently preferred to waste both time and body fluids crying their pain away -- all only for temporary relief.
I held Renida at arms length.
"Listen, I have to report to the Mentor, can you please keep your post here?"
She nodded, sniffling.
"Thank you."
I trotted up the stairs to the large attic, where I was greeted by over a dozen of my brothers and sisters in the Creed. They were conversing around a large, circular table on which lay a detailed map of the Crystal Empire and some of the lands beyond. It appeared almost the whole Crystal Assassin Bureau was congregated in this one room.
"Greetings Equeir," said a grey unicorn, "we trust your mission was a success."
I held up the bloody feather with a smirk. "Like you even have to ask."
"I wasn't," he replied, "Mentor thinks highly of you and so do we."
"Then I've lived up to your expectations. Now why are we all here? I thought it was too dangerous for us to be in the same place at once."
"Because I must inform you all at once for the next stage of our undertaking to progress." Said Mentor, sneaking up behind me and startling the less experienced assassins in the room.
The years had not been kind to the unicorn Didascus, Mentor of the Assassin Brotherhood. His hair was a greying brown and his coat may once have been a vibrant black but was now wrinkled and fading. A scar ran over his blind right eye, adding to his already menacing appearance. His age gave him a short, white beard, yet most of his body was obscured by a long, dark cloak. I knew very little about his past, though he was once a great assassin such as myself. Perhaps it was the desire to relive his old successes that led him to personally oversee the campaign against King Sombra.
We all acknowledged his presence by putting a hoof to our chests and giving a quick nod in his direction: the Assassin Salute.
He strode to the table, where I respectfully stepped aside. "As you all know, I have kept you in the dark concerning overall plans; only telling you what you needed to know, when you needed to know it. This guaranteed that, if captured, you would not compromise the Brotherhood or its allies. Your missions have purposefully been made to seem random and uncoordinated and mislead the enemy as to our specific goals. Now, however, the time has come to strike a heavy blow to King Sombra.
"For the past few years, we have been subverting the imperial administration through sabotage and strategic killings. Now, the plan may finally advance. We have at least two days before King Sombra selects a replacement for Consector, and in that time his military will be left in disarray. While we can use this chance to further damage the imperial military, we have neither the resources nor the manpower to realistically bring down Sombra's regime. Thus, I have surmised we need direct support from another kingdom, and I know just how to get it."
He used his magic to level a pointer at a small clump of buildings by the northeast border.
"My contact in Sombra's foreign affairs recently divulged the expected route of a diplomatic envoy from the Griffon Empire. While they will be flying most of the way, they will make a rest stop at this village in several days. As you know, griffons take diplomatic immunity very seriously, and we can use this to our advantage."
He looked up and scanned the room, seemingly scrutinizing everypony present before his eyes landed on me. I tensed, his gaze always had an intimidating aura to it. He apparently noticed as he smirked before turning back to the rest of the bureau.
"Equeir and two other Assassins will disguise themselves in captured imperial armor and ambush the convoy when it lands. At least one of the griffons must be allowed to escape, however, as to inform his liege of King Sombra's treachery. When they learn of their diplomat's murder, the only course of action remaining will be war with the perpetrator of the crime, which is why it is imperative that we make it look like Imperial soldiers did it. Should all go well, the Griffon Empire will invade the Crystal Empire in retaliation, and we will have the perfect chance to kill King Sombra himself. With him gone, the Crystal Empire will be one step closer to freedom."
Some of the gathered Assassins murmured among themselves, citing optimistically that this could be the beginning of the end for Sombra. Although, others were more skeptical.
"Mentor, you say that King Sombra's death will be the end of the Crystal ponies' suffering, but what about the Griffon army? Surely they will not abandon a defenseless land solely because they completed their stated cause."
"An excellent point, why would the prideful griffons abandon hard-won land only because King Sombra is dead? The answer is: they won't, but I guarantee they will be easier to deal with than Sombra. As a foreign power invading a now peaceful nation, the lack of a good cause will degrade their purpose and all we have to do is make it too costly for them to stay, and considering what we've done to Sombra, that should not be too hard. Any other questions?"
I asked, "Mentor, I am honored that you have chosen me to set off your endgame, but surely King Sombra is no fool and will anticipate an attack on the envoy. How do you intend to curb his attention?"
"An excellent point you bring up, Equeir, which is why only three of us will carry out the attack. The rest of us, myself included, will distract imperial forces with a series of sabotages across the Empire over the next few days. Combined with the loss of its top officer, not even Sombra's military will have the strength to protect all our targets at once. Any other questions?"
"If I may, Mentor," began a light green unicorn stallion with a blue mane, "why is it Equeir who will execute the primary objective? Why not Clinodius, or Saggitarius, or me for that matter?"
"Do you not trust my judgement, Pausanias? I chose Equeir because he is the most skilled and has never failed a mission before. Besides, he will not be doing it alone. I have chosen Sagittarius and Caldan to accompany him."
"Mentor, I respect your decision, but I would like to choose my own team." I stated.
"You should better trust my judgement, Equeir. I may have put you in charge of this mission because of your exceptional track record, but the past is no guarantee for the future. Sagittarius and Caldan are already waiting for you at the village, although you will have to tell them about the plan yourself. And keep in mind..."
He stepped right into my face. I could feel his steel gaze boring into my skull, and his breath scraped my muzzle. I internally scrunched, yet externally I held firm and showed no fear, just as I had been taught.
"I am entrusting you to set into motion the beginning of the end, don't make me regret it."
I sat in a small, candlelit room, silently meditating. What I was about to do was the most important mission of my life, at least so far. No room for error, the plan needed to be executed perfectly if it was to succeed. There was a good chance one or two of us would not survive the encounter, but we were ready to do our parts.
It was always good to clear one's mind before undertaking an assassination. Didascus taught me to relax my body and mind for a time as to prepare myself for battle. In his point of view, losing oneself is the quickest way to lose a fight. A cool head is just as important as planning or equipment.
Mentor had taught me to meditate upon one or two glaring questions every so often. What I considered now was why Sagittarius and Caldan? The former was only a few years my elder, but spent most of his time studying ancient Assassin tomes. While this presumably granted him extensive knowledge of tactics and combat, he rarely exemplified these and lived a reclusive lifestyle. I was personally surprised Didascus assigned him when his skills set was of questionable value to me. The latter was about my age, but he was brash and untested. I heard that he performed well in combat training, though his stealth skills were lacking. In fact, this was probably his first mission of importance. It really spoke volumes of our manpower that we had to put colts such as him on the field so early. Perhaps Mentor expected me to make up for his shortcomings in the coming fight -- assuming Sagittarius could hold his own.
Outside the room, a floorboard creaked. That was probably Caldan now coming to the door, making far more noise than he should. Sure, there was no immediate threat, but experienced Assassins knew to apply stealth at all times when on active duty. He cracked open the door on its groaning hinges, stepping inside and still not caring to maintain silence.
“What is it?” I asked, not turning around or opening my eyes.
“Equeir, we are ready when you are.” said Caldan.
“Take your position and await my signal.”
"Why are you just sitting in here anyway? Are you sure you have nothing better to do?"
Annoyed, I turned around and gave the colt my coldest glare. He winced, apparently getting the message, and walked out, silently shutting the door behind him. I took a deep breath and resumed my meditation. Many of the candles in the room had long ago burnt out. I decided not to replace them. I was used to the dark; after all, it was where I did many of my missions.
After explaining the overall plan to the others we had formulated an ambush in the village center. Loaded crossbows were set up in concealed positions around the square, set to loose on a certain spell from Sagittarius. Our attack would be swift and deadly, and when the sole survivor of the egregious massacre of a diplomatic envoy returns with news of the treachery, the Griffon Empire will retaliate with everything they have. I'm sure even Caldan, naive as he is, can grasp the gravity of the situation. There is no room for failure.
I rose from my seat and donned my captured imperial armor. The envoy would be here any minute now. I strapped on my sword belt, hung a small charm around my neck, and walked outside. The sun was just beginning to disappear over the horizon and the small structures that served as the locals' homes cast long shadows. By now the village's thin streets were deserted, and thankfully so. I knew that, while civilians had their uses, e.g. for camouflage or rioting, right now they would only serve as an obstacle.
I took position near Caldan, who was leaning on his spear. Sagittarius was in a small watchtower with a bow, he would warn us of the convoy's approach.
"So, uhh, Equeir," Caldan began, shifting uncomfortably. "I've, umm, heard a lot about you. Were you really a Master Assassin at thirteen?"
"Twelve," I replied nonchalantly.
"Wow!" he exclaimed excitedly. "I can see why Mentor likes you so much!" The conversation lulled for a moment until he resumed, deciding to restart the exchange with a little praise to stroke my ego. "You're practically a living legend among the trainees, you know."
"I'm flattered," I responded, again unemotionally.
"With you here, I'm sure we can take on a whole regiment!"
"You know, you can be just as effective an assassin as me one day if you follow one simple rule," I said, turning to him.
"Really? What?"
"Stop talking so much."
"Oh, okay," he said, downtrodden. I turned away, at least that got him to shut up.
There followed a minute or so of silence. Caldan shuffled in his armor, clearly uncomfortable. We had both removed our face-obscuring helmets as they were getting too hot. The sun was a little more than halfway beneath the horizon by now and I feared the envoy may not come after all. Then, just as Caldan tried to start another conversation, Sagittarius shouted to us from the tower.
"Look alive, gentlecolts! Griffon convoy coming in from the northeast."
Caldan and I looked to the northeast and, sure enough, the silhouette of what I reckoned to be at least twenty griffons was rapidly approaching, pulling an armored carriage with them. I put on my helmet and motioned for Caldan to do the same. I reached to my neck and felt the charm I was wearing as a necklace.
No room for error. No distractions.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
The convoy landed with a thud, they were panting in their armor and their feathers were shiny with sweat.
"Sorry we're late," said one of the griffons, his voice rough and hoarse. "I assume our accommodations are ready nonetheless?"
I stepped forward. "Accommodations? Were we supposed to be expecting you?"
The griffon looked confused. "King Sombra assured us we would be quartered in this town when we arrived today. He said his subjects would gladly shelter us overnight."
"Sir," I replied, "I nor anypony else in this village received any kind of notification of incoming travelers, much less griffons. What is your business in the Crystal Empire?"
"We are transporting a diplomatic envoy from King Bleda of the Griffon Empire to King Sombra."
"Is that so?" I responded skeptically. "For all I know you could be raiders trying to catch us off-guard."
The griffon sighed. "My men and I are in no mood to fight you, and we simply want food and shelter for the night. How can I prove I am telling the truth?"
I pretended to ponder for a second. "Well, King Sombra gives diplomatic tokens to any foreigners he allows to travel through his lands. If you are carrying an emissary in that carriage of yours, and he shows us the token, you are free to stay as long as you need."
"Very well." He turned around and I followed him to the side of the carriage, the other griffons stepping back to allow us through. He knocked on the door.
"What is it?" I heard the emissary say from the inside. "Are we at Sombra's court yet?"
"No sir, we're stopping in a village to spend the night. The garrison commander wants to see your diplomatic credentials."
"Ugh, one moment."
What followed was the noise of hasty shuffling and something falling on the floor. A few seconds later the ambassador emerged, his feathers thoroughly ruffled and bags under his eyes. In his claw he held a flat, circular, yellow crystal with the word "hospes" inscribed on either side. I tapped my necklace charm, which began to glow faintly.
"Here's your stupid credentials, now get us food and shelter like we were promised."
"Of course, sir," I said before lunging at him and driving my hidden blade into his neck.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
The charm, a powerful totem called postrema verba, glowed brightly as I withdrew my blade from the ambassador's throat. It was imbued with a magical formula that kept dying victims alive for a little longer, slowed down time, and acted as a mild truth serum. My mission was to kill the emissary, but I also wanted information out of him. As the world around us faded into an empyreal plane, I carefully laid him on his back.
"Why are you killing me? Are you not one of Sombra's soldiers? Do you really want to incur the wrath of the Griffon Empire?" he spat weakly.
"I'm no friend of King Sombra," I replied, "but that isn't what I wanted to talk to you about. What I want to know is what deal your king is striking with the Crystal Empire."
"Straight to the point, eh?" he chuckled. "You Equestrians are so blunt."
"What makes you say I am Equestrian?"
"King Sombra told us all about you. He says he is desperately trying to hold his empire together as you terrorize his subjects and destroy his infrastructure, that you're nothing more than servants of the Princesses who seek to usurp his rightful throne."
"That is a lie!" I shouted, grabbing his feathers and pulling him to my face. "We do not attack his innocent subjects, we seek to free them of his tyranny! Nor do we serve the interests of the Regal Sisters, the Assassins bow to no ruler!"
"Either way, my King was sending me to finalize an alliance with him. Together our empires were going to preemptively counter Equestrian aggression."
I narrowed my eyes. "You're going to partition Equestria?"
"Partition is such a strong word, I prefer my original phrasing. Are you positive you don't work for the Sisters? Surely they are the only ones who will benefit from this."
"I'm positive, and if they become a threat to Harmony we have no qualms against fighting them as well."
"So then it's just you versus the world? That's hardly a recipe for success."
"You'd be surprised how much we can accomplish on our own."
"I suppose so, you were able to kill me after all."
With that he leaned his head back and breathed his last. I laid him on the ground as the plane started to fade away and shut his eyes, reciting the traditional Assassin death oration.
"Requiescat in pace."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
With a bright flash, I was abruptly brought back into reality and the chaotic situation rapidly forming around me.
Most of the griffons had realized the situation and were drawing their weapons, ready to fight. Suddenly, the sound of dozens of crossbows loosing at once reached my ears. I grabbed the ambassador's corpse and threw it over my back. The sickening squelch of several bolts piercing his body was drowned out by the pained shrieks of dying and wounded griffons all around me.
I emerged from under the body and surveyed the scene. Most of the griffons lay dead or dying. A few, however, remained standing; their comrades having absorbed the majority of the projectiles and they themselves having gotten away with minor wounds.
One of them lunged at me with his bladed talons. I drew my sword, counterattacked, and tried to spread my wings to control my lunge, only to be grimly reminded that they were currently buried under heavy plate armor and were thus unavailable for my maneuver. The griffon tackled me. My sword fell from my hoof and clattered to the ground. I punched him and flipped us over only to see an arrow lodged in his neck.
Great, now Sagittarius thinks I can't handle myself.
I quickly retrieved my sword while Sagittarius picked off another griffon. Caldan ferociously impaled one with a spear and broke off the bloodied tip to throw it into another's chest.
I heard wings flaring behind me and spun around to see a griffon officer with bolts stuck in his talon and stomach. I observed his heavy armor had taken the brunt of the impacts, so though he was wounded he was still in fighting condition. I lowered my stance and took a deep breath. I had not had a good one-on-one fight in a while, and, as long as Sagittarius didn't interfere again, I was determined to enjoy this one.
He charged. I somersaulted out of the way and kicked his injured talon. He shrieked in pain and clumsily tried to slice me with his good one. I dodged with a spin and used my momentum to hit a weak point in his armor behind his leg, cutting through and forcing him to the ground. I allowed him to struggle back to his feet before I made a broad swing with my sword. He blocked it with an armored talon but exposed his belly. I kicked the bolt in his abdomen, forcing it further into his body. He howled and fell down, clutching his bleeding stomach. I stood over him and looked him in the eye. He stared back in fear and anger. He opened his mouth, probably to curse or taunt me, and I stabbed it, ending him.
By now, only one griffon remained from the original group. His eyes were wide and his legs were shaking. I charged at him. We would have to let him go, but we couldn't make his escape too easy.
He snapped out of his fearful trance and attempted to take off. I hurled my sword just over his head to keep him grounded. I tackled him and we rolled along the blood-soaked ground for a few seconds before he shoved me off and took to the air. Sagittarius shot a few arrows at him until he was out of range. I watched as he gradually became a tiny speck in the evening sky.
"Is that it?" panted Caldan.
"It is, good work gentlecolts," said Sagittarius, coming down from his tower.
"Sagittarius, how good is your teleportation?" I asked.
"Um, I suppose it's adequate--"
"Good, I need you to teleport me to the southern safehouse immediately."
"Why? We still have to clean up the carnage here."
"I got some information from the diplomat that Mentor needs to hear."
He looked at me, puzzled. "How did you -- nevermind. But first I need you to help us bury the dead. They fought honorably and we must give them their final rights."
"No. I need to see Mentor as soon as possible. If you need help burying them then get the villagers to help you for all I care!"
I tapped him in the chest. "Teleport me to the safehouse now. That's an order."
Sagittarius frowned and looked over to Caldan, who simply shrugged. "He's the one in charge here."
He sighed and shut his eyes. His horn glowed brightly and began to spark. "You might feel a little dizzy."
I had been teleported once before. It was only a few miles, but I vomited upon arrival. Nonetheless, there were no faster methods of travel and I was in a hurry. I braced for a rough impact as I felt a rush of magic engulf my body. The next thing I knew the world around me was spinning. I stumbled around for a few seconds to regain my balance.
Through my surroundings, I discerned I was on a hill overlooking the inn. The moon and stars had taken the sun's place in the sky by now, and yet I could clearly see as if it were day. I cast a long shadow to my front, what was the light behind me? I turned around to a sight that almost gave me a heart attack: the bureau, now a blazing inferno, surrounded by hundreds of imperial soldiers.
A light layer of ash coated the ground. The moon shone brightly in the sky, but it was nothing compared to the inferno that engulfed the Crystal Assassin bureau. It blazed like a beacon, luring in all who laid eyes on it. I found myself drawn to it, walking closer against my better judgement. I did not want to believe what I was seeing: our own headquarters being razed. My head buzzed with questions.
How did they know we were here?
What else do they know?
How will we continue our fight now?
"Soldier! What are you doing, staring like a wide-eyed mule?! Stand at attention!"
I heard a harsh, rough voice but did not know to whom it was directed. I turned my head to see an officer glaring at me disapprovingly. I winced and shook my head, trying to rid it of the after-effects of teleportation. Looking down I saw I was still wearing my captured armor. For now, I would have to play along.
"I-I'm sorry sir, it's just...I've never seen such destruction before." It was technically true. I had sabotaged buildings many times in my missions, but I never stuck around to witness the desolation.
"Don't give me excuses colt! Now get back in formation!" he barked.
I wordlessly complied and took a position in a long line of identical soldiers. They all stoically watched the fire as though it were one of King Sombra's public speeches, which, in a way, it was.
Just then a section of the roof caved in, sending a flurry of sparks into the night sky, immediately followed by a panicked shriek from what sounded like a mare from within the structure. Many of the soldiers broke their unmoving expressions and glanced around confused. I instinctively took a step forward.
"What are you doing now, soldier?!" shouted the same officer from earlier.
"There is still somepony in there!" I replied. "We need to get her out before she burns to death."
The officer glared at me for a few seconds before turning to the inferno and then turning back to me suspiciously. I grew increasingly anxious as the inn continued to burn.
"And? What stake do you have in her survival? Are you looking to impress our King with a random act of bravery on his behalf?"
"Well, um...I." I began, rapidly formulating a story. "It's...uh...my niece. She was on her way to visit associates in Equestria and was probably staying at this inn, I fear she may not have left before we set fire to it."
The officer showed no signs of backing down; I leaned in and lowered my voice. "Please, how about this. I'll go in on my own and try to save whoever it is in there. If I die, it's no fur off your back. If I rescue an innocent civilian, that is one less of the King's loyal citizens who has to die for no reason. If I capture an enemy agent, you can take the credit for giving another traitor the justice she deserves."
He looked at the other soldiers around us, pondering for a moment while wordlessly telling them you didn't hear anything. "If you want to risk your life to temporarily save a traitor go ahead. But don't expect any assistance!"
I nodded and galloped to the building. The gigantic blaze was scorchingly hot, but imperial armor, magically designed to keep the wearer comfortable, would protect me against the worst of it for a minute or two. The front door was inundated by fire, but a nearby window was not yet fully in flames. I jumped through it and landed on the charred floor, which creaked under my weight. I would have to be careful; the structure was growing weaker by the second.
"Hello!" I yelled. "Where are you?"
"HELP!"
The response sounded like it came from...beneath me?
Oh wait, the inn has a small cellar for storage. Whoever it is must have hidden there to avoid the imperial troops.
I hurried to the cellar's entrance, which was hidden under a staircase.
Now, if I remember correctly, I need to pull an adjacent candelabrum to ---
The floor suddenly gave out under my weight. I crashed to the lower floor, bringing singed debris with me.
That works too.
I groaned in pain. My right shoulder had taken much of the impact and ached terribly. I tried getting up, but the sharp pain brought me back down instantly.
I rolled onto my side. My panting was making the helmet stuffy, so I opened the visor. Most of the smoke was on the ceiling anyway.
Maybe this wasn't such a great idea. I groaned. But, whoever is down here, if I can rescue her, then it will not be a total loss. We need all the help we can get.
I rose, grunting against the pain. Sombra will not have the last laugh!
With renewed vigor, I shouted to the room. "Where are you!"
"Over here."
I limped over to the voice. A soot-covered crystal pony lay huddled in a corner, silently wimpering. A burnt support beam had crashed in front of her, trapping her where she lay. I shoved it out of the way.
"Hey." I said, putting a hoof on her shoulder.
She turned around, her eyes wet with tears.
"Renida?"
She looked up, her eyes widened and she scooted further into the corner.
"Whoever you are, please don't hurt me! I swear I am only the front-desk lady and know nothing of the Assassins!" she blurted, apparently startled by my appearance.
"Whoa, whoa, Renida, it's me, Equeir." I consoled, removing my helmet.
"Equeir?" she asked, wonder replacing fear. "Wh-h-how are you here?"
"Long story. We can catch up when we get out of here!"
Suddenly, a portion of the ceiling collapsed, bringing more flaming timbers into the basement. We ducked and I replaced my helmet.
"Stay right on me!" I commanded.
Resting my injured limb over her shoulder, we rushed to the stairs. More of the ceiling was caving in, burning wood tumbling right behind us as we hurried up the wooden steps that thankfully held our weight. It was when we got to the top of the stairs that I remembered a certain problem.
"Oh buck." I stated as we observed the closed door.
"You didn't open it on your way down?" Renida asked critically.
"No! I fell through a hole in the floor, it was a one-way trip!" I answered, frustrated. "Where's the mechanism on this side?"
"At the bottom of the stairs." She replied.
I glanced behind us, where fire was rapidly climbing the steps. Where we had been seconds ago was now part of the blazing inferno.
"Screw it." I muttered.
Disregarding my sore shoulder, I turned around and gave the wall my hardest buck, hoping the fire had at least weakened it enough that I could break it down. It shook, but remained standing. I bucked several more times, making indentations but not breaking it. The flames were catching up.
"I could use some assistance here!"
"A surprising statement coming from you."
"Just shut up and help me break down the door!"
We synchronized our bucks, causing the door to tremble more with each hit. Finally, it gave way and fell forward onto its face with a resounding CRASH! With no time to lose, I dashed out with Renida hot on my tail. My original entry point was no longer available, recently added to the conflagration. I frantically perused the area, seeing nothing but smoke and fire everywhere I turned.
Smoke and ash invaded my nostrils and tore at my eyes, hampering my breathing and obscuring my sight. The armor, which up to this point had protected me from the worst of the heat, was now itself growing unbearably hot, threatening to cook me like a metal oven.
"Now what?!" Renida shouted between coughs.
"We try not to die." I replied calmly before grabbing her with a foreleg and pulling her close.
"Hey! What are y--ahhh!" She cried as I rushed us through a path that appeared to have less fire in the way.
I leaped over a small concentration of flame, Renida screaming all the way. A jolt of pain received my landing, reminding me of my injured shoulder and the searing heat that was encroaching on the armor. Past the fires, I watched as a section of wall collapsed. The debris extinguished nearby flames, making it the perfect exit point.
"You see that?" I asked.
"S--*cough* see what?" she replied wearily.
I could tell the fire was getting to her. By now she had surely inhaled an unhealthy dose of smoke and I could see a number of burns on her usually crystal-like body.
"Come on!" I shouted, "One final push! We're almost out!"
Again, I rushed both of us around burning debris and lashing flames. While the route only looked to be about ten or fifteen yards, it felt like an eternity. Nevertheless, I got both of us to the other side -- just in time for a smouldering support beam to strike my head. I fell to the floor (or rather, what was left of it) disoriented. I could make out the profuse coughing coming from Renida, the roaring blaze all around me, and the moonlight that was barely out of reach. In one, last exertion of my battered body, I dragged both of us out of the flames and onto the searing dirt just outside.
At least we won't burn to death out here.
We lay there for about a minute. The armor cooled slightly, but I was still too close to the fire to be comfortable. Renida had not moved, meaning she was probably either unconscious or dead. Either way, I was in no mood to listen to her complaints or pained groans.
"Over there!" I heard somepony shout. A few soldiers ran to us and dragged both of us away from the building. Just as we were received by a field medic, the remainder of the building's supports gave out and collapsed, bringing the entire structure down in a spectacular fashion.
I was turned away from the sight by the medic trying to remove my badly dented helmet. I panicked and swiped his hoof away.
"She needs it more." I stated in response to the quizzical look I received from the medic.
"Why? She'll be dead in a few days anyway," he replied.
"Then make sure she lasts that long!"
He begrudgingly turned to Renida, whose burns were now visibly red over her diluted pink coat.
Rising to my hooves, I heard a long, low blast from an imperial battle horn. Most of the soldiers broke ranks and began filing into an encampment I had not noticed previously. A few ponies were already huddled around campfires, cooking meals and warming themselves. Others retired directly to their tents, their stone-faced expressions giving way to exhaustion and yawns.
"Report to the medical tent, sir. I'll take her to the prisoner tent."
The medic threw Renida's limp body over his back and walked away. I pretended to go in the opposite direction, but quickly turned around once we were far enough apart. I followed him for a few minutes, maneuvering slowly through the maze of tents, campfires, and torches. I made sure to keep far enough away as not to alert him to my presence, but close enough that I would not lose sight of him. Sometimes he would make a sharp turn or look behind himself and I would have to duck into the nearest tent or pretend to converse with a group around a campfire to avoid detection.
Finally, he reached a large tent with several guards.
"I have a prisoner."
"We'll take it from here."
The two guards slapped shackles around her legs and brought her into the tent. I noted that due to the location of the tent, near the center of the camp, I would not be able to spring her out with brute force. Getting her past the patrols would be another issue.
I wandered around the area. Though most of the troops were asleep, everypony assumed I was a part of the nightwatch. Nearby I heard a grunt, followed by a heavy object landing on wood. Curious, I trotted over.
A lone Crystal pony was lifting corpses onto a wooden cart. A small pile of bodies wrapped in brown cloth sat right behind him.
That could work.
"Hey, are you taking these bodies to be buried?"
"Yes, the fossors should finish the grave ditch soon"
"Well when you're done with this pile, I need you at the prison tent."
He stopped his work and addressed me directly. "Whatever for? Do we even have captives?"
"Yes, but one of them died of her wounds, so I need you to take away the corpse."
"Ugh, just give me a minute." He heaved another wrapped body onto the cart.
"I could lend you a hoof if that would speed things up."
"Uh, yeah, that'd be nice, thank you."
Together we loaded several more corpses onto the wagon. As it was heavier than he anticipated, I helped him bring it to the prison tent, where, just my luck, the guards had just changed shifts.
"We're here to take away the deceased prisoner," I announced.
"What deceased prisoner?"
"A prisoner in this tent bled out a few minutes ago."
"Why wasn't I informed?"
"Fetching the cart took longer than expected, we were supposed to be here before the shift change."
"Sir," said my companion, "the sooner we clear out the corpse, the sooner we can get some sleep. Just let us do our job."
The guard sighed and stepped aside. I grabbed a spare blanket from the cart and we went into the tent. Renida, luckily, was still unconscious. Her breathing was slow and faint, so hopefully my colleague would not notice it. We removed the shackles and laid out the blanket next to her before rolling her onto it and wrapping her limp body. If my luck held out, she would remain unconscious at least until we were out of the camp.
After loading her onto the wagon, we pulled it outside the camp to an area where other soldiers had dug a long ditch. The location was relatively isolated and far enough away from camp that I would not have to worry about being seen. The moon continued to shine bright enough to negate the need for torches.
"All right," my colleague started as we brought the cart alongside the ditch. "Now we just have to--"
"Actually, this is where we part ways," I interrupted.
He turned to question my statement when I silenced him with a hoof to his mouth and a blade to his throat. He struggled for a second, gurgles from his pierced throat indicating attempts to scream, before succumbing to his fate. I allowed his lifeless body to fall into the ditch, a dull ache reminding me of my mishap in the burning inn.
Some stirring and a tired groan alerted me to the one living pony on the cart.
"What...what happened? Am I dead?"
I unwrapped her from her coverings. "No, and I intend to keep it that way for now."
"Oh, uh...thanks." She got off the cart but had trouble keeping her balance.
"Come on, we have to get to Equestria as soon as possible, the border is only about a day's journey to the south."
She nodded and took a few steps before stumbling. I rolled my eyes, this would be harder than I thought.
"Don't expect me to carry you the whole way." I said, putting her foreleg around my neck.
The journey to the border was uneventful. We traveled along a secret route that bypassed imperial border outposts, so we did not see anyone until we crossed the border into relative safety. I ditched the imperial armor and equipment at the first opportunity, and, while it lightened my weight, it also left me feeling dangerously exposed with my only equipment being my hidden blades -- hopefully they would be all I needed until I could get some more equipment. Renida, for her part, explained how she had hidden in the cellar when imperial troops were first sighted and overheard fighting on the first floor. After the fighting ceased, she had not heard the building being ransacked, so I surmised the initial assault was probably repulsed before the frustrated imperials set fire to the structure. At least no Assassins, documents, or pieces of equipment were captured.
For a while, our conversation, if one could call it that, lulled. We had been walking for a while, and Renida, much to my frustration demanded a rest for her aching hooves. I begrudgingly set us down under a tree.
"By the way Equeir," she said as I put her down. "You never explained how you found me."
"What are you talking about?"
"When you found me in the cellar, you said that we could catch up later, well, it's later."
"I'm not up for talk."
"Oh come on! It's not like I'm asking for your life story!"
I took a deep breath. This mare simply did not take "no" for an answer.
"All you need to know is that I was in the right place at the right time."
She released a deep breath of her own, clearly dissatisfied with my reply.
"Oh, I get it. That information somehow 'classified' because if I actually had an inkling as to what was happening my tiny little mind would explode, wouldn't it?" she asked sarcastically. "You wouldn't want me to get all panicky over your being a part of some secret organization, now would you?"
This bitch
"I completed my original mission and then rushed over to see how you guys were doing. I came in to help you when I heard your scream because I figured I should salvage something from the Bureau to prevent a total loss. Happy?"
She thought for a second. "So you finished your mission, didn't you have others helping you?"
"I--" I cut myself off. Now that she mentioned it, Sagittarius and Caldan had helped me to kill the Griffon diplomat, and I probably could not have done it without them. Where were they now? Did they know about the devastation?
"I did...but I don't know what happened to them after I left."
"So you just abandoned them?"
"Not really, they didn't need me anymore so I went to where I was needed. They can handle themselves."
"And if they can't?"
I rolled my eyes, this was getting ridiculous.
"Are you ready to keep moving?" I asked abrasively, avoiding her question.
"Um, I could use a few more minutes--"
"Too bad, get up."
"H-hey!" she protested as I dragged her back to her feet.
"You can rest once we get to Fillydelphia and explain the situation to the local Bureau."
"Okay, Okay! Jeez! Jerk."
I pretended not to hear that last part.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
After about one more day of travel, we finally found our way to Fillydelphia. The port city was dominated by a series of administrative and religious buildings around a vast central plaza adjacent to a sizeable harbor and a system of aqueducts brought fresh water from the nearby Foal Mountains all over the city. As Equestria's northernmost settlement, it benefited from what little foreign trade Sombra allowed. Licensed Crystal merchants had set up houses in the wealthier district, giving it a distinctive shine that differentiated it from the rest of the city. I walked us right past the temples, monuments, and open-air market and into the less developed part of town, the result of the city outgrowing its original grid system; where thin streets and dark alleys concealed shady characters and one would always have to watch your back. In other words: an Assassin's natural habitat. Of course, while I felt right at home, Renida was constantly on edge and cowered from every look sent her way.
"Are you sure this is where we'll find the local Bureau?" She asked, sticking to me like glue.
"Disreputable, lower-class district? Abundance of places to hide? Absence of city authorities? It certainly fits the criteria." I replied.
"So you don't actually know?"
"I'm following my instincts."
"So your instincts tell you to wander the streets of a major city for hours on end and hope that you manage to run into the FIllydelphia Bureau by dumb luck?"
I opened my mouth to retort, but realized she had a point. The brick houses in the district all looked identical, and we could not simply ask the locals about a secret hideout in the area. Stopping to think for a moment, I recalled that, traditionally, Assassin bureaus located in populated areas would be entered through a hole in the roof. Such an anomaly would be much easier to spot from the sky.
"Stay here," I ordered before taking off vertically.
"Wait!" she called after me.
I got a good distance from the ground before pausing to observe the area from above. The smoke from thousands of cooking fires, kilns, and smelters drifted up from all across the municipality before dispersing into the atmosphere, somewhat obscuring my vision. Nevertheless, I was able to make out rooftop gardens, market stalls, and a building with a large, square hole cut out of the roof. The latter was only a few blocks to the northeast.
That was easier than I thought.
As I descended, I heard a scream and some scuffling from about where I had left Renida.
Please don't be what I think it is.
I landed where I had taken off and, sure enough, there were a half-dozen grunts wrestling a struggling Renida onto the ground with an additional brute standing guard, giving death glares to all passers-by, daring them to get involved.
Sighing in frustration, I casually walked over to the scene. The stallion standing guard gave me the same glare he was giving everypony else. I simply extended a blade and impaled his thick throat. He fell to the ground with a thud, catching the attention of his companions.
For a brief moment, there was a stunned silence in which the gang and I stared each other down. I could tell most of them were surprised someone had dared interrupt their activity, but one of them -- presumably the leader given he was wearing a long, black cloak, likely spoils from a previous mugging -- looked infuriated.
"You killed him!" the latter exclaimed.
I rolled my eyes. "What an astute observation. Now if you want to join your buddy in the afterlife, feel free to stick around for ten more seconds."
The leader pulled a military-issue sword out from under his cloak and glanced at his wide-eyed underlings.
"Well? Don't just stand there! Get him!"
The others shook themselves out of their trances and each drew knives of varying size and charged. I easily sidestepped the clumsy swing of one and sliced open his foreleg, forcing him to drop his dagger as he cried out in agony. Grabbing the blade before it hit the ground, I blocked another attack. I somersaulted over his back and drove the dagger into one's skull before extending a hidden blade and slicing open another's throat. By the time the thug whom I had gone over turned around, I was able to send a blade through his chin and quickly dodge the strike of the last one, whom I killed with both hidden blades in his face before hurling his lifeless body onto the leader, who was poised to bolt.
I stood over him, the stallion too frightened to so much as lift the corpse off of him. Smirking, I took his sword, which he had dropped on impact, and stabbed him through the neck, attaching him to the street.
Admiring my handiwork, I saw my first opponent fearfully limping away while clutching his injured leg. I considered allowing him to get away, but shook that thought from my head and threw an adjacent dagger into his back. He cried out and stiffened for a moment, as if barely clinging on to life, but collapsed to the ground just as dead as his compatriots.
By now my body was covered in blood, none of it my own. I came over to Renida, who was silently sobbing against a wall, covering her eyes with her hooves as if one look at the carnage would end her.
"Come on," I said, picking her up. "I located the Bureau."
A small but growing crowd had formed around the scene, it would only be a matter of time before city officials arrived. We had to go.
"D-did you have to kill them?" she asked after calming down a little.
"I could let them live, in which case they'd probably mug somepony else tomorrow, or I could give the world seven fewer criminals to worry about. Which seems to be the better option to you?"
She sighed but otherwise remained silent. Even if she wanted to argue it was not as though she could change what had happened. We made haste to the Bureau, attracting a few stares but encountering no further trouble.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Somehow I managed to forget that Renida could not enter the Bureau without either flight or adequate parkour skills and I had to carry her in myself -- she was heavier than she looked. I descended through the hole in the roof and into what served as the front parlor. Directly underneath the opening was a cistern for rainwater and vines crawled up each of the walls, one of which had bricks jutting out to provide a grip for exiting Assassins. Besides that, the room was almost bare.
"And I thought the Inn was poorly decorated," Renida quipped.
Suddenly a door on the other end of the room opened and a middle-aged stallion emerged brandishing several throwing knives in his hoof, ready to strike. He wore Assassin robes with a distinctive red and black stripe down the middle, indicating him to be a high rank, probably the local Mentor. Beneath the robe I could see traces of a grayish-white mane and a maroon coat. He glared at us with his brown eyes, sizing us up in the event of a fight.
"State your name and business," he ordered.
"My name is Equeir Alahad, and this here is Renida." I did not even have to look to know she was cowering behind me. "We have some bad news from the Crystal Bureau."
"Equeir?" He sheathed his knives. "Congratulations on eliminating Captain Consector. But I suppose you're here to tell me that the Bureau was compromised and that you need help from the Equestrian chapters to continue the good fight?"
"Uh, yes, how did you know?"
"I'll show you."
He led us into another room. This one had the appearance of a makeshift hospital with several beds lined against the wall, one of which had blood-stained cloths, medical instruments, and a bloody arrowhead laid out on an adjacent table and was occupied by a light green unicorn stallion.
"Pausanias?"
"Oh, hello Equeir," he replied weakly. "Fancy seeing you here."
"Tell him what you told me," our host commanded.
"Well, we were in the Crystal City when it was encircled by imperial forces who prevented anypony from leaving. Our attempt to escape was discovered, but I managed to get away with an arrow in my stomach." He motioned to a set of stitches on his abdomen. "I'm not sure if anyone else made it, not even Mentor."
So much for that idea.
"So basically, it seems as though the whole Crystal chapter has been obliterated," I commented.
"Not particularly, besides the two of us there may yet be survivors. Didn't you have two others with you?"
I thought for a second. "There were two others." I turned to our host. "Has anyone named Sagittarius or Caldan arrived?"
"No, but you'll be the first to know if they do."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
We left Pausanias to recover in his bed and found a small room for Renida. As the now-acting Mentor of (what remained of) the Crystal Chapter, I requested a private audience with the local Mentor, who had introduced himself as Atriensis, to discuss the situation.
"Without a presence in the Crystal Empire, we have no way of keeping tabs on King Sombra and he knows it. If he were preparing to conquer all of Gaia we would have no way of knowing," I began. Having said it out loud, it sounded even worse.
"What would you have me do?"
"With your resources and manpower we can at least do some damage to Imperial leadership and continue to gather information. We'll just have to be more careful this time."
Atriensis sighed and sat behind a long counter. "You know, I hate to tell you this, but it's no rose garden over here either."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that, as great a threat as Sombra poses, I cannot currently spare the resources to fight him. You see, there has been a spike in crime in this city. From what my informants have gathered, a stallion named Noxius recently took over the organized crime in the city. What makes him especially dangerous and untouchable are his connections in the city government, which has turned a blind eye to his activities. Because of this, his thugs have grown more aggressive by the day and have been known to attack lone travelers in broad daylight. You may have run into them on your way here, actually."
That explains a lot. "Can't you call in help from other Chapters?"
"We can try, but with Didascus gone it will be difficult for us to coordinate with them until we can elect a successor. Besides, I'm sure they have their own problems."
I can see where this is going. "Let me guess, with all other options exhausted, you need me to help you take him down and restore harmony to the city."
"If you could spare the time and effort, it would be much appreciated."
I let out a frustrated sigh. This was not what I had in mind when I envisioned requesting aid from another Bureau. Sure, I knew they would want some favor in return, but this would practically be me doing their job for them. Of course, they would only have asked for my help if they were truly desperate, kind of like what I was doing here in the first place.
After getting some sleep, a bath, and re-equipping myself in the Bureau armory, I now perched atop the Temple of Sol Invicta overlooking the crowded city forum. Though the sun was now beginning its descent, the area was lively as ever. Merchants announced their wares and prices, customers haggled, ponies filled water pitchers from the public fountains, and higher-class citizens in litters had their attendants hurry them through the packed streets. In my mind, I reran Atriensis's and my discussion from the other day regarding our strategy:
"Where do I begin? If you can give me Noxius's current location I'll have him dead before sunrise."
"Patience Equeir, patience. With the organization he's built, killing him outright would accomplish nothing in the long run."
"Why not? Cut off the head and the body will follow."
"Not necessarily, kill him now and you'll set off a turf war among his lieutenants that could catch thousands of innocents in the fray. In order to cause as little collateral damage as possible we must hit him where it hurts the most: his treasury."
"What do you mean?"
"Killing him or his subordinates is next to useless, to really hurt him, we have to attack the very structure that holds his consortium together. By depriving him of his money, we are depriving him of the ability to pay his thugs and bribe city officials. If we can destroy his revenue, his cartel will eat itself from the inside out, then you can kill Noxius.
As much as I respected the plan, I lamented the fact that it would take time to implement. Simply assassinating Noxius would be much easier and shorter, and every second I spent here was another second for Sombra to mobilize. With the Griffon diplomat dead, the Griffon Empire would have ample justification for an invasion of its own, but a relatively united Crystal Empire might be enough to repel an attack from the easily divided Griffons.
To cripple Noxius's finances, first I would have to locate his treasury. I had personally paid visits to several informants, who gave me locations that turned up empty. Apparently the crime lord was paranoid and constantly moved his bits from place to place all over the city. No one was able to divulge its current location, not even the thugs I interrogated and subsequently silenced. While frustrating, there was still one more method I had yet to try.
I jumped off the perch and glided down to the surface, landing with a light thud. I honed my senses to focus on individual conversations.
"Apples! Three bits per pound!"
"Fine woodwork, imported from the Griffon Empire!"
"Ten bits for a cherry?!"
"Between the high taxes imposed by Governor Verra and the protection I have to pay to Noxius's henchmen, it won't be long until my business goes bankrupt."
"Did you hear about the extortion team that was killed yesterday?"
The last conversation appeared to be the one I needed to listen to. I slowly approached the pair of unicorns who were quietly conversing on a bench on the edge of the forum.
"No, how did that happen?" asked the other.
"Don't know, but it hardly matters. The neighborhood will be reminded who's in charge soon enough."
"I hope so, the boss doesn't like competition in our streets."
"Yeah, the last thing we need is a rival gang to make our jobs harder." He got up from his seat. "Well, I should get my rounds in on the shopkeepers. Their weekly payments are due."
"Sure, I'll see you tomorrow."
The one whom I assumed to be a collector for Noxius strapped on some saddlebags and headed into the crowd. Normally even the most experienced Assassin would have trouble tracking him in such a crowded area, but I had a trick up my sleeve.
Closing my eyes and focusing on the heat and heartbeats of those around me, I activated my sixth sense. I could not explain the phenomenon. Among its many abilities, it allowed me to sense the heat signatures of those around me and somehow detect their intentions -- whether they were friend, foe, or target. This skill, which I called "eagle vision," was immensely useful, especially under these circumstances.
My prey traveled through the market going from stall to stall. Every time, he would pretend to be a customer before leaning in and whispering some code. The shopkeeper would frown, sometimes making an excuse or trying to bargain, before begrudgingly hoofing a sack of bits over to the collector, who would thank them and move on. This continued for a dozen or so stalls until the collector headed out of the forum and onto a less crowded street. It only had a few ponies on it, and I could not see many places to hide, so I took to the rooftops. The collector was clearly suspicious of being followed and turned around to check for pursuers several times, but he never saw me above him. Eventually, he arrived at a warehouse by the harbor. Glancing around one more time, he knocked on the door.
The door cracked open. "State your business."
"Collector with this week's payments."
"Were you followed?"
"No, of course not."
"Very well, come in."
The door opened the rest of the way. I could see an earth pony brute inside who blocked my view of the rest of the candle-lit room. If this really was Noxius' treasury, then there would have to be more guards. I decided to take a closer look.
Spreading my wings, I glided over to the warehouse's roof. Surprisingly, there were no lookouts stationed there. Upon landing, I reactivated eagle vision just in case there were guards who I missed from afar, but I spotted no one. I surmised the lack of guards on the roof to be an attempt to keep the warehouse inconspicuous. Noxius was one paranoid bastard.
To confirm this building as Noxius' temporary treasury, I had to get inside. There were no windows or openings on the roof, so I checked the sides for a covert entrance. Sure enough, there was an open door directly above the warehouse's gates with a small crane jutting out. I carefully slipped inside.
From the ceiling I could make out rows upon rows of wooden crates, some stacked high enough for me to reach out and touch them. Most of them were small, only slightly larger than saddlebags, but others were the size of dinner tables, I could only imagine what they contained. Several armed guards slowly patrolled the room with torches, checking every nook and cranny for unwelcome guests. I spent several minutes observing their movements and saw they each walked on established routes and any area of the warehouse floor was only left unobserved for a few seconds at a time. If I was going to take a closer look, I would need to distract them.
I grabbed a small but heavy crate from a pile stacked to my level and quietly pried it open. Sure enough, it was filled to the brim with gold bits stamped with a sun on either side. Still, I wanted to see what was in the other, larger crates. Placing the lid back on the small box, I hurled it down and silently dashed across the track to the other end of the room. The crate hit the stone floor with a resounding CRASH, spilling its contents and immediately caught the attention of the guards.
"What was that?!" Shouted one.
"It came from over there!" Yelled another.
Soon, all the sentries in the warehouse were gathered around the fallen crate while I was free to check the insides of the containers on the floor. I listened carefully to the guards as they methodically searched the area around the incident for possible intruders. Safe from them for the time being, I opened one of the larger crates. Inside was not coins, but gems and crystals. I opened another out of curiosity and found it to contain a wide variety of furs. Another had jars of incense and oils, and others held wine, pottery, armaments, and even small statues. It appeared Noxius accepted many different forms of payment.
"It was probably just a rat or something, get back to your patrols." I heard a guard say. "And someone clean this up!"
Time's up.
I closed the lids on the crates and jumped back into the rafters just in time to avoid a guard returning to his post. There was no doubt about it now, this was the treasury. I would have to bring this information back to Atriensis. With any luck, I could be done with this diversion in a matter of days.
