Chapter 1: An Assassin's Account

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Snow fell around Morning Blade as she saw her contact, a lavender-skinned girl, standing by the school’s statue. She had met her once, though very briefly, a week ago, after they had defeated Sombra and saved both their worlds. The wreck of his auditorium was still there, though it seems like cleaning efforts had already taken place. There was considerably less debris than before and the Templar's machine was nowhere to be seen.

“Thank you for meeting me, Morning Blade,” the lavender girl said, shaking her hand. She had long purple hair with pink and purple streaks in it.

Morning Blade had on a white jacket over a black tank top and her usual pink skirt with its wing icon on it. She had also replaced her eyepatch, getting one that seemed less conspicuous, since her old one was made in a rush. She let her fringe down on that side, blocking most of the
eyepatch from view, just in case some people were a little too curious about it.

“It is my pleasure,” the ex-Assassin smiled and followed the girl into a place that brought warm memories back.

Canterlot High School.

This was a place that Morning Blade held close to her heart. She had spent four years of her life here. Four unforgettable years.

“I’m Twilight Sparkle,” she greeted as they went down the halls of Morning’s old school. “Did Sunset mention that?”

“Yes, yes, she did,” Morning replied. After Sunset Shimmer had finished explaining everything that had happened in detail, the princess called Twilight Sparkle had asked to talk to Morning, though the white haired girl had no idea what for. “May I ask, princess, what would you like to know?”

The younger girl led her towards the music room, passing the many classrooms and corridors that Morning had used when she was still here. “Just Twilight is fine. This may sound strange, but… I’m from the another world. Equestria, just like Sunset.”

Normally, she might’ve found all this a little far-fetched and crazy, but now, she’d seen some of it herself. “Go on, prin- Twilight.”

“Your world is like a mirror of mine, only… You aren’t ponies like us. You’re humans.”

“Morning Blade?” a voice called from behind. Morning knew that voice well.

“Principal Celestia!” she greeted with a happy smile, throwing her arms around the tall principal. “It’s so good to see you!”

“Likewise, Morning,” the principal patted her head. “How have you been? We didn't get to talk much the last time I saw you.”

“It was a little… tight the last time, Principal Celestia,” she put a hand to the grey patch, partially hidden behind her hair. “But I’ve been alright.”

“I see you’ve met Twilight?” she looked to the lavender girl, who gave a wave. “She’s a lovely acquaintance.”

“I’ll bet. Well, we should be going. It was nice meeting you again, Principal Celestia.”

“Anytime, Morning.” the principal turned around to leave, but stopped once more. “If you’re still around later, perhaps you’d like to catch up?”

“That’d be nice,” Morning Blade nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

The two girls waved goodbye to the principal as they continued down the hallway.

“You know Principal Celestia?” Twilight asked as they walked. They soon arrived at their destination, with Twilight closing the doors behind them as they entered.

Morning Blade nodded her answer, finding a spot to sit. “I was from CHS before I joined the Assassins. She’s such a nice person. There’s no way I can forget her. This school has given me memories I will never forget. Just like how… like how Frigid has done for me…”

“I’m sorry about him, Morning,” Twilight placed a hand atop Morning Blade’s shoulder. “That’s why I’m here. To have him remembered. So as I was saying, my world has a renowned Frigid Night as well, seeing as it's sort of a mirrored version of yours.”

“Y-yes, I recall something like that…” Morning replied, picking back up on the conversation with Twilight, remembering shreds of information of her talks with Sunset Shimmer and Mentor Steel Shine, along with seeing the other world’s Satin Breeze and Dewdrop. “Ponies, humans. It’s still strange.”

“Well, because it’s like a mirror, you’re there, Morning Blade. You’re in my world.”

Now, this part, Morning had trouble taking in. “I-I’m… There’s another me too?”

“Yes. Lieutenant Morning Blade of the Royal guard,” Twilight smiled. “And there’s probably another Twilight here somewhere, but I have yet to meet her.”

“Woah…” Morning put a hand to her forehead. “And is this why you wanted to meet me, princess?”

“Partially,” the lavender girl continued. “You see, I’ve always wanted to know the differences between our worlds, and there are many. Like my friends here at Canterlot High. They’re similar to my friends back home, but they’re not identical, you know?

“But continuing on… I knew one great guard back home that you might recognize. Captain Frigid Night.” Twilight noticed Morning Blade’s sudden change in expression. That name still haunted Morning with memories, of things she could have done to save her friend and mentor. The princess patted a hand on the ex-Assassin’s arm. “I’m sorry, Morning. I must’ve brought up painful memories. In my world, Captain Frigid was an excellent pony, putting duty above all else. I… I was hoping you could recount his story for me? I wanted to record how different he was here, and everything he did, if it’s okay with you? If you don’t want to do it, it’s fine. I understand.”

Morning wiped a single tear from her eye but nodded. The princess wanted to record his story. That’s what Morning Blade wanted for her old partner. For others to remember him. “You’ve found the right person, Princess Twilight. I had wanted to know about him long ago. I asked around and wrote everything in a little book I had. Actually…”

The white haired girl pulled her backpack from her shoulders and rummaged through its contents, eventually pulling out a book with a red backing. The words ‘Frigid’s History’ were written on the front, along with the ex-Assassin’s name at the bottom left corner to indicate that it was hers.

“I even have a little bit about the others, like High Noon and Dewdrop.” Talk about her friends made Morning miss them. But the princess wanted information, and Morning was going to be sure to give it to her. The others deserved to be known. “Where would you like to start, princess?”

Twilight took a pen and notebook from her small blue bag. “From the very start of what you have, Morning Blade.”

Frigid Night hung on the railing as he stared down into the darkness. This was going to be his first leap of faith outside the bureau. No matter how much he trembled, this was the experience he was waiting for since he started learning the basics. For months, he had trained with the others, learning how to pass unseen to most, how to kill without being seen, how to jump off high places, and plenty more skills that an Assassin needed to survive in the world.

Taking a deeper breath to steel himself, he got into position, ready to take the leap. Stepping off the platform, he spun once in the air, facing his back to the ground, ready to test his skill. As expected, he felt something soft cushion the impact as he landed. Stepping out from the dumpster, Frigid Night continued down the alleyway, searching for the entrance his target had used. His first assassination was to take out a high-profile target in the Templar Order, Oak Wood, responsible for the deaths of four Assassins. Frigid had suggested he was not ready for a mission such as this, but the Mentor had told him otherwise.

Walking over to a grey garage door, Frigid put his ear to the cool metal. He listened carefully, but could hear no sound from within. He stepped back and examined the door. There was a smaller side door on the garage door itself. He walked forward and examined the handle. There was but a single lock sitting inside the door knob.

“Huh...” he muttered. It all seemed too easy for a target like Oak Wood.

He pulled out his lockpicks and got to work on the door knob. In less than five minutes, he had cracked the lock.

“Too easy,” he said. “Way too easy…”

Before twisting the doorknob, Frigid Night pulled out his sword. It was a double-bladed piece of steel, resting above a fine carved hilt. He wielded it in his right hand as he turned the knob with his left. Careful not to make too much noise, Frigid made his way inside the room. It looked just like any other garage. Piles of metal on wooden workbenches, tools hanging off a rack, and a dimly lit lightbulb. There was no sign of the target as he searched the room.

Secret entrance was his conclusion.

He searched the walls, searching for anything that might seem out of place. Walking over to the tool rack, he saw something that didn’t belong there. A book.

“Okay,” he speculated. “This is definitely too easy. Something’s up…”

Giving the book a pull, he heard a mechanism click as a segment of the wall next to him began to open. The sound had probably given away his intrusion. Dropping his silence, Frigid Night readied his sword in both hands, ready for any traps to spring.

He started towards the open room, ready for the Templar to ambush him at any moment.
The next room was something different. White panels of light lit the floor around him, and expensive machines took up most of the room.

“Welcome,” a voice came. “I’ve been expecting you.”

Frigid Night steeled himself, ready for a fight. “Where are you? Show yourself.”

The man walked out from behind one of the alcoves. He now wore a combat vest over his brown suit, and held a sword of his own in his hands.

“By the way,” he continued. “I knew you were following me since the beginning. You aren’t very good at your job, are you? New, perhaps?”

Frigid remained silent. He didn’t want to give the Templar a chance to catch him off guard.

“Very well. Let us finish this, then.”

Oak Wood took a few steps towards the Assassin. Before Frigid could raise his sword in defence, the Templar had swung his blade towards him.

He rolled back, dodging the blade by a centimeter, and got back into position. As he rolled up, Frigid Night dashed forward, swinging his sword in a wide arc. Oak Wood formed a smirk on his face as he parried the attack easily.

“That was too predictable, Assassin.”

Frigid swung again, trying to get the Templar’s legs, but Oak Wood deflected his blade again and stabbed forward.

Frigid blocked with his sword, but with a twisting motion and a swing, Oak Wood tore the sword out of his hands and sent it flying onto the floor.

“Pathetic,” Oak Wood voiced. “I’d thought you Assassins would send better against me after what I did to the others. The other Assassins I’ve killed were much better at fighting than you are.”

Frigid Night knew the odds were against him, but there was nothing he could do.

I knew I wasn’t ready.

Before Oak Wood could attack again, two knives appeared in his right leg, crippling him.

“Agh!” he shouted.

That was the chance Frigid needed. He moved forward, bringing out his hidden blade and with a jump, he plunged it deep into the side of Oak Wood’s neck.

“Of course,” Oak Wood sighed. “You weren’t alone. I should have guessed. You Assassins are all so sneaky, but you cannot… stop us now… it is too late.”

“What’s too late?” Frigid asked. “What are you planning?”

“There’s no point… telling you… Assassins. You don’t have honour. You don’t fight fair… I wish you all the worst…”

With that said, he slumped down, dead.

Frigid Night pulled his blade out and turned around. Standing by the entrance of the room, a familiar figure in grey robes waved to him.

“Dust Fencer!” Frigid exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

The older Assassin laughed. “I was tasked with watching over you. Mentor wanted to see what you would do against a stronger target, but if you needed assistance, I was to provide it. You did well, rookie. Except for your attacks. I thought I taught you better than that?”

“Guess I’m still not too used to the sword,” Frigid said, sheathing his blade.

“That just means you need more training!” the grey-skinned man laughed. “Let’s head back. I’ve got to tell Mentor how your evaluation went!”

Mahogany Wood sat at his table, reading through the data off his side job as the chairman of the Board of Education.

“Students these days…” he muttered as he shook his head.

As he worked, he realized there was a little buzzing noise coming from his left. Turning, he realized it was his phone. Unsure how long it has been ringing, Mahogany immediately picked it up and answered.

“Hello? This is Mahogany Wood.”

“Sir,” the other voice said. “Sorry to disturb your work, but your brother, Oak Wood, was found dead in his lab.”

Mahogany paused for a while, before uttering the word, “Assassins.”

“Most likely, sir.”

“You failed to protect him?!” Mahogany shouted. “What good are you then?”

“Sorry, sir. Your brother told me to leave him. He needed to do something alone.”

Mahogany rubbed his face with the palm of his other hand. His brother knew better than to wander off on his own. Unless he had figured something out.

“Tell the others to go on high alert! We don’t want anyone else getting assassinated today.”

“On it, chairman,” the voice confirmed.

Mahogany stopped for a while, before finally deciding what to do.

“High Noon.”

“Yes sir?”

“Save all the research. And make sure nothing is missing. We can’t have the Assassins figuring out what we’re doing.”

“I’ll get right on that, sir.”

Mahogany Wood hung up after making sure High Noon recovered the research. The Assassins didn’t find out.

“Perfect…” the man smiled as he put his hands together.

His brother’s bodyguard might have failed, but perhaps he had found out something. Mahogany Wood just had to wait for High Noon to return with his brother’s data to find out.

He put his finger to the intercom button. “Crescent Wing. I have a job for you.”

Chapter 2: It's in the Bag

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“That was Frigid’s first mission,” Morning Blade smiled, recounting the past. “He told me about it when he first took me in, but as for the details, I had to get them from Trueshot, um, he’s another Assassin I knew. Frigid wasn’t exactly the most… open Assassin.”

Twilight Sparkle nodded, having listened very intently. “Back in Equestria, Captain Frigid Night is a very friendly pegasus. So… whatever happened to him hasn’t happened yet, right? From what you’ve said so far, he still seems nice enough.”

“Yeah, he was still new at this point,” Morning chuckled, putting a hand to her eye. “We all changed during our time in the Assassin Brotherhood. Frigid just… changed for the worse, I guess. Though in his last days… yeah, sorry, Twilight Sparkle. That part’s still a little… recent for me.”

“I understand, Morning Blade. Please, don’t force yourself. I know it must be hard.”

The ex-Assassin looked down. “I’ll-I’ll continue where we stopped. I have a little bit more of this bit…” Morning turned the pages of her book. “Frigid’s report and second mission.”

“That’ll be fine, Morning.”

“You did fine, Frigid.”

That was all the Mentor had said to the young Assassin.

“I thought it was going to have more… impact,” Frigid Night told Dust Fencer as they left the office. “I mean, it is my first mission outside and all.”

Dust Fencer just smiled. “Well, Mentor doesn’t tend to say much, and I did help you.”

Dust was an experienced Assassin, assigned to teach Frigid Night everything he knew about being an Assassin. The blonde haired man wore a thick grey coat over an old-fashioned Trottingham attire, complete with a blue scarf under his chin. His signature weapon, a rapier, was strapped to his side.

“I could have handled it.”

“Uh huh,” Dust replied. “Although, you have proven that you can make it out there against lower classed enemies, so that’s a start.”

“I guess,” Frigid said, excited that he can finally get out there and do some damage.

“Good spirit. Well, I have to go do some stuff, so I’ll catch you later. Why don’t you go hang out with the rest?”

Frigid nodded and decided to do as he was told.

Guess I’ll see you around, Dust.

“Hey, initiate!” a voice shouted.

He turned to see a familiar pink-skinned woman call him over. She had on a sleeveless white coat over a grey Eastern dress with red outlines and purple arm and leg sleeves. She had her hair tied up into a ponytail, with two needle-like objects sticking out of it.

“Hello, Rose Petal,” he said. “Done with your mission?”

“Yep!” she smiled, giving the new assassin a whack on the back. “Took me a while, but a trained Assassin such as I could handle it just fine.”

“Right.”

“Well,” she asked. “How did yours go? Heard Dust Fencer had to pull you out of that mess.”

“He did, but I could have handled myself,” Frigid assured.

“I’m sure you could, Frigid. Or not.”

They talked for a bit, until a grey-skinned man came with a message for Frigid.

“Trueshot!” Rose Petal exclaimed. “Good to see you.”

“Same,” the man nodded. He turned to Frigid Night. “Mentor sent me. She says it’s high time you got your next contract. Go see Red Card. He’ll get you one.”

“Finally!” Frigid shouted, getting the attention of some of the other Assassins around. “Err… I mean… it’s about time. I’ll catch you both later.”

“Sure thing, initiate,” Rose Petal smiled. She ruffled his hair before letting him go. “Watch out. Don’t die out there.”

Frigid Night arrived down in the lower sector of the Trottingham bureau, heading straight for Red Card’s booth.

Red Card was an older Assassin, usually keeping to the bureau and handing out contracts instead of going out there himself. Frigid wasn't sure why he was still here, but he didn't bother to ask, nor did he think he should. Red Card's reasons for staying in the Brotherhood were his own.

“Ah, the novice!” he shouted as he saw Frigid Night. “I have something for you.”

“It’s initiate now,” Frigid told him. “I finished my first contract.”

“Whatever,” the man waved off. “Same difference. Anyway, I have a target for you to take down. Goes by the name, Money Bags. From what I’ve heard, he funds the Templars using money he siphons from his company. It’ll do us some good to see him gone. Think you can handle this? Initiate?”

“Sure,” Frigid said confidently. “I’ll prove that I’m a good, capable Assassin!”

“Good show!" Red Card pushed the Assassin away from his desk. Now get out there and don’t come back till I hear he’s gone!”

Frigid Night stood on one of the tall buildings in Manehattan, overlooking the building his target supposedly worked at.

He turned to Trueshot, who was sent to track his progress on this mission. “Are you sure ziplines are the best way in?”

“Of course!” he replied, loading his phantom blades with darts. “Have you never used one before?”

“Umm… no, actually.”

“Well, there’s always a first.”

Frigid had always thought Trueshot prepared for way too many scenarios, always carrying at least four different weapons. The Assassin was clean-shaven except for his brown hair. He had stuck to his Stalliongrad Assassin attire, even though it was much warmer down here.

Loading the hook of the line into his special silenced sniper rifle, Trueshot took aim and fired, launching the hook straight into the wall above a balcony.

“There’s your way in, initiate,” he told Frigid. “Time to show me what you’ve got. I’ll keep an eye on you from here. Remember, Money Bags is in the meeting room on that floor. Just zipline across, find him, take him out. Simple.”

“Got it.”

Frigid took a deep breath before walking up on the ledge. Hooking on a lock to the zipline, he pushed off, silently sailing down the line, the wind blowing in his face. He wanted to shout out, but managed to silence himself as he went on. After ten seconds, he arrived above the balcony. He quickly surveyed the area before detaching the lock, dropping down to the balcony without much noise.

“That wasn’t so bad was it?” Trueshot’s voice came on his earpiece.

“Guess not,” Frigid Night whispered before checking out the glass doors.

It was locked, so he whipped out his lockpicks and got to work on the mechanism.

“You better hurry,” Trueshot’s voice came on again, with more urgency. “You’ve got a guard coming. About twenty seconds before he sees you.”

Frigid nodded and quickly worked the lock again. Sweat poured down his face as he tried to break through, eventually hearing a satisfying click as he turned the pick. He quickly pushed the door open and dashed inside, careful not to stomp too loudly on the ground.

“Good,” Trueshot said again. “He didn’t see you. Keep going though. He’s headed your way. Get out of that hallway.”

Frigid scanned the hallway for a way out of sight. He tested the doors. All locked. Without any other choice, he whipped out his lockpicks again and picked away at the closest door. Soon unlocking the door, the assassin quickly swooped in and silently shut it.

“Good job, initiate,” Trueshot congratulated. “The guard’s right outside now. I’ll take care of him, but you’ve got to take care of the body.”

Frigid was wondering what he meant until he heard a thud outside. He opened the door to see the guard on the ground, dead. Frigid searched his body, finding a bullet hole in the back of the guard’s head. He quickly wasted no time in hiding the guard’s body, putting it behind a desk in the office he opened.

Leaving the room, he proceeded down the hall, looking for the meeting room he was supposed to infiltrate. Another guard almost saw him, but he ducked back into the hall and waited for the guard to pass.

He was about to go on when Trueshot spoke again. “Alright, initiate. I’m going to relocate myself, so you’ll be in the dark for a while. Think you can manage on your own till I’m in position?”

“Of course!” Frigid assured. “That’s what I signed up for.”

“Good attitude,” Trueshot laughed. “Alright. Stay safe.”

Frigid continued down the next hall, walking as silently as he could. He could hear laughter and voices down the hall.

“Trueshot, I think I’m near the meeting room.”

“Alright. Go on without me. I’ll let you know when I get to my next vantage point.”

Frigid sneaked closer, trying to identify how many people were in the room.

“There must be more we can find out about the items,” a voice said inside.

“Yes. The Grand Master will want as much as we can find about their powers,” another voice replied.

By the sound of their voices, there were about six of them. He stopped and contemplated. One person would be easy, but having six people in there, that was a problem.

“Ever try smoke bombs, Frigid?” Trueshot asked. “They sure make your job a lot easier.”

“Hmmm…” Frigid said, checking his pouches. He had two smoke bombs in one of them. “I have used it in training, but not out in the field.”

“Now’s a good time to try it.”

Frigid put his hand into his pouch and whipped out one of the smoke bombs. Taking a good breath before opening the door and throwing it, he had a good amount of air to protect himself from the smoke when the bomb went off.

He could hear the coughs of the Templars inside as he charged in, his sword and hidden blade ready. He found one of them in the smoke immediately, quickly taking him down with a stab of his hidden blade. One of the other men had whipped out a pistol, but shot it blindly as he stood in the smoke. Frigid easily dodged his first bullets and finished him with a downward slash of his sword. Two more tried to make it for the door, but before Frigid could take them down, they fell dead first.

Must have been Trueshot.

Continuing on forward, Frigid found his target. Money Bags, one of the men supplying the Templars with funds and information. He approached the Templar with a run. Money Bags saw him a second too late as he jumped up, throwing his body weight down on the man, pushing him to the ground. With a quick motion up, Frigid Night brought his arm down quickly, digging his hidden blade into the side of Money Bag’s neck.

As Money Bags, lay dying, he looked into Frigid’s eyes with fierce anger.

“Foolish Assassin!” he gurgled. “You haven’t yet realized what you’ve done!”

“What?” Frigid asked, confused at what the man was trying to say.

“There is more to this than you can imagine! I am but a low-class member, funding their research with my company’s money! When they discover what it can do, it will be the end for you Assassins. See what you are able to do then!”

With everything off his chest, Money Bags turned away and stopped breathing.

“Rest now,” Frigid pushed off the Templar’s chest and looked at his now lifeless body.

“Good job, Frigid Night,” Trueshot congratulated in his earpiece. “You didn’t really need much of my help.”

“Yeah…” Frigid replied, still thinking about what Money Bags had said.

He dug through the pockets of the dead Templar, searching for anything that might give them a hint of what the Templars were trying to do. After searching, he had found a flash drive in Money Bags’ pockets, along with a bundle of money which he probably meant to hand over to the other Templars.

“Trueshot,” Frigid said, standing up. “I found a flash drive. Maybe we can find out who he’s funding and take them down.”

“Good move,” the sniper said. “Get back here, and we can head back to the bureau.”

The Assassin looked around the room a bit more before leaving the doors to meet with Trueshot. He hoped he would find the answers in the flash drive he found.

Chapter 3: Meet your Match

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"I don't really like how you people go about killing others, but..." Twilight Sparkle sighed as she placed her notes down. I guess it's too late to change any of that now."

Morning nodded and placed a hand on her chest. "I joined the Assassins, because I felt there are some things you have to do yourself to prevent a lot of terrible things. I don't feel sorry for killing all those people, but I knew there was no other way to stop the Templars..."

"To be fair," Twilight examined her notes. "It's not all that bad yet, from what you've told me."

"That's because the worse is yet to come, Twilight," Morning looked up at her. "But we're getting there. Frigid's meeting with that witch."

“Find anything yet?” Frigid asked, only to get a whack on the head from Pierce Network, one of the best hackers in the Brotherhood.

“Patience, kid. It takes time,” the hacker said. He turned back to the screen. “You Templars think you can keep your research from me? Well, you’re not as smart as you think. I’m gonna take your system down from inside. Then we’ll see what you have hidden away from us.”

Frigid remained silent as Pierce tapped away on the keyboard, bringing up all kinds of letters and numbers on the screen.

He turned to Rose Petal. “He knows what he’s doing right?”

Rose Petal pushed away a few strands of her red hair and laughed. “Of course. In my opinion, he’s the best. Don’t tell him this, but I also think he’s got very little personality.”

“I heard that,” Pierce said, but remained fixed on the computer screen. “People these days. Most of them don’t know the difference between good and bad. That’s why I’m here. Here to fix all these problems, and… what do we have here…?”

“Found something?” Frigid asked again, but watched for Pierce’s hand, just in case.

“Actually, yes.” Pierce wheeled around in his chair and faced the others. “We know Money Bags has been funding the Templars, but looking through his data and transaction history, I have managed to narrow it down to a single person. That’s where it leads to another problem.”

“What problem?” Rose Petal asked, pushing past Frigid.

“That person’s name is Hemlock,” Pierce began. “She is a high ranking member in the Templar Order, but that’s not it. She’s also a part of the Board of Education.”

“Well now, that’s just wonderful.”

Dust Fencer walked over to a rack of gadgets and examined them. “People will know when such a well-known person disappears. We’re going to have more trouble hiding someone on the Board.”

“We have to, though,” Frigid suggested. “They’re working on something that might lead to an advantage over us. We need to find out. This Hemlock might be one of the few that actually know what's going on.”

“Frigid's right,” Rose Petal added while giving Frigid a good pat on the back. “This is a good clue. We can’t waste it.”

Dust brought up both his hands. “I didn’t say we shouldn’t take this on. I just said it won’t be easy.”

“She will be easier to find though,” Rose said. “We already know where she is. We can set an ambush.”

“Yes,” Dust agreed. “She’ll have to head to and from work every day. If we could find out her usual paths and timing, we could easily take her down quietly without anyone noticing. But then comes her disappearance. What do we do with her body?”

“We could always frame it on some street thieves,” Rose suggested. “I mean, robbery happens, right?”

“That’ll do.”

“If you’re doing this, count me in,” Frigid said confidently.

“Well…” Dust Fencer began, but stopped as Trueshot entered the room. “What’s up, Trueshot?”

“We’ve got a new one,” the Stalliongrad Assassin said. “Mentor wants our initiate here to take her through the training. Show her how it’s done and such.”

“What?” Frigid asked. “I barely have any experience! How can I teach someone else? And besides, that sounds like a good mission for me to get some experience.”

“Whatever the Mentor says goes, Frigid,” Dust Fencer added. “Sorry, but I guess you’ll be sitting this one out.”

“No worries, Frigid,” Rose smiled. “We can handle this on our own. We are highly trained after all.”

Trueshot nodded and smiled. “Head over to the dojo. You’ll find your new student there. And try not to show off, da? You’re still an initiate after all. I could still show you a thing or two on improving your abilities.”

High Noon walked down the stairs of the munitions bay. He had used to be the bodyguard of Oak Wood, but after foolishly leaving him alone, Oak Wood had gotten killed by the Assassins. He punched his fist into the wall, satisfied from the crack in the wall and the pain in his arm. Pain wasn’t enough punishment for what he had done, but it would have to do. After sending the bad news, Mahogany Wood had called for Crescent Wing to personally throw High Noon around the room. He was still a little sore from the beating, but he felt he deserved it.

“Maybe I should have just stayed in Appleloosa,” he pondered. “Maybe I wouldn’t be in this mess.”

High Noon had left his town to find something he could do to change the world. He was eventually recruited to the Templar Order when they witnessed him beating down a thief who thought he could steal High Noon’s wallet. He worked his way up, eventually being placed as a bodyguard for one of the Wood family. Now, he was here, unsure if he had made the right choice from the start.

A clatter of metal drew his attention behind him. A guard’s body lay dead next to the foot of the staircase.

High Noon went on alert, immediately whipping out his trusty revolver. He looked around. Whoever had taken out the guard was good at hiding.

“Assassins…” High Noon frowned.

A quick turn to his left saved him from a blade as an Assassin flew past him. High Noon dodged to the opposite side and took aim with his revolver. The Assassin dodged his bullet and flipped himself off the landing. High Noon quickly got up and ran down the rest of the stairs, making sure he was on concrete before he turned his attention to his surroundings. The Assassin had disappeared again.

He decided to call for backup, but as soon as he took out his phone, he heard footsteps approach him and turned to see the Assassin closing the distance between them. The Assassin knocked the phone out of High Noon’s hand before swinging a kick to his head. High Noon blocked it with his arm, but the Assassin stabbed forward with his hidden blade, forcing Noon to dodge to the right. He aimed his revolver and fired, but the Assassin ducked and quickly made his way towards him again.

Realizing his revolver wouldn’t do him good in a close ranged battle, he pulled out his combat knife and slashed at the Assassin. The Assassin blocked with his own blade, but High Noon used his other hand to deliver a straight fist to the Assassin’s face, knocking him down to the ground.

“Take that!” Noon shouted as he pulled out his lasso.

He quickly swung it around his head before tossing it at the assassin. He succeeded in lassoing the Assassin before he could react, tying it tightly around the trained killer.

Whipping out his revolver again, High Noon quickly aimed it at the hooded man and fired. A bullet left the gun and pierced right between the Assassin’s eyes. The blow from the bullet knocked the Assassin back against the wall as High Noon got back up. He quickly picked up his phone and dialed the office. After a few rings, someone picked up.

“Yes?” the voice said on the other end.

“This is High Noon,” he said, looking around to see that there weren’t more Assassins. “There’s been an attack in the munitions bay. Assassins. I took one down, but I don’t know if there are more.”

There was a few good seconds of silence before the voice replied. “Acknowledged. Putting the base into high alert. Good job.”

High Noon hung up as the alarm bells began blaring. Hopefully he had done something better today.

Frigid walked down the stairs to the dojo. It’s been a while since he set foot in the training zone, but he still remembered all of it as he entered the wide area. The high poles stood to one side, which they could use to train their free running skill on elevated platforms. To the other sides stood the other grueling obstacles that an Assassin would have to master to make it in the outside world. He tried not to remember himself falling off the obstacles as he walked, but he remembered them anyway.

“You must be Frigid Night?” someone said.

He returned to the normal world, seeing a girl standing in front of him. She had orange and green hair, light purple skin, and had on a white Assassin robe. Frigid didn't say it out loud, but he thought she was kind of pretty.

“Y-yes. That's right,” he started. “I am. And you must be the new novice?”

“Correct!” she smiled. “I’m Mirror Match, and I was told you were going to teach me the ways of the Assassin!”

“Right again,” Frigid replied. He tried to think what he could help her with, but he wasn’t too well versed in the types of training at the moment. “Maybe we can start with these.”

He pointed to the high poles. Walking over, he got onto the first platform.

“Ever done this before?” he asked her.

“Not yet.”

“Well, it’ll take some getting used to but…”

He quickly showed her the basic steps, leaping and running across a few of the poles before coming back down.

“It’ll come as you do it.”

She looked up at the poles before walking forward. “Guess I’ll have to… give it a try.”

She wobbled up onto the first platform and stood for a while.

“Just pretend it’s a game of hopscotch,” Frigid suggested. “Just that… you can fall off.”

“That sure helps me,” she replied.

She started jumping from pole to pole. Frigid was waiting for her to fall, but it never came. She successfully jumped across each pole like a trained Assassin.

“Wow,” Frigid said, surprised. “That’s some natural talent you have there.”

“It’s something I’m quite good at,” she answered. “I’m able to imitate the things people do.”

Frigid nodded. “That’s a pretty good skill. How about we try that out on the other obstacles, but this time… you go first?”

Frigid Night led the new assassin over to another obstacle. It was a tall wooden structure with little pieces sticking out, which allowed Assassins to climb the structure.

“Try climbing this,” Frigid instructed.

Mirror Match stepped up the first bump and grabbed for another. Frigid watched as she proceeded up the first level of the obstacle, moving from piece to piece almost easily.

“So, Mirror Match…” Frigid asked. “What made you decide to join the Brotherhood?”

“Well,” she said as he grabbed on to the next piece. “I’ve always thought if I could do something good for the world, then I should do it. I’ve witnessed Assassins taking down thugs and corrupt politicians. That got me thinking. What if I was doing that? I’m also looking for someone important. Maybe through this job, I’ll finally find who I’m looking for.”

“Sounds like a valid one,” Frigid mused.

“How about you?” she asked, as she stepped off another piece. “What made you decide to join?”

“Hmm… for me, I’d thought it was an honour to rid the world of as much problems as I could. Right now, I’m still rather new to this, but with experience, I know I can do it.”

“Alright,” she huffed as she arrived at the top of the first level. “How am I doing? Good enough for you?”

“Not bad, Mirror,” he said, quite impressed with her basic skills. “Now on to the next part. You’ll have to jump to get to the next piece above.”

She looked up. Above her, the closest piece she could grab on to was at least a meter away. She readied herself, but when she took the leap, she missed. Losing her grip, she fell, but Frigid was already in place, ready to catch her.

“Careful there,” he said as he caught her. “Looks like I’ll have to show you how it’s done.”

“Yup,” she said as she stood up. “Maybe you should go first for the rest of the training.”

Dust Fencer and Rose Petal had picked out a spot on a nearby building, having full view of the Board of Education’s main building. They had followed Hemlock from the streets until she arrived at the building.

“What’s she doing now?” Rose Petal asked.

“Hmm… I think she’s in another meeting,” Dust Fencer replied, keeping an eye on the Board member through his binoculars. “Same as the past seven hours we’ve been here.”

“So, what now?” she asked. “Are we just going to wait here until she leaves the building to take her down?”

“Either that, or we wait until she’s alone. But the first is more ideal. Who knows what tricks she might have set up in her office? You never know.”

“Guess we’ll be waiting here for a while,” Rose Petal said, walking over and taking a seat on a nearby pile of bricks. “So, how’s Frigid Night doing? Has he said anything about the missions he’s gone on?”

Dust Fencer let out a small laugh. “Well, he didn’t particularly like it when we sent him to take down Oak Wood, but he handled himself. Although, if I were to add, I’d say he could’ve done better. He just needs more training. That’s why Mentor decided to give him someone to teach. Perhaps he can solve his own problems through the novice.”

“Ha. Can he really teach her on his own? He still has techniques we haven’t taught him.”

“Well, Mentor knows what she’s doing. And besides, Frigid’s a good kid. He’ll figure it out. He’ll just have to teach her as we teach him.”

Rose Petal nodded. “I guess. The kid has potential as an Assassin. Perhaps one day, he’ll even be like Star Lance.”

“Maybe,” Dust Fencer said as he monitored Hemlock. “She’s getting up.”

Rose Petal returned to his side. “Is she finally leaving?”

Dust Fencer nodded. The green haired woman was finally leaving the office. It was time to go to work.

The two Assassins watched her until she left the building before leaving their perch.

“I will tail her from below,” Dust Fencer told Rose Petal. “You follow us by the roofs. If I get into trouble, I trust you will know what to do.”

“Sure I do, Dust,” Rose Petal confirmed. “I’ve saved you plenty of times.”

Dust Fencer smiled before doing a leap of faith. He flew down, straight into a pile of trash. Getting out, he quickly pulled up his hood and walked into the nearest crowd. He still had Hemlock in his sights as she strolled past the next building, likely on her way home. Dust left his current crowd and merged into the next, getting closer to his target without her noticing anything.

“Closing in,” Dust Fencer said as he activated his earpiece. “Has she suspected anything yet?”

“She hasn’t turned around once,” Rose confirmed.

“Keep an eye on her,” Dust responded. “Templars are not this oblivious.”

Dust Fencer followed the Templar until the crowd he was in stopped outside a bar. He quietly slipped out and tailed Hemlock from a safe distance, unable to find another crowd to blend in. It was then he realized that they were no longer in the streets of Manehattan. No other people were around, besides the board member and himself.

“Rose, I’m leaving my cover. There’s nothing else to use. She must know I’m following her.”

“Alright,” she said over the earpiece. “Be careful. She might be leading you into a trap.”

Dust continued on, careful not to make too much sound just in case the Templar hadn’t caught on to him yet. He was thinking about throwing a knife at her, but stopped. Something really didn’t seem right.

“Dust!” Rose Petal shouted. “Behind you!”

Dust Fencer dodged to the right just as a spear shot past him and lodged itself into one of the bins.

“Too bad,” a voice in the darkness said. “I’d had hoped to kill you quickly.”

A woman walked out from the shadows and stood before Dust, wielding another spear in her hands. She had white hair, blue skin, and she wore a dusty brown suit.

“And who might you be?” Dust asked, at the same time, pulling out his rapier and readying himself.

“The name’s Long Throw,” she said. “You’re not taking down Hemlock while I’m around.”

“Of course,” Dust Fencer said. “A bodyguard. I should have known.”

She suddenly charged at him, her spear tip raised to his chest. Dust easily sidestepped the attack and stabbed with his rapier. The bodyguard twisted her spear, pushing the blade of the rapier away as it approached her.

“Rose!” Dust shouted as he struck back. “Don’t let Hemlock get away! I’ll take this fight!”

“Got it,” she replied in his earpiece.

He attacked again, stabbing forward in a flurry of strikes. Long Throw successfully blocked them with her spear, pushing him back to the wall as she stood her ground. Dust felt his back against the wall as the Templar’s bodyguard pushed him back. Sensing her imminent victory, Long Throw dashed forward, stabbing her spear forward as fast as she could.

Seeing his opportunity, Dust dodged to the side and activated his hidden blade. He sliced up in a fast motion, cutting the spear in half as the front lodged itself into the wall. He quickly spun and stabbed forward, getting the bodyguard in the knee. He yanked his blade out for another strike, but she jumped backwards, avoiding it.

“Ouch!” she shouted as she hobbled over to the entrance. “You hit me!”

“Of course,” he smirked. “Come back over here so we can finish this.”

She scowled her face at him, but moved over to retrieve her first spear.

“You’ll pay for this!” she shouted as he jumped towards him on her good leg.

Dust acknowledged her will, and readied his sword.

“And this is the canteen,” Frigid said as he brought Mirror Match to the place of food. “The food’s not bad, but it is better outside.”

“It’s a nice place though,” she said as she looked around.

“Yeah, I guess. I haven’t been here long, but I’ve taken a liking to this place.”

“Really?” a voice said. “That was fast.”

Both of them turned around to see a familiar face sitting at the table behind them.

“Ah,” Frigid said as he realized who it was. He turned to his new apprentice. “Mirror Match, this is Pierce Network. He’s one of the hackers here in the Brotherhood.”

“Nice to meet you,” she told him.

“Yeah,” Pierce said, paying more attention to his phone than to the two. “Great. Some people think they can take advantage of others just because they’re stronger, huh? I think it’s time for me to pay someone a visit.”

“Umm… what did he say?” Mirror whispered to Frigid. “And he sounded pretty bored about it.”

Frigid raised his shoulders. “Not too sure myself, but he does that from time to time.”

Pierce stood up and headed for the door. “Well, kids, I gotta go. Some people need punishment. If only I could take them all down at the same time. That’ll save me a lot of time. I’ll see you two around.”

Frigid continued his tour as Pierce Network disappeared around a corner. He brought Mirror Match to the weapon and armor rooms to check out some gear.

“So you use a sword?” she asked as she took a look at the different weapons.

“I do, but I don’t think I’m very good with it.”

Mirror Match laughed. “Well, maybe you’ll get better at it. As for me, I prefer short weapons. Maybe a knife.”

“You can try one. No harm in that.”

She picked out a knife and swung it a few times. Frigid showed her some basics in knife fighting, and after watching him, she copied his form almost perfectly.

After the armories, he showed her the library, the barracks, and the courtyard. He concluded the tour at the Mentor’s office.

“Have you been here?” he asked.

“No actually,” Mirror said. “I’ve only seen the Mentor when she interviewed me.”

“Oh. Alright,” Frigid said. He pointed at the front door to the Mentor’s office. “This is where she stays all day. She sleeps in there as well as get her work done. She doesn’t normally talk to you though. If you have something to discuss, you’d normally talk to Star Lance.”

“Star Lance?” Mirror Match asked. “I don’t think I’ve seen a Star Lance.”

“He’s the Mentor’s right hand man. He’s a tough one. A bit grumpy most of the time. He deals with all the issues we have, unless they’re important. Then we go straight to the Mentor.”

“Okay. So is that it? Anything else to see?”

“Hmm…” Frigid thought out. He shook his head. “I guess that’s everything we have at this bureau.”

“What do we do now?”

Frigid smiled. “Let’s get back to training, shall we?”

Rose Petal kept up with Hemlock as she ran through the alleys of Manehattan. The Templar agent had tried to shake Rose off her tail for the last three turns, but Rose knew better than to fall for simple tricks. She speedily kept up with the Templar from the rooftops, jumping from building to building.

Hemlock kept running, but made a wrong choice, getting a smile from Rose Petal. She had run straight into a dead end. Rose jumped off a building and landed behind Hemlock, cutting off her exit.

“Assassins…” Hemlock started. “Always getting in the way of our plans.”

“Can’t have you taking over the world, can we?” Rose responded, unsheathing her hidden blade.

Hemlock pulled out a pistol and fired. Rose Petal flung herself behind a pile of crates, avoiding the pellets as they struck the wood. The sound of the gun firing was different, but she wasn’t sure what it was. Maybe the Templars had a new type of bullet. She didn’t think much more of it, but instead focused on how to take the Templar on.

“Come out, Assassin!” Hemlock shouted and slowly advanced on Rose Petal’s position. “You can’t hide there forever!”

Rose Petal knew she had one chance. She would have to get out there and take down Hemlock in one move, or she would probably be pelted with a bunch of bullets. She pulled her foldable tonfa out of her coat and extended it. The piece of metal folded backwards, extending the weapon and unsheathing a small blade from its tip. Gripping the piece of steel in her right hand, she lunged out from behind the piece of wood she had taken cover at.

Hemlock wore a look of surprise, being caught off guard, but shot anyway. Rose did a spin with her tonfa and caught a bullet with her weapon. She felt a zing on her upper arm, probably from a bullet, but it was only a graze, so she kept going. She swung her tonfa at the Templar’s face, knocking her on the side of her jaw. Hemlock flipped in the air once before landing hard on the ground.

“Aah!” the Templar gasped as she held her jaw.

“It’s over, Templar,” Rose said as she extended her hidden blade to finish the mission.

Before she could plunge the blade into Hemlock, a sudden wall of weakness hit her, making her take a few steps back.

Hemlock smiled as she tried to get up. “Looks like one of my bullets got you. Ha!”

Rose Petal realized why the bullets seemed different. “Poison.”

“My gun uses air to fire poison bullets,” Hemlock started saying. “As long as the tip touches you, it’s all over. You’ll slowly feel yourself getting weaker before finally biting the dust. I like to watch my victims die slowly, so the poison I use isn’t as lethal. I’d say you have about ten hours before you die.”

Rose Petal wanted to walk over and put a knife in Hemlock’s face, but her legs lost their touch, sending her falling to the ground.

The last she heard of Hemlock was her hideous laughter as she turned and walked away.

Long Throw had put up a good fight, hobbling around on one proper leg, but after hearing the gunshots, Dust Fencer quickly ended it, lunging at the bodyguard. She tried to stick him with her spear, but he parried it with his rapier before forcing his hidden blade into her left eye.

Long Throw gasped, but said nothing else as she went down and stopped moving. Dust left the body and quickly headed down the alley, looking for signs of Rose Petal and Hemlock.

After a few turns, he found his partner down on the ground, but no sign of the board member.

“Rose!” he shouted. He checked for her pulse. It was still going, but slowly. “What happened?”

“Poison,” Rose muttered. “I was careless. It slowly weakens you until you expire. She said I had about ten hours to go.”

“Ten?” he checked. Rose nodded. “That’s ridiculous. That gives us plenty of time to find a cure. I’m getting you back to base.”

He pulled out his phone and called for support. He was going to have to get her back, fast.

Chapter 4: A Cure from Hemlock

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Frigid Night entered the room where Rose Petal was.

“What happened?” Frigid asked.

Dust turned to him. “Poison. From Hemlock. Gah! I should have been the one to go after her. Hemlock got away, but I took down her bodyguard. The medics are trying to synthesize a cure now.”

“So all we can do is wait?” Frigid asked. “Isn’t there something we can do?”

Dust Fencer paused for a while before talking again. “I have a theory.”

“Well, a theory is better than nothing.”

“If Hemlock has poison, she would have an antidote. Just in case she got herself poisoned.”

Frigid thought about it. It made some sense. If she were to accidentally get poisoned by her own weapons, she would need an antidote to cure herself immediately.

“Leave it to me,” Frigid told him. “I can go after her.”

“No. I should go,” he said. “I’m more experienced.”

Frigid Night shook his head. “I need to do it. The three of you taught me everything I know. Now it’s my turn to help you out. You should stay here and look after Rose Petal. I can take Mirror Match and take Hemlock down.”

“Are you sure you and the novice are up for this?” he checked. “You can’t let her get away.”

“Of course I’m sure! We can do this. We’ll take Hemlock down, and we’ll get the antidote.”

Dust Fencer nodded. “Alright. Do what you can. If you need any information, I’ll be here. And Frigid? Be very careful. Can’t have you or your novice getting poisoned too.”

High Noon sat in the car as he waited for Hemlock to return. The female Templar had gone up to her apartment to grab some supplies. He had seen her face earlier. Something must have hit her in the face really hard for it to swell up like that. Chairman Wood had sent him to pick up Hemlock after she escaped the Assassins. He did stress that there would be punishment if he failed again.

He looked back to the days where he used to lasso barrels with his pal, Braeburn. He was still pretty good with a lasso, but he hadn’t used it on barrels in a long time. He thought back to the apples Braeburn used to grow as well. Those were some good apples.

A door opening behind him drew his attention back to the car. Hemlock got in and shut the door, motioning for him to go.

“Did you get the medication for your face, ma’am?” High Noon asked as he drove down the street. “If not, I might have some in the trunk here.”

“It’s fine,” she told him. “I got what I could find, but I mainly came here for the research. I needed to make sure the Assassins haven’t been to my place yet.”

“Well, I’ll get you as fast as I can to the HQ for proper medication.”

Hemlock put a hand to her face. It hurt when she touched it, but it was worth it. She had taken down the Assassin that did it to her, although she lost Long Throw. She smiled to herself. No way were they going to save her if they didn’t have the antidote. She pulled out a little green vial from her pocket and looked at it. If they wanted the antidote, they would have to take it from her.

A phone call splintered the silence of the moving car. High Noon quickly fished around his pocket for his phone before putting it to his head.

“Yes sir?” he answered.

“Is my sister with you?” Mahogany Wood asked.

“Yes sir. Do you want to talk to her?”

“Put her on.”

High Noon passed the phone to his passenger as he focused on the road.

“Yes?” she said. “Yes. I’m fine. Just a little sore. Yes, I have the research. The Assassins haven’t been there. I know. They’ve meddled too much. Terminating them would be best. Perhaps we should find some… people to take care of them. Alright. I’ll be there soon, unless your driver messes up.”

She hung up and passed the phone back to High Noon. He didn’t like the way she talked about him, but a job was a job.

Maybe I did make the wrong choice leaving Appleloosa.

“She’s coming back down,” Mirror Match said as she spied on Hemlock returning to the black car. “She’s holding papers in her hands.”

Frigid took a look. “Must be data. Let me take a closer look.”

He eyed the Templar and concentrated. His vision intensified, allowing him to see the papers she was carrying, and creating a gold aura around her.

“Artifact…” Frigid muttered as he caught the word on the papers Hemlock had. “Sounds important.”

“You can see that far?” Mirror asked, astounded.

“If I concentrate hard enough,” he told her. “Most Assassins can do it. You just need to learn.”

“You’re going to have to teach me that someday.”

Frigid nodded. But training would have to wait. Right now, they had to get that antidote and save Rose Petal.

“Let’s go.”

He led the way, leaping off the building first. He landed on a tarp, quickly getting off before Mirror Match landed, just in case he was a big target. He helped her down before heading for the car.

“Go!” Mirror shouted to him. “I’ll find some wheels.”

Frigid nodded and leapt for the car, landing nicely on the roof. He heard some voices from within, probably realizing they had an unwanted passenger above. He got his answer when the car suddenly sped up and hightailed down a steep street. Frigid immediately extended his hidden blade and jammed it through the roof, giving him a better chance to stay on. Suddenly, bullets started flying out from under the car, creating little holes in the roof. He moved as they came and somehow dodged all of them.

“Woah!” he shouted in defence. He touched his earpiece. “Mirror Match. What’s your location?”

“Right behind you,” her voice answered. “Found myself a car. Tailing you now.”

“Alright! Do you what you can. We can’t let them escape!”

Frigid unsheathed his sword and tried his luck, stabbing it through the roof. After three attempts, he didn’t hit anyone, but the car took a sharp turn and sped up. To hold on, he lost his grip on his blade, sending it tumbling down the road behind him.

“Great,” he said. “Lost my sword.”

He tried moving towards the front, but the car kept turning, most likely the driver trying to shake him off.

“Try to slow them down!” he shouted into the earpiece.

Frigid could do nothing more than to hang on to the car as it sped down the streets of Manehattan. Mirror Match followed closely behind, trying to catch up.

“Right behind you, Frigid!” she warned.

Frigid turned just in time to see her hit the back of Hemlock’s car. He almost lost his grip, but he held on because of his hidden blade. The car swerved, but steadied itself after a few turns.

“The Templars must have a good driver in there,” Frigid said. He turned to see Mirror Match slowing, but the Templars weren’t. “He’s not slowing down.”

Frigid reached over to one of the windows on the left and tried to smash it with his fist. After four attempts, he heard the glass shatter.

“Drop him!” he heard a female voice say from inside.

“I’m trying! He’s staying on pretty well,” the driver said.

More bullets shot out from under him, forcing him to dodge again. Getting a new idea, Frigid Night kept his hidden blade and let himself slide above the open window. With a quick swing and perfect timing, he managed to swing himself into the car, right beside his target.

“He’s in!” Hemlock warned.

She whipped out her pistol, but Frigid quickly knocked it away and unsheathed his hidden blade.

“Hand over the antidote!” Frigid demanded as he readied his strike.

Hemlock took out a vial from her jacket. “You want this? You’re going to have to take it!”

Frigid reached for it, but the Templar drew it back and sent a kick straight into his face.

“Ouch!” Frigid shouted on impulse.

“Open the back door!” he heard Hemlock say.

Suddenly, the door behind him clicked open. With a sharp turn, he felt his body slowly falling out, but not before he grabbed the vial in Hemlock’s hand.

“Hey!” she shouted. “You’re not supposed to do that!”

Frigid Night braced himself as he hit the ground, rolling for a good distance before stopping. He checked his hand, relieved to see that the vial was still there.

“Alright,” he muttered. “I got it.”

“Stop the car,” he heard a voice say.

“I have to protect you, ma’am,” another said.

“I’m just going to finish him off.”

He looked up to see the black car return and stop as Hemlock got out, her pistol aimed at him.

“Silly Assassin,” she taunted. “Did you really think it would be so easy to kill me? I am a Templar in the Inner Circle! I won’t be taken down so easily.”

Frigid flinched as he waited for the bullet to pierce him, but instead, he felt the wind and sound of a car driving past him, and a crash. Opening his eyes, he realized Hemlock no longer stood in front of him. He looked to the left. A car lay broken and crumpled against a wall, with the Templar in between them.

“Mirror Match!” he shouted, realizing it was the car she ‘borrowed’. “You okay?”

“Just… fine,” he heard her say. “I’m a little stuck, but I can manage.”

He was about to get up and help her, when Hemlock’s driver got out of the car and walked towards him.

“You Assassins have caused me quite some trouble,” he said. “When I get back, I’ll be in for more punishment. Guess I’ll give you some before I get mine.”

“You Templars are just trouble!” Frigid answered back. “Always trying to control the world. Well, you won’t! That’s why I fight for the Assassins!”

The driver grumbled but got himself ready. He pulled out his lasso and swung it straight at Frigid. The Assassin ducked away just in time as the lasso grabbed thin air.

“A cowboy, huh?” Frigid mused.

“That’s right,” the driver replied. “The name’s High Noon, and I’m gonna make you remember it.”

High Noon speedily pulled out his revolver and fired it from his hip. Frigid saw just enough of his movement to know what he was going to do and dodged behind the car just in time. He circled around the back, while High Noon looked for him. The Templar turned around just in time for Frigid to aim a hit at his arm. He successfully knocked the revolver out of High Noon’s hand and aimed his hidden blade for his exposed chest.

“Nope,” High Noon said as he grabbed a hold of Frigid Night’s wrist.

Frigid tried to force his way forward, but Noon was a lot stronger than he was. Realizing he couldn’t get his hand nearer, he aimed a high kick for High Noon’s head, but the Templar grabbed it and with a lot of strength, he threw Frigid back, spinning him over the ground before landing him a good few feet away.

“Not bad,” he told the Templar.

He got up and rushed the driver again, throwing a flurry of punches at him. High Noon blocked a few, but Frigid got in a few hits to his face and chest. Noon aimed a few of his own at Frigid, getting him in the face as well.

Eventually, Frigid was the first to back down, unable to take more punches.

“Phew…” Frigid gasped. “You’re pretty strong.”

High Noon smiled as he walked over to his revolver. That gave Frigid Night enough time to aim a throwing knife at High Noon’s back. Before it hit, High Noon spun around. He got caught off guard, taking the knife to a left thigh instead.

“Agh!” he shouted as he fell.

Frigid Night got up and went over to Mirror Match to get her out while he had the time.

“You alright, Frigid?” she asked, touching the bruises on his face. “He sure gave you a good beating.”

He pulled the metal wreckage of the car as his partner squeezed her foot out. “I’ll be fine for now. Still got adrenaline coursing through me. Maybe I’ll start to feel it when we head back.”

“Thanks, Frigid,” she said. She looked over to the remains of Hemlock as they walked away. “Aren’t I supposed to talk to the target now?”

Frigid was about to say yes, but an explosion changed his mind. “Maybe not.”

He turned his attention back to High Noon. The Templar still lay on the ground, the knife in his thigh. He eventually mustered the strength to grip the handle of the knife and pull.

“Aaagh!” he shouted as the blade left his thigh. He turned to see Frigid Night and Mirror Match standing nearby. “I’m not done.”

Frigid walked right past him as he searched the Templar’s car for the research data. Finding a stack of papers, he picked them up and walked back to join Mirror Match.

“This isn’t over, Assassin,” High Noon grunted.

Police sirens pierced the air as the Assassins stood over the Templar.

“It is for now,” Frigid said. He pulled out a smoke bomb and nodded to Mirror Match. “Time for us to go.”

He threw the bomb on the floor as the first police car showed up, hiding them from the police as they made their escape.

“Wow,” Mirror said. “These smoke bombs sure are great.”

When they had safely reached a vantage point, Frigid Night looked down. High Noon was still there as the police surrounded him, their guns pointed at him. He could see his frown as he put his hands behind his head. Frigid felt sorry for the Templar, but then again, he was a Templar, and they had to stop them. He turned away, leading Mirror Match away into the dark night.

Rose Petal opened her eyes, learning that she was in the infirmary. She turned to see her closest friends standing around her.

“How’re you feeling, Rose?” Dust Fencer asked, taking her hand.

“Better, actually,” she managed to say. “Could use some water though.”

“I’ll get some,” Trueshot said, walking over to the sink.

She turned back to Dust. “So you found an antidote?”

“Frigid did, actually. He volunteered to get it for you.”

She turned to the young Assassin and messed up his hair. “Thanks, initiate. Guess I’m still here because of you.”

“Wouldn’t be the same without you,” he said, smoothing his hair back into place. “No one else messes up my hair.”

She laughed. “That’s right.” Trueshot came back with a glass of water. Rose Petal took it and drained it in one gulp. “Man… I sure am thirsty.”

Trueshot smiled and took the glass, walking back to the sink and filling it again.

“How does it feel now?” Frigid asked, curious to how much of the poison was gone. “Can you move?”

Rose Petal lifted an arm and moved her fingers. “Still a bit weak, but with some rest, I should be back and ready to mess with you some more.”

“Ha ha,” Frigid said.

Trueshot came back with a whole jug of water and handed it to Rose.

“This’ll work,” she thanked, taking the jug from him.

“Alright,” Dust said, walking to the door. “Gotta let her get her rest, so we’d best be off.”

“See you later, Rose,” Frigid said as he left.

Trueshot was the last out, closing the door behind him.

“Well done, kid,” Dust Fencer said, putting an arm around Frigid Night. “You’ve done something great today. Not just saving Rose Petal. You also took down an important Templar and secured some important information.”

“Well,” Frigid started. “All in a day of an Assassin, right?”

“Got that right!” Dust smiled. “Now, about that research data…”

“We should see Pierce about it,” Trueshot added.

“Alright, we’ll send it to Pierce, Frigid,” Dust told the young assassin. “Why don’t you get more training done with that novice of yours?”

“Sounds good,” Frigid nodded. “I’ll see you two later.”

Chapter 5: Food for Thought

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High Noon sat in the prison cell as he awaited his release. He had told them what they were to say to police and now awaited confirmation from the Board. They bandaged up his leg for him, but it still hurt. It would take some time for his muscles to heal. He also had time to think of all the things he had done wrong.

For both of Mahogany Wood’s siblings, he had listened to them. Oak Wood wanted to be left alone to conduct his research, while Hemlock wanted to get out of the car to kill the Assassin. Both of them made the wrong choice, but the punishment would go down to him.

Moments later, he heard footsteps as a police officer and a familiar face showed up around the corner. The cop produced some keys and opened the lock to his cell door. High Noon got up and walked out to greet the Templar.

“Crescent Wing,” High Noon acknowledged as the blue-skinned bodyguard stood before him.

“Chairman Wood wants you to know, he’s given you too many chances,” Crescent Wing began. “This is the last.”

High Noon paused for a while, but realized there was nothing more he could do. “I understand.”

He followed Crescent Wing out of the station and into the car parked outside. Crescent Wing waited until the cowboy got into the car before proceeding to the driver’s seat.

“Thanks for coming to get me, Crescent,” Noon said as the chairman's bodyguard started the car.

“Don’t get me mistaken,” Crescent Wing told him coldly, as he kept his eyes on the road. “I’m not doing this because you’re my friend. I’m just doing what I’m told, and I do it effectively.”

“Yeah…” High Noon sighed.

Crescent Wing did much better than he did. He never lost anyone he had to protect. High Noon had already lost two.

“Crescent Wing?” High Noon asked. “What we do as Templars… are we doing the right thing?”

This time, Crescent half turned his head. “Why do you doubt us now? Of course we are. The Templars fight to secure a better world for everyone. The Assassins just get in our way, because they can’t see what we see.”

“But we strive to control the world? To make it better, but on our terms?”

“Look, Noon. You shouldn’t ask these questions. Just know that it’s all for the better.”

High Noon rested his back on the seat. “Alright. I guess so.”

“Good,” Crescent Wing said, returning his full attention to the road.

The rest of the journey continued in silence as they drove to the Board of Education’s building.

Frigid went down to the armory before looking for Mirror Match. He had lost his sword in the Templar chase in Manehattan. He needed a new weapon. One hidden blade and a few throwing knives weren’t going to be enough.

“Never really good with swords, were you, Frigid?” someone said behind him.

He turned to see the Mentor’s right hand man behind him, leaning on the doorway.

“Star Lance!” he said, startled. “What’re you doing all the way here?”

He pulled down his hood as he walked in and smoothed out his purple hair. “I can’t just be hanging around the Mentor’s office all day can I?”

“Guess not,” Frigid said, though he was sure that was what Star Lance did.

“Anyway, I don’t think you do very well with swords at all. You’ve gone on… what? Three missions? I think you should switch it up. You haven’t done all that well with one, have you?”

“Well, I can get better.”

“Sure you can, Frigid Night,” Star Lance said sarcastically. “Maybe in another fifty years or so. If you’re still alive by then.”

Star Lance looked like his was going to say more, but a hand appeared on his shoulder, taking his attention away from Frigid.

“Star Lance, please,” Dust Fencer said sternly. “Don’t bother the kid. He’s still got much more to learn.”

“Got that right,” Star Lance smirked. He dusted off Dust Fencer’s hand and walked out.

Dust turned to Frigid. “Don’t listen to what most of them say. I think you still have lots of potential.”

“Thanks, Dust,” Frigid said, thankful he had friends like him. “Weren’t you supposed to bring the data to Pierce Network?”

Dust Fencer laughed. “Have you forgotten who Pierce Network is? He finished breaking down all the data on your way here. Sure, he talked to himself for a bit, but he finished it. And… why are you here, Frigid? I thought you were going to the dojo.”

“I lost my sword while chasing Hemlock. I need something else.”

Dust Fencer thought for a while. “Maybe a long weapon doesn’t suit you. I know you’re pretty good with knives, so why not take this.”

Dust walked over to one section and picked out another hidden blade for Frigid. “This might work better for you. Plus, it’s going to be strapped onto your arm, so it’ll be harder to lose.”

Frigid accepted the blade. He’d never thought about getting a second one. Maybe this could be what he was looking for from the start.

“Thanks, Dust,” Frigid said, equipping the second hidden blade. “So… what did Pierce find out?”

“Oh, right!” Dust remembered, laughing. “That’s what I came here to tell you.”

“What?”

Dust stopped and made a serious face. “We’ve discovered what the Templars have been doing.”

Frigid waited. “Go on.”

“This artifact they’ve been mentioning? Apparently, it has some sort of power that lets them control people.”

“What? As in… mind control?”

Dust Fencer nodded. “We believe so. The good news is that they’ve been trying to figure out how to use it effectively, but failed at using it for long periods of time.”

“So they still haven’t figured it out,” Frigid understood.

“That’s right.”

“And there’s bad news, yes?”

“Yes. We’ve discovered more Templars.”

“Who else do we have?” Frigid asked.

“The Board of Education. They are all Templars.”

“Wow, talk about problems…” Twilight Sparkle stopped to think about what she had heard from Morning Blade. “So that’s when you figured out your human education heads were the bad guys?”

“That’s when the others learnt about it, yes,” Morning grinned. “I wasn’t there yet, remember?”

“That’s right,” Twilight chuckled. “Kinda forgot about it. You make it all sound like you were actually there.”

“That’s how it sounds when you gather lots of information from various different key sources, Twilight.”

Twilight put the end of her pencil against her cheek. “So what happens now? They set out to defeat the education board?”

“You know, about that…” Morning flipped her pages. “I could only gather so much information over the years. Some things just… skip, you know? What I’m trying to say is that I have some missing bits of information.”

“Oh,” Twilight blinked a few times. “Don’t worry, Morning Blade. You’ve already done so much by having this book of history. A few missing parts aren’t going to change anything.”

“Thank you, princess,” Morning looked down at her book. “So if you don’t mind, we can continue on. We’ll have missed some training and missions Frigid undertook, but I don’t think we’ve missed the most important bits. Here we go…”

One year later

Frigid strolled down the halls of the bureau looking for Mirror Match. It has been a week since he and Mirror Match became apprentices. He’d thought they should celebrate over some food. It had been a while since he'd gotten to eat with her.

He headed down the stairs to the ground floor, making a turn at the staircase. Spotting a familiar figure ahead, he called out to her. “Mirror Match!”

She turned and waved at him. “Frigid Night! Yes? What can I do for you?”

“Want to go grab some lunch?” he asked. “I’m a little hungry, and I thought we should celebrate becoming apprentices. We’re moving up the ranks at a good speed.”

“Well, I haven’t eaten yet, so why not?”

They continued down towards the canteen. On the way there, two Assassins had stopped them.

“Hey, Frigid!” Ice Flake, a veteran Assassin with white hair and blue skin smiled. “You two seem close. Are you like…”

“Together?” Fire Frenzy, a fiery haired Assassin, who was also Ice Flake’s partner, added in.

Mirror looked like she was about to say something, but Frigid cut in. “Oh no, no. Not like that. We’re just partners.”

“Yeah…” Ice Flake patted him on the arm. “I can see that. Well, enjoy your time together.”

The two Assassins went on, laughing about something Frigid couldn’t hear about, but he paid no attention to them.

“So…” Mirror started on the way to the canteen. “We’re just… partners?”

Frigid blushed, unsure of what to say. “Uhh… well… we’re friends. That’s it! Yup! Friends! More than partners.”

Mirror looked disappointed for a second, but shook it off as they entered the huge eating room.

“So what do you think about the Board?” she asked him, getting their minds off of the earlier conversation. “If we take them all down, someone’s going to know something’s up. That or we let the media decide the story.”

“Yeah,” Frigid pondered, putting his hand to his chin. “We’ve got to be very careful about who we take out and we’ve got to make them all look like accidents, I suppose.”

“I still can’t believe that they’re all Templars. They put up a pretty good cover.”

“Yeah,” Frigid nodded. “Also, you remember Flurry? The Templar we took down last week?”

“Yes?”

“She had data on her, revealing that the Wood family has been in control of the Templars here for quite some time now.”

“Ah, the Woods,” she nodded, remembering old targets. “Hemlock was part of the Wood family.”

“Yeah, and this one other guy I assassinated. Oak Wood.”

“The Templar Grand Master must be pretty upset with what you’ve done,” she joked, elbowing him in the ribs.

“Ouch!” he yelped. They entered the canteen, heading for the front. “Well, I guess we’ll worry about that when the time comes. It’s food time!”

High Noon paced his room, wondering about everything he had done since leaving Appleloosa. Ever since the Assassin gave him a knife to his leg, he’d been thinking if he had chosen the wrong side. He left the bandages on long after his leg was healed. It was a good reminder that he needed to be more careful with what he did.

“Still thinking, Noon?”

He looked up to see who it was and quickly got up.

“Chairman Wood,” he said. “What can I do for you?”

“Not much, it seems,” Mahogany Wood sneered. He walked over to the window and looked out. “I want you to watch Lumberjack. He’s bringing in the best killers in town to take down the Assassins. Maybe you can learn something from him.”

“If that’s what you want me to do, sir,” High Noon responded, feeling like he wasn’t going to be of much use anymore.

The Chairman turned to the door. “Learn well. Don’t expect anymore chances from me.”

High Noon made his way to a chair as Mahogany Wood left. The Chairman didn’t seem to trust him at all. Now he had to watch Mahogany’s brother, Lumberjack, find killers. Killers were the very people he wanted to stop, and now here he was, helping to hire people to kill other people.

Things weren’t looking too great.

Mahogany Wood returned to his office and sat at his desk. High Noon has been a drastic disappointment since he let Oak Wood die. He’d thought he give the man a second chance by looking out for his sister, Hemlock, but he failed that too.

He picked up his phone and dialed a number. After three rings, someone picked up.

“Hello, this is Ash Wood speaking. With whom am I speaking to?”

“Ash,” Mahogany started. “It’s your brother, Mahogany.”

“Ah, Mahogany. What can I do for you?”

“I have a man here, High Noon. He’s not as effective as I once thought he was. He is the one that let Oak Wood and Hemlock die.”

“Ah… that one,” Ash said with hatred in his voice. “What do you need of me, brother?”

“Keep an eye on him for me,” Mahogany ordered. “If he even messes up one more time. If he lets our brother Lumberjack die… Take him out.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Ash chuckled. “I’ll get to doing what I do best.”

Mahogany put down the phone. He’d give High Noon this last chance. If he couldn’t even pull off one more useful act, then there would be no point in keeping him.

Chapter 6: A Heist Not Attempted Before

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“Are you ready for this next part, princess?” Morning Blade smiled, one hand tapped away at her book.

“You seem excited.” Twilight Sparkle noticed. “What’s up next?”

“Just something that will seem really out of place,” Morning said, looking back at her book. “This next part has nothing to do with Assassin work, really. Honestly, I don’t quite know why Frigid had gone through the mission like that, but I guess it still worked out in the end.”

“Sounds like we’ve got a good story ahead,” Twilight chuckled. “I’m ready when you are, Morning Blade.”

"Alright." Morning Blade flipped her book page. "Just remember, this one's gonna be a little weird once we start."

"Hey, you don't see weird until you've met Pinkie Pie."

Frigid Night and Mirror Match had gone down to Red Card to get a contract. The old Assassin blabbered on for a while, but eventually found a suitable one for them.

“Silverblaze,” he began, giving Frigid the piece of paper. “Runs the Silver Smile Casino all the way in Las Pegasus. Big, fancy place where lots of people go at all times of the day to waste their money. What we know is that most of the machines there are bugged. They make you lose when you think you’ve got it. All that money goes to the Templars.”

“Sounds like they get a lot of money there,” Frigid speculated, reading the rest of the information on the paper. “So we just walk in there, kill Silverblaze, then leave?”

Red Card stared knives at Frigid Night. “Not all contracts are assassinations, Frigid. If you kill him, all the Templars need to do is find a replacement for him. What you need to do is disrupt the casino business so bad that they’ll have to close down. Talk to Pierce Network. He’ll be helping you on this one.”

Frigid tried to not sound too disappointed. “Really? That… sounds great. Can’t wait to start.”

“Yeah,” Mirror Match added. “It should be exciting… working with a veteran Assassin.”

“Perfect,” said the old Assassin. “He’s right behind you.”

Frigid Night and Mirror Match turned to see the seasoned hacker behind them, using his phone as usual.

“So you two will be helping me take down the Silver Smile Casino, huh? Good. That Casino has been in business for the Templars for far too long. They cheat and steal from all the people there, but make it look like the gamblers were just unlucky. Well, it’s about time someone put a stop to that casino for good.”

“Exactly what we thought, Pierce,” Mirror Match said, trying to have a little more excitement in her voice. “We should get to work as fast as we can so that… we can… put a stop to these Templars quickly.”

“Right,” Pierce nodded. “I have a plan, but I will need you two to go in yourselves. “I’ll provide information for you. And I have a few items I need you two to pick up on our way to Las Pegasus. These Templars are not going to know who hit them.”

Pierce Network drove the little van as Frigid Night and Mirror Match sat in the bag with all the equipment. Even though they had seatbelts on, Frigid and Mirror didn’t feel safe as Pierce Network sped down the busy streets towards Las Pegasus. He almost hit other cars a few times, but somehow managed to barely swerve out of the way at the last second.

“People these days,” Pierce said from the front. “Always think they own the road. Driving slowly, illegally stopping, dropping off people… they don’t know what they’re doing.”

Mirror Match turned to Frigid and whispered to him. “Is this safe? Letting him drive? I keep feeling that we’re not going to make it to Las Pegasus.”

Frigid shrugged, but his hands were gripping tightly to the seat under him. “I’m not too sure, but I am hoping we make it there unharmed.”

“And…” Mirror continued. “Did we have to wear these? I mean, I am a girl after all.”

Frigid looked down to his suit. Pierce Network suggested they wear the two suits he picked out. The suit consisted of a black jacket, a white shirt, black pants, and a gray tie.

“Can’t have you looking like Assassins here,” he had said. “These suits will make you look like any other gambler there. Trust me, you'll blend right in.”

Frigid didn’t mind, but the suit was a little itchy. Mirror Match didn’t like the suit at all.

“After this mission,” she said. “I don’t think I’ll be putting on another suit for a while.”

Frigid Night looked back in front. They were stopped by a few red lights, but with a few taps on his phone, Pierce somehow turned them green, allowing them to keep going. After several turns and close collisions, they had arrived in Las Pegasus.

“Ah, Las Pegasus,” Mirror Match said as she looked at the signboard on the way in. “Home to all kinds of thieves.”

“Yes,” Pierce said from the front. “We’re here to steal from the greatest ones. The Templars. All these years, hiding in plain sight, funneling money away from all kinds of people. This hit is going to knock them over on the side.”

Pierce continued down the busy roads, eventually driving past the Silver Smile Casino. It was a big, white building with lots of colourful lights advertising itself. Taxis gathered at the entrance, dropping off people ready to win some money.

“There it is,” he told the young assassins. “The Silver Smile. We’re taking this place down. Let’s see the Templars recover from this after we’re done.”

He parked in nearby alley, where most people wouldn’t turn to look.

He turned back to Frigid and Mirror. “This is where you get off. I need you to infiltrate the place first. I’ll let you know what to do when you get in.”

“Got it,” Frigid acknowledged. “Ready Mirror?”

She smiled, excited for the mission. “Ready, partner. Let’s go.”

Frigid opened the door and leapt out. After Mirror Match joined him, they proceeded out of the alley and towards the casino. Entering, they saw the hugeness of the place from inside. There were all kinds of machines scattered all across the hall of the casino and a few cars for display, revolving on raised platforms.

“Wow!” Mirror Match said in awe. “The Templars sure are doing well! Why don’t we have money like this?”

“Well…” Frigid thought of something to say. “I guess we don’t openly do things like this?”

She looked around at all the machines and people as they continued through.

“If we had stuff like this, imagine all the things we could do!”

Frigid laughed. “Don’t let it get to your head, Mirror. There are more important things than wealth.”

“I guess so,” Mirror nodded. “Alright. Let’s take this place down. What’s next?”

Pierce Network’s voice came on in their earpieces. “Good you’re in. Now, what I need you to do is to thrash the place. These Templars think they can earn all this money from these sad people. Well, they’re going to be in for a big surprise when we shut this place down. Mask on whenever you’re ready. I’ll monitor you two from the cameras.”

Frigid looked to Mirror and the two nodded. They reached into their jackets and pulled out special hockey masks, made by Pierce himself that made facial recognition useless against them.

“Cause a scene, and start wrecking the place,” Pierce said. “But make sure you behave like common robbers.”

They put on the masks and pulled out pistols that Pierce had gotten for them. Raising a gun into the air, Frigid shot off a round. In the noisy space of the casino, not a lot of people heard the shot, but those who did quickly turned to the source and widened their eyes.

“This is a robbery!” Mirror Match shouted at the nearest gamblers, waving her gun in their direction. “Everyone get down and you won’t be harmed!”

One man tried to be smart, but Frigid pushed him back down and pointed his pistol in the man’s face.

“Stay down! Don’t try to be funny. We don’t want to have to harm you.”

One guard had heard the commotion and walked towards them, drawing his pistol.

“Freeze!” he shouted at the two Assassins. “Put the guns down, and put your hands up!”

Frigid looked at the man for a bit. The guard wasn’t going to faze. Frigid didn’t want to kill him, but when he saw the symbol of the Templar cross on his belt, he lifted his pistol and shot immediately, taking the guard by surprise. The guard fell back and stopped moving.

“You shot him, Frigid?” Mirror asked softly. “We aren’t supposed to kill innocent people, right?”

“He was a Templar,” Frigid replied. “They like to leave their symbol open.”

The civilians saw the dead guard and got down immediately. With the crowd around them settled for now, Frigid Night and Mirror Match grabbed some chairs and started smashing them into the slot machines around them. Electric and money started flying out, alerting others around them and screams from the civilians near them. Some of them crawled and grabbed what money they could. Frigid didn’t mind. As long as the Templars didn’t get the money, they were good to go.

“Good work,” Pierce told them. “Keep breaking everything you see, and we’re good to go. Those Templars are going to wish they never opened this casino.”

Frigid smashed the first two machines he had attacked, and didn’t stop until the chair he held broke to bits. He walked over to the next few machines, picking up another chair, when a movement from a window above caught his eye. A man with grey hair and white skin stood in a room above, looking down at them as they destroyed his business.

“Silverblaze,” Frigid spat. Mirror turned to look. “There he is.”

“Should we go teach him a lesson?” Mirror Match asked as she bashed another slot machine down.

“No,” Pierce Network answered. “No need for that. All you need to do is take care of the place. I’ll lock the room Silverblaze is in until you get out.”

Silverblaze pulled out a phone and put it to his head.

“He’s calling for backup,” Mirror speculated. “We should work faster.”

Frigid nodded and picked up a second chair.

Why use one when I have two hands?

He ran along a row of machines and bashed each one with the chairs he held.

“Frigid,” Mirror called. “I have an idea.”

He turned to her to see her holding a few bottles of alcohol, with a burning cloth stuck into the mouths of each one.

“Go for it,” he smiled. “That’ll speed things-”

Gunshots rang out, forcing him to duck instinctively. He turned to the source. Two more guards ran towards them, pistols raised. One of them shot at Frigid’s location, but the Assassin quickly got behind one of the slot machines as the guard’s gun followed him. Sparks flew as the bullets pelted the machine.

He turned back to Mirror Match and nodded. He returned the nod and threw the Molotov high above her head and watched as it landed around more machines near the display cars.

She quickly joined Frigid Night behind the machines as the fire spread, engulfing several machines as the fire made its way towards the cars.

“Do they put gas in the cars?” Mirror Match asked as she looked beyond the machines.

“Good question…” he replied. “We should leave as fast as possible, just in case.”

“Not yet,” Pierce said on their earpieces. “You’ve got one more job to accomplish. Silverblaze keeps the money for the Templars in a vault on the second floor. I need you to get in there and either take the money, or burn it. Can’t have the Templars getting all that money.”

“Got it,” Mirror Match acknowledged.

“Go,” Frigid Night told her. “I’ll keep the guards busy.”

She nodded and dashed off towards the stairs as Frigid got up and shot a few rounds towards the guards. He hit one of them in the arm, but went back behind the machine after running out of bullets.

“Mirror,” he asked through the earpiece. “You make it up?”

“Yeah. I’m at the vault. Looks like a tough nut to crack.”

“I’ve hidden explosives in one of the potted plants to your left,” Pierce voiced. “Use them to breach the vault.”

“When did you put those there?” Frigid asked. “I thought we just got here.”

“Oh, I had plenty of time when the two of you strolled around. We are Assassins. We’re meant to get in and out unseen. I’ve spent a good quarter of my life taking down these Templars. I do what I can do damage what resources they have. They think they can just waltz in and take what they want. Ha.”

“Wow,” was all Frigid could say.

“Found them!” Mirror shouted.

Frigid returned his attention to the guards. He was out of bullets, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have anything else he could use. He snuck around the row of machines, getting around to the other side as the guards arrived at his previous position. The uninjured one aimed his gun past the machine, but Frigid was no longer there. Running, he got to the guard he had shot and kicked him in the head. The guard went down fast, while the second one turned around.

The guard shot off a round at him at point blank. If it weren’t for the mask, he might have been dead, but the bullet pinged off the mask as he attacked the guard, knocking him on the sides of his head, stunning him, and stealing his pistol. With a shot to the chest, the guard went down.

“All clear down here, Mirror,” Frigid said as he checked the bullets in the gun. Five more shots. “How’re things with you?”

“I started planting the explosives, but a guard showed up. I had to show him a thing or two.”

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. The guard isn’t, though.”

“Alright,” Frigid acknowledged. “I’m coming up. See you there.”

With things settled here, Frigid high tailed it up the stairs, just as the first car exploded in a fiery storm.

“Woah...” was all he said as he watched the fire from the staircase.

Returning to his senses, he continued his climb up the staircase. He turned the corner, only to run into a guard carrying a baton. The guard swung it at his face, but Frigid Night dodged it and gave the guard a punch to the gut. The guard doubled over, giving Frigid the chance to elbow him in the back of the neck. The guard went down as Frigid continued.

Turning a few more corners, Frigid found Mirror Match and the vault. It was a huge black, metal door with a huge wheel in the middle, and a retina scanner on the left of it.

“Mirror Match,” Frigid called, joining her by the vault door. “How’s the explosives going?”

“Almost done,” she told him as she placed another one. “Just one more.”

She handed Frigid Night the last of the explosives as she planted hers. Frigid put it near the top. They got a safe distance away as Pierce Network blew the explosives, igniting the air around them with a loud explosion, accompanied by another car exploding down in the main hall.

“Good job,” Pierce told them. “Now, either take the money, or burn it. These Templars are not getting this money today. Oh… and by the way… you have police heading to your location.”

“Time for us to go then,” Frigid said as he packed the money into the foldable bags they brought. “How much time do we have?”

“About thirty more seconds. They just passed my location.”

“They’re that close?” Mirror said, packing the money faster. “We should hurry.”

Frigid looked out to the entrance. They had a way to travel to get out. “We have to burn the money.”

“Do we have to burn it all?” Mirror asked, a smile on her face.

“Well, we do already have a bit for ourselves, right?” said Frigid.

“Well said, Frigid.”

They took what they could run with, and stuffed them in the bags. Slinging the bags on their shoulders, Mirror took out the lighter she stole off one of the gamblers and threw it at the pile of money. The paper went up in flames, eventually engulfing the entire stack. Frigid and Mirror quickly got out of the vault to avoid the smoke and made a run for the entrance.

The explosions from the display cars had torn a chunk of the platform off, leaving a gaping hole in one of the areas. Most of the slot machines now lay in ruins, or pieces from Frigid and Mirror’s beating, and the unexpected explosions.

“Cops are here,” Frigid told his partner as the first signs of red and blue appeared near the entrance. “We’re going to have to curve around them.”

“I’ve opened a side door for you,” Pierce Network told them. “Get to the reception. The door is in a room behind the desk.”

Frigid and Mirror turned from the main entrance as the first officers got out of their cars.

“Freeze!” they heard one of the cops say, but they didn’t slow down, unwilling to compromise the Brotherhood.

Frigid was the first to leap over the desk, straight for the door. Mirror Match followed behind as he opened the door to the back room. They saw the door Pierce had unlocked and headed for it. Exiting the flaming building, they returned to Pierce’s van.

“Phew…” Frigid Night breathed as he got into his seat.

“That was… exciting,” Mirror Match said, sitting next to him. “We should do this again.”

“Fun’s over,” Pierce called from the front. “Time to go.”

He started the van, driving out of the alley without lights. After turning, he stepped down on the accelerator, taking the van out of the area.

“Anyone see us?” Frigid asked as he turned around to look out the back window.

Two cars drove behind them, their red and blue lights flaring, along with their sirens.

“Great,” Pierce muttered, stepping harder on the accelerator, bringing them further from the police cars. “They probably think it was suspicious. A black van driving out from a dark alley. People do it all the time, but these cops want to follow us? I’ll give them something to follow.”

Pierce raced down the streets with the two cars in pursuit. Arriving at a junction, Pierce whipped out his phone and began tapping some buttons.

“Pierce!” Mirror shouted, aghast. “You’re not supposed to use your phone while driving! You’ve got to keep your eyes on the road!”

“I do it all the time,” he assured, driving past the junction. “I just need a little distraction.”

Something on the screen turned green as all the other traffic lights at the junction did the same. The cars from the four different directions drove forward as their van continued along the road. The police cars stopped as the cars in front crashed into each other. Some drivers got out and began waving their fists at each other.

Frigid leaned back against his seat and blew out some air. “That was close.”

“Yeah,” Mirror Match agreed. “I thought we were going to crash!”

“I can multi-task,” Pierce reminded her. “I can handle the road and my phone perfectly.”

They sped back towards the border of Las Pegasus as the sirens grew softer behind them. The police were going to have a great time cleaning up the mess at the casino, but so were the Templars.

Chapter 7: A Killer Contract

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"You know what, Morning, you're right. That whole bit was weird."

"Told you," Morning Blade smiled as Twilight Sparkle's face changed between one of shock and confusion after hearing about everything that happened at the Silver Smile Casino all those years ago. "I heard about that on the news, back when I was still in school, but I just put it as a robbery. In Las Pegasus, it's really normal for a place to get robbed, especially one with so much money like the Silver Smile."

"But still... These are Assassins. Why go through all that trouble?"

"I... I never did find out, Twilight," Morning shrugged. "But if I ever do, I'll be sure to let you know. Now, where were we?"

"Their mission report?" Twilight tilted her head.

"Right," Morning nodded, remembering where she had left off. "So, after the drive back to the bureau..."

“I don’t have the money this month,” Silverblaze tried to explain. “We were… robbed, I think. Masked men came and started wrecking the place.”

“I saw,” Mahogany said sternly. “Saw it all over the news. Your casino’s going to be losing a lot of business. Was it the Assassins? They’ve been meddling in my business for quite some time now.”

“I wouldn’t think so,” he shook his head. “They wore hockey masks, and suits. Doesn’t sound like Assassins to me.”

“Hmmm…” Mahogany frowned. There were just too many problems these days.

He turned to the others seated at the table. They all wore expressions of anger and confusion.

“It must be Assassins,” Lumberjack said, stretching his long legs on the table.

“But Las Pegasus is known for criminal activity,” Redwood, the tallest of the Wood family, told him. “It could have been any gang out for some money.”

“But they burned all the money,” a red-skinned man in a green army uniform said. “Thieves don’t burn money.”

“I agree with Talon,” Lumberjack said, reclining in his chair. “Thieves like money.”

Timber, another of the brothers at the table, leaned forward. “They couldn’t possibly have carried all that money out in time. They likely burned it because the police arrived and that they didn’t want the casino to still have the money.”

“Who knows…?” Silverblaze sighed. “The Silver Smile Casino will be closed for the following weeks, but even if we reopen, who’s going to come back after the firestorm?”

“We’ll deal with that when we get there,” Mahogany said, putting his fingers together. “If it were the Assassins, we’ll just make sure they never try something like that again.”

The others nodded in agreement.

Mahogany turned to his blonde haired brother. “Lumberjack. How’s the team coming along?”

Lumberjack heard something he wanted to talk about, so he got out of his reclined position and straightened himself. “Great, Mahogany. We already have three killers, ready to get out there and kill some more. They’re also pretty good at tracking, so I’ve heard. Your man, High Noon, is watching over them as I sit here.”

“Yes…” Mahogany slurred. “For his sake, I hope he’s doing a good job. I’d hate to see him fail once more.”

High Noon felt that hiring killers was a step down from his usual standard.

“I’d thought it was about helping people,” he said to himself. “These are the kinds of people that do the opposite.”

“What’re you talking about, Jeeves?” one of the killers said. He raised a gloved arm as his eagle, Aero, returned to it. “We’re the best kinds of people.”

“The name’s not Jeeves, Dagger Wind,” High Noon corrected. “It’s High Noon.”

“Of course... High Noon,” he replied slowly. “What? You some kind of big shot? Think you call the shots here?”“Well, no…”

“Ha!” Pressure Point, another of the killers, who had purple hair, laughed. “Sure, cowboy. If you don’t call the shots, then you’re whatever we want to call you.”

“Having fun?” a voice said from the nearby staircase. “Y’all getting along perfectly?”

Lumberjack strolled down the steps as he joined High Noon and the killers.

“Yo, boss,” Pressure Point saluted jokingly. “Sir, I have to say, you look like any other woodcutter out there, with the red flannel shirt, and blue pants.”

“I hate woodcutters…” the other killer, Wolfgang, snarled. He had pale blue hair, reaching down to his chin.

High Noon felt more frightened around Wolfgang than the others. He could feel Wolfgang’s need for killing flowing out of him.

Dagger Wind stood to the side petting Aero. He wore a long coat with a high collar and had SMGs holstered on his thighs. Pressure Point wore a sleeveless white top and green combat pants, while having a sling of throwing knives attached to her belt. Wolfgang wore just a simple shirt and pants, wielding no weaponry.

“Sir,” High Noon started. “I don’t know if letting these people out into the open is such a good-”

“Don’t be silly,” Lumberjack said, but stared at High Noon dangerously. “These are the perfect people we need to take down the Assassins. Sure, they might kill a few innocent people along the way, but all in the name of progress, right?”

“That’s right… what did they call you? Ah yes, Jeeves,” Wolfgang added, smiling as he walked towards High Noon. His smile widened when High Noon backed away. “What are a few innocent people? People die every day don’t they?”

High Noon wanted to say something, but decided against it. Mahogany Wood had given him one more chance. If he defied Lumberjack here, he’d have no more use to the Templar Grand Master.

In the end, he just shrugged and said nothing more. He could do nothing more.

“Fantastic job, you two!” Rose Petal said, putting both her arms around Frigid Night and Mirror Match. “I knew you’d pull it off. You two work well together!”

“Well, we are Assassins!” Mirror chuckled. “If we couldn’t pull all this off, I’d be a shop owner instead.”

“Though…” Frigid rubbed his head. “I doubt this counts as Assassin work.”

“Good job!” Dust Fencer congratulated. “How was it, working with Pierce Network?”

“Umm…” Frigid paused. He tried to turn what he was going to say into something that sounded nicer. “It was… exciting?”

“Exactly what I said, my first mission with that man,” Dust Fencer smiled. “Good work though, creating all the fire and explosions.”

“Yup!” Rose Petal said, squeezing the two Assassins. “I’m proud of you two! You’ve come a long way after a whole year.”

“Not bad,” Trueshot said. “Keep it up out there. If you live long enough, perhaps one day, you’ll have proper students of your own.”

“Well, Frigid,” Dust Fencer continued. “We have some business to take care of, so you two have fun." The senior Assassin gave Frigid a wink. "We’ll be back before you know it.”

Rose Petal started to leave, but not before messing up Frigid’s hair. “See you two around!”

“Take care,” Trueshot said before following the two.

After the three senior Assassins left, only Frigid Night and Mirror Match remained.

“So…” Frigid started. “What do we do now?”

“Well,” Mirror said as she thought. “We did grab some extra loot from that last mission.”

“Oh yeah,” Frigid remembered. “What should we do with it?”

“We could spend it.”

“Alright,” Frigid smiled. “Let’s go shopping.”

“Sounds great,” Mirror agreed. “I’ll meet you at the front door in five. Dress casual.”

“Okay. Bet I can get there first.”

“You’re on.”

With that said, they raced to their rooms, ready to get out there and spend money.

Dust Fencer and the others knelt down around the fallen Assassin as they checked for her wounds. They had arrived in Manehattan after receiving a distress call from the Assassin, but in the end, they had gotten here too late.

“She was definitely killed by knives.” Trueshot pointed out.

There were knife puncture wounds all over the Assassin’s body, stabbing deep enough to damage her internal organs.

“Templars?” Rose Petal asked as she checked the back of the Assassin.

“They’re too precise,” Dust Fencer shook his head. “This attack seemed… wild. We’re going to get to the bottom of this.”

“I’ll head back to the bureau to report the kill to Mentor. You two should investigate this area. See if you can find anything else about this.”

“Right,” Trueshot nodded. Stay safe. Don’t want this happening to you too.”

“Who do you think I am?” Rose Petal asked before setting off to the bureau.

“Venturing into Templar territory…” Dust Fencer said. “This was a dangerous job. She shouldn’t have come here alone.”

“Maybe she wasn’t,” Trueshot said. “Maybe her partner is still around here somewhere.”

“We should have a look around,” Dust Fencer agreed, taking a look at his surroundings.

He walked over to the nearby alley, since alleys are good for hiding bodies. Turning the corner, he found what he was looking for. Not one, but two more hooded bodies with multiple stab wounds.

“You found the other Assassin?” Trueshot asked from behind.

“Yep,” Dust Fencer said, bending down to check the bodies. “Wait. These aren’t Assassins. They’re just people with hoods on.”

“Fakes?”

“Not quite,” another voice said.

The Assassins looked up to see a new figure standing by a dumpster, holding the body of an Assassin by the arm. He wore a long gray coat over a simple dark shirt.

“Short Circuit!” Dust Fencer called out.

The Assassin lifted his head, but the man just pushed him back down with his knee. “Whoa there, pal. Not so fast. I’m not done with you yet.”

With a quick twist the man broke the Assassin’s neck. He stood up and smirked, taunting the Assassins in front of him.

Dust Fencer said nothing, and ran at the man, drawing his rapier on the way.

“Dust!” Trueshot called from behind, warning the Trottingham assassin of something.

Dust Fencer quickly stopped and turned, just as an eagle swept past him, barely missing his face with its sharp claws. Before the eagle could get far, something hit it in the wing, sending it plunging down.

“Aero!” the killer shouted frantically.

Dust Fencer turned to see Trueshot, his arm outstretched and his phantom blade empty, having just shot a dart at the eagle.

“Good shot, Trueshot.”

Dust Fencer let the man catch the bird as it fell, but readied himself for more just in case.

The man looked up, outraged. “What have you done to my bird?”

Trueshot reloaded his phantom blade. “I just hit it with a sleep dart. I’m not as inhuman as you are.”

“Inhuman?” he laughed. “You think I am inhuman?”He gently put his eagle down and pulled out two SMGs from his coat, pointing them at Dust Fencer and Trueshot. The Assassins dodged to the sides behind some cover as the man started pelting the area with bullets.

“How do you like this, huh?” the man taunted, holding down the trigger. “You like it when I shoot at you? No one… shoots at Dagger Wind’s bird!”

Dagger Wind. Dust Fencer recalled that name. He was an army officer, kicked out because of his violent tendencies. After that, he became a mercenary for hire, selling his skills to whoever needed work to be done.

Templars probably hired this guy.

Dust Fencer nodded to Trueshot. The Stalliongrad Assassin understood and dashed for the alley entrance as Dust Fencer threw two knives towards the Dagger Wind. One almost hit him as he dodged behind a trashcan. Dust Fencer held his position, pulling out three more throwing knives. If he could buy Trueshot enough time, the Assassin could get up to a vantage point, where he could easily take out the killer.

“Giving up?” Dagger Wind shouted over, taking a peek over his cover, pointing his two SMGs at Dust Fencer’s location.

“Not in a few million years, Dagger!” Dust Fencer shouted back.

He gripped one of his knives in a throwing position, ready to take the killer on. He turned on his heels and threw the knife as Dagger Wind started shooting. Two of the bullets buried themselves in Dust Fencer’s arm as he got back behind cover.

“Ouch!” he said to himself as he checked his injuries.

They weren’t too bad, but they sure hurt. He turned back to see if he had hit Dagger Wind. His dagger had lodged itself into the wall at the back, clearly missing the killer.

“Gah,” he breathed.

“Dust, you there?” Trueshot’s voice said on his earpiece. “I’m almost in position. I can see him from here.”

“Okay,” Dust acknowledged. “I’ll be ready. He got my throwing arm, so no more knives from me.”

“You alright?”

“Yeah, no big deal. I still have my sword arm.”

Dagger Wind stood up again and blasted Dust’s location with his guns. “Are you done, Assassin? I’ve got more to give you!”

“Just warming up, Dagger Wind!” Dust called back. “Don’t want to give you too hard of a time yet!”

Dust Fencer readied his hidden blades. If Dagger Wind wanted to play games, he would gladly play along.

Trueshot had climbed a ladder on the side, leading him straight up to the roof where he had a perfect view of his surroundings. He quickly made his way back to the alley where Dust Fencer was, watching his friend distract the killer. He placed himself between two generators and unslung his sniper rifle. Lying on the ground, he rested his rifle on the ledge, making sure to have a good shot of the killer.

“Right above you, Dust,” he told his partner. “Ready on your signal.”

“Anytime, Trueshot,” Dust confirmed.

Trueshot aimed and fired two quick shots, each one hitting Dagger Wind’s SMGs, jamming the gun as the bullets lodged themselves in the chambers.

He was about to shoot more when he felt a presence behind him. He turned around and knocked a knife aimed for him down with his rifle.

“You weren’t supposed to know I’m here,” a woman said, standing in front of him.

“And who are you?” Trueshot asked, slinging back his rifle, and pulling out his hammer and sickle.

“You don’t know me?” she laughed. “Pity. Perhaps you know my name. Pressure Point.”

Pressure Point. She was another killer on the news. She had killed many people, but the police never found her, and here she was, probably hired by the Templars as well.

Trueshot ran at her, knocking down another knife with his hammer as he swung his sickle at her face. She dodged, but didn’t see a kick aimed for her stomach as Trueshot landed a good blow on her.

“Oof!” she gasped.

“There’s more where that came from,” Trueshot said as he swung his hammer down towards her head.

“Gah!” Dust Fencer heard the killer shout as he looked around above him, trying to find Trueshot.

Dust had gotten up and approached Dagger Wind, his hidden blades drawn. He stabbed forward, aiming his blades straight for Dagger Wind’s head. He looked down at the last second, seeing Dust’s hidden blades heading right for his face. He grabbed both of Dust’s arms, stopping the blade inches from his face.

“That’s not going to work,” he told the Assassin. “I was military. I’ve trained. I’m stronger than you are.”

“But not as smart,” Dust smiled, activating another trick to his blades.

The bottom half of the blades swished open, turning his hidden blade’s form into that of a trident. As the blades opened, one of the side blades slashed past Dagger Wind’s right eye, damaging it as blood flew out, dripping down the killer’s face.

“Aagh!” he shouted as he dropped Dust Fencer’s arms.

Dust Fencer would have finished it there, but the killer quickly distanced himself from Dust as he fought to control his blood flow.

“Aren’t you guys supposed to be helping me?” he shouted, probably into an earpiece.

Dust approached the wounded killer, but a figure from the side ran right into him, smashing him against the wall on the other side. He turned to see a grey-skinned man with blue hair standing over him, a huge grin on his face.

“Didn’t see me did you?” he sneered. “Well, I’ve been watching. I was there the whole time, and I could have easily taken you down from the start, but it was a fun watch. Wasn’t it, Dagger Wind?”

“Fun? I’ve lost an eye!” the mercenary shouted at his comrade. “You took your sweet time, Wolfgang! Now it’s your turn. Cover my escape. Where’s Pressure Point?”

“She’s keeping the other one busy,” Wolfgang remarked. “And she’s doing as bad of a job as you are.”

“Pressure Point,” Dagger Wind called on his earpiece. “Get out of there. That’s it for now.”

Dust recovered, readying his blades to fight the newcomer. Wolfgang smiled and drew a short sword.

“Ready,” said the man, widening his grin even more.

He charged at Dust, swinging his sword. Dust countered with his trident blades, catching the sword mid-swing, and with a quick twist, he yanked it out of Wolfgang’s hands. The killer quickly pulled out a dagger, slashing downwards with it. He caught Dust Fencer a little off guard, but Dust dodged most of the slash as it cut into his thigh.

He cringed, but said nothing. He fought back, slashing his blades at Wolfgang. Wolfgang sidestepped one, but got hit in the stomach by the second.

“Huh…” he said as he looked at his wound. “You got me. Looks like this is it for now.”

“I’m not letting you get away,” Dust Fencer told him.

“Sure you are!” Wolfgang smiled.

He pulled a familiar round object from his pocket and threw it on the floor. Dust took a few steps back as smoke enveloped the area. Being trained to fight in the smoke, he quickly pulled his scarf over his mouth and nose. Visibility was limited, but he could still see the shape of Wolfgang making his way away. He chased after the killer, but as he left the smoke, the killer had disappeared anyway.

“Shoot,” he grunted as he looked around to make sure he didn’t miss anything. Realizing he couldn’t do anymore, he contacted Trueshot. “Trueshot, where are you?”

There was a pause, but Trueshot answered. “On my way down. There was another one here. Pressure Point. A wanted killer.”“Yeah, they’re all killers. I guess the Templars must be lacking, hiring these kinds of people to take us down. You all good?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Pressure Point was rather pathetic, but she got away.”

Dust Fencer walked over to see the dead bodies the killers had left behind. Of all the bodies, only two of them were Assassins.

“Who do you suppose these people are?” Dust asked Trueshot, pointing at the other hooded bodies.

“Why did the killers kill them too?”

Trueshot shook his head. “I don’t know. Probably because they enjoy killing. We should head back to HQ. You need to get those wounds looked at. Don’t want you bleeding out on me.”

Dust Fencer wanted to figure this out, but Trueshot was right. He nodded and followed the Stalliongrad Assassin out. The Templars were going to have a lot of explaining to do, hiring these people.

High Noon had left the office early. Lumberjack had sent the killers out, and without them around, High Noon had no job. He headed towards his car, an idea in mind. Perhaps if he could get some information from the Assassins, Mahogany Wood would trust him again. He didn’t tell anyone where he was headed, but if he came back with some fresh information, they wouldn’t mind. As he started the car, something still bothered him. The killers.

Why would the Templars hire such dangerous people if they planned on making the world better?

High Noon just couldn’t place it. Killers didn’t make a world better, they made it worse. Ignoring the rest of his thoughts, he drove off, heading towards the Trottingham highway. If he were to look anywhere for any kind of Assassin activity, it would be Trottingham. Nothing seemed right to him anymore, but it didn’t matter. Perhaps if the Templars accepted him back, it would be better. High Noon just held onto that thought as he drove on.

Chapter 8: High Noon Somewhere in the World

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Frigid Night had met Mirror Match at the entrance to the Trottingham bureau, arriving after her. They had both removed their coats and dressed plainly, just in case they would attract too much attention as they shopped.

Frigid gave plenty of excuses why he was slower than she, but Mirror Match just smiled and laughed, not believing a word of it. They had headed out towards the shopping district of Trottingham, looking for stuff to spend their money on.

“Clothes?” Frigid asked as they walked. “You don’t really need more clothes, do you? I mean, you wear your Assassin garb most of the time, right?”

“I do like to accessorize myself when I can,” Mirror told him.

“Alright,” Frigid said. “It’s your money, I guess. Can’t tell you what not to spend it on.”

“What about you? What are you looking for?”

“I don’t know yet. Maybe furniture.”

Mirror Match stopped in her tracks. “Wait, furniture? Now who’s the weird one?”

Frigid Night shrugged. “You never know when you want to feel more comfortable in your room.”

“Okay,” Mirror said, rolling her eyes, continuing on. "As you said, it's your money."

“Shall we grab some food before we go on?” Frigid asked. “I wouldn’t mind some lunch.”

“Sure,” she agreed. “I could use a burger.”

They continued down the street, heading for the burger place. Frigid could already smell the grilled beef as they neared the place. They were about to walk in when something caught Frigid’s eye.

“Hold on,” he told Mirror Match.

He turned back to look, concentrating his vision until he could see the aura of the passing people. Most of the people glowed blue, but one stood out in the crowds, glowing red.

“There,” he told her, pointing at an orange skinned man wearing a black suit, walking away from their position. “I remember him. High Noon or something. He was the driver I fought with when we took down Hemlock.”

“Well, he’s not after us, is he?” Mirror Match asked. “Let’s just get on with lunch.”

“We should do it,” Frigid said, trying to convince her. “Who knows who he’s looking for? And besides, we’re not wearing our hoods. He’s not going to know who we are.”

Not waiting for an answer, Frigid began tailing the Templar agent. He walked into a crowd of three people, talking about how cool their cars were. Frigid didn’t want to listen to them, but he had to stay in the crowd to get closer to High Noon, so he endured it.

Mirror Match joined him in the crowd, keeping an eye on High Noon as he made his way down the street. “So, boss. What’s the plan? We just tail him all the way?”

“What I was thinking, is to nab him when we get close enough.”

“How do we do that with so many people around?”

“I’ll think of something,” Frigid assured. He dug around in his pockets, finding a pen, and a few crumpled papers. “We could use these. Now… how do you draw the Templar emblem?”

Frigid scribbled a few drawings down on the paper. Mirror Match shook her head for each one. Frigid tried again, drawing something that looked like a triangle, but split up into three segments.

“Not that one too,” she told him. He shrugged and handed her the paper. She took it and traced out the correct one. “This one.”

“Oh yeah!” Frigid said out, hitting himself in the head for forgetting. “How could I have forgotten that? I see it all the time.”

“So what’s the plan, chief?” she asked, watching Frigid Night scribble instructions on the paper. “We just hand this to him?”

“Well… yeah.”

“Oh.”

She handed Frigid Night the paper as he snuck closer to High Noon, finally leaving the crowd of car fans. He casually walked past High Noon, stuffing the piece of paper in the Templar’s hand and walking straight past him. Frigid watched him with his peripheral vision, seeing the cowboy open the paper and look around in every direction before walking down the nearby alley, following the instructions on the piece of paper.

“He bought it,” Frigid told Mirror Match as she caught up to him. She gave him a high five. “Now we just need to ambush him where no one else can see him.”

Frigid went in first with Mirror following closely behind. They didn’t bring their gear with them this time, so they had to be a little more careful, just in case High Noon had a weapon on him.

“Let’s get this done,” Frigid whispered to Mirror, ready for action.

Mahogany Wood turned around in his chair, steepling his fingers together as he braced himself for the news.

“So with all the latest testing, we have come nowhere closer to figuring out the source of the artifact’s energy,” his scientist, Test Tube, briefed.

“And what of the energy the artifact takes from a user?” Mahogany asked, irritated that they still don’t have an answer. “Is there no way to use the artifact without… the fatal side effects?”

Test Tube shook his head. “We still have to figure that part out, but Quantum thinks that we, as normal people, can’t harness the true power of these artifacts.”

“What are you saying?” bellowed Talon. “Normal people?”

Test Tube put his hands together to calm himself. “These artifacts came from somewhere. Quantum thinks that only people from that ‘somewhere’ can use the artifacts to their full power.”

“Nonsense!” Talon said, standing up from his chair and walking to a window. He turned his head to Mahogany. “Does that not sound ridiculous? I mean, it’s almost as ridiculous as me trying to smuggle weapons out of my base, even though I’m one of the highest ranking officers there. More ridiculous, in fact.”

“Ridiculous as that may sound…” Mahogany said. “We have nothing else to go on.”

Cough Drops, another at the meeting, nodded in agreement with the Chairman. “It’s worth a look.”

“I do have to agree with Talon,” Quickdraw, another Templar, added. “Chairman, what if there are no other… ‘higher lifeforms’ out there? It is a possibility that these artifacts were not meant to be controlled so well.”

“No,” Mahogany said, finalizing the conversation. “If we believe that, we might as well give up. Someone out there created this artifact. Whether it is one of us or a celestial being, this artifact can be controlled, and we are going to find out how. Anymore arguments?”

None of the others said anything else, shaking their heads in agreement. They might have more to say, but questioning the Grand Master wasn’t something they should do so openly.

“Good,” Mahogany smiled.

The room remained silent, only to be broken by the shrill of a phone ringing. Mahogany put his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

“Yes?” said the Chairman after putting the phone to his ear. He listened for a while, his face turning into something of rage and shock. “HE WHAT??”

The Chairman had shouted a bit too loud, attracting the attention of the rest of the Templars in the room. He returned to his calm demeanor as he listened to the rest of the report.

“Find him. They couldn’t have taken him far.”

The Chairman hung up, staring at the rest of the Templars until they finally looked away.

He stood up to leave the room, Crescent Wing following swiftly behind him. “This meeting is over.”

Frigid Night and Mirror Match arrived in the infirmary, looking for Dust Fencer.

“There he is,” Mirror pointed, recognizing his fancy yellow hair.

“Dust Fencer!” Frigid called. The seasoned Assassin looked up to see him walking towards him. “Heard you got a few scrapes on you. You’re okay, right?”

“Of course, Frigid,” Dust smiled, giving Frigid a pat on the shoulder. “Just a little flesh wound. Dr. Patch is gonna… patch me up just fine.”

“Good to see you can still make jokes,” Frigid laughed. “But who did all this? I heard two Assassins and two civilians were killed?”

Dust Fencer nodded, wearing a serious expression. “I’m afraid so. Killers. The Templars hired really bad people to take us down.”

“What?” Frigid asked, aghast at the lengths the Templars have taken to make sure they wipe out the Assassins. “Well, Mirror Match and I captured a Templar agent. His name is High Noon. I tangled with him a while ago during the Hemlock mission.”

“Ah, I recall you telling me something like that. Perhaps we can get some answers out of him.”

“I hope so,” Mirror Match nodded. “That was the idea when we took him, but then we heard you guys were back from your mission, so here we are.”

“Well, I will be here a while, so why don’t you supervise the questioning, Frigid? Maybe you can learn something.”

“I’ll get on that,” the young Assassin confirmed. He nodded to Mirror Match and set off. “I’ll see you two later.”

High Noon woke up in a dimly lit room. He tried to move his hands, but they wouldn’t budge. After regaining his surroundings, he realized they were tied behind him to the back of the chair he sat on.

“Where...?” he asked, trying to remember what happened.

Then he remembered. Someone had given him a cryptic paper with the Templar cross, telling him to meet them in the alley. After entering, he remembered the two Assassins showing up behind him. He had recognized the male Assassin as the one who wounded him in Manehattan a year ago. He fought back, but they managed to subdue him and knock him out. High Noon could feel the blood trickling down his head from the lead pipe the Assassin had used. He pulled his hands, trying to break the cable ties that held him down, but even with all his strength, he couldn’t snap them.

A door in front of him opened, revealing two silhouetted forms walking in to join him. After they closed the door, he could see that one of them was the Assassin who wounded him.

“You again!” High Noon shouted, remembering that the Assassin was one of the reasons why Mahogany hated him so much. He struggled against his ties, but still couldn’t break them. “What more do you want to do to me?”

High Noon turned to the other man. He wore a stained white apron and had a thick gray beard.

“Hi there, Templar,” he started. “I hear your name is High Noon. They call me The Auger. I’m here to get some questions out of you today. If you answer everything I need, we will let you go.”

“That’s what they all say,” High Noon said, planning on being defiant. “Well, sorry, but you’ll be getting nothing from me.”

“Perhaps we should use him as leverage,” the other Assassin suggested. “Trade him to the Templars for something else.”

High Noon started laughing, getting the eyes from the two assassins. “Trade me? They probably don’t even care if you kill me. After what you did to me, Assassin… killing Hemlock, they don’t trust me anymore.”

The Auger stepped forward and punched him in the face. “Then you’ll just have to answer our questions.”

“What is your position in the Templars?” the younger Assassin asked.

High Noon remained silent, earning two more punches from The Auger. “Answer his question!”

“Why should I?” High Noon asked.

“Well, there’s a reason I’m called The Auger, boy,” the man said, putting on two plastic gloves. He walked over to the table, looking through his tools. “I have plenty ways to get someone to talk.”

High Noon swallowed a huge amount of saliva. Some tools on the table looked questionable, but dangerous altogether.

“I’m… I’m just a bodyguard,” he finally said.

“Bodyguard, huh?” The Auger said, walking back to him. “Bodyguard for whom?”

“Oak Wood and then Hemlock…” he told them. “But they’re both dead.”

“Yes, I know them,” the young Assassin said. “I’m the one who took them both down.”

High Noon’s eyes widened with anger. At first, he’d thought it was only Hemlock this Assassin had killed, but now, he knew he was the one who killed Oak Wood as well. “You! You’re the one causing all this pain for me! Because of you, the Templars don’t trust me anymore!”

He struggled in the chair, but The Auger just gave him another good punch. “Stop complaining! We just need you to answer the questions.”

“How many killers did you hire?” the white cloaked assassin asked.

“Only three…” High Noon replied. “I know… they’re not… good people, but it wasn’t my idea.”

“Whose idea was it?” The Auger asked demandingly, pushing High Noon back in the chair.

High Noon thought about all of this for a while. If he were to tell them, Mahogany Wood would definitely take him down. If he didn’t tell them, the Assassins would probably take him down. Right now, it looked like it was one or the other.

“Huh…” High Noon sighed. “Mahogany Wood.”

The younger Assassin nodded. “Mahogany Wood. Chairman of the Board of Education. Of course.” He turned to The Auger. “I would suggest we turn him in in exchange for calling the killers off, but he says they won’t care if we kill him.”

“They don’t,” High Noon stressed again. He turned his raging eyes to the Assassin. “Because of you. It’s all your fault that I’m in this situation anyway.”

The Assassin wanted to throw a punch at him, but The Auger stopped him. “No, Frigid Night. Don’t waste that punch. We’ve got just about everything we need out of him. Nothing else we can do.”

“One more thing,” Frigid suggested. He looked at High Noon. “What is this artifact the Templars have?”

High Noon thought about that piece of power. He knew the artifact was something of great power, but he had never seen it personally.

“Truthfully… I don’t know.”

“Really?” The Auger asked slowly, preparing to throw a few more punches at the Templar if he didn’t cooperate.

High Noon continued. “I’ve never seen it in person, but I do know it… drains a lot out of the person who uses it. We’ve had a few cases of… death in the last few years.”

“This artifact…” Frigid asked the senior Assassin. “What do you suppose it is?”

“I don’t know…” The Auger replied, shrugging his shoulders. “But if the data is correct, it is a very powerful weapon, but it seems the Templars have yet to figure out how to use it effectively.”

“That’s good,” Frigid Night agreed. He pointed at High Noon. “What do we do with him? We can’t just let him walk out.”

High Noon lowered his head. He knew they wouldn’t let him go. He’d already seen their place, and he gave them too much information.

“I have an idea,” the Auger said, walking over to his torture tools.

High Noon started panicking as The Auger searched through his tools for the right one. It was then that he felt a piece of metal strike him in the back of the head, and everything went black.

Chapter 9: A Place of Reflection

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High Noon opened his eyes, looking at blurry images of buildings. He got up, but a pain in his head got him back down again. He rubbed his hands on his head to numb the pain, realizing something. His hands were free. He wasn’t dead, but his head felt like it was hit by a train. He rubbed it two more times before trying to get up. He was still a little woozy, but managed to get to his feet. He looked around again. He was in some alleyway with lots of water puddles and trash.

“What…?” he said as he tried to figure out what had happened.

Apparently, after the interrogation, the Assassins just left him here. He checked his pockets. The Assassins had taken his phone, car keys, and gun, but at least left him his lasso. High Noon walked out to the streets, looking for something he could use to get back to the Templars.

“Ah, there you are!” a voice said to his side.

He turned to see Ash Wood, the black haired, and not so business-oriented brother of Mahogany, jog up to him. He was wearing a red and black sports attire, with a little satchel hanging on his side.

“Ash Wood,” High Noon said, thinking the timing was too perfect. “Why are you here?”

“I’ve been looking for you,” the Templar replied. “I saw the Assassins take you, so I followed.”

“You know where their base is?” High Noon asked.

Ash Wood shook his head. “I lost them on the way. Pity.”

“Yeah…” High Noon sighed. He’d thought they’d perhaps found a lead on the Assassins. That would have made the Templars trust him again.

Ash Wood beckoned the cowboy to follow him, leading him to a nearby car. “Let’s get you back. Mahogany would want a few words with you.”

High Noon didn’t like the sound of that, but perhaps he could reason with the Chairman a bit. But then again, the Chairman wasn’t a reasonable person.

“He’s on the move,” Pierce Network confirmed, looking at his phone.

“Great!” Frigid Night cheered. “I knew placing a tracker on that guy would give us a lead.”

“Ssssh!” Pierce hissed, trying to concentrate on the little blip as it moved on his screen. “Where are you going, Templars? What secret places do you have that I can find? You can never hide from the all-seeing Pierce Network. You’re just giving me more things to do.”

“You should get going, Frigid,” Rose Petal told him. “Fire Frenzy will be waiting. You know how he is with waiting. I’ll let Pierce know that he’ll have to brief you once you’re out in the field.”

“Alright,” Frigid said slowly, not excited working with a new partner. “I’ll see you later.”

“Yep,” Rose Petal smiled, waving goodbye to the apprentice.

Frigid got down to the ground floor, thinking about following High Noon. If what the Templar said was true, he sort of felt sorry for the guy. Not being trusted by your own people seemed quite harsh… But that shouldn’t matter right now. Frigid knew what had to be done as he made his way towards the front door.

High Noon sat in the meeting room as he waited for Mahogany Wood to show. Ash Wood had brought him in and told him to wait while he went to fetch his brother.

High Noon felt the anxiety in himself as he awaited whatever Mahogany wanted to do. He had gone and gotten himself captured by the Assassins by a simple trick, and then told them secrets that he probably shouldn’t have told.

Mahogany Wood strolled into the room, followed closely by his faithful bodyguard, Crescent Wing, who has yet to fail him like High Noon has.

“Welcome back, High Noon,” Mahogany started, sitting down in his chair. “Glad to see you are still… alive. Now, what do you have to tell me? What happened?”

High Noon took a long, slow gulp as he thought of what to say. Right now, saying the wrong thing would probably waste his last chance, so he had to be really careful with what came out of his mouth.

“W-well…” he stammered. “I’d thought I’d go to Trottingham. S-see if I c-could find the Assassins, and perhaps… b-bring them in for questioning.”

He looked at the Chairman for approval. Mahogany waved him to continue. “Go on.”

“They… ambushed me. Knocked me out. When I woke up, I found myself in some dark place.”

“And what? The Assassins let you go?”

“Yes, sir.”

Mahogany leaned back and folded his arms. “I find that hard to believe. What did you tell them?”

“I… I didn’t talk…” High Noon said.

Mahogany lifted an eyebrow. “I doubt that.” He looked at Crescent Wing and pointed his head to High Noon. His bodyguard quickly moved forward and drew one of his sabers and pointed it at High Noon’s chin. “I will ask you again. What did you tell them?”

High Noon stared down the blade of the saber to its hilt. Crescent Wing was a master with those two swords. High Noon had seen him train with them and didn’t want to be on the other end of those blades, but here he was. He had made the wrong decision.

High Noon gulped again. “I… t-told them about the artifact.”

Ash Wood narrowed his eyes, but did nothing. Mahogany stood off his chair and stepped towards the cowboy.

“What about the artifact?” he questioned. “What information did you give them?”

“Only w-what I know…” High Noon stuttered. Sweat dripped down his head as Mahogany stared at him, waiting for him to elaborate. “I only told t-them that we still haven’t f-figured out how to… use it properly.”

High Noon waited as the Chairman remained there, staring at him. After a few more seconds, the Chairman returned to his seat and faced him again. “Alright. I believe you. You may go.”

Crescent Wing stepped away from High Noon, sheathed his blade, and returned to Mahogany’s side.

High Noon got up, unsure of what he was to do. “Sorry, sir. I can… go? As in I can leave?”

“Yes…” Mahogany replied. “I thought I was quite clear. You may leave this room. Return to your quarters or something.”

High Noon bowed before walking out through the door. Closing the door behind him, he wiped the sweat off his head. He was surprised at the outcome. Mahogany Wood had been far too lenient about the situation.

“Something’s up,” he told himself as he walked back to his room.

“So what do you think?” Mahogany Wood asked, looking out his window at the bustling roads of Manehattan.

“Say again, brother?” Ash Wood asked, unsure of what Mahogany was talking about.

“High Noon,” he said again. “What do you think we should do? I do believe he’s lived past his purpose. If he continues to live, we might regret it one day.”

“Want me to take care of him, sir?” Crescent Wing asked, taking a bow. “It would be my pleasure to eliminate him for you.”

“Oh, no need, Crescent Wing,” Mahogany said, shaking his head, but still remained looking out the window. “My brother Ash is capable enough to remove this simple man.”

“Of course,” Ash replied, standing up. “It’s what I do. I’ll be in the armory if you need me.”

Ash took a bow and left. Mahogany smiled to himself. High Noon had started out as a good follower, but after failing to protect his brother and sister, the man would soon wish he had never left Appleloosa.

Frigid Night and Fire Frenzy crept along the roofs of Manehattan. The tracker they had placed on High Noon had led them back to the big city as they followed behind.

“He’s leaving the building,” Pierce told the Assassins as they looked at the Board of Education’s building. “He still doesn’t know the tracker’s on him. It means he hasn’t bothered to change his stained clothes or anything. If he thinks he can escape us, then he’s very wrong. We’ll know where he is as long as that tracker’s on him.”

Frigid stopped listening as Pierce Network continued on and on about how Templars and corruption fit together. Frigid spied out the Templar building for signs of the orange skin Templar.

Behind him, his partner tapped him on the back, getting his attention. “Hey, rookie. I think you missed something.”

Frigid turned around. “What is it, Fire Frenzy?”

The orange-skinned Assassin gave him a grin full of white teeth. “Why, your skill of course. It’s right there.”

“Ha ha…” Frigid laughed sarcastically. “Funny.”

“Yeah, well, you new Assassins don’t know your work.”

“Well, give us time, Frenzy,” Frigid tried to tell him. “I mean, even you started somewhere.”

“Sure I did. I was never like you, though. I was way better.”

"Okay."

Eventually, they spotted the Templar wandering down the pavements, heading in the opposite direction Frigid and Fire stood.

“I’ve found him,” Frenzy told Pierce.

“Follow him,” the seasoned hacker ordered. “Find out where he’s going. We want to know who he meets up with, where he hangs out, and what business he's here for.”

Fire Frenzy took a few steps back and sprinted forward, heading straight for the edge of the building. At the last moment, he pushed off the concrete and sailed over smoothly to the next building, landing in a roll. He got up and proceeded to the next building, doing the same. He turned around and beckoned Frigid to do the same, giving him a huge smirk at the same time.

Frigid rolled his eyes and jumped to the next building, running towards Fire Frenzy’s location.
After landing the third time, the Assassin joined Fire Frenzy on the ledge to take a closer look at High Noon. The Templar walked over to a bar, looked around, likely to check for Assassins, then went inside.

“He’s gone inside a bar,” Frigid told Pierce. “Maybe for a drink?”

“Ridiculous,” Pierce replied harshly. “There’s probably a secret Templar base in there. Oh ho, where are you going, Templar? I can see your every move. What do you plan on doing?”

“Yeah, kid,” Fire Frenzy chided. “No way that bar’s just a bar. It’s got to contain some secrets.”

“Should we enter?” Frigid asked, watching the front door in case anything fishy happened.

“I say… yes,” Fire Frenzy said. “Pierce, what do you think?”

“Go on in, but be careful,” Pierce stressed. “You never know what you may find.”

“What do you mean he’s gone?” Mahogany asked angrily.

“As in he’s not in his room,” Ash told him. “I shot through the door and when I opened it, no one was in. A whole waste of bullets, if you ask me.”

“Great…” Mahogany said, putting a hand to his head. “Did he know we were going to kill him?”

“I dunno.” Ash shook his head. “But I can find him. He couldn’t have gotten far.”

“Go,” Mahogany agreed. “I’ll stay here in case he returns.”

Ash reloaded his pistol, throwing the used magazine into a nearby bin. It was a waste, but he never liked to leave out bullets in a magazine. Moving down the hall to the elevator, he pressed the button as he put his pistol back in his shirt holster.

He steeled himself mentally. High Noon might have known about the attempted assassination, so he left. Ash made a note to not underestimate the cowboy. If he knew about the attempt, then he might know about more.

He walked out the front doors of the Board of Education, moving down the street, looking for signs of the man from Appleloosa. Something in front caught his eye. A flash of white scaling down a building.

“What do we have here…?” Ash said to himself.

If there were Assassins here, there had to be a Templar nearby. Taking his chances, Ash Wood hung back and watched the Assassins as they moved across the streets undetected to most people. Seeing his chance, he followed behind them, making sure to keep a safe distance, but also being able to see them. The one in the white coat followed behind a one in a white and red coat, heading towards the local bar. The one in red pushed the door as they both disappeared into the place.

Ash made a long smirk on his face. “Seems I’ve found myself a cowboy and some extras…”

Frigid Night followed behind Fire Frenzy as they entered the bar. Some of the patrons looked at them as they entered, but said nothing about their strange attire.

Fire Frenzy nodded to chairs on one of the sides, leading Frigid over to them. Sitting down, they immediately blended in with the people at the table. People looking at them turned away and soon forgot them.

“Alright, rookie,” Fire Frenzy started, getting Frigid to listen closely. “Seeing as this place is probably a Templar holdout, we’ve got to determine the secrets.”

“Secrets?” Frigid asked.

“Yeah, secrets. You know, information, entrances, all that.”

“Right.” Frigid Night nodded.

He looked around, concentrating on his vision. Most of the people in the bar gave out gray auras, indicating their passiveness. Except one man, seated at the front of the bar, wearing a black suit.

“They’re all harmless,” Frigid told Fire Frenzy.

“Nonsense,” he shook his head. “Your vision must be faulty. Let me see.”

Fire Frenzy concentrated, while Frigid kept his eyes on High Noon. The Templar was just sitting there, having a drink from a long bottle. He had already drained about half of its contents.

“Blimey…” he said in a slow tone. “You’re right. It is just a normal bar.”

“I have my own skills,” Frigid smiled, pulling down on his coat sides.

“Well, don’t let it get to your head, Frigid Night. I’m still more experienced.”

“So what do we do now?” Frigid asked, looking back to High Noon seated at the front. “You said he’d lead us to more Templars here.”

“Well…” Fire Frenzy started, trying to find something smart to say.

A newcomer to the bar caught their attention. It was a man in a red and black sports attire, with a little sling bag at his side.

“We’ve got another one,” Fire Frenzy told Frigid as he sighted down the new guy.

The man in the sports garb opened his side bag and drew out a pistol, pointing it straight for High Noon.

“High Noon!” he shouted, getting the attention of the other patrons. They eyed his firearm, some moving further back into the bar while some others left the bar instantly.

The Templar in front turned around as some of the patrons left. He got off the stool and tried to make his way towards the Templar with the gun, but apparently, he had too much to drink. “Yes…? Ash Wood. How… nice to see you. What’s that you have there?”

“Thought you could escape did you? Well, time for you to get what you’ve deserved after everything you've done.”

High Noon sort of realized what Ash Wood was holding, stopping in his tracks and holding his hands up. “No… don’t do it.”

Frigid couldn’t sit there with all this going on. He got up, against Fire Frenzy’s words, grabbed a beer bottle off a nearby table, and headed for Ash Wood. The Templar looked like he was about to pull the trigger, but turned just in time to see Frigid swing the bottle at his head.

“What?” he instinctively said as he brought his arm up to protect his face.

The bottle smashed against his arm as he aimed his gun under his raised arm. He shot off a round, but Frigid, having seen his gun moving, moved to the side, avoiding the bullet as it flew straight into a picture, cracking its glass covering.

Fire Frenzy got up, getting an idea from the startled looks of the patrons. He put his hands around his mouth and shouted, “Bar fight!”

For a few seconds, no one did anything, but soon, the place was a mess of bodies flinging themselves against each other. That gave Frigid the time he needed to throw a kick at Ash Wood, getting him in the side, knocking him into the weight of another patron.

Frigid watched the Templar’s body getting thrown around in the sea of people as he tried to get back to the Assassin.

“Good job kid,” Fire Frenzy said, patting Frigid on the back. “Although, starting the fight was my idea.”

“Yeah,” Frigid said, looking around. “But where did High Noon go?”

During all the confusion and fighting, High Noon had made his way out the side door, heading straight for the road. He could barely walk in a straight line, but he gave his best to make sure he got there.

“Gotta… go… somewhere,” he muttered to himself as he moved. "Somewhere safe..."

Arriving at the road, he raised an arm, trying to call a taxi as all kinds of cars drove by him. One yellow taxi eventually stopped, waving for him to get in.

“Where to, sir?” the taxi driver asked as High Noon got into the vehicle.

“Appleloosa,” was all High Noon said, closing the door and putting on the seat belt.

The taxi driver nodded and pedaled down the accelerator, speeding the car down the road towards the highway.

Appleloosa was a long drive away, but that gave High Noon plenty of time to clear his thoughts.

Ash Wood had had made his way back to the Board’s building after losing High Noon. He had pounded down most of the patrons, but the Assassins and traitor were nowhere to be found.

“Ah, Ash!” Mahogany said as he saw his brother return. “What news do you have for me? Did you find him?” Ash shook his head, raising an eyebrow from Mahogany. “No?”

“No. He got away. Assassins. They got in my way. Messed up everything.”

“Huh…” the Chairman said, rather disappointed. “You at least took down the Assassins?”

Ash shook his head again. “They started a bar fight. Too many civilians. After I took them all down, the Assassins and High Noon were already gone.”

“Could they have taken him?”

“Perhaps. I can find out.”

Mahogany raised a hand. “It’s fine, brother. Lumberjack will take care of it. He’s downstairs with the killers. I’ll task him to send them out. Perhaps they can canvas the area for the Assassins… and that traitor of an agent. We can’t let him live any longer. High Noon has become a liability, and you know what we do with liabilities.”

“Of course, brother,” Ash nodded. “We have some… cleaning to do.”

“You look better like that, Dagger Wind,” Pressure Point told the wounded killer. “Maybe about twenty-percent cooler?”

“Shut your mouth!” he shouted back, putting a hand to his new eye patch. “Now I can’t see as well as I used to!”

Wolfgang walked up to the man. “Well, you didn’t see very well before anyway. You let a blade take out your eye in the first place.”

Dagger turned to him, daggers in his eyes. “Perhaps if you had helped me, I wouldn’t have lost this eye! You sat in the shadows doing nothing!”

“Yeah, that one I agree with Dagger,” Pressure Point added in. “While we took a beating, you hid in the corner. You only showed up after.”

Wolfgang started laughing, earning strange looks from the others. “Oh, you have no idea. I did do something. I watched. I analyzed. I studied. A true tactician knows his enemy’s moves.”

“So you’re staying you can beat them?” Pressure Point asked, challenging the gray-skinned man.

“Of course!” Wolfgang smirked. “I’ve learnt quite a bit of their tactics and skills. I can take them with one eye closed.”

“Hey!” Dagger Wind shouted, taking a step forward. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Oh nothing,” Wolfgang said, turning away. “I’m just saying I have two eyes, and I can fight with one closed.”

“Well, let me take that other eye then!”

Dagger Wind ran at Wolfgang, but a hand in front of him stopped him.

“Save all that energy for the Assassins,” Lumberjack said, moving his form in front of Dagger Wind. “You’ve got more friends to play with.”

The three killers turned to see two more people, coming to join them. Both of them were female. One of them wore a red jacket and a few pouches with explosive markings on them, and the other wore a flame pattern t-shirt and had a flamethrower slung over one shoulder.

“New friends huh?” Wolfgang asked, stepping forward to inspect the new killers. “Seems to me these two like to play with fire.”

“That’s right,” the one in red said. She gave a formal bow. “The name’s Volatile, and I do love to play with explosives.”

Pressure Point took a look at her. “You sure do.”

The second newcomer stepped forward and shook each of their hands. “And my name’s Smokey Flames! Glad to meet you all!”

"Volatile and Smokey Flames here are ex-military," Lumberjack briefed. "Just like you, Dagger Wind. They've sold themselves to resurgence forces in Maretonia and such. Now, we Templars have bought their expertise, so here they are."

"Sounds like them fancy types." Wolfgang tossed his knife up and let it clatter to the floor behind him.

"Good to have more of you with military background, unlike some of these other... barbarians." Dagger Wind eyed Wolfgang.

“Y’all ready to get back out there and make trouble for the Assassins, then?” Lumberjack asked, excited to see the five of them out there, tearing down the hooded people.

“We sure are,” Pressure Point guffawed. “It’s payback time! And this time, they get the chance to play with fire!”

Wolfgang nodded, heading to his personal stash of weaponry. He had sure to get out there, suited for the right circumstances each time. “You ready for more killing, Dagger Wind?”

Dagger whistled, calling Aero down from his perch. “Course I am. You ready… Wolfey?”

Wolfgang gritted his teeth together. “Come on now. Don’t call me that. It makes me sound soft and weak.”

Dagger Wind formed a little smile on the side of his mouth. “Good. Just the way I like it.”

Volatile was the first to move for the staircase, pulling out what looked like a little piece of clay to play with. “Let’s get on with it! I wanna blow some stuff up! Especially these Assassins you keep telling me about.”

“Yeah, why not?” Wolfgang agreed. He equipped a switchblade and a few throwing knives. “The faster we start, the more people we get to kill.”

With everything settled, the five killers made their way up, ready to do what they do best.

Chapter 10: An Explosive Bet

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Frigid Night and Fire Frenzy returned to the bureau, unsure of what to tell the Mentor.

“Alright, here’s the deal,” Fire Frenzy started on the way. “You lost the Templar while I tried to fight my way through dozens of drunken patrons.”

“That doesn’t sound any bit true…” Frigid speculated. “Maybe we just tell her the truth.”

Fire Frenzy scoffed at the idea, but didn’t have any better ideas to use, so they stuck with the truth in the end.

They arrived outside the Mentor’s office, debating on who should knock first.

“You knock, Frigid. You’re the newbie.”

“I’m an apprentice now actually…”

“Same thing. Go on. Knock.”

Frigid conceded. He headed to the door and rapped on it with his knuckles. After a few seconds, the door opened, revealing the Mentor’s lieutenant, sturdy and strong like always.

“Star Lance,” Frigid said. “We’re back from the mission. We’re here to report to Mentor.”

“Course you are,” Star Lance said with a low tone. “Well, come inside.”

The Mentor’s office was a lot smaller than Frigid Night remembered, although he chalked that up to his prior inexperience. The room was warm and well-lit by an electric chandelier, with pieces of antique furniture arranged elegantly to make the best of the confined space. Setting foot onto the plush red carpet, the two Assassins bowed as the Mentor stood up from her desk and approached them.

“Mentor,” Fire Frenzy called. “We’ve got information on the Templar we’re following.”

“High Noon,” Frigid added in. “That’s his name.”

“Right. Anyway, we followed him to a bar that we suspected was a Templar outpost. After conducting research, we found it was just a regular bar. The Templar, High Noon, was only there for a drink.”

“He was being hunted.” Frigid budged in. “By his own people. One of the Wood family, Ash Wood, was trying to kill him.”

“Did he succeed?” the Mentor asked.

Fire Frenzy shook his head. “No, Mentor. He… got away in the chaos. Frigid Night here attacked Ash Wood. I created a fight for Frigid’s safety, but both Templars escaped.”

The Mentor gave little reaction to their report, as though they had stopped by to tell her of the weather outside. Frigid Night’s attention was drawn to her hair, which sparkled and shone with myriad shades of purple, more colourful than anyone he had ever seen. Even under the hood, he could tell she was far more elegant than even those actresses, like the rising star, Ebony Wings, that Mirror Match criticized when they had gone to the mall.

Realizing that he was probably staring and being rude, Frigid redirected his eyes to the other side of the room, where a wall of bookshelves acted as a backdrop to a magnificent four-poster bed, separated from the rest of the room by beautifully painted dividers.

“Good work,” the Mentor said at last. “You may go.”

Star Lance stepped forward, beckoning for them to leave. “You heard her. She’s got things to do. You best be off.”

Frigid Night followed Fire Frenzy out as Star Lance closed the door behind them.

“Not bad kid,” Fire Frenzy said. “But you shouldn’t stare at the Mentor like that. It’s a bit rude, don’t you think? You don’t want to make her mad. And besides, you have Mirror Match already."

“Yeah, sorry,” the apprentice said, scratching his head. “It’s just… her hair’s different. It’s… wow. You know? Is she even human?”

Fire Frenzy patted him on the shoulder before walking off. “Well, she is the Mentor. She’s on a different level anyway.”

Unable to do anything at the moment, Frigid set off, deciding to look for Mirror Match. Over the year, he’d grown closer to his partner. Without her, he felt he was missing something.

Maybe she’s done something more interesting.

“Yo, Spectral,” Frigid called, finding the first person he could.

Spectral Rim was an Assassin from Trottingham as well, being here six years longer than Frigid had. She had turquoise hair with pale yellow streaks in it, tied up into a braid. She was one of the few female Assassins who decided to wear skirts instead of pants, the reason being that it was easier to run in them.

Frigid didn’t deny that, but having a skirt also meant showing more skin.

Spectral Rim turned around to see the young Assassin walking up to her. “Frigid Night. What is it you need?”

“Just wondering if you’ve seen Mirror Match.”

"Miss your partner, huh?" Spectral put a hand to her chin as she thought. She widened her eyes and smiled as she remembered. “She’s in the library. Dust Fencer sent her there for some learning into the old texts.”

“Ah… alright. Thanks.”

Frigid headed towards the library. He remembered when Dust Fencer made his read up on the Assassin history. It wasn’t something he wanted to do again. Dust Fencer had to wake him three times as he learnt up his history.

The apprentice approached the main doors of the library. Stepping into the huge hall of the library, Frigid remembered what a magnificent collection of books the Assassins had. There were three floors, with shelves outlining the walls along the corner, and some shelves in the middle, separated by little aisles where they could pick out the books they wanted to read. On each floor, there were tables for the Assassins to sit at, after picking out something to read.

Frigid quickly found Mirror Match, seated at one of the tables on the first floor, a pile of books in front of her. She had yet to notice him, so he snuck around her, careful not to make too much noise in the quiet library. Approaching from behind, he pushed forward as fast as he could, earning a yelp and a jump from his partner.

She turned around, see who it was. “Frigid Night! What do you think you’re doing?”

Her volume earned her a “Shhh!” from the other Assassins trying to read.

“Sorry,” Frigid whispered, but couldn’t keep the smile off his face. “You’re an Assassin. You’re supposed to know when someone’s sneaking up on you.”

She puffed her face at him. “Well, you’re an Assassin. You’re supposed to be able to sneak up on people.”

“Guess we know who the better Assassin is, right?” Frigid chuckled.

“Oh, shut your mouth, Frigid!” she said, but started laughing.

He pulled over a chair and sat next to her. “So… how’s the history lesson coming along?”

“Huh…” she sighed, letting out some air. “Not… what I hoped it’d be like.”

“Ha,” Frigid said, checking out the books she took. “Well, I felt like that when Dust made me learn up on the history. I told him, ‘we don’t need to learn history! What matters is what we do in the field.’ Of course, it didn’t spare me from the books I had to read.”

“Yeah,” she agreed. “This doesn’t seem very necessary… It’s given that we should already know Assassin history, right?”

“Well, not exactly, but he did say that it’ll come in handy one day.”

“I’m sure it will…” she sighed. “Well, I hope that day’s soon. Otherwise it feels like I’m wasting away here.”

“It’s just about dinner time,” Frigid told her. “How about we take a break and get some food?”

“Like old times huh?” she smiled, closing the book she was reading. “Sure. But first, help me put all these back.”

High Noon woke up, dazed and confused. He turned to look around, getting a splitting pain all over his head. He grabbed for it before realizing where he was. He was in a toilet cubicle. His vision was still blurry, but he could make out the white throne he sat on and the thin walls on his sides, with a similar one as a door in front of him.

“Hmm…?” he muttered, wiping his face with the palm of his hand.

He didn’t remember going to a restroom. High Noon tried to get up, but as he tried to move to the door, his vision started swaying, sending him crashing to the ground.

“Ugh…” he gasped as he fought to stand up.

Last he remembered, he was sitting in a bar drinking. He had disappointed Mahogany too many times. He remembered Mahogany’s brother, Ash, pointing a gun towards him. Then he remembered walking out of the bar, but that was it.

“Must have gone to the toilet to relieve my stomach,” he assumed.

High Noon rubbed his head again, trying to steel himself from the pain. Eventually, he found the strength to get up. He stood up and wobbled for a bit before undoing the lock of the toilet cubicle. He walked out slowly into the white floors of the toilet, keeping his hands on the cubicle walls to stop himself from falling again. He made his way over to the nearest sink. He turned the tap on, cupped some water in his hands, and dipped his face into his hands, feeling the coolness of the water calm him down. High Noon turned off the tap and stared at himself in the mirror. He looked like he hadn’t slept in days, but it might very well have been the opposite.

Feeling more refreshed after the wash, High Noon slowly made his way towards the toilet exit, opening the door into familiar surroundings. There was a single straight, broad road leading past a row of buildings on either side of it. Desert surrounded the town, sand and tumbleweed swishing along the roads as the strong winds blew. High Noon knew exactly where he was.

“What am I doing back in Appleloosa?”

“That’s it, huh?” Frigid asked her as he took another bite of his steak.

“Yeah!” she yelled with laughter. “Didn’t you know? Silent Frame always talks about it.”

“Well… I haven’t really talked to her,” Frigid told her. Silent Frame was one of those Assassins that seemed to prefer books over people.

“You should!” Mirror said, finishing up the last of her dinner. “She’s a nice person.”

“Sounds like it.”

“How’d your mission go with Fire Frenzy?” she asked. “I know he doesn’t take to new Assassins very well.”

“Yeah…” Frigid nodded, finishing his steak. “He doesn’t trust in my ability very much, although, it did seem that he’s starting to learn what I can do.”

“That’s a start!” Mirror smiled. She stood up, ready to take her empty plate away. “Ready to go?”

“Hold up,” Frigid said, picking up his cup and draining its contents in a gulp. “Alright. I’m ready.”

They picked up their plates and cups and headed for the sink. Being Assassins and all, they didn’t have cleaners around to wash up after them, so they had to wash the utensils themselves.

“So, what are you going to do now?” she asked. “I was going to head to the cinema or something. Catch a movie.”

“This late?” Frigid asked as he scraped the sauce off his plate.

“Yeah,” Mirror nodded. “No big deal. As long as they don’t need us to do anything. Want to come with?”

Frigid thought about it as he finished washing up his plate, moving on to his knife and fork. He had wanted to spend some time with his partner. “I don’t see why not.”

“Awesome!” she screeched happily. “We can head there after we finish washing up.”

“Alright, but in our Assassin gear?”

“It’s late, and the cinema is dark. No one’s gonna notice a couple of hoods in there.”

“Fine by me,” Frigid replied, finally finishing the washing process. “And if any Templars show up, we’ll be ready for them.”

“Yes we will,” she smiled.

After putting their food items in their proper baskets, Frigid Night and Mirror Match headed out the front door, walking down the street towards the cinema. They kept their hoods down, just in case they drew too much attention.

“Well, you don’t look all that suspicious,” Frigid told her as they walked, seeing as her coat looked like any other coat that people wear. He looked back at his. His coat had two tactical pockets on his chest for easy access to smoke bombs and knives. “Mine doesn’t look so… normal.”

“No sweat, Frigid. Nobody’s going to pay attention to two pockets.”

“I’m hoping so,” he said, wanting to agree with her.

The night was quiet. Few people walked the streets, probably heading home before it got too late. A few cars drove by them every few minutes, speeding down the streets to who knows where.

Suddenly, a movement caught Frigid’s eye, turning his head towards the darkness of one of the rooftops.

“Did you see that?” he asked, suddenly tensed.

“See what?” she asked, looking around the streets.

Frigid stared harder at the rooftops, waiting for something to move, but nothing happened. “Hmm… thought I saw something. On one of the rooftops.”

“Might be the shadows playing tricks on you,” she chuckled.

Frigid was about to believe that, but being an Assassin, he was ready for the possibilities. It was then that he felt the wind move above his head. Frigid quickly pushed Mirror Match towards one of the buildings to her shock, before he moved to the side. An eagle flew past them, slashing its claws at the air.

“What?” Mirror Match said in surprise. “Are we being attacked?”

“I believe so,” Frigid warned as he readied for the eagle to attack again. “That belongs to Dagger Wind. Ex-military turned mercenary. He keeps a pet eagle, trained to kill as well.”

“So that was his…” she speculated. She pulled out her dagger and got her stance ready.

“Able to dodge like that…” a voice said from a nearby alcove. “You’ve got to be an Assassin.”

Dagger Wind stepped out from the alcove, calling his eagle back down to his arm. “You tried, Aero. Good enough.”

Frigid saw that the eye patch over his right eye was a new accessory.

“Nice eye patch,” he said, trying to taunt Dagger Wind. “Did we give that to you?”

Dagger Wind’s face instantly grew red as he burned with anger. “Don’t talk about the eye!”

He quickly pulled out his two SMGs and pointed them at Frigid and Mirror. Frigid opened his pocket and threw a smoke bomb down, engulfing the immediate area in smoke.

“What?” Dagger Wind shouted through the smoke. “Do you think this will help you?”

Frigid Night quickly directed Mirror Match away as the first SMG bullets started pelting the floor around them. They managed to get out unscathed, but devised a plan to get to a better location to take down the mercenary.

“We should get to higher ground,” Mirror Match told her partner. “Then it’ll be all over for him.”

“Agreed. Why not this building.”

Frigid pointed to the red building next to them, showing her a ladder that led to the bottom of a fire escape.

“Perfectly placed,” Mirror nodded and ran for the ladder.

Frigid followed behind her, jumping for the ladder as soon as she reached the fire escape. She helped him up the last rung as they both continued up the fire escape. The metal stairs led them to the roof of the building, allowing them to look down at the smoke and the mercenary.

Mirror proceeded forward, but Frigid stopped her just in time.

“What?” she asked. “Why’d you stop?”

He smiled at her, even though there were killers after them. “You gotta watch your footing.”
He pointed down, revealing to her a faint red laser, leading from one end of the roof, to a little rectangular piece of clay.

“Explosives…” she realized.

“Look out!” Frigid shouted, getting her to run forward as a round metal object landed at their feet.
Frigid Night grabbed Mirror Match and leapt behind a condenser as the grenade exploded, taking out the plastique along with a chunk of the roof.

“Some people aren’t going to be happy…” Mirror Match muttered, eyeing the destruction. “Anyway, thanks for the save, Frigid.”

“Still alive, Assassins?” a voice called from beyond their cover.

Mirror Match looked over the condenser, seeing a woman in a red jacket approaching their location, a few plastic explosives in her hands.

“I’ve got more to give!” the woman shouted, looking around for the hooded Assassins.

She ducked back down behind the condenser. “She’s got more explosives.”

Frigid shook his head. “High Noon didn’t mention anything about this woman. She must be new.”

“Or… he was lying.”

Frigid shook his head again. “Strange enough, I trust him. I’m not sure what it is, but I feel like I know he’s telling the truth.”

“If you say so,” Mirror Match told him. “But what are we going to do about Ms. Explosives here?”

Frigid looked around for anything they could use to distract the bomber. If he could distract her for a few seconds, he could get to her position without her noticing and take her out.

He was about to suggest something to Mirror Match when he felt claws slash his head.

“Frigid!” Mirror shouted a warning, but a little too late.

Frigid grabbed for Aero as the eagle slashed at his exposed head, drawing blood from the top of his scalp.

“Yeowch!” he shouted as he fought the bird above his head.

He unsheathed both his hidden blades and stabbed towards the bird. He missed the first two times before Aero flew off into the night, leaving him holding his head, trying to stop the blood flow.

“That eagle sure cut deep,” Mirror Match told him as she inspected his head.

“Thanks, Dagger!” the woman shouted. “I’ve got their position now.”

Mirror Match heard a thunk as another grenade landed at their feet. This time, she grabbed Frigid and ran as fast as she could, while pulling him, to the next piece of cover. She got halfway to a chimney before the grenade exploded, taking out the condenser and propelling them a few inches forward.

“Almost gotcha, Assassins!” the woman continued to taunt. “I’ve got more where that came from! No one survives Volatile! She’s way too… volatile! Ha!”

Mirror looked at Volatile from behind cover again, checking just how many explosives she still had. Under her jacket, she had two sashes of charges all along her body, and a belt full of grenades around her waist.

“She’s right,” Mirror told her partner. “She’s got waaaay more.”

“Perfect,” Frigid smiled, pulling his hood over his head to stop the blood from dripping down his face. “I’ve got just the plan. Either we need fire… or we have to be very lucky.”

Mirror Match checked her pockets, finding nothing that produced fire or anything similar. “I haven’t got any fire.”

“Looks like we’ll have to be lucky then.”

Frigid leaned out to judge the distance between Volatile and themselves. She stood about ten feet away, readying another grenade to throw at them.

He ducked back behind cover and quickly explained his plan to Mirror before Volatile lobbed the explosive towards them. Mirror Match agreed to his plan as they sprinted in different directions from their cover. The grenade exploded behind them as they got to separate sides of Volatile.

“I see Aero!” Mirror Match warned from her side.

“Got it!” Frigid acknowledged, looking to the skies for the dreaded eagle to swoop back in.

Frigid made a dash for Volatile as Aero swooped in, its claws aiming straight for the red stained hood on Frigid’s head. Frigid turned around and slashed his hidden blade at the bird as its claws reached his head. He cut a gash across the eagle’s legs, forcing a screech from it as it flew off unsteadily.

“Aero!” he heard the anguished scream of Dagger Wind, realizing his pet was wounded.

He returned his attention to Volatile, whom Mirror Match had gotten the attention of while he took on Aero.

“Here’s some more!” the killer shouted as she threw another grenade to Mirror Match’s location.

Mirror had turned Volatile away from Frigid. Seeing his chance, Frigid made a straight line towards the explosive woman, unsheathing both hidden blades as he approached her. Right as he jumped at her to deal the final blow, she turned around, noticing the change of wind. She ran towards him, crouched, and pushed up with her hands, knocking the aerial Assassin off balance. Frigid struggled to control his landing as he fell in front of Volatile.

“Thought that would work, huh?” she taunted, kicking him in the side, sending him sprawling to the ground.

Frigid clutched at his side, but managed to show her what he held in his other hand. Grenade pins.

Realization dawned on Volatile as she checked her belt. Two grenade pins were missing, and she still had a ton of explosives on her.

“That’s right,” Frigid smiled, getting as far away from her as he could.

Without another word, Volatile ignited in a huge firestorm of an explosion, taking out a whole portion of the roof.

Mirror walked over to Frigid and helped him up. “Nice work, Frigid. That was pretty cool. You doing alright?”

Frigid gave her a high five. “Just need to catch my breath.”

“We really should head back. I’m sure the cops are on their way now. And we don’t want any angry residents getting a good look at us.”

“Where’s Dagger Wind?”

“I think I saw him run off after you wounded Aero.”

Frigid nodded and smiled. “Alright. That takes care of this. We better go.”

Mirror helped him stand as they made their way back to the bureau. “Looks like we’ll have to catch that movie some other time.”

Wolfgang watched the fire from the shadows of a nearby tree. Once again, he had learnt much from watching the Assassins instead of engaging them. Sure, some people like Dagger Wind didn’t agree with his methods, but they would soon prove to be useful.

“Too bad for Volatile…” he muttered to himself as he stood up to leave.

“Wolfey,” Dagger Wind called on the radio. “Where are you?”

Wolfgang gritted his teeth as he heard the word ‘Wolfey’. He looked around for Dagger Wind, seeing him right below the tree he was hiding in. “Right above you, Dagger.”

Dagger Wind looked up as Wolfgang dropped down, smiling to himself as he startled the mercenary. All he got was a punch from Dagger.

“What was that?” Wolfgang demanded as he rubbed his cheek.

Dagger Wind walked to the downed killer menacingly. “Once again, you did nothing while we fought! Aero got hurt because of you!”

“I’m sure you’re used to your bird getting wounded,” Wolfgang told him. “I mean, he couldn’t have survived all these years without injury, yes?”

“But you could have prevented that injury!” Dagger Wind barked back, pulling out one of his SMGs on the killer.

Wolfgang eyed the gun, and then eyed the man wielding it. “You think this gun’ll help you, Dagger Wind?”

“Try me.”

Wolfgang was about to pull out his knife, but the entrance of Smokey Flames and Pressure Point stopped his hand.

“What’s all this nonsense going on?” Pressure Point asked demandingly. She looked to both of them. “You two fighting again?”

“This… imbecile just refuses to join the fight!” Dagger Wind shouted, pointing his SMG at Wolfgang. “Because of him, Aero is injured.”

“Well, where is he now?” Smokey asked.

Dagger pointed to a tree with his other hand. “There. I bandaged him up, but it could have been avoided!”

“As I have been telling Dagger,” Wolfgang said to the two females. “It’s not like I’m doing nothing. I’m studying my prey.”

“You!” Dagger Wind started again, but Smokey Flames stepped in front of him and knocked him down.

“Stop!” she shouted, turning to Wolfgang as well. “We’re meant to kill the Assassins! Not each other. Not yet anyway. We should head back and give Lumberjack the news. He’ll be happy to know that we killed two more Assassins.”

“At least you got something,” Wolfgang continued. “Dagger Wind and Volatile didn’t.”

“Please, Wolfgang,” Smokey said. “Don’t start again.”

“Alright, alright.” He surrendered. “Let’s just get back and get the reports over with. I’ll settle this with you, Dagger Wind, when all this is done.”

“Frigid, Mirror! You’re both fine!” Dust Fencer said, approaching the two Assassins as they returned through the front doors of the bureau. “I heard about the attack from Star Lance. Nice to see you two handled yourselves alright.”

“Well, I did,” Mirror told him, giving him a big smile. “Frigid here got himself some injuries. I’m taking him straight to Dr. Patch.”

“That’d be a good idea.” Dust Fencer agreed as he checked out Frigid’s head wounds. “Who knows what else that eagle might have clawed.”

“Frigid!” he heard Rose Petal shout.

He turned to see the red haired Assassin walking towards him, giving him a wave. “You alright?”

“Yeah, no big deal. It’s just a flesh wound.”

“That’s my boy!” she cheered. She reached for his head to mess with his hair, but stopped inches from it as he recoiled from her.

“Watch the head, remember?” Frigid reminded her.

“Right sorry,” Rose smiled. She opted to give him a hug before leaving. “Take care of yourselves.”

“Time for the doctor for you, partner,” Mirror Match said as she brought him over to the medic station.

Dr. Patch treated his wounds, spraying some disinfectant. Frigid Night flinched as the spray touched his open wounds, but it was for the better. After cleaning it and adding a little stitching, the doctor bandaged it up and let Frigid go. To Patch, injuries were just day to day experiences. After all these years, she’d already treated hundreds of Assassins.

“Thanks, doc,” Frigid grinned. “Good to have you around the bureau.”

“Anytime, apprentince. You two take care.”

“We should really get back to training,” Frigid suggested. “We haven’t done so in a while. I let that eagle catch me off guard.”

“Good idea, Frigid,” she nodded. “Training’s always good. But… you're hurt. You should rest.”

“Of course,” Frigid said. “But I really need to work on my skills if we are ever to reach the rank of Master Assassin.”

“Do you think we’ll ever get there?” Mirror asked. “It’s a long way to go.”

“Think positively!” Frigid nudged her.

With that said, Mirror walked Frigid to his room. If they were going to take down the Templars and get the artifact, they were going to need to get much better, but a little rest never hurt anyone.

High Noon had wandered around Appleloosa, trying to remember what he was doing back in his hometown. He didn’t even know why he woke up in the toilet, but he did realize his wallet was a little short on money. He decided it best to head home. Since he was in Appleloosa, he might as well visit his old place.

“High Noon? That you?"

High Noon turned around to see an old friend with light orange hair, sporting a Stetson on his head.

“Braeburn?” High Noon asked, getting a nod from his friend.

“Where’d ya been, partner? Ah’d thought ya’d left fer the big city! And just what happened to that accent o’ yours?”

“Well, being in the city has probably changed the way I talk,” High Noon started. “Anyway, this morning, I found myself back here.”

“Well now, perhaps you’ve had a bit too much to drink?”

“Perhaps…” High Noon remembered. “I remember drinking a little.”

“Well, glad to have ya back in Appleloosa!” Braeburn cheered. Suddenly, he looked like he remembered something. “Oh yeah, Noon! Ya left yer hat here. Ah was thinkin’ about gettin’ it to ya, but ah guess ah never did get around to it.”

“Thanks for the thought,” High Noon told his friend. “I think I ought to head back there now.”

“C’mon,” Braeburn told him, walking a few steps ahead. “Ah’ll walk with ya. Good time to do some catchin’ up, you think?”

Chapter 11: One for the Money

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"So High Noon managed to get home safely..." Twilight Sparkle smiled. "That's nice. I take it he doesn't stay there, though, seeing as he was with you Assassins later."

"Oh, he does. For quite some time too," Morning Blade said with a nod. "I wish he could've continued on and lived a good long life, but I guess things were just meant to be."

"Yeah, I'm sorry about it all, Morning." Twilight patted the ex-Assassin's arm. "Perhaps we should've checked if Sombra truly was vanquished."

"None of this is your fault, princess. Don't worry yourself. It's all in the past. There's nothing we can do about it now. High Noon and the others... they're all in a better place now, away from all this violence and death."

"I'm sure they are." Twilight nodded and looked down at her notes.

"Well, back to the story, princess." Morning flipped the page of her book. "I'm missing some information here again, but that only means nothing important happens for a while. Ready for the next bit?"

"Go for it, Morning Blade," Twilight said as she gripped her pencil.

Six months later

“Redwood,” Mahogany called as he sat on his chair, looking out the window at the busy city of Manehattan.

“Yes, brother, what do you need?” the red-brown skinned brother of the Grand Master asked.

“The shipment has arrived. I need you to collect it. After everything that’s happened, with our brethren being killed, the Silver Smile Casino closing down, and that traitorous High Noon betraying us… I need someone I can trust. And I know I can trust family.”

“Right on it, Mahogany. I’ll get my guys together and get the shipment right on back.”

“Right,” Mahogany nodded. “We’ll need that money. Make sure it all gets back here.”

“No sweat, Mahogany. I’ll make sure to kill any Assassins we meet.”

“News flash, Assassins.” Pierce Network stood in the center of the meeting room, pointing at the objectives with his baton. “We’ve had reports from our field Assassins that the Templars have a huge shipment of money coming in. It’ll be stopping in the Manehattan docks tonight. We’ll need three groups of Assassins for this. The first group will clear the outer perimeter of patrols. The second group will enter the ship and find the money. You either take it, or burn it. The third group will find the Templar supervisor there. We’ve had reports that Redwood himself is overseeing the shipment. This would be a good chance to cripple the Wood family even more. If these Templars think they’re getting that money tonight, then they’re in for a big surprise. They think that just because they have money, they have the right of control? Well, we’re about to show them otherwise.”

“Did you get all that?” Frigid asked Mirror Match, seated beside him.

“Roughly,” she shrugged.

Star Lance got up and headed to the front as Pierce went back to his seat.

“Assassins,” he began. “It is important we stop this shipment here. If we cut off the Templar’s sources of income, we’d be limiting their operations drastically. Without money, they lose resources. Without resources, they become sloppy. This is the chance we’ve been waiting for! This is how we’re splitting you up. Rookies will take the perimeter. The rest will take the insides, either taking out the money or finding Redwood.”

“Guess we’re outside?” Frigid speculated.

“Sparkplug will lead the Assassins to get rid of the money,” Star Lance continued. “Dust Fencer will lead the other Assassins to take down Redwood. Anymore questions?”

Star Lance waited for anyone to speak up. No one objected or said anything, so he dismissed them.

“Remember. Return here by five. We’ll start then.”

The sun had set in the docks of Manehattan, casting a shadow across the dirty waters of the city, providing the Assassins with some cover as they headed for the Templar shipment.

Frigid Night followed Mirror Match, along with two of the new rookies, Wreckhouse and Tangent, towards the edge of the pier. Silently slipping into the dark waters, the four Assassins slowly made their way towards the docks where the Templar vessel was docked. Frigid looked up a few times as his head left the water, spying two guards patrolling the walkway near the ship. They swam as soundless as they could, while using bigger movements to cover the distance faster.

Tangent was the first to arrive at the edge of the docks. She quietly climbed the wooden supports, hanging just below one of the guards. She leapt up the last few beams, and with a quick stab forward, her hidden blade found its way into the guard’s back. She pulled back as she dropped back down to the lower beams, dragging his body with her, sending it splashing down into the murky water.

“Nicely done, Tangent,” Mirror whispered to the novice, moving up to join her on the wooden supports.

Frigid Night and Wreckhouse moved up to the beams as Mirror Match and Tangent climbed up onto the platform. They hid behind crates as the second guard returned from his patrol, looking for his friend. Frigid gave a quick whistle, getting the guard’s attention. The man walked over to their location behind the crates. He turned the corner, getting a full second to contemplate what the hooden people were doing there, just before Wreckhouse brought his hammer down on the guard’s head. Even through the helmet, Frigid was sure he heard the crack of bone as the man fell into the water below.

“Can’t say I agree with that weapon,” Frigid mused. “But… effective.”

“O’ course!” Wreckhouse added. “Hammers are awesome!”

“Let’s move,” Frigid continued, leading the way forward towards the ship. “We’ll have the clear the perimeter for the others to infiltrate the ship.”

One more guard patrolled the next immediate area before the ship. Frigid Night pulled out a throwing knife and took his time to aim. With a flick of his wrist, the knife flew and found itself in the man’s back. He fell forward and stopped moving. Frigid and Mirror headed forward as Wreckhouse hid the body.

“There.” Mirror pointed to the entrance to the ship. Two guards stood at the start of the walkway.

“We’ll just need to deal with them. Then the other two teams can enter.”

“Right.” Frigid nodded.

Without warning, the apprentice left his cover and made a dash straight for the two guards. They turned to see who was approaching to see a white blur racing towards them. The guards got into shooting position, but Frigid was already there. He ran in between the guards and stretched out his arms to his left and right, unsheathing his hidden blades. The blades sunk right into the flesh of the guards’ necks as they struggled to realize they were both hit.

“Clear.” Frigid signalled on his earpiece to the other two leaders as the two guards fell at his feet. He turned to his team. “Time for us to clear this up.”

“The rookies have done it.” Sparkplug turned to his team. He pulled up his white hood. “Our turn.”

“Alright team, let’s move out!” Dust Fencer echoed, pulling up his hood as well.

Sparkplug led his team off the building they were standing on, leaping off into a big blue dumpster down at the docks. The others followed down behind him, landing one after the other as they proceeded to the ship. They ran past the rookies as they headed through the walkway of the ship. Dust Fencer gave Frigid Night a high five as he past him. Arriving at the deck, Sparkplug led his team towards the shipping containers while Dust Fencer led the others towards the helm, where Redwood would most likely be. Pierce Network broke off from Sparkplug’s group, heading for the security room.

The rest of the team stopped behind one of the crates, spying a few cameras surveying the area.

“All you, Pierce,” Sparkplug said to the hacker on his earpiece.

“On it,” Pierce replied. He headed towards the door of the security room. “Sparkplug needs those cameras gone. It’s my job to do just that. Time to see what they have behind this door.”

He tapped on his phone, deactivating the lock mechanism for the door. The guard inside swung around as he heard the door open, but got a baton to the head twice before going down.

“I’m in,” Pierce alerted. “You’re good to go, Sparkplug.”

“Right.” Sparkplug acknowledged.

Pierce pulled his hood off his cap before taking a seat in the chair and spying his team from the camera screens. They were making progress, but he still had to determine which containers contained the money. He brought up the manifest on the screen and tapped away on the keyboard, trying to determine which containers were the right ones.

“Let’s see where you’re hiding all that money, Templars,” he said to himself, his fingers flying across the keyboard. “I’m going to make sure you never get any of it. Not even one note.”

He brought up different files on the screen, speed reading each one to learn more about the Templar shipment.

“The Templars have brought in things from all across the world…” Pierce began to say to himself as he learned the contents of the shipping containers. “Gold bars, fast cars, antique furniture, weapons… and lots of money. They think that material wealth is everything in the world. These Templars have lost their integrity long ago.”

He spied two guards heading towards Dust Fencer’s team. He quickly warned the Assassins before locking the doors behind the guards, preventing more guards from entering, and also preventing their escape. He witnessed the guards walk straight into the group of Assassins. Dust Fencer and Trueshot jumped the guards, taking both of them down with their hidden blades. They hid the bodies before moving on.

Pierce switched cameras, having a look at what the rookies were up to. They seemed to be doing well, clearing out the guards around the perimeter. So far, they had yet to be detected.

He watched Frigid Night, the young apprentice, leading the group of rookies around. The kid had potential to become a great Assassin, but he still had a long way to go. Not all Assassins live to great age, but the boy was good with his hidden blades. Pierce recalled when Frigid used to have a sword. He wasn’t very good with it, but he seemed to fare much better with the short, concealed blades instead.

Seeing that the rookies had it covered, he returned his attention to Sparkplug’s and Dust Fencer’s teams. There were all kinds of different containers where Sparkplug was. Pierce had figured out that red containers contained weapons, blue containers contained gold, green containers contained cars and furniture, and white containers contained the money.

“Sparkplug,” Pierce called. “The money’s in the white containers.”

“Got it,” Sparkplug responded quickly.

Sparkplug attached his electronic charges to the doors of the containers. With a bit of programming, the Assassins got behind cover as the charges went out, disabling the locks on the containers. The Assassins got to opening the doors, revealing a huge mountain of cash in each container.

“Fire Frenzy.” Sparkplug signalled, bringing the Assassin forward. He brought with him a can of gasoline they found around the containers. “You still like playing with fire?”

Fire Frenzy gave him a huge grin. “You know I do, Sparkplug.”

The other Assassins stepped back and started opening the other coloured containers while Fire Frenzy picked up the can of gas and tipped it over some of the money. Lighting a match, Fire Frenzy flicked it over to the oiled stacks of cash, watching as the money went up in flames almost instantly.

“Now that’s what I call a show,” he said to himself.

“Nice one, Frenzy,” Ice Flake high-fived him.

“It’s what I’m good at, Flake,” he smiled. “You know that.”

“Sure do.” The white haired Assassin softly punched him in the arm before proceeding to loot the place.

He proceeded to move on to the next few stacks while the other Assassins did what they could in halting the Templar resources. They broke some cars and furniture, and threw some gold into the murky waters.

“Bag some,” Sparkplug ordered. “We could use some of these resources.”

The Assassins pulled out foldable bags, enlarging them and stuffing what they could into the little bags. They took some gold, weapons, and some bundles of cash.

“Guard!” Ice Flake warned.

They all halted what they were doing as a flashlight began dancing around the edge of the containers.

“Who’s there?” a voice came.

A guard turned the corner, carrying a pistol and his flashlight, taking in full sight of the burning money. He pulled out his walkie-talkie, but Sparkplug was faster. The square-shouldered Assassin pulled out his cattle prod and pushed the tip into the guard’s neck, sending volts of electricity coursing through the man. The man didn’t even scream as he went down, the electricity keeping his jaw muscles closed.

“Close one,” the Assassin said, keeping his weapon. He returned to the others, grabbing a bag of gold and bringing it over to the side. “Let’s speed it up. Won’t be long before we have to get out of here.”

Chapter 12: Two for the Kill

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Dust Fencer leaned around the corner, determining the number of Templars in the bridge. There were nine guards along with two other men in there. One of them wore a white suit, and had shoulder length purple hair, covering his ears. The other had green hair and wore a dark blue suit.

“Redwood,” Dust Fencer confirmed. He turned to his team. “He’s here. Along with his bodyguard, Fell Horizon.”

“We probably shouldn’t rush in there, yeah?” one of the Assassins asked. "They might have more guys in there."

“Nope,” Trueshot replied. “We could use a distraction.”

“That gives me an idea, buddy,” Dust Fencer said, his face lighting up metaphorically. He went to his earpiece. “Pierce. Are you able to cause a blackout?”

Pierce Network responded almost immediately. “Who do you think I am, Dust? Blackouts are one of my specialties. If I blackout this ship, the Templars are not going to know-”

“Alright, alright,” Dust said, cutting the hacker off from his monologue. “Be ready on my signal.”

“Right.”

Dust turned to the Assassins. “Ready your weapons. We’ll have one shot at surprise here. Trueshot. Redwood’s all yours.”

“My pleasure,” the Stalliongrad Assassin smiled, unslinging his sniper rifle.

“Do it, Pierce,” Dust Fencer ordered.

The Assassins readied their blades as the lights around them died out, plunging the whole bridge into complete darkness, slightly illuminated only by the moon. Without any signal or orders, the Assassins moved in, taking down Templars on their way to Redwood. Dust Fencer stabbed his blade through two guards before heading towards Fell Horizon. Dust saw the bodyguard whip out his magnum before taking a dodge to the ground as the man started firing blindly in a few directions.

“Where are you!” Fell Horizon shouted as he ran out of bullets.

Dust saw his chance and charged the purple haired bodyguard. He swung both hidden blades to the bodyguard, stabbing him in the chest as he pushed down, knocking the man to the ground. He removed a blade and aimed it for Fell’s neck, taking him out.

“Trueshot!” Dust called to the darkness. “Mission complete?”

“He moved,” Trueshot admitted. “I hit him, but he got away. I saw him heading for the door.”

“Great...” Dust sighed. He put a hand to his earpiece. “Rookies! Redwood got out. He’ll be heading your way. Don’t let him get away!”

“Y’all heard that?” Wreckhouse asked.

“Sure did,” Frigid nodded.

“There!” Tangent pointed.

The team looked to see a small blip of a man leap over a generator and sprint down the bridge leading to the ship.

“Let’s go,” Frigid instructed, the first of the rookies to break off after the Templar.

Frigid bounded after Redwood, catching up to him rapidly. He noticed one of the Templar’s arms was wounded, blood dripping down the length of it to the ground. Redwood looked back and saw the rookies headed towards him. He turned from them and ran faster, forcing the rookies to quicken their pace. Rushing past a stack of crates, Redwood used his good arm to yank the pile down, forcing the Assassins to leap over the objects, buying the Templar a few more seconds to increase his distance.

“Don’t lose him!” Frigid warned the others. “We can’t let him get away.”

Frigid and Mirror continued after the man from the bottom, while Wreckhouse and Tangent took to the roofs. They trailed the man as he headed down a staircase to the next street. Redwood pushed past two civilians, forcing Frigid Night and Mirror Match to take a different path. They couldn’t let the civilians know of the secret war they were fighting in.

“Left!” Mirror Match directed as she saw the Templar running on the main street.

They spotted the man, running straight into the lobby of the Metro Hotel. They carefully followed him in, not wanted to attract unwanted attention from the civilians.

“He’s smart,” Mirror acknowledged. “He knows we can’t let the civilians find us.”

“Yeah,” Frigid nodded. He watched as the man halted his run, taking his stand in the lobby. “Right in front of their eyes. Wreckhouse, Tangent. What’s your position?”

“We’re right above you,” Tangent replied. “What do we do now?”

“He’s not making his move yet,” Frigid briefed. “So maybe his plan is to hole up in there until we leave, or until he calls for reinforcements.”

“We can’t let him do that!” Wreckhouse barked.

“I know, Wreckhouse,” Frigid answered. “But unless you have a plan to take him down without the civilian eye, then we’ll have to wait.”

“I have a plan,” Mirror Match sounded. “I can use my copy skill to disguise myself to get close enough.”

“You can do that?” Frigid asked, surprised at his friend’s skills. She really was something else.

“Of course!” she smiled. “I’ll just need to study my target for a while.”

“But he has no one else here. You’ll have to take out a civilian.”

“Well, what other choice do we have? Wait for his reinforcements to arrive?”

Frigid didn’t add anything more. Mirror was right. They had to act fast or risk losing the Templar. He really didn’t want to have to hurt the civilians, but it looked like there wasn’t a choice this time.

“Looks like that’s our plan,” he told the other two Assassins.

“Affirmative,” Tangent replied. “Wreckhouse and I will keep an eye out up here.”

Frigid Night followed Mirror Match towards the back of the building, looking for a secondary way in. They found the entrance to the kitchens of some fancy restaurant in the hotel.

“Perfect,” Mirror said, keeping a close eye on the people going in and out. She studied a woman with indigo skin, as she moved around, collecting plates and bringing them to the sink. She studied the way she walked, and the gestures she performed. “Got it. That woman over there. I’ll impersonate her.”

“Alright,” Frigid said, a part of him still not wanting to do this. “That was quick. How do you plan to get to her?”

“We’ll have to lure her out,” Mirror told him. “Or… if she comes out on her own, that’d be perfect!”

Just as she said it, the woman began walking towards the glass door they were standing behind.

“Well now, that’s a little perfect…” Frigid mumbled. “Wow.”

They got behind cover as the woman opened the door, carrying a huge bag of food waste towards the dumpster. Mirror Match took the chance to grab the woman from behind, knocking her out before she had a chance to struggle.

She settled the woman on the ground before returning to Frigid. “You go cover the side. I’m gonna change with this woman first.”

“Right,” Frigid semi-nodded. “Got it. I’ll be over there.”

Frigid walked over to another side entrance, making sure to get in without anyone seeing him. He found a room behind an alcove, stashing himself in it, leaving the door slightly ajar to check for people.

“I’m ready,” Mirror Match spoke in his earpiece. “I’m moving in through the kitchen.”

“By the way, Mirror,” Frigid asked, curious of her abilities. “How are you so good at copying things?”

“Practice,” was all his partner said.

“Right,” Frigid nodded. With practice, you could master just about anything. He pushed the door open slightly more, testing if he could see the lobby from where he was. He couldn’t.

“Tangent, Wreckhouse,” he contacted, putting a hand to his earpiece. “Do you still have sights on Redwood?”

“Yes, Frigid,” Tangent replied. “He’s still in the lobby, but his wounded arm’s attracted some attention. Some of the hotel staff are tending to him right now.”

“Perfect,” Mirror added on from her location. “Just what we needed. We need to change plans, Frigid. We need to get him to an isolated position where no one will see us. Perhaps I can lead him somewhere, but if he catches on, you’ll need to take him.”

“We can try that,” Frigid agreed. “Try to lead him over to my location. I’m in some storage room at the south exit. It’s a small room in the corner.”

“On it,” Mirror Match said in his earpiece. “I’m entering.”

Redwood waited as the staff wiped the blood on his arm. He had told them he got it when he fell off the docks, not wanting to tell them it was from a bullet. He looked at the wound, clearly looking like a bullet wound. It would only be a matter of time before they figured it out, but he hoped his reinforcements would get here before they found out.

“Thank you for this,” he told one of them. “But this isn’t necessary. My men are on the way. They’ll get me to a hospital.”

“It’s fine, sir,” a woman assured. “We’ll get you patched up.”

“If you insist,” he sighed. “But please, don’t try to touch my wound. It still hurts. I want to be at a real medical center to fix that one.”

“Of course, sir,” she told him. “Please, come with me. We’ll get you to a more comfortable place.”

Redwood saw no harm in getting more comfortable. Even if it was a quieter space, the Assassins wouldn’t dare do anything with these hotel staff around. Then he realized something. Only one hotel staff was taking him to the room.

“Where are we going?” he decided to ask, sensing something was wrong.

“Oh, nowhere special,” she told him, revealing a small smile at the corner of her mouth.

The woman shoved him into a hallway, sending him sprawling to the ground. Redwood quickly got to his feet, facing his attacker. She pulled off her cap, revealing long orange-green hair.

“Assassin!” he shouted, recognizing her as one of them that chased him to the hotel.

He tried to call for help, but before he knew it, he felt a cold, sharp object in his back going through him. He opened his mouth, but only blood came out. A second Assassin stepped out from behind him, the tip of his blade gleaming with the Templar's blood.

No… not like this…

He felt his body growing weaker before falling down into the dark pit of death.

“Good job, rookies,” Sparkplug congratulated, giving them each a firm handshake. “Didn’t think you’d have it in you to chase down a Templar, but you did. Perfect work!”

“How about the shipment?” Wreckhouse asked, wondering about the containers of money. “Did you manage to destroy them all?”

“Sure did, kid,” Ice Flake replied, folding her arms across her chest. “And… we bagged ourselves some loot!”

“Do we get some?” Mirror Match asked, her eyes lighting up after hearing about extra loot.

“You’ve all done a good job,” Dust Fencer said, walking up to the front. “You’ll be getting a share, and even a recommendation from all of us. Right, guys?”

“Yeah, you got mine,” Sparkplug smiled, folding his arms together.

“Mine too,” Trueshot added from the corner, checking the parts of his rifle.

Pierce Network stepped forward, not taking his eyes away from his phone. “I watched everything from the security cameras. Even the ones at the Metro Hotel. I have to say, that was some good work. Reminds me of my old days. Templars are always messing around, thinking the civilians are their personal human shields from us. Well, they were wrong again. I-”

“Pierce,” Dust interrupted. “I think you can save the talking for later.”

“Fine.”

Dust turned back to the rookies. “You’ve all done a good job here today. Keep it up, and perhaps you’ll live to be my age. Maybe older if you're good.”

Sparkplug climbed to the top of a crate before facing the other Assassins. “Good job, Assassins! I think it’s safe to say that we’ve all done Mentor proud today! Let’s get back and tell her the good news. After that, perhaps we’ll have a little celebration!”

Morning Blade followed Twilight Sparkle down the corridor, heading back to Canterlot High’s entrance. They’d already spent a lot of time talking about the past today and it was time for the princess to return to her world. She had said she had more duties to perform.

“Thank you for your time today, Morning Blade.” Twilight gave her a smile as they passed Mr. Crankee Doodle in the hall. “I’ve learnt a lot. Can’t say I agree with your Assassin methods, but the past is the past and I did want to know more about Captain Frigid’s counterpart.”

“Yeah…” Morning looked through a glass cabinet containing some of the school’s trophies. They had a second place for a half-marathon all those years ago when Morning was still here. “I know it seems bad what we do and I do agree with you, but sometimes… you just have to go around the law to get something done. I’m glad that’s all behind me now at least.”

“Yeah, how’s life been?” Twilight asked her. “Since you’ve stopped all that business, I mean.”

“I’ll be going to college soon,” Morning told the lavender princess. “I’ve applied for a history major. I guess I don’t have to say why.”

“No you don’t,” Twilight chuckled. “You really love this stuff. It’s good that you decided to follow up with it.”

The two girls arrived outside at the Wondercolt statue base. Morning looked around at the remains of the auditorium. It had only been a while ago, but she felt like it had been ages since they had beaten Sombra and longer since she had joined up with the Assassins.

“So I will see you tomorrow, Morning Blade?” Twilight stepped to the portal and stuck a hand through. “For more of the story?”

“Of course, princess.” Morning Blade bowed slightly.

The purple haired girl smiled. “You’re just like your pony counterpart. I’ll see you tomorrow!”

Then she disappeared through the portal. Morning watched as the reflective base shimmered once, then returned to normal. Morning would’ve never believed what she had just seen if not for the fact she’d seen weirder stuff before.

Turning back to the school building, Morning began making her way to the principal’s office. She wanted to see if Principal Celestia still wanted to catch up. There was so much she wanted to tell her former principal, but at the same time, so much she didn't want to.

She still missed Frigid and she felt like she was still struggling getting over all her friends' deaths. Maybe a talk with Principal Celestia could set things straight for her.

Chapter 13: It's About Time

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Morning Blade headed back to Canterlot High School the next day, holding her coat tightly around herself. The weather had suddenly gotten colder today and she had thought she was used to it by now, but she realized she wasn't.

Yesterday, she got to talk to Principal Celestia quite a bit, catching up on the last few years. The kind principal had told her everything from the Fall Formal to the Battle of the Bands, which Morning had heard a little from Sunset herself. It was weird, but she believed it all. After all, she had to deal with magical artifacts from another world, crystal constructs, a man who could transform into shadows, a girl who could shoot lights and now a princess who could walk through a statue.

Yeah, anything was believable after everything she's witnessed.

She looked over to the ruins of Sombra's auditorium as she passed by. The cleaning up process was still underway, but there was still a lot of rubble to clean up and walls to tear down. The Templar's Eye machine that the mad king had used to open the portal was nowhere in sight, likely already shipped over to some lab to figure out what it was for. Morning didn't care. She wasn't here for that today or any other day.

"Good morning, Morning Blade!" Princess Twilight Sparkle waved to her over at the front steps leading into the school building. "Did you have a good night's rest?"

"I did, princess, and I'm ready to continue on more of this adventure." The ex-Assassin pulled her bag strap and smiled. "There's so much more to tell. I just hope I'll be able to get through it all..."

"Hey, don't worry." Twilight put a hand on her shoulder. "You'll be fine. You've done a great job so far and I know you on the other side. You're a diligent worker who follows her orders to the perfect detail. Is that right?"

"I guess it is," Morning smiled. "Come. Let's get out of this cold. There's so much to tell. This next bit's going to be a little... exciting, maybe."

"I look forward to all of it. Come on, the faster we get there, the faster you can start."

High Noon had returned to work as the deputy after giving it some thought, realizing it was a much better job catching criminals than being part of a whole corporate scheme.

“Glad to have you back, Noon!” Sheriff Silverstar said, giving the big man a huge pat on the back.

“Good to be back, Sheriff!” High Noon smiled, which was something he hadn’t done in days.

It’s been a few months since High Noon had accidentally returned to Appleloosa, but he regretted none of it. He got to see his parents, his best friend, and all the people of his little town once again. Looking back, he shouldn’t have even left in the first place. This was all he ever needed. He tipped his hat lower over his head, shielding his eyes from the rays of the sun.

“Ah…” he breathed. “No weather beats a scorching day.”

After a short time of basking in the sun, High Noon returned to his duties of patrolling the town. Sure, Appleloosa was a fine town, but every town had crime. And that was his job. To stop crime.

“Howdy, Ms. Ranch,” he greeted the elderly woman as he walked by.

“High Noon?” she asked, shocked to see the boy back in town. “It’s been ages since ah last saw ya! Where ya been?”

“Oh, I decided to find some work in the cities,” he told her. “I thought I’d be able to do more, but I was wrong.”

“Well, it’s good to have ya back, High Noon,” she smiled, showing her dentures. “Ah’m sure your parents are glad that you’re back."

“They sure were, Ms. Ranch.” High Noon thought back to his parents’ smiling faces when he had just returned to Appleloosa. “They sure were...”

High Noon continued down. It really had been a mistake for him to leave Appleloosa before. He had everything he wanted here. Family, friends, his hat, and much more.

“Uh, deputy?” his walkie-talkie chirped. “We got a possible break in going down in sector four. We need someone to check it out, over? It's the warehouses.”

High Noon picked up his walkie-talkie and held the button. “Roger. High Noon here. I’ll check it out.”

He headed down the street, heading for their designated sector four, which was the warehouse area. Funny why someone would come all the way to Appleloosa to break into a warehouse. There were bigger cities out there with much better loot. He headed towards the warehouses, scouting out the place. All of them that weren’t in use had a huge padlock on the front, except for one; the padlock broken and the chain on the floor.

“Sloppy criminals…” High Noon muttered to himself. They left so much evidence of a break in here.

He pulled his pants up higher and whipped out his trusty revolver. Most criminals would surrender immediately when they saw his iron, but those that tried their luck, they found their way to the graveyard sooner than they had ever intended.

High Noon entered the large faded green doors, looking through the dark spaces for signs of the criminals. “This is the deputy! Come out with your hands up!”

“Is that who I think it is?” he heard one of the voices say. It sounded familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it.

“Sounds like him,” the second one replied.

“Come out!” High Noon barked again, pointing his revolver forward.

Soon, two men walked out from the corners, putting their hands above their heads. Upon seeing their faces, fear seeped through High Noon’s sleeves as he took a few steps back. He almost dropped his revolver, but managed to keep his hands steady.

“Nice to see you again, Jeeves,” Wolfgang smiled through his menacing teeth. “Been looking for you for a while.”

“That’s right,” Dagger Wind smiled, still wearing an eyepatch on his right eye. “We figured you’d maybe have returned to your hometown, so here we are! Grabbing a few cars were just extra. You know how it is. Whatever we can get our hands on and all that...”

Wolfgang took a step towards High Noon, but the deputy raised his revolver to the killer’s head. “Stop where you are!”

Wolfgang let out a howling laugh. “High Noon. You really think a simple gun will stop me from killing you?”

Without warning, a knife slipped down Wolfgang’s yellow sleeve as the killer threw it towards High Noon. The deputy raised an arm to protect his face, feeling a hot blazing pain as the sharp knife embedded itself in his forearm. Pain lanced from the injury as the icy blade slipped effortlessly into his flesh.

“Agh!” he gasped as he grabbed for the knife. He held his breath as he yanked it out in a quick motion, grunting again as blood began to ooze out of the gash in his arm.

“Told you…” Wolfgang smiled. “Now, be a good boy and die. Mahogany Wood didn’t say we have to bring you in alive.”

High Noon quickly dashed out the warehouse doors as Dagger Wind’s bullets started pinging off the solid metal doors.

Noon stowed his revolver and pulled out his walkie-talkie. “Deputy High Noon here! I am in need of assistance in the break in case! Two individuals. Highly dangerous. Requesting immediate backup. Bring firearms, over!”

No reply came yet, forcing the deputy to make a run for it, back to the center of town. They wouldn’t openly follow him into a crowded space. Would they?

His answer came shortly in the form of more bullets. He turned and fired two shots off in the distance, trying to scare off his attackers or maybe to get a lucky shot in. Both failed as Wolfgang and Dagger Wind headed out, heading straight for him. High Noon started to panic. He thought he was safe here, but of course he wasn’t. Mahogany wasn’t going to let someone like him get away just like that.

“C’mon High Noon,” Wolfgang taunted, pulling out a longer dagger. “Make it easy for us.”

High Noon tried to calm himself down. Wolfgang had always scared him, but now, the killer was after him, not working for him. He just had to wait up for reinforcements. He wouldn’t be able to take Wolfgang down on his own, but with help he might just be able to walk away from this alive.

"Deputy, this is the sheriff," his walkie-talkie spurted, bringing hope to High Noon. "Got your call. Reinforcements are on the way. Stay safe, over."

The grey-skinned killer suddenly kick off the ground, sprinting faster, the wide grin still on his face. The sudden burst of speed caught High Noon off guard. He tripped backwards, feeling the ground hit his back as he landed hard. He quickly squirmed back with all his strength, doing anything he could do to get as far away from Wolfgang as possible.

“What’s the matter, High Noon?” Wolfgang raised his dagger. “Still afraid of me? Well, you should. I’ve killed plenty of people, but I must say. You’re going to be a fun one to kill. I’ll make sure to cut off your skin before I stab you in the heart.”

“N-no… please,” High Noon started to babble. “I-I…”

“Save your breath. You’ll need it when I start working on you.”

Wolfgang raised his dagger, but High Noon found just enough courage to throw the man off of him, buying him some time to get up and run again.

“Didn’t expect that,” Wolfgang smiled. “Impressive.”

Dagger Wind took aim and fired his SMGs, pelting the area with bullets and clipping High Noon in the right shoulder. The deputy grabbed for the wound, but kept going.

“Get him, Dagger Wind,” Wolfgang motioned to his comrade. “Don’t let him get away.”

“Fine,” he grunted and ran past Wolfgang. “Didn’t think you were so easily beaten, Wolfey.”

As he headed off, Wolfgang widened his already large smile. “Oh, I’m not. Trust me.”

High Noon ducked behind a few barrels, panting from his run. His body could still go, but his mind couldn't. Fear of Wolfgang stopped his head from thinking rationally, but when he saw Dagger Wind taking over and Wolfgang hanging back, he started to calm himself down. If it was just Dagger Wind, maybe he could pull it off.

He readied his revolver in his good arm, waiting for the right moment to attack. Dagger Wind came into sight, blunty holding his guns in plain sight of the rest of the townsfolk. Most screamed and headed inside, but a few, unsure of what to do, stayed out, looking at the mercenary.

Dagger Wind suddenly turned to one of them and pointed his guns at him. "Oh? What are you looking at? You want some of this?"

High Noon, sure of what was coming next, got up and shot his revolver at the killer, lodging one bullet in the back of his knee.

"Gah!" Dagger screeched as he collapsed to one knee.

"Go! Get to safety!" High Noon shouted to the bystanders, willing them to get indoors.

"Why you...!" Dagger grunted.

High Noon quickly kicked one of the SMGs out of Dagger Wind's hands and brought a fist to the side of the merc's face. Dagger Wind recovered quickly and grabbed High Noon's arm as he drew it back. With a swift movement, Dagger Wind punched the cowboy in the chest and then in the side of his legs, forcing him to the ground as well.

"Ha!" Dagger chuckled and he planted a fist in High Noon's face. "You think I would go down just from a bullet?"

High Noon recovered and aimed another punch at Dagger Wind. It missed, but High Noon kicked out with one leg, swiping Dagger down on his back with an 'oof'.

He got onto his knees and grabbed for Dagger Wind's throat and squeezed tight. High Noon wasn't much of a fighter, but he had tremendous strength for working out on the ranch for the first part of his life. This man was a trained killer, and he had no qualms about taking his life.

Dagger Wind beat and pounded him, but High Noon endured, knowing the one eyed man could only keep up for so long. Soon, the killer's hits slowed as his strength started to fade. Before High Noon could watch him close his eye, a hand yanked him off of Dagger and threw him back into the barrels he had hid behind earlier.

"Sorry, cowboy," Wolfgang smirked. "But I can't let you do that, High Noon."

He brandished his dagger again and pointed it at High Noon, but was interrupted by police sirens before he could say more.

"Our time is up," Wolfgang easily surrendered. "Come, Dagger. We must go."

The mercenary tried to get up, but almost suffocating and crippled in one knee stopped him from fully standing up. "I need some help..."

Wolfgang walked over and put out a hand for Dagger Wind. The mercenary took it, but instead of pulling him up, Wolfgang just smiled at him, doing nothing to help.

"What... are you doing?" Dagger demanded. "Get me up, Wolfey! We got to go!"

"Oh I know, Dagger. And I'll be taking my leave. But first..."

Wolfgang gripped the mercenary's hand and slashed his dagger through it, standing up as the hand followed.

"Gaaaaah!" Dagger Wind screamed in pain, grabbing his stump. "Why...?"

Wolfgang tossed the hand away and brought the knife down into Dagger Wind's chest, plunging it as deep as he could while smiling all the way. "I've always despised you, Dagger. Thought you ought to know. So long."

He twisted the blade, watching as Dagger Wind's remaining eye became lifeless.

During the betrayal, High Noon had quickly scampered off, not wanting to have to deal with Wolfgang. He wasn't ready to face that fear yet. He witnessed two cop cars speed past him as he made his way back to his home, quickly grabbing the bandages from his cabinet.

He couldn't stay in Appleloosa. If Wolfgang were to target his friends and family, he wouldn't be able to protect them. He had to leave them again. After going to Manehattan, he would never be able to properly return to his life here. But where would he go now?

Frigid left his room, just having a nice warm shower, cleaning the dirt out of his face. The day had gone simple, until Star Lance had sent him and Mirror Match to clean the mud pits. His whole body had been covered in mud and he really didn't like the feeling. Even the events and congratulations of the Redwood assassination felt like a distant past.

He dragged himself down the halls, looking to get some grub for his hungry stomach. He grabbed a plate of ham and pickles before finding a seat at an empty table. He was soon joined by Dust Fencer, smiling from ear to ear as he sat down.

"Busy day, huh Frigid?" he asked as he ate his dinner. “I heard Star Lance had a job for you today.”

"You can say that again..." Frigid breathed as he got to work on his dinner. "Star Lance really knows how to work us hard. Mirror Match and I were covered head to toe in that mud."

"Yes he does..." Dust nodded. "Speaking of Mirror Match. How are things between you two?"

"It's alright," Frigid answered. "I mean, we're still alive, killing Templars. It’s good.”

Dust Fencer stroked his beard, giving his apprentice the once-over. “That’s not what I asked, Frigid.”

Frigid raised an eyebrow. “What did you ask?"

Dust smiled, but continued. “I asked how are things between you two.”

“I’m not sure I follow.”

“Kid, in my long career with the brotherhood, I’ve learned that when it comes to your teammates, especially the dames, you work with ‘em long enough, something’s gotta give.”

“Ummm… wait, what are you trying to ask me?”

Dust sighed, but a small chuckle still escaped his mouth. “When are you gonna ask her out?"

"Out?" Frigid asked. "We've gone to get food together. Almost went to see a movie too that one time."

"Oh, I mean out as in out," Dust Fencer smiled. "You know? Like on a date or something."

"What?" Frigid's face started glowing red. "Oh no no no, what are you on about? We're... we're just friends. That's right."

He never really told anyone, but Frigid knew he had feelings for his partner deep inside, unsure what to do about them. She’d been with his on most of his missions throughout the year, and he had come to respect and care for her as they fought on. It seems that Dust knew about it too.

"Uh huh," Dust sarcastically agreed. "Very convincing."

"Ummm... yes. Well... uhhh..." Frigid muttered, lost for words.

"Come on, Frigid! The two of you are so close. You gotta go that next step."

"But... you know... hmmm… d-do you think so?"

"Yes, you really should," Dust continued, swallowing down more of his food. "We all know how you two feel about each other. Maybe go see that movie or something. I know she'll like it."

"I-I'll try..." Frigid said nervously.

"Try what?" Mirror Match asked, standing behind Frigid, startling him with the sound of her voice.

"Ah, Mirror Match!" Dust Fencer greeted. "We were just talking about you! Please, sit. Actually, I'm just about done with my dinner. Frigid will fill you in." Dust got up to leave, giving Frigid a not so subtle wink before heading off.

Mirror wore a confused look. "What was that about?"

Frigid Night tried to cover his bright red cheeks and calm his heart rate. "Ummm... well... you see..."

"What?" she asked impatiently.

He tried to think of the best way to put it, but it felt like his brain was on a holiday. "W-would y-you like to... ummmm..."

She raised an eyebrow. "C'mon, Frigid Night. Spit it out."

The Assassin's face started glowing brighter. "W-would you like to g-go see a m-movie... with me?"

"Was that all, Frigid?" she started laughing. "You've asked me to accompany you many times before. Why are you so nervous this time?" She thought about it before a sneaky smile formed on her face. "Are you asking me out, perhaps? Like on a date?"

"...M-maybe." He quickly looked away and pulled his hood over his head.

"Maybe?" Mirror teased him, inching closer. "Come on. Give me a straight answer. Yes or no?"

Frigid stayed silent for a few seconds before getting the guts to say it. "...Yes."

“So you do like me!” Mirror Match batted her eyelashes at Frigid, making his outfit suddenly too hot. “Sure, I’d love to go out with you. Got anywhere in mind?”

"Well..." Frigid thought, a loss of words from the sudden rise in temperature. "Right. The... theater?"

She laughed before slipping her arms around his neck. "I'm glad you think of me like that, Frigid. You know, I've actually been waiting for you to say it."

"You have...?"

“Sure thing.” Mirror Match twirled a lock of hair in her fingers. “Well, just give me a time, a place, and a face, and I’ll be there.”

“Let's say... tomorrow after dinner?" Frigid offered.

The peck on the cheek was all the confirmation Frigid needed.

Braeburn burst into the room as High Noon zipped up his backpack, his face a mask of shock as he realized his friend's plan. "Ya leavin'? Again? Ah thought you was here to stay?"

High Noon shook his head sadly. "I can't, Braeburn. No matter how much I want to. There are dangerous people after me. I can't put you all in danger just because I want to remain in my hometown."

"But how're ya gonna manage on your own?" Braeburn demanded. "You was almost killed today! Ah'm not gonna lose a friend like that!"

High Noon formed a smile at the corner of his mouth, but kept his expression serious. "I have a plan. It might not be a good one, but it'll definitely keep me alive, be it good or bad. Maybe even allow me to fight back against the wrongs I've done."

Braeburn had nothing more to say, instead embracing his old friend. "Ya come back and visit when it's all over, ya hear?"

"Definitely will, my friend." High Noon picked up his backpack, filled with rations, water, medical supplies for his arm wound, and a coat, just in case it got chilly. He started walking out, but walked back to pick up his hat, almost forgetting it. "Not forgetting you this time."

He wished his parents goodbye as he headed out the door, getting hugs from them before leaving. Next, he headed for the Sheriff’s office. As soon as Sheriff Silverstar saw High Noon walking towards him with a backpack, he knew he was about to lose his best deputy again.

“Well if it isn’t High Noon…” he sighed, putting his hands in his belt. “Didn’t think you’d be leavin’ this soon.”

“Sorry, sheriff,” High Noon looked down. He pulled the star off his coat, handing it to Silverstar. “After what happened, I can’t stay here. I can’t put everyone here in danger again. There are dangerous people after me. I can’t let them get to all of you too.”

Silverstar took the badge and looked at it for a moment. “Can’t say Ah’ll be happy ‘bout this, but… ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Be careful out there, Noon. Do us proud. Serve ‘em all that justice o’ yours.”

“Thanks, sheriff.” He took the sheriff’s hand and shook it. “It’s been an honor serving with you.”

“Likewise, deputy,” Sheriff Silverstar smiled through his moustache. “Take care ya hear?”

High Noon waved his goodbyes to the sheriff and the other deputies as he left the office and headed for the train station. He had a plan, but it still had a lot of holes. It was going to be a long ride to Trottingham, though, so High Noon figured he’d plan it better along the way. This wasn’t going to be easy, but it was worth a try.

Chapter 14: The Way Forward

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“So, this Mirror Match, huh…” Twilight looked over her notes. “This is where their relationship started… And from what I heard, it’s not long before Frigid Night starts losing it, huh?”

“Oh, actually, quite some time,” Morning Blade said. “Things actually seemed to be going well for the Assassins for a while. I guess you could say they weren’t really facing any major problems yet. I just wished that could've carried on all the way, even past the time I joined. That's what we all wish for, huh? For things to go our way all the time...”

“And then Mirror Match happened?”

The ex-Assassin sighed and looked down. “Yeah…”

“Come on, let’s not dwell on this sadness.” Twilight put a hand on Morning’s shoulder, squeezing lightly. “Right now, in the story, this is a happy moment, isn’t it? Why don't we look at that instead? That's a good idea, hmm?”

“In a way, I guess so, Twilight Sparkle.” Morning looked back at her book. Its pages were getting slightly old, but it was fine. She liked old books. “Frigid was certainly happy this day. He didn’t know what was coming yet…”

It was dark by the time Wolfgang pulled up to the Templar headquarters, the killer parking his sleek black car in the spacious garage and stepping out with a flourish.

He moved to the wall, spreading his hands around to find the secret button. He cursed himself for not remembering its exact location, forcing him to search for it every time. Making a mental note to bring a marker the next time he came here, he eventually felt the difference in the wall and clicked the button. He stepped back and scanned his surroundings, making sure he wasn’t being followed.

Wolfgang scoffed. Who would bother to follow him? Who was brave enough to do so?

He headed right in as soon as the entrance opened, making sure no one was around before heading down into the secret entrance. The room below was specially reserved for the killers and their gear; probably the chairman's way of keeping his men as far as he could from such dangerous people.

It was a simple square room, consisting of a dimly light bulb; the killers’ preference to maintain a dark room. A table sat in the middle, while racks of weapons were mounted to the wall for the killers to leave their things. A small kitchen and bathroom were in two other rooms within their space, allowing them to live longer without starving and to relieve themselves if the need arises.

Wolfgang began to hear the chatter of his associates as made his way down the dark flight of stairs. They were sitting around the table, playing with their favourite weapons.

"I'm hoooome!" he said in a sing-song voice.

"Wolfgang!" Pressure Point called as Smokey Flames turned to the returning killer.

"That's right," he smiled. "Back in town."

She looked around. "Wait. Where's Dagger Wind?"

Wolfgang feinted disappointment, doing his best to look solemn. "He... unfortunately, was taken down by the police when he resisted arrest. I managed to get away, but I couldn't help him. He was… gunned down before I had a chance to do anything."

"That's a shame..." Smokey Flames sighed, flicking a burnt match onto the floor. "I was starting to enjoy his company, that one-eyed gun nut."

"So it's down to three once more, huh?" Pressure Point stated. She threw a knife up into the air and caught it with her other hand. "Guess we're the better killers."

"Yes..." Wolfgang grinned slyly. "Yes we are..." Wolfgang headed for the staircase, the smug look still on his face. "If you'll excuse me, ladies. I've got to give the news to Lumberjack and the chairman. We still have a fugitive at large after all."

Frigid Night had waited for Mirror Match outside her room, deciding to have dinner outside for the day, since it always tasted better than the canteen’s food, no offense to the cook. The Assassin had removed his hooded robes in exchange for a blue varsity jacket, which easily concealed his hidden blade, just in case any Templars or killers showed up again. He had also swapped out his combat boots with track shoes to blend in with the rest of the common folk.

He raised his hand to knock, but hesitated for a while before finally doing so. Even though he'd been with her so much for the last year, he'd never felt so nervous around her until now. Soon, she opened the door, smiling as she noticed him. She was still dressed in her usual Assassin garb, probably not ready to go yet.

“Frigid!” she greeted. “What are you doing here so early? Dinner’s not in another half hour. Just couldn’t wait to see me?”

Frigid blushed, his heart beat going up as soon as he saw her. It hadn’t been like this before asking her out. Something had changed. “Umm… I was thinking… d-do you want to… eat out today? I know of t-this restaurant in t-town that has excellent enchiladas. You... know what that is, right?”

“Why didn’t you say so sooner?” she started laughing. “I love enchiladas, but I’m not ready yet. Give me some time to wash up. We can leave as soon as I’m done.”

Frigid almost wanted to hit himself. Of course she wasn’t ready to go yet. He didn’t tell her his intentions until a few seconds ago. “Right. Sorry. Guess I should have thought about it sooner. Take your time. We’re in no hurry.”

“It’s alright, Frigid,” she told him. “I think it’s a much better idea than eating downstairs! We’ll have more… privacy too. You want to come in? I’ll try not to be too long.”

Frigid Night walked into the room, looking at the inside of it. It was just about the same as every Assassin bedroom, only Mirror Match’s room had a small circular table with two folding chairs placed next to it. A dresser stood next to the bed, decorated with only a lamp and three books. It was by by far the most desolate and least personal room Frigid had ever seen. Assassin rooms had no windows for protective measures, so the only way to see was with lights, and Mirror only had the one small lamp, dimly illuminating the place.

“I won’t take long, alright?” She faced her back to him, heading to the bathroom to clean up for their date.

Frigid sat on her bed and waited, looking at her room walls and floor. She kept her room in a much cleaner state than he did. The young Assassin made a note to dust up his floor when he had the time.

He looked up when the bathroom door opened, his heart skipping a beat. Mirror Match walked out, dressed in a maroon dress and a short coat. He just couldn’t take his eyes off her, earning a smile and a giggle from his copycat friend.

“Well?” she asked as she walked up to him. “Like what you see?”

Frigid realized he was staring and averted his eyes, the red rising to his cheeks again. “Err… yes. It’s… very nice. Actually… you look very nice.”

“Just nice?” Mirror Match arched an eyebrow. She paused, giving Frigid a frown and a squint, as if expecting something.

Frigid’s heart raced faster as he mentally hit himself for his blunder. “No, no, no, of course not! I mean, you look great! Really good.”

“That’s better,” Mirror Match grinned and waltzed up up to the Assassin, so close that he could smell her perfume. “Now where are we going?”

Frigid led her out of the room, heading to the exit of their bureau. He looked at himself and Mirror. He just had his simple jacket over his usual outfit, while she had gone all out, getting a nice dress and everything. He looked out of place being around such a beautiful girl.

They had met Trueshot on the way down, the Stalliongrad Assassin giving them a thumbs up as soon as he saw them. “Well… it’s about time.” He pulled his hood up as he headed past them.

Mirror Match inched closer and took his hand, startling the grey haired Assassin. Soon, they were out of the front doors, heading for the restaurant that Frigid had told her about.

They got a table for two, the waiter handing them the menu before walking off. Frigid ordered enchiladas for both of them, explaining to Mirror why these ones were so good. She raised her eyebrows and nodded, chuckling at his explanation. It startled Frigid just how different she acted now that she wasn’t in her Assassin robes, almost as if she were an entirely different person.

They talked about their pasts for a bit, Mirror telling him about her adventures around the world before finally settling down in Trottingham. She had been searching for an old associate. A friend that she had when she was younger, but she never did find them.

“That’s rough,” Frigid sympathized. “I never really had any special friends until I joined the Assassins.”

“You’ve got your whole life ahead of you,” Mirror reasoned. “You’ll make lots of friends eventually.”

“I’ve been happy here, though,” Frigid nodded. “I have Dust, Rose, Trueshot… and you.”

“How nice of you, Frigid.” The female Assassin blushed, happy to hear those simple words from her friend.

The waiter returned with their dinner, setting in down in front of them. Soon the two Assassins started on their dinner, busily chomping down on the wraps of meat.

“This is quite good,” Mirror told Frigid as she finished up her last piece. “Thanks for bringing me here.”

After paying with money that they had looted from the Silver Smile, they soon headed on towards the theater to catch a movie. Mirror Match had wanted to watch a horror movie, titled 'The Mare in the Moon', which was about a horse from the moon, who tried to turn everyone into zombies.

"Sounds freaky," Frigid said after reviewing the summary.

They headed into the dark room, finding their seats as the movie began. To be honest, the movie was pretty cheesy and the special effects were outdated, but at least that made it good to laugh at. Mirror put as little distance as she could between the two of them, resting her head on his shoulder. Frigid blushed again, but enjoyed the moment, eventually resting his arm around her.

Not too long later, they left the theater, still laughing at the cheap tricks that the director had used to make the zombies.

“That plot twist was terrible,” Mirror Match giggled as she skipped ahead. “I mean, the mare in the moon was the princess the whole time? That’s so predictable.”

"I was still surprised that she wanted to turn everyone into zombies," Frigid mused as he caught up to her. "Good thing the hero had an antidote."

"Well, I'm still glad I got to spend the evening with you," she replied, taking his hand. "It doesn't matter how bad the movie was."

"Same here," Frigid Night smiled at her. "I'm lucky to have you as my partner and friend."

“Shall we head back?”

“Yeah…” Frigid said, a little disappointment in his voice that their date was just about done. “I guess we should.”

They held each other's hands as they continued back to the bureau, both enjoying the simple pleasure of a moment's peace with a friend before returning to their line of work.

Pierce Network sat in his little cramped office, tapping away on his phone, switching to the many different cameras on his huge display of monitors. An alert had popped up on his phone not too long ago, indicating a tracking device he had placed on a Templar had returned to Trottingham. He swiped through the thousands of cameras he had, searching each one for the man he was looking for.

“What’s his name again?” Pierce asked himself. “Noon Time… Showdown… Afternoon... something like that. Bah. Who cares about petty things like that? His name doesn’t matter. He’s a Templar. Eventually, I’ll find you all and you’ll find out what it means to be a Templar with a knife in his back. Now, where are you hiding?”

Soon, Pierce found him. The orange-skinned Templar that young Frigid Night had caught that one time. The signal had vanished quite some time ago, meaning he had left the cities, away from Pierce’s radio towers, but now he was back, appearing to be looking for something, or someone. Maybe a Templar contact. But why Trottingham and not Manehattan?

“Haven’t seen you in a long time, pal…” Pierce muttered to himself, typing on his keyboard. “Where’ve you been hiding? Why hasn’t my tracker picked you up until now? What secrets do you have on you? It’ll only be a matter of time before I figure it out. You can run, you can hide, but you can never hide from Pierce Network.”

High Noon paced down the streets of Trottingham, still looking around for anyone that could possibly resemble an Assassin. He had yet to even find one person with a hood; everyone else was wearing jackets or just plain old civilian clothes. He rubbed his eyes, still tired from the long journey and the last hour of walking around town.

Maybe I should find a place to sleep for the day...

He headed in the direction of the nearest hotel, deciding to find a place to rest his figure and his mind. His brain was still contemplating whether finding the people who tried to kill him was such a good idea. He really didn’t want to get a knife in his back, or for that matter, even his front. He just had to make them see reason before they had the chance to kill him.

He entered the hotel lobby, still hoping to find someone in a hood, but he couldn’t see one. There was a bearded man with a beanie, but that didn’t quite fit the description very well. High Noon stood still, deciding what he should do, until someone accidentally bumped into him. High Noon turned around to see a man, his eyes glued to his phone, looking up to see the deputy in front of him.

“Sorry,” High Noon apologized, even though it wasn’t his fault.

“No, no need to be sorry just yet,” the man replied, his voice sounding like a robot-like monotonous sound.

He wore a cap with a strange wi-fi picture on it, and a long brown coat. It was then High Noon noticed the hood at the back of the man’s coat. The cowboy was just about to open his mouth when the man hit a button on his phone. The whole area suddenly blacked out, plunging the whole hotel into darkness.

High Noon was stunned by the moment, unable to react in time when the man grabbed him and shoved him in another direction. It was too dark for High Noon to see, but he knew what was about to happen. He steadied his heartbeat, keeping himself from panicking like he usually did. He thought back to why he had even left Appleloosa all those years ago. He wasn’t cut out for this kind of work, unable to handle pressure and tense moments like the rest of his colleagues and adversaries.

Soon, he felt the cement of a wall rush up to his face as he was planted against it. He grimaced at the pain, but he’d suffered worse before.

“What are you doing back here…?” the man demand behind him. He held an arm to the back of Noon’s neck and grappled his right arm behind his back. “...And what’s your name again?”

“High Noon...” the cowboy grunted, half his face still pressed against the wall. “I’m not here to spy or kill you Assassins… I’m h-here to talk.”

“Talk?” the man repeated. High Noon did his best to nod. “Why would the Grand Master send you all the way to us just to talk? Does he want a deal with the Assassins? Does he take us for fools? I know how the Templars operate, son. I’ve been throwing planks in their gears for the last few years.”

“No, no...” High Noon had to convince him. “I’m not with the Templars anymore. I left them. I’ve come to learn that they were the wrong choice. They tried to kill me, my friends, my family. I don’t want that happening. I need your help. Please. Let me help you take them down.”

“What makes you so sure I’ll trust you?” the man grumbled. “You could be a spy, trying to take our ranks down from the inside. I’ve dealt with those before. Don’t you think I won’t know a spy when I see one.”

High Noon took a few deeper breaths to slow his fear from taking over, but he didn't do a good job at stopping his body from shivering. "I-I've got nothing left besides my hometown. Chairman Wood probably has a bounty on my head for leaving the Order. He even sent the killers after me. Please... let me help. I need to correct the wrongs I've done."

He could feel the Assassin's eyes stabbing daggers at his back, but eventually, the arm on his neck loosened, allowing him to turn around.

"You never heard me say this, but... I believe you," the man said. "I've been down that road before. I've been down every road before. And I must admit... you're definitely not cut out to be a Templar, much less an Assassin."

"So you'll let me join?" High Noon asked, excitement almost in his voice.

"Not for me to decide, kid." Pierce tapped on his phone again, reactivating the power in the general area. "I'll make a call, but the one who ultimately decides if you join or not, is the Mentor. Take heed. If you are not accepted, we'll have to kill you. You'll know too much."

High Noon took a long slow gulp. This was one of the endings he had imagined on his way to this city and he really didn't want it to happen. He would just have to hope his reasons to join would be enough.

Chapter 15: Bait

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Frigid Night and Mirror Match walked through the bureau's front doors, their hands still held together. A few Assassins were happy for them as they headed back up. Frigid's face turned red again. Apparently, their attraction to each other before wasn't as subtle as he had thought. Dust Fencer gave him another wink, while Rose Petal gave them both hugs.

"I'm proud of you two!" she grinned, squeezing them. "You're finally together!"

The others, like Ice Flake and Fire Frenzy gave them high fives on their way in.

Frigid decided to walk Mirror back to her room before going to his. She walked through her doors, but turned around to look at Frigid. "Thanks for tonight, Frigid. I wish it were longer."

Frigid scratched the back of his head. "Yeah... me too. Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow...?"

He turned to leave, but he felt a pair of hands grab onto his arm and pull him back. He turned around, allowing Mirror to grasp him around the neck and give him a kiss on the lips. "Yup. I'll see you tomorrow."

The grey haired Assassin stood outside the room, long after Mirror closed her door. He felt as if his brain stopped doing things.

“...igid.”

Frigid thought he heard someone, but waved it off as an imagination, still lingering on the sweet memory.

“...Frigid.”

There it was again. Something being said in his left ear. As though the gears in his head started turning again, he realized it was his name that was being said. Someone was calling him.

“Frigid!”

Frigid Night shook his head and looked to the voice, seeing a confused Dust Fencer standing next to him.

“What happened to you?” Dust just had to ask. “I’ve been calling your name for at least the past two minutes.”

Frigid rubbed his face, looking at Mirror Match’s door.

Dust joined him and widened his eyes in realization. He patted the young Assassin on the back and gave him a shining smile. “Ho ho, so that happened, eh?”

“Yeah…” was all Frigid managed to say.

“Don’t worry about it, Frigid.” Dust walked him down the corridor. “Happens to most people, being dazed and all.”

“Oh.” Frigid remembered. “Dust. Didn’t you want to tell me something?”

Dust thought back and his face lit up, as though a light bulb above him had turned on. “Right! I was going to tell you that Star Lance and the Mentor were heading out. You know all these years, I’ve never seen her in the field.”

“Mentor?” Frigid double-checked, getting a nod from Dust. “Must be something really important, huh?”

Dust nodded and raised both eyebrows. “I would reckon so. I’m not sure what, but Pierce did call in a few moments ago. Said he found a Templar snooping around Trottingham. Perhaps it has something to do with that.”

Frigid lowered his shoulders. “That doesn’t sound very interesting at all.”

“Who knows… perhaps we can ask her when she returns later. I’m sure everyone here’s wondering the same thing.”

High Noon sat at a table of one of the hotel rooms, staring at the single lit bulb above his head. It reminded him too much of those interrogation dramas, where a cop would pace around the criminal in an environment similar to this. That was exactly what the Assassin called Pierce Network was doing. It wasn't helping feel any less afraid than he already was right now.

“Any reason why we’re in a hotel?” High Noon decided to ask. “Aren’t there better places to go?”

“There are,” Pierce confirmed, the scowl on his face not changing. “But we’re not taking you to any of them in case you’re wired. So you get to stay at this hotel while the Mentor decides what to do with you.”

High Noon’s scalp prickled. The Mentor was involved? This went all the way to the top. Like every Templar, High Noon was aware that the Assassin leader was known as the Mentor, and that every major decision made in the organization passed by his hands one way or another. If it even was a man.

No Templar had ever faced the Mentor and lived; in fact, the Templar Grand Master made it a point to the Order that the Assassin Mentor was to be avoided at all costs. In some perverse way, it pleased High Noon that he was being given so much attention. Nobody in the Templar Order had ever thought much of him.

A knock on the door drew his attention away from the light bulb. Pierce swiftly, but silently made his way against the door, peering through the eyehole at whoever was outside as he drew a baton from his coat.

Soon, he disengaged the electronic lock he had made out of a few spare parts as a big, burly blue-skinned man walked in, followed behind by a smaller woman in what looked like armor. She had hair that High Noon had never seen before, which shimmered in a multitude of different shades of pink and purple. A scabbard hung at her side, in which nested a sword that looked almost too big for her.

The man strode up to High Noon and smashed his hands on the table, making the cowboy jump. The Assassin lowered his face to High Noon’s and stared into his eyes as if he could read minds.

High Noon finally decided to speak to the big man. “Y-you must be the Mentor?”

The Assassin grunted at High Noon but said nothing else. Soon, he moved away from the table as the woman approached him. She pulled up the other chair and sat across from High Noon.

“Greetings, High Noon,” she spoke softly. “I hear from Pierce Network that you want to join us? Care to elaborate?”

High Noon froze, realizing the woman was the Mentor. She didn’t look like it, but something about her intimidated the cowboy. Eventually, he found his tongue, freeing it from the icy grip. “Y-yes… the Templars… they weren’t what they said they are. I joined them b-because they told me t-they could make the world a better place. Now I know all they want is a world where everything is controlled by them. They tried to kill me after I left. They hunted me back to my hometown in Appleloosa. I refuse to let my family and friends die because of me. Please… let me fight back against the Order to protect them all.”

“Pretty words, to be sure,” the burly man said, pacing behind High Noon. “But that’s all they are, words. You wanna join us? Then you have to prove that you actually want to follow our Creed, and not just to save your skin.”

High Noon felt the beads of sweat drip down his face. Would he be able to prove it to them? “W-what d-do you need me t-to do?”

The blue-skinned man stopped and grabbed High Noon’s chair, pulling it backwards looking down at his frightened face. “How did you even manage to survive all these years with the Templars? You look like you won’t even last ten minutes in the open! For such a big sized boy from Appleloosa, you sure are weak. Are you up for this?”

High Noon had already thought it over and over in his head; if he would be willing to return to the battle. He had to. There was no other path for him anymore. He looked back up to the burly man and nodded. “Yes. What must I do?”

“What do you both think?” the Mentor asked her two associates.

“The kid has my vote,” Pierce Network replied without taking his eyes off of his phone. “He’s got the right attitude, excluding the fear. Yeah, I can see the fear seeping out from your pores, High Noon. It kind of reminds me-”

“Pierce!” the other man barked, halting the hacker from droning on. “Focus.”

“Right,” he nodded. “I’m fine with it. Star Lance?”

The big one, Star Lance, crossed his arms and blew some air at High Noon through his nose. “I say yes. I want to see what he’s got.”

“Then it’s settled,” the Mentor nodded, raising a hand. “High Noon. To join us, Star Lance will have a task for you to accomplish. If you can do it, perhaps you will be allowed to become one of us.”

“W-what am I to do?” High Noon stuttered, nervously playing with his hands.

Star Lance folded his arms and created a small smirk at the corner of his mouth. “Bait.”

Mahogany Wood sat at his office table, alone, not wanting anyone else to share in his grief. He looked at a picture of his family, all standing together in the main square of Manehattan. That was years ago, when they were all still alive. Now, three of them were dead. Killed by their terrible enemies, who wished to foil their plans for a better future. He got off the chair and walked over to the window behind him to distract himself from the painful memories. The city of Manehattan went about like every other day. Cars were unmoving on the roads below, trapped in an almost endless traffic jam, on their way to their work places no doubt.

He felt for his extended family, spouses and children of his deceased siblings. Surely they were going through hard times now and Mahogany didn’t like it. That was why he wanted to rid the world of the Assassins and establish lasting peace. Without violence, without war, this world would become perfect under Templar rule. He had earlier called Oak Wood's family, telling them if they needed anything, they could always call him.

A knock on the door raised his head, and a scowl on his face. “What is it…”

He heard the door open as his brother, Ash’s voice entered his ears. “Mahogany. I’ve had a phone call. From High Noon. He’s in Manehattan. He wanted to know if we’d give him another chance.” Ash started snickering.

“High Noon?” Mahogany asked aloud, mainly for himself to hear. He turned and walked to his brother, who was geared in a black and red combat attire, including knee and elbow guards, and a kevlar vest. “What would he be doing back in this area? You’d think Wolfgang would’ve scared him off.”

“I’m unsure, brother. Maybe he wants back in because he’s afraid we’ll kill him,” Ash Wood replied. “But what I want to know… do I have permission to take him down? I never lose a target. Never. You know that better than anyone.”

Mahogany nodded. His brother Ash has been their top spy for years. Whenever a target was designated to him, he would always accomplish his mission, no matter how long it took. “Very well. Take him down. Make him sorry for the deaths of our family.”

Ash turned and smiled to himself. “Oh, you can be sure of that, Mahogany. I’ll make sure he dies in the slowest possible way.”

Ash walked out of the room as he pulled out his phone. He dialed High Noon’s number again and waited for the cowboy to pick up.

“Hello?”

“High Noon,” Ash began. “It’s Ash Wood. I want to let you know… Mahogany Wood’s given you yet another chance. Where are you now? I’ll meet you and discuss what you can do for us.”

High Noon put down the phone and nodded to Frigid Night. “They bought it. Ash Wood said he’ll be meeting me here.”

Earlier, the Assassins had moved out, passing the job of watching the ex-Templar to one of their lower ranked members. It just so happened that the one they placed to watch High Noon was the one that wounded him a year ago. Frigid Night.

Frigid nodded, but kept his frown focused on the cowboy. “You better hope they didn’t catch on.”

High Noon sighed. “Look. I’m sorry for what I’ve done… I never knew what the Templars were truly planning.”

“And do you now?” Frigid muttered.

High Noon stayed silent but shook his head.

“That’s what I thought,” he put a hand to his earpiece. “Ice Flake, Ash Wood is on his way. He’ll be here.”

“Roger, Frigid,” she voiced back. “Fire Frenzy and I will be waiting on the roofs just in case. Trueshot, are you in position?”

“Yes,” the sniper replied. “I’ve got my sights trained on Frigid now, actually.”

“Hey!” Frigid yelled into his earpiece, startling High Noon. He turned to the cowboy. “It’s nothing.”

High Noon returned his attention to his phone. Ash said Mahogany would give him another chance. Was it true? Or was it just a ruse to get to him? He took a few slow breaths to calm his nerves. What the Assassins said was true. He panicked too easily. Was he meant for this line of work?

He had to take his mind off of the worry. He decided to strike up some conversation with Frigid. “So… uhh… how long have you been with the Assassins?”

Frigid sighed again, but answered his question. “About three years.”

“Oh,” High Noon sounded surprised. “That’s… not a long time.”

“Yeah.”

“So… that other Assassin. Mirror Match or something? You two seem close. Is she your…”

“None of your business!” Frigid barked, a small redness forming on his cheeks. He pulled up his hood. “Let’s just get this over with. I’ll be in my position. You stay here. Make sure you distract that Templar well.”

“Right,” High Noon nodded.

Frigid Night left for his hiding spot while High Noon remained in the alley. He started worrying again. What if the sniper out there decided to take him out after shooting Ash? Noon shook his head, trying to get the thought out of his head.

He waited in the corner beside a trash can, all by himself. The Assassins were out there somewhere, close enough to watch him, but far enough to remain out of sight. He peeled off his hat and looked at it. It was all he had at the moment to remind him of home. To remind him who he was fighting for, and to remind him that he made a promise to Braeburn. When it was all over, he would return and start a new life in Appleloosa. One without fear and worry.

“High Noon!”

The cowboy looked up as a man in red and black combat armor walked into the alleyway. He wore a black mask, concealing his face. A pistol was strapped to his side, along with at least three swords on his back.

“Ash?” High Noon asked. “What’s with all the… gear? H-how’d you get around on t-the street like that?”

“I have my ways,” the man grunted under the mask. “Now. The chairman wants to give you another chance. Another chance at death, that is.” Ash pulled out two of his swords, pointing one at High Noon.

High Noon took a few steps back and hit the ground as he lost his balance. He knew it. Mahogany wouldn’t want him back after everything. He scrambled back as the man slowly approached him. Where were the Assassins?

Chapter 16: The Other Side

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“Problem,” Trueshot voiced over the radio.

“What is it?” Ice Flake asked, watching the armored man approach the terrified cowboy.

“Ash has a helmet,” Trueshot analyzed. “There’s no way my 9mm shots are piercing that.”

“Great,” she mumbled. She turned to her fiery partner. “Looks like we’ll have to do this old school.”

“Right,” Fire Frenzy agreed, pulling out his sword.

“Trueshot, do what you can to slow him down. I’m sure he can still feel it through his armor.”

Ice Flake and Fire Frenzy leapt over the railing and scaled the fire escape down towards the armored man. Hearing the noise, he looked up and saw them. He sheathed one blade and whipped out his pistol and started firing. They quickly got behind one of the emergency hoses as the bullet started ricocheting off the solid metal.

“Trueshot!” she shouted into her earpiece. “We need some cover fire!”

“Got it.”

She heard the sound of bullets pinging off the man below as he stumbled back. he bent down, but the force of the bullets only knocked him around instead of killing him. Ice Flake and Fire Frenzy took the chance and got to moving down again. As she got close enough, she peeled off her sais from her waist and pointed the tip towards Ash as she dropped to him. He recovered enough to swat her out of the way with one arm, sending her rolling onto the hard ground. Frenzy joined in, swinging his blade at Ash. The Templar parried his attacks, striking back with some of his own as Ice got back up.

“Surrender, Ash Wood,” she warned. “You can’t take all of us at once.”

“I… can…” he muttered, his head still sore from taking a few bullets.

He dashed forward, raising two swords to Ice Flake and Fire Frenzy. The white haired woman twisted around him and jammed her sais at his chest. His kevlar armor absorbed the blow, but Fire Frenzy had stabbed his sword down into Ash’s knee, earning a scream from the Templar. A few more bullets pinged off his helmet, seriously disorienting him.

"Gruhh..." the man groaned. "Cover fire!"

A few shots suddenly pierced the air as a second man stood by the entrance of the alley, his rifle facing away from the Assassins, pointed at the buildings ahead.

Ice Flake noticed the direction the second man fired in, quickly getting on her earpiece. "Trueshot! Are you still there?"

A few husky breaths replied back before Trueshot's voice. "I'm hit... I'm sorry... I won't be of any help from here..."

"Stay put!" she shouted, to him. “We’ll come get you once we deal with these two! Frigid Night! We need you out here!”

The young Assassin leapt out of his hiding spot and unsheathed his hidden blades, jamming one into the first Templar’s arm as Ice Flake and Fire Frenzy headed for the one with the gun.

“Take care of this one, Frigid!” Ice Flake ordered as she ran forward. “He’s almost done for!”

Frigid slashed another blade at Ash, but the Templar deflected with a sword before swinging the other at Frigid’s head. The Assassin just barely managed to dodge it, going under Ash and kicking back, tripping the Templar.

“You’ll pay for that!” the Templar cursed.

Ice Flake and Fire Frenzy curved around the second man, running as fast as they could as the bullets pelted the ground behind them, slowly catching up. Frenzy pulled out a knife as they got nearer and chucked it at the gunman. He brought up the gun to block the knife, allowing Ice Flake and Fire Frenzy to get closer to him.

“Take him,” she said to Frenzy as she spun to the man’s right side. She slashed at him, but his kevlar armor held out most of it. He grabbed one of her wrists and flipped her to the ground as he turned to Fire Frenzy. The orange-skinned Assassin brought his sword up and cut down hard, but the man was quicker, pulling out two blades and countering Frenzy’s attack, forcing him back.

“You’re not stopping me that easy,” he laughed at the two Assassins.

Ash Wood had pulled Frigid by the hood and slammed him down to the ground, bringing his blade up for the finishing strike. As his arm came down, someone behind him pulled him back, throwing him down to the ground and swiping his helmet at the same time. The man on the ground grunted as he looked up at High Noon standing above him.

“Singe,” High Noon remembered his fellow bodyguard as he threw the helmet down. Singe was Ash Wood's bodyguard, like how High Noon had been Oak Wood's. He looked to the other man fighting Frenzy and Flake. “Ash.”

“That’s right, Noon,” he spat. “Ash’s plan was fantastic. You will all pay with your lives.”

Before he had a chance to get up, Frigid had sprung up and drove his hidden blade deep into Singe’s face. The bodyguard gurgled and went still.

“Thanks, High Noon,” Frigid Night nodded, turning his attention to the other fight. “We’ll talk more later. Let’s deal with Ash Wood.”

Ash had the upperhand in the fight, being a skilled spy and swordmaster. He grabbed the blue Assassin by her throat and threw her against the wall as he parried the orange one’s blade. He quickly turned around as the woman bounced back to him and inserted his sword through her body, splashing blood on his body armor.

“No!” the orange one yelled, and charged Ash again.

Ash allowed himself to smile as he turned and elbowed him in the chest, before spinning a kick at his face, sending him sprawling to the concrete. He stepped back and tossed the female one away from his blade, sending her rolling up against a pile of trash.

“Always knew you Assassins were a bit weak,” he laughed at them. “What a joke.”

Frenzy scrunched his face in anger as the spy approached him, drawing a second sword. Ash was about to attack again when he heard footsteps behind him. He turned just in time to see High Noon and the young Assassin jump at him. He sidestepped and aimed a sword at High Noon, but the Assassin countered, stepping back into his path and deflecting it with a hidden blade before driving the second one into his arm.

“Agh!” Ash shouted as he swung his blade back, watching as the orange Assassin blocked it. He clashed with both Assassins, trading slashes and parries, dueling it out for almost two minutes.

He had lost sight of High Noon, but he knew the traitor couldn’t do anything. He was weak. He was a coward. He was a failure. He continued to attack and defend as the two Assassins tried to take him down. Suddenly, he felt something like a wall fly against him, pushing him down. It could only be one other person.

“High Noon!” he grunted. “You traitor! Get off me now, and perhaps I’ll rethink Mahogany’s offer!”

He pointed his sword backwards and tried to stab the cowboy, but the orange-skinned Assassin put a foot on his arm, and with another foot, dislocated Ash’s shoulder.

“Gah!” he released from his mouth, still trapped under the cowboy. “I’m going to remember this, Assassins!”

High Noon pulled off his helmet, revealing Ash's raging face, spitting and spluttering at them. The orange-skinned one walked closer and raised his hidden blade to Ash’s face. “For Ice Flake.”

Ash closed his eyes, knowing his moment was here. He silently apologized to his brother, having failed at killing High Noon. He felt the tip of the blade enter his neck, cutting off his oxygen flow. He didn’t have long, but he felt that he needed to say something.

“So this… is it, huh?” Ash gasped, fighting for air. “The end. All I… ever wanted was to help my brother… make this world… a world worth living in.”

“On your own terms, you mean?” High Noon raised his voice. “Before I knew that, I had also believed the Templars’ goal was to do just that.”

“You don’t… see the bigger picture… in the end… it’ll all make sense… We are still the rightful… rulers. We can change the future…”

As Ash slowly closed his eyes to enter the void, the older Assassin bent down and placed a hand on Ash’s face. “You picked the wrong side and now you’re paying for it.”

Fire Frenzy quickly ran over to Ice Flake’s body. She was bleeding profusely from the wound in her chest, gasping as she fought for air.

“Flake!” he called, lifting her head up under his leg. “Stay with us! Frigid’s called for help. You’re going to be fine. The medics are on their way.”

He inspected her wound. It was a deep stab, going out on the other side, puncturing some of her organs and just barely missing her heart, but by the looks of it, she didn’t have long.

She coughed out blood on his robes, staining them with a red tint. “Is-is the Templar dead?”

“Yeah, they’re both dead,” Frenzy told her, fighting back his tears.

“T-that’s… good,” she said softly, her eyes beginning to close.

“No, no, no…” Fire Frenzy put a hand to her cheek. “Don’t go… not yet. Help’s coming!”

“It’s alright, Frenzy…” she reached up to his cheek. “We did it. We got another one… One day, I’ll see you again… on the other side…” Ice Flake took her last breath and stopped moving, her arm dropping back to her side.

Frenzy couldn’t hold back his tears anymore as a steady stream began pouring from his eyes. As he shut her eyes, he brought his head down against her forehead; one last comfort before facing the truth.

“...Rest well, Flake…” he choked out, staying in the bent position for a while longer. "I'll see you again one day..."

Frigid approached the fiery haired Assassin and placed a hand on his back."Fire Frenzy... Are you... Alright?"

He continued sitting next to his friend, not moving away. "I'll... Give me more time alone... Go check on Trueshot. Take High Noon with you... Just let me stay here."

Frigid nodded before turning and pulling High Noon with him. "Come. Give him some time."

High Noon followed Frigid without question, clearly seeing the man before him needing his space. They headed down the street towards Trueshot’s position.

Frigid ran to Trueshot’s side as he and High Noon arrived at the top of the fire escape. The senior Assassin was lying against the concrete wall, his arm bandaged up to his collarbone, a few bloody bullets on the floor around his feet.

“Took your time,” Trueshot forced a smile on his face. “I already went ahead and cleaned up my injuries. No big deal. I'll live.”

“Yeah…” Frigid looked down. “Trueshot… we lost Ice Flake. Ash got her.”

“Derr`mo...” Trueshot spat. “I should have got him sooner. I was careless. I didn’t see him coming.” He dropped his head, but raised it again to look at at High Noon. “How about this one? Can we trust him?”

Frigid looked at High Noon as the cowboy walked up to join them. Frigid didn’t quite know what to think about the ex-Templar, but he knew one thing for certain. “He saved my life just now. I think we should give him a shot at being one of us.”

Trueshot grunted. “Well, if you say so, I won’t argue. You should get back to the boss… tell him the news.”

“What about you?” High Noon examined the sniper. The gunshot wounds didn’t look too serious, but they still needed to be dealt with. Trueshot waved him away.

“I’ll be fine,” he assured them as he reached for something in his coat. “Bit of vodka, all better.”

“We’ll help you back to HQ,” Frigid insisted, ready to help the sniper up as soon as he was done draining the alcohol.

After disposing of the glass bottle, Trueshot let the two younger ones help him up and bring him over to the fire escape.

Chapter 17: Breeze

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Trueshot had explained the happenings to the Mentor and Star Lance, all the while looking down, remembering Ice Flake. They had accomplished in taking down another high profile target, but in the process, lost one of their better Assassins.

“Ice Flake will forever be remembered,” Star Lance eulogized. “She has done a great deed for her people.”

He kept talking, but Frigid Night had stopped listening, instead, thinking about life. How easy it was to lose it, just like that. One slip up anywhere and it was all over for you. He thought back to Ash Wood, and how if it had not been for High Noon, it might well have been his neck on the line instead. It spoke volumes, when this new guy was willing to risk his own life to save that of someone who had almost killed him before.

Mirror Match stood by him, comforting him as much as she could, reminding him that Assassins come and go and there was no stopping it. It was a dangerous line of work after all. Death was expected.

High Noon stood to one of the corners, doing his best to look strong. Was it all his fault? Perhaps if he had warned them about how crafty Ash was, Ice Flake would still be alive. He mentally beat himself down, but bounced back up. The Assassins were going to induct him into their Brotherhood. Now it was his turn to do what he knew was right. He would go up against the Templars for everyone who had fallen to them.

As the ceremony ended, High Noon found Frigid’s hand on his shoulder. The Assassin pulled him aside as the rest of those present filed out. "Hey, High Noon. Sorry I ever doubted you and stuff. And sorry for that wound on your leg. You still keeping the bandages to remember?"

High Noon looked down at his bandaged leg and put his hat back on. "I did have it as a reminder that I would make you pay one day. Now... I keep it as a reminder that I once played for the wrong team, and that was one of the costs."

"Well..." Frigid continued, still pondering on the events before. "Thanks for that save. I wouldn't be here now if it wasn't for you." He raised a hand. "Welcome to the Brotherhood, High Noon."

“Well, sorry to hear you Assassins had lost one,” Twilight Sparkle said. “But you’ve got High Noon. From what I’ve heard, he did a bunch of good things, right? Sadly, I haven’t had the chance to meet him in Equestria yet. I wonder if he never left Appleloosa.”

“Perhaps he’s still a deputy sheriff there or something,” Morning Blade suggested. “That’s what he was before he left Appleloosa for Manehattan so many years ago and that’s what he was when he returned to Appleloosa again.”

“Yeah. It’s a shame he was scared off and back into this line of work,” Twilight Sparkle sighed and flipped through her notes unconsciously. “Perhaps he’ll still be alive today.”

“Maybe… But, I guess, maybe things won’t be the way there are now if not for High Noon. He was a great contribution to us all. I just wish we could’ve had both. The others all deserve to still be around today.” Morning smiled faintly, then flipped her page. “Well, I’m missing some information again, so we’ll be skipping forward in time.”

“That’s fine.” Twilight spun her pen, then clicked the tip. “I can’t expect you to have everything down if you weren’t there. Anything you have before you joined them is already a bonus. Gathering all this information must’ve been tough work.”

“It was,” Morning chuckled. “But I think it was well worth it. I can remember them through all this.”

“That’s nice, Morning. A good way to look at all this.”

“Sure is… Now, let’s continue on, then.”

Three years later

Talon checked the crates of armaments that he was about to send to the chairman. After the death of yet another of his family members, Mahogany Wood had wanted to beef up the Templar weaponry, requesting Talon to smuggle in bigger guns, like the launchers and heavy machine guns from the army base.

"Bullseye!" he said to his lieutenant. "Tell your men to pick up the pace. You know we can't be here long. Someone might see us."

"Yes sir," the brown haired man nodded. He turned back to his men and gave them more orders, speeding them up.

Talon's men put their backs into it, bagging the weapons in crates as fast as they could go. Every few months, the Templar agent had made sure to sneak some weapons out for the chairman to use against the Assassins. Every little bit counted, but after the death of Ash, Mahogany had asked for bigger guns. Firearms that were harder to smuggle out. Talon had to go through a month of papers just to get clearance to be in the weapons bay, even with his rank, and to bring the weapons out was way above his clearance, so he had to make sure no one saw him.

The major grunted at the thought of getting caught. Not only would he lose his rank and status, but they would likely charge him as well. The cells were not a place he would like to be in.

"Move it, move it," he barked at his men.

"Major Talon? What are you doing?"

Talon's skin instantly pricked on hearing the new voice. He turned around to see the Commanding Officer of the base stroll in. He wore the usual green army uniform, but had two stars on his shirt.

"General Thunderbolt, " Talon started after saluting. "What can I help you with?"

"Where are these weapons going?" he questioned.

"We're delivering them to the Las Pegasus Camp, sir," Talon told the man, taking out the papers as well. "I have all the clearance here."

The general took the papers and scrolled his eyes through most of it, passing it back to the major when he finished reading them. "All seems to be in order, major. Just one problem..."

Talon didn't like the sound of that. "What's the matter?"

"When the office cleared you, they didn’t know of the information I had on you, major."

"What information?" Talon started, but stopped. Something about the general’s tone put ice in his veins.

The general pulled out a stack of papers from his shirt and waved them in Talon’s face. “I’ve been reviewing your authorizations, major. Every three months, you recorded sending out arms to various camps, all of which have not received a single firearm from you. Now why is that?”

Talon felt it now. The fear of being found out. His rank and status would mean nothing to the Commanding Officer. He’d hope it’ll never come down to this, but here he was, standing before General Thunderbolt himself. He was going to lose his power in the army. He had spent so much time, working his way up the ladder and earning his reputation, and now it was all going to disappear.

“Must be a misunderstanding, sir,” Talon tried to give an excuse. “I’ve delivered all the firearms successfully.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that,” General Thunderbolt grunted, stashing the papers. “But the question is… where have you been bringing all the weapons?” He pulled out a pair of handcuffs from another pocket and held them up for Talon to see. “You’re under arrest, Major Talon. Come quietly and don’t put up any resistance.”

Talon stood his ground. He wasn't going to turn himself in just like that. Mahogany really wanted these guns, and he never took failure lightly. High Noon was the perfect example of what happens when you fail the chairman, though that traitor had yet to be terminated.

"So, general. You planned on arresting me all on your own?" Talon raised an eyebrow. "No guards? No escort?"

"I'm the chief here, major. Not you. My word is law here."

"Just wondering..." Talon raised his hands. In that instant, he flung them forward as fast as he could and pulled the general into a chokehold. "...If I would have to kill anyone else."

Talon didn't allow the general to say anymore, instantly breaking Thunderbolt's neck. He let the body fall to the floor, looking upon it with disgust.

Bullseye walked up to Talon and looked at the body. "Sir, what do we do now? To cover the disappearance of such a man..."

Talon grumbled. The lieutenant was right, of course. Eventually, someone was going to notice General Thunderbolt's disappearance. He had no choice. This was his last chance. "Take everything. Leave nothing. We're clearing out from this place. Permanently."

"Major?" Bullseye questioned. "What are you going to do?"

“I’m going to have to lay low for a while,” Talon told him as the rest of the men got to loading the crates onto the nearby trucks. “After a few weeks, I’ll turn in my resignation form. I’ll be long gone before anyone discovers the general, but by then, we’ll have all the weapons we need. You’ll see to it.”

“Roger that, sir!” Bullseye saluted.

Talon knew it wasn’t the best of plans, but he didn’t see his Commanding Officer catching on to what he was doing. Mahogany would just have to like it. There was nothing more Talon could do to cover everything up. At least the Templars would have the firepower and ammunition to back up for the next few years after today.

“What’s all the commotion?” Frigid Night caught Spectral Rim as a bunch of Assassins made their way down to the main lobby.

“Someone just walked into the bureau,” she explained, slipping out of his grip. “Could be trouble.”

“Who do you suppose it could be?” Mirror Match asked her partner. “Templars? Have they found us already?”

“Who knows…” Frigid pondered. He took her hand and pulled her on. “Come on. Let’s find out. If it’s trouble, we’ll be ready.”

"Come on , Friggy," Mirror assured, squeezing his hand firmly. "We're soldiers now. We can handle an intruder."

Frigid nodded. They'd come so far after all these years, and they were still alive. That meant something. They hopped down the stairs, quickly merging with the small crowds of Assassins. Taking sight of the lobby, Frigid saw that Star Lance was already there, his arms not poised for combat, but folded across his chest. In front of him, stood a young girl with blue-gray skin and blue hair with purple streaks in it, and instead of fighting, they seemed to be talking.

Some of the Assassins slowed down and headed back, but Frigid and Mirror still wanted to get to the bottom of this, so they headed down the last flight of steps and joined the Assassins in the front.

“So you want to join us?” they heard Star Lance ask. “I mean… usually people don’t walk up to us like this and ask to join.”

“I’ve had a few Assassin friends down in Hollow Shades,” she told him. Her voice was like a soft wind, gently flowing across the room. “They told me where to find this place. After running from home with my sister, I’d thought I could help you guys out.”

“First thing,” Star Lance huffed. “How do I know we can trust you?” He turned to look for Pierce Network, spying him the crowd of Assassins. “Pierce. Collect all the information on this girl.”

Frigid was surprised when he saw High Noon walk forward, standing next to Star Lance. “She doesn’t have the background I did, Star Lance. I’m sure you can trust her more than you trust me.”

“Back, High Noon!” Star Lance barked as he turned to the cowboy. “I didn’t ask you!”

High Noon flinched and slowly eased back into the small crowd, not saying anything more. Frigid shook his head, but smiled a little. Same old High Noon. He looked like a tough guy, but he never stood his ground, especially against Star Lance.

Star Lance turned back to the girl and crossed his arms again. “Look, kid. The life of an Assassin is a hard one. Most of us don’t even live till old age. There’s no guarantee you’ll be walking out of this. Are you certain you want to be one of us?”

The girl nodded without much thought, already sure on her choice. “I’m ready for whatever you want me to do. All I ask in return is that I get paid enough to cover my living expenses, since I won’t be staying here.”

“As you wish…” Star Lance beckoned her to follow. “What’s your name?”

“Satin,” she answered. “Satin Breeze.”

“Well, Satin Breeze,” Star Lance continued, heading past Frigid and Mirror. “Not for me to decide if you can join us or not. I’ll take you to the Mentor. She’ll decide your outcome.”

“Sounds fair to me.”

The rest of the Assassins began clearing off after Star Lance headed out of sight. Some headed for the entrance, probably to make sure the girl wasn’t followed. As the crowd dissipated, only Frigid and Mirror, along with a few more Assassins lingered at the entrance, discussing the new arrival.

“Well, this is new,” Frigid turned to his partner. “I don’t believe anyone’s ever walked up to the bureau like that, asking to join.”

“Hmm?” Mirror Match seemed to snap out of a trance. “Oh. Yes, quite right.” She absent-mindedly wiped the corner of her mouth, looking thoughtfully up at the Mentor’s office.

“Something bothering you, Mirror?” Frigid asked, concern in his voice. “You been getting enough rest?”

Mirror Match waved her hand. “Oh, I’m fine. Don’t worry about it. Just… thinking.”

"You can tell me anything, Mirror," Frigid gave her a big smile. "You know that."

She put a hand to his face and returned the smile. "Oh, I know, Friggy. I trust you, but I was just wondering whether they'll accept that girl or not. No big deal."

"You think she's telling the truth?"

Mirror looked up to the office again. "I don't see why she would lie. If the Templars knew where the bureau was, they wouldn’t send just one person here."

"I guess you're right," Frigid agreed after thinking. If the Templars really knew where to find them, they would send an army over, guns blazing. "So... What now?"

"Let's say we go talk some more in my room?" Mirror Match started pulling Frigid along.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Frigid followed.

Pierce Network had dug up every scrap of information on Satin Breeze. Where she lived, when she was born, her family, life records, everything.

"Seems to be in order..." Pierce started talking to himself. "No criminal records, no affiliation with any known Templars..."

"I think she's trustworthy," High Noon said behind the hacker. He walked into the cramped room and took off his hat. "I mean, I speak from experience. You can probably trust her more than you can trust me."

"Yeah," Pierce reluctantly agreed. "Can't say you're bad company, though. I've kept an eye on you. Gotta make sure you're not in contact with the Templars. And-"

"Don't worry, Pierce," High Noon stopped him. "I would've been suspicious too if a Templar wanted to join us."

"Right. Well, just in case, I'll be keeping an eye on her." Pierce looked to his phone as it buzzed, alerting him of an incoming message. His frown deepened as he read it. "Huh... Looks like Red Card has a job for me in my hometown."

"Hometown? Where are you from again?" High Noon questioned, getting a look from Pierce.

"Chicoltgo," Pierce replied anyway, still keeping his eyes on his phone. "Templar agent. Goes by the name of Lucky Deck. Supplies them lots of money from his casino and hotel. It's all about corruption these days. No business is perfect. I guess it's time I finish this."

Pierce got up and walked past High Noon, but the cowboy followed behind, putting his hat back on. "I'll come with you. Assassins don't usually work alone."

"Well, I do," Pierce said without turning. "This one's personal. Lucky Deck has had a grip over Chicoltgo for sometime now. Gangs, trades, even some cops are all under his supervision. I've let him wreck the place for too long."

"Still doesn't mean I can't come with you," High Noon tried to reason.

"Fine," Pierce relented. "But don't expect me to have to wait or look after you."

“Fair enough.” High Noon was excited. He’d spent the last five weeks in the bureau library, learning up his history. He’d been wanting to get outside and do some good since then, and it was also a good time to try that new invention of his.

“My apprentice?” Mirror Match’s face lit up instantly.

“Yes…” Star Lance scowled at her excitement. "Mentor figured it's time you got one of your own."

“Well, I gladly accept,” Mirror nodded vigorously. “I’ve always wanted to have one. I’ve wanted to know how Frigid felt when he had to train me.”

“You know… it wasn’t too difficult,” Frigid told her. “You’re a fast learner, and a good friend.”

“Frigid, you were but a small initiate when Mirror Match arrived. You barely knew your basics,” Star Lance said sternly. “Let’s see if your girlfriend here can handle an apprentice better than you.”

“Satin Breeze,” the Mentor called, stopping a possible argument from happening. The blue haired girl walked over, standing a little taller than Mirror Match. “This will be your new instructor, Mirror Match. She’ll show you the skills you’ll need to survive outside.”

“Nice to meet you,” Satin replied softly.

"Same to you," Mirror shook her hand. "I'll teach you everything I know about being an Assassin!"

"We will leave you to it." With that said, the Mentor and Star Lance headed back to the office.

“So, what are we going to do first?” Satin asked her new teacher.

Mirror turned to Frigid, looking to him for suggestions.

“I dunno,” Frigid shrugged. “On your first day, I brought you to the obstacle course. After that, I gave you a tour of the bureau.”

“Sounds good,” Mirror agreed. She looked at the novice and remembered. She didn’t know who Frigid was. “Oh, Satin. This is Frigid Night. He’s… a special person to me, and he was also my teacher when I first arrived. Now we’re the best of partners.”

Frigid blushed, but stuck out his hand. “Welcome to the Brotherhood, Satin.”

“Thanks,” she nodded and shook it. “So, we’re going straight for training?”

“Right you are.” Mirror gave her a thumbs up.

Mirror led the new novice down the halls to the obstacle course, showing her the different places on the way. Frigid hung back, watching the two. If everything continued this smoothly, Mirror shouldn’t have a tough time teaching Satin at all.

“So, I heard you’ll be living outside the bureau?” Mirror asked along the way.

“Yes,” Satin answered. “I have to look after my sister, Velvet. She’s still too young to look after herself, and… I couldn’t leave her with my parents.”

“Why is that?”

“We… we had an argument,” Satin said after a while, likely deciding what she should tell them. “I decided it was time to leave Hollow Shades, and I couldn’t leave Velvet with them, so I took her with me.”

“Sounds rough,” Frigid replied. He’s had some tough times, but not like Satin, who had family problems. “You’ll be better off here. From today, we’re your new family. We’ll watch out for you.”

“Thanks,” Satin nodded as they made their way to the obstacle course.

Mahogany Wood stared out the big, reflective window, which was almost a daily routine now. His once proud family was reduced to ashes in the recent years, his brothers and sister killed by Assassins. Even Ash, his best spy of a brother had fallen to them. The rest of them wouldn’t be safe. That’s why he had to beef up the security and firepower in the Order. Talon had arrived with crates of weapons. More than he had ever brought before, but with a cost. It seems the red-skinned man could no longer remain in the base after being caught by his Commanding Officer, so he would soon have to leave. A pity, as Mahogany had said, but there would always be other ways of acquiring resources.

Then there was the artifact. His brother, Timber, and the rest of the science team have yet to crack its inner secrets. After all this time, they were no closer to figuring out how to control it then when they first found it. Mahogany lowered his eyebrows, disgusted at the technology they had. They could use it, but not without its draining effects. The Templars knew it could be used to control minds and change ideals, but without a proper, stable way to use it, it was all but a dream to them.

“Chairman,” Crescent Wing notified. Mahogany turned around to see Quickdraw entering the room.

“Yes, what is it, Quickdraw?” Mahogany resumed his orderly stance.

“Just wanted to tell you that the soldiers have been equipped with the new rifles. That should give a bigger kick to the bee hive. And about the killers… only Wolfgang took some of the new gear. The two girls didn’t want any.”

“A bit choosy, aren’t they…” Mahogany slurred. “No matter. As long as they get the job done. Well done. You may go. Make sure our men don’t blow themselves up.”

Quickdraw nodded and headed back out, closing the door behind him. Mahogany found himself returning to the window, gazing out at the busy streets once more. Even without the artifact, the Assassins were still in for a new level of beating. That small spark was enough to give Mahogany some satisfaction.

Chapter 18: No Turning Back

View Online

Pierce Network parked the van on the street, just outside the Marelaut Hotel. It was one of the few hotels in Chicoltgo, but probably the most famous one, because of Lucky Deck's control in the city, even if it was a smaller establishment.

"So..." High Noon checked his gear and pulled his hood up. "What's the plan?"

Pierce checked his sidearm and stuffed a few extra magazines in his coat pocket. "The plan. You stay near the van, just in case. I'm going in, and I'm taking Lucky Deck down."

"Wait, what?" High Noon realized he wasn't going to be of much help in this. "I don't get to help you out?"

"Oh you'll be helping plenty. Watch the van. Keep an eye out for things in the lobby."

High Noon shrugged and threw up his hands. "Whatever you think is best."

Pierce nodded and headed to the front entrance, keeping his eyes on the phone at all times. The first obstacle was the metal detector. He couldn't have the guards taking away his weapons, so as he neared it, he downed the power, walking through without a beep, activating it again as soon as he was a safe distance away.

"High Noon," he contacted over the earpiece. "I'm in. Just watch the lobby for me. I have a pair of binoculars in one of the compartments in the van."

"Right," High Noon replied, a little bit of dissatisfaction in his voice. “Uhh… There are just three guards in there with you, but they shouldn’t suspect you of anything. There’s so many people around.”

Pierce shook his head. "Assassins these days... They're definitely not what they used to be. This kid can't even work under pressure, or even do petty things like being a lookout. Sometimes, all they need is someone to kick them over before they learn the simple things."

He proceeded in, using his phone to bypass the security camera's' inner workings. Soon, he was in the system, watching out for the old Templar, switching through the many cameras to find him.

"Where are you hiding, Lucky Deck? You've been lucky all this time, but today, your luck has run out. I'm here to make sure of it."

Pierce eventually found the Templar in the meeting room, talking to someone else. A familiar man with pale-green skin and brown hair. Mahogany Wood.

“The usual transaction, Mr. Lucky?” Mahogany asked, putting his arms behind his back.

“Yes, Chairman Wood,” the older Templar nodded, walking behind a desk to pull out a silver suitcase. “Everything’s in here.”

“Crescent Wing,” Mahogany summoned.

The orange haired bodyguard stepped forward and pried open the case, taking a look inside. “All in order, chairman.”

“Thank you kindly.” Mahogany turned his back to the camera. “The weapons are already downstairs. This time, the Assassins will pay for what they’ve done.”

“Yes, chairman.” Lucky shook Mahogany’s hand. “I’ll be sure to fit them as soon as possible.”

Pierce quickly swapped to his earpiece and contacted his partner. “High Noon. Mahogany Wood and Crescent Wing are here. They’ve just collected one of their Templar payments, I believe.”

“Right,” High Noon replied. “Templars outside the inner circle pull some of their funds towards the artifact research and resource fund. Should we take him down?”

“No. Stick to the plan. If we can get Mahogany, then we go for it. We will not go out of our way to kill him. Mahogany also said he brought weapons downstairs,” Pierce added. “Probably in the basement. We’ll have to check that out too. Do you think you can find it?”

“Well, better than sitting out here next to the van,” High Noon put a little excitement in his voice. “I’ll let you know if I find something.”

“Be careful, rookie. Don’t want to get caught to early.”

“Hey, that’s what I’ve been training for. Not getting caught. I’ll do my best.”

Pierce acknowledged and began looking for a staircase. He found one in the corner, locked by a datapad. Pierce scoffed and tapped away on his phone, changing the datapad’s light from red to green. He looked around before pushing the door open and slipped behind it as fast as he could.

He’d made it into the hotel, but he still had to disable to security. If his schematics were right, the security room was on the second floor. He moved up the staircase, listening out for any footsteps or breathing. “Not going to surprise me in here, Templars. I know your base. I know where everything is.”

Pierce opened the door to the third floor, scouting around the room before entering. One guard stood by the door on the far side, looking into another room. The Assassin quietly made his way to a nearby couch, concealing himself behind it.

“Great,” Pierce muttered under his breath after looking around. “The only way through is past that guard. Gotta find something to distract him with…”

On the other side, Pierce sighted a vending machine. Just what he needed. With a tap of his phone, the machine began spewing out snacks onto the ground, the rickety noise attracting the guard’s attention. The guard slowly walked over, getting closer to Pierce’s position. As soon as he saw the guard’s boot pass the couch, Pierce immediately leapt up and grabbed the man from behind with one hand and bashing him on the head with his baton in his other hand. He let the body fall over the couch as he headed for the door. Another locking mechanism kept the door closed, but with a few buttons on his phone, Pierce got the door to open, letting him out into the hotel’s well-known rooftop garden.

“Alright,” Pierce said to himself as he looked at the map of the building on his phone. “Just need to cross this garden and the office should be on the other side.”

“Pierce?” High Noon’s voice came on. “Are you talking to yourself again?”

“What are you saying? Of course not. What’s your status?” Pierce changed the subject. “Have you gotten to the basement?”

“Yeah,” High Noon replied the bored hacker. “I think I found a door, but it’s guarded by two guards.”

“Well, do something about it. You’re an Assassin are you not?” Pierce replied harshly.

High Noon flinched at the voice, but agreed. He had trained the last three years to be an Assassin. If two guards were a problem for him, then he had wasted his time. The cowboy ducked back around the corner and let out a shrill whistle.

“What was that sound?” he heard one of the guards say.

“I didn’t hear anything,” the second one replied.

High Noon heard footsteps approaching his location. He waited till the guard turned the corner before pulling him in and grabbing him in a choking position. He slowly inserted his hidden blade into the side of the man’s neck, quieting him before setting him down on the ground.

The cowboy returned to the corner and peeked over it. The second guard was still standing there like nothing had happened. High Noon smiled. That was good. It just made his job a lot easier. He took a deep breath before sprinting from his cover. The second guard widened his eyes, but brought the gun up too slowly, allowing High Noon to barrel straight into him, ramming him against the wall. He slotted his hidden blade into the man’s chest, making sure he was dead before hiding the body with the previous one.

“High Noon,” Pierce called again. “What’s your status?”

“Just took care of the guards,” he affirmed. “Heading in now.”

“Good, because I’m almost to the office. I’ll let you-”

“Hey! Who are you?” a voice interrupted Pierce’s.

“Call you back, High Noon!” Pierce signed off.

“Great…” High Noon muttered.

He quickly pushed open the basement door, taking in the full sight of the place. It was a massive rectangular box with crates of weapons stacked along the length of it, like a full armory. Noon remembered one of the Templars, Talon, smuggled weapons out of his army base. This time it seems, Talon had gotten the bigger firearms out. High Noon knew he couldn’t let the Templars have these. He had to destroy them.

Guards patrolled the lanes along the crates, walking back and forth, carrying some of the new rifles with them. At the back, under a huge Templar flag, High Noon noticed a familiar man and his bodyguard.

“Mahogany…” High Noon breathed quietly. If the chairman was here, perhaps he could blow him up along with all the weapons in here.

High Noon thought out his plan. He looked at the different crates, each row carrying a different gun. There were rifles, bigger rifles, grenade launchers, rocket launchers, and a bunch of explosives in the last row. An idea lit up in Noon’s head.

Exactly what I need.

He carefully made his way across the first few crates, ducking low to avoid being seen by the patrolling guards as he made his way towards the explosives. His heartbeat pulsed faster after a close call with one of the guards. He managed to throw himself in between two crates as the guard turned the corner, walking down the lane he had just been in. He wiped the sweat off his face and continued, trying not to make the same mistake again. He crouched behind one of the crates as the guard walked towards him.

“Hey!”

High Noon jumped as he turned around, watching a guard raise his gun at him.

“Hands up!” the man beckoned with the gun. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

High Noon flashed him a nervous smile. “Who, me? I’m supposed to be here. I’ve got my pass right here…” Keeping his eyes on the guard, the Assassin’s right hand strayed for his belt. The guard hesitated, lowering his rifle a fraction, which was all the cue High Noon needed. He whipped his coat aside and in one smooth motion, drew his revolver, thumbed back the hammer and fired a single, deafening shot. Guard and rifle fell to the ground, the former with a gaping hole in his forehead.

The effect was immediate. Every single guard instantly zeroed in on the source of the noise and the air was filled with bullets. High Noon barely had time to throw himself flat as the first volley perforated the space he had just been occupying. Splinters tore out of the crates as bullets whizzed through them.

“Ah, crap.”

The Assassin flattened himself against the crates as splinters flew in a storm of wood about and over his body, hissing as a sliver nicked his cheek. He swore and wiped the blood off.

Blindly, he poked the muzzle of his revolver between two crates and fired three times, the gun bucking in his hand. None of the bullets hit anyone but it had the desired effect of making the guards take cover, allowing him to slide behind a larger stack of crates and reload his own gun. He looked over it, spying the explosives, still two lanes away.

The chatter of a rifle rang out from the far end of the room and High Noon emptied his gun in that direction, smiling as he heard them hit twice, the man going down in a heap.

Still got it.

He was out, and reloading meant wasting more time, so he stowed his revolver and jumped over to the next crate. The remaining guards must have understood that too, advancing on his position while firing at him again. He was just one row away from the explosives now, but he was pinned down, unable to do anything as the barrage of hot lead ate away at his cover.

"Surrender, High Noon!" he heard the chairman call to him. "I know it's you! Come out, and I'll make this painless!"

Yeah, go jump in a lake. High Noon was many things, but gullible was not one of them. He stayed put.

One of the guards reloaded and rounded on High Noon’s cover, bringing the rifle’s sights up to his face. In that split second, the Assassin unclipped his lasso from his side and threw it, the loop of rope closing in a tight noose around the man’s neck. He pulled, hard, and heard a satisfying crunch as the guard hit the concrete floor face first.

High Noon snatched up the rifle, putting a burst into the prone guard’s back just in case and went back to sitting against the crate. Come on, fellas. Let’s make this interesting.

The remaining three guards were being cautious now, only popping out from behind cover to take a few shots at his position before ducking out of range. He returned fire at intervals, using the lull as a chance to reload his revolver. He frowned as he snapped the cylinder back into place; he was running low on bullets, but at least the rifle still had at least half a mag left.

He darted towards the explosive crates, firing the rifle as he ran. The kick sprayed the bullets all over the place, but he kept the guards back behind their cover, the men afraid of getting hit by a stray bullet. The cowboy arrived at the explosives crate and yanked the first one open. Inside lay boxes of C4, stacked to the brim. Noon grabbed one before ducking back down to avoid more rifle fire.

"Do you think I'll allow you to blow all these up?" Mahogany taunted again. "We'll kill you before you even take out one charge!"

High Noon spat at Mahogany's words, but the chairman was right. No way he was going to be able to blow everything up with the guards and Crescent actively trying to end him.

"High Noon," Pierce said on the radio. "Where are you? What's going on?"

"Pinned down right now, Pierce!" he shouted back over the small gunfire. "Not a good time to chat."

"Oh, that's perfect. I'm activating a blackout. Use that chance to get to me. I'm on the third floor. Get ready to move."

High Noon opened the box of C4 and counted. There were at least ten pieces inside, maybe more. He could afford to drop a few in this room. "Ready whenever, Pierce."

Two of the guards began approaching High Noon position from both directions, hoping to cut off his escape route. High Noon put the rifle over the crate and fired in a fanying to neutralize the guards or scare them back to cover. He didn't hear any of them scream in pain, but he heard his gun click. He brought it back down and looked at the mag. Empty. Wonderful.

He pulled out his revolver again, quickly inserting a few bullets in, readying to fire it just as the lights in the whole room shorted out, plunging the whole room into total darkness. High Noon saw his chance and crouched forward, focusing his vision. Soon, the red aura of the guards and the bluish-white aura of his surroundings appeared in his vision, allowing him to navigate the room while the guards fired at his previous location.

High Noon took the chance to plant a piece of C4 on one of the crates. He quickly armed it and moved on, firing two shots out of his revolver, hitting one of the guards in the back, sending him down. The remaining two and Crescent Wing fired towards his newer location, forcing High Noon down to the floor to avoid the speeding bullets. He slowly made his way to the exit, making sure to arm one more C4 on the closest crate.

"High Noon!" he heard Mahogany roar as he slammed the door open and sped up the flight of stairs, heading to the third floor.

Pierce grappled a guard by the arm before spinning around to his back and beating him down with his baton. A second guard approached him with a rifle drawn, but Pierce spun to the left and whipped out his pistol at the same time, dodging the man’s burst of bullets and taking him down with a few of his own. After making sure they were both down, he reactivated the power, bringing all the lights back on.

"Noon, where are you?" Pierce contacted as he headed through the office doors.

"Some hallway. I should get to you soon. I hope."

Pierce grumbled to himself, but got over it. He had worse Assassins to deal with before.

The office before him was empty. There was a meeting room and a resting space next to Lucky's desk room, but there were no signs of anyone.

"Strange..." Pierce muttered out loud. "Where are you hiding, Lucky? There's gotta be something in here that'll help."

Pierce headed over to Lucky's personal computer. The machine was still on, allowing Pierce to access it without having to hack his way in. He tapped away on the keys, bringing up pages of data. Soon, the Assassin found his way into the main database, detailing him the mainframe of Lucky Deck's office. Finding what he wanted, Pierce hit the button, opening up a fake wall, revealing the Templar and a set of screens in a panic room, nothing but a wall of glass separating them.

"Welcome, Mr. Pierce," he smiled at the man, walking over to the glass. "I've been expecting you."

"Have you now?" Pierce replied, staring the man in the eyes. "I know what you've been doing, Lucky. You think you have the whole city under your thumb just because you're with the Templars. Well, let me tell you. You're wrong. You didn't expect resistance, and besides. This is my city. I'm not going to let you do what you please here."

The old man laughed at the hacker. "You think you alone can stop me? I've been watching you. You're not the only one with eyes everywhere, and I have many more cards in my deck. I have all the gangs under me. Even the cops! I could have them arrest you right now, all with the push of a button. And you're not going to get me! This glass is heavily bulletproof, made to withstand high caliber rounds. You're simple, little gun can do nothing against it."

Pierce tapped at his phone, bringing up the schematics again. "Every structure has its weakness, Lucky. I'm going to find yours."

"Good luck with that, Mr. Pierce," Lucky Deck grinned. The Templar turned around and walked to his small desk. "In the meantime, perhaps I'll get the police on the line."

Pierce reviewed the small box the man had placed himself in. There was no way in from his current location, but the floor caught his eye. Planks. There were planks under the man's panic room.

Pierce quickly pivoted and headed out the way he came.

"So long, Mr. Pierce!" Lucky Deck cackled behind him. "I say you have about ten minutes before the cops show up!"

Pierce scoffed at the Templar's taunting. "Throw as many insults as you want, but nothing will save you." He put a hand to his earpiece to contact his partner. "High Noon, change of plans. Meet me on the second floor. Make sure to bring some explosives."

"Way ahead of you, Pierce," the cowboy replied. "I'm still on the second floor, and I bagged myself a box of C4."

"Excellent. I'll meet you at the stairwell."

Pierce didn't want to waste anymore time, and the Templars already knew they were here, so he pulled up his hood and whipped out his pistol. Sneaking was unnecessary from here.

He sprinted back through the garden, pointing his gun around every corner, making sure no guards were on their way to him before pushing through the next door. Two guards stood on the other side, immediately lifting their rifles at him. With his gun already pointed at them, Pierce fired first, taking one guard down with four bullets, before sliding under the rifle fire, getting behind the same couch he had used before.

He searched through his phone's functions as bullets began tearing up the couch, spewing fluff over his body. Pierce found what he was looking for and activated it, bursting a circuit box next to the guard. He heard the guard yell and fall, giving him a chance to leap over the couch and stab the man in the back with his hidden blade.

"Takes care of that..."

Pierce Network pushed open the next door and slid down the railing to the second floor. He threw the door open, looking at the back of a guard, directing his attention and bullets elsewhere. Pierce took the chance and stabbed the guard in the back.

"Glad to see you, Pierce," High Noon got up from his hiding spot. "He had me pinned down here."

"No time to waste now," Pierce got straight to work finding the exact location of Lucky's panic room. "We've got cops on the way. If you don't want to break the Creed, I suggest we work fast."

"What do you need me to do?" the young Assassin asked, following behind.

Pierce eventually found what he was looking for, stopping in a room with a single oaken table and six chairs. "Plant the C4 in the four corners of this room. Lucky Deck is going to be in for a surprise. These Templars think their little gadgets can save them. They're almost correct, but they forget to put me in the equation."

Pierce looked up at the ceiling camera and fired a single bullet, shredding the device. High Noon did what the hacker told him, setting up the explosives in the four corners of the ceiling. Luckily, there was enough tables, cabinets, and chairs for him to stand on to get to the ceiling.

“All done, Pierce,” High Noon said, jumping off the oak table. “Now what? Oh, and I did set a few down where the Templar kept all their weapons.”

Pierce grabbed him by the hood and pulled him out of the room, pushing him against the back wall in the hallway. He peeled the detonator from High Noon’s hand and put a thumb over the button. “Brace yourself.”

The explosion was deafening, sending a small shockwave through their bodies. Pierce could feel the vibration move from his eyes and ears to his toes as he waited for the rumbling to die down. There were also some tremors coming from under them. Probably the C4 High Noon had planted downstairs.

"Help! Help!" a frail voice entered his ears as the ringing stopped.

Pierce left the wall and headed back into the room, smiling at Lucky Deck, trapped under a pile of broken cement and beams. "Money... People think money will get them anything. You Templars are wrong. Money might get you resources and people, but it will never get you away from the Assassins."

"...What?" Lucky wheezed from under a piece of debris, a lung likely crushed. "I didn't say anything about money."

"Doesn't matter," Pierce scowled. He pulled back his hood and put a palm out to High Noon. "Hand me a charge."

High Noon dug around the box and pulled out a wad of C4 for the veteran Assassin. Pierce took it without looking and stuffed it a few inches away from Lucky's reach before arming it.

"You Templars disgust me," Pierce turned to leave, pushing High Noon in front of him. "Think you can bend the world to your liking. Well, I have news for you. It's a lot harder than you think. You've played your last card. Rest well, Lucky Deck."

The Assassins quickly left the room, heading down to the lobby to get back to the van as the first blare of sirens slowly grew as soon as he got into the driver's seat, Pierce started the van and detonated the C4, hearing the faint boom from Lucky Deck's office go off. He pressed down on the reverse pedal and sped his way out of the alley.

The first two police cars turned the corner, sliding to the sides to block the road as they stopped behind the Assassins' van.

"Seatbelt on?" Pierce asked, keeping his eyes at the back.

"Yeah..." High Noon slowly said. "Why?"

Pierce smiled at the cop cars. "Hang on tight."

He shifted the gear back to drive and mashed the pedal down, boosting the van forward as fast as it could go. The cops quickly got out of their cars are fired at their van, some bullets pinging off the steel surface.

High Noon turned back to the front, the hacker holding on to his phone with one hand and the wheel in the other. "Pierce! Keep your eyes on the road!"

"I got this," Pierce grumbled, narrowingly avoiding a blue car. "Been doing this for a long time, kid. I'm still alive."

High Noon leaned back in his seat, clenching the armrests as Pierce continued to swerve around all kinds of traffic. One time, he'd thought they weren't going to make it when a cop car turned out of another road, straight into their path. Pierce had swerved the van so hard that they almost flipped, but somehow managed to get away as another car hit into their van, straightening the car. The Assassins sped down a side road, heading away from the police. As soon as he felt safer, High Noon had put a hand to his chest, checking if his heart was still in one piece.

"See?" Pierce shifted the gear. "Told you I can manage."

As they continued away from the main road, a bright light flashed down in a circle around them, with a loud rotor overhead.

"Seriously?" High Noon looked out the window. "Helicopters? For a single van?"

"That's how the city is," Pierce simply told him, pushing harder on the accelerator.

The hacker suddenly leaned out the window with his phone, but still kept a foot on the pedal.

"Pierce! What!" High Noon shouted in horror as the hacker steered without looking.

He tapped on the phone, hitting a button with a helicopter icon on it. Soon, the metal monster above them lost its light and started sparking as it swerves in circles. "See? I've been doing this for years-"

"Stop the van!" High Noon shouted, his voice rising a pitch. "Give me the wheel! You can focus on your phone all you want, but let me drive."

Pierce stared at the younger Assassin and sighed. He relented, stepping on the brakes, bringing the van to a sudden stop. "Fine. Take over."

Pierce climbed over to the back as High Noon got into the driver's seat. Buckling down, High Noon hit the accelerator, speeding down the narrow road as another cop car caught up behind them, the sirens piercing the air.

"Let's see what you got, kid," Pierce said from the back, buckling up and tapping away on his phone.

High Noon smiled to himself. He'd show the older Assassin exactly what he's got. He hadn't been driving Templars around the last few years for nothing. He depressed the pedal and skillfully navigated his way through the narrow side roads at a high speed, easily losing the cops as the van kept going, turn after turn. Another car came out of the next road, stopping in front of the van, blocking their exit.

High Noon squinted, but turned the wheel towards a pile of wood and trashbags. The van's left side went up on the items as High Noon turned hard on the wheel, lifting the van up on its right wheels as it kept going.

"Noon, what are you doing?" Pierce demanded from the back. Even with his monotonous voice, High Noon heard a hint of surprise in it. "You're going to get us killed!"

"Nope," was all High Noon said, continuing towards the stationary police car.

Two cops got out and started blasting the van with bullets, but High Noon didn't stop. Soon, the van passed over the vehicle, its right wheels had just enough room to squeeze in between the car and the wall. After clearing the car, High Noon brought the van back down to all fours, turning at the next road, back to the main road.

"Not bad. Not bad at all," Pierce smiled as he brought up some bollards behind them with his phone. "Maybe I'll get you to drive from now on."

The Assassins sped down to the highway, losing the cops behind them as they headed back to Trottingham, thanks to High Noon's driving skill and Pierce's hacking.

"Well done, High Noon," Pierce patted the cowboy on the back. "We've liberated my hometown from Lucky Deck's greedy hands. The Templars are gonna lose their power in Chicoltgo. Might be exactly what we need to kick them out for good. One day, I'll be back, and the Templars will have no hold left here."

"Right," High Noon replied without really listening to what Pierce said. After being around the hacker long enough, most Assassins tend to tune a lot of his words out. But he got the rough idea. Pierce wanted the Templars out of his home. "We'll take them down. That's for sure."

High Noon smiled at the thought. He didn't want them messing with Appleloosa too. That was the reason why he fought, and he would never forget it.

Chapter 19: Nighttime Stories

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After training, where Satin Breeze had performed extraordinarily, and a tour of the bureau, Frigid Night had accompanied Mirror Match to her room while Satin returned to her apartment outside the bureau. As they entered her room, Mirror had quickly grabbed him and threw both herself and Frigid on her bed.

"This new apprentice isn't going to change anything between us, right?"

Mirror Match chuckled, resting on Frigid. "Why? Jealous already?"

"Uhmm... No. Of course not," Frigid tried to keep it cool.

"It's okay, Friggy," Mirror rested her head against his chest. "Nothing's changed. You’ll still be my very special someone.”

“You too, Mirror,” Frigid wrapped his arms around her. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

The two of them stayed in that position, enjoying the closeness of each other. Frigid thought back to all the time he’d spent with Mirror Match. She was indeed very important to him. If it weren’t for her, he wouldn’t have lived this long. They’d saved each other on several encounters with the Templars, and Frigid had come to treasure his partner very much. He fought for the Brotherhood, but he would live on and fight for Mirror Match. Soon, Frigid began feeling strangely tired and his eyelids began feeling heavy. He eventually allowed them to close and drifted off to sleep.

“I’m hooome!” Satin Breeze chimed as she closed the door behind her.

Her sister, Velvet Breeze, ran out from her room and straight into Satin’s arms. “Satin! You’re home! How was the first day of work?”

“It’s alright,” Satin said as she put Velvet back down. “The community there is pretty good. Much better than that of Hollow Shades.”

Velvet nodded happily, but then remembered their old home. “Will we ever get to go home?”

Satin turned away from Velvet. She was sure she would never have anything to do with their parents anymore, but the thought left her doubts. They were their parents after all. They were family. “I don’t know Velv... Maybe one day.”

“It’s lonely here without you,” Velvet said, walking back into her big sister’s hug. “Can I come to work with you? I can be quiet. I won’t bother you. I just want to be with you.”

“Sorry, Velv,” Satin hugged her sister tight. “But I don’t think it’s a good environment for children. Maybe one day when you’re older.”

“Awwww,” Velvet grumbled.

“It’s alright, little sis. I’ll find some stuff for you to do while I’m gone.” Satin dug around in her bag and pulled out a ball. “You could practice your throwing. You were pretty good back home. Remember the time you broke Old Wayshot’s window? He was so furious.”

“I remember,” Velvet nodded, unsure whether to feel happy or guilty. She took the ball from her sister. “He never did find out, did he?”

“Nope,” Satin smiled and rubbed Velvet’s head before standing up. “Never did. Well, I better whip up some dinner. It’s really late, and you’ve got to get to bed soon. What do you want? Chicken or fish? And... How about we cook it together?"

Frigid slowly cracked open his eyes as he woke up, looking right at Mirror Match's amusing smile. She was still on top of him, but didn't look like she slept at all.

"Hey, Mirror," Frigid started to ask. "How long was I asleep?"

"Only a few hours," she laughed. "But we did miss dinner, though."

"Uhhh..." Frigid blinked a few times and rubbed at his head. "I don't feel hungry, really. That's weird. How about you?"

"I'm good," she told her friend. "I could've gone, but I just wanted to stay with you a while longer. Oh, yeah, I did get up once, though. Dust Fencer came by earlier. I told him you were resting, but he wanted to let you know that High Noon's back from the field, and he did pretty well. He said even Pierce gave him a good report."

"Sounds big," Frigid smiled. "Pierce rarely gives good reports. Good for Noon. People are starting to trust him."

“I’m glad for him,” Mirror Match sighed. “We live in such trying times.”

Frigid blinked at this curious statement. “Well, yeah, but we’ll get through it all right.”

Mirror inched herself up towards his face. "I have no doubt, Friggy."

"Should we go?" Frigid started to get up, but Mirror pushed him back down. "I'll take that as a no?"

She brought her face closer to his, just centimeters away. "Oh, where do we have to go? It's late. Might as well enjoy each other's company. Am I right?"

Frigid smiled and reached for her face. “Did I ever tell you how much I like you?”

“Not directly, no,” Mirror grinned slyly, melting against him and hugged him close. "I wouldn't mind hearing it."

“Well… I love you, Mirror,” Frigid sighed with contentment as their lips met in a passionate kiss.

Timber stood in the labs, recording data on the energy spike radiating from the artifact. It was just a small, simple spherical object, but it held so much power. Power to change the world.

“Still the same result,” he muttered to himself. His brother wasn't going to be pleased, but then again, he hasn't really been himself the last few years. “Always the same result.”

“Sir?” Test Tube asked from his corner. “I’m afraid the test subject didn’t survive.”

“I’m well aware, Test Tube,” Timber walked to the viewing panel. “It’s still the same. No one we find has been able to harness the energy for long periods of time. If we could just find one. Just one person that could use this artifact to its full power… Quantum? What was it you said? Aliens?”

The other scientist nodded and walked over. He was an older man, with white hair already sprouting from his head. “Yes sir. From our calculations, it seems it needs a different infrastructure of the body to control this artifact. It needs some kind of energy to control the power in the artifact. We just don’t have that energy within us.”

Timber put a hand to his chin. Energy within. That’s what they needed to wield the artifact without its fatal drawbacks. People didn’t have this power, but someone or something out there had this energy. "That's where we've been getting it wrong. Quantum. Start researching this energy you speak of. There must be a way to find someone containing the energy within their body."

"Ahead of you sir." Quantum returned to his station. "I had already begun basic research on the components within the artifact's energy. Every time we tap into it, it drains a person's life essence bit by bit, until there is none left, but... If the subject had more essence, more power within themselves, then the artifact wouldn't be able to drain everything. We would have stable energy source."

"Send me what you have on this energy, this... substance. This is something to go on. Mahogany's going to want to hear this."

"Hear what?" a voice intruded behind them. "Do tell."

"Wolfgang," Timber acknowledged as the grey killer slowly walked into the room, one hand behind his back, and the other holding an almost burnt drumstick of some kind. "What are you doing here? I didn't think you would be interested in research."

The scientists caught the whiff of the meat in his hands. Barbecued no doubt. The smokey smell stuck in their lungs as the man walked closer.

"Oh, don't get me wrong," he smirked. "I hate science. I just wanted to know what you got cooked up in here."

"And... What's that you have there?" Test Tube pointed at the drumstick. "The smell is too... Overpowering. I demand you remove it from the labs at once."

"What, this?" Wolfgang lifted the edible item higher for them to see before widening his already large smile. "Bird. And don’t worry, four-eyes. I’ll be done with it in a minute."

"Now, Wolfgang." Timber stepped forward towards the killer. "My brother may have hired you, but you are still below us. If you are not going to do anything useful, please leave at once."

"Not too much into fun are you?" Wolfgang nodded and chewed on his piece of meat. He turned around and headed for the door. "Good luck with your work. I hope you find what you're looking for! Oh, and before I forget..." He turned back to the scientists at the door and pulled out a white envelope. "The chairman wanted me to hand this to you. It's anonymous, but someone out there wants to join your Order! Ha. He wants you to check for fingerprints. Anything that can lead to whoever sent this, blah blah blah. You know the rest."

Timber started towards the killer to take the letter, but Wolfgang just let it drop to the floor as he left, not even bothering to pass it to the scientist.

"Oops," Wolfgang sneered as he left. "My bad!"

Timber sighed and picked up the letter. Someone wanted to join them, but no name was provided. This was going to be an interesting piece of research. He was curious to know the identity of their mysterious friend.

Frigid woke up the next morning, feeling better than ever. He sat up and stretched out his arms, working out the stiffness in his joints. He turned to Mirror, who was already up, staring straight at him.

"Morning, Friggy," she gave him a smile.

"Hey, Mirror," he yawned. "You sleep well?"

"Very well, Frigid. Very well." She reached out and took his hand. "About time for us to head out?"

"You know, I don't feel like it, but I guess we have to." Frigid scooched forward and planted a kiss on Mirror's cheek. "We've got Templars to stop."

After washing up, the two Assassins made their way down to the canteen for breakfast. After grabbing some food, they spotted Dust, Rose, Trueshot, and Sparkplug already seated at one of the tables, and decided to join them.

Dust Fencer pretended to look at a watch he didn't have. "You two are really early today. Decided to sleep in?"

"You could say that..." Mirror smirked, setting her food down before taking a seat.

"Umm... So what business do we have today?" Frigid quickly changed the subject.

"Stakeout," Trueshot spoke. "Templars have been busy. They've been moving things. Research and weapons most likely."

"And we're going to find out." Dust reached over and gave Frigid a quick pat on the back. "Itching to join us? Trueshot, Rose and I will be monitoring Manehattan. Sparkplug here's heading to Las Pegasus with Frenzy and Silent."

"Yeah." Sparkplug leaned back. "Heard they're moving some big guns to the Templar casinos there. Maybe we'll throw a wrench in there as well."

"Sounds good," Frigid nodded, turning to Dust. "That'll give us some time to catch up."

"Yeah," Dust chuckled. "We haven't really talked in a while. Lately it's just been you and Mirror Match, huh?"

"Ummm... Well..." Frigid blushed.

"It's fine, Frigid." Dust added before getting up. "Glad that you've found some love in this profession. We'll be heading to Star Lance for our directions first. Meet us down at the lobby when you're done. Then we'll head out."

"See you two!" Rose Petal waved as she followed after Dust.

Frigid and Mirror chatted about the Templars and their artifact, both throwing out guesses as to what it could be. After finishing their food, Mirror walked with Frigid until they had to go their separate ways; Frigid to the lobby, and Mirror to the dojo.

"Guess we'll have to split for now." Mirror made a disappointed face. "Satin will be here shortly."

"Don't worry," Frigid assured. "I'll see you tonight when I get back." He quickly walked up to her and touched her lips with his own.

"Thanks, Friggy," Mirror grinned as he pulled away. "I'll see you then. Don't keep me waiting, partner."

She waved to her grey haired partner as he joined up with Dust and the rest, all three of them already set to leave.

"How many guards?" Timber asked again, making sure he had heard his brother right.

"As many as I can spare," Mahogany replied, turning from the window and walking up to his brother. "You, Lumberjack and I are all that's left of our esteemed family. I will not have you join the rest of them too. We're brothers, Timber. Brothers look out for each other."

"Thanks, Mahogany." Timber put an arm on the chairman's shoulder. "I'll move the tech as fast as I can. I just need to visit the main storehouse and the second lab. Then you needn't worry about the Assassins finding me."

"I'm hoping they don't." Mahogany walked back to the window. "I'm sending Pressure Point and Smokey Flames out to the loading point first. They have an eye for Assassins. Perhaps they'll be able to flush out some before you get there. I've also sent Cough Drops to city hall. He's going to get the clearance for movement, and blockades. Which means anyone in the surrounding area is either one of us, or an Assassin. It'll make your job much easier, and safer."

"Right." Timber pulled at his pants. "Well, thanks for the help. I'll get done as fast as I can and we'll get to constructing the machine. Perhaps we'll finally have a breakthrough, huh? It's been a while since we've discovered anything."

Timber headed back down to the lobby, his armed transport already waiting. He counted about twenty soldiers, each of them wearing a black leather jacket and a motorbike helmet. Four armored trucks were stationed just outside, each one the colour of a bank transport to mask their purpose.

"Sir." Test Tube joined the Templar. He wore a simple red shirt and beige pants, but still kept his white lab coat over his attire. "The guards are ready. I must say, they're quite a group. Supplied straight from Major Talon's personal Dragon Unit."

"Army soldiers?" Timber was impressed with his brother's resources. "Not bad."

Each soldier carried one of the new rifles, taken straight from the Manehattan base. Each was fitted with a scope and silencer, just in case the gunfire were to attract civilians.

"Let's move then." Timber stepped towards the front truck. "The faster we get this done, the faster we can get some results!"

Chapter 20: A Crucial Stab

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"Ah, this next part will sound a little odd, Princess Twilight." Morning Blade put a palm on her journal. "Keep in mind, Frigid wasn't the Assassin he was back then. Sure, he was nicer, but he wasn't as skilled."

"What do you mean?" Twilight Sparkle tilted her head. "You mean he's not that good yet?"

Morning nodded her head. "I had tried to ask him about this incident once, but he didn't want to tell me about it. Though... I had heard parts of it from High Noon when he was still around. There's going to be some surprising magical stuff in this one. Are you ready?"

"I guess." Twilight raised her pen. "Let's hear it."

"There we are..." Dust Fencer pointed down at the moving trucks as they left the Board of Education. "Templars are on the move. Let's go."

Dust Fencer, Trueshot, Rose Petal and Frigid Night leapt along the buildings, following the trucks from above. They made sure to keep clear of the edges, just in case one of the drivers decided to look up. Most people don't run around on rooftops.

"Where are they headed?" Frigid asked as he slid over a condenser.

"That's why we're following them, Frigid," Rose reminded him. "We're going to find out."

“Eagle vision,” Dust told the others.

All four Assassins focused their vision, slowly bringing up the auras of the Templars below. There were no other civilians on the street, and the only vehicles below were highlighted in red. Enemies.

“There’s no one else around…” Dust mused. “Templars must have cordoned off the streets. Smart. Anyone in this area is bound to be one of us.”

"Should we keep following them?" Frigid asked as plans flowed through his head. They wouldn't be able to go undercover, and if any of them were caught, they would be in for some quick trouble.

"We need to know what they're doing," Rose reminded him. "They might be bringing the artifact out for all we know."

"We move on." Dust lead the jump to the next building. The others followed one by one, leaping down to the lower rooftop. "We keep a safe distance. We should be able to see where they've gone with our eagle sense."

"Mine doesn't do that." Frigid followed after the seasoned Assassins. "How can you tell where they're going?"

“Time, Frigid,” Trueshot said after climbing up the wall of the next building, standing three floors higher than the one they were on. “One day, you’ll wake up and realize your eagle vision can show you things you never knew about. Tracks for instance. Right now, we can see where the vehicles have gone, without having to be too close to them.”

Frigid marveled at the three Assassins. They’ve been around long enough to know their work. Soon, they found themselves climbing rooftops and scaling walls as they made their way after invisible lines, eventually watching as the trucks reappeared in view, stopped before a low, rectangular warehouse. The Assassins got behind a water container on the roof and placed themselves low.

“There we go,” Dust smiled as he eyed the transport. “Now we watch. See what they take from that building…”

The soldiers had reappeared outside, carrying large pieces of metal and tubes, putting them into a pile of waiting boxes.

"Parts?" Rose hissed. "What are they building now?"

The Templars continued to pack the parts into large metal containers, carefully padding and sealing them before loading each crate into the back of a truck. After almost half an hour, three truck was packed and ready to go.

"They still have a truck to fill." Frigid pointed out as smoke poured out from the exhaust pipes.

"Yup," Dust nodded and continued watching. "They're not done."

The Assassins looked at each other. This was a key point in the operation. There wasn’t much point in staying here once the trucks started moving, but taking on all those Templars at once wouldn’t end well either.

“Wait, did you see that?” Trueshot called for a stop, quickly slinging off his sniper rifle.

“See what?” Frigid asked, looking around with his eagle vision.

Everything seemed the same as before; the buildings were dark and the vehicles ahead were highlighted in red. Then there was movement. On the building just in front of them, followed by two knives flying towards them. Rose quickly parried one with her armguard while the others dodged out of the way, avoiding the second knife.

“There we go,” Dust grunted as he drew his rapier. “Nothing’s ever this easy.”

“Well, they know we’re here. No point hiding anymore,” Trueshot sighed, going prone and pointing his sniper rifle in front of his body. “Go. I’ll cover you from here.”

Bullets began crackling at the bricks and concrete around them, forcing the Assassins away from the roof edge. The soldiers below stayed out of the trucks, walking with them slowly as they fired at them.

"Wonderful." Dust shook his head. "Let's go. We'll have to jump."

Dust led the run to another side of the building. He quickly glanced down before spreading his arms up and taking a dive. Rose and Frigid followed shortly, landing down in a pile of garbage as they made their way back to the street.

“One day we’re going to land on a bag of rusty knives if we keep doing that,” Frigid muttered, removing a banana peel from his shoulder.

"Never happened to me," Dust laughed, looking around the corner. The soldiers were still firing up at the roof, but one of them suddenly fell as his visor cracked, a small hole in the center of it. "Atta boy, Trueshot."

The Assassins readied themselves to join the battle when the sound of hissing gas stopped them in their tracks. A orange haired woman turned the corner, holding a big gun with a small lighter in front of it, pointing it straight at them.

"Flamethrower," Rose warned, putting a defensive arm in front of Frigid.

"What's up, Assassins!" the woman yelled. "Ready to burn? Smokey Flames is here to do just that!"

She pressed down on the trigger, sending a jet of gas out the front. As soon as it touched the fire, the gas merged into flames, blasting their way towards the Assassins.

"Back up!" Dust shouted, pushing the others back. He threw a dagger towards the attacker, hoping to distract her. The killer brought her weapon up, deflecting the sharp blade on the metallic surface of the barrel.

The fire spurted all over the garbage bags, setting the weak plastic on fire, a cloud of smoke quickly rising. Smokey still advanced, laughing maniacally as she fanned the flamethrower from left to right.

“Come on!” she joked. “It’s only a little fire! You won’t die! Not immediately anyway!”

“Trueshot, we’re pinned down here!” Dust shouted into his earpiece.

“Sorry,” he grunted back. “Am a bit busy. Could use some help too.”

The Assassins saw no other options and pulled out a few throwing knives each. Smokey had them trapped in a dead-end, the only way out being forward.

“Do it!” Dust ordered, the first to throw a knife. “One’s bound to hit her!”

The three Assassins had thrown two knives each, the short blades spinning as they approached Smokey Flames. She got the message and quickly ducked down, the knives passing over her head. One almost got her in the face, but a block with her flamethrower’s protective armor took care of it. That was the chance the Assassins needed. The three of them quickly ran at her, their weapons drawn. The killer didn’t even bother to stand up, instead smiling at them while spraying fire at them from the ground. Dust and Rose saw their opening and ran along the sides of the alley walls, gaining just enough altitude to leap over the fire, while Frigid quickly ran up the length of the right wall, grabbing on to the fire escape, getting away from the spreading flames.

“Frigid!” Dust called as he landed past the killer. “Go help Trueshot! See what he needs!”

“On it,” Frigid nodded and made his way up the metal staircase.

“Come on!” Smokey groaned. “Come back and get some!”

The killer stood up and aimed her weapon at the two seasoned Assassins, but nothing happened. Smokey raised an eyebrow and looked down at her weapon. Nothing was wrong with it, yet she couldn’t press down on the trigger. Then something gleaming in the light caught her attention. A sharp needle-like object sticking out of her arm.

“What…?” she muttered.

“Throwing needle,” Rose Petal smiled and extended her tonfa blade. “When thrown at the right places, it numbs the nerves, preventing you from using, for this instance, your lower arm.”

Smokey Flames snarled at them, but there was nothing she could do to prevent Rose from smashing her in the chin with the back of the tonfa before sliding the blade through her chest. She bent over, spitting out blood all over Rose Petal’s white robes.

“I’m… not… leaving without… at least dirtying your outfit…” Smokey managed a choked laugh.

“Doesn’t matter,” Rose shook her head, unsheathing her hidden blade. “Your justice has been given.”

“Justice…?” Smokey spat at the Assassin again. “What do you Assassins… know of… justice? You don’t play fair… you go against… the order of things… you’re no better than us…”

“More than you.” Rose sharpened her eyes, raising the elbow past her head. “May you find peace when you move on.” She brought the hidden blade down into the back of Smokey’s neck.

Rose set the killer’s body down, removing her blade and recalling it into its sheath. Dust nodded to her as she stood up, signalling that they had to move on, or risk losing the Templar transport.

“Let’s go,” he told her. He put a hand to his earpiece. “Frigid, Trueshot! We’re going to follow the transport. What’s your status?”

Trueshot leaned out from behind his row of condensers and fired another two shots at Pressure Point.

"Still fighting," he voiced to his companions. "Go after the trucks. I can handle this."

Somehow, she had crept up on him as he fired at the soldiers, and would have managed to kill him if he didn’t have to reload. He had tangled with her for a bit, trying to force her off the roof of the building, but she was smaller and more nimble, eventually pulling away to the other side of the building, using the distance to launch her throwing knives at him. For Trueshot, it was now a battle of timing. They emerged from their pieces of cover every few seconds, trying to get the better of the other with bullets or knives.

“I thought you were supposed to be good at your job?” he heard Pressure Point shout from the other side. “Must be a lie, because I’m still alive! Ha ha!”

The battleground in front was a simple rooftop. Condensers and an elevator block lined the roof, giving the two plenty of cover to hide behind. Trueshot figured staying as far away as he could was his best option. Throwing knives could only fly so far, while his gun obviously had the better range.

Trueshot leaned out again, aiming down his scope as he waited for the killer to show herself. She had a whole row of condensers, just like he did. It was like playing a game at a carnival. Shoot the alien and win a prize. Trueshot stilled himself, waiting for the right moment. Then he saw it. Something white on the left side of the roof. He pointed his gun and fired, hearing a muffled gasp as two knives flew towards him from the front, almost catching the Assassin off guard.

What? Trueshot blocked one knife off of one of his gauntlets before getting back behind cover. The second one had missed him, embedding itself in one of the fans above him. Beside him, a hooded figure flattened himself against the next condenser.

“What was that?!” Frigid Night shouted, showing Trueshot a clean bullet hole in his chest pouch. “If I was a split second slower, you would’ve got me right in the heart!”

Trueshot realized his mistake and slapped a hand against the side of his head. “Izvinite, Frigid. I didn’t know you were up here. Did you see her? Pressure Point? She’s on the other side.” Trueshot pointed at the nearby dagger.

"Oh, no." Frigid shook his head. "Was too busy thinking how close I was to getting shot."

"Right..." Trueshot loaded a new clip into his rifle. "Here's what I'll do. I'll provide cover fire and a distraction while you get close. When you see your chance, take her down, but watch out. She's a sneaky one."

"Let's go, already!" Pressure Point shouted across from her position. "Only one of us will be walking away and it's going to be me!"

"Go," Trueshot hissed before leaning over the condenser to fire two warning shots.

A knife flew in his direction, but he dodged back behind his cover, leaning out from another point and fired back, almost hitting the killer in the head.

“Hey, hey!” Pressure Point warned, but started laughing instead. “Almost got me there! What are you, Falseshot! Come on! At least try and hit me!”

“I’m just getting started!” Trueshot countered, taking a few more shots over his condenser. Frigid should be close to her by now. Any minute now and it would all be over for the killer.

Trueshot heard a scuffle, bringing him out from his hiding place and towards the killer’s. He slid over the second and third row of condensers, carefully turning the corner where Pressure Point was hiding. Instead of finding a downed killer, he found a downed Assassin, the killer leaping away over the next rooftop and down a roof staircase.

“Frigid!” Trueshot put his sniper rifle down and inspected the young Assassin. He had a thin, serrated knife sticking out of his abdomen, blood already pooling the inside of his shirt. “What happened?”

Frigid gave him a faint smile and shook his head. “I was careless... Let her get a surprise dagger in... She got away. I think I at least got her in the arm.”

“Nevermind that, I gotta tend to you first.” Trueshot gripped the handle of the dagger. “You ready? I’m pulling this out.”

Frigid nodded and clenched his teeth as the Stalliongrad Assassin pulled quickly, yanking out the length of the blade, more blood following it. He tossed it down and pulled out a set of pads and bandages, wrapping as much as he could around Frigid’s abdomen.

“Dust,” Trueshot contacted over the radio. “Frigid’s been stabbed. I don’t think we’ll be catching up with you. I’m taking him back to Patch.”

"Is he alright?" Rose's voice quickly came on.

"It's not looking too good." Trueshot shook his head, even though the other two Assassins couldn't see him. "I'll get him back as quick as I can."

“Roger,” the other Assassin replied. “Stay safe. We’ll continue after the transport.”

Trueshot picked Frigid up and walked over to the elevator and called for it. He hadn't be in an elevator in a long time, but there was no way Frigid would be getting down otherwise.

"I'm sorry..." Frigid groaned from the pain.

"I told you, forget about it," Trueshot shook his head and watched the elevator number decrease. "Worry about yourself. We've got to get you back fast, otherwise you'll bleed out. So... How much do you know about stealing cars?"

“Good work, Satin,” Mirror nodded her approval to the new Assassin as she jumped down from the wall climbing obstacle. “Keep it up and perhaps you’ll get to go outside soon. I mean, besides your home.”

“Thank you, Mirror.” Satin dusted dirt off her pale pink sleeves. “But I couldn’t have done it so well without you.”

“Well, thanks,” she smiled at her apprentice. “I did learn from a good teacher.”

“How long have you known Frigid Night?” Satin asked, wanting to know more about her teacher.

Mirror walked over to the vaulting obstacle and motioned for Satin to begin. The novice walked up to the flight of steps, walking up towards the different chest high blocks. “I’ve actually known Frigid for almost six years now. He was my instructor when I first arrived. Don’t tell anyone, but I had taken a liking to him right there.”

“Sounds wonderful,” Satin chuckled as she launched herself over the first barricade. “I wish someone thought of me like that besides my sister… My parents weren’t exactly the good, loving type.”

“That’s why you left, right?” Mirror asked as she inspected her pupil’s movement and methods.

“Yeah…” Satin sighed, hauling herself over the next block. “It wasn’t a good environment for Velvet. There was shouting everyday, and sometimes even violence. I figured it was time to go, so I took her and left. I couldn’t let them harm her.”

“Of course,” Mirror agreed. “Living around hate is bad for you. I prefer a warm, loving environment myself.”

“What about you?” Satin turned her head as she slid over another block. “How’d you end up here?”

“Mainly?” Mirror folded her arms and put her weight on one foot. “I’m looking for someone important. We… split up long ago, and I’ve been searching since. Secondly, why not do some good while I’m at it?”

“Looking for someone?” Satin asked as she took a break before the next obstacle, which was a higher wall for her to try out her wall running skill. “So you must have been traveling a lot before joining the Assassins, huh?”

"You might say that, yes."

Satin proceeded to run up the next wall, when Mirror heard someone behind her. "Uhh... Mirror?"

She turned around to see High Noon enter the dojo, carefully walking towards her. "High Noon. Yes. What can I do for you?"

"I don't know how to put this lightly... but..." He started playing with his hat. "Frigid got stabbed. Badly. Trueshot’s down with him in the infirmary but-"

Mirror's eyes widened upon hearing Frigid's name and she hissed, immediately pushing past the cowboy and heading out the doors. Satin saw the commotion and climbed down the side, approaching High Noon as he stood there scratching his beard.

"High Noon?" Satin called softly, getting his attention. "Did something happen? Is Mirror Match okay?"

“Mirror Match? I’m not sure,” High Noon replied after some thought. “Frigid’s injured. That’s why she took off so fast.”

Satin understood. “We should go too.” She pointed, following High Noon as he started for the door. “Is it bad?”

“I’m hoping it’s not too bad, but yes,” High Noon looked down at his feet as they made their way out. “It’s bad. He lost a lot of blood.”

“Is he a good friend of yours?” Satin asked, noticing that High Noon seemed especially worn out. Injured Assassins weren’t anything out of the ordinary, but the cowboy seemed close to breaking down.

“Definitely.” High Noon directed his rosy eyes at Satin. “If it weren’t for him, who knows where I’d be today. Even if he didn’t do it on purpose, he showed me how wrong I was to have joined the Templars.”

“You were a Templar?”

“Yes. At first, I hated him. How he had messed up my life,” High Noon shut his eyes, recounting his painful experience. “Then I realized what I was doing was wrong, so I switched sides. It wasn’t easy, but here I am.”

“Sounds like you have quite the story to tell,” Satin laughed.

“Oh, you can be sure of that.” High Noon joined her as they passed the lobby. “It’s been a rough road, and it’s still rough, but at least there’s a better reward at the end of it. Come. We are almost to the infirmary.”

Satin gained new respect for High Noon as she followed him through the white, plastic doors, looking at a crowd of other Assassins around one of the beds. The two walked over and merged with the crowd, Satin getting closer to the front to see what had happened.

Mirror Match sat beside Frigid Night, holding on to his hand, tears rolling down her cheeks. Frigid's abdomen was wrapped in bandages, all stained red from the blood.

"It's not that bad, is it?" Frigid asked his partner. He looked around at all the others. "And why are there so many people here to see me?"

"Oh, we didn't have to come." Spectral Rim raised a hand and flexed her fingers. "But you know... We wanted to see how you're doing."

Dr. Patch walked over with her clipboard, a pencil over one ear. She looked surprised to see so many people around Frigid's bed.

"Doctor!" Mirror Match implored. "How is Frigid?"

The pink haired doctor shook her head. "The knife damaged some of his internal organs, and there was a lot of internal bleeding. I won’t go into all the details, but bottom line is, Frigid won’t be going anywhere soon. He’s lucky Trueshot got him back here so fast, or the injuries might have been far worse for him."

"It's alright, Mirror." Frigid gave her a firm squeeze. "It's not like I'm going to die or anything."

"Well, Frigid needs his space before I operate, so if you would all kindly step away," Patch said as she pulled the curtains around the bed.

Mirror quickly bent down and gave Frigid a small hug before heading away with the other Assassins.

"Don't worry, Mirror," Trueshot said after a shot of vodka. "Patch said he'll be fine."

"I know..." She wiped at her eyes. "But... to see him like this… I can’t..." Mirror Match abruptly sprinted off, seemingly unable to bear the presence of so many people any longer.

"Is she going to be alright?" Satin asked as she watched Mirror push open the doors and leave. "She seems really upset."

“It’s alright.” High Noon walked up beside her. “She’ll need time on her own. She’s a lot closer to the fella than I am, and I already don’t feel myself. For her… I don’t know, nor do I want to feel it.”

“He’s going to make it right? Frigid?” Satin looked back at the curtains.

High Noon sighed and put his thumbs in his belt as he turned around to look. “I have no doubt that he'll pull through. That Frigid’s a strong guy. From what I know about him, he doesn't give up easy, so you can be sure he'll be back, better than ever."

Chapter 21: The Order of Things

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“Oh horseapples… Is Frigid going to be okay?” Twilight stopped writing in her notebook and looked up. “I mean, I know he’s going to live, but this doesn’t take him out for a long time does it? It sounds pretty serious. At least, that’s what I think. Is it?”

“Oh don’t you worry, Twilight,” Morning Blade chuckled. “Frigid’ll be back. Just like High Noon had said. Better than ever, well…” A shadow passed over her face. “At least for another while more.”

“Oh… We’re getting close, huh?” Twilight sighed and tapped her a hand on a knee.

“Yes…” Morning pulled at her braid. “I guess we should continue. No use dwindling on the past. Are you ready for more, princess?”

“Lead on, Morning.” Twilight managed a smile and readied her notes.

Mahogany Wood entered the labs, Crescent Wing and Talon following behind him. The scientists stood up for him as he walked in, his hands behind his back, heading straight for his brother.

“Timber,” Mahogany cleared his throat. “Everything is well, I am told?”

“That’s right,” Timber nodded excitedly, pointing to a pile of metal by one of the computer tables. “Those soldiers you sent me sure know their work.”

“Of course they do!” Talon bellowed, crossing his arms across his chest. “Dragon Unit does not disappoint!”

“Unfortunately…” Everyone turned around to see Wolfgang entering the room, a small smile across his face, twirling a knife between his fingers. “Only Pressure Point made it back. Smokey was killed by the Assassins today.”

Mahogany stood silent for a moment before lifting his chin and returning his focus to the machine parts. "An unfortunate casualty in our ongoing war. Wouldn't you say so, Wolfgang?"

"Oh, I couldn't agree more, chairman," Wolfgang rubbed his gray hands together. "Only the strongest survive. That's the rule of nature."

“Well said... For a killer.” Timber pushed a lock of brown hair out of his face and he walked over to one of the laptops near the parts. He tapped a few buttons before turning the screen towards his brother and his company. “As I was about to say, when this machine has been completed, we should be able to find someone in the city with enough energy to wield the artifact. There is a catch though...”

“Good,” Mahogany nodded. “But what catch? If it is within my power as Grand Master, it shall be no problem.”

Timber paused as he thought of a way to put his words safely. “The machine will need a power source. In order to find people with the correct… wavelength, we will need the artifact itself, powering the machine.”

“You want the artifact in the machine?” Talon quizzed as he walked over to the pile of metal, easily picking one up with just one hand. “What if it fails? What if there is a malfunction? What will happen to the artifact?”

“We’ll have to run some preliminary tests before we put the artifact in the machine,” Timber explained to them. “We’re not going to risk damaging it.”

Mahogany brought himself into deep thought as he brother continued to speak. The artifact was their only source of bending the world to their favour. To bring order out of the chaos. If there was a chance the machine could damage the artifact, Mahogany wasn’t going to take it, but at the same time, if there was a chance the machine could locate someone that could effectively use the artifact, then he would do it. It was a gamble.

“Chairman?” Crescent Wing called him out of his trance, pointing over to Timber, showing them a screen full of data and charts. “Your brother would like to know your choice.”

Mahogany rubbed at his eyebrows and sighed. “You may use the artifact. Without any other leads on using it, this is our best bet to fulfilling our goals. Do it.”

“Sounds good,” Wolfgang licked his lips and threw the knife up to the ceiling, lodging it between two of the panels. “So you’re finally moving forward with your big plans. Congrats. So when can I get to killing more Assassins? That was what we were promised, yes?”

Crescent Wing eyed the killer wearily, but Mahogany Wood moved past him and stood before the killer. “You’ll have your chance, Wolfgang, but you will wait. You remember that you are working for me. I will issue the order when I see fit. Unless you have a problem?”

“Oh, no problems, chairman,” Wolfgang took a few steps back, but maintained the smile on his face. “I will wait. Although, I believe I will grow restless, and you know… accidents might happen. Civilians, guards… scientists…”

“Don’t you have somewhere to be, Wolfgang?” Timber stabbed daggers at the killer with his eyes.

“I will be taking my leave, then.” After retrieving his knife by standing on the nearby table and dirtying its surface with his shoes, Wolfgang bowed and headed backwards, his head towards the floor until he passed the door, turning around and heading back to his designated area.

“Why do we still keep him, brother?” Timber made sure that the man was gone before asking that question. “One day, it’ll come back to take a bite out of us.”

“He might not be the soundest person, Timber, but he gets the job done,” Mahogany smirked at the side of his mouth. The chairman turned and walked to the metal parts, putting a hand on one, feeling it's cold surface. “When can you start construction?”

“Soon, Mahogany. We’ll just need to make sure we have the right tools and all the required parts, and we can begin.”

“Excellent.” Mahogany headed out of the labs, his bodyguard and Talon accompanying him. This time, the Assassins had failed, and if the machine worked, they would never succeed ever again.

It was just after midnight when the medical wing’s door at the Trottingham bureau swung open, its oiled hinges not making even the slightest creak as a thin figure slid into the room. The door clicked shut, plunging the space into near darkness.

The figure kept low in a half-crouch, blending in with the uneven shadows on the wall seamlessly. It was a cloudy night and the scant few rays of moonlight that seeped in through the shuttered windows would have reduced all but the most skilled Assassins to blundering around in the dark like a blind man.

The sounds of five people breathing heavily resonated around, and the figure lifted its head up and sniffed once, twice, three times in quick succession before darting off to the patient lying in the third bed from the left. A hand played wraith-like over the sheets and lifted them.

Frigid Night stirred in his sleep, unaware of the dark shape looming over his slumbering form, its fingers dipping into a pocket and bringing out a tiny glass vial of green, bubbling liquid.

Slowly, tenderly, Frigid’s shirt was peeled back to expose the wound that Pressure Point had given him. The figure sniffed once more and hooked a fingernail around the linen and pulled, ripping the bandages off the Assassin.

Finally, the vial’s cap was unscrewed and its contents were poured, drop by drop, onto the incision. The skin hissed and smoked as each drop sank into the injured tissue, leaving the surrounding area raw and red.

The shadowed one eyed its work with satisfaction before tucking the empty vial away and stealing back out the door, but not without first planting a kiss on the sleeping Frigid’s face.

“Get well soon, my dear. I know you love me.”

Dust Fencer and Rose Petal arrived back at the bureau, their attires covered in dirt, sweat, and blood, the moon already at its optimal altitude to light up the dark streets of Trottingham. Most of the Assassins had already gone to sleep, having only two of them on guard duty to welcome Dust and Rose back.

“You two were gone long,” Wreckhouse said as he stood up and shook his partner awake.

“Huh?” Tangent lifted her sleepy head and looked around frantically, her eyelids half closed. “Are we under attack?”

“It’s alright, kid,” Rose chuckled as she put a hand on the Assassin’s head. “Just us.”

“Well, we better head over to the Mentor,” Dust reminded his partner. “We have a report to give.”

“This late at night?” Wreckhouse asked, frowning as Tangent started dozing off.

“That’s how it is,” Dust shrugged. “One day you’ll be coming back this late, and you’ll just have to deal with it.”

“Alright,” Wreckhouse nodded, one eye starting to close. He quickly hit Tangent on the side of her head to get her up.

“See you tomorrow morning,” Rose waved as she followed Dust up the staircase. “Try not to sleep for your whole shift.”

They soon arrived at the Mentor's office, quietly knocking on the door, just in case they were resting. They heard Star Lance before they saw him, the blue-skinned Assassin opening the door for them. As soon as he saw who they were, he loosened his grumpy expression and stepped outside to join them.

"You're back pretty late this time," Star Lance grunted. "Mentor's already asleep."

"We won't keep you long, Star Lance," Rose started. "The Templars are building something. They traveled to a warehouse and some kind of lab to gather scraps of metal."

"Building something?" Star Lance rubbed at his chin. "What else did you learn? Do you know what the machine can do?"

Dust shook his head. "We didn't find out. The Templars outplayed us this time. They've upgraded their gear. Without Trueshot, we had no way of getting close enough."

Star Lance sighed. He folded his arms and looked at the ground. "Blast. So we know they're making something... But we don't know what exactly."

"One more thing," Dust raised a finger. "If they had that many guards, then it must be a very important project they have there."

“Yes…” Star Lance thought about it. “What did these guards look like? Perhaps we can find out where the Templars get their men.”

“They wore leather jackets and motorcycle helmets,” Dust described. “Not like any guards I’ve seen, and they carry assault rifles. That’s a step up from what the Templars usually throw at us.”

“Leather jackets…”

“Might be military,” Rose shrugged, throwing out her suggestions. “Templars have men from all over the place. That’ll explain the sudden spike in weapons recently. They must be getting them from a military base or something.”

"Yes, of course. That makes sense..." Star Lance agreed. "Well, good work. Go get some rest. You've had a long day. I'll let Mentor know when she wakes up. See what she has to say about all of this. Stay safe."

Dust nodded and steered Rose back as the Master Assassin headed back into the room. "See you tomorrow, Star Lance."

"Should we check on Frigid before retiring for the night?" Rose asked, worried about the younger Assassin. "It sounded pretty serious."

Dust shook his head and kept walking. "It's late. If it's still serious, we better let him rest. Patch will have patched him up just fine." The blonde haired Assassin laughed at his small joke.

“You know, you’ve already used that joke before?” Rose raised her eyebrow and smiled at the corner of her mouth.

“Did I?” Dust asked innocently as they headed up towards their rooms.

“Totally,” Rose jokingly punched his arm. “I’m sure Frigid will be fine, though. He’s a strong boy. He’ll make it.”

The first thing Frigid noticed when he awoke was that it was daytime. The second thing was Dr. Patch leaning over his bed, staring fixedly at his abdomen. Fear began to seep into his brain, doing the work of several pints of black coffee all at once. There was no reason for the doctor to be examining him like this… unless there was something wrong.

“Doc?” Frigid said, trying to get a look at what Patch was eyeing with such apprehension.

Dr. Patch shook her head and jerked back to reality. “Frigid?” she said. “Have you seen this?”

The bedridden Assassin steeled himself for the worst. “How bad is it, doc?”

“Bad? What do you mean?”

Frigid raised an eyebrow. “The injury…? You know? The one that put me here. How bad is it?”

The head medic’s face lit up in comprehension and a small laugh escaped her mouth. “Why don’t you see for yourself?”

Frigid looked down at his own abdomen, expecting to see some kind of mutation on his cut, or at least just a lot of blood. What he did not expect to see was a stretch of unblemished skin where there had been a stab wound the night before. It was as though he had never been wounded at all, and as his fingers probed the area, he almost wondered if he had ever been hurt at all.

“Uhh… doc?” Frigid just had to ask. “Am I… dreaming?” Hadn’t the doctor told him just yesterday that he’d be out of action for weeks at least?

“If you’re dreaming, then wake me up too.” Patch looked positively flummoxed and she prodded him with a finger. “It’s… perplexing, to say the least.”

She continued to look at it before pulling the pencil from its perch atop her ear and writing down some notes on her clipboard. Frigid tested his abdominal movement, turning his body from side to side and seeing how far he could bend himself. The pain he expected never arrived, raising more questions in his and Patch’s minds.

“No pain?” Patch watched as Frigid swung his legs off the bed and shook his head. “Not even the slightest? Amazing… It’s really as if you were never injured from the start… I’d like to run more tests if it's okay with you?”

“It’s fine, doc,” Frigid said, also wanting to know more about his miraculous healing.

The door opening drew both patient and doctor’s attention to it as Mirror Match and High Noon stood by the entrance, surprised looks on their faces.

“Hilly billy goat gruff’s beard…” High Noon muttered as he pulled his hat off his head.

“Friggy?” Mirror quickly ran ahead of the cowboy and threw her arms around her partner. “Y-you’re all better!” After releasing him from her grasp, she looked down at body and touched it. “It’s gone! Completely!”

“Yeah,” Frigid nodded and looked at the doctor. “We have no idea what happened, but I feel like it was never there from the beginning. I can move about just fine.”

“Are you free to leave?” Mirror beamed at him. She looked at the still puzzled Patch expectantly.

“Um… well I guess if there’s nothing wrong with you, then you can go,” the doctor admitted. “Come back immediately if you feel even the slightest change, though. I still don’t know how you healed so quickly. And Mirror,” she called to the retreating trio. “Take good care of him, okay?”

“Oh, don’t worry, doctor,” Mirror Match purred with half-lidded eyes. “I’ll make sure to.”

Mahogany Wood sat in his office, checking out the usual reports from the other members of the board. To keep up his facade as chairman of the Board of Education, he had to make sure everyone performed their roles according to the system, including himself. He read through a piece of paper, detailing how a boy in Coltorado had somehow lodged a pen in a projector, causing a malfunction and a fire, destroying part of the classroom.

He shook his head at the ridiculous things kids do in school. Chaos. That was why he was a Templar. To bring order into the chaotic world. A world where there was no conflict. Where everyone thought on the same wavelength. Where everything would be just the way he wanted it to be.

Mahogany remembered what his father had told him before he was inducted into the Order.

Son, the world is broken, and it’s our job to fix it and make it right.

That was the day his father had brought him down into the secret vault under his family home to show him the artifact. At first, he didn’t understand what the little golden sphere was capable of, but after witnessing its power to change the ideals of people around him, Mahogany knew his goal in life. He was to bring order to the world.

Mahogany opened his drawer and pulled out a well cleaned tomahawk, with a black rubber grip and a small Templar cross on its steel. After arriving at the age of ten, Mahogany had begun training with his father, learning how to handle different kinds of weapons, although the tomahawk seemed to fit him more than anything. In his earlier years, he could pin a chicken to the barn door with a single throw from yards away. Age had cut his strength and aim over the years, but he found himself to still have some skill with the light axes.

He spun the weapon on a finger, still able to balance it without much difficulty, before flicking it up into the air. As gravity brought it back down, Mahogany skillfully grabbed the weapon by the handle and threw it as hard as he could towards the carved wooden door, embedding the weapon and splintering a part of the door.

“Still got it.”

“Good throw, sir.” Crescent Wing left the chairman’s side and retrieved the axe, returning it to his master.

“Thank you, Crescent,” Mahogany replied as he put the tomahawk back in its place. “You know… thinking back to my younger days… It makes me think of family. Something that has been diminishing over the years because of those pesky Assassins. Now, only Timber, Lumberjack and I are all that’s left of the esteemed Wood family. My father is probably laughing at me now. I’m not as capable a leader as he was. I can’t even keep my family safe.”

“That’s not true, sir,” Crescent Wing shook his head. “Grand Master Aspen was a great leader, but you’re just as good in your own way, sir. You’ve successfully led us through all these years, and we’ve finally got a lead on the artifact. The Templars have been trying to find out how to use it since the old days.”

“Oh, yes, Crescent. The old days. I don’t even remember how long it's been since we got it from the Assassins,” Mahogany chuckled. “I wish I was there to see their faces when we pried the orb from their lifeless hands, but no matter. We might just have a breakthrough here.”

“That’s right sir. Through your lead, the Order might finally have what they’ve been looking for all these generations.”

Mahogany smiled and nodded in agreement. Things were changing. If he could learn the power of the artifact, the world would bend to the Templars. “Thank you, Crescent. You’ve always got my back. I’m grateful for your service.”

“It is my pleasure to be serving the Grand Master,” Crescent bowed with a smile.

Oak, Hemlock, Ash, and Redwood. Mahogany will remember his fallen brothers and sister and what the Assassins had done to his family.

“I’m going to right the world, Crescent. I'm going to lead it into a new golden age.”

Chapter 22: I'm the Quick, you're the Dead

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Frigid Night felt as if the world was having an earthquake. Eventually, he forced open his eyes, letting out a sigh of relief as he realized it was only Mirror Match shaking him awake.

"Wake up, Friggy," she smiled at him, instantly brightening up his morning. "Star Lance wants to see you and Noon. Sounded urgent."

"Uhh..." Frigid lifted himself off the comfortable mattress into a sitting position. "This early? I wonder what he wants..."

After splashing some water in his face, Frigid left the room and headed for the Mentor's office with Mirror.

"What do you suppose he wants?" he asked his partner. "I mean, Star Lance? Looking for me? Looking for Noon? That's not normal."

"Only one way to find out, Friggy," Mirror said as she took his hand. "Whatever it is, we'll do it together."

Frigid and Mirror approached the Mentor's office, hearing Star Lance long before reaching the door.

"No, High Noon!" the Master Assassin barked. "I will only start trusting you when you've proven yourself and survive long enough. We clear on that?"

"Y-yes..."

"Star Lance, please," Frigid heard some concern in the Mentor's voice. "I think that's enough."

Frigid took a long swallow before reaching his hand up to knock on the door. Not even two seconds after moving his hand back to his side, Star Lance flung open the door.

"Oh. You two," he muttered. "I must say, Frigid. I didn’t believe your recovery was that instant.” He nodded in acknowledgement before turning his head to Mirror. “I only needed Frigid, Mirror Match. You may leave."

Mirror Match frowned and grabbed onto Frigid's arm. "If he's going, I'm going with him. I'm not letting him get injured like that again."

Star Lance looked like he was about to rebuff her, but he looked in at the Mentor for advice. The spectral haired woman nodded her head.

"Fine." Star Lance turned back to the two soldier-ranked Assassins. "Come in. I'll brief you three."

Frigid gave Mirror a silent thanks as they entered behind him. High Noon was standing by the side, slightly shaken from the shouting earlier. When he saw Frigid and Mirror, he gave them a wave and a small smile.

"Alright," Star Lance said as he turned around and crossed his arms. "Let's make this quick. I would have suggested someone else, but everyone's out at the moment. I need you three to follow Pierce to Baltimare."

"Baltimare?" Frigid asked.

"Let me finish." Star Lance stared at him. "Pierce's job is to attach a bug to one of their main computers to gain access to their mainframe. Your job is to make it look like that wasn't our target."

The Mentor walked forward with a file in her hand and handed it to Frigid. The Assassins looked in as he opened it, revealing a picture and data of a grey-skinned man with green eyes and lime green hair with a scissor-shaped moustache on his face.

"Quickdraw," the Mentor continued the brief. "One of the Board of Education members and a Templar of the inner circle. He's stationed in one of their offices in Baltimare. Your mission is to take him down. Without him, you'll be limiting the Templar resources from that region."

“Sounds straightforward,” High Noon opened his mouth, keeping an eye on Star Lance in case he said something wrong.

“Yes,” the Mentor agreed. “Get in, assassinate Quickdraw, get out. Frigid, you are able to do this, yes? After all, you were only injured just yesterday. A fast recovery like that is new to even me.”

“I have no idea what happened, Mentor, but I can do this. It’s as if I was never injured.” Frigid put his knuckles together.

“Oh, Mentor!” Mirror suddenly increased her volume in recognition. “Can Satin come with us? I think it’ll be a good experience for her, since she’s never been in the field. She’s a fast learner too. I’m sure she’ll do just fine!”

The Mentor looked to Star Lance as a silent conversation started between them. Frigid watched as Star Lance finally nodded and turned his yellow eyes back to the younger Assassins.

“She can go with you.”

“If you have everything ready,” the Mentor continued. “Pierce will be waiting with Red Card. He’ll explain what he needs you to do. Good luck, Assassins.”

Frigid Night, Mirror Match and Satin Breeze sat in the back of the van, talking about the mission, while Pierce sat with High Noon in the front. After the Las Pegasus mission, High Noon had always been selected to drive when he went on assignments with the other Assassins, with everyone praising his driving skills.

“Simple plan, yes?” Pierce called from the front, his head down, most likely eyeing his phone. “You do what you want, however you want, and I’ll find the computer when you get them busy. I’ll plant a bug on a good computer and hack my way into their mainframe. Soon, all the Templars’ little secrets on this machine will be known, and there’ll be no hiding any of that information from me ever again.”

“Right,” Frigid slowly nodded. “If that’s how it is.”

“Pretty straightforward, Friggy.” Mirror leaned in to whisper to Frigid and Satin. “We don’t want to be hiding for this mission. We need the eyes on us.”

“Isn’t that compromising the Brotherhood?” Satin asked, remembering a part of the Assassin’s Creed.

“That’s true,” Mirror nodded. “But remember… Nothing is true. Everything is permitted.”

“Good one, Mirror.” Frigid put an arm around her. “Don’t worry, Satin. It’s going to work out. It’s what we’ve trained for.”

“Yeah, and after all…” Mirror brought up an arm with her new phantom blade attached to it. “I have a new toy to play with.”

“You’re not the only one,” High Noon smiled from the driver’s seat as he navigated through a junction. “I’ve been itchin’ to try out my new gadget as well.”

“Gadgets… huh.” Everyone turned to Pierce, who was still looking at his phone. “This is the only gadget you’ll ever need. It can do all kinds of things. The best part is that the Templars never seem to understand it. I’ve brought it around, through their strongholds, casinos, offices-”

“Right, right, we get it, Pierce.” Mirror was unimpressed, but also wanting to stop the man from dragging on the one-sided conversation. “We’ll get to finding Quickdraw and cause as much distraction for you as we can.”

“Okay,” Pierce nodded and said nothing more.

Mirror looked at Satin and pointed at the hacker before moving the finger in a circular motion next to her head.

“So, Frigid,” Satin decided to ask. “You’re all better? I heard it’s completely gone?”

“That’s right,” Frigid laughed. “I mean, wow. Just yesterday a knife had damaged my internal organs, but today… nothing. Maybe we collectively dreamed up that entire event.”

“Yeah, Star Lance dreamt up the whole thing too,” Mirror joined him in laughter. “That’ll be the day.”

“So this mission was directly from Star Lance himself?” Satin asked aloud. “Must be pretty important.”

“Well, we’re only here to learn about something the Templars are building that might change the course of our battle,” Frigid said sarcastically. “No big deal.”

“Yeah,” Mirror snickered. “No big deal. Ha ha.”

“So Star Lance…” Satin mused at the Mentor’s right hand man. “He looks like a really tough one. Does he ever go out on missions? Kinda looks like he just hangs around the office with the Mentor all day. They must be really close, huh?”

“Close?” Pierce questioned from the front, still looking at his phone. “You could say that.”

“Woah, you know about them?” High Noon raised his eyebrows, impressed.

“Kid, how long have I been in this line of work?”

“I’ve forgotten,” High Noon admitted as the van sped down a long road.

Pierce sighed, but continued his story. “Mentor and Star Lance grew up together. They were raised in the Brotherhood, unlike us. This was their life from the start, and they’ve been together for a long time, so you can bet they’re close.”

"Must be hard..." Satin sat back against the seat. "Spending all your life fighting... But the Assassins have been successful all this while right? You're all pretty strong."

"Not every era." Pierce lowered his voice. "There were dark times. Times where there looked like there was no hope. But how should I know what it was like? I was never there. I wasn't even alive back then. Things were different. I wonder how people lived without gadgets like this." He raised his phone and wobbled it in front of their faces. "And besides, that's what makes Star Lance and the Mentor strong. "Experience."

"And each other, huh?" Mirror leaned into Frigid and put her hand on his.

"Ugh..." Pierce gurgled, knowing what the two Assassins were doing without looking back. "You two... Well, at least you're happy. I was never happy. Even before joining the Assassins. My home was ravaged by Lucky Deck and the Templars. I had nowhere to go... Until I developed this phone. I began fighting back against the corruption. Bribed cops, human trafficking, drugs, everything. If justice was to be served, then I was there. I always thought I was alone in this fight, but then the Assassins found me. I've been with the Brotherhood ever since."

"Oookay..." High Noon whistled. "Anyway..." He sped past a big signboard that read, "Welcome to Baltimare!"

"We've arrived," Pierce finished for him.

It was already dark by the time High Noon cruised down to the next street, giving the Assassins a sight of the city. It was definitely smaller than Manehattan, but still had its fair share of tall buildings and skyscrapers. Billboards of all kinds dominated the space at the top of the buildings. There were ads for a new type of energy drink, cat shampoo, and even one for a movie called The Golden Silence, starring the acclaimed rising celebrity actress, Ebony Wings.

"Her again?" Mirror began her ranting about the actress not being good enough in certain aspects and how she didn't seem real. Frigid and Satin laughed at the idea that Mirror didn't like a lot of actors and actresses.

"Alright, make a left here." Pierce pointed towards the windscreen with his other hand.

High Noon released a little pressure on the accelerator and did as Pierce said, following his directions through the city. After a few more turns, Pierce signaled for Noon to stop in a dark alleyway, covered by a small amount of smoke and fog.

"The building on the right. The red one," Pierce briefed, turning around to face the others in the back. "That's our place. You four know what to do. Find Quickdraw, and eliminate him. I'll be on comms if you need anything." He didn't wait for any questions, immediately opening the door and hopping out into the darkness.

"Guess we're on our own from here..." High Noon sighed. He opened his door and headed out as Frigid opened the back doors.

The Assassins scaled the building next to them, using ledges, pipes, and machinery to reach the top. Frigid arrived first, turning around to help the others up.

"Okay, so where is the building..." Frigid said to himself as he scanned his surroundings. He found it in front of them, across the street. A large red building with white outlines and extended surfaces protruding from the building's front. "There we go. We've got to cross the street."

"Guess we're climbing back down then?" High Noon saw no alternatives.

Frigid sighed but nodded. "Guess so..."

The four Assassins quickly made their way back down the building before approaching the street. They removed their hoods just in case people on the street found them suspicious before attempting to cross. Being nighttime, there weren't many cars on the road, which meant the few that were driving drove faster because they could. Frigid quickly pulled High Noon back as a motorcycle sped past them, almost taking the cowboy along for a ride.

"Careful there, cowboy," Frigid smirked.

"Yeah... Thanks."

Mirror was the last to cross, jumping to the pavement as she neared the end of the road. Frigid checked that they were all fine before leading the way towards the entrance. Frigid peeked his head over one of the windows before focusing his eagle vision. Two guards inside were highlighted in red, each one holding an assault rifle.

"Huh... Pretty tough security for an education building..." Frigid alerted the others. "They must be expecting trouble."

"Is that going to be a problem?" Satin asked from the back.

"Not if we do this well," High Noon spoke up. "We can't let them call too many reinforcements. We'll have to separate them. Too many guns will create a huge problem."

"But we still need to cause a scene?"

"Right." Mirror stepped forward and activated her phantom blade bow. "One each, High Noon."

The cowboy smiled and pulled his revolver from its holster. "Once I fire, they'll know we're here. Everyone ready?"

"I'm good," Satin voiced.

"Let's go," Frigid signalled. Mirror and High Noon exchanged an agreement as they both leaned out from the corner.

Mirror fired a dart at the guard on the left, while High Noon shot at the second guard's face. The first guard grabbed for his neck and went down, while the second one flew back and hit the ground hard, a single hole in his forehead.

“They’ll be coming,” High Noon said as he replaced the bullet in his revolver. “We should find better cover.”

Frigid nodded and led the way further into the building. They had to make sure the attention was on them, but they also had to find Quickdraw. According to Pierce, he was somewhere in the building. Deciding to check the upper floors for the Templars’ office, Frigid threw open the doors to a nearby staircase and lead the way up. He encountered one guard around one corner, but quickly took him down with a hidden blade before he could shoot at them.

“Good one, Friggy,” Mirror praised as he pushed open a door on the top floor.

The hallway inside was dark, the lights all switched off. Three guards were already waiting, pulling the triggers for their rifles. Frigid quickly pulled Mirror back around the doorway as the first bullets splintered the door frame, sending wood flying down on the Assassins.

“Great…” Frigid muttered as he dusted the chips off his hood.

High Noon pulled out his revolver and fired one bullet around the corner. The guards quickly ducked and fell back, giving the Assassins a few moments to get out of the stairwell and behind a bunch of sofas.

“I don’t think these are the best cover…” Satin told the others as she pressed herself against the soft leather.

“Yup.” High Noon stood up and fired his revolver again, getting one of the guards in the leg. “See if you can find away around.”

“Come with me,” Frigid motioned to Satin as he made a dash for one of the office doors.

Mirror Match joined High Noon in firing her projectiles as Satin left with Frigid, managing to get another guard in the arm. Soon, the poison coursed through his body and he fell to the ground and stopped moving. “One down!”

Frigid merged himself and Satin in the shadows of a potted plant, just behind the guards as they continued to fire on Noon and Mirror’s position, still unaware they were vulnerable. Frigid motioned for Satin to take the wounded one while he snuck behind the third guard. He unsheathed his hidden blade and caught the man in the back of the neck as Satin leapt on the other guard, drilling her blade deep through the side of his head. They both landed with a thud as the Assassins pulled out their blades.

"Good job, Satin," Frigid congratulated the novice.

"Yeah... This is my first kill, actually." Satin looked at the dead guard, blood pooling around his head.

"You're okay right?" Frigid checked. "I mean, killing can get to you sometimes."

"I know," she nodded, her face pale but otherwise unshaken. "It's what I signed up for, and besides, I'm doing this for my sister."

"Couldn't have said it better." Mirror clapped her apprentice on the back. "That's just what I like to hear. A good motivation."

"All guards," a voice came up on the loudspeakers. "The Assassins are on level four. I repeat, level four! Find them and terminate them!"

"That must've been Quickdraw," Frigid told the others as he continued down the dark hall.

"Guys, you there?" Pierce's voice said on their earpieces.

"We're here, Pierce," High Noon responded, letting Frigid concentrate on leading the way.

"I've located Quickdraw through his signal. He's on level four, same as you. Check the offices. I've disabled all elevators, so the only way down is past you four. Huh. Templars. Always so reliant on their technology. When the time comes-"

"Okay, Pierce," High Noon stopped him. "We get it. We'll find Quickdraw and end this."

"You better. I'm almost to the mainframe. I'll contact you later."

"It's okay, Noon," Mirror told him as he sighed at the hacker's monologuing. "It bothers us all."

"Don't have to tell me twice..."

More conversation was cut short as the chatter of bullets began filling the air around their heads, forcing all four Assassins to the floor. They quickly crawled back into an open office before checking their situation.

There was a large square sitting area just beyond the corridor containing more sofas, a small glass table with stacks of newspaper on it, a couple of drawers, and at least six guards, each with a rifle of their own, firing back at the Assassins.

"Don't let them reach me," they heard Quickdraw's voice shout over the intercom again. "I'm initiating lockdown."

"Lockdown?" High Noon repeated. "We need to hurry. When lockdown is initiated, a protector drops down before each door and window, preventing access from the outside. The only way to stop it would be the main console. Probably in Quickdraw's office."

"But how are we going to get past those guards?" Satin asked as she tried to glance around the corner. "There's a lot of guns outside."

"Anyone got any smoke bombs?" Frigid asked, putting his hand out. "I have one. With just enough, we could limit their vision enough to get to Quickdraw's office before the lockdown."

"Just one." Mirror put hers in Frigid's hand.

High Noon and Satin shook their heads, both having no smoke bombs.

"Guess we won't know how it'll work out if we don't try," Frigid shrugged and closed his fingers around the bombs. "Let's go."

He rolled the bombs along the ground, watching as the balls exploded under the guards' feet. The Assassins activated their eagle vision to navigate the smoke, while also keeping an eye on the guards who were all coughing and gagging in the smoke. High Noon was the first through the office doors, turning around to cover his teammates just as a metal shutter closed in between him and the other three.

"No!" he shouted as he slammed a fist on the metal piece.

"Go on, Noon!" he heard Frigid's muffled voice on the other side. "We'll take care of things on this side! Go! Find Quickdraw!"

High Noon gritted his teeth but continued on, searching the dark room for the Templar. There were four pillars bear each corner, holding the special layered ceiling up, along with a solid wooden desk and a row of cabinets on the other side. Empty. High Noon whipped out his revolver and held it in both hands, wearily keeping an eye out for the Templar. So far, the room remained a dark blue hue without any signs of red around.

"Quickdraw!" Noon shouted out, getting his legs into stance in case he needed to move fast. "Come out! Time to end this!"

"High Noon..." he heard the Templar’s voice utter with disgust. "I didn't think they'd send you after me. I'll make sure to give you the proper rites for your betrayal."

"The Templars are wrong, Quickdraw!" High Noon scanned the area, still seeing no sign of the man, even with eagle vision. "All they want is to control the world with their own terms, not make it better! Mahogany is evil."

"No, High Noon. He's doing the right thing!" Quickdraw suddenly smashed out of one of the cabinets and fired a shot from his own revolver at High Noon, forcing the cowboy towards the pillar on the right. "Mahogany plans to rid the world of chaos! Don't you see it?"

High Noon looked around the pillar, noticing the red hue of the Templar crouching behind the wooden desk. He leaned out and fired a bullet, but only managed to chip the table before the Templar fired two bullets in quick succession, forcing Noon back behind the pillar as plaster rained over his hood.

"Thought you were a better shot!" Quickdraw taunted. "You've lost your touch!"

High Noon made a dash for the opposite pillar, firing off another shot as he moved, trying to keep the Templar down. Right now, the closer he was to Quickdraw the better. The Templar might be a good shot, but when it came to close quarters, High Noon had the better weapons.

He heard a crackle as a bullet slammed into the wall on the other side, just barely missing his knee. High Noon leaned out to gauge his distance between himself and the Templar, seeing he was just a few feet away now.

"Come on, Noon!" Quickdraw shot another bullet into the pillar. "Face me like a man! Oh what am I saying? You're no man! You're a mouse! A coward! You don't deserve to be alive!"

The man was trying to scare him. He was right, calling the cowboy a coward. High Noon knew the truth in those words; he was a coward. He had let his fears get through once too many, but this time he had a reason to fight. His friends were outside and they were depending on him and he wasn't going to let them down.

"You ready, Quickdraw?" High Noon shouted, readying his revolver. He had four bullets left in his gun while Quickdraw only had one.

It all seemed too easy, but High Noon knew the Templars well. They always had tricks up their sleeves, but this time, he had one of his own.

"Ready when you are, Noon!" Quickdraw bellowed, ending it with a laughter. "Let's finish this like men!"

High Noon took a good long breath before charging out from the pillar, pointing the revolver at the Templar as he stood up. High Noon squeezed the trigger, but went off target as something hit him in the shoulder. His grip on the revolver loosened, sending it falling to the carpeted ground.

"Ha!" Quickdraw spun his revolver around mockingly before starting to reload it. "Guess you don't have what it takes!"

High Noon grunted from the pain in his shoulder, but he still managed to spin himself around and activated a mechanism in his left gauntlet. A piston pushed forward, sending the small hidden revolver into the cowboy's hand.

"Wha-"

High Noon fired off a round, the small piece of metal piercing the Templar's neck and going out the other side, only stopping when it hit a framed painting of a dragon on the other side, puncturing a small hole through the glass. Quickdraw quickly grabbed for his throat, trying to stop the blood as he gasped for air, falling on his back.

“I… should’ve known… you… would fight… with no… honour…” the Templar managed to cough out as he fought for air. “Assassin…”

“I’ll do whatever it takes to stop Mahogany’s plans.” High Noon eyed the man defiantly. “You don’t see the outcome. It only ends well for him. Not you.”

“Fool…” Quickdraw gurgled. “You know nothing… of his plans… I wish you… all the worse… Death awaits you…”

Quickdraw gasped one last time before fading, his hand dropping to the ground next to him. Even if Quickdraw hadn’t shown him any respect, High Noon felt like he had to be the better man. He knelt down and carefully closed the dead man’s eyes.

“I’m sorry,” High Noon whispered as he stood up. “I wish you could see the truth.”

High Noon quickly headed to the Templar’s desk, finding the console to disable the security doors. He tapped away, remembering the codes and procedures he had learnt during his time as a Templar, finally releasing the lockdown on the building. High Noon raised his hidden revolver and cautiously advanced through the door and into the darkness beyond. He tried to focus his eagle vision, but the pain from Quickdraw’s gunshot kept breaking his focus.

“Pierce,” he eventually said, giving up on trying to see in the dark. “Can you get the lights?”

The hacker didn’t say anything, but there was a click from the other end of the line and one by one, the lights flickered back on, bathing the offices in artificial white light.

“Woah.” High Noon took a step back.

Mirror Match stood in the middle of a circle of dead bodies, all of whom seemed to have been ripped apart with excessive force. The Assassin herself was up to the elbows in blood and entrails, and the sanguine liquid dripped from her fingertips and onto the soiled carpet. She held one of the guards’ rifles in one hand and as High Noon watched, Mirror fired a short burst into one man who was still moving.

Mirror noticed the cowboy and casually stepped over a guard whose body was more red than anything else. “Well, you’re alive. I take it that means Quickdraw’s bitten the dust?”

“Yeah...” It was all High Noon could say. “Did you do all this?”

Mirror shrugged. “It was dark, and these guys were getting on my nerves. Anyone else would have done the same.”

“Yeah, right!” Satin and Frigid emerged from a side door, where Frigid could see another body. “What anyone else would have done was get themselves killed.” Satin regarded her superior with newfound respect. “You’re amazing, you know that?”

Frigid seemed to think otherwise. “A little excessive, don’t you think? We’re Assassins, not butchers.” He nudged a shredded arm with his boot. “A stab to the neck would have done.”

“I only did it so we’d all be safe,” Mirror pouted, throwing her gun aside. “Now they can’t hurt you.”

“I-I’m sorry, Mirror…” Frigid replied. “You did it for us. I get it. It’s just that this is all a bit… messy.”

“Yeah, kinda looks like a wolf hadn’t eaten in weeks,” High Noon pulled down his hood and put his hat back on.

“So, you got Quickdraw?” Satin asked the cowboy as she tried to look into the office.

“Sure did.” High Noon rubbed at his shoulder. “I just wish there was an alternative. Anyway, away from those thoughts, we still have a mission to finish.” High Noon put a finger to his earpiece. “Pierce, have you planted the bug?”

“Just about done,” the veteran Assassin finally replied. “What could you possibly be making this machine for, Templars? What do you need it to do for you? I’m afraid all that information will soon be mine. You think you’re untouchable? I’m just about to prove you wrong.”

Mirror Match rolled her eyes as Pierce babbled on about justice and knowing everything. “Pierce, we get it. We’ll meet you back at the van.”

“Affirmative.”

“Let’s move,” Frigid called for his teammates to move out. “High Noon, you can’t drive like that. Anyone else can drive?”

“I can, but…” Mirror raised her arms to show the others her blood-stained clothes. “I don’t think you want me to be driving like this. Cops might stop us.”

“Right…” Frigid sighed. “Guess we’re going to have to let Pierce drive.”

“What, is he that bad?” Satin asked. Frigid realized the novice had yet to be in a ride with the hacker as the driver.

“I guess you’ll be finding out soon.”

The ride back to Trottingham had been as stomach-churning as it had been quick, and Frigid was now certain that Pierce’s driver’s license was forged. No one who drove like that could have ever passed a driver’s test. As soon as they had pulled into the bureau, Satin had ducked off to the bathroom, presumably to regurgitate her last meal, while High Noon headed to the medic wing to get his shoulder looked at, leaving Mirror Match with him to accompany Pierce into his hideaway.

The hacker pulled out a silver thumbdrive and stuck it in his computer, data immediately popping up in folders across his four screens. “Time to find out what you have, Templars. I’m going to hack my way into your database. Let’s see what we can find out about this machine they’re making.”

“I wonder what we’ll find in there!” Mirror looked at the screens excitedly.

“There we go…” Pierce opened another folder, bringing up black screens filled with white data and words, scrambling Frigid’s mind immediately. He stopped paying attention and waited for Pierce to tell him what they found.

“Oh no…” the hacker finally said, leaning back in his chair.

“That doesn’t sound good,” Frigid put a hand on the hacker’s shoulder and stared at the screen.

“It’s not.” Pierce grabbed for his phone and began shifting through more pages of data. “The Templars might have just figured out how to use that artifact of theirs. Effectively.”

“That… could be a problem…”

“Yes,” Pierce nodded and continued. “That’s what the machine is for. They’ve determined that there are people in this world with better wavelengths than others. These people will be able to use the artifacts for longer periods of time.”

“How does this machine of theirs work, exactly?” Mirror asked, her eyes shining as she looked at all the data Pierce was stealing off the Templar mainframe. “Has it been built yet?”

Pierce scrolled down the screen, speed-reading through the texts. “The machine requires the artifact inside it. Apparently, it is what the Templars need to locate the special people to use it. What is this artifact all about, Templars? How does it work? One day, I’m going to find out, and there’ll be no stopping me. They’re still preparing to build it too. Good. The more time we have to stop them, the better.”

“I’d better take this to the Mentor,” Frigid decided. “Pierce, can you print out a copy of all this?”

The printer to the left began vibrating and before long, a few white pieces of paper emerged from the machine, falling nicely into the tray below. “Done. Go on. I’ll crack the rest of the data here. See if they think their first grade encryptions can keep me out. They can’t stop me. I’ll know everything.”

After Frigid was gone, Mirror tapped Pierce on the shoulder, causing him to look up with irritation.

“Can you print a copy for me too?” she asked sweetly.

“Kids today…” Pierce grumbled before thumbing the ‘print’ button.

"Wow, what a story, huh?" Twilight Sparkle closed her book for the day and stood up, patting down her purple skirt. "Too bad we don't have more time today. I'd have liked to hear more."

"Well, there's always more time tomorrow, Princess Twilight." Morning Blade closed her own journal and looked at the front cover, running a finger along its surface. "We have plenty of time now that it's all over... I still can't believe it myself."

"Returning to normal life, you mean?" Twilight tilted her head to the side.

"Yes." Morning nodded and kept her journal in her bag. "I was only with the Assassins for a few years. I can't imagine what it must feel like for Keila. Um, she's the one from Saddle Arabia."

"Right."

"Keila was born into the Brotherhood. To have this war finally over... I wonder what she's up to now."

Morning Blade stood up and shouldered her bag, following Twilight Sparkle out of the room. She figured it would only be time for her and Keila to readjust to normal life once again. Perhaps she would even go back to her studies.

And perhaps I will...

Chapter 23: What do I Get? Guard Duty

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Morning Blade returned to Canterlot High School early the next morning, watching as snow began to fall from the sky. She stretched out an arm gently and watched as the snow landed on her palm, melting from her body heat.

“How normal all this is after so long…” she breathed, a cloud of mist forming in front of her face.

In no time, she was in the school building, standing by their trophy case, looking at all the awards CHS has ever won. She found one silver trophy by the track team, back when she was still studying here. They had won all the way until they lost to Crystal Prep Academy in the finals. Morning smiled at the thought. Crystal Prep always emerged on top.

“Good morning, Morning Blade.” The ex-Assassin turned around, spotting Twilight Sparkle walking in, brushing snow from her head. “Cold day, huh?”

“Quite.” Morning nodded in agreement. “But I am used to the cold. We Assassins worked on many a cold night.

She followed behind the lavender-skinned girl as they traversed down the school halls, heading back to the room they’ve been using to tell Frigid Night’s story.

“So, what are we in for today, Morning?” Twilight asked on the way.

“Oh for the book?” Morning Blade tapped her backpack. “I believe we’re skipping ahead again. There wasn’t much I could find out about what happened directly after, but Dewdrop joined the Brotherhood. I don’t know much about how, but I do know she was from a gang over in Trottingham.”

“Gang, huh?” Twilight creased her eyebrows. “She wasn’t a good person?”

“We’re not good people, princess.” Morning looked down, a shadow passing over her face. “We may fight to protect our world’s freedom, but do not mistaken us for heroes. We are far from them. We’ve all done things we’ve regretted. Killing, for one.”

“Umm, sorry. I didn’t think of it like that.”

“Neither did I, until recently…” Morning sighed. “Anyway, I don’t quite know the specifics of Dewdrop’s initiation into the Brotherhood, but I heard she had wiped out the gang leaders in Trottingham. All of them, before joining up with us.”

“Wow. Quite the Assassin, huh? That Dewdrop.”

“Tell me about it.” Morning smiled and pulled at her braid.

They soon arrived at their regular room, pulling up a couple of chairs to sit for the day. Morning set her bag down and retrieved the journal from it, running her fingers along its surface before flipping it open. There was so much to remember from this book. She was going to treasure it for the rest of her life.

“Now, where were we?”

2 years later

Timber primed the machine again, watching as the lights started turning green one by one, indicating the ‘Eye’, as they had taken to calling it, was ready to be used. It was a large cone shaped machine, wide at the bottom and small at the top. At least a dozen buttons outlined the front of it, along with a set of lights above them. A small rectangle bore through the machine in the middle, with a small circular holder, made just for the artifact.

“Test number thirteen,” the scientist spoke into a small recorder. “We’ve attuned the power to fifty volts and are ready to proceed with the test.”

He signalled to Test Tube, who pulled down on the lever at the opposite end of the safe room. Electric sparked across the machine, the beeping on Timber’s monitor growing louder by the second.

“Stabilizing…” he muttered into the recorder. “The energy level is maintaining at sixty percent. Higher than the last.”

“Should we add more power?” Test Tube called from his corner as electric sparked across his vision, forcing him back behind one of the desks as the switch started spouting out volts of electricity.

Timber grumbled but quickly hit the emergency shutdown button, watching as the meter on his right started lowering back down to zero. “Test failed. Our facilities need an upgrade, it would seem.”

He sighed and put the recorder down, walking over to inspect the damage the Eye had caused.

“Another failure…” Test Tube grabbed a pair of rubber gloves and flipped the lever back to its original position. “What are we going to tell Mahogany? Is this even going to work out?”

“Of course it will!” Timber barked at the other scientist. "We've come too far to fail now. We've got to get it to work."

Just then, the door opened, revealing the white haired Quantum as he strolled in with a small envelope. "We've got another one."

Timber reached out and took it from his associate, getting to work on the seal. Their mysterious friend was a very secretive one. Every test they had run on the pieces of paper could not find any clues as to who was sending them the letters. No fingerprints, blood, or locations, but they seemed serious in joining the Order, and the checks that sometimes accompanied the envelopes went a long way to funding their research.

"Let's see what they want this time."

Timber eyed the words as he read through the paper, his brow growing lower as he processed the letters in his mind.

"What does it say now?" Quantum tried to get a glimpse of the parchment. "What do they want?"

Timber looked up at his associates. "They want a meeting."

Frigid Night lay on his back atop the Bureau, watching the stars without much interest. Beside him, High Noon sat up cleaning his revolver.

“Man, I hate guard duty...” High Noon groused. He slid the gun back into his holster and peered into the cooler of root beer he’d dragged up with them. “Who the hay would even want to come up here anyway?”

Frigid accepted a can from High Noon and they mock-toasted before leaning back against the slanted roof to drink. “Well, Mentor says we have to do our shift, so here we are.”

“Yeah, but this is Novice stuff, not something you’d give a Disciple or a Veteran.”

"Yeah, especially after we took down Green Cheese," Frigid breathed after a long gulp of root beer. "That guy just didn't make things easy for us. You'd think Mentor would give us the day off..."

"Bad timing I guess... Everyone's gotta do duty at some point. Ours just happened to be after a long day."

“Bah.”

After a few more bottles, the two Assassins were feeling a bit better about being stuck on the roof for the rest of the night and were now playing a game of Go Fish while they waited for the sun to come up and relieve them of their duty.

“Been getting kind of quiet lately,” High Noon remarked through a mouthful of beef jerky. “No killers, no major Templar plans, and a couple more new people to train. That’s about it, eh?”

Frigid nodded and drew a card. “Almost a bit too peaceful, don’t you think?”

High Noon shrugged. “Hey, we can’t all be action heroes all the time. Mentor’s always telling us there’s more to being an Assassin than just killing Templars. Not that she’ll tell us what that is,” he added, pushing over the bowl of crisps to Frigid.

Taking a handful, Frigid drained another bottle of root beer and belched. “Got me. I’d ask Star Lance, but I don’t think he’ll tell us.”

“Maybe Mirror Match can ask him,” the cowboy said mildly. “Old Lancey-boy won’t turn her down.”

“Better make sure he didn’t hear you call him that,” Frigid grinned. He dunked the chips into the tray of dip and ate them. “Speaking of turning down people, I hear that you tried asking out Dewdrop last week?”

“*Hic* What?” High Noon put down his root beer and stared at Frigid, his cheeks blooming with color. “Who told you that?”

“Well, you just did,” Frigid smirked. He lay down his last card. “I win this round.”

“Not again…” High Noon pushed over the pile of chocolates they’d been betting with before taking a drink from his bottle. “I mean, I can’t win the girl, and I can’t win the card game. It’s just not my week.”

Frigid shuffled the cards back together and popped a chocolate into his mouth. “Aw, cheer up. To be honest, I don’t think Dewdrop has anything against you.”

“Yeah?” The other Assassin didn’t look convinced at all.

“Yeah. Maybe she’s just playing hard to get. You know, women are hard to understand sometimes.” Frigid used his hidden blade to cut open a packet of cookies. “You know, I don’t think I understand Mirror completely sometimes either.”

High Noon laughed at that. “Tcha, right. You and that girl, are as thick as… as…” he struggled to find the right word.

“Jelly?” Frigid suggested, passing High Noon a carton of it from the cooler.

“Nah, nah,” High Noon said with a wave of his arm, almost knocking over the dip. “Thick as… thieves. Yeah, that’s it. Thick as thieves. Why isn’t she up here with us anyway?”

Frigid sighed. Mirror Match had recently volunteered to work in the Recon and Intelligence Division of the Assassins, and was currently out gathering intel on a minor Templar base. Frigid had offered to join her, but there were no more empty spots.

“Oh, you know. Stuff.” He pulled out a small picture of Mirror Match and himself, an arm around each other and wide smiles on their faces, and looked at it for a good forty seconds. After putting it back in his coat pocket, he looked moodily off into the sleeping city of Trottingham.

High Noon seemed to realize he’d hit a nerve, because he swiftly changed the topic. “It’s not so bad, this. I mean, being an Assassin.”

“Hmmm?”

“Well you know,” High Noon explained. He snatched a stick of celery from a plastic bag and plunged it into the dip. “We have friends, allies, and a place to stay. We also get to help the world, which ain’t a bad deal.”

“Yeah,” Frigid said. For such a tense guy, High Noon had a way with words that he found very calming. “Yeah, I guess so.”

The cowboy clapped his friend on the back and laid back to look at the slowly brightening sky. “I know so, buddy. I know so.”

Down in the city, the sounds of cars starting and people awakening could be heard, but for this moment, the two Assassins were alone in their own little world, and completely content.

Then there was a knock on the roof nearby. Frigid raised his head to look at the source: Dust Fencer had just climbed up to their spot and was staring at all the food and drinks with a half hysterical, half outraged expression on his face.

“Just what the hay is this?!”

"Jerky? Chips? Cookies? Chocolate? Whipped cream?” Star Lance raised his voice as High Noon and Frigid stood before him. "This is guard duty! Not picnic duty!"

"Well, t-to be fair..." High Noon shifted his feet. "The previous g-guys left the cream."

"Do you think this is a joke?! Do you?!" Star Lance slammed a fist against the nearest bookshelf, causing some books to fall out, startling the cowboy. "Guard duty is important! What if the Templars find us? You'll both be too busy eating and playing cards to notice!"

Frigid hated to admit it, but what they did was highly irresponsible and Star Lance was right. If Templars had shown up then, they would be totally caught off-guard.

"We're sorry, Star Lance," Frigid said, trying to calm the angry Assassin. "That was wrong of us."

"Sorry isn't going to cut it!" Star Lance stopped as the Mentor put a hand on his arm, silently telling him to tone down. The Master Assassin sighed and relaxed his face with noticeable effort. "Alright, alright. You may go. Just remember what you signed up for when you joined the Brotherhood."

Frigid and High Noon left the office, thankful that the shouting had ended early, thanks to the Mentor.

"Glad that she can calm him down at least..." High Noon put his hat back on, finally able to relax. "I thought he was just going to lose it and stuff his fist down my throat."

"You asked for it," Frigid laughed as they made their way down the stairs. "I still can't believe you had mustered enough courage to tell him about the cream. Ha ha! I mean you? High Noon? Talking back to Star Lance?"

"Yeah, wasn't my finest moment to learn to speak up..." High Noon sighed.

They continued walking along when Noon suddenly stopped and slowed his pace, positioning himself behind Frigid.

"What are you doing...?" Frigid asked and looked ahead. Two figures had just arrived at the top of the staircase leading down, and Frigid could see why the cowboy had shrunk back. "Ah, of course..." He approached the two and waved when they saw him. "Morning, Satin. Dewdrop."

"Hey, Frigid," Satin greeted while her apprentice simply nodded and smiled. She looked behind the Veteran-grade Assassin, looking at High Noon, who was hiding his face with his hat. "Hi, Noon. What's... What's with him?"

"Oh... This?" Frigid pointed at the cowering Assassin before smiling. "I think he’s a little bummed about… something."

"Silly,” Satin admonished. “If there’s an issue, come out and say it; Mentor’s always telling us not to keep our problems bottled upside.”

She gave High Noon a disarming smile, and for a moment it worked. Then he caught eye of Dewdrop lurking just behind Satin, grinning at him like a dervish. While Satin was calm and reserved for the most part, Dewdrop was her opposite; she was confident, outgoing, and had scant respect for authority. Naturally, this rubbed a lot of the Assassins the wrong way, High Noon included. It was just even thornier that Dewdrop was widely agreed to be rather attractive and had turned down a lot of guys already.

“Pff. Suit yourself,” Dewdrop shrugged. She took Satin’s hand and towed her off the the obstacle course room. “Come on, Satin; I bet you I can beat your record!”

The two girls disappeared around the corner, leaving Frigid with a shaken High Noon.

“Come on, man!” Frigid pulled the hat off his head to reveal a red face. “You could’ve told her your problems.”

“Nope.” High Noon shook his head and reached for his hat, which Frigid pulled further away from him. “One embarrassment is enough, thank you. Now may I please have my hat back?”

Frigid didn’t have time to decide as the hat was yanked from his hand. Dust Fencer walked past the gray haired Assassin and handed it back to High Noon. “Really, Frigid? How old are you again?”

“We’re not allowed to have fun, Dust?” Frigid smirked.

Dust walked up and put a hand on Frigid’s shoulder. “I’d have thought you had fun enough last night, and sorry for telling Star Lance about it, but you’ve gotta learn. Keeping an eye out for Templars is a pretty important thing.”

“Don’t worry, Dust, I understand.”

“Do you now?” Dust raised the corner of his mouth in amusement. “Tell you what, next time you two have yourselves a little picnic, don’t forget to invite me too, eh?”

“What for real?” Frigid was confused. The man had turned them in after all. “First, you tell on us, then now you want us to invite you?” All three of them started leaning back with laughter.

“I’ve missed you young’uns.” Dust put his arms around both of them. “Haven’t got to have a chat like this in a while, with that Templar machine and all. We’ll definitely find it and take it down before they can find someone to wield that artifact of theirs.”

“If it even works,” Frigid interjected. “Mirror Match has been studying the plans that Pierce rips from the Templar database every few months, and that thing doesn’t sound operational to me.”

"Well, we don't take chances," Dust gave him a smile full of white teeth. "Anyhow... What do you two want to do? We've got plenty of time to catch up! How's it feel, huh? Rising in the ranks the last few years. One day you'll be like Star Lance! Looking down on all the new Assassins. Ha!"

"I'm hoping that day never comes..." High Noon whistled as the three of them headed out the front doors to the nearest pub. "If I ever get that good, I'm gonna be nice to all the little kids."

"Sure." Dust lead the way. “Breakfast’s on me, fellas.”

The Manehattan alley was dark and damp, overshadowed by two towering skyscrapers. Few ever ventured into the warren of maze-like backstreets that lay between the spires, and it was here that Steam Shift and Flywheel had been ordered to wait for Timber’s mysterious contact. The two young men, dressed in a passable facsimile of security guards, stood back to back, their hands never far from their holsters.

"What did he say the contact looked like again?" Flywheel asked.

"He didn't." Steam Shift checked the entrance to the alley. “Just said to wait here and see who shows up.”

Flywheel stifled a yawn. They had been waiting here for almost an hour and there had been nothing in the alley but them and a rat which his partner had promptly shot. "Did he give us the wrong location?"

"I doubt it. Timber rarely gets his info wrong. Just wait and be patient."

They did, even as the sun rose directly overhead and cast its light into the dank concrete trench. Flywheel retreated into the shade of an air conditioning unit, wrinkling his nose at the stench of a nearby dumpster. Steam Shift remained in his spot, keeping a close eye on the people walking past the alley. Not one of them paid attention to the two men as they went on with their busy lives.

Eventually the sun abandoned them to the darkness once again, leaving both Templars free to walk up and down the alley to relieve their boredom.

"Is the contact here yet?" Flywheel groaned and looked at his watch. “We’ve been here for six hours already, and all we’ve seen is that blasted rat!”

As much as he hated to admit it, Steam Shift had to agree with his partner. “I’ll give Timber a call. See what he thinks.” The man raised his phone to his ear, thumb on the speed dial for headquarters.

Something dark blurred past Flywheel, who had been lighting a cigarette and didn’t see it. His eyes still fixed on the wall and his ear pressed to the phone, Steam Shift completely missed the gloved hand pulling his partner behind the dumpster and out of sight. There was a crack, and Steam Shift turned around warily.

The phone fell to the ground.

Steam Shift’s legs kicked uselessly, his throat gripped between steel fingers that left just enough room for him to breathe. In the gloom of the alley, the hooded and cloaked figure that held him up was almost invisible. As his vision began to darken, the Templar’s eyes settled on the wrist mounted blade that adorned the arm in front of his face.

“Assassin…” he croaked, going for his gun.

The cloaked figure was faster; it whipped its arm downward and Steam Shift’s body slammed into the concrete. Before the stars in his eyes cleared, the figure had removed his gun and disassembled it, dropping the parts onto the ground. With methodical slowness, the figure grabbed him by the collar and hauled Steam Shift to his feet.

“No,” it said in an eerie layered voice; it almost sounded female. “Nothing you could ever conceive in your mind.”

There was a gleam of pointed teeth and Steam Shift’s scream died in his throat.

Chapter 24: Brightest Night

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"But seriously?!" Frigid threw his hands up in the air in frustration. "You know, I don't care as much if he assigned me another guard duty, but to give me one just the day after? Really?"

"Technically, it's your own fault," Dust said as he polished his rapier. "Guard duty is serious."

"But High Noon got put on duty a week from now!" Frigid complained and fell back against the floor. "At least there's a break..."

"Well, does it matter?" Dust flashed him a cheeky smile. "Mirror Match isn't back yet. What else do you have to do?"

"W-well..." Frigid lost his words. "I mean, well..."

"Yup," Dust said and folded his arms. "Don't worry, Frigid. She'll be back soon enough."

"I know..." he sighed. "I'm just worried about her."

"It's expected, Frigid." Dust slapped a hand onto the younger Assassin's shoulder. "We're Assassins. Our lives are dangerous paths. We knew that when we joined, and besides, if you didn't worry about her, then you're not human."

Frigid nodded. Dust was right. Being an Assassin wasn't an easy job. Everyday, there was a chance you wouldn't return from a mission, and most of them knew that well, but the one thing to look forward to was a world without Templars; a world without dictators, and for Frigid's case, looking forward to Mirror Match's return.

"Thanks, Dust. For always looking out for me."

"Of course!" the Assassin laughed. "You were one of my best pupils! Maybe the best! I'll always be watching out for you."

"You too, Dust." Frigid fistbumped with him. "You were an awesome teacher."

"Were?" Dust raised his eyebrow, but laughed it off. He reached into his coat and brought out a small bottle of root beer. "Here, Frigid. Thought you might enjoy this."

"But you turned us in last night!" Frigid inspected the bottle closely, just in case Dust Fencer had spiked it or something along those lines.

"One bottle isn't going to change anything! Just make sure Star Lance doesn't see it."

Frigid gladfully took the bottle and cracked the lid off. "I owe you one, Dust."

"More than one, I'm sure..."

The night soon became day as the sounds on the streets began floating up to their ears.

"Would you look at that..." Dust squinted towards the city as he got up.

"Yeah, time sure flew by, huh?" Frigid joined the Assassin at the edge of the roof to marvel at the sunrise. He chugged down the drink in his bottle.

"Look closely, Frigid."

Frigid wasn't sure what Dust meant until he focused his eagle vision, watching as a few blue lights danced on the rooftops, slowly but steadily getting closer to the bureau, one of which was very familiar to Frigid.

"Mirror Match!" The younger Assassin's excitement put a large smile on Dust's face.

The two of them watched as the spy team leapt off the last building, all four members landing safely in a dumpster before sprinting the remaining distance to the bureau.

"Go on, Frigid." Dust waved for him to leave. "There's only seven more minutes to the shift. Go welcome her back. I can cover this myself."

Frigid nodded his thanks to the man and dashed straight for the staircase. He hopped down three steps at a time, trying to get to the bottom as quickly as he could, almost rolling down on the third floor.

Frigid finally arrived at the lobby, panting from his sprint and his excitement. The recon team had just stepped through the front doors, their leader, the pink haired Glimpse, leading the group. The master-ranked Assassin was lightly equipped, wearing a short sleeveless coat over a dark sleeveless shirt and shorts. According to the others, she was the fastest Assassin they had.

The brothers, Broadside and Smokestack followed closely behind, each one as large and powerful as Frigid remembered them to be, and behind them…

“Mirror Match!” Frigid called, a little louder than he wanted, quickly running towards his girlfriend, trying not to trip over his own feet. He threw his arms around Mirror, reveling in just being there with her and resting his head against her shoulder. “You smell nice,” he said without letting go.

“Nice to see you too, Friggy.” Mirror patted him on the back. She sniffed at the air and pulled back a step. “Do I smell... root beer?”

“Uh, no,” Frigid said quickly, looking to see if Star Lance was nearby.

“Hey, Mirror.” Glimpse pulled back her hood to straighten her bright hair. “Us Raiders are heading off to get some food. Want to join us?”

“No thanks. You three go on ahead.”

“But we’ve been on the road for six hours!” Broadside, the older brother protested. “Aren’t you hungry?” As if to punctuate his point, a deep growl came from his stomach.

“I’m good,” Mirror said. “Don’t let me hold you back.”

"If you say so."

The other Raiders waved goodbye as they headed for the mess, Broadside and Smokestack hoping to fill their bellies with meat and mead most likely.

"Amateurs…” Mirror muttered before giving Frigid a radiant smile. “Anyway, it’s so good to see you again, Friggy. You wouldn’t believe how bored I was out there.”

They walked up the stairs, heading to Mirror's room. “Didn’t you learn a lot about Templar plans though? Glimpse was pretty excited when she called yesterday.”

“Nothing we don’t already know,” Mirror spat with a hint of bitterness. “Just that the machine is closer to completion than we might think; the plans they upload onto the database are three months out of date."

"That doesn't sound too good..." Frigid mused. If they had the machine ready for use, then the Templars had basically won.

“We can do this, Frigid.” Mirror’s expression turned down for a second, but quickly regained her firm smile. "How have you been? It's been a few days."

"Things have been... Bumpy," Frigid admitted. "I was on back to back guard duty."

"Oh?" Mirror chuckled as they arrived at the top of the stairs. "Did you do something Star Lance didn't like?"

Frigid's cheeks turned red as he recalled the picnic they had the night before. "Y-you could say that, yes..."

"Sounds fun..." Mirror pulled open her door, pausing to let Frigid in first. "Looks like we have plenty to catch up on."

The second she closed the door, she grabbed Frigid and thrust him against the wall, holding him in place. “I missed you, Friggy. It’s been days since we’ve been together.” She leaned in and breathed deeply, taking in his smell.

Frigid smiled and put his hands around her. Even if it was only a few days, without Mirror around, it felt like forever. "Missed you too, Mirror."

Mirror pecked him on the nose, a blush spreading over her face as she did so. “I know you did.”

Abruptly, she pulled him to the bed and pushed him down. The mattress was soft and springy beneath Frigid and his eyes settled on his girlfriend. Her face was flushed and her breathing was heavy, and something inside Frigid awoke in his chest.

“To tell you the truth, Friggy,” Mirror panted, unbuttoning her coat and dropping it unceremoniously on the ground. “I am hungry. So hungry… for you.” Her gloves followed her coat, her phantom blade clattering to the floor.

Mirror Match dragged a finger down Frigid’s chest, undoing each button slowly and methodically. Frigid’s heart pounded against his ribs. In one swift motion, his girlfriend pulled his coat and shirt from his body, straddling him, her warm weight pressing into Frigid’s waist not uncomfortably.

“Mirror, I-” Frigid began, his face burning bright. She put a finger on his lips, silencing him.

“Shhh.” In the dimness of the room, he could have sworn her eyes, those beautiful eyes, were glowing at him like twin moons. “Let me.”

With agonizing slowness, Mirror reached down and seized the bottom of her tunic, peeling it up inch by inch to reveal her tantalizingly flawless skin. By the time it was cast aside, it was all Frigid could do to keep himself from drooling at her luscious curves.

Mirror Match leaned down and their lips met in a passionate kiss, their tongues wrestling for control, hands playing over each others’ bare skin. When they broke contact after what seemed like forever, a thin string of saliva remained between their lips, glistening in the lamplight.

Finally, Mirror rolled off Frigid and discarded her pants. Grinning with an almost predatory glee, the female Assassin reached for Frigid’s belt with one hand and flicked off the lamp with the other.

Darkness flooded the room, but for Frigid Night, it was the brightest moment of his life.

Chapter 25: Wind on the Water

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“Mirror Match and Frigid did… what?” Twilight Sparkle’s face went all red, embarrassing Morning Blade as well.

“Um, well, I-I’m sure they’ve done it more than just this one time.” The ex-Assassin scratched at her cheek. “I-I just happen to have heard this from someone else who happened to walk by… Well, um, you know. Could we continue?”

“Oh, yes, please, continue…” Twilight cleared her throat and pulled at her collar. “What happens next?”

“Well, I’ve got another account of the others next in my book. Here’s what Satin and Dewdrop did…”

Satin Breeze and Dewdrop had been called down to Red Card's little setup, the old Assassin needing someone to clear a contract. They found the grey bearded man by his small tent and table, sorting out some papers.

"Red Card," Satin called as they stopped by his table. "You had something for us to do?"

"Ah, looking for a contract eh?" He fished around his papers until he found what he was looking for, handing it to the Disciple. "Name's Garner Word. She's a by the book, word on the street Templar spy, usually getting information by eavesdropping or recon work."

"How do we find her if she travels around so much?" Dewdrop asked, taking the paper from her teacher.

"You're going to have to look," Red Card told them bluntly. "She usually gathers information down in Manehattan. You'll just have to search for her in the crowds."

"Really? Is that all you know?" Dewdrop turned over the paper, hoping there was more information behind. There wasn't. "...Really?"

"Kid..." Red Card returned his attention to his papers. "You're an Assassin now. You should be able to handle it, and besides, I don't make the contracts. I just hand them out."

Dewdrop grumbled something unintelligible, but Satin directed her away from the table. "Thank you, Red Card. We'll be back when it's done."

Once out of earshot, Dewdrop stopped and muttered some more. "So how the hay do we find this Templar? Just search every person till we happen to find her? Manehattan is the biggest city in the world! This mission is bullsh-"

"It'll be fine, Dewdrop." Satin put a hand on her apprentice’s shoulder. “We’ll handle it like we always do. As Assassins.”

Dewdrop smiled at Satin’s reassuring gesture. “You’re right, sweetheart. Let’s go find this Templar and let her know she joined the wrong side.”

A few hours later, Satin Breeze and Dewdrop found themselves sitting on a park bench, watching people as they moved about the busy city. Between them was a middle aged man in a suit, probably a businessman who had overworked himself and was now sleeping with his head on his chest. Just as they had planned, everyone ignored them, walking past the bench as if they had simply ceased to exist.

"Any sign of Templars yet?" Dewdrop whispered to Satin as both Assassins scanned their surroundings with their eagle vision.

"Everyone's normal so far." Satin continued to eye the civilians, all of them casting off a blue hue, including the sleeping man next to her. "Maybe we need to do something different."

"Do what, exactly?" Dewdrop was unsure of her teacher's plan. "Scour the city for her?"

"What do eavesdroppers enjoy?" Satin raised the corner of her mouth, waiting for Dewdrop's answer.

"Umm... eavesdropping?" Dewdrop shrugged.

"Exactly." Satin snapped her fingers. The man in between them raised his head and blinked twice before going back to sleep. "That's just what we have to do. Spread a little... Rumor. Attract her here."

Dewdrop understood, raising her chin in acknowledgment. "Ah. I see. What information will it take to lure her out?"

Satin looked down at her boots as she thought. What would be something Templars would want to listen to? Soon, she had something, raising her head and giving Dewdrop a silent signal.

"Gee..." Satin put a finger to her cheek. "You know, just this other day, I found something in my apartment."

"Found something?" Dewdrop went along with it. "What was it?"

"I'm not quite sure, but there was a note attached to it. It said, 'use with care. Highly destructive powers lie inside'. I still have no idea what it does."

"Destructive powers?" Dewdrop raised her voice to let other people hear her. "Do you still have it?"

"Yeah." Satin copied her blue haired apprentice and darted her eyes around, looking out for anyone that remotely looked interested in their conversation. "It's back at my place."

"May I see it? If it's dangerous, I want to know. Imagine what we can do with such power!"

The man between them startled awake and looked at both of the Assassins seated beside him. Satin gave him a innocent wave before he got up and left, grumbling along the way.

"Well, that was weird..." Dewdrop watched him leave. The girls watched as more people began looking at them. Without a third person, their disguise was blown, forcing them to pull up their hoods. Then Dewdrop saw her. A woman with silver-blonde hair and pale purple skin, talking to the man that, just a few seconds ago, was sleeping beside them. "There. Straight ahead."

Satin knew what her apprentice was just about to do, but failed to catch her coat as she stood up and headed towards them. The Templar spy immediately recognized the threat, turned around, and sprinted out of the park. Satin left the bench as the man earlier whipped out a small pistol from his jacket and fired at Dewdrop. There were too many civilians around, so killing was not an option out here. Dewdrop quickly sidestepped as the bullet left the gun, the metal missing her face by inches. She slid in towards the man, grabbed his pistol arm and threw him over her back, slamming him hard into the pavement. The apprentice kicked his gun away before giving chase to the escaping Templar.

Satin willed her legs to travel faster as she tried to keep up with Dewdrop. Her apprentice had grown up on the streets, honing her skills since her younger days, able to run faster and longer than Satin ever could.

The Templar had left the edge of the park, heading down towards the west side of the city, Dewdrop getting closer as they traveled. Satin tried to keep up, watching as the two turned a corner ahead. When she got around the bend, the Templar spy and her apprentice were nowhere in sight.

"Dewdrop," Satin called over the earpiece as she looked for her. "Where are you?"

"Look up, Satin."

Satin raised her head to the rooftops just in time to see Dewdrop make a big leap, jumping from one building over to a taller building. She missed the ledge, but managed to grab onto a windowsill and haul herself back up to the roof. Satin let out a sigh of relief before making her way into an alleyway to climb.

Don't want people to think I'm a lunatic.

She hopped up onto a dumpster before running up the brick wall, pushing off at the last moment to grab onto a pipe. The Assassin shimmied along the pipe's length before kicking off the bottom part of the wall to grab a ledge just under a window. The rest of the climb was straightforward as she grabbed what she could to ascend up the side of the building.

Satin soon saw her apprentice chasing after Garner Word, leaping over chest-high walls and roof machinery. Not wasting anymore time, Sati gave chase, trying to catch up to both of them. She leapt to the right and ran along another building, trying to get ahead to cut Garner off.

"I'm taking a detour, Dew!" Satin voiced her plans as she leapt off to the next building. She landed with a roll before continuing her sprint, trying to stay hidden from the Templar as long as she could.

Satin cursed under her breath as she watched her plan fail. Garner didn't turn to her direction, instead throwing herself down to a fire escape and started making her way back to the streets.

"Satin, she's headed down."

"Yeah I see that." Satin turned and headed towards her apprentice, just behind Dewdrop as she jumped down, grabbing on to a pole. Satin did the same, both Assassins swinging themselves down to a ladder before dropping into another alleyway. Garner Word kept running, eventually leading the two girls to the docks of Manehattan. There was a single white yacht ahead, with no other vessels in the immediate area.

"Dewdrop, wait!" Satin hissed as she tried to stop her pupil. Everything in her mind said it was a trap.

Dewdrop didn't seem to hear her and kept going, running down a steep wooden ramp to catch up. The Templar spy headed straight to the yacht, leaping on board the sleek, white vessel as six armed men with rifles filed out, pointing their guns at the pale coloured Assassin. Satin hopped down to the pier and squashed her back against some crates.

"Freeze! Hands up!" Satin heard one of the guards bark at her apprentice.

She peeked over the wooden crates, watching Dewdrop comply, raising her hands to the sky. Satin knew she had to do something, or Dewdrop was definitely going to have a hole in her head.

What do you have, Satin? Come on...

There was only one thing she could do. Give Dewdrop an opening. She pulled out two throwing knives while putting her other hand to her earpiece. "Get ready, Dew. Help's on the way."

Satin raised herself over the crates and threw the knives in two different directions, one flying high and the other spinning straight. The straight one caught one of the guards right in the chest, sending him tumbling backwards into the water with a shout of surprise.

Dewdrop caught the second knife as it started falling back down and with a quick spin, she stabbed a guard in the shoulder and yanked him between herself and the remaining four guards as they pulled on their triggers, pumping their friend with bullets.

The blue haired assassin pulled the knife out and in quick succession, cut the strap of the man's rifle and stabbed the knife into the side of his head, letting the momentum push his body down.

Satin watched as Dewdrop fired away, cutting down the remaining guards with a swarm of bullets, dropping her empty rifle as their four bodies fell.

"Good job, Satin." Dewdrop straightened her attire and pulled the knife out of the guard's head. "Didn't think you were going to hit that guard, though."

"Nice to know you trust my skills," Satin said sarcastically. She widened her eyes as she noticed something on Dewdrop's face. "Dewdrop! You're hurt." Satin put her hands on Dewdrop's cheek and inspected the cut, probably scraped by one of the bullets.

"Just a flesh wound, Satin." Dewdrop told her.

Satin wore a look of worry on her face, but Dewdrop was right. After further inspection, Satin noticed the cut barely broke the skin. Nothing a little time couldn't heal. "Anyway, Dew. That was reckless! Running off like that! What if you got more than just this little cut? What if you... what if you died?"

Dewdrop quickly wrapped an arm around her teacher before turning her attention to the yacht. "That's life, Satin. Don't worry. I've had more serious injuries. Let's find that Templar and finish this."

The Assassins unsheathed their hidden blades and stepped onto the yacht, careful not to lose their balance and fall into the water. The wooden panels on the floor were neatly polished; Satin could see her translucent form on them. They continued through the yacht, listening for signs of movement or voices. At first, they heard nothing, but as they approached the cabins, a soft whimpering was heard from behind the second door.

"Is that her?" Dewdrop whispered as she quietly stepped against the door.

"Could be." Satin grabbed the handle and waited. As soon as Dewdrop was ready, Satin yanked open the door and both Assassins hopped in.

Garner Word was inside, but the whimpering wasn't coming from her. It was coming from a blonde haired girl with a gun to her head.

"Stay back!" Garner warned, pressing her firearm closer against the hostage's head. "I'll shoot if I have to!"

"P-please..." the girl began to cry. "I d-don't want any trouble... Please let me go..."

"Quiet!" the Templar barked.

Satin stopped, not wanted to risk an innocent life, but Dewdrop didn't seem to buy it. The blue haired Apprentice slowly took a step forward, challenging the Templar spy.

"Isn't this a Templar vessel?" Dewdrop narrowed her eyes, ready for anything. "Why are you holding one of your own at gunpoint?"

"T-Templar?" the girl muttered.

"Quiet!" Garner shouted again, scaring the hostage back down. "Doesn't matter who's side she's on. You Assassins are not going to let her die, are you?"

"That's the thing," Dewdrop said cooly, continuing to stalk forward. "I don't think you'll pull the trigger."

"Back, Assassin!" Garner took a few steps back, dragging the hostage with her, then gun still to her head. "I will shoot!"

"Will you?"

Dewdrop seemed to have the Templar cornered and all the attention was on her. Garner Word completely turned away from Satin, giving her an opportunity to chuck a throwing knife straight at her. The Templar turned her head as she noticed the blade flying, but she could do nothing as it lodged into her forehead, knocking her head back. Her grip on the blonde girl loosened, allowing the girl to jumped forward, throwing herself to the floor as the Templar fell backwards against the wall, blood dripping from her head wound.

"Good distraction, Dew!" Satin congratulated as she moved to check on the hostage. The girl was still shaking and sobbing, but at least she was free.

"Distraction?" Dewdrop questioned as she inspected the dead Templar for a pulse. "What distraction?"

Satin shook her head while she helped the girl stand up. "It's alright. You're safe now. She can't hurt you anymore."

"W-what was she...?" the girl wiped at her eyes. "I t-thought I was only working for the Board of Education."

"They're a secret organization bent on taking control of the world," Satin explained. "We believe the whole Board are Templars."

"W-what about you?"

"We're Assassins," Satin decided to tell her after a moment’s deliberation. "We fight to stop the Templars from succeeding." The gray-skinned Assassin reached a hand out to the girl. "Join us. You can help us in our fight."

"B-but..." the blonde haired girl said, unsure of what to do. "I can't manage violence..."

"We've had a few of your type," Satin chuckled. "Don't worry. You'll do fine. It'll just take time. What's your name?"

"W-Windy Sails..." the girl whispered as she took Satin's hand with one hand and pushed some hair out of her face.

"That's a nice name," Satin smiled. "You'll fit in just fine. We've had another guy who used to work for the wrong team, and he's doing great now."

"Great?" Dewdrop held back a laugh. "Yeah. He's doing a little too good, I think."

“Hmmm?” Satin started to ask but changed her mind. She decided that she’ll find out later. “Come with us, Windy. We’ll take you to a much better place.”

“Is it really, b-better?” Windy put her hands together and bent herself slightly. “I mean, I would like to help out, but… I don’t want to be a bother if I can’t fight…”

“We’ll get you sorted, Windy.” Dewdrop walked over and patted her on the back, earning a squeak from the girl. “Although, to tell you the truth, if you don’t learn to fight, you might not last too long.”

Windy Sails began to shiver, but Satin put a reassuring hand on her shoulder to still her. “It’s okay. Dewdrop’s just messing with you.” She pulled out her phone and contacted the bureau, ignoring the muttered ‘No, I’m not’. “This is Satin Breeze. Dewdrop and I are on the way back with a special guest. Contract completed.”

Chapter 26: High Noon's New Apprentice

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Satin Breeze and Dewdrop returned to the bureau with Windy Sails quietly following behind them.

“Welcome back!” Spectral Rim greeted them at the entrance. “Glad to see the mission was a success! Who’s this?”

Windy clung on to Satin’s robes and hid behind her, but Dewdrop pushed her to the front. “This is Windy Sails. She’ll be joining us from today.”

“Well… didn’t know you get to decide that…” Spectral pushed stray strands of hair from her fringe. “Ultimately, the Mentor and Star Lance decide that. You should know that.”

“Well, mission report, so let’s go.” Dewdrop grabbed Satin’s hand and pulled her along, automatically getting Windy along as well.

They soon arrived outside the Mentor’s office, listening to Star Lance as he yelled away behind the oaken door. “No! I already told you, you can’t do that!”

“Star Lance, please.” It was the Mentor’s voice, more soothing than the Master Assassin’s. “You’ve been shouting so much more lately.”

“I’m sorry…” they heard him sigh. “It’s these new Assassins. They don’t understand the importance of being an Assassin.”

“That is why we must show them leniency,” the Mentor continued. Satin and Dewdrop stopped to listen. “Harsh words don’t help them grow. Kindness and teaching do.”

“Fine. I’ll try to be a nicer person. We good, High Noon?”

“High Noon getting shouted again, eh?” Dewdrop put a hand to her mouth to hide her smile.

Satin didn’t know how to respond, so she moved to knock on the door. Soon, Star Lance opened the door and let them in, eyeing their third companion like a hawk, scaring the girl a little. High Noon was still cowering in the corner, but as soon as he saw Windy, a small blush started to form across his face.

“I’ll handle this, Star Lance.” the Mentor rose off her chair and walked up to the girls. “Mission report?”

“Yes, Mentor.” Satin stepped forward to brief her. “We took down Garner Word after a chase through the city. She and the Templars had put up some resistance, but we handled ourselves.”

Star Lance, who would usually say something by now, stood to the side, distracting himself by looking at a collection of books.

“And… her?” the Mentor pointed a finger at Windy, sending her sliding behind Satin again. “Who might she be?”

"This is Windy Sails," Satin introduced. "She used to work for the Board, but Garner pulled her into our world. I offered her a chance to stop the Templars from taking control."

“Is that so?” The Mentor walked towards Windy and looked at her. The blonde girl hid her face behind her hair. "Windy Sails. Do you truly wish to defend this world from the Templars?"

She stayed in her spot, her body shaking from stress and fear, but she managed to get her mouth to open. "Y-yes. I... I want to do w-what I can..."

The Mentor looked at her and then at High Noon, probably sensing something familiar. She smiled and nodded her head before looking to Satin and Dewdrop. "Leave the room, please. I wish to speak to her privately."

Star Lance escorted the girls and High Noon out the door before closing it behind them.

"I thought the Mentor said 'privately'?" Dewdrop raised a curious eyebrow at the door. "Why is Star Lance in there?"

"He's like another part of her." High Noon shrugged when they looked at him. "What? They're never apart."

"How about you, eh, Noon?" Dewdrop elbowed him in the ribs. "Don't think I didn't see you looking at Windy. You don't even know her yet."

"Well, uhh... Well... Hmm..." High Noon pulled down the front of his hat and stuck an unlit cigarette in his mouth to distract himself. "She's... She seems nice."

"What were you doing in there, Noon?" Satin interrupted, deciding the cowboy had enough embarrassment for the moment. "Star Lance want to see you again?"

Satin realized her mistake when his face reddened again. "Umm... Well... I kinda left my favourite cassette... in the car I used to get back here, and... It's kinda gone now. Star Lance doesn't want me looking for it."

"You still use cassettes, old man?" Dewdrop leaned an arm on High Noon's shoulder.

"I'm not that much older than you..." High Noon mumbled. "Enough of me. How was your mission?"

"Wasn't so hard," Dewdrop flipped her hand around and looked at her nails. "Our target didn't even put up a fight."

"Well, good for you, then. I had to find a Templar soldier. He saw us coming and hightailed out in his car and we had to pursue him. Good thing Pierce had control of the traffic lights and roadblocks."

"Well, you like action, so good for you!" Dewdrop slapped his back, hard.

"How about Frigid and Mirror?" Satin asked. "Are they here?"

"I think they're heading out," High Noon tried to recall. "I remembered seeing them past me in the halls. Probably heading to Red Card."

"Well, nice having a chat with you, Noon." Satin looked at the time. "I've got to get back to Velvet." She raised her head in thought. "Tell you what, Noon. We still need to make sure Windy gets accommodated well if she's accepted. Could you take care of her for us?"

"Oh... Ummm... Sure," High Noon replied as he stowed his cigarette.

"Good luck with that, Noon," Dewdrop smiled as they both waved goodbye to Satin. "I think I'm gonna head to the bar for some drinks. Windy's all yours, cowboy!"

High Noon scratched at his head as the others left, leaving him alone to think about all this. He had nothing better to do at the moment, so he headed for the staircase and sat on the highest step, waiting for the Mentor to finish her interview with Windy. At some point, the cowboy had drifted off to sleep, dreaming that he was an outlaw in some other desert town unfamiliar to him. High Noon didn't like it one bit, but luckily, someone shook him awake before he could romanticize it.

"Wake up," Star Lance said with an almost nicer tone. "Where's Satin and Dewdrop?"

"Huh? Oh," High Noon mumbled, trying to blink his drowsiness away. "They already left. How's Windy Sails? Satin told me to get her set in."

"Ha, of course they did," Star Lance let himself laugh for a second. "You and that new girl are like the same person. Maybe you can teach her the ways of an Assassin, huh? Ha." Star Lance laughed at his little joke.

"He can if he's willing," the Mentor said behind him as she walked out with Windy. "Will you be willing to teach her, High Noon?"

High Noon and Windy Sails looked at each other, only to turn away when their eyes made contact, both starting to blush.

"Uhhh... yes, Mentor," High Noon eventually got his voice. "I would be honoured to teach her."

"Excellent," the Mentor smiled. "Would you show her around and get her outfitted?"

"Right away, Mentor." High Noon tipped his hat to her and walked off, making sure Windy was following behind him.

They walked down in silence for a while, before High Noon finally said something. "H-hi, I'm High Noon."

"W-Windy Sails," she managed a small smile.

High Noon brought her around the bureau, showing her the different facilities they had and the places where they stayed in.

"That one's the dojo." High Noon pointed at the space with the different obstacles. "Here is where I'll be teaching you your movement."

"Are you sure I can m-manage all this?" Windy played with her hands nervously.

"Sure," High Noon told her as they walked on. "You know, I thought the same thing myself when I first arrived."

"You did?"

"Y-yeah... You know, I was a Templar before I came here," High Noon started as he brought her to Red Card's station.

"What made you change sides?" Windy asked.

"The Templars were the wrong choice from the start," High Noon looked at his feet. "I never should have joined. All they've ever wanted is a world on their terms. Not for the better."

"So I've heard."

When they arrived at the old Assassin's counter, High Noon introduced Windy to the man before asking for an outfit for her.

"So, Windy Sails," Red Card said after shaking her hand. "You're ready for this line of work are you? It's a tough one, but the reward at the end is good."

"I suppose..." she rubbed at her upper arm. "I... just don't like b-bullies, really."

"You remind me a lot of High Noon there," the old man laughed in wheezy breaths.

"R-really?" She turned around and looked at her soon-to-be teacher. Both turned away and blushed again after looking at each other.

Red Card raised a suspicious eyebrow and laughed again. "Oh, you two are going to get along just fine, Windy." He pulled a set of robes out from under his table and handed it to the girl. "Here, I think this'll suit you just nice."

"Thank you..." the pale blue-skinned girl nodded and slowly took the outfit from the old Assassin. She turned to High Noon, unsure of what to do now.

"Oh, uh, there's a washroom just around the corner," he decided. "You can change there."

High Noon led her off after they waved goodbye to Red Card, turning the corner at the end of the square to find the washrooms, just along the side of the wall.

"I'll be here." High Noon turned his head to look down the hall as Windy Sails began a slow walk into the bathroom. "Holler if you need anything."

Windy Sails didn't take as long as High Noon had expected. She had come out of the washroom with her new outfit on. High Noon eyed her from the toes up, looking at her new attire. She had a new pair of knee-length boots and a dark blue skirt under a short white and gray robe. The girl had tied back her long blonde hair into a ponytail, allowing High Noon to see more of her soft, pleasant face, not yet burdened by the weight of the work all the other older Assassins seemed to have.

High Noon felt his heartbeat grow faster as he continued to look at her face, but eventually broke eye contact when she looked back at him. “Uhhh… right. That’s good. N-not bad. Ermm… where were we… uhhh… y-you know...” High Noon just couldn’t make out another full sentence, his mind a complete blank.

“Umm… if you don’t m-mind me asking…” Windy spoke up, trying to start a conversation. “W-why are you called assassins?”

"Well, we... assassinate people," High Noon gave her the answer bluntly. When Windy gave him a shocked expression, he added hastily, “Not all the time! Just when there’s no other way.”

“Like with Garner Word?” Windy Sails asked quietly.

“Yeah. Like that.”

“S-she held a g-gun on me,” Windy’s voice trembled. “Like she was going to shoot me. I knew her for years, and I never thought she’d ever do anything like that.”

"That's the Templars for you," High Noon leaned his back against the wall and sighed. "You think they're working for the better of others, but once you see their true colours... Well, you know the rest."

Windy nodded once, still looking unsure. “But what if you’re wrong? What if there was another way and you just never took it? What then?”

"Huh. Truthfully, I don't know." High Noon patted his head. Windy had raised a good point. One High Noon had never thought about. Was there another way to stop the Templars? A way that didn't involve killing? "I guess when we find that option, Windy, we'll take it. For now, this is what we have to do to keep everyone safe."

"Alright..." Windy nodded again.

"It's fine, Windy," High Noon tried to convince her. "We're ridding this world of those who want to change it to suit themselves. A great Assassin taught me the truth. Perhaps I'll introduce him to you when he gets back." High Noon walked down the hall and asked her to follow. "Why don't we get some grub? You look like you could use some food."

Chapter 27: Cough Dropped

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Frigid Night had never been happier to be with his partner. In the past two days, they'd spent more time together than the last six months combined. Eventually, their quality time had to end. They were Assassins and they had a job to do. This time, their mission was to spy on a Templar agent called Cough Drops and gain as much intel as they could.

"Why do you suppose he has a name like that?" Frigid's curiosity took over as they rode to Manehattan in a train.

Mirror rested her head against his shoulder and laughed. "Who knows, Friggy. Maybe his parents wanted him to be a doctor."

"Ha ha. Perhaps."

Seated in the train with all kinds of people, Frigid and Mirror looked like any other ordinary couple, but what they were about to do was something no ordinary person would do.

The train began to slow as it arrived at the station, soon coming to a stop on the platform. Frigid and Mirror got up and filed out with the other people, making their way past the opened doors and out of the station.

"Ground, or rooftops?" Frigid asked for his partner's preference.

"You know which I prefer," Mirror smiled and took his hand.

The Assassins made their way to a narrow alley and made their way up, quickly scaling the wall right up to the roofs. The two of them traversed the rooftops towards the heart of the city, where the Board of Education’s main building was. It was quite the run, as Frigid felt the strong winds blow against his face as they made for the large brownish building. That was one thing about being an Assassin that he enjoyed. The freedom of running and climbing on missions.

"Here we are!" Mirror stopped as she arrived first. She and Frigid had stopped on an adjacent building, most likely an office for cereal or something, both noticing a mascot with food in its mouth on the side of the building. "So what's the plan, partner?"

"We'll need to find out which floor that Templar is on." Frigid looked up at the building as both Assassins pulled their hoods on. The Board's building was at least thirty floors high, and they had to find Cough Drops on one of those floors. It was almost like a needle in a haystack here. Frigid put a hand to his chin. "There must be a way to narrow it down..."

"Eagle vision."

Frigid nodded and focused his vision, watching as most of his view turned dark blue, while some white and red shapes moved around in the building.

"Nothing so far..." Frigid turned his head to look through more windows. "Just civilians and some hostiles."

"We might have to get higher," Mirror said before climbing up the roof's water tank.

Mirror turned around and helped Frigid up as he followed, making sure he was safely atop the tank before letting go. The tank gave them sight of three additional floors. If Cough Drops wasn't here, they were going to have to scale the building, searching each floor until they found their target.

Then he saw it. A tinge of a golden glow by one of the windows. It was a man on the phone, walking to stand at the window, but left after a few seconds.

"Up there," Frigid pointed. "You saw him?"

"Sure did," Mirror nodded before leaping off the water tank. "Come on. Let's get some spying done."

After memorizing the window's location, Frigid took the jump first, flying off their roof towards the Board building. It was quite a fall but he eventually grabbed on to one of the ledges, the stony structure almost knocking all the wind out of him when he landed.

"Oof!" Mirror let out as she landed close to him. "You alright, Friggy?"

"Somewhat. You?"

"I'm good."

Frigid nodded as the Assassins began their climb, navigating towards the window where they had seen Cough Drops earlier. They made sure to avoid the windows, just in case a Templar, or even a civilian were to spot them. Bringing the cops in on this mission wasn't a good idea.

"So, Friggy," Mirror tried to make some small talk as they made their climb. "What do you think Cough Drops is like? You think he's a dangerous one?"

"Doesn't sound like it..." Frigid guessed as he grabbed a brick that was sticking out to haul himself higher. "He's the Templar's media spokesperson. I mean, all he does is deal with the news and stuff right? Doesn't seem like a fighter to me."

"Guess not..." Mirror panned her head above. "Which one was it again?"

"That one right there." Frigid pointed to one about three bodies diagonally left, but he could only direct her view so far from this distance.

He kicked off the ledge he was standing on and grabbed the next one, keeping himself under the window as a Templar guard stood there, looking out the window. He caught Mirror as she hopped up next to him, both of them keeping low under the window.

"Guess we'll just wait for him to leave?" Mirror looked into Frigid's blue eyes.

"Yup." Frigid gave her a strong look. They weren't going to let a simple guard ruin their mission. After about two minutes, the man hadn't moved, still looking out the window at the city below. "Maybe we can get around it some way."

Frigid looked to his left and right, looking for another object to grab onto to get higher. Next to the window, there was a steel pipe, leading along the side of the building. Frigid stood up on the side of the window with Mirror holding on to his legs, just in case he were to fall. It was a long way to fall, and he wasn't planning on dying today. He grabbed the pipe with one hand and tested its strength. After making sure it was stable enough, he grabbed on with both hands and shimmied himself along, his legs dangling over the air.

"Careful, Friggy!" Mirror tensed as she watched him go.

Frigid gripped his fingers tighter around the pipe as he moved to the approximate halfway mark. Unfortunately, the pipe started getting wobbly as he proceeded, lacking enough metal holds around the middle part of the pipe, probably because the builders didn’t expect people to be climbing along it. Frigid didn’t trust the metallic object to hold him any longer. He looked above and around to find something else he could hold on to, preferably before the pipe gave way. The closest thing was a windowsill at least two meters above him, or a wall ledge just a short distance to the side. Frigid didn’t take long to decide, immediately kicking off the side of the building while letting go of the pipe.

Here we go!

Frigid grabbed the ledge, hanging on tight as his body swung to the left, almost throwing him off the side of the building, but luckily, he was trained well. Frigid decided he was going to thank Dust, Rose and Trueshot a whole bunch when he got back. If it weren’t for them, who knows where he would be today. Probably in a hole in the ground.

“Made it,” Frigid smiled and gave Mirror a thumbs up, while holding on with his other hand and an elbow.

“Don’t you scare me like that again, Friggy!” Mirror put a hand to her chest to calm her heart rate. “Hang on. I’ll join you in a bit.”

Mirror waited for Frigid to climb up the ledge before getting into a good stance. Frigid’s eyes widened when he realized what his girlfriend was about to do. “Mirror, I don’t think-”

Mirror ran three steps before launching herself towards the pipe. She grabbed on with one hand and swung herself off towards Frigid, the momentum carrying her towards her partner. Frigid quickly caught on to her hand and swung her up to the ledge he was on before helping her up next to him.

“I don’t think it was a good idea…” Frigid panted from the shock and sudden strength he had to use.

“Well, I made it just fine, didn’t I?” Mirror softly punched him in the arm before giving him a kiss on the cheek. “All thanks to you, Friggy. Let’s get going.”

The rest of the climb was straightforward, just being one hold after the next. The Assassins soon found themselves outside Cough Drops’ window, watching the man pace the room, a phone held to his head. He had dark blue hair and a small moustache over an older worn out face, clearly from recent stress.

“...no sir, I didn’t mean it like that,” they heard Cough Drops say. “I’m just saying, the machine is making us reckless. I’ve been covering up too many incidents as of late… Yes. Even my daughters are getting suspicious of my activities. I don’t know what else to do.”

“Seems like Mahogany’s made the work easier for us these last few months then?” Frigid voiced his opinion as they stood to the sides of the window. “He must be truly desperate to get that machine working.”

Cough Drops eventually settled himself in a red cushioned chair by his large wooden desk. “Yes, yes. Of course it is, chairman, but what if this machine just doesn't work? What if the artifact just can't power it? Oh, no. I don't mean to say you're wrong, but... Yes sir. I guess you're right."

"Woah, wait..." Frigid put up a hand, as if calling for a pause. "They're using the artifact to power the machine?"

"Sounds like it," Mirror agreed. Her eyes seemed, to Frigid, unusually distant, as if she were recalling some long past event. "But he also said the machine still doesn't function the way the Templars want it to."

"We still have time," Frigid concluded.

"Uh, Chairman Wood," Cough Drops said, as he straightened himself in his seat. "One more thing before you go. Yes, I know. You're a busy man, but it's about my older daughter, Citrus. She'll be graduating soon, and she's told me she wants to work alongside me... Yes. Nothing wrong with it. I welcome it... but I have one request."

Mirror licked at her lips, as if she just ate something delicious.

"This world... This secret war... I don't want her involved. It's much too dangerous for her, and I don't want her to know what I really do here. I don't know what I would do if she got hurt because of me. Could you keep this one request for me, chairman? Please?"

Frigid felt conflicted for a moment; he hadn’t ever stopped to think that even Templars had loved ones too. I guess that’s what this life does to you, he thought with a grimace. It’s so easy to see the Templars as just the enemy.

"So what now, Friggy?" Mirror asked after pulling her eyes away from the man with a satisfied smirk. "What's your call?"

Frigid sighed. The man had given them enough information, but he was an important member in the Templar circle. If they took him out, the Templars were going to have a tougher time in the world. "Cough Drops has a family too, but... I... I think we have to... Kill him. He's too valuable to the Templars."

Mirror closed her eyes for a few seconds before nodding. "Whatever you say. Shame to waste him like this though."

"Alright." Frigid didn't want to kill the man, but it would be a great help to their cause. Without Cough Drops around to control the media, the Templars would have to risk playing it more carefully, or risk exposure.

He was about to smash the window and enter, but the thoughts of the Templar's family came into Frigid's mind again. If he killed this man, his daughters and wife would go on without a father for the rest of their lives. Was he the one to decide the fate of a Templar's family?

Frigid clenched his fists. You have to do this, Frigid. Just remember all the other Templars you've killed. You can do this. He chose his side long ago.

Frigid raised an elbow and smashed through the window, the shattering of the glass startling the Templar out of his chair and towards his desk.

“C-chairman! Assassins!” The Templar still had his phone to his face, slowly retreating for the door as Frigid and Mirror climbed in. “They’ve come! I-in the building!”

Frigid unsheathed both hiddens blades and approached the man, who fell back over a little bump in the carpet on the floor.

“Please, no!” Cough Drops gulped as he tried to get away on all fours, his phone left at the spot where he fell. “I don’t want trouble.”

“You asked for trouble when you decided to aid the Templars in their cause,” Frigid simply said, continuing to walk towards the cowering man. Mirror Match stood by behind her partner, watching the Templar with narrowed eyes.

“You don’t see it!” Cough Drops yelled back as he fought to his feet and the door. “Mahogany plans to unite the world! You Assassins plan to tear it down!”

The man suddenly jumped back towards the door and pulled down a bookshelf, yanking the door open and running through as Frigid dodged to the side to avoid the falling wood.

“You okay, Friggy?” Mirror asked as she helped him up. They looked to the open doorway to see the Templar retreating down a hallway. “He’s getting away.”

They chased the man down several hallways, Cough Drops pulling down various pieces of furniture to keep him just far enough ahead. For an older guy he wasn’t that bad at running.

A filing cabinet crashed down in front of a door, barring it shut. Frigid slammed against the thin wood, feeling it give a little.

“This isn’t working,” Mirror sniffed irritably. “You get this door unstuck, I’ll go cut him off. He’s heading down the east fire escape to the carpark.”

“How do you know that?”

“I just do, okay?” The female Assassin winked at Frigid and leapt out the nearest window, leaving him alone.

Frigid grunted and continued to try getting the door open. He put his shoulder against the door and pushed as hard as he could. The weight of the cabinet budged slightly, but still left no room for Frigid to get around. Frigid stepped back and let out a howl of irritation before kicked at the door as hard as he could. The wooden entrance splintered in the middle and fell apart in an instant, giving Frigid more space to push against the cabinet.

“Come on, move it!” he yelled at the cabinet as he pushed, finally pushing it out of the way just enough for himself to squeeze through.

The Assassin made his way through a small office, a man seated at the table jumped back when he saw Frigid run past, almost falling out of his chair. Frigid didn’t have time to deal with him, instead leaping out the open window to a fire escape. He looked down, watching as Cough Drops descended the ladder at the bottom of the metal staircase, almost to the ground floor already.

“Here goes nothing…” Frigid said to himself.

He grabbed on to the railing and flipped himself over, letting go when his body was straightened and dropped to the next railing. He got his timing right as he grabbed the next railing under him, continuing the method as he made his way down. It was a lot faster than taking the stairs, but a lot riskier. About three floors down, Frigid’s hand slipped and he plummeted past three more floors before managing to grab on to the railing on the lower floor.

Frigid looked down to see how lucky he was before pulling himself back up to the fire escape’s grated floor. “Not doing that again…”

He continued the rest of the way down, taking three steps at a time. The stairs were going to be slower, but at least he managed to reduce a lot of distance between himself and the fleeing Templar. Looking down, Frigid was just two floors above the Templar now. Cough Drops had already arrived at the bottom and was running as fast as he could towards a black car in the parking lot.

Frigid decided and hopped off the second floor’s fire escape, landing with a roll on the cement below. He felt a spike of pain lance up his left leg when he landed, but ignored it for now. He had to catch Cough Drops before he could get away. The pain mustn’t have been a big deal, because Frigid found he could still run at a good pace, almost catching up with the Templar now. He quickly saw his chance as the man fumbled with his car keys. Frigid jumped and kicked off a black SUV, launching himself over the man, his back still to Frigid. The Assassin landed on him, knocking him against the side of the car before sliding down to the hard ground.

“Gah!” Cough Drops shouted as his head hit the floor.

Before the man could recover, Frigid raised an arm and unsheathed the hidden blade, swiftly bringing it back down into the side of Cough Drops’ neck, the blade entering the soft skin and puncturing the man’s trachea easily.

“Why…?” Cough Drops wheezed as Frigid turned him around. “Why... do you do... this…?”

“To keep the world going, just the way it should,” Frigid voiced and kept his hidden blade. “It’s not meant to be ruled by a single person or a single organization.”

“How… do you plan… on keeping things… from… descending into chaos… Assassin?” Cough Drops reached a hand to his neck to ease the pain as he spoke. “Without us… there is no… order…”

Frigid thought about it, but he didn’t have an answer for the man. “I… I don’t know, but what I do know is that your Templar order is no order. It’s only perfect on your terms. That’s not order.”

“Say all you want… but you know… we’re the only way… Take care… Assassin…” Running out of time and breath, Cough Drops closed his eyes and went limp.

“Find peace,” Frigid told the man’s body. The Assassin moved Cough Drops’ hands to his chest and put him in a straighter position before standing up. Honouring him was the least he could do for his family.

Frigid heard footsteps behind him and turned around, brandishing both hidden blades, only to see it was his partner, running up to join him.

“Looks like you got him.” Mirror looked at the body, almost unsurprised.

“Yeah…” Frigid sighed, remembering the man’s conversation with his boss. “Are you alright? You took your time coming to find me.”

“I’m fine, Friggy,” Mirror said and tried to wave away his worry. “Just took a while to get here. Climbing down isn't as easy as it looked.”

The sound of shouting and sirens started flowing through their ears as they stood over the fallen Templar.

"We better head out." Mirror bent down and picked up the car keys. "Why take the train when we can drive back, right?"

Chapter 28: What's Done is Done

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Mahogany Wood paced the inside of the lab before stopping at the window, still clutching on to his phone, in case reports came in. Cough Drops had been attacked by Assassins and Mahogany could only hope that the man had made it out alright. Ironic that he was attacked right after requesting to keep their secret war away from his daughter. Cough Drops was also a valuable asset to their plans. If the Assassins killed him, the Templars would lose their way out of media problems.

"Everything alright, sir?" Crescent Wing asked after Mahogany wiped sweat off his head with a handkerchief.

"I hope so, Crescent..." Mahogany stowed his cloth as his phone buzzed in his other hand. He put it to his ear and muttered, "What is it?"

"Chairman, it's Cough Drops. We're sorry. The Assassins got to him first."

Mahogany's face voiced irritation and despair as he turned around to face a blank wall. "Do you know where those Assassins went?"

"No, chairman. We lost them. They took Cough Drops' car and headed off. We're tracking it now."

"Keep me informed," Mahogany said before hanging up.

"Mahogany?" Timber walked up to his brother, concern all over his face. "Did Cough Drops make it out?"

Mahogany scrunched up his face and tilted his eyebrows. "No. He didn't."

That was another Templar lost. They've lost many good men over the last few years. Mahogany looked to the machine. That was their last hope. If the artifact could just work, the Assassins stood no chance. The world would bend to them, and even the Assassins couldn't win against overwhelming odds.

“Very well…” The Mentor nodded at Frigid and Mirror’s report. “But that’s life. Most of the Templars have family. Mahogany Wood has family.”

“You two have killed quite a few of them now,” Star Lance added in. “So what difference does it make that this Cough Drops has family too?”

“I suppose so…” Frigid had already killed countless Templars in his years serving the Brotherhood. Most of them must have had family. Family that had no idea what they did at work, only to learn that they were killed. In that light, the Assassins were the bad guys, but it couldn’t be helped. The Templars had set up a good cover as the Board. The Assassins didn’t even have one, being just a building in the city of Trottingham, or whichever city they were in. Frigid didn't know if there were Assassin bureaus in every city, but he knew they had one in many cities.

“You may go,” the Mentor said as she moved to her study table. “I have… matters to attend to.”

Frigid and Mirror nodded and headed out of the office. Earlier, they had run all the way back to the bureau after leaving Cough Drops’ car near an abandoned factory, just in case the Templars had bugged it. They had made it back just before sundown and went straight to the Mentor for their mission report.

“Shall we go to the roof, Friggy?” Mirror asked. “I think you could use some fresh air.”

Frigid nodded and followed her. “Yeah, I think I could do with some.”

“You don’t seem yourself,” Mirror put a hand on his shoulder as they traveled up the steps. “Is this about Cough Drops? Star Lance already told you. We’ve killed plenty of Templars. Cough Drops is no different.”

“Yeah… but what he said on the phone. He wanted to keep his daughter in the dark on their true operations. He wanted to protect her.” Frigid bunched up his fists at the thought. Cough Drops’ daughter was never going to see her father again, and there was nothing more to be done.

“What’s done is done, Friggy. We can’t do anything else,” Mirror tried to convince him. “There’s no point thinking anymore about it.”

Frigid pushed open the door to the roof and looked out at the darkening sky. He still wasn’t convinced. This wasn’t something he could just forget like that. He looked down at the streets as people in the cars rushed to get home to their families. The sight made him think that some fathers and mothers just don’t make it home. Suddenly, he felt a pair of hands grab him and spin him around before Mirror pulled him into an embrace.

“It’s alright, Friggy,” she tried to console him. “You can’t turn back time. This is what we do. Cough Drops fought for the wrong team. That’s what happens in wars. People die. It’s not your fault that he had to die.”

“Having some trouble, you two?”

Frigid and Mirror turned their heads to see Dust Fencer, Rose Petal and Trueshot, sitting by the edge of the roof, all three heads looking at them.

“Oh, it’s fine, really.” Mirror let go of Frigid and gave them a big smile. “Friggy’s just having trouble with his thoughts.”

“It’s not about Mirror is it?” Rose asked as she stood up and walked over to the younger Assassins. She put an arm on Mirror’s shoulder. “She’s just a perfect little girl. What more could you ask for?”

“Oh, it’s not about Mirror,” Frigid shook his head. “Mirror’s everything I need. It’s… about today’s contract.”

“What about?” Trueshot chugged at a bottle of vodka. “You didn’t let the Templar slip away did you?”

“We got him,” Mirror explained for Frigid. “But before we killed him, we listened in on a call. He was talking about enlisting one of his daughters into the Order, but without telling her she was going to be in the Order. He wanted to keep her safe.”

“Ah, so Friggy here is having seconds thoughts about killing, eh?” Dust crossed his arms and joined the others. Mirror nodded to his question. “Frigid. We are Assassins. I’d like to say we’re the good guys, but if you look at it from the outside world, we’re the bad guys. The world doesn’t know that we do what we do for the better of everyone. Killing Templars is what we have to do to protect everyone. That’s why you signed up, Frigid. Isn’t it?”

“I guess…” Frigid sighed and decided to change the subject. “What are you three doing up here anyway?”

“What, we can’t be up on the roof when we want to?” Dust pretended to look shocked. “Woah, Frigid Night can come up to the roof with his girlfriend, while the rest of us are not allowed.”

“Good one!” Rose fist-bumped her friend. “He’s joking of course.”

“Yeah, I know,” Frigid brought out a little smile. “Same old Dust Fencer and his cheap jokes. Gotta say, Dust. You always know how to lighten the mood.”

“Of course!” Dust beamed. “I’m a pro.”

“You should be proud, Frigid,” Trueshot finished the rest of his bottle before moving his body over to join his friends, still in his sitting position. “Having someone like Dust teach you to be an Assassin. Don’t think there’s a better teacher out there. Sure, Star Lance gets results, but… you know.”

“How about Sparky?” Rose threw out a suggestion. “He’s not bad at shaping up these young ones.”

“Sparkplug? Sure, I guess he’s good. No one tells jokes like Dust, though.”

“Don’t know if that was a compliment or an insult,” Dust laughed. “Alright. By popular vote, I guess I was the best teacher.”

“You got that right,” Rose slapped his arm.

Frigid and Mirror joined in with the laughter, but after a while, Mirror grabbed Frigid’s arm and started dragging him to the other side of the roof. “Well, it’s been fun here, but I was looking to spend some… private time with Friggy if you don’t mind.”

“Oh, go on ahead,” Dust bowed. “Don’t let us stop you. You two have a wonderful time.”

“We’ll be here if you need anything.” Trueshot gazed over the sleeping city. The stars in the sky were already starting to appear.

“See you guys later,” Frigid called as Mirror brought him around the corner and to the opposite side of the roof, where it was more quiet. The two Assassins sat down against a short wall and looked up at the glimmering sky.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Mirror asked as she focused her eyes to the stars, more appearing as time went by.

Frigid looked up and smiled. The world truly did have some wondrous sights. He also had one very close to him. He put his hand on Mirror’s and held it. “They are, but they don’t compare to you, Mirror.”

“Really?” Mirror’s cheeks grew red from the compliment. “You’re just exaggerating.”

Frigid nodded and looked at his hands. “Mirror, I’m sorry. You’re right. The past is the past. I can’t change it. This is how it has to be.”

“Yeah. Don’t worry, Frigid.” Mirror got up and placed herself in Frigid’s lap. “Don’t fret over what you can’t change.” She leaned her head against his chest.

“I’m glad I met you, Mirror,” Frigid whispered and put an arm around her as the two of them continued to look skyward, spending the rest of their evening together.

Chapter 29: The Day You Died

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"And here we are, Princess Twilight..." Morning Blade sighed heavily and closed her book for a moment. "I suppose it's the moment you've been waiting for, whether you'd like it or not."

"This is it, huh?" Twilight Sparkle looked up at the ceiling lights and squinted. "Well, I'd like to say I've braced myself, but who knows? There's only one way to find out."

"Right," Morning replied, pulling at her braid. "Here we go... It's funny, how this still gets to me. I wasn't even there then. Hay, I was still studying."

"That's because you know what he went through, Morning. You know what Frigid Night had to go through in his time as an Assassin. You understand him. That's why you have this book, right? You wanted to understand all this."

"That's right." Morning looked out the window. There were times she still wished her friends were all here, still alive. But in the end, everything turned out the way they did and there wasn't anything she could do to change the past. She figured what mattered was moving forward. Frigid would want that of her. He had died protecting her and Sunset Shimmer that day and Morning wasn't going to let his sacrifice go to waste by not living her life.

Patting her book, Morning Blade flipped back to the page she had last left off and placed a finger on the first word. "Shall we continue?"

Timber stood alone in his office, gazing out over the city of Manehattan without seeing it. In his hands were two documents: the medical bill for two of his best men, and a letter that had been found in Steam Shift’s pocket. It was, of course, from his unnamed contact.

Timber heard the door open and he turned round. Pressure Point had entered his office, looking unusually serious. The scientist gave the killer a glance before looking back out the window.

Pressure Point cleared her throat. “Sir, forensics have examined the scene of the attack, and medics have examined both your men…”

Timber raised an eyebrow. “And?”

“They found nothing of interest.” The killer shoved a thick file with all the findings into his hands and twirled a knife on her finger. “Whoever did this, they’re good.”

"What about you, Pressure Point?" Timber returned to his table and opened the file. "As a killer, I'm sure you know your way around a crime scene."

"True," she said, tossing the knife behind her back and catching it skillfully with her other hand. "But this was no ordinary attack. As I've said, they're really good. Maybe even better than Wolfgang."

"Someone say my name?" The killer's gray face poked through the door before walking in. "Speak of the wolf, and the wolf shall appear."

"Why are you here, Wolfgang?" Timber asked, not too pleased to see the deranged killer.

"I don't see what your problem is with me, Timber," Wolfgang joined them at the table and put an arm around Pressure, who quickly brushed it off. "I get the work done. I've already killed plenty of Assassins for you. What more can you ask for?"

"Perhaps someone more civilized." Timber returned his focus to the files. Steam Shift and Flywheel had sustained injuries, mainly to their heads and necks, but also all over their bodies. The contact had given them quite the beating. What puzzled the scientist was the scene of the crime. There was no evidence that there was ever a fight, but yet, he had seen the pictures of his men. Something had gone down in that alley. "How odd indeed..."

Then Timber remembered the letter and opened it, reading what their contact had to say about the unexpected attack. The more he read it, the lower his brow got.

“What? What is it?” Wolfgang smiled wolfishly. “Do tell.”

Timber put the letter down and looked at the two killers. “The contact says to get ready. They’re about to officially join us. The next time we meet, whoever they are, will have a prize for us.”

“Ooh, I love prizes.” Wolfgang eyed his partner. “What do you suppose it is, Pressure? I hope it’s a new weapon.”

“Maybe it’s something we can use,” Pressure smiled. “Well, I like surprises. Let’s just wait and see.”

“Or… maybe…” Timber put a finger to his chin. “A trophy. A spoil of war.” He looked into the fiery eyes of the killers. “Or a dead body.”

“Everything to your satisfaction here, Windy?” Mirror Match asked, she and Frigid Night sitting across the table from High Noon and his new apprentice, the four Assassins just finishing their breakfast.

“Y-yes,” she mumbled. “I’d thought they wouldn’t have showers here. I was mistaken.”

Frigid inspected the new novice and spotted something familiar in her. “High Noon, this is perfect. She’s just like you!”

Frigid and Mirror laughed as both master and apprentice blushed and turned away at the same time.

“I agree with Friggy here,” Mirror curled back with laughter. “Are you sure you’re not related?”

“I-I’m pretty sure,” High Noon said as he turned back, his cheeks still red.

Windy Sails still didn’t look back and started playing with her ponytail. “W-well, I don’t think so either.”

“If that's the case, you two are perfect together,” Mirror continued, watching both of them act awkwardly. It was like putting a mirror in front of High Noon, except that the reflection was female.

“Right, well...” High Noon quickly waved off the comments. “Windy has some p-practice to get to, so we better get going.”

“See you,” Windy said as she picked up her tray and followed High Noon.

“What did I tell you guys?” Dust said as he, Rose and Trueshot walked past. “Just like a mirror, those two.”

“Pretty sure they like each other too,” Rose pointed as High Noon took the tray for his apprentice.

“But how do you put awkward and awkward together?” Frigid asked, motioning both his hands together. “They’re never going to ask each other out.”

“Yeah, well…” Dust spun a finger in the air. “That’s where you guys come in. All it takes is that little push.”

“For their case, I think they need a shove.” Trueshot watched High Noon and Windy Sails leave the canteen.

“You mean a tackle,” Frigid added another example. “They’re not going anywhere without help.”

“Speaking of going places,” Mirror stood up to leave. “Frigid, meet me in the lobby in ten minutes. I’ve got something I want to show you.”

“Umm… alright?” Frigid slowly said as Mirror headed out of the area. He turned to the three Assassins with a confused look. “What does she want?”

“Said she wanted to show you something,” Trueshot repeated Mirror’s words as he sat down at the table. “Guess you better go find out. Ten minutes.”

“Yeah, Frigid,” Dust patted the Veteran-class Assassin on the back. “Don’t take too long to get there. It’s pretty far. Like maybe a four minute walk? You don't want to keep your girl waiting.”

“Ha ha,” Frigid pretended to laugh before getting up. “Well, I’ll catch you three later.”

Frigid Night didn’t know what else to do, so he headed straight for the lobby to wait for Mirror. He walked back and forth near the entrance while he waited. After four minutes, Mirror showed up, carrying a square box covered in wrapping paper in her hands.

“Hey, Friggy,” she greeting him with a smile. “I’ve got a little something for you. Made it myself.”

Frigid eyed the box with anticipation and surprise. “What is it?”

“If you want to find out…” Mirror suddenly sped out of the entrance. “You’re going to have to catch me first!”

Frigid’s smile widened at the challenge and he started off after her, making sure to keep an eye on his girlfriend’s location. She had a good head start, managing to get a few meters ahead of the gray haired Assassin, even with that box in her hands. Mirror kept going, turning every now and then to show Frigid her cheeky smile. Frigid took that as a challenge and ran faster, chasing her through the streets of Trottingham and eventually to a construction site, where a new office building was being made. Beams and poles lay across the expansive square of sand and dirt, while some were already set up. A deep pit lay in the ground, close to the center, probably for a basement level once the building was done.

“Come on, Friggy!” he heard Mirror taunt from the front, still running but slowing down.

“Looks like you’re getting tired there.” Frigid used his chance to catch up.

After he made sure he was close enough, he jumped forward and tackled her, earning a squeak from the orange haired Assassin as she fell to the ground, still clutching on to the box. Before she could hit the sandy floor, Frigid twisted his body and swung Mirror on top of him, bracing himself as he hit the ground, sliding for a few inches before stopping, dust clouds floating past them and dissipating into the air.

“Don’t do that, Friggy,” Mirror’s eyes were wide. “You could’ve hurt yourself!”

Frigid laughed for a bit before answering her. "But I didn't. I couldn't let you get hurt."

"You didn't have to tackle me."

"Yeah, but I figured it'd be more fun."

Mirror giggled and looked into his blue eyes. She leaned down and pressed her lips to his, closing her eyes and reveling in the moment. Frigid did the same, slowly raising himself into a sitting position without looking, wrapping his arms around his partner. After separating their mouths, Frigid felt her lips slowly moving down his face and eventually settling at his neck. He enjoyed the softness of his girlfriend until he felt something sharp sink into his neck. Not just one, but two objects piercing his skin; they almost felt like teeth.

"Mirror...? What...?" Frigid asked and opened his eyes, unsure if he was in a dream or not. At the same time, all the strength in his body drained out like water and he slid onto the ground.

Mirror left his neck and stood up, still looking at him, but with different eyes. Cold, predatory eyes. Frigid tried to get up, but his body failed to respond to his commands. He couldn’t move a muscle.

"I'm sorry, Friggy," Mirror moved the box to one arm and pulled out her knife with her other hand. "It's nothing personal against you. I don't want to do this, but I have to."

Frigid saw her hand past his face and suddenly felt the cold blade sink into his back, just next to his right shoulder.

"Aaagh!" he shouted, his voice still functional. The stab was painful, but it wasn't too deep and didn't hurt as much as his heart did. "Mirror... Why?"

Mirror pulled the blade out and stowed it back in its sheath in her coat. "I... Cannot tell you, Friggy... Again, I'm sorry." If it weren’t for her burning eyes, Frigid might even have believed her.

Next, the female Assassin moved past him and grabbed on to his shirt. She swiftly lifted him off the ground with one hand and carried him. Frigid's mind still tried to wrap itself around the situation.

I have to be dreaming. I have to be. Mirror wouldn't do this.

He felt her stop and before he knew what was happening, she had thrown him into the pit he had seen earlier. Frigid hit the side of the dirt wall before landing face down on the ground below, cutting him in the side of his face, just under his right eye.

Frigid wanted to call out to Mirror to help him. To tell himself to wake up, but somewhere inside, he knew this was really happening. He just wasn't ready to accept any of it yet. "M-Mirror..."

"Before I forget," he heard his girlfriend's voice above him. Whatever drug she had injected him with was messing with his ears, and she sounded as though two people were talking at once. "I have that present for you."

He saw pieces of wrapping falling down, landing near his face, before a squarish object landed just a few feet in front of him. Frigid forced his head to turn, using every ounce of strength that he had just to look at the present Mirror had for him. It was a square gray box with all kinds of wires attached to it, along with something red in the middle, counting down from one minute.

“Mirror, please…” Frigid closed his eyes, trying to change what had happened. “Don’t do this…”

“And still you love me!” Mirror remarked from up above. “The world will be a little less tasty with you gone, sweetheart. Take comfort in that.”

And then she wasn’t there anymore.

Meanwhile, the bomb continued to count down.

Chapter 30: From Dust

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Dust Fencer followed behind Frigid and Mirror, making sure they couldn’t see him. Earlier, Star Lance had come to him with some disturbing information. Pierce Network had begun tracking a new signal in the bureau, and with further investigation, they had figured it had originated from Mirror Match. She had a Templar’s phone with her. The Mentor had theorized that Mirror wasn’t who she said she was. At first, Dust didn’t want to believe it, but when he had gone to look for Frigid and Mirror, his eagle sense had revealed Mirror with a red hue, instead of her usual blue. Something wasn't right.

Now silently chasing after Frigid and Mirror, he could see that Mirror had a good distance ahead of her partner. The chase soon led him to a construction site, where Frigid had finally caught up and tackled Mirror to the ground, taking the impact as he shielded her from the sand.

Dust hid himself behind a coil of wires, unsure of what he should do. At the moment, the two young Assassins were the same as always, being so in love, that they didn’t care if there were people around. Then Mirror had pulled out her knife and stabbed Frigid.

Dust just couldn’t believe his own eyes. There it was. The Mentor’s suspicions had proven true as Mirror picked Frigid up with one hand, to Dust's disbelief, and carried him towards a pit and chucked him in, along with a gray box. Dust Fencer had seen enough. He hopped up and bolted from his hiding spot, sliding over a pile of planks as he unsheathed his rapier, running straight for Mirror Match.

The female Assassin cocked her head and turned around, facing him with a wide grin. “Ah, Dust Fencer! I thought I smelled you coming. Are you here to try and save Friggy? I’m afraid it’s impossible. You’re welcome to go ahead and try, though. I’ll be taking my leave now.” Mirror Match produced a mocking bow, not once turning her back on Dust Fencer. “Places to be, people to see, all that jazz.” Dust Fencer threw his rapier at her as she fled, but the blade only nicked her hood before Mirror Match was gone in a blur of orange and green.

Dust watched her leave and looked to Frigid, then back at Mirror. Chase her down, or rescue Frigid.

The choice wasn’t too difficult to make as the seasoned Assassin leapt down into the yawning pit, landing heavily in front of Frigid. He rolled to disperse the impact, but it still shook him to the core.

"Frigid!" he called and inspected the Assassin. "Are you alright? Can you get up?" Dust looked at the box, only to notice a timer counting down from forty-five. A bomb.

"I can't move, Dust," the Assassin croaked, tears filling his eyes. "Mirror paralyzed me with something. Just go. Leave me..."

"No can do, Frigid." Dust turned around to inspect the bomb. He was no expert in bomb disposal, but he wasn't going to abandon his friend without trying. "I'm not letting you give up here!"

The Trottingham Assassin pulled at the wires, trying to figure out which one connected to what, unable to understand its anatomy. Whatever Mirror did, she had created a tough bomb, clearly made to confuse anyone trying to disarm it.

Come on, Dust. You have to stop this. You can't let Frigid die. Not here. Not like this.

The timer now read twenty-nine, leaving Dust with even less time to get Frigid out. There was no way he was going to guess which wire to cut, and even if he did cut one at random, it might just set the bomb off early. He looked to the paralyzed Assassin. With his body like that, Frigid wouldn't be able to climb out.

Dust Fencer ran to Frigid and hooked him up under an arm. He looked up the dirt wall and began climbing, using his free hand to lift himself higher. He managed to get two steps up before gravity, Frigid's weight, and the lack of another climbing arm pulled him back down.

"Oof!" Dust let out as his back landed on the hard ground. "No worries, we'll try again."

"We'll never make it, Dust..." Frigid sputtered, some sand mixing in with his tears. "Just leave me. Save yourself. There's nothing left for me..."

"No, Frigid!" Dust raised his voice, startling the younger Assassin. He picked him up under an arm again. "I will not let you die, Frigid! That's final."

He jumped up the wall again, clawing his way up the loose sand and dirt. Dust got a little higher than the last time, but some dirt gave way under his foot, sending him and Frigid crashing back down.

Dust wiped the dirt off his face and looked at the countdown. It now read nine. The Assassin weighed his options. The pit was much too high for even him to toss the bomb out, and he could never dig a hole deep enough to bury the bomb in time. Climbing out also didn't seem to be an option, Frigid still lying close by, unable to move.

The young Assassin caught sight of the timer and widened his eyes as much as he could. "Dust! Go! It's going to explode!"

Dust Fencer gritted his teeth. Frigid was still young, still needing plenty of experience to ever be a good Assassin, but he had the spirit and potential of a good one. Dust knew he was older and he was already at his peak. There was only one thing he could do and there was no second thought as he threw himself over Frigid and covered the Assassin as much as he could.

"Dust! No!"

There was a sudden moment of silence as the countdown stopped, followed by a single, final beep, like that of a heartbeat flatlining. Then there was a blinding flash. Both Assassins instinctively shut their eyes as an intense wave of heat and light washed over them, deafeningly loud. Dirt and loose rivets rained down on top of them and Frigid yelled as his face was ravaged by flying metal shards that cut his exposed clothing and skin to shreds. The explosion seemed to last forever, and then abruptly it was over as soon as it had begun.

Dust Fencer had been lifted into the air by the force of the blast and thrown over Frigid, his entire back on fire and bleeding profusely. Through sheer force of will and determination he remained conscious, but even the tiniest movement threatened to make him black out.

Dust Fencer couldn’t see, couldn’t hear anything. Only an incessant ringing in his ears and the unspeakable pain that wracked his body still confirmed that he was still alive. He spat out a mouthful of dirt and blood and gave a laugh which quickly turned into a cough. That had been some bomb.

"Fri...gid..." Dust weakly crawled towards the other Assassin, still lying where he had been. "Are you... Alright...?"

Frigid turned over on his side, apparently getting back some control of his body after the explosion. His face was bleeding from several cuts and his clothes torn in some places, but it was nothing compared to what would have happened if Dust hadn’t intervened. "Not so much... But why, Dust...? Why did you protect me? You… could have... "

Dust let out a feeble laugh. "You know... me, Frigid. I’ll never… leave any… one… behind.” He put a hand to his chest, only to find blood dripping from a wound, just under his collar bone. Evidently, a piece of shrapnel had torn right through his back and out the front, probably damaging a lung in the process. Unfortunately, only one had penetrated all the way through him, the rest embedding themselves inside or in his back, though it didn’t change much. Dust knew he was critically wounded and he didn’t have much time.

“You can’t die, Dust…” Frigid forced himself closer to the grey-skinned Assassin. “You’re one of the best...”

“Frigid…” Dust gasped as he made it to his old pupil. “You’ve… got to… take Mirror… down. Take the Templars... down. I believe… you… can do it.”

Dust reached for his gauntlets and unclasped them with trembling hands, growing weaker by the second. “Y’know, I always planned… to give you... these.” The older man groaned with the effort as he stripped his hidden blades from this wrists. “Didn’t... think it would be… so soon.”

Frigid could only lie there in muted horror as his mentor held out both of his most trusted weapons out for him. Giving up one’s hidden blades was a gesture an Assassin only performed when he was retiring… or dying.

“No! I can’t!” Frigid didn’t want to take them. That would make it final, irreversible.

But Dust Fencer, the man who had been with him from the very beginning, simply looked at Frigid and said ever so softly, “You’ve got to.”

Dust heard Frigid calling his name as his attention started drifting away. He smiled to himself as he rested his head on his right arm. He’s had a good life for an Assassin, ending with him giving his life so another could live. Yeah. This has been a good run. Time to move on.

He had dedicated his life to help others, even if that had meant working from the shadows as an Assassin, to work around the law and to do what had to be done to protect others. This moment, this very moment, it was who he was. He did what he had to to protect Frigid Night, even if that meant giving up his own life. At least, he would die regretting nothing.

Then the Assassin, Dust Fencer shut his eyes and did not move again. In the blurry cloud that had overtaken his vision, Frigid numbly watched as Dust’s aura changed from blue, to white, and finally to gray. He was gone.

The sun had already set in Trottingham, as Rose Petal and Trueshot stood by the entrance to the bureau, waiting for Dust Fencer’s return.

“It’s been too long,” Trueshot said, putting down his phone. “And he’s not picking up.”

“But…” Worry was clear in Rose’s eyes. “He’s Dust Fencer. He couldn’t be… you know... Right?”

Trueshot shook his head, unsure of what had happened, but he knew Dust. That man was a tough one, and he couldn’t possibly lose, could he? “Let’s go. We can follow his trail.”

Rose didn’t need to be told twice to look for her friend. She quickly followed Trueshot out, both of them activating their eagle vision, immediately picking up the trail of Dust Fencer.

“There,” she pointed and took off. “Quickly! Dust might need us.”

Trueshot nodded, unseen to Rose, but followed closely behind, occasionally sidestepping the passing civilian. Dust had set off to find Mirror Match and Frigid Night, the Mentor suspecting something was wrong with Mirror. Trueshot and Rose didn’t see any reason to follow after Dust, until now, when he didn’t return.

Please be safe, Dust.

The two Assassins arrived at the construction site, Rose reaching the sandy grounds first, with Trueshot entering a few seconds later. Dust’s trail had led to a pit near the center of the construction site, where Rose was already standing. Trueshot expected the worst when Rose Petal suddenly fell to her knees at the edge of the pit. He made his way over and looked in, soon wishing he hadn’t.

Frigid and Dust lay inside the pit, both unmoving, though Dust’s body was burnt almost all over. The fire had already died out, but parts of his face and body were charred. Both Assassins had several cuts across their body, but Frigid seemed to have significantly less injuries. Dust Fencer’s gauntlets and hidden blades were placed in front of Frigid’s face.

“No…” Rose whispered as her mind tried to take in what she was seeing.

Trueshot squeezed his eyes shut. He didn’t want to remember this event, nor did he ever want to see it again, but they were Assassins. Accidents happen, lives are lost. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed the bureau. “This is True… Trueshot. We’ve found Frigid Night and Dust Fencer. Requesting… Requesting immediate medical support.”

Chapter 31: Why Do We Fight?

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Mahogany Wood readied himself and checked Crescent Wing. His bodyguard had taken up a good position behind the chairman and the desk, both hands resting on the hilts of his sabers, ready to strike if anything went wrong. A knock on the door signaled Timber’s arrival with their guest.

“Enter,” Mahogany said, putting power in his voice. It was something he did with every new Templar. He had to show he was the one in power, teach them to give him the respect he deserved.

The door opened, revealing Mahogany’s brothers, Timber and Lumberjack, walking behind a girl with mauve skin and orange-green hair. She wore a white Assassins coat, along with a gauntlet on her right arm, probably housing a hidden blade.

“Assassin?” Mahogany raised an eyebrow and slightly looked at Crescent Wing. The man from Horston had already gripped the handle of one of his sabers, but kept it in its sheath.

“It’s alright, brother.” Lumberjack walked up and patted the girl on the back. “This is Mirror Match. She’s the one who was sending us those letters.”

“And she’s proven she has no loyalty to the Assassin Brotherhood,” Timber added from the side, pushing up his glasses with a smug grin. “Earlier today, she had killed one of the best Assassins the Mentor has. Goes by the name of Dust Fencer.”

“Proof?”

“Video,” Lumberjack said and brought out a small phone.

Mahogany took it and inspected it. He watched as the Assassin in the gray robes jumped over the one in white, shielding him with his body as a bomb exploded, sending him flying across the small pit they were both in. Eventually, both of them stopped moving.

He nodded his approval before handing the device back to his burly brother. “Convincing. But Mirror Match, I’m sure you know just killing one Assassin isn’t enough for me to just let an Assassin join us.”

“Of course,” she grinned and put a hand on her hip. “I have information. About the Assassins, about the bureau, about anything you need to know about them.”

Mahogany Wood put his fingers together and thought about it. Was this true? Did he finally have someone who know the inner workings of the Assassins, and where their hideout was? Or was this a clever ruse to tear down the Templars from within. This was a gamble, but Mahogany was certain it was going to be a good choice to make.

“Very well,” he nodded. “Welcome to the Order, Mirror Match. First, let us discuss something. What is it that you want? Why do you wish to join us?”

She sighed and hung her head down, as if asking Mahogany to pity her. He was going to do no such thing. Pity was only for the weak. If she wanted to be a Templar, she was going to have to learn how to deal with what life threw at her, whether she liked it or not.

“I’m looking for someone,” she said at last. “You Templars might have the resources I need to find them.”

“That’s rather vague, don’t you think?” Mahogany stood off his chair and walked around his desk, Crescent Wing following very closely behind. “If you want our help, you’re going to have to provide more information than that. Who is it you are looking for? What do they look like?”

“I… don’t know,” she replied. “I’m not sure what they look like now, and I can’t give you any more details than that.”

“Well, if you don’t give us that information, there’s really no way we can help.” Mahogany inspected the girl. She looked young, younger than even Timber, but there was something about her that seemed experienced. “How about money? I’m sure someone such as yourself would love to get her hands on a lot of money, because that would be something we can provide you with, and I can’t imagine the Assassins were paying you much either. Perhaps with money, you’ll have what you need to scour for the information yourself.”

Mirror Match’s face instantly lit up when she heard the word, ‘money’. “Oh, that would do just fine. I would be thankful for your help and contribution in my search.”

“Then it’s settled,” Mahogany smiled and returned to his chair. He motioned a hand to the chair across from his desk. “Sit, please. You and I have much to discuss. I want to know everything you know about the Assassins.”

"That is just..." Twilight Sparkle leaned back against her chair and sighed. "That's so sad... To be betrayed like that by the one you love... And poor Dust Fencer."

"Yeah, it sure is..." Morning Blade closed her one eye and pulled at her braid. "It's never easy, losing someone you care about, even as an Assassin. I know, no matter how much I think about it, it's still there with me.

"I never knew Dust Fencer. He was before my time, but from what the others have said, he was a great Assassin. It would've been a great honour to get to know him."

"I wonder if I can find him over in Equestria." Twilight tapped her chin. "If Frigid Night is a captain for the Royal Guard, maybe Dust would be there too, just like you are, Morning."

The ex-Assassin shrugged. "Maybe. Hard to know, since I don't know anything about your world. Maybe when I'm done with my story, you can tell me yours."

Twilight smirked. "It's a deal, Morning."

One month later

Rose Petal and Trueshot had gone back to visit Dust Fencer's memorial for a second time that day. After the ceremony the Assassins had for Dust, the Mentor and Star Lance had placed his outfit, along with anything else he had on him down in the vault, with the rest of their fallen brothers and sisters. The only possessions that weren’t in the vault were his hidden blades, which he had given to Frigid Night. Though ever since Dust passed on, it was like their team spirit went along with him. It wasn't the same without him.

"I still... I can't believe it..." Rose tried to hold back her tears. "How could she...? She was one of us."

The two Assassins headed through the vault’s metal doors, walking over to the glass case where they kept their friend’s things. The sight of Dust's outfit drew water from Rose’s eyes and she buried herself in Trueshot's embrace, a small whimper escaping her mouth.

Trueshot did his best to comfort her, but in truth, he felt like doing the same. Dust was the leader of their little team. He was the one that kept them together all these years. The one who led them through all the troubles they faced. In the end, he had still been the one to help out, sacrificing himself to protect young Frigid Night. He wanted to say something to Rose. Something that would cheer her up, but he had nothing. Water began to cloud his vision as well, but he maintained his strong facade. He had to be strong for the both of them.

“Dust was… Dust was a good friend,” Trueshot choked the words out. “We will remember him always. Rose. He wouldn’t want us to stand here all day, mourning him. He would want us to get back out there and fight for him. To do what he never could.”

Rose looked up at Trueshot, tears still slowly dripping down her face. “You… you’re right. Mourning Dust won’t bring him back… But… Mirror Match. What a sweet girl she was… To just… To just turn her back on us like that… Poor Frigid.”

Trueshot nodded. Mirror Match was everything to Frigid. The young Assassin had fought on, not just for the Creed or the Brotherhood, but for her as well. And what happened? She stabbed him in the back and left to join the Templars. “That kid… I haven’t seen him since Patch released him from the medic wing.”

“Frigid has it the worst...” Rose wiped at her eyes. “The love of his life betrayed him, and his master died protecting him. I know how he must feel, but I would never be able to understand what he’s going through. It’s too much for anyone to bear… We… we need to check on him. Talk to him. See if he’s okay.”

“You’re right,” Trueshot let her go and walked up to Dust’s gear. “Dust wouldn’t want him to waste away as well.”

“I’ll go," she decided, heading for the door. Just thinking about Frigid threatened to bring the tears out again, but she willed them back. Frigid needed them now, more than ever.

Rose Petal had decided to check on his room first, because she found no reason for him to be anywhere else in the bureau. If he wasn’t there, she had no idea where else he might be.

She passed High Noon and Windy Sails in the corridor, stopping both of them. “High Noon. Have you… seen Frigid?”

The cowboy sighed and his apprentice slowly put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. “He’s in his room. Been in there for the last two days. I don’t know. He’s not answering my calls. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to just barge in there, you know?”

“It’s alright, Noon.” Rose gave a nod of thanks before walking past them. “Take care.”

Arriving outside his door, Rose knocked on it with her knuckles, waiting to hear any forms of sound from inside. The East Assassin heard nothing. Not even footsteps walking away. She decided to try the handle, finding it unlocked. She slowly pushed the door open, steadily flooding the dark room with the hallway lights. The room had seen better days, probably dirty from all the time Frigid had spent in Mirror's, instead of his own. Dust and dirt caked the floor under her, every footprint the young Assassin had taken leaving an impression on the ground, all the way to the bed where he sat, face in his hands. He didn't even bother to look up as Rose entered the room. His coat hung over a wooden chair, the hood almost touching the floor, as if the piece of clothing had also lost its will to fight. Dust Fencer’s trident blades sat on the chair, the gifts from the Trottingham Assassin before he passed.

“Frigid?” Rose softly called as she made her way towards him. “May I come in?”

The gray haired Assassin stayed silent and unmoving, maintaining his position on his bed.

“A-are you alright?” Rose asked as she stood beside the unmoving Assassin.

Frigid didn’t reply, nor move. He continued to sit there, face in his palms, not even bothering to acknowledge her presence.

“Frigid…” she put a hand on his back. “I don’t know how you must feel, but you cannot sit here forever. You need to eat.”

“Food is the least of my worries,” he mumbled from under his hands. “Please… I don’t want to see anyone else.”

“You mustn’t waste away, Frigid.” Rose sat down beside him. “Dust wouldn’t want this.”

“Please… leave me be…”

“Frigid.”

“I’m... sorry Rose,” Frigid started choking on his words. “Mirror… I loved her… she was the most important person in my life… the person I trusted the most… and I let her get the better of me. Just like that… Dust… he lost his life because I was too trusting…”

Rose lifted his head out of his hands, noticing the new scars he had received from the explosion. She pulled him in and embraced him. “It’s not your fault Frigid. Dust had always wanted to help others. No matter the cost. That’s why Trueshot and I are still alive today. That’s why you’re still alive today. It’s because of him, Frigid. He protected us so that we could live on and continue our duties. To protect the world from the hands of the Templars.”

"That's right..." Frigid nodded, leaning on her. "But how can I trust anyone else? They could easily betray me like... like Mirror did. I cannot lower my guard. I don't want to experience this pain again..."

“Frigid...” Rose repeated again.

“No, Rose,” Frigid shook his head as more tears rolled down his face. “I can’t. I know what an Assassin is meant to do, but I just can’t. Not anymore...”

"Frigid," Rose said sternly. "Do you remember? Why do we fight? Do you remember why you fight?"

"What?"

She stood up and paced the room. "Back home, we don’t have elected officials like you do here. In the East, regions are ruled by noble families who all answer to the emperor. They decide the laws and rules of the land, and the people have to follow along." Rose extended her hidden blade. “More often than not, the decrees are slated to the nobles’ favour. Back when I was a girl, my province was ruled over by a cruel man called Tiger Claw. Because he was rich and powerful, he was able to stay in power while abusing his people.”

Frigid sat up a little more, wondering where Rose Petal was going with this. “Things got worse and worse, and nearly every week there would be some word of Tiger Claw’s injustices. We thought things would never change... “ Rose breathed deeply, recalling her youth. “But then one night, as I went with my brother to pay that month’s taxes, we were greeted with the sight of Tiger Claw’s entire palace, filled with dead men and blood. It was like a demon from the underworld had torn through it, destroying and killing everyone inside. We stood there, awestruck, as before our very eyes, a woman wearing dark armor and a mask emerged from the balcony with Tiger Claw’s head and threw it down into the courtyard.”

The morbidity of the memory was lost on Frigid. He simply didn’t have the will to imagine it all that well. Undeterred, Rose continued, “My brother ran for home, but as I followed him I looked back, and the assassin looked right into my eyes, as if she could see into my heart… and that’s when I understood that by taking one life, you can save hundreds, maybe thousands. I never saw her again, but whoever she was, she taught me something special.” The Eastern Assassin retracted her hidden blade and turned back to her friend. “I only wish I could see her one more time, so I can thank her properly. But that is why I fight. What about you?"

Frigid remembered his story. The reason he had joined the Assassins. It all started on that fateful day as he made his way down the streets. A thug had ambushed a woman in front and demanded all her money. Frigid couldn't just stand by while the man threatened her, so he intervened.

Back then, he had lacked combat experience, instead, getting himself beaten up by the thief, but there was a quality that the Assassin hiding beside the dumpster had seen in him that day. The will to fight. No matter how many times the thug beat Frigid to the wet ground, he got back up and tried to bring justice to the man. After seeing enough, the Assassin had left his hiding spot and took the man down, tossing his unconscious body into the blue dumpster.

The woman had nodded her thanks and left, not bothering to check on young Frigid, but the Assassin helped him up and offered him a place in the Brotherhood. An offer Frigid had gladfully accepted. And the Assassin that found him was none other than the man who would go on to teach him the ways of the Assassins; Dust Fencer himself.

Frigid remembering all of it. Dust wouldn't have picked him up that day if he was just going to give up now. He had a job to do and a master to avenge.

“Thank you, Rose…” Frigid said at last, giving the female Assassin a reassuring look. “You’re right. Dust wouldn’t want this, and I’m not doing anyone any good by sitting in here and rotting away. I will make things right, but please, could you give me the rest of the day off? I just need time.”

Rose gave him another hug before standing up. “Of course, Frigid. Take as much time as you need. Just make sure you eat. Tell you what. I’ll bring dinner up for you. How’s that sound?”

“Appreciated,” Frigid smiled. Something Rose Petal hadn’t seen in a while. “Thanks for looking out for me.”

“You’re important to us, Frigid,” Rose said as she pulled the door open. “Remember that.”

Frigid turned his head to look at the walls of his room. He was going to have to find some time to clean all of it up, but he also had to find Mirror. She had betrayed him and the Brotherhood and who knows what secrets she might have been giving away about them. Someone was going to have to find her and that someone was going to be him.

I’m not going to stop until I find her. For Dust Fencer.

Chapter 32: Rogue

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Later that night, when everyone else had gone to sleep, Frigid Night quietly left his room, making sure to produce as little sound as possible as he opened and closed his door. He had put his coat back on and pulled his hood low over his head. He had also worn both of Dust Fencer's hidden blades, leaving his own in his room. Frigid focused his eagle vision and silently made his way downstairs to the armory.

Entering the armory, he immediately headed to the armor rack and grabbed himself a pair of shoulder guards and shin guards. Frigid didn't care whether the Templars knew if he were an Assassin or not; He was going to be prepared.

After prepping his armor, Frigid moved to the weapons rack, looking for anything that might upgrade his current arsenal. He dug through a pile of satchels and pulled out two slings of throwing knives. Each one could hold five knives, increasing his usual count from one to ten. Frigid also picked out a pair of boots with hidden blades in the soles, finding it might come in handy at some point.

“I’m not letting you get away with this, Mirror…” Frigid thought back to the time he had spent with Mirror Match. Since the day she joined the Brotherhood, Frigid had already fallen for her, doing what he could to get closer to her. Then there were the few years that they were together; Frigid remembered them well, like it was just yesterday. Then, she had betrayed them all, killing Dust Fencer before leaving to the Templars.

Frigid strapped the armor to his arms and legs, making sure to put on his new boots first. Tonight, he was going hunting, whether it was for information or for someone, it didn’t matter. He was going to find a way to Mirror. He had loved her so much, doing everything to keep her safe and to just be together, but now, she was out there, her location unknown. Frigid was going to find her, no matter what.

Pipeline clocked out of the Board’s building, his work today finally finished. Under the cover of a school teacher, he had to make sure to mark all the students’ homework, and today’s marking had been extremely long and tiresome. He looked at his watch, noting that it was already half past eleven, almost the next day already. Pipeline sighed and walked to his car, waiting to get home to a nice hot cup of coffee before heading to bed.

Long day…

Chairman Wood had also given them extra assignments, which Pipeline really didn’t want to do. During their free time, they were to gather as much information on the artifact and the Eye as they could. Making that dumb machine work was their only way to ensure Templar dominance in the world.

Pipeline knew it was important to do so, but he just had so much work to do.

“Tonight, I’m giving myself time off…” he said to himself as he unlocked his car doors.

No sooner had the Templar opened his car door did he hear a clinking sound on the ground, not too far from his feet. He turned his head and looked down, looking at a few silver discs on the sidewalk.

“Coins?” Pipeline bent down to pick one up. Before he could stand up, there was a split-second whistling sound before something heavy landed on his back, pushing him painfully down to the cement floor. “Ah! What…?”

He turned his head slightly and looked up into the dark, hooded face of an Assassin, crouching over him with one hand on his shoulder, and a knee in his back.

“Assassin!” Pipeline shouted, hoping someone on the streets would see him. Then he looked around and realized they were alone. There was no one else around besides him and his attacker. “W-what do you want?”

The Assassin spun him around, grabbed him by the shirt collar and pushed him up against the backdoor of the car. “I’m looking for someone, and you’re going to tell me where she is.”

“Alright, alright!” Pipeline raised his hands, shaking from the encounter. “Just don’t kill me!”

“Mirror Match,” the Assassin said with a gruff tone. “Where is she?”

Pipeline knew the name, but she was one of the most secretive Templars around. “I don’t know! She never tells anyone!”

“Where is she!” the Assassin barked, raising an arm and extending a hidden blade to the Templar’s face.

The Templar looked at the blade and couldn't help letting out a pathetic laugh. "You're going to kill me? How are you going to get any info out of me if you kill me?"

The Assassin tilted the corner of his mouth down and stuck the hidden blade in Pipeline's arm. The man screamed almost at his top volume if the Assassin hadn't clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Where. Is. She," the Assassin repeated again.

The pain was unbearable, forcing Pipeline's voice out of his mouth, even when he wasn't talking. "I don't know, I don't know! Please! I only know that she comes to the building for meetings! Other than that, she usually hangs around in some unknown place. That's all I know!"

The Assassin leaned back, deciding his next words. Pipeline could feel the sweat dripping down his forehead. He wasn't sure what was going to happen. All he wanted was to head home and relax. Before he knew what was happening, a sharper pain emerged from the arm that got stabbed.

"What are you-"

"You didn't give me enough information," the Assassin simply said. A section of Pipeline's skin tore off as the hidden blade seemed to extend into two more blades within his arm.

"Aaagh! I don't know anymore! I'm telling the truth!"

"I know," the Assassin answered before sticking a second hidden blade into the Templar's chest.

Frigid Night opened Pipeline's car door and dumped the body in the driver's seat, closing and locking the door before tossing the car keys down a nearby drain.

Frigid knew he wasn't supposed to kill Templars like this, but he didn't care at this point. The only thing in his mind was finding Mirror Match, and avenging his former teacher. The sadness had completely left him when he left the bureau. Now, only anger remained in him. Angry that he had been so careless to drop his guard around Mirror, angry that he couldn't save himself, allowing his master to die, angry that Mirror had done such a terrible thing, and angry that these Templars were not giving him enough information to find his girlfriend.

Frigid walked over to one of the building's walls and pounded a fist into it, ignoring the pain in his knuckles. He still didn't have enough information to go on. He turned his attention to the Board's building.

Would the Templars have what I need to find inside?

Frigid headed in, watching as two guards turned to him, raising their rifles to fire. The Assassin had swiftly pulled out two knives and chucked them at the guards, impaling both of them in the chest. They grabbed for the blades before falling to the ground, now lifeless.

Frigid retrieved his knives and moved on, following the signs to the ground floor's server room. Perhaps their computers would have some data on Mirror Match's location.

Three more guards turned the corner, each one holding a metal baton. The first one swiped his metallic stick down at Frigid, who sidestepped and kicked out with one leg, sending another guard down to the ground, while extending a shoe blade in his left boot and kicking out with it, stabbing the third guard in the abdomen before pulling it out from his side. He grabbed at the first guard's arm and pulled back, hearing the sound of snapping bone and the scream of the guard before stabbing him in the chest with a hidden blade.

The last guard swung his baton at Frigid's head, but the Assassin spun around the guard and grabbed ahold of his neck. With a quick turn, Frigid snapped the man's neck, letting the body fall to the floor with the other two guards.

No one, is stopping me.

Frigid arrived at the server room door and began picking its lock, successfully opening it under two minutes. Entering, he noticed a set of laptops in the front, along with three rows of servers in the back. He approached a laptop and flipped the screen open, booting up the machine with the push of a button. The accessed the computer’s home screen, searching through folders of data, looking for anything related to Mirror Match and the Templar machine. After three minutes of searching, he came no closer to finding out where Mirror was, but he did find some interesting data on the Templar machine and the artifacts.

Interesting…

The artifact the Templars had was apparently called the Apple, stolen from the Assassins centuries ago. Its mind-controlling powers were dangerous, but only those with a special wavelength could wield the artifacts efficiently, without tiring out or dying.

Footsteps outside drew Frigid’s attention to the door. He didn’t have much time before Templar reinforcements arrived. Even with all his new gear, Frigid couldn’t possibly take on an entire army. He pulled out a thumbdrive from his coat pocket and plugged it into the laptop, pulling as much information as he could into the little stick before taking it back and powering down the computer.

“Over here!” he heard someone call from outside. More guards probably found the bodies he had left outside.

Frigid was more or less done with the server room, so he slowly pushed the door open to peek outside. He focused his eagle vision to see a group of soldiers, each one wearing a black leather coat and a motorbike helmet. Dragon Unit. They belonged to Major Talon, one of the top Templars who used to be in the army until recent events.

Guess he took a bunch of soldiers with him.

Frigid could see the assault rifles in their hands. At far range, they could probably cut him down in less than a second, but they weren’t exactly far enough at the moment. Frigid smiled before swinging the door open at full force, knocking one of the soldiers down before spinning behind a second and swiping at the legs of a third with his shoe blade.

“Ah!” the soldier yelled as he fell down from the leg wound.

Frigid grabbed ahold of the second soldier and flung him over his back, smashing him against the third soldier before running for another one. He grabbed a soldier’s rifle and stabbed it at another soldier, making him bend over in pain, allowing Frigid to whip out his trident blades and stab both of them in the necks. Both soldiers grabbed for their wounds before falling.

“Call reinforcements!” a soldier in the back yelled.

Frigid Night pulled out a throwing knife and threw it at the soldier that was about to head out. The knife cracked through the glass of his helmet and impaled him in the face. The man’s body stood for a second before falling backwards to the floor.

“No time for games, Templars,” Frigid spoke before stabbing another soldier in the arm before yanking him around and punching a blade through his helmet.

The soldiers wore some kind of body armor under their leather coats, which were semi-impervious to his hidden blades, forcing the Assassin to aim for their protective glass or their necks, arms or legs. Another soldier tried to whip Frigid with his rifle, but the Assassin cut upwards with his hidden blade and swiped the rifle off the man as his sling broke. Frigid cut at his leg with a shoe blade before finishing off with a burst from the rifle. He fired the gun some more, killing three more men before he ran out of bullets. Frigid didn’t stop fighting until each soldier was dead at his feet. Tonight, the Templars had picked the wrong Assassin to challenge.

Once he made sure the coast was clear, he made his way out of the Board building and out into the dark streets. He didn’t find anything on Mirror, but at least he grabbed some data on the machine and artifact. Perhaps if he could find out where the machine was, then he would find Mirror. The machine, or the Eye, as the Templars called it, was their trump card. They would do anything they could to protect it. Frigid could be sure he’ll see Mirror if they found it.

I will find you, Mirror. You can’t hide from me.

He ran up and wall and started climbing, disappearing into the shadows. The night was far from over.

Chapter 33: Friends

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Wolfgang sat in the canteen and stared at the new girl, inspecting her form, stance and expression. He had remembered her when he was out in the field. She and another Assassin had killed Volatile that one day so many years ago, and now here she was. A Templar. The girl had on a red and purple coat, with a bright red sash hanging around her waist, under a belt with the Templar logo on it.

“So, Mirror Match…” Wolfgang started snidely as he picked apart a roasted chicken with his bare hands. “You’re here working with us, because you have information on the Assassins that we have to use… Is that right?”

“Yes…” The orange-green haired girl folded her arms. She didn’t seem to be too pleased to be working with Wolfgang and Pressure Point. Her food sat on the table, barely touched.

“Oh, why the long face?” Wolfgang reached over for the salt. “You don’t like hanging out with us?”

“Don’t bother her, Wolf.” Pressure Point tossed a knife up into the air and caught it as it came back down. “She’s an Assassin, remember? She’s not like Timber or any of those weak scientists in there. This one knows how to fight.”

“Whatever,” Wolfgang said and leaned back. “So, tell us where to find the Assassins and I’ll be sure to bring back a few of their heads for decoration. It’s really… grey around here.”

“I will tell you where to find them, when I want to. Wolfey.” Mirror Match smiled as the killer formed a frown on his face. She’d found the right nerve. "If you want to know anything, go ask Mahogany. He's your boss after all."

"Well, fine..." Wolfgang turned his attention to the morning papers. Over the last few days, there had been killings all across Manehattan, and if one were to inspect the victims carefully, they would find them all to be Templars. "Seems we have a new killer in town." Each victim had died with several injuries, some more gruesome than others.

"Think the boss knows about this?" Pressure Point asked as she read the paper, leaning over to look at it. "He should really beef up the security."

"What, and pull the soldiers away from the machine?" Wolfgang scoffed. "Yeah right. That machine's everything to them. Right, Mirror Match? You're a Templar now. You must think like that too, do you not?"

Mirror nodded her head, but didn't look at them. "True, the machine is important. It'll find some interesting people out there, I'm hoping. I've read a lot about this machine from the bug we placed in the Templar database a while ago. I must say, it's a marvel, this artifact. It has the power to change the world. I hope Mahogany knows what he's doing with it."

"Of course he does..." Wolfgang ripped off a chicken leg and stuffed it in his mouth. "Mind-control? Yeah. He's going to make the world a better place and blah blah blah, all that. Honestly, I don't care."

"Agreed, Wolf," Pressure added. "I mean, killing is our lifestyle. I don't want that to change. It's just... so much fun! Especially when your victim just begs for the life, trying to pay you off with everything they own. Ha! Priceless! Right before you gut them into a million pieces."

Mirror made it clear that she was disgusted at these two killers, but Wolfgang didn't care. He was a killer and he was proud of it. A lot of people didn't like him, but eventually, he would just show them why they should hate him more. He pulled a knife from his pocket and cut the chicken's body clean in half.

"Doesn't matter what you think about us, Mirror Match. We get the job done and that's all that matters."

"Pipeline, Rust Rod, Hubcap, Skyline..." Mahogany Wood read off the paper in his office. These four Templars were killed in just three days, along with a bunch of guards and soldiers. The Assassins have never been this active in Mahogany's lifetime.

"My men don't just die like that," Talon said, smashing a fist on Mahogany's desk, earning an evil eye from the Grand Master. "Someone tough is out there, and they're looking for something. Look at the patterns."

"Yes, I agree..." Mahogany swapped from the papers to his reports. Those four Templars had all been killed with a stab wound to the chest, besides multiple injuries all over their bodies. Interrogation. Someone wanted information from them, injuring a part of their bodies when they didn't give an answer. "Mirror Match did say something about an Assassin she was close with. Frigid Night. Perhaps he's looking for her. Trying to make things right."

"But brother," Timber said from behind his laptop screen. "Mirror Match said the Assassin's fighting style didn't match anyone she knew from her Trottingham. It could be someone entirely new to us."

"Don't you have a bug to remove?" Talon interrupted. He didn't like all the fancy talk about guesses and assumptions.

Timber sniffed and returned his attention to his screen. He tapped away on the keyboard, bringing up all kinds of windows filled with a bunch of text.

One of the windows flashed red as Timber accessed it, raising an amused smile on his face. "Oh...? This is where you were hiding?"

Timber's fingers blurred across the keyboard, faster than Mahogany could see. Before long, his brother leaned back and stretched his arms out, turning the laptop around to show them. On the screen, a single bar slowly began filling up.

"What is that?" Mahogany asked.

"It's the new firewall," Timber chuckled as he turned the computer back to himself. "It'll prevent the Assassins from planting anymore of these bugs. Unless they upgrade, they'll never get back in here."

"That's great and all, but what about my men?" Talon bellowed. "Chairman, I say we send a group of them to the Assassin's base and blow it down. We have the ordnance to do so."

"Patience, Talon." Mahogany Wood saw logic in that plan. They now knew where the Trottingham Assassin bureau was, but rushing in there blindly would only cause them to lose more men. They had to wait. "The time will come. I have plans for Mirror Match, but first, let us finish the Eye. With the artifact, we can reduce our casualties from ten to zero easily."

"At least send someone to kill some Assassins..." Talon grumbled and looked at his big, powerful hands. "The deaths of my men cannot go to waste."

"Very well." Mahogany would at least give Talon that one. Killing a few Assassins wouldn't hurt. Mahogany Wood turned his chair around and gazed out the large window. "We can send the killers. As far as I'm concerned, they're expendable."

Frigid Night hopped off the last building, quickly making his way back to the bureau in the cover of the dark sky. It was still rather early in the morning, meaning most of the Assassins would still be asleep. The roads were still deserted, not a single soul had awoken down in the city.

Frigid had left the bureau unexpectedly, telling no one of his plans before he headed to Manehattan. He crept along the streets, watching out for the Assassins on duty on the roof. Seems it was Silent Frame and Fire Frenzy on duty today.

Fire Frenzy.

The man had become a real frenzy after Ice Flake had passed. Frigid remembered telling him that he shouldn't do rash, impulsive things to get back at the Templars. The pale yellow-skinned Assassin laughed at himself inside. Now here he was, doing all those dumb things he told Frenzy not to do.

Frigid quietly crept along the foliage towards the bureau, making sure the Assassins above weren't looking in his direction when he moved closer. Arriving at the building, he pressed himself against the wall as he crept closer to the entrance. He spied inside the lobby, watching as Dewdrop walked back and forth while Spectral Rim lay on a bench, 'resting her eyes'.

Just two more guards to get by and I'll be home free.

Finding no other way in, Frigid did the only thing he could do. He breathed and walked right in. Dewdrop immediately picked up his presence and turned to face him.

She relaxed her body after realizing who it was. "Frigid, it's just you. Where have you been? We we looking all over for you yesterday, High Noon and Windy the day before! Do you know how much time we wasted?"

Spectral Rim mumbled something unintelligible, but didn't get up.

"Sorry, Dewdrop," Frigid tried to sound as sincere as he could, but it didn't come out right. "I've got to find Mirror. She needs to answer for what she's done."

"Well, I'm okay with that," Dewdrop nodded. "But this isn't like you, Frigid. I thought you were the one that encouraged people when they have problems like yours? What happened to you?"

"It's not important." Frigid walked past her and attempted to wave her off, but Dewdrop caught on to his arm and spun him around to face her.

"One event, Frigid," Dewdrop said sternly as she stared into his eyes. "One event was all it took to destroy you? What happened to bouncing back up? Why did you let it change you?"

"Anyone can fall, Dewdrop." Frigid shook her off and sped out of the lobby. "Anyone. And I'm nothing special."

He quickly doubled up the steps, making his way to his room. Dewdrop's words had brought back memories that he thought he had blocked out. Frigid was always the one to tell others not to give up, that if they kept trying, they would eventually get good at it. Now, he wasn't so sure about his own words and without Dust around to guide him, things were different.

This is how things must be now.

Frigid arrived at the floor where his room was, making a right turn after the stairs to get there. He still had some cleaning to do in his room, and the faster he did it, the faster he could get some rest.

"Frigid Night."

Frigid stopped and tensed in his tracks. Star Lance. He cursed under his breath that of all people to see him, it had to be Star Lance.

"Come with me," Star Lance ordered, walking back down the stairs.

Frigid grumbled and followed. When Star Lance calls, it's always best that you do what he says. The Master Assassin led him back to the Mentor's office and opened the door. He stood by the frame, motioning for Frigid to enter before him. The Mentor sat on her large bed, looking like she had just woken up, though she still managed to keep her composed form. This was the first time Frigid saw her without her armor on, the pieces of metal hanging on a wooden mannequin next to her bed. She still had on her gray and red robes, along with a blue scarf wrapped around her neck.

“Frigid Night,” the Mentor started, calm and cool like always. “I have reason to believe you’ve gone out and done your own work the last three days. While I applaud your initiative, there is one thing I must tell you. This is not the right thing to do. Fighting for your own personal motives is not what we are about.”

“I know, Mentor.” Frigid knew she was right, but he just couldn’t stop. A part of him had disappeared with Mirror. If he wanted to get it back, he had to find Mirror and finish it. “But I’ve also managed to pull some useful intel from the Templars.” Frigid fished around his pocket and pulled out the thumbdrive. “I have data on the machine and the artifact.”

The Mentor seemed to weigh her thoughts and decisions before talking. “Bring that drive to Pierce. Have him look over it, but Frigid Night. Please, no more self missions. I trust you’ll make the right decision.”

Frigid sighed, but eventually nodded his head in agreement.

“Kid, I know what you’ve been through,” Star Lance said as he escorted the younger Assassin out. “It’s hard, losing someone you love and even harder when the person you love betrays you. But you must have self-control. Going out in the dark without a flashlight is just plain stupid, reckless, and below an Assassin of your rank.”

"Right..." Frigid played along, telling him what he wanted to hear. For this to be truly over, Frigid needed to make things right, either by destroying the artifact or taking Mirror down. "You're right, Star Lance."

Star Lance did something Frigid never thought the big man would do. He gave the gray haired Assassin a pat on the back. "Take care of yourself, Frigid. Don't get yourself into more trouble than you already are." Star Lance turned around and returned to the office.

Judging from their words, the Assassins would likely be keeping a closer eye on him from now on. Frigid decided to think about it later and headed back to his room. He would love to head out into the field right away, but he was only human and he requires rest like everyone else.

Frigid headed up the building again, slowly making his way to his room. As he approached it, he noticed the door was open and voices could be heard from inside.

"It sure is d-dirty in here..."

"Well, the guy hasn't used it in a long time. No one else to clean the room."

"That's why we're here. We're giving him a..." Frigid saw Satin Breeze speaking to Dewdrop, High Noon, and Windy Sails. She turned her head to the doorway and noticed the owner of the room. "...Surprise... Well, you just spoiled it, Frigid."

"Glad to see you pal." High Noon walked over, a broom in one hand, and gave Frigid a friendly punch on the shoulder.

"What're you all doing?" Frigid asked.

"Well, as I've said," Satin continued, pushing some stray strands of dark blue and purple hair from her forehead. "We were going to surprise you by cleaning this place up for you. Thought that might cheer you up."

Frigid looked at Dewdrop. Then at the door, then back at Dewdrop again. He was sure she was just downstairs on guard duty. If she was here and if Spectral Rim was still sleeping, who was watching the bureau entrance? He decided he didn't care enought to find out.

"You looked like you needed some help." High Noon smiled.

Frigid was moved by the kindness his friends had towards him, but couldn't overshadow his anger or grief. "I'm grateful, but if you could all leave me to rest. I need some time alone."

"But you've had just about a whole week of alone time!" Dewdrop challenged, dropping her broom to the floor. "You've got to-"

"Dewdrop, it's alright," Satin grabbed her apprentice and pulled her towards the door. "If Frigid wants some time, we'll give it to him."

Dewdrop huffed but let Satin pull her along. "I've got to get back to duty anyway. Mentor'll kill me if she found out."

"I hope it all works out, Frigid," High Noon told his friend as he and his apprentice headed out.

"Take care," Windy whispered as she closed the door behind her.

Frigid looked at his room. His friends had managed to clean at least half of the place. Two of the four walls were dusted, and the ground under his feet had been completely swept. His side table and bed were still a little dirty, but nothing he couldn't handle himself. He leaned back against his pillow after patting it down with his hand.

Friends...

Mirror Match had been his friend. His girlfriend. If someone as close as her could betray him, could he put his trust in the rest of his friends? Frigid shook his head. He couldn't think like that. They've all had tough times and Frigid himself was no different. He just had to take a leap of faith and trust in them, but remain vigilant, just in case.

Frigid stretched his legs out and closed his eyes. A little rest wouldn't kill him.

Chapter 34: Sword and Shield

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After handing the thumbdrive over to Pierce Network, Frigid wasted no time in searching for Fire Frenzy. If the Mentor wanted him to play by the rules, then he would do so, but it didn't mean he couldn't do things his way.

Frigid had gone straight up to Frenzy's room, starting his search there. He knocked on the door and waited three times, getting no reply from the fiery Assassin. After waiting another two minutes, Frigid headed away, searching the dojo, the canteen, even the armory, but found no sign of Frenzy.

Eventually, he relented and stopped a few Assassins to inquire Frenzy's location. Most of them had no idea, until Frigid found Silent Frame, sitting in her usual spot in the library.

"Fire Frenzy?" she asked, her face buried in a book. "Doesn't he usually sit around the lower levels? He's always waiting for an opportunity to get out there to kill some Templars."

"Thanks, Silent," Frigid nodded and headed down. If Frenzy was down there, that would make his job a lot easier, seeing as he could just walk over to Red Card after.

Frigid Night had planned to ask Fire Frenzy to help him out on a few contracts. If the two of them had the same agenda, perhaps he could find a way to get to Mirror faster.

Frigid spotted Fire Frenzy as soon as he entered the hall. Just across from Red Card's booth, behind the only tree in the room, the orange-skinned Assassin was sitting down, looking at something. As he got closer, he realized Frenzy was looking at a picture of Ice Flake.

Frigid approached him and called out. "Frenzy. Hi. I wanted to ask if you would help me with something."

The red and yellow haired Assassin scrunched up his face and squinted his eyes at the younger Assassin before stowing his picture and standing up. "What do you want?"

"I wanted to see if you want to do a contract together," Frigid started. "I... I need to find Mirror Match. I can't just let her go like this after what she did. I need to take her down."

"Why do you need my help?" Frenzy turned away and looked at the gray wall.

"Because you've deviated from the normal methods. I don't just want to take down Templars. I need information, and I need to make them feel what it's like to... be ripped apart."

"You've always told me to calm down. Not to fight like that."

Frigid looked down at his hands. He knew this question was coming, but he still didn't quite have an answer for it. "I'm sorry. I didn't know how you felt. To lose someone like that... It changes you. Now I know, so please, will you help me?"

Fire Frenzy thought about it for a few seconds before folding his arms. "Fine. But I'm not doing this for you. I'm doing it for Flake."

"Fine with me," Frigid released a faint smile. Now all they had to do was take up a contract. Then harvest as much information from the Templars as they could before finishing their mission.

Iron Coat. That was the name of the Templar, Frigid Night and Fire Frenzy were sent to take down. According to Red Card's dossier, the Templar was an arms dealer, transferring small arms to Templar outposts across the country. He was also a master of the shield, which was a rare sight in this modern age.

"There," Frigid pointed out as a car emerged from an underground tunnel. "That's the one."

"Follow my lead." Frenzy pulled up his hood and leapt off the roof they had camped on and flipped himself so that his back landed on the tent below before bouncing off to a fancy restaurant, which was finishing up for the night.

Frigid followed, landing on the tent before touching the ground. Frenzy had already gone ahead, chasing after the car like some mad drunk. Suddenly, the car sped up, blowing a whole cloud of exhaust in Frenzy's face before heading down the road.

"That didn't seem like a good idea," Frigid said as he caught up to the coughing Assassin. "We should have followed them by the roofs."

"Look, Frigid," Frenzy dusted off his sleeveless attire. "Who's the better Assassin? You or me?"

The fiery haired Assassin didn't give Frigid time to answer, quickly following the car's trail using his eagle sense.

After Dust Fencer had died, Frigid found that he was able to track the movement of his targets with his eagle vision. Even in death, Dust watched over him. Frigid silently thanked the man for everything he had done before going after his partner.

The red trail led them through the quiet streets of Fillydelphia, finally bringing them to a stop outside a large, rectangular warehouse. Green paint sloppily coated the walls of the building and the few windows it had were all shattered.

"Looks abandoned," Frigid observed, stopping outside the vast shutter.

"That's what they want you to think," Frenzy told him, raising a hand in gesture. "The shutter's too heavy for us to lift. There must be another way in. A door."

Frigid headed around the side, looking for a smaller entrance, meant for workers when they came without vehicles. Around the left, Frigid found another shutter with a door next to it.

"Perfect. Frenzy, I got a door."

Fire Frenzy pushed past the younger Assassin and whipped out his lockpicks. In less than a minute, he managed to get the door open, slowly pushing it in while standing at the side, just in case the Templars were ready for them.

True enough, bullets whizzed past has arm, forcing him to withdraw it behind the wall where the rest of his body hid. Frigid ran up the wall before grabbing on to the roof and hauling himself up.

Let's see if there's another way in.

The roof was lightly paneled, meaning anything heavy could break a hole in the roof easily. Frigid jumped up and down, hearing the panels underneath his feet creaking and groaning from his continuous pressure. The roof began denting before finally breaking. Frigid didn't think too far ahead, falling down with the rest of the broken panels.

A Templar guard looked up just as Frigid landed on him, crumpling the man to his knees. Frigid quickly recovered from the shock and stabbed the guard in the neck before heading away from the open area.

The warehouse barely had any goods inside it. A few cars lined one side of the walls while the rest of the area held a few tables, some with computers and papers, others with weapons.

The remaining guards turned their guns to the gray haired Assassin just as he completely vaulted over a table and pushed it over, using it as cover. The sound of the gunfire was deafening in the hollow warehouse, almost forcing Frigid's hands to his ears. Then it stopped for a few seconds as screams replaced them. Frigid looked up over his cover to see Fire Frenzy dealing out some serious punishment to the Templar guards. He swung his sword at one, catching him in his abdomen while he kicked out with a leg, knocking another back. With a spin, he yanked the sword out of the first guard and cut another, a splash of red appearing across the guard's chest as the sword passed him.

Frigid decided to join in, running full speed at a Templar before launching both feet towards him, both shoe blades extended. Both blades punched right into the guard's chest and knocked him down with Frigid quickly springing himself back up as more guards attempted to shoot him. He grabbed the first guard's pistol and swung it to another, watching as the bullet exited the gun and entered a guard's chest.

Extending both hidden blades, Frigid spun to the side and stabbed four guards in their throats before flipping a fifth guard upwards after hooking his leg with the trident extension. The guard flipped up and fell back down head first, landing in a weird angle, his neck probably broken.

Frigid turned back and noticed Frenzy had already taken care of the remaining guards, leaving one cowering Templar, his back against a table leg.

"Please, go away!" Iron Coat threw a hand up in front of him. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

That sentence had awoken the anger inside Frenzy as he stomped towards the Templar, his sword tip pointed at him. "Nothing wrong? You're a Templar! Being alive does me wrong!"

"Frenzy, stop," Frigid stepped closer. "We need to get information from him first."

The Templar suddenly whipped out a large circular object from under the table and swung it at Frenzy's legs, toppling the Assassin.

"You really think I fear you?" Iron Coat laughed as he pulled the shield fully on his arm before drawing a short sword from inside it. "I've killed plenty of you Assassins in my prime."

Fire Frenzy leapt up and held his sword in an attacking stance. "Pathetic. A shield is outdated."

The Templar smirked, his face turning into something evil. "Just watch."

Fire Frenzy swung his blade at Iron Coat, but the Templar blocked with his shield before stabbing his sword forward. Frenzy deflected it and swung again, only to watch his blade get blocked again.

Frigid watched them trade blows for a few more seconds before joining in, lunging both arms at the shield expert. The Templar countered Frenzy with his sword while turning to block Frigid’s hidden blades. Iron Coat tilted the shield, making Frigid slide past him as the blades connected. Frigid was about to recover when the Templar side bashed him with his shield, sending Frigid tumbling to the ground.

“Weak!” Iron Coat taunted as he clashed blades with Frenzy. “You say I’m pathetic? You say my shield style is pathetic? Who’re the pathetic ones now?”

Frigid flipped himself back up and charged the Templar again, trying to get a hit in from behind. Iron Coat deflected a blade and spun his sword around Frigid's arm, hitting him in the chin with the hilt of his sword as he turned back to deflect Frenzy's blade.

Frigid spat blood out of his mouth and pulled out two throwing knives. He threw both of them at Iron Coat, forcing him to bring up his shield, while also fending off Frenzy with his other hand. Frigid ran behind his daggers, like he was trying to catch them. When he got close enough, he slid under Iron Coat's legs and slashed at both of them with his hidden blades, cutting through cloth and tendons as he got past the man.

"Gaaah!" Iron Coat yelled in pain as he fell, dropping his sword on the ground beside him. Frigid quickly moved over to kick it away.

Frenzy walked over and put a foot on his shield arm, preventing the Templar from getting up. He extended his hidden blade and raised his arm, but before he could land the killing blow, Frigid had put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"No, Frenzy. Not yet," the younger Assassin told him. "I need to know what he knows."

"You should just kill me now," Iron Coat spat at the Assassins. "Cause I'll never talk. You're just giving me more time to plan my escape!"

Frenzy bent down and threw a right hook at the man's jaw. "You keep thinking like that. We'll see what you say in a few minutes."

The Templar grabbed for his mouth, but said nothing. Frigid knelt down and grabbed Iron Coat by the coat and pulled him up. "Where is Mirror Match? Tell me where to find her!"

"Mirror Match? The new girl?" Iron Coat looked at the Assassin with surprised eyes before releasing a bellow of laughter. "Why do you search for her? She's the hardest Templar to find. I can assure you that."

Frigid snarled and jammed a hidden blade into the man's lower arm. Iron Coat held back his scream, irritating Frigid more. He wanted the Templar to feel the pain. The Assassin pulled out the blade and stuck it in again, a little higher from the first wound. Then again and again, until the Templar's mouth finally opened with a shout of agony.

"Why are you doing this?" he said in between two shouts. "I don't know where she is! She's not in Fillydelphia! That much I know! Just stop!"

Frigid Night stared into the man's eyes, trying to catch anymore information he could be hiding. "How about the machine? The Eye as you call it. Where is that?"

"Not here," Iron Coat said, trying to squirm his way out, but failed.

"Where!" Frigid barked and drove his blade back into the man's arm.

"Aah! I-it's in Manehattan!"

"Which part of Manehattan?" Frigid didn't like having to ask so many times. He turned his blade, forcing out more of Iron Coat's voice.

"I don't know!" The Templar clenched his teeth and shut his eyes. "I'm not as high-ranking as I'd like to be! That's everything I know!"

Frigid looked at him. The man looked like he didn't deserve anymore. Frigid would have normally let him go, but that was long ago. The new Frigid didn't feel sympathy for Templars. Just hate.

"All yours, Frenzy," Frigid said as he stood back up.

Fire Frenzy unsheathed his hidden blade and finished the job as Frigid moved to the tables to search for more data. Frigid turned on one of the computers as Frenzy had a chat with the dying man. If the computers held more data, perhaps he could narrow down the machine's location, and with that, maybe Mirror Match's too.

Chapter 35: On the Right Track

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"It's just... huh..." Twilight Sparkle sighed incredibly deeply. "You know, if things could've turned out differently here."

"I know, Princess Twilight, I know." Morning Blade thought longer about it.

What happened if Mirror Match hadn't betrayed them? Would the Assassins still be strong and thriving today? Would all her brothers and sisters have perished over in Saddle Arabia? There were many different outcomes to consider if Mirror Match had been on their side, but in the end, what was done was done. She had betrayed the Assassins and Frigid back then and there was no changing that.

Perhaps Frigid Night might've even been the Assassin she admired so much. Perhaps he would've actually taught her how to be an actually skilled Assassin.

Morning Blade smiled at the thought.

"Yes, if things turned out differently, huh, princess? But okay, I guess it's time we get back to the story. There's much more to cover besides just my old teacher."

Satin Breeze and Dewdrop sat on a bench along a small Manehattan street, busily looking out for any signs of Templar activity. A man and woman on Satin's right side paid them no attention, both talking about their plans for the evening. Dewdrop wanted to smack her face with her palm after hearing about going bowling for the fifth time in three minutes.

"I'm going to kill them, Satin..." Dewdrop said through gritted teeth.

"Patience, Dew." Satin eyed the road, trying to avoid listening to the other two people. "We just need to be here until we find out where the Templars are. It should be in this immediate vicinity, according to Pierce."

Dewdrop squinted her eyes and made it perfectly clear that she was bored and irritated, both originating from having to wait and having to listen to the couple next to them.

Pierce had sent them out on a recon mission to a possible place where the Templars might be keeping their world-changing machine. According to him, it was in the downtown area of Manehattan, but it's exact location, he couldn't determine.

“There…” Satin interrupted Dewdrop’s thoughts of the boring man. Dewdrop followed Satin’s finger to a van pulling out from a garage door and heading out. With a quick swap to eagle vision, both Assassins watched the glowing red truck drive away down the street, likely towards the Board building.

"Let's check that building out," Satin motioned, getting off the bench.

Dewdrop couldn't agree more, finally leaving the couple to talk about bowling all they want.

The building seemed to be an office of some kind, with a garage door leading down into an underground carpark. The two Assassins pulled their hoods low over their eyes and headed in, making sure the coast was clear.

"Looks deserted," Satin said after panning her head across the carpark. "Everyone must be in the office."

"Is that a good thing?"

The walk through the carpark would be a breeze if it was empty, but that meant that they would have a harder time when they got to the office block. The two Assassins soon found a door on the left, next to a vending machine, and conveniently, a map of the building.

"Perfect!" Dewdrop smiled when she saw the schematics. "So where do we start?"

"Labs..." Satin read as she pointed at a block on the map. "You think so?"

"Perhaps..." Dewdrop mused. It made sense for the Templars to keep their machine in their lab, but there was also a chance it was somewhere else in the building. "If anything that's where we'll be checking first."

Satin nodded and pushed open the door to the stairwell. The labs were on the third floor, above the lobby and canteen of the building. Satin and Dewdrop soon found themselves crouching behind the third floor's door. Looking through the glass window, Dewdrop watched as a woman filled a cup of water at a nearby water dispenser. When it was done, so put the cup to her mouth and drained its contents before filling it again.

They waited, but she didn't seem to be moving away anytime soon. Above them, the sudden slam of a door and footsteps drew their attention to the stairs. Someone was on their way down.

"Well... this is great. Just great..." Dewdrop impatiently willed the woman outside to get lost.

The footsteps grew louder as the person got closer. Dewdrop looked to her teacher for advice. Satin simply motioned to the door and nodded. Dewdrop understood and got the door open as quietly as she could. Both girls silently slipped out through the door while the woman poured yet another cup of water, apparently very thirsty.

They swooped down pass a few office cubicles before arriving outside a large glass door, the word 'LABS' printed on a thin sheet of metal above the entrance. A card reader was placed on the right of the door.

"Great," Satin sighed. "We can't pick this lock. We'll need the key."

"Or..." Dewdrop quickly pulled Satin into the nearest cubicle, which, thankfully, was empty at the moment.

They crouched down around the corner as a man in a lab coat and red shirt emerged from the stairwell, heading straight in their direction. Dewdrop watched as he passed their cubicle and pulled out a keycard with a small logo on it. It was the shape of the Templar cross, but modified to look more technological, each tip separated into four segments, criss-crossing in the center. Probably a cover, but also to remind these people who they worked for.

As the glass door slid open, Dewdrop and Satin emerged from their hiding spot and followed the man in from a safe distance, squeezing through just as the door returned to its original position.

The scientist paid them little to no attention, instead walking over to a table with a stack of papers. Satin hung back behind one of the tables to spy on him while Dewdrop had quietly made her way to a different section of the lab. She watched as different scientists sat at their tables, doing all kinds of computer work. One of them had a hand-held laser, scorching it into a piece of metal, sending sparks flying out at his face. They would've blinded him if he wasn't wearing a welding mask.

Dewdrop looked out for anything that would vaguely resemble a machine, crouching carefully around, crushing herself into corners and under tables when people walked by. In the end, she found nothing and slowly made her way back to Satin.

"Find anything?" Satin whispered over, still watching the man.

"No," Dewdrop shook her head. "I don't think it's here."

"Shoot." Satin turned to the door as another man with brown hair entered. "Well, should we check the rest of the building?"

Dewdrop was about to answer when the scientist from before acknowledged the one that just entered, forcing Satin and Dewdrop lower behind their table.

"Sir," the first man greeted. "Everything is in order."

"Good," the brown haired man nodded. "I've seen to adjusting the parameters for the voltage. With luck, the Eye'll finally do what it was made to do."

"I hope so, sir."

Dewdrop looked at Satin and understanding flashed between them. These men knew where the machine was.

"Should we take them?" Dewdrop eyed the brown haired scientist. He seemed to be the one in charge. Satin raised a hand, silently asking Dewdrop to wait.

“Has the van relocated our project?” the one in a red shirt asked.

“Of course, Test Tube. We can’t have the Assassins finding it now after we’re so close. Mirror Match taught us how an Assassin thinks. We’ve made sure to send it somewhere they’ll never look.”

Satin looked down at the mention of her former master, bringing a flare of anger to Dewdrop’s eyes. She didn’t like how that backstabber made everyone unhappy, especially Satin. If she ever saw Mirror Match again, she was going to give her a dagger to the back, just like how she left them just like that.

“We should leave,” Satin finally said after watching the two men.

“What?” Dewdrop thought she had heard her master wrong. “We’re not capturing even one of them?”

“That’ll draw attention to us, and that’s not what we want right now. We know the machine isn’t here. That’s our mission.”

Dewdrop could see the logic in Satin’s words, but she had really hoped to grab one of the Templars and get out, maybe ending it with a high-speed chase, but then again, that wasn’t a very good idea. She nodded her agreement to Satin as both of them headed back to the glass door. Thankfully, there was a button from the inside that let them get out, but as soon as they touch it, all eyes would focus on the door, meaning they would probably be seen trying to get out.

“How’re we going to do this?” Dewdrop whispered as she scanned the surroundings to make sure she knew where all the scientists were.

“No choice…” Satin looked at the scientists, then to the door. “We’re going to have to go fast. Ready, Dew?”

“Always.”

Satin led the way forward, pressing a finger on the button, open the doors from the inside. As soon as there was enough space, both Assassins squeezed through the door and headed for the stairwell as some of the scientists inside turned to see who had entered the labs.

“What was that?” Dewdrop heard one of the men say as Satin held the door to the stairs open for her.

She headed down the stairs two steps at a time, turning around occasionally to check that Satin was following her. Dewdrop had lived on the streets since a young age, learning to fight and kill just to survive. Her senses had been honed, better than that of an average joe, able to see and hear things in better detail. Listening as the door below began opening, Dewdrop put up a hand to stop her master, signaling for them to get out through the first floor door.

They ran out into the vast lobby of the building. White panels outlined the floors, the sun rays shining through the glass walls, igniting the area into a white, dazzling room. Dewdrop led the way forward, both girls acting as normal as they could to not draw any attention to themselves, though a few people looked at them. Everyone around them wore either suits or a uniform, nothing like the robes and boots the Assassins had.

“Do you two have passes?” a guard with a white cap stopped them. He must have been new, because he didn't seem to notice their hoods.

Dewdrop and Satin looked at each other before pushing past the man and blasting off at full sprint.

“Hey!” he shouted after them as he brought a walkie-talkie to his mouth.

“Keep going!” Satin yelled as they leapt over the turnstiles at the front door, heading out into the open streets.

Both of them pushed past a group of Eastern tourists, a few of them stopping to take pictures of the escaping Assassins. They ran along the pavements, pushing past more people or hopping out of their way, moving as fast as they could to an isolated position.

"We lose them?" Satin asked as she turned around to look out at the opening of an alley, panting from the long run.

"I think so." Dewdrop, still having more strength in her, walked to the entrance to peer outside, using her eagle vision to make sure they weren't followed. "We're in the clear."

“Alright,” Satin sighed with relief as she leaned her back against the nearby brick wall. “Shall we start heading back? We’ve got some important information… I think.”

Satin looked hopefully to the sky as she and Dewdrop began scaling the building. If their information was worth it, they were one step closer to finding that machine. All the Templars’ hopes were put on that machine. Satin knew it, and the Assassins were going to make sure it never becomes operational.

Chapter 36: Elbow Room

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High Noon had spent the last hour teaching Windy Sails the history of the Assassin Brotherhood. He had brought her to the library and picked out a few books for her to read as they moved over to one of the small square tables on the second floor.

"Do you need a break, Windy?" High Noon asked as he watched his apprentice. Her eyelids have slowly been getting lower as she read through the first book.

"That would be nice," Windy whispered and put the book down. She leaned back in her chair and stretched her arms back. "So what now?"

High Noon contemplated his options. He could get to know her better, talk about more Assassin stuff, or he could even ask her out. Noon really wanted to go for the third option, but he had no idea how to get the words out of his mouth. He had somehow asked Dewdrop that one time, but failed miserably. Would this be the same?

"Uhh... Well..." High Noon didn't realize he was staring into nothing for so long. "Well, where are you from, Windy? How'd you end up with the Templars?"

The blonde girl picked up a book and started spinning it unconsciously. "I'm f-from Manehattan. I-I thought I'd follow my calling and work out at sea, eventually finding my way to the B-Board of Education's ship services. But I guess I never really knew what they were..."

"Yeah..." Noon sighed, remembering his time with the Board. He had thought they worked to make the world better, but when he found their methods questionable, he lost his trust in them. "I actually knew. I was a Templar myself. A bodyguard."

"Then what happened?" Windy leaned forward in her seat, interested to know her master's backstory.

"They started doing things... Things that didn't seem like they were making a better world," High Noon continued. "And... I'm a failure. I couldn't do anything right. The Templars tried to kill me, so I left."

"You-you're not a failure, Noon," Windy told him. "Umm... Yeah."

High Noon smiled at his apprentice, though he didn't look at her eyes. She was trying to make him feel better about himself, and he liked that. "Thanks, Windy. Well, I think we should-"

"High Noon!" Both Assassins turned to see Star Lance approaching them. He had shouted pretty loudly, but the other Assassins in the library didn't dare tell Star Lance to lower his volume.

"Yes, Star Lance?" High Noon asked as politely as he could as the man stood over them.

"Need someone to pick up more supplies," he said gruffly. "Figure I'll give you the chance to get out there with your apprentice here." He handed a sheet a paper with everything they needed to the cowboy. "Make sure you get everything."

"Right," High Noon nodded as the Mentor's lieutenant turned around and left. He looked at his expecting apprentice. "Looks like we have some groceries to pick up. The studying will have to wait."

"What do we have to get?"

High Noon looked at the list before handing it to Windy. By the looks of it, Star Lance was sending them on the usual restocking of equipment and necessities. Every now and then, a few Assassins would go out and grab a few items the Brotherhood needed. Their job was to pick up the canned food and bottled water for field work.

“Sounds easy enough…” Windy mumbled as she read the words on the paper.

“This would be the perfect chance to show you around town,” High Noon smiled as he led her to the exit. “Ever been to Trottingham?”

“Not really, no… I’ve only been to the docks after taking the yacht here.”

“Huh…” High Noon nodded as they made their way down the bureau, soon heading out the front doors. “So… how’s… everything been going for you? Your room comfortable enough? Sleeping alright?”

“Yes, everything’s fine.” Windy looked around at the roads to the city, taking in the scenery as they moved. “I haven’t had any problems yet…”

“Oh, that’s… good, I guess.” High Noon searched his mind for any kind of conversation he could have with Windy, but he couldn’t come up with anything lasting.

Think, Noon. What can you talk about? What conversation can you hold?

"Ummm..." Windy started. "Is there... anything you enjoy doing...?"

"Enjoy? Hmm..." High Noon curled his lip up as he thought about the question. "Well, I like using my guns, or my lasso. You ever tried using a lasso?"

"No," Windy said as she shook her head. "We don't do all that in Manehattan."

"Well, I'll be sure to show you how it's done one day." As High Noon thought about it, it began sounding like a good idea to bond with her. "How about... later? Y'know... After we get the stuff?"

"S-sounds great to me." She turned and looked to the front.

High Noon let out a sigh of relief. She didn't see his cheeks glow red after the question left his mouth. Then he looked up at the bright, warm sun. Perhaps things were going his way today.

"Kill them all..." Dewdrop muttered as Satin hoisted her through the doors of the bureau. "Every *hic* last one of them guys..."

After returning to Trottingham, Dewdrop had dragged Satin to a bar to have a good time before returning to the bureau. They had spent the next four hours there before Satin decided it was time they headed back.

"Easy, Dew..." Satin held back a laugh. "We're back. You're home. No Templars here."

"Pfffffff!" Dewdrop puffed her cheeks. "Templars everywhere, they are! Might be here. Check that plant! Could be a 'plar hiding in there..."

"Sure, Dew," Satin giggled as they made their way to the rooms. She figured she'll get Dewdrop to bed before reporting to the Mentor. "I'll check the plant later."

"You're pretty pretty, Satin..." Dewdrop started a laugh, ending it with a series of hiccups. "Wish I was like you."

"Alright, next time, lay off the alcohol, yeah?" Satin dragged her partner up the steps. "I think you've had waaaay too much."

"Naw..." Dewdrop continued to drag her feet, making it harder for Satin to move her. "It's noothing. I only had a few *hic* bottles is all..."

After arriving at the right floor, the gray-pink haired Assassin brought Dewdrop to her room, opening the door with one hand while supporting the pale coloured Assassin with her other. She lay Dewdrop on her bed before pulling up the sheets to her chin.

"Get some rest, Dew," Satin patted her partner on the head. "I'll see you later if you get up before I leave for home."

"Wait, hold up there, Satin..." Dewdrop grabbed Satin's arm and pulled her back. She brought Satin's form lower before giving her a light kiss on the cheek. "See you tomorrow, Satty. Gonna kill some 'plaaaaars..."

"Right..." Satin rubbed at her red cheek before walking backwards to the door. "See you. Sleep well."

Satin closed the door and leaned her back against it. She continued to think about what Dewdrop had just done as her cheeks maintained their flushed colour. She knew how Dewdrop felt about her. They even had a whole long adventure while recruiting Dewdrop to the Brotherhood and there had been moments greater than a simple kiss to the cheek, but until now, Satin still couldn't figure out what she thought about it all. After a few more minutes, she left, heading down to the canteen. Her stomach grumbled from the lack of food, making the Assassin think of roast chicken and fresh tomatoes. She couldn’t report to the Mentor like that. Her stomach would be speaking more than her mouth.

Passing the dojo, she looked in to see High Noon teaching Windy Sails how to use his rope. She noticed how close he was behind her, shakily holding her hands to show her how to swing it correctly. Satin almost laughed at the sight. The cowboy was definitely trying to get closer to the girl, trying not to make it too obvious, but the fun part was that Windy was doing the same. They didn’t seem to notice each other in that way just yet.

"You need to maintain your speed as you bring it up," High Noon explained, a small blush creeping over his face.

"R-right..." Windy nodded.

Satin smiled before continuing. She would've stayed and watched, but she really needed some food. She proceeded to the canteen, grabbing herself a plate of cheese sandwiches before finding a spot to chow down.

"Hey, Satin!"

Satin greeted Rose Petal as she sat down across from her. "Hi, Rose."

The Eastern Assassin smiled at the grey-skinned girl. "How's it been? It's been a while since we had time to talk like this."

"Yeah..." Satin sighed. Things had changed after Mirror Match had left the Brotherhood. Frigid Night was always away, Rose and Trueshot seemed to be at a loss without Dust Fencer, and the Assassins as a whole seemed to be down. "I'm doing fine, I guess. Dewdrop's a very fast learner. Probably experience from all the time she spent living on the streets."

"That's good, that's good..." Rose looked down at her plate of food. "Huh... Things are just different. Dust was the one holding us together. Now, I don't know what's going to become of us."

"We're close, Rose," Satin said before offering the older Assassin a smile. "We found the location where the Templars held their machine, but they've moved it. It won't be long before we find it."

"Right," Rose nodded, a little confidence returning to her. "Just leave it to Pierce and any recon we all do. We'll find it. Then we'll make things right."

“Yeah.” Satin looked at her with determined eyes. This machine would determine the fate of the world, and the Brotherhood and Templar Order. “We can’t let them use it. Imagine the whole world, under the control of Mahogany Wood. Uuurgh. I don’t want to imagine it.”

“Well, they’re pretty easy to imagine,” Rose said, smiling as Satin gave her a shocked look. “Yeah, just imagine a world where everyone is a zombie-like minion, doing everything the master says. That’s easy, isn’t it?”

Satin recovered and put a smile on her face as well. “Yeah, that is pretty easy.”

Both Assassins began laughing as they continued their conversation about Templars and world-destroying machines, finishing up their dinner as they chatted.

"Well, I gotta get going." Satin got up and picked up her empty tray. "I need to report to the Mentor. Pretty important, you know."

"Yup! Catch you around Satin!" Rose Petal waved goodbye as Satin left.

The blue-pink haired girl washed her tray and put it away before heading out of the canteen. It was getting late, so the faster she talked to the Mentor, the faster she could get home to Velvet.

Chapter 37: The Flower and the Dragon

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Frigid Night sat atop the roof of another Templar building in Fillydelphia, thinking about everything he was doing. After searching Iron Coat's safehouse, he and Fire Frenzy had decided to go for another Templar. He thought as long as they didn't kill too many, Mentor would just let it slide.

Frenzy has gone ahead to investigate, looking out for signs of a high profile target while Frigid had time to check his actions. He clenched his fists as he thought back to Mirror Match. All the nights they had spent together couldn't equal to the pain she had brought him through.

Frigid knew what he had to do. He was going to make her pay. He tried to picture himself taking her down, preparing himself for the moment where his own hands would end her life. He saw his blade entering her neck, the tip puncturing her soft skin like paper.

Frigid hadn't seen his old partner since she left him to die at the construction site. Did she even know if he lived? If she didn't, he would have the element of surprise when he finally caught up to her.

Then he remembered the past. Mirror's expression when he had first revealed his feelings to her, her soft lips against his, even their bodies pressed against each other in the dark. Frigid quickly shook all those thoughts out of his head before it could weaken his resolve.

"Not now..." he said out loud, hitting himself for allowing such thoughts. The past was over. There was nothing he could do to turn back time. Mirror had made her choice, and he was going to make his soon enough.

"Frigid, I found one." It was Fire Frenzy, returning from his scouting.

"What do we have?" Frigid turned around and stood up.

“Two targets,” Frenzy briefed as they walked, the senior Assassin leading. “They look pretty high-profile to me. One’s really big and tough, probably from the army. The other one’s a smaller woman. She looks weak, but… I could be wrong.”

“We can take ‘em,” Frigid replied expectantly. “Any information we can tear off their bodies would be good too.”

“Right. This way.”

Frenzy leapt off the side of the building, Frigid doing the same shortly after. Nearing the bottom, the orange-skinned Assassin grabbed a flagpole before letting himself fall to the hard ground below, touching down with a roll to lessen the impact. Frigid grabbed the pole, swinging himself down after he made sure Fire Frenzy was out of the way.

Frenzy led Frigid over to a nearby underground carpark, the sloping entrance dark from a blown light. Both Assassins quickly dodged behind the orange barrier as a car turned in towards the carpark.

“More trouble?” Frigid asked as they moved around the machine, continuously watching the car pass. There was a small bumper sticker on the back in the shape of the Templar cross.

“Tail it.” Frenzy went ahead without Frigid, pulling up his hood and getting close behind the car, following closely behind it.

Frigid gritted his teeth at the missed opportunity, instead sticking to the shadows and getting to the closest pillar before he arrived at the lit section.

The carpark was a wide, squarish area with pillars supporting the ceiling up above their heads. Each row had a few fluorescent tubes lighting the place, but some were blown, just like the one at the entrance. The perfect place for a secret meeting.

The Templar car stopped close to another black car that was already inside, two people standing by it. One was a red-skinned man with orange hair and a green military coat over a large, muscular body. The second one was a purple-skinned woman with light-pink hair, going past the bottom of her black suit.

“They’re late,” Frigid heard the large man say. “Lateness should be punished.”

“It’s fine, Talon…” The woman waved her hand in his face. “They’re here now. Let’s just get this over with.”

“Fine.”

Frigid watched as two men got out from the car, each one carrying a silver briefcase. One of them had a cast around his neck.

“Same as usual, major,” the first man tipped his hat to the big man before turning to the woman. “Wysteria. Nice to see you again.”

“Whatever, Steam Shift,” she said as she looked away. “You know, I’ve moved on. So should you.”

“Hey, we’re here to swap equipment,” Talon barked at them, taking a menacing step forward. “So let’s get to that.”

"Just as you asked for." The man with the cast hobbled forward and dumped the suitcase in Talon's open palm. "Special-made bullets. These ones are fitted with explosives. Once inside a warm place, specifically the body, they detonate. Hard to survive something like that."

"Sounds good," Talon nodded as he opened the briefcase to check, closing after getting his fill. "Timber's outdone himself."

"And here are the parts your boss wanted," Wysteria said as she handed a large beige box over to Steam Shift. "Hopefully you guys get this thing done, huh?"

He moved to put it in the car, opening the door and slamming the box on the chair, watching it bounce on the leather before finally resting still. Before he could close the door, Fire Frenzy made his move, leaping over the truck and kicking the man in the face, knocking him down.

"Assassin!" the man in the cast shouted and pulled out a pistol.

"Get back!" Talon bellowed and charged forward.

Frigid left his position and headed in as Frenzy vaulted over the supposedly wounded man and grabbed his head, ending him with a quick twist, breaking his already injured neck.

"Flywheel!" Steam Shift yelled as he tried to get up. "You'll pay for that!"

Frenzy kicked him down again as he brandished his sword. "Ready for some dishing?"

"I got this, Wysteria." The military man walked forward and cracked his knuckles. On each hand, he wore a glove with small stubs on the knuckles. Frenzy slashed at him with his sword, but the man quickly grabbed his elbow and hit down with his other hand, forcing Frenzy to drop his sword. Talon quickly grabbed Frenzy's arm and belt before flipping him down hard on the ground.

Frigid quickly ran forward to join the fight, but the purple coloured woman stepped in his path, drawing out two small knives.

"It's you and me, Assassin," she smiled at him, spinning her knives and showing off her skills.

Frigid brandished both hidden blades and shoe blades before running to her, spinning a roundhouse kick to her head, blade first. She dodged under his leg and swiped at his other leg. Frigid recovered in time and spun himself around her and slashed out with both hidden blades. Wysteria parried one while dodging the other.

"Not bad," she praised sarcastically. "But no more games. I want to get home to bed. It's late."

Anger rose to Frigid's face as he grunted at her. "You Templars don't deserve to live!"

Frigid stabbed at her as she sidestepped, stabbing forward with her own knife, cutting a hole in Frigid's coat. Frigid kicked back with a shoe blade, wounding the Templar's waist, forcing her a few wary steps back.

Sensing his opportunity, Frigid attacked, throwing every strike as fast as he could, giving her no time to recover. He swung and spun his way towards her, forcing her on the defensive continuously. He found an opening, stabbing her in the right arm before kicking down with the ball of his foot, crippling her right knee.

"Aah!" Wysteria shouted as she dropped both knives.

Frigid would've killed her right there, but he needed her alive until he got everything he wanted to know from her. He pushed her to the ground with a knee before knocking her out with a fist. With her leg like that, she wouldn't be going anywhere too fast, so Frigid headed over to help Frenzy.

Fire Frenzy was having a tough time. He had gone up against Talon with his fists, both giving each other a few good punches. The Templar had the upper hand, knocking Frenzy down with a quick combo of punches and a throw.

"You can't hope to best me at CQC," the man laughed. "It's what I do."

Frigid entered the fight, swinging a blade at the Templar. Talon turned and caught him by the arm, instantly stopping Frigid's blade with his massive strength.

"What have you done to her?" Talon eyed the yellow-skinned Assassin after looking at Wysteria's body.

Frigid tried to squeeze out of his grip, but Talon was much stronger than he was. Instead, Frigid spun himself and kicked out with a shoe blade, slashing Talon along the chest.

The Templar winced but brought Frigid down and twisted his arm beyond it's normal range. Frigid felt the bones in his arm shift before it went numb from the pain. Talon let go and kicked him down before heading to Wysteria's body. Frigid watched him bend down to check on her before picking her up, along with the suitcases.

Frigid scolded himself for underestimating the Templar. Most of the previous ones were pushovers, but this guy was tougher. Much tougher.

Talon turned back once more and frowned at the Assassins before getting in the car. Frigid pushed himself up on a knee as the vehicle took off, heading out of the carpark.

"Well... That stunk." Frigid turned to Frenzy who lay on his back, an arm resting on his chest. "That guy punches hard..."

"Yeah," Frigid sighed and got up. "You alright?"

"Of course I am," Frenzy said and quickly flipped himself over and up, though he wore a pained expression when doing so.

Frigid looked around and shook his head disappointedly. They had Wysteria, but Talon managed to take her with him. He returned his attention to Frenzy when he saw the black car behind him, its door still open, the box still sitting inside. Steam Shift still lay on the ground by the car, knocked out earlier by Frenzy.

"We still have one," Frigid pointed to the beaten up Templar. "We can ask him what he wants with all these parts."

Frenzy bent down and lifted the man with one arm, pushing him against the front door of his car. The Templar's eyes fluttered open when his body impacted, darting around to see what was going on.

"What are these parts for?" Frenzy questioned him, putting as much violence as he could into his voice. "Answer!"

Steam Shift laughed at spat on Fire Frenzy's boots. "You'll get nothing from me, Assassin."

Frigid didn't enjoy wasting time. He'd come to find that the faster you solved a problem, the better. He walked up to Steam Shift and stabbed him in both knees with a shoe blade, getting the response he wanted from the man as he screamed with pain.

"What was that for...?" he groaned as he collapsed to the floor, his back against the smooth surface of the car.

"What are you planning to build?" Frigid yelled at the Templar's face.

Frenzy opened the box and sifted through the metallic parts and papers, unable to understand any of it. He slammed the hood of the car and returned to Frigid's side.

"You wouldn't understand," Steam Shift laughed. "You Assassins are not smart enough. This is everything Timber needs to get the machine to work."

"So we take this, you won't succeed." Frigid shoved his hidden blade close to the man's face.

"We always have more. We have resources. We have power. What do you have?" Steam Shift grabbed Frigid's arm. "These blades?"

Frenzy stepped forward and gave the Templar a good punch across his face. "Where is the machine?"

"Now this one, I won't say. Not even if you decide to kill me. I will never tell you."

Frigid growled at the man and raised a hidden blade to the side of Steam Shift's head. The Assassin turned to his partner, making sure he was about to make the right choice.

Frenzy simple waved Frigid back, silently saying that he would do it. He bent down and picked up his sword and dusted it off. Without warning, he slashed sideways, embedding the sharp metal in the side of the car door. Steam Shift's head rolled forward, landing in his lap, unmoving.

"Find rest where you next go, Templar," Fire Frenzy spoke as he yanked out his blade. "Although, I hope you burn before that rest." Frenzy made his to way to Frigid and grabbed his dislocated arm. “Brace, Frigid.”

Frigid barely had enough time to steel himself as Frenzy set his arm back into place, yelling at the top of his voice for a second before controlling himself. “Aah!”

“You’re welcome.”

Frigid tested his arm movement. It still hurt a little, but at least he could feel his fingers properly.

"Those parts..." Frigid put the cover back on the box and pulled it out of the car. "Perhaps Pierce can find something with all this."

"Well, I'm not carrying the whole bulky thing back." Frenzy sheathed his blade and began to walk away. "If you want it, you're carrying it."

"Seriously?" Frigid asked as he caught up. He'd thought spending some time with the guy, both having similar motives, would help them to bond better. "You still don't think I'm good enough?"

"I'm still better," Frenzy said in a low tone, but turned his head to face Frigid. "But alright. You're doing good, Frigid. Don't worry. We'll make Mirror Match pay for everything. For Ice Flake too."

Chapter 38: Knowing What's Best

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"Welcome to the Board, Citrus," Mahogany greeted, shaking the young girl's hand.

Citrus Drops wore a pink shirt with fur along the collar, a purple skirt, and a grey beret, along with a purple scarf around her neck as she sat in Mahogany Wood’s office. She had just graduated high school, finally able to join the people that her father had worked with. She had been longing to work with her father, the man who had raised her to be the woman she was today. But he was taken from her, killed by criminals, from what Chairman Wood had told her.

She had gone into a week of depression after that. Why was her father killed weeks before she was to join him at his workplace. In their family, she was closer to her father, while her sister was to their mother, and now he was gone.

"Glad to be here, chairman," she feigned a smile. True, she still wanted to work here, but without her father, there seemed to be something missing in her life.

"Again, I'm sorry about Cough Drops, dear. He was a great man," Mahogany told her solemnly. "I hope to bring justice to the ones that took him from you."

"Thank you, chairman." Citrus' vision began to blur from the man's words. She too wanted to see the criminals locked behind bars, but she didn't know what she could do. Her father had raised her and her sister without violence in the family. Cough always told them that violence is unnecessary. If the world could abandon violence, everything would work out for the better.

“Your father had an interesting ideology,” Mahogany said as he walked back behind his desk and gazed out the window. “Something I adopted into our cause. He believed that if people loved each other, if people didn’t fight, if everyone was of the same mind… then the world would be a better place. That is exactly what we aim to do, Citrus. Now, your father, he was our media relations worker. Without him, I’m afraid we’re not able to… ‘deal’ with the media. I was hoping you could fill his shoes. We’ll be willing to pay you more than your father as well. Cough asked me to take care of you when you joined us. We never suspected that he would be gone…”

“Of course...” Citrus wiped at her eyes, trying to remain strong for her family. “Thank you for having him while he was here, and thank you for accepting me into this business. I’ll do my best to make him proud.”

“If you ever need anything, just ask,” Mahogany told her with a softer tone. “Crescent Wing here, is more than capable enough to aid you with your tasks.”

“It will be my pleasure,” Crescent said, giving her a bow.

Before long, the doors to Mahogany’s office burst open, a big burly man in an army coat walking in, a stern look on his face. “Chairman, I’ve got some news.”

“Ah, well, Citrus, as you can see, I have other business to attend to,” Mahogany returned to his desk and straightened his suit. “You may go. Take the rest of the day off. I will see you tomorrow.”

“Thank you again, chairman. For everything.” Citrus nodded to both chairman and his bodyguard before walking past the bigger man. She felt his intimidation as she made her way past him, trying to avoid eye contact. She closed the office doors behind her and made her way to the elevator.

I’ll make you proud, dad. I’ll do what you never could do for these people, and I will find out who was responsible for your death and make sure they receive their justice.

“This… is a lot of data,” Pierce said as he scanned through the stacks of paper. He wasn’t a mechanic, so he left the parts by the door, unsure of what to make of them. “Satin Breeze and Dewdrop had also done a little recon. They found the machine’s previous location. With all… this, and their information, I should be able to pinpoint its likely position. Templars. They’re not as careful as they once thought they were. Mistakes, all over the place, not covering their tracks well, letting information slip by. This is too good of a chance to miss.”

“Finally, we’re getting somewhere.” Frigid put both hands on his head and smoothed out his hair. He’d waited a good month to finally get closer to finding Mirror Match. This was his chance. The machine was going to be guarded by the best. If Mirror had already proven herself, she would be there, waiting for the Assassins to try and destroy their machine.

“Frigid,” Pierce called without taking his eyes away from his computer screens. “I might not agree with your recent methods and behaviour, but at least you brought back results. Imagine if you didn’t. The Mentor, everyone would condemn your actions. Anger isn’t a good emotion to hold on to. I’m sure you can find something else down there. When I was younger-”

“Right, okay, that’s good, Pierce.” Frigid quickly backed out of the room before the hacker could drone on about the past. Again. “See what you can find. I’m going to get some rest.”

Frigid headed towards his room. He’d been away for the last three days, sleeping on the hard cement of different roofs, keeping a watchful eye and ear out just in case the Templars had found their sleeping spot. A soft bed would do nicely after all that time in the field.

“Frigid! You’re back!” Frigid turned around as Rose Petal threw her arms around him and squeezed. “You’re gone so long these days. We miss you. You’re not still out on your revenge streak are you?”

“O-of course not, Rose,” Frigid quickly lied. “I’m back to normal missions. Anything I can find on Mirror is a bonus.”

“Well… good for you then,” she replied. Frigid wasn’t sure if she suspected he wasn’t telling the truth, but she seemed to let it slide. “Trueshot and I are planning to get some training done. Want to join us? Like old times.”

“You go on ahead, Rose. I gotta get some sleep.” Frigid emphasized it with a wide yawn.

“Hope you get some good rest there!” she said as she headed in the opposite direction.

Frigid arrived at his room, opening the door and stepping inside, throwing his coat onto the chair near his bed. He flopped himself on the soft mattress, leaning back against the comfortable pillows. His thoughts went back to Mirror Match and the Templars. Would she be with the machine? Would they even be able to find it? That was all Frigid could think about, even now. His former partner, Mirror Match.

You gotta go through with this, Frigid. You've got to make her pay.

They couldn't let the Templars use their machine successfully. If they could find someone out there that could wield the artifact, then the Assassins were in for some serious trouble.

Frigid turned to his side and closed his eyes. He would be ready, no matter what he thought, no matter what he felt.

"Pierce?" Star Lance opened the office door and looked at the hacker. "It's late. What do you need?"

"I think I might have found something," the Chicoltgo Assassin started, bringing up his phone. He turned the screen to Star Lance. "I've been monitoring Templar movements. From the descriptions the others have gotten for me, about the change of location, the needed parts, the paperwork, and even Templar sightings, I think I've determined where the machine is."

"Wait, really?" Star Lance shook off his sleepiness. Could it be they finally have a chance to cripple the Templars? "Give me the details."

"The Templars would want it close, so I thought it would most likely be in Manehattan. Somewhere close to their main building. Satin Breeze and Dewdrop found a lab near them, but the machine had already moved when they got there. After additional-"

"Okay, forget the details..." Star Lance rubbed at his head. The boring man was going to put him back to sleep at this rate. "Just tell me where the machine is."

"Here," Pierce Network said after zooming in on his phone screen. "It's close to their Board building. In the power plant, right there."

"Good work, Pierce." Star Lance gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Go get some sleep. I'll let Mentor know and we'll make our move tomorrow. This is it. We're close. Make sure you find out everything on that building tomorrow."

"Will do," Pierce nodded and headed back down the steps. "Goodnight, Star Lance."

"You too."

Star Lance closed the door and headed back to where the Mentor was sleeping. He sat down on her bed and gently put a hand on her arm. "Steel Shine?"

She opened her glimmering pink eyes and turned them in his direction. "Star Lance? Did something happen?"

"Everything's fine..." he gave her a reassuring rub on the arm. "It's the machine. Pierce found it. It's in a Manehattan power plant."

"They found the machine..." the Mentor repeated, sitting herself up. "That's big news, Lance. We've got to start planning, start recon."

"Yes, of course, but it's still dark out. Finish your rest, Steel Shine. We should start tomorrow."

"How do you expect me to rest after telling me the big news?" She gave him a smile before resting her head on his back. "I'll keep you company."

"Sounds good to me," Star Lance said and turned to let her rest against his chest, while putting an arm around her.

He felt her heartbeat, a pace faster than his. She must've been more excited than she had shown. Star Lance knew it too. This was the breakthrough they had been waiting for. Now it was only a matter of time to plan their next move and stop the Templars.

"Should we let Frigid Night go?" Star Lance decided to ask. Lately, the kid wasn't himself, bending the rules whenever it suited him, all because of that girl that betrayed him. "He'll want to go. Says Mirror Match will definitely be there."

"Normally I would say yes, but... Frigid's changed..." Steel Shine sighed. "He's not the Assassin he once was. He's lost his ideals."

"So he's not going?"

"I will ask him tomorrow," she decided. "If he really wants to go, then so be it. Perhaps ending Mirror Match is what he needs to return to his old self."

"You know what's best, Steel Shine. You always do."

"I have to, Lance. I must live up to her legacy." The Mentor put a hand to her chest, where her heart was. "We'll change things tomorrow. For the better, I hope."

Chapter 39: Before Every Good Heist

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Frigid Night sat at the back of the meeting room, a good space away from everyone else as Star Lance briefed them on their target objective. They had finally done it. The machine was in their grasps, and along with it, Mirror Match.

"We're going to have a few groups here," Star Lance continued, pointing at a top-view schematic of the power plant. "There's going to be one demolitions team, tasked with destroying the machine to prevent the Templars from finding someone who can use their artifact effectively. Then there will also be four other teams, tasked with distraction and the elimination of any Templars guarding it.

"Pierce Network will lead the demo team," Star Lance pointed to the brown-coated Assassin, his eyes glued to his phone as usual. "The team will consist of Sparkplug, Broadside, Smokestack and Fire Frenzy."

"Before every good heist comes planning." Pierce didn't look up from his phone. "I know, we are Assassins here. We work from the dark to serve the light. We don't do heists these days, we do assassinations. You know, when I was-"

"Right, that'll do, Pierce." Star Lance looked like he was about to slap a hand to his own forehead. "So, Pierce, you're leading. I'll repeat, Sparkplug, the brothers from the north and Frenzy, you're with Pierce."

Frenzy didn't look too pleased, but then again, he was good with fire. They needed him.

"Trueshot and Glimpse will take the south side. There's a good vantage point up on one of the buildings, which should give you a good view of the place from there."

"As you say, Star Lance." Trueshot spun his empty bottle in his palm before tossing it to his other hand.

Star Lance pointed to the north side of the plant. "Rose Petal and Spectral Rim. The north is all yours. Close in on the building, and eliminate any threats. Silent kills are advised."

"Silent kills? Easy!" Spectral clapped her hands together enthusiastically. "Got it covered, boss."

"High Noon, Wreckhouse, and Tangent, west side."

High Noon looked to them, both giving him a quick nod.

"Satin Breeze, Dewdrop. East side." Star Lance turned his head across the room. "Anymore questions?"

Frigid blinked a few times and replayed the briefing in his head a few more times. Star Lance hadn't given him a task. He raised his hand to ask. Star Lance looked and him and then to the Mentor. She stood off her chair and walked to the door.

"Frigid Night. A word please," she said before exiting the room.

Frigid got up and headed for the door as all eyes turned to him. Was the Mentor not going to let him go because of his recent actions? He hoped that wasn't the case as he joined her in the hallway. She stood just outside, both hands behind her back as she looked at him.

"Yes, Mentor?"

"Frigid, I would normally have sent you on the mission, no question, but..." Frigid knew what she was going to tell him. "You've allowed that girl to get the better of your emotions. Assassins shouldn't run on anger alone. Not like that."

"Yes, I'm sorry, Mentor..." Frigid replied. A part of him knew she was right, but the rest wanted him to say no because he had a job to do, and he wasn't going to rest until he saw justice delivered.

"Then I have one question for you, Frigid Night." The Mentor eyed him like she was staring into his heart. "Do you really wish to go on this mission?"

"Yes. Of course, Mentor!" Frigid quickly said without hesitation.

"Think it through. I don't know if you've really found out yourself."

Frigid wasn't sure what she meant, until his thoughts returned to Mirror Match again. About killing her. Is that what he really wanted? She had betrayed him that day and killed his former master.

Frigid touched the scars on his face. They reminded him what had to be done, whether he wanted to or not. "I want to go, Mentor. I have to do this. For Dust Fencer."

She continued to look at him before finally nodding. "Alright. You may go, Frigid Night. But remember, your choice could determine the outcome of everything."

"Yes, Mentor. I will make things right. I'll finish what I started."

Frigid returned to the room, following behind the Mentor. His resolve was steeled. He knew what had to be done. If he wanted the Assassins to emerge victorious, he would have to ensure the machine's destruction, and if she was truly there, the death of Mirror Match.

"And so it begins, huh?" Twilight Sparkle listened intently. From this moment, on, this is where things would actually start, for a lack of a better word, rolling.

"Yes, princess." Morning Blade nodded. "They finally found the Eye's location. Pierce always was good at what he did, even if he is a double crossing backstabbing traitor."

"I'll take your word for it, and Morning, please," Twilight chuckled. "I told you, you don't have to call me princess. Twilight will do."

"Right, sorry, um, Twilight." Morning sounded like she had to force that out. She had always been a stickler for rules and authority. It was a tough habit to break. "Shall we jump back into it?"

"Yes, please, go on. While I shouldn't necessarily sound excited, this anticipation's actually got my blood racing. I want to know just what happened here. You've told me so much leading to this point. I just need to know what happened."

"Kinda like a good book, huh, pr- um, Twilight?" Morning Blade smiled. If anything, she knew that she and the princess were both lovers of books, old or new, historical or action-packed. Both girls shared a short burst of laughter as they thought about it. "Then I shall not keep you waiting any longer. Come, let us enter the Assassin Brotherhood's turning point."

"The Eye..." Twilight Sparkle breathed. "I really wonder, you know? What this machine could've been capable of. "Sombra used it to force open the portal to Equestria. Normally the portal stays open when I use my journal, but wow. He found another way. Star Swirl's artifacts really are some potent things. And these Templars had found a way to harness the magic through the machine. Incredible."

"Hmm, incredible or not, these Templars couldn't be allowed to use it like you and I had talked about earlier." Morning Blade touched her eyepatch. "I don't know if things could've turned out better then, but I suppose from that point, everything looked like it was going to start going well. And then... Well... Mirror Match happened."

"Yeah, I figured." Twilight scribbled Mirror Match's name down in her notes and circled it. "Your world isn't supposed to have magic, but from what you've told me about her... I still find it hard to believe something like her exists in your world. It shouldn't be possible."

"Who knows, princess." Morning shrugged. "Truthfully, you probably know more about her than I do. All I know is that she was a traitor and she deserved to die. I'm glad she's been put into the ground. She caused too much pain for all of us."

Twilight nodded sadly.

Morning Blade shook the thoughts of Mirror out of her head. "Nevermind that witch. Come. On to the mission with the Eye..."

Chapter 40: Through the Rifle's Scope

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"Anything yet?" Frigid Night asked the Stalliongrad Assassin as he spied the area with his eagle sense.

"Nyet, Frigid. Don't rush me," Trueshot replied as he looked around through his sniper scope. "I will let you know if I see anyone."

"What's the rush, Frigid?" Glimpse patted his shoulder. "The demo team needs time. We'll just have to wait and see what the Templars do. As soon as we get the signal, we'll create a good distraction!"

"Do you think she's here, Glimpse?" Frigid asked the pink haired woman. "She worked with you for a while. Do you think she'll be here?"

"I'm not too sure, Frigid..." Glimpse shook her head. "She was always a hard one to read. I hope she's here. She's got a lot coming. I'm sorry; I know you two were close."

"No, it's fine, Glimpse." Frigid fidgeted with his knife belts. "She betrayed us. We have to do what we have to do, and I'm going to be the one to end it."

"Good resolve, kid," Trueshot said from the edge of the roof. "The show's about to start. Get yourselves ready, you two."

Frigid and Glimpse joined him by the edge, looking down as a group of Templars arrived in a black van. They were mostly scientists, each one wearing a white lab coat. Two guards flanked their sides, carrying SMGs in their hands, dressed fully in black.

"Ready?" Trueshot asked as he aimed his barrel towards a guard.

Before he could pull the trigger, a bullet drilled itself into the cement just under his gun, sending a puff of dust up into the air.

"Sniper!" Trueshot hissed as all three Assassins crouched down behind the parapet.

“My, my. You’ve grown lazy, Trueshot. You've gotta pay more attention if you don't want to die early,” a voice chirped in their earpieces. "Nice to see you up and about... Friggy."

The others turned to Frigid. Only one person out there called him 'Friggy'. His expression immediately changed to one of anger.

"Mirror Match!" he said through his teeth. Somehow she had gotten access to their comms.

"Sorry it had to turn out this way, Friggy, but I've got a mission, and nothing's stopping me."

"Do you see her?" Glimpse popped her head out from her cover to look before being chased back by another bullet.

Trueshot peeked out, only to duck back down when another bullet hit the parapet. “No, but she’s got a semi-auto out there, so she’ll have more than one bullet ready to fire. We can’t risk running until we get her position.”

“So what do we do?” Glimpse asked impatiently. “We’ve got a job to do. We can’t just sit here all night.”

“I’ll go around,” Frigid suggested, keeping low as he headed to the roof’s ladder. “Keep her busy. I’ll get around and take her down. She must be on the plant’s building.”

“Too risky, Frigid,” Trueshot shook his head. “We don’t know her exact location.”

“Well, you have a better plan?” Frigid shot back before hopping down the ladder to the lower platform. “Just distract her! I’ll do what I can.”

“He’s right,” Glimpse pointed over the parapet. “This is better than no plan. Let’s find her, Trueshot. At least that’ll make things easier for the guy.”

Glimpse and Trueshot moved to opposite sides of the parapet, continuing to look out for Mirror Match. They focused their eagle sense, taking in the surroundings ahead. Four other buildings stood around the plant, each one full of objects for a sniper to hide behind.

"Wrong direction, Trueshot," Mirror Match taunted before another bullet punctured a pipe above his position. “That’s your last warning shot. Take your Assassins and go home, or I start shooting for keeps.”

"Got a flashlight, Glimpse?" Trueshot asked his friend. "I mean, I figured all you Raiders had lots of gadgets."

"That's not how it works, but I do have one. I always do." The female Assassin pulled it out. "What do you want me to do? Shine it around?"

"Of course."

Glimpse popped her flashlight over the cement wall and clicked it on, panning the light across the space ahead. It’s powerful beam sliced across the air, lighting up objects on the other building. That’s when Trueshot saw it. A little fleeting glimmer of light, quickly disappearing behind a water pipe.

“Found her,” he nodded, his words telling Glimpse to turn off her light and get back behind cover.

Not a moment too soon, for as soon as Glimpse had gotten herself behind the parapet, a bullet ripped through the fabric of her hood and buried itself into the floor behind them.

“Oh gosh, that was close.” She threw herself flat and patted the smoking hole in her hood.

“Everything alright?” Trueshot called over as he brought his sniper back up and rested the barrel on the parapet.

“If you stay here, I can guarantee you it won’t be…” The voice on the radio growled. Glimpse twiddled the dial, but all the channels had been hijacked. They had no way of communicating with the other teams.

Trueshot caught sight of a scarlet blur, darting out from behind the pipes and moving to another set. He fired off three shots, each one closer to the ex-Assassin as she ran, but none found their mark. She leaned out from her new piece of cover and fired back, augering a new groove into the retaining wall. It also gave Trueshot a better look at her weapon.

It was a slim-built rifle with a squarish wooden stock, its barrel and body customized so extensively that Trueshot couldn’t quite ascertain the complete workings. But one thing was for certain, it looked a whole lot heavier and longer, which meant the bullets coming at them would be too. Suppressed, of course. Otherwise they’d have been able to locate her by sound.

They exchanged shots for a few more minutes, neither one gaining the upper hand, then Trueshot noticed something. There was a tall barrel close to where Mirror was hiding, painted a flaky red and blending in quite nicely with the shadows. Perhaps it was extra gasoline for the vehicles, or the generators; Trueshot didn’t really care.

“I got you now, you minx,” He shifted his aim a fraction and fired.

The bullet left his gun and streaked across the expanse, striking the barrel dead center. A lick of flame sprouted at the point of contact, Mirror Match whisking her head around just in time to see the barrel explode into a roaring fireball. The ex-Assassin vaulted over her piece of cover as the blast tore it apart, firing twice from her hip as she did so. The bullets pinged past Trueshot and tore apart a fire extinguisher, flooding their position with opaque gas.

Trueshot felt his jaw drop. “She did not just do that.”

“Lucky shot,” Glimpse told him, trying to see past the smoke that had formed. “I mean, there’s no way her aim could be that true. I mean, even you couldn’t do that. No offense.”

“We have to move,” Trueshot ordered. “While she can’t see us. Otherwise we’re dead meat.”

Both Assassins sprinted through the gas toward an air conditioning unit that looked defensible. On the way Trueshot tried to keep an eye out for any movement in the distance and was rewarded with the sight of a swish of red fabric darting behind an air vent.

Trueshot positioned himself at the corner of the machinery, placing his rifle sideways as he waited for Mirror Match to pop out. The girl leaned out and fired as Trueshot fired off two shots. He managed to get one through her cloak, but none of them managed to hit her at all. Mirror’s bullet whizzed past the Stalliongrad Assassin’s head, narrowly missing his ear as it disappeared into the unknown behind them.

“Not bad, my friend, but you’re going to have to do better than that unless you feel like getting a free facial piercing.” This statement was punctuated by a bullet tearing past his belt and cutting open one of his spare ammo pouches. Magazines clattered onto the rooftop and out into the open.

"Is she serious?" Trueshot looked down at his torn pouch with disbelief. That was no lucky shot.

Glimpse was unfazed. “Yeah, but so are we. Come on, Trueshot. You can beat her.”

The Assassin nodded and checked his current magazine before leaning out again. Mirror Match had plenty of tricks and skills up her sleeves, but so did he. Trueshot eyed the power plant through his scope, waiting for an opportunity to fire. He clicked the fire selection on his gun and waited. He still had one trick Mirror didn't have.

"Come on, Mirror Match. Come out."

Thirty seconds later, a familiar rifle and face peeked out from a stack of crates, lining up another shot. Trueshot’s finger curled around the trigger of his rifle, sending a volley of full metal jackets at his foe. He smiled as he saw Mirror duck and cover; while his gun wasn’t the most powerful piece of hardware on the field, its ability to go fully automatic was something he was sure Mirror’s rifle couldn’t compete with.

“What’s the matter, traitor?” Glimpse sneered into the radio. “Can’t keep up?”

Mirror was silent, the only noise being a series of metallic sounding clicks from the other end. It almost sounded like she was reloading, only Trueshot knew there was no way it took that long to change mags. Something else was going on here.

Trueshot peered into his scope. As if on cue, Mirror Match popped up once more and he readied himself to fire again, but then something caught his attention. There was something different about her rifle. Had there been that thing under her barrel a minute ago? It was small and compact and had a tube on the front, almost like a…

“Votder-” Trueshot grabbed his partner and dived just as a grenade shredded the air conditioning unit.

Bits of metal and plastic flew in all directions as the heat of the explosion blew past them. Trueshot and Glimpse turned their faces away to avoid the debris and heat. They recovered and sprinted to some wooden pallets that had been stacked vertically against the railings.

“A grenade launcher on top of all that?!” Glimpse’s hair was singed and a bit of her sleeve was on fire. “Are you kidding me here?”

Trueshot was inclined to agree with her; this was getting ridiculous. Next thing, they’d be hiding from Templars in a metal drum like in those Wooden Cog games that seemed so popular among kids these days. They had to end this before Mirror pulled something else from her hat like an airstrike, or worse.

Trueshot looked through the wooden pallets and fired back. It wasn't the best of cover, especially not when their opponent had a grenade launcher. Somehow he had caught Mirror by surprise, watching as blood spurted from a wound in her shoulder.

“Time to finish this, you vixen.” Trueshot lined the crosshairs up on Mirror’s forehead and steadied himself for the killshot.

“I quite agree. This has gone on long enough.”

Trueshot fired his weapon, the recoil kicking the stock into his shoulder, but the bullets sliced through thin air, for Mirror Match was no longer there. He hadn’t even seen her move; one moment she had been there, the next moment she had simply disappeared in a blur of red.

"What?" Trueshot turned to Glimpse. "Did you see that?" He squinted through his scope again, looking for the traitor, but she was nowhere in sight. "Where are you, you...?"

"Trueshot!"

The warning came too late as two bullets cut through the pallet, splintering the wood as they found their targets: both of Trueshot's arms. Another two rounds were fired, somehow finding themselves to Trueshot's legs and burrowing through his flesh.

"Agh! What...?" Trueshot muttered as he fell, his sniper rifle clattering to the floor beside him. Mirror Match had skillfully bounced two bullets off the walls and into his legs.

All four of his limbs burned as he tried to move them, but this was it. He was out of action for the rest of the fight.

Glimpse tried to help him stand, but he couldn't maintain enough strength to do so, falling back to his belly.

"You best stay lying down, comrade," Mirror taunted across the radio. Trueshot could almost see her smile in her words.

"She couldn't... have gotten this good in such a short time," Trueshot grunted as Glimpse flipped him over. "Glimpse, you've got to take over. Buy that kid some more time."

Glimpse reluctantly picked up his rifle, examining the gun and the way it worked.

"You think you can best me, Glimpse? I've already beaten your bureau's best sniper. What do you hope to do? You might as well bring him back to base before he bleeds out."

She turned to Trueshot again to see what he wanted.

"Take her down," he gasped.

Glimpse nodded and fired over the ruined pallet, spraying the bullets and following as Mirror Match dashed from her piece of cover behind another generator. Glimpse's bullets broke any glass the generator had at its front, sending sparks and glass fragments across the floor.

"I warned you, Glimpse," Mirror said as another metallic sound was heard over their earpieces. She was reloading again but this time, Trueshot didn't hear a magazine click back into place.

Is she emptying her rifle?

"Glimpse, do you see her?" Trueshot asked as he propped his body up against the parapet. He had pulled out his emergency first aid kit and began pulling the bullets out, grunting whenever he got one out.

"I did," Glimpse replied as she grabbed a new magazine off the floor and loaded it into the gun. "She's behind a generator over there."

“Last chance,” Mirror’s voice growled over the radio. Was the signal being distorted, or did it suddenly sound like there were two people speaking at once? Glimpse blocked out Mirror Match’s words and took aim. She wasn’t as skilled as Trueshot, but she figured with enough bullets, she would hit her mark eventually.

Mirror Match popped up again and Glimpse fired, Trueshot’s rifle spitting bullets at their target. Glimpse kept firing until the gun clicked empty, but just as she ducked back from behind cover there was a sound of breaking glass and something jolted her hands and stung her face. She looked down, praying she hadn’t been hit.

To the horror of both Assassins, Trueshot’s rifle was now covered in a thin film of vile green liquid which was eating away at the metal, corroding and warping it beyond all usability. Glimpse threw it to the floor, where the acid ate through the barrel and receiver completely. She wiped a few drops off her face and winced.

“Game, set, and match. I believe I win this one.” The radio crackled once more then went silent.

"I'm sorry, Trueshot." Glimpse pulled off her coat as parts of it began to corrode.

"It's fine," Trueshot said through gritted teeth as he tied off a roll of bandage around an arm. "But are you alright?"

"It hurts, but I'll make it," she sighed, rubbing at her face. Trueshot noticed a few burn marks, the first layer of skin melted off where the droplets of acid had touched.

"It's all up to Frigid now," Trueshot put a hand to his earpiece. "Frigid. We're out of action. Mirror Match is all yours."

"Yes, Friggy. Come to me," Mirror laughed into the radio. "Show me what you've got!"

Chapter 41: That's More Like It

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Things were not going well for the ground team. Almost as soon as they had arrived on site, the Templars had gone into high alert. While they hadn’t yet been spotted, there was no current way to get to the machine undetected, and the enemy was packing a lot more firepower than they were.

“Trueshot. Trueshot!” Fire Frenzy whispered into his mic. “You there, man? We need covering fire! Trueshot! Darn it! He’s not answering.” he told Smokestack grimly.

"The other teams?" Sparkplug asked as he leaned out to throw a knife at an approaching Templar, getting him in the center of his chest.

"Rose's and Satin's teams are pinned at the entrances," Pierce briefed as he checked his phone. "Templars knew we were coming. High Noon's team got through, but they're trapped in one of the maintenance halls. Always one step ahead, but one day we’ll be the ones chasing them out. I remember back when I first joined-"

Sparkplug groaned. “Hey, no offense, but can you just tell us how we’re meant to go about doing this? I don’t feel so hot carrying around several pounds of C4 here.”

"Well, we will be if we don't get out of here," Broadside complained as he almost took a bullet to his face.

"We'll have to manage on our own," Frenzy spat before sprinting out of cover. Two guards trained their rifles on him, but Broadside stood and unleashed a swarm of bullets from his LMG, tearing them down with a controlled sweep.

Frenzy slashed forward, cutting a Templar across his chest before kicking another back into a third. There were plenty of crates to hide behind as the group of Assassins made their way through the hall, Frenzy leading the charge while Pierce directed them from the rear.

Frenzy cut down another two guards ahead before the team turned right down another corridor. One tried to ambush them from behind, but Pierce grabbed ahold of the guard’s rifle, and at the same time, whipped out his baton and smashed the Templar on the left side of his head before delivering a downwards swipe, knocking the man down for good. He spun the rifle around and put it to his shoulders, using it to neutralize two more guards behind them.

Smokestack spun his battleaxe and lodged it in a guard’s chest before throwing a knife at another up ahead, taking him down before Frenzy could do so.

“Hey, stick to your own guys!” Frenzy looked back and spat at the body. “I had it.”

Smokestack sighed and pulled his axe out. Pierce arrived next to him and pointed ahead. “Just a few more halls and we should be there. This place is like a maze, but a maze cannot defeat me. All you need is a map and-” More gunfire interrupted the hacker as he turned around and fired back with the acquired assault rifle. “Go! I’ll finish up here.”

Smokestack nodded and ran up to join his brother and the others. A squad of soldiers in black jackets ran in, assault rifles with grenade launcher attachments pointed straight at the team.

“Dragon Unit! Get down!” Sparkplug shouted as the first grenade flew at their position, impacting into a wooden crate, blowing splinters and fire across the hall as the Assassins made their way behind cover.

Frenzy grunted as he pulled a splinter out of his shoulder, tossing it to the ground angrily before pulling out two throwing knives. He spun up and threw them both at the soldiers, lodging one in a soldier’s gun, and the other in another man’s neck.

Sparkplug leapt from his position and thrust his prods into a soldier, knocking him down as he kicked another man from under his feet. The rest aimed their guns at the Assassin, but he quickly dived behind some pipes as Pierce activated his phone, blowing the pipes in the Templars’ faces, knocking them back. Having helmets on, the steam wouldn’t be too effective, but the few seconds he bought for his team were all they needed as they pushed forward.

Each Assassin extended their hidden blades and quickly moved in before the steam cleared, skillfully taking down each Templar while remaining unseen, eventually continuing down the hall as the steampipe continued to blow out smoke.

“We should almost be there now,” Pierce instructed from the back as he picked up a new rifle magazine from one of the Templar bodies.

The next corner continued on to the left, but before Sparkplug turned the corner, a jet of fire blasted out from around the wall, forcing Sparkplug to leap back into Broadside, almost knocking them both over.

“Back up!”

A man in a gas mask and lightly plated armor walked out from the corner, a flamethrower in his hands and two gascans on his back. “Someone called the fire brigade? Because this fire’s going to be a hard one to put out after I’m done with it!”

He lifted his weapon and launched out a stream of fire, forcing the Assassins back through one of the doors. Pierce was the first in, making sure there weren’t any other surprises in the room before calling back to the others to enter. Pumps and rusty cabinets lined the walls of the room, while four tanks were positioned in the center of the room. Unfortunately, there was no second entrance.

“Pierce, is there a way out?” Sparkplug demanded an answer as he looked back into the hall. Smokestack and Broadside sealed the door and quickly pushed down a cabinet in front of it.

Pierce tapped away on his phone, but found no other options. “No. The only way forward is through that maniac out there.”

Frigid Night flung himself up the last three rungs of the orange ladder as he sped his way towards the power plant’s roof. He had heard Trueshot over the radio. They had tried to buy Frigid enough time to ambush Mirror Match, but it seemed that she had already dealt with them. More anger burned in Frigid’s chest. Now he had more reason to take down his former partner.

“Friggy, where are you?” Mirror asked playfully over the radio. “You sure are taking your time. Are you sure you really want to kill me?”

Frigid didn’t reply, instead picking up his speed while activating his eagle vision to look for her. He kept low, just in case she already had her sights on him and crept along a row of generators. The Assassin suddenly sensed a change in his surroundings and jumped ahead, narrowly avoiding a foot as it kicked out at his legs. He landed on the other side and unsheathed his hidden blades as Mirror Match walked out from behind the last generator.

“Nice dodge, Friggy,” she smiled. She didn’t seem to carry any weapons with her, but Frigid watched her carefully.

Frigid turned his rageful eyes towards her and let out a roar as he charged towards her, splitting off his trident extensions on his hidden blades. He swung one at her, but Mirror bent her body backwards, completely avoiding his attack before flipping out of his range. Frigid pulled two throwing knives out of his slings and threw them at her.

“Not good enough,” Mirror said plainly as she dodged one and parried the other with her phantom blade.

Frigid continued to attack, slashing out at her at every opportunity he had, but Mirror Match simply parried all his blows with just her single hidden blade. The yellow-skinned Assassin watched her arm move from left to right, almost like a blur or mirage, moving so fast that Frigid almost couldn’t see it. He almost couldn’t believe his eyes, but his hatred for her took over. It didn’t matter to him how fast she could move. What mattered that she would be dead at his feet eventually. She had to pay for what she did to Dust Fencer.

Stepping a little too far forward, Mirror avoided Frigid’s lunge and twisted around him, grabbing his right arm and pushing him against one of the generators, pinning him down.

“You don’t really think all this rage is helping you?” Mirror whispered in his ear. “It’s just making you careless. Where’s the real Frigid Night? I’ve missed him.”

Frigid struggled to get free, but Mirror’s grip was solid. He did the only thing that made sense. He drew one of his legs up and extended a shoe blade. Frigid quickly kicked down as fast as he could, hearing the satisfying sound of his blade entering Mirror’s foot.

“Ah!” Mirror shouted as she took a step back. Frigid took his chance to shake free and spin an elbow to her head. He somehow caught her by surprise, knocking the ex-Assassin down. Mirror Match quickly flipped herself back up and got into her combat stance. “Nice try, Friggy. That’s more like it!”

Frigid unsheathed all his blades and prepared himself again. Even though she was his enemy now, Mirror Match had a point. He had rushed in blindly, expecting to take her down with mad swings and jabs, but that wasn’t the way. He had clouded his own sense of combat and surroundings when he should’ve thought it all through before engaging her. This time, it wasn’t going to be so easy for her. Anger was never the answer, and he should’ve remembered that.

“Okay, Mirror,” Frigid said before taking in a deep breath. “This time, it’s for real.”

“Great!” she smirked, calling him forward with one hand. “Then let’s see how much better you are now.”

Chapter 42: Beware the Nice Ones

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“Is that all, Pierce?” Sparkplug asked as the hacker began turning the pressure valves on the water tanks. “It’s that simple?”

“Of course,” Pierce grunted as he finished turning the last one. Immediately releasing his hands from the wheel and returning one of them to his phone. “When I say so, Broadside, Smokestack, you two will open the door. Then we’ll watch the magic happen. This is a simple trick I picked up when I first started my work in Chicoltgo. That flamethrower guy is going to be in for one big surprise.”

“Do it already!” Fire Frenzy shouted, tired of Pierce’s stalling.

Smokestack and Broadside shrugged and pushed the cabinet away before opening the door. As soon as the door flew open, the Assassins took in the sight of the Templar outside.

“Ready to burn? There’s no other way out, Assassins!”

Pierce pushed a button on his phone as the pipes gave way, unleashing a torrent of water down from the ceiling as a long steady stream began flowing out the door. The Templar looked down at his feet before pointing his gun back up. He clicked down on the trigger, but the high current of water prevented his flames from reaching the Assassins.

“Do it, Sparkplug,” Pierce nodded.

The brown haired Assassin spun both cattle prods before shoving them into the stream of water. The electrical current immediately followed along, sparking its way down the stream and to the Templar’s legs. A scream emerged from the man’s mouth as sparks began flying from the metal around his body, forcing him down to his knees and soon, his back.

Pierce stopped the flow of water as the other Assassins waited for the electricity to wear off. As soon as it was clear, they continued down the hall, watching out for anymore surprises.

“Good idea, Pierce,” Broadside said as he checked his ammunition. “That’s one way to get things done. Flashy.”

“You just need to know to study your environment.” Pierce didn’t take his eyes off his phone as they made their way through a set of glass doors. “Sometimes, your weapons are not enough. You need to take in what the place has to offer, or you’ll end up dead, most times.”

“Right…” Sparkplug rolled his eyes as they slowed to a walking speed.

The next room was an open-air room with pipes and beams going up past three floors to the top of the building. Reactors that haven’t been used in years took up most of the first floor, but what caught the Assassins’ eyes was the big metal object straight up ahead. It was cone shaped and stood at least two heads taller than Sparkplug. It had a small circular holder in the middle, probably made to house the artifact.

A few guards stood on the other side, immediately brandishing their rifles as two more Templars clad in black robes jumped down from the second floor, both of them wielding a katana each.

“What the… Ninjas?” Smokestack rubbed at his eyes with his free hand before they retreated behind some metal beams as bullets began hammering themselves into the metal around them. “What is this? A video game?”

“Pierce! Broadside!” Sparkplug yelled as he maneuvered himself to another beam. “Cover fire! Take down the gunners!”

“Better idea,” Pierce voiced over as he fired his rifle at the ninjas heading towards them. One dodged the bullets while the other took one to the knee, sending him crashing down to the floor, his blade spinning away from him. A well placed knife from Sparkplug made sure the man wasn’t going to be giving them anymore trouble. “Eagle vision. Now.”

He pointed his rifle up and used the remaining bullets to shoot out all the lights on the first floor, tossing the empty gun away when he was done. He pulled out his pistol and baton before focusing his eagle vision. As soon as everything turned dark blue, Pierce left his hiding spot with the other Assassins, firing his gun over his left hand, using it as support as he ran. He watched as a guard fell from three of his bullets, while a battleaxe flew past his face and jammed itself in another guard’s chest, sending him tumbling back against the Templar machine.

The remaining ninja seemed unfazed, most likely trained in seeing in the dark. Frenzy had swung his sword at the ninja, but the Templar had brought his blade up and slid around Frenzy, gutting a gash along his left arm.

“Agh!” Frenzy yelled as he spun around and jammed his hidden blade into the ninja’s back, pushing him down, stopping only when the ninja lay dead at his feet. He spat at the Templar before pulling his blade out and facing the machine.

Broadside and Pierce had already taken care of the remaining guards, taking them all down with gunfire. Stowing his weapons, Pierce ran along to the machine, while the other Assassins formed up around him, each one facing a different direction as the Chicoltgo Assassin got to setting up the C4.

More guards began pouring in, but Pierce wasn’t going to let a few Templars stop him from finishing his mission. He moved faster, pasting the C4 on the machine while using his other hand to arm the ones that were ready through his phone.

“Come on, Pierce!” Sparkplug shouted as he tossed another knife into a Templar’s head. “We’ve got to hurry! They’re gonna overwhelm us at this rate!”

“Just about done,” Pierce droned as he attached another plastique. “Don’t rush me. Explosives take time. If you mess up, you could all very well die right now. These things require finesse and focus, not to be-”

“Pierce!” Frenzy shouted near the hacker’s ear. “Just get it done! We don’t have time for your rubbish now!”

“Done,” Pierce said as he attached the last bit of wiring on the last C4. “Go. I’ve set the timer for two minutes. Make sure you’re not here when it goes off. This explosion will scatter you all across the room.” He radioed in to the others and warned them of the coming explosion, telling those who were in the building to get out while they could.

“Yeah, we know that…” Frenzy said as he lead the escape, cutting down another Templar in his path.

As they made their way forward, the second floor doors burst open as more Templars filed in. They fired down at the Assassins as the hooded men beelined for cover.

“Aagh!” Pierce turned to see Smokestack go down, a hand at his side.

“Smokestack!” Broadside ran back to help his brother, firing his LMG one-handed at the Templars above.

“No, there’s too many,” Smokestack shook his head and pushed his brother away. “Go. I’ll only slow you down.”

“No, I’m not leaving you here!” he barked as he tried to haul his brother up.

“No time.” Smokestack grabbed his axe in both hands and gave his brother a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. This isn’t over. Just go! I’ve got this.”

Broadside was reluctant, but eventually he left his brother’s side and joined up with the rest near the door before clubbing a guard over the head with his rifle’s barrel.

“We need to leave the room.” Pierce smashed a guard in the mouth with his baton, watching as a tooth flew out and clattered on the floor somewhere in the dark. “Who knows how this room’s going to hold out after the explosion.”

“Smokestack?” Sparkplug asked as he looked behind to see the wounded Assassin cutting down a pillar with his axe, sending a group of Templars falling off from the walkway above.

“He didn’t want to come...” Broadside said solemnly. “Said he’ll just slow us down.”

Sparkplug gritted his teeth and smashed another Templar with his prods as Pierce led the way out. They’d lost too many Assassins to the Templars. When it was all over, they were going to pay for every death. For every Assassin they’ve killed.

Soon, the team cleared the exit and headed out as fast as they could just as the explosives went off, sending a deafening blast across the inside of the power plant, knocking the lights out, plunging the hallway into darkness.

The explosion sent Frigid falling on his back while Mirror dropped to one knee, trying to keep steady.

“No…” she muttered as realization dawned on her. “What in the queen’s name have you done?!”

Frigid Night shook his head to clear it while Mirror Match turned on her heel to gape at the sooty column that pierced the sky. He took the chance to close the distance between them, readying both his trident blades and his shoe blades. Mirror turned to him one second too late as he swung, only managing to catch one of his hands. Frigid’s other blade tore into her shoulder, forcing her back a step. She quickly kicked out at his chest, but the Assassin turned his body before kicking up with his own leg, stabbing his shoe blade into the arm she had caught him with.

Mirror let go and stumbled back as Frigid pressed the offense. The explosion had taken away her focus, allowing Frigid a much easier time to wound her as he continued to push forward. Cuts began appearing all over Mirror’s outfit as Frigid swung all his blades, even jumping up to do a roundhouse with a shoe blade, nicking Mirror across the cheek as she leaned back. The ex-Assassin continued to make all the wrong moves, until Frigid finally kicked her legs out from under her, sending her falling flat on her back. He got on top of her and held her down with an arm and both legs while bringing his other arm way over his head, clicking the trident blades back into the main blade, ready to deal the final blow.

“Well, well, well…” Mirror stared into his eyes. Frigid saw no fear in them, instead, he saw defiance and almost what looked like tiny green flames flickering in her irises. “Looks like you got me.”

“You’re going to get what you deserve, Mirror,” Frigid growled as he curled his fingers into a fist.

“Then do it!” she yelled at him, baring her teeth. The explosion must have damaged his ears, because for a moment it sounded like there were two voices speaking to him at once, just out of sync. “Finish this!”

This was the moment Frigid had been waiting for. His chance to finally avenge his teacher. All he had to do now was bring his blade down the final few feet and it would be over. He’d prepared so long for this day… when he could at last jam his weapon into her neck, just like he’d done to the Templars all those times before.

So why couldn’t he move his arm? Why wasn't it doing what he wanted?

Below him, Mirror Match stared at Frigid coolly. “Go on,” she prompted. “Strike me down. Take your revenge.”

Frigid’s breathing grew hard and heavy. His pulse pounded inside his head. One final twitch of a muscle was all he needed. One final effort. And yet…

Taking advantage of the hesitation, Mirror Match slipped one leg beneath herself and kicked out, catching Frigid in the chest like a spring and launching him clear across the rooftop. The breath knocked out of him, the Assassin watched through bleary eyes as Mirror stood up and daintily wiped the blood off her face with a handkerchief.

“Hard luck, Friggy.” Mirror Match put her linen square away and advanced on him, drawing out a short, black dagger that somehow scared him more than anything else he had seen in his entire career as an Assassin. Holding him down with one foot, Mirror bent down and held the weapon’s jagged edge so close that he could see the thin layer of green liquid that coated it.

Then she kicked him in the head and walked away, the dagger vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.

“Nevermind,” he heard her say with restrained rage. “You’re not worth it.”

Mirror Match walked to the edge of the rooftop and picked up her rifle, disassembling it and putting the parts into various pockets. Frigid struggled to his feet, only for Mirror to toss an empty magazine at his forehead hard enough to knock him down again.

“I hope you Assassins are happy with your work tonight,” the Templar hissed with a venomous smile. “It was a good plan. Very well executed.” She balanced herself on the edge and growled, “I hope I can return the favour.”

Then she jumped off into the darkness, leaving Frigid all alone. He stared up into the night sky and groaned. He had her. He could've ended it, but he wasted his chance. Why? His forehead was stinging, and he put a hand up to where the magazine had struck him. It was sticky and warm.

Frigid slid his hand over his face, groaning before slumping over to the side, right onto a small plastic object. His radio. Somewhere during the fight it must have fallen out of his ear. He picked it up and put it back as voices began popping up in his head.

"Frigid? Respond! Are you there?" It was Glimpse, and by the sound of it, she must have been trying to get him for quite some time now.

"I'm here Glimpse."

"Ah, there you are..." the female Assassin sighed with relief. "Are you alright? Did you get Mirror?"

Frigid put his hands down and slowly pushed himself up. "She... Got away. I'm sorry. I wasn't good enough."

"Don't blame yourself, Frigid. She was a strong opponent, even for us. I don't know what the Templars have taught her, but it doesn't matter. We are victorious today. The machine's gone."

Glimpse was right. The Assassins had taken a big lead ahead this day. But why didn't it feel like a victory to him? There were still too many unanswered questions for Frigid to feel happy at this point. He lifted himself off the ground and pulled back his hood; the heat of the fires below made the roof much warmer than before. There was nothing more he could do here.

“I’m heading back, Glimpse,” Frigid informed as he slowly made his way to the escape ladder. During his fight with Mirror, he had plenty of adrenaline and energy fueling him, but now that it was over, he felt as if he’d been carrying an elephant across the rooftops for the past two hours. “I’ll meet you both on the ground.”

Frigid tried to look at the bright side as he went down one rung at a time, making sure his grip on the ladder was secure before every step. The Templars’ machine was destroyed, and with it, their chance of using that artifact they had, at least for the time being. Sure, they could always build a second one, but Frigid reminded himself that that was the reason why he and the others were around. When the need arises, they would stop the Templars again, but what was that feeling pulling at him from inside? That was a question Frigid would have to find out when he got back.

Chapter 43: A Welcoming Era

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“She was there, huh?” Satin asked as she sat on the bed opposite Frigid’s. Her arm was in a sling, injured when a Templar ninja ambushed her from the side and stabbed it with a sword. Dewdrop stood beside her partner’s bed, watching over her.

“Yeah… She was.” Frigid waited on the other bed as Dr. Patch began wrapping a bandage around his head. She had diagnosed him with mild concussion, but also worked to stop the bleeding from where Mirror Match had hit him with the metal magazine. “She’s gotten a lot stronger… I don’t know what happened or even how she managed to get that far ahead in such a short time.”

“Either that, or she’s been holding back,” Dewdrop suggested. That was another option Frigid had considered, but that only meant that she was a spy from the start, and he didn’t want to even think about that.

"Hey, at least we took out the machine, Frigid," Satin smiled at him reassuringly. "Don't worry about Mirror, okay? There's always next time."

Frigid nodded, but said nothing. There was something he was missing and it was still nagging in the back of his head.

"Well, you're good to go, Frigid," Patch said as she stepped away to look at him from a distance. "Yup. You may go. You don't want to miss out on that celebration they're having upstairs." She turned around and began inspecting Satin's arm. "Now, let's finish up, Satin. Then you can go home."

"See you around, Frigid," Satin and Dewdrop waved to him as he headed away.

Frigid raised a hand and said goodbye before walking out of the medic wing. The rest of the able-bodied Assassins were above him somewhere, partying and eating, happy that they'd gone a step ahead of the Templars after all these years. Frigid headed up the stairs, but didn't stop at the next floor. He kept going until he arrived at the roof, pushing the door open to the moonlit scenery.

He found his favourite spot by the back and sat himself against the roof extension, looking up into the sky. The Assassin just wanted to be alone to settle his thoughts as he watched the clouds move along, blocking out more stars above him.

The Eye was gone and it would take at least another year for the Templars to get another one operational, so that was a great advantage for the Assassins. But then Frigid thought to Mirror Match again. He had her at his mercy. He had her under the blade of his knife, but why didn't he end her by sticking it into her neck?

Then Frigid thought back to the past. Mirror had always been with him, almost since the beginning. She hadn't just been his partner. She had also been his girlfriend, and he had loved her with everything he had, and now he realized, he still did. That was why he couldn't kill her. A part of him still wanted her to be alive. To be with her. To perhaps be able to turn her back to the Assassins. It had never been anger that Frigid had felt towards her.

Frigid tucked his head into his knees as tears streamed down from his eyes. He still loved her, even after everything she did. He couldn't take it. Life had just about gone over to the deep end for him. Things would never be the same again.

"You okay there, partner?"

Frigid didn't look up, but he knew High Noon's voice anywhere. "I just need some time to myself."

"Frigid, you know, if there's something you need to talk about..." The cowboy paused, choosing his words before speaking them. "You can tell me. I wouldn't be here if not for you."

“It’s about Mirror…” Frigid whispered. If there was anyone left that he could trust, it was High Noon. After all these years, he had become something like a best friend to him. “I couldn’t do it. I had her, but I couldn’t finish her, Noon. I just couldn’t…”

“It’s normal, I guess…” High Noon sighed. He took his hat off his head and looked at it. “I don’t know myself if I could ever kill someone I loved.”

“Even if she betrayed you and killed your master?”

Frigid listened as High Noon remained silent. He knew he had a point, but he also wanted the cowboy to reply. To give him a better point that would make him feel better. He secretly pulled out his picture of Mirror and himself. He missed her. He missed the way things were.

“I don’t know, partner… I might say myself that I could do something, but I don't really know until the situation’s placed right in front of me. I’m sorry. I wish I had something encouraging to say.”

“Yeah…” Frigid didn’t know what else to say. He had failed and that was it. He still loved the woman that had betrayed him. “Noon, if you could just give me room here. I think I really need to be alone. Just like that.”

“Anything you need, Frigid.” High Noon put his hat back on and headed back in. “But if you ever need someone to talk to, you know where to find me.”

“Why thank you, Dew,” Satin said as her partner held her apartment door open for her.

“My pleasure, Satin,” Dewdrop smiled as Satin walked in.

Velvet ran out of her room after hearing the door open as usual, running straight for her big sister.

“Satin! What happened to your arm?” Velvet looked at the sling and bandages, but didn’t touch them, just in case.

“Just… a little accident, Velvet,” Dewdrop covered for her partner. “Don’t worry about it. It’ll heal in a couple of days.” She looked back at Satin. “Guess I’ll be cooking for you two today, huh?”

“Are you a good cook, Dewdrop?” Velvet asked excitedly. “Satin’s a really good cook!”

Dewdrop laughed at looked at Satin who just shrugged with her able arm. “Well, I’m not as good as your sister, but I have my skills. Here, I’ll go prepare something. Why don’t the two of you catch up on the day?”

Satin nodded and headed to the couch with Velvet, sitting down beside her younger sister. “So, how was school today, Velv? Have you made any friends yet?”

“Sorta…” Velvet pouted, tossing her training ball up into the air, catching it as it came back down. “You know how it’s been. I’m just not good at making friends.”

“You’ll get it one day, Velvet,” Satin said and patted her sister on the head. “It takes time, but I know one day, you’ll make a good lasting friendship.”

“Thanks, sis.” Velvet slid closer and wrapped her arms around Satin’s waist. “How was your day? How did you get injured? Does it hurt?”

Satin looked up to the ceiling as she thought about it. She had infiltrated a Templar power plant, fought off a bunch of soldiers, and destroyed their machine. Which part of that could she tell Velvet? "Uh, one of our big projects went along successfully, so I guess that was good. I got injured by a car. Didn't see it coming, but don't worry Velv. I'll be fine."

"Sounds exciting. Well, except for the car part. I wouldn't want to be hit."

"Of course, lil' sis. How was your day? How's middle school?"

"It's a lot different," Velvet said as she tossed the ball against the wall, catching it as it bounced back. "There are more subjects now."

"Well, of course! It's all part of learning."

"And more homework too..."

"Don't worry about school, Velvet," Satin chuckled. "It'll all blow over before you know it."

"Dinner's ready!" Dewdrop called from the kitchen as she brought out a huge pot of stew. "Come on, Velvet! Come try Dewdrop's special beef stew!"

Velvet and Satin set up the table as Dewdrop set the pot in the middle. Soon, all three girls were seated down, eating away at the delicious, aromatic stew.

"This is good!" Velvet said with a mouthful of beef.

"Yeah, Dew," Satin agreed as she scooped up another spoonful with her good hand. "I should let you cook more."

"This is nothing," Dewdrop chuckled.

"No, it's really good, Dewdrop!" her partner added. "Unless you can cook something much better."

The three girls continued to chat about their lives and food as they drained the bowl of stew. Velvet helped Dewdrop clean up while Satin returned to the couch. They had both insisted that she do nothing, since her arm was injured. After washing all the bowls and utensils, Satin walked Velvet to her room as her younger sister let out a huge yawn.

"Time for bed, Velvet," Satin said as she sat beside Velvet on the bed.

"But I don't want to sleep yet..." Velvet muttered, one eye already closing. "I want to hang out with you and Dewdrop."

"Well, you have school tomorrow, so you should get some sleep."

Velvet protested some more, but her body didn't agree with her and in a few minutes, she was sound asleep as Satin left the room.

"Phew..." she muttered as she sat down beside Dewdrop on the couch. "Long day, huh?"

“Yeah…” Dewdrop leaned her head back against the fabric back. “How’s your arm doing?”

Satin looked at her bandaged arm. “It hurts if I move it too much, but don’t worry. It’s fine. I can handle it.”

“Here,” Dewdrop put a hand on Satin’s arm. “Let me look at it for you.”

Without waiting for Satin to agree, the blue haired Assassin began removing her partner’s coat, baring her bandaged arm to the air. Satin shivered, her thin undershirt doing little to keep out the cold. She put her other hand on her red scarf, thankful that she had it.

“You’re so tense,” Dewdrop murmured bemusedly. “Don’t you feel comfortable around me, sweetheart?” When Satin’s only answer was to blush, Dewdrop chuckled softly and hugged her close. Satin’s cheeks were glowing like an inferno, and that was before Dewdrop slipped a hand beneath her shirt to massage her aching back.

“Just rest,” the blue haired woman crooned. “Let me take care of you for once.”

Satin could not find it in her to protest.

"Well, I'm glad they got all that done." Twilight Sparkle leaned back as Morning Blade closed her book for the day, turning to look out the window as the sun began to set. "I wonder what would've happened, you know? If they got that machine to work then. Would they have found Sunset sooner?"

"I don't know, Twilight." Morning shook her head. She wouldn't even have been around then if they had found Sunset early. "Sunset mentioned she was a very different person back then."

"Oh, yes she was," Twilight chuckled. "She stole my crown and everything. Tried to turn everyone into mindless zombie slaves. Yeah, maybe finding her back then wouldn't have been ideal for us all, huh?"

"I guess not..." Morning shoved the book back in her bag and got up. "Well, it has been a pleasure to tell you the story this far, princess. It's nice that someone else gets to know what the others have given up for the world."

"Yes, it's nice to know what they have done even for Equestria." Twilight slung her backpack over her shoulders. "What they did in your journal, they also did for Equestria. If not for them and Sunset, Sombra might've returned and everything would've been lost."

"It's good to know what they did all paid off in the end." Morning nodded sadly. Even if they were heroes to some, they were still gone. Morning was never seeing them again. "Not a day goes by that I do not miss then, Twilight. I don't have anyone left."

"Aw, don't say that." The princess walked over and placed a hand on Morning's shoulder. "You still have Sunset and her friends. And well, I can be your friend too. I'm the Princess of Friendship, after all."

Morning Blade laughed and a smile formed across her lips. "Yeah, I don't mind, princess. Thank you."

"I'm glad I can call you a friend, Morning Blade. Now, come on. We should go. I need to get back and you can go get some rest to yourself. You've earned so much of it."

"I'll try my best." And Morning didn't deny it. Rest sounded nice, especially after everything she had gone through so recently, with Sombra and everything. "It's nice to just get a chance to sit back..."

Chapter 44: Bring Her Home

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Morning Blade had packed a scarf the next morning, shivering from the cold even in her own home. She first had a nice hot shower before getting changed and heading out, ready to continue the next segment of her storytelling with Princess Twilight Sparkle.

Princess of Friendship... It was still almost unbelievable that she had been talking to a pony princess from another world. Morning Blade wondered what her parents and brother would think if she told them she was meeting such a person. They'd probably laugh their heads off.

Morning herself hadn't been a believer in the mystical, but after witnessing things like Mentor Steel Shine's sword, Sombra's shadows, and even people emerging through Canterlot High's statue base, she figured anything was possible.

In less than an hour, Morning found herself looking up at Canterlot High School, waiting close to the statue for the pony princess to show up.

"Sorry, I'm a little late!" Twilight suddenly popped up, panting. "I had to wrap up some friendship business first."

"No harm, Twilight." Morning Blade smiled and followed the lavender girl as they headed for the school building. "You are a princess. You have duties. I understand that."

"Glad to hear it," the princess said. "So, how has it been? The normal life? I mean, after you leave school everyday."

"I've just been spending time with my family. Nothing much else." Morning held the door open for Twilight and followed in after her, glad to be out of the cold. She hadn't been as used to it since her Assassin days ended. Perhaps it was a perk that came with being an Assassin. She shook her head. That made it sound like a video game. "It's been nice to catch up with them."

"Yeah, family sure is great, huh? So what do we have today?"

"We'll be skipping ahead again, Twilight," Morning explained, tapping her bag where her journal was. "I wish I could have their whole lives detailed out here, but... I don't. I could only gather pieces."

"Your pieces are more than enough." Twilight patted her on the arm. "It's really informative. I do wonder what you have in store for me now, though with Mirror Match out there... I can only imagine..."

Three months later

It was a new era for the Assassins. They had destroyed the Templars’ potential game-changer, making sure that the artifact couldn’t be used effectively for another few years; it was one of their greatest victories in the last few years, but for Frigid Night, things didn’t seem to matter anymore.

He had gotten back to work, taking down Templars whenever Red Card got a contract out, but he didn’t see the purpose anymore. For him, it was just mindless killing now. The only thing that mattered now was Mirror Match. He yearned to see her, even after everything that happened. Frigid wanted life to be back to the way it was, with Mirror by his side every day and night.

“Everything alright, Frigid?” Trueshot asked as he joined Frigid by the table.

Frigid Night shook himself out of his trance, remembering he had gone to the canteen for dinner. “Uh, yeah. Everything’s fine, Trueshot.”

“You don’t sound too sure about yourself,” Trueshot picked up his fork and stabbed it into a piece of beef.

“No, no. It’s fine.” Frigid finished up what little dinner he had and got up. “Sorry, I’ve got a mission to get to. I’ll see you around.”

Trueshot sighed, but managed a smile for the younger Assassin. Frigid had already been promoted to the rank of Veteran, but things had been a bit strange for the kid lately.

“No luck, Trueshot?” Rose Petal asked as she set her tray down beside the Stalliongrad Assassin.

“No. He’s just… so distant now. I feel as if I don’t know him anymore.”

“Yeah…” Rose shook her head solemnly. “Poor guy. I wish there was something I could do to help him.”

Trueshot put a reassuring hand on Rose’s and gave her a firm smile. “We’ll give him time. Maybe that’s all he needs right now. Time to think.”

Frigid Night stood on the roof of a small condominium in Fillydephia, scouting out the area before him using a pair of binoculars. There were a bunch of kids playing baseball in the nearby field, while a group of business people had a chat about some important deal they had to make. Soon, however, a coming storm chased them all back indoors, leaving Frigid alone in the streets of Fillydelphia.

Frigid had waited for his target to show up, but with a storm coming, even a Templar wouldn’t want to be outdoors. He stowed his binoculars in his coat pocket before pulling his hood over his head. He thought about his next course of action, deciding it would be wise to start searching indoors, or the nearby office building where his target was supposed to work at.

The Assassin stood up to leave when he sensed something nearby. He turned around to see a familiar face sitting on a condenser, looking down at him as she kicked her legs back and forth.

“Hey, Friggy,” Mirror Match greeted with a smile. “How’s it going?”

“Mirror...” Frigid said and walked forward. He had been thinking about her day and night and now, here she was, just sitting so close by. She wore her new red and purple robes, along with a Templar cross on her belt. She seemed none the worse for wear after their last encounter, without even a single scar on her face to show for it.

“Did you finally figure it out?”

Frigid raised a confused eyebrow. “Figure what out?”

Mirror let out a small chuckle, but kept her eyes on him. “Why, your feelings towards me, of course. That’s why you didn’t kill me that day, yes?”

Frigid widened his eyes at her last sentence. She knew. She had known all this time. He stopped before her and looked up at her, noticing she was still as pretty as she was the first day they met.

“Mirror. Why? Why did you betray us?” Frigid pleaded with her. He had to know why she had done everything she did.

She looked away from him, but continued to sit there. “I’m sorry, Friggy. I had to. It’s not you. It’s personal. Very personal.” She finished with an annoyed expression.

“I can help you, Mirror. Just… please, come back.”

She hopped off the condenser and stopped just in front of the Assassin. “You can’t help me, Friggy. No one can. You won’t understand even if I tell you.”

Frigid raised his hands and hesitantly put them on Mirror’s arms. “Let me try, Mirror. Let me do what I can.”

Mirror did something Frigid hadn’t felt in a long time. She gently put a hand to his cheek and held it; the Assassin had almost forgotten what his old partner felt like. “There is nothing you can do.”

"Mirror." Frigid held on tighter as he stared into her beautiful blue eyes. "Let me try. Please. I just want you by my side again."

“You truly want to be by my side all the way?” Mirror put her other hand on Frigid’s opposite cheek.

“Yes,” Frigid hastily nodded, pulling his old partner closer to himself. “Just come back, Mirror. We can talk this out. We can tell the others it was all a misunderstanding. It wasn’t your fault. Then whatever it is you need help with… Let’s do it together.”

“Oh, alright,” she giggled and pulled his face to hers, pressing her lips against his. Frigid folded his arms over her, just like old times. She finally pulled away, leaving Frigid with a wondrous smile on his face. “I’ll come back with you. Perhaps you can help me after all.”

“That’s why I think we should introduce this new system into all the schools,” an ice-blue haired man finished before sitting down.

“Thank you, Principal Frost,” Mahogany Wood leaned his back against his chair before giving the Fillydelphia principal a nod. The chairman of the Board of Education was at his quarterly meeting with all the principals from Manehattan to Seaddle to fill them in on the most recent updates to the system and to hear what they had learned. And, if in the process a few of his more… trusted informants happened to tell him something interesting, then that was just the icing on top of the banana milkshake.

As Principal Celestia stood up to give her report about the school she was in charge of, the chairman suppressed a frown. The spectral haired woman played too much by the book to be a candidate for recruitment.

“Principal Celestia,” Mahogany kept his face and voice pleasant, but there was an icy undercurrent. “As fascinating as your report on Canterlot High School may be, I believe that we are almost of out of time.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Chairman Wood,” she cleared her throat before looking around. “I’ll keep it short. We should hold more events to allow the students to get acquainted with each other. Thank you for listening.” She stacked her papers together and sat back down.

“Chairman Wood,” another man with light skin and a shaved head raised his hand. An eye patch covered his left eye, which Mahogany found strange. The man didn’t have it the last time they had a meeting. “I’d like to ask about the state of the new artificial intelligence computer programs that your IT man plans to install in the school board mainframe. Are they going to affect the way we file data and grades?”

“I already sent everyone here an email about the software patches, Principal Sears,” Mahogany tried not to groan. “It’s still in the experimental stages at the moment, but our man Garnet Willow assures us that it will not only be able to regulate the way we post grades, but also stop any kind of external malware that may alter grades.”

The middle school principal nodded and remained silent. Mahogany panned his eyes across the room, waiting for more questions to be asked. When no one said anything else, he smiled to himself before standing up to straighten his jacket.

“If that is all, this meeting is concluded. However, those of you on the advanced division need to stay a while longer; I want a word about this quarter’s results.”

“Well, la-li-lu-le-lo,” Principal Sears muttered as he rose from his chair, sounding all too happy to get out of the stuffy meeting room. “See you later, all. Chairman.”

Most of the faculty began leaving, with only a few staying behind. Each one had a glinting Templar cross on their jackets, just like the one on Mahogany’s. The chairman waited until everyone else had left before speaking.

“I wanted to update you all on our funds.” Mahogany leaned forward and put his fingers together, staring at the others through the holes in between his appendages. “As you know, we had lost quite an amount of capital a few months back. We’re looking to get it all back. Now, I’ll need you to donate twelve percent of each of your schools’ reserve funds to our cause, at least until we get back on our feet.”

“But what if we’re found out?” A stern faced blue woman with purple hair in a bun protested. “My- Our reputation will be tarnished!”

“And I’m already under investigation by the police!” A man whose name Mahogany recalled to be Cobalt, the principal of Trottingham High School, chewed his lip. “If anything more goes missing from my funds, I could be arrested!”

“You’ll just have to play it carefully, Principal Cobalt,” the woman sneered at him. “Don’t you ever stop to think about your image?”

“That’s all you care about, Abacus. You and your precious legacy. The Templars are more than just about you, you know!”

“Enough,” Mahogany said sternly enough for both principals to quickly return to their neutral positions in their seats. "This is more than just reputation and image. The Assassins dealt a great blow to us, and we're looking to pay them back. We've already got an agent headed to them right now. I just need your word that you'll send some funds our way."

“An agent?” Principal Cinch arched an eyebrow. “There’s no way this agent can be traced back to us, is there? I don’t like sacrificing my reputation because of one person’s incompetence.”

Cobalt nodded “For once I agree. Can’t let the cops know I’m in on all this cloak and dagger stuff. This agent better be good, chairman.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Mahogany Wood smirked and rose to leave. “She’s the best we have.”

"Stay behind me, Mirror," Frigid motioned to her. "I'll talk to them."

Mirror nodded and did as the Assassin said, a low grin on her face.

"Frigid, what is the meaning of this?" Spectral Rim walked towards him, her small blades drawn. "Why is she here? She lost! She's a Templar now. She shouldn't be back after what she did, unless it’s in a pine box."

"No, Spectral," Frigid raised his hands. "I brought her here to sort things out."

Fire Frenzy took one look at the Templar and spat at her feet. "I should kill you right now."

Frigid backed away as both of his fellow Assassins advanced on Mirror Match menacingly. Mirror raised an eyebrow at Frigid, the faint smile never leaving her face. He was impressed with her fortitude; were it him in her position, he was certain that he wouldn’t be nearly as calm about it all.

“If you’re going to kill me, I hope you enjoy explaining to the Mentor just why you killed a potential goldmine of information,” Mirror said tartly. “Though looking at both of you,” her smile grew into a grin. “I could take you both blindfolded, and that’s no exaggeration.”

"Want to put that to the test?" Frenzy shouted and spun his sword once before gripping on to the handle with both hands. "Come on."

"No, guys!" Frigid barked and stepped between them. "It's all just a misunderstanding. We'll clear it all out. Then everything'll be back to normal."

"Frigid. What are you talking about?" Spectral glared at him. "She betrayed us! Dust Fencer is dead because of her! Have you forgotten your old teacher already?"

“She’s right, you know,” Mirror pointed at Spectral.

“Mirror! Whose side are you on?” Frigid complained.

“The Templars’!” Spectral and Frenzy said at once.

Frigid looked at Mirror Match, then at his friends, then back to Mirror who shrugged.

“Great friends you have here, Friggy.”

"You were my friend once, Mirror," Spectral answered. "But your actions have said otherwise."

“Yeah well, I used to like your face once,” Mirror shot back childishly. “But then I got contact lenses.”

"Look, I'll just take her to the interrogation rooms first." Frigid put a hand in front of Mirror as Spectral took a step closer to them. "We just need answers."

“You can’t do that! Who are you to decide what to do with that, that traitor!” Frenzy growled as he eyed the Templar agent.

"Maybe I can’t decide, but the Mentor sure can. I'm sure she'll understand once Mirror explains herself."

“Oh yes, she and I go way back,” chirped Mirror cheerily. “Why, I knew her even before she was born! She was a wonderful person, even when she was somebody else.”

"Okay, she's officially gone crazy," Frenzy continued to point his sword tip at Mirror Match. "Just let me kill her now and be done with it."

A hand appeared on Frenzy's shoulder before Trueshot walked out, Star Lance just behind him.

"Frigid, I thought you would pull something, but to bring her back here?" Trueshot eyed the ex-Assassin warily. "You didn't even cuff her."

"Restrain her." Star Lance threw Frigid a pair of cable ties. "Then come with me. We need to talk."

Frigid brought them up to his face and turned to Mirror Match. The purple-skinned woman just shrugged and put out her hands for Frigid. The grey haired Assassin reluctantly tied them around her hands before tightening it, making sure she had no room to squirm her way out of them.

Mirror seemed to sense his thoughts and put her hands on his shoulder. "You've got to do what you've got to do, Friggy."

"Take her down to the interrogation room," he spoke to Trueshot before walking toward the stairs. "Frigid, let's go."

"I'll see you later, Friggy," Mirror smiled and blew him a kiss, almost as if she knew what was going to happen.

Frigid followed Star Lance up to the Mentor's office, all the while thinking what they would do with his old partner and what kind of shouting he would get from the lieutenant. It was a dangerous move bringing Mirror back, but if there was a chance to be with her, he would gladly take it.

As soon as the wooden door closed behind him, Star Lance stepped right up to Frigid and glared down at him. "Do you realize what you could've done? Bringing her back?"

"Y-yes, I do," he said as he backed away from the master Assassin. "She needs help. I can help her. Just give her a chance."

"Fine." Frigid was stunned for a second. He was expecting more of a lecture from the lieutenant.

"That's it...?" The words came out of Frigid's mouth before he could stop himself.

"Yes. If you believe you can change her, I'm willing to give you and her a chance. I understand how you feel, so I'm taking it easy. Just promise me you'll make it work."

"Yes, of course!" Frigid nodded. "But... Isn't the Mentor going to say something about this?"

"She's busy. I don't want you to disturb her, so that is all. You may go. Just be sure to keep an eye on her. I'm not placing my trust in someone who betrayed us just like that."

"Of course, Star Lance." Frigid headed for the door, but stopped and turned back one more time. "Thank you."

The master Assassin nodded and moved to situate himself at a short desk. "Just make sure I don't regret it, kid. Make sure you don't regret it."

Chapter 45: Forty Seconds

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Mirror Match slightly turned her head as the Auger made his way to the opposite end of the table, setting his briefcase she knew contained his tools on the solid surface with a metallic clunk.

"Didn't think I'd ever be on this end of your interrogations, Auger," Mirror smiled as she watched him. "How are things? Kill anyone recently?"

"I haven't had to," he said through his metal mask. "They've all been very cooperative. As will you, I hope."

"Oh, don't you worry about me..."

The interrogator flipped his suitcase open, revealing his array of shiny tools, used countless times on other Templars to get all the information they needed. Sometimes they even spilled the beans without them needing to be used.

"So, I would like to talk about the Templar plans first," he said quietly as he pulled out a syringe with green liquid. "What are they planning next?"

Mirror drummed her fists on the table as she thought about what to tell the Assassin.

“Oh, the usual. Global domination. Getting unreasonably rich. Killing you. Simple stuff.”

"What is the next step of their plan?" he repeated in a different sentence as he tested the syringe.

“You know, I’ve known a lot of Assassins in my time,” Mirror mused aloud for her captor’s benefit. “But I have to say, this generation’s ones are proving to be pretty pathetic, in my opinion.”

The Auger growled in his throat before approaching her. "Answer the question. What. Are. They. Plotting. To. Do. Now."

“At this moment in time, right at this very moment?” Mirror smiled sweetly.

"Yes," he muttered, raising the syringe close to her face.

The Templar agent eyed the needle with amusement.

“Quite a toy you have,” she said with a sniff. “Pretty potent mix of… what’s in there?”

The man scowled behind his mask. One goal as an interrogator was the strike fear into the hearts of his victims. It usually worked, but this time, it didn't seem to be having any effect. "Would you like to find out?" he asked.

She stuck out her tongue at him. “Honestly? Yes.”

"Well, if you insist." He moved to the side and brought it closer to her neck. "This serum is designed to get you to spill the beans, as they say. Sadly, about thirty percent of my victims are immune. That's what the rest of my tools are for, of course."

Mirror Match didn’t even flinch as the plunger depressed, sending all the serum into her bloodstream. She smacked her lips a few times, appearing to look for something to say.

“Tastes pretty outdated,” she critiqued. “Mix that up yourself, did you?”

The Auger didn't answer. He stood, arms crossed, waiting for his serum to take effect. He didn’t have to wait for long; his prisoner’s eyes abruptly glazed over and she leaned back in her chair.

"There we go," he nodded to himself. "Not so tough after all, are you? Now, I'm going to ask you again. What are the Templars' planning?"

"They… they’re planning… to…" Mirror’s words were slurred, and were becoming hard to hear. Odd. The serum usually didn’t do this to people he injected with it.

"Please repeat yourself."

“Templars… are planning to… send…” The rest of the sentence was lost in a stream of incomprehensible mumbles.

"What is going on...?" the Auger grumbled as he continued to watched the dazed woman. He returned to his suitcase and pulled out a vial. He needed to check the serum again. If it did this to everyone he injected it with, he'd be wasting a lot of his time and resources.

The Assassin interrogator walked around to Mirror Match’s side again to look at her neck. Perhaps he’d injected her in the wrong spot, or pricked a nerve. There had to be some explanation for this unusual effect. He prodded a finger into her purple flesh, checking if she had some kind of countermeasure against drugs.

“You know, there’s shomething I should tell you…”

The Auger ignored Mirror and scratched his chin. It didn’t look like he’d pricked her in the wrong place, although now that he noticed, there was a tiny dark spot on her purple skin, almost like a birthmark that had certainly not been there before he’d injected her.

“Shhomee-thing… impooortant!” Mirror continued to sing almost embarrassingly loudly.

"Gah, what is it? About the Templars?"

“Yes!” Mirror nodded enthusiastically. “But it’s a secret, so you have to come closer, or someone might hear us!”

The truth serum was having a weird effect on the ex-Assassin, but the Auger decided to humor her. Maybe at least he would get a straight answer if he played along. "Okay, what is it?" he whispered close to her ear.

The Templar nodded approvingly, but spoke so quietly that he could barely hear her.

“You know, you remind me a lot of a man I once knew,” she whispered giddily. “Dawn Saber was his name. He was big and strong like you too. Very noble, but there’s more to it than that.”

"Your past does not concern me, traitor," he looked into her eyes. "Your future, however, does."

“Oh, but don’t you see? You and Dawn Saber are about to have one more thing in common. Shall I tell you what?”

"Yes, do tell..." the Auger asked impatiently. He had already wasted a lot of time getting nowhere.

All at once, Mirror’s eyes cleared over and the Auger was thrown against the wall with enough momentum to crack the paint and send his mask spinning away. Mirror Match stood up, the cable ties falling away from her wrists like loose threads. She walked over and before the Auger could even draw his hidden blade, she had her fingers around his neck, squeezing and grinning down at him like a wolf.

“I’ll tell you, then.”

The Auger was hoisted off the ground and held up in the air. His legs thrashed beneath him but he could find no air to scream. Mirror’s mouth opened, revealing a pair of terrifying long canines, almost two inches long poking out of her gums like a vampire’s fangs. She hissed and with one quick sweep of her neck, ripped the Auger’s throat apart. He was dead before his body hit the ground.

Mirror Match spat out the dead man’s blood and gave the corpse a kick.

“You and Dawn Saber. You’re both dead men.”

An alarm pierced the air around her as the door swung open. Both Assassins that had been standing guard outside looked at their dead comrade before pointing their blades at Mirror.

In the blink of an eye, she was on them, sliding below a horizontal swipe and driving her knee into one Assassin’s solar plexus. He doubled over in pain and Mirror roundhouse kicked his partner before taking the weapon from his nerveless fingers and beheading the first man. The second one rose to his feet but before he could even get his bearings, Mirror thrust her newly procured weapon right into his eye with such force that it came out the back of his head, splattering blood and bits of brain all over the brick wall behind.

The whole escape had taken little more than forty seconds.

Mirror Match gave a tug at the sword, but it was embedded too deep in the skull to pull out conveniently, so she left it there and armed herself with a long, curved dagger from the truncated Assassin’s body. She had come here weaponless on the correct suspicion that she would be searched. Blood was quickly pooling around the corpses, so Mirror slipped out of the interrogation chambers and into the bureau proper.

“Now, where is that office?”

It wouldn’t be long before the alarms brought more of those Assassins running, and as much fun as it might be, her mission here wasn’t to kill them all. No. There was something far more… personal that needed to be taken care of. So she quelled her bloodthirst and slinked away into the shadows, aiming for the stairs.

A smile grew on Mirror Match’s face as she scaled the steps three at a time. For the first time in forever, she moved with a purpose, as if all of a sudden she had something worth fighting for. An Assassin appeared at the top of the stairs and she took advantage of her momentary surprise to throw the Assassin over her shoulder and down the stairs. Things broke. Not the steps.

“Hard luck, rookie,” Mirror kept climbing. “Always knew you were a bit weak.”

She could hear footfalls on the floor above. They’d probably heard the alarms, or someone had found the blood all over the interrogation room. It didn’t matter.

Upon appearing on the Mentor’s floor, a bullet streaked past Mirror’s chest and she retreated back into the stairwell. She clucked her tongue with irritation; Silent Frame and about seven others had taken up a defensive position between her and her destination. Getting shot was so not on today’s schedule. Mirror decided to try diplomacy.

“Hey, Silent Frame!” she shouted around the wall. “I can see your aim hasn’t gotten any better! What’s the matter, can’t bear to shoot my pretty face?”

This particular remark was met with another bullet, this one chipping off a bit of plaster. It appeared that they weren’t going to move closer, which was what Mirror had wanted.

“Nice one! You actually hit the broadside of a wall! Guess Trueshot can learn a thing or two from you, or has he not bought himself a new rifle yet?”

She was running out of options and time. Not insults though, she had plenty of those. Mirror scanned the doors closest to her.

Storeroom. No good.

Toilet. Tempting, but unhelpful.

Medical clinic. Perfect.

Steeling herself, the Templar agent waited until there was a lull in the gunfire to dart across into Dr. Patch’s wing. The good doctor herself was absent, but there was a bedridden Assassin who sat up and saw her come in. Mirror punched him hard in the face and he went down like a rock.

Silent Frame and High Noon could be heard outside.

“She went in there! We got her now!”

Mirror ignored them. She scanned the shelves of medical supplies for the item she needed, eyes jumping like roulette balls in their sockets.

There! Two glass bottles, each filled to the brim with a clear mixture. She snatched them from their shelf just as Silent Frame, High Noon, and a small crew of other heavily armed Assassins burst into the clinic.

They saw Mirror immediately. Guns were pointed.

“Well, well, well,” Mirror Match said, backing away. “This all of you?” Both her hands were behind her back. “I think I expected more.”

“Enough, Mirror Match,” High Noon said in what he probably thought was a brave voice. “We’ve got you surrounded. Just give up.”

“Don’t make us do this, Mirror.” Silent Frame had her pistol leveled at Mirror’s head while holding her knife in her other hand. “You don’t want this.”

The Templar agent smiled thinly. “No. I really think I do.”

Mirror’s right hand swung down, hurling the bottle of chloroform she’d been holding right at the Assassins’ feet before dodging out of the way of their expected gunshots. The cloying scent of the chemical flooded the entire room, choking every one of her opponents into unconsciousness. Mirror Match watched Silent Frame try to lift her pistol, fail, and slump to the ground in a heap.

It was nice, Mirror thought bemusedly while catching her breath, to not be affected by things like chloroform.

She bent down and picked up High Noon’s fallen revolver and stopped at the clinic door. Unstoppering the second bottle, she poured the entire container of rubbing alcohol onto the threshold and shot it to set it alight. Then she shut the door and proceeded unchallenged to the Mentor’s office.

The Mentor’s office was locked, so Mirror spent the rest of High Noon’s bullets shooting out the lock. She swiftly pushed the door open and headed in, keeping an eye out for the Mentor or her lieutenant.

Empty. This just made her job easier. Most of the Mentor’s office was stacked to the ceiling with filing cabinets and bookshelves that held reports and accounts of past missions, so that was where Mirror went.

“Now let’s see… about three months ago should be around here…”

It wasn’t an easy search. For all their leadership skills, neither Star Lance nor the Mentor had been particularly talented in the ways of keeping documents neat and tidy. Anything that was irrelevant was thrown to the ground, until papers littered the office floor like leaves in autumn.

There was a whirring noise and a muffled thump. Mirror’s brow furrowed in annoyance, her nose twitching. She turned around, beholding the lieutenant, Star Lance in the doorway, both his hidden blades out and ready, but a rather surprised look on his face. Looking down, Mirror’s eyebrows went north at the sight of a patch of dark red that was spreading across her chest.

Mirror Match frowned and rolled her eyes, reaching behind her back to pull out the knife that he had thrown between her shoulder blades.

“Really?” she tossed the bloodstained knife away and put her hands on her hips. “I can’t get a moment’s peace around here, can I? You can’t just go about throwing knives at people when they’re reading, it’s rude.”

“What are you doing in here, traitor?” the lieutenant snarled. “This room is off-limits without the Mentor’s permission. You’re disturbing her.”

“Oh, her? We’re old friends, she and I. I’m sure she won’t mind me dropping by and borrowing a file or two.”

Star Lance charged at her, a second knife already hurling in her direction. Mirror stepped to the side and the knife missed, but the lieutenant was already upon her. A hidden blade scythed at Mirror’s neck and she barely had time to scoot away before Star Lance pressed the assault.

Mirror growled, frowning for the second time that day. This man was a cut above the rest. Her hand shot to the dagger she had stolen, but almost immediately it was kicked out of her grip. Now completely disarmed, Mirror did the only thing she could. Backing up to the shelves, she kicked up the papers on the floor into Star Lance’s face and while he was still disoriented, seized a heavy glass paperweight off the desk and smashed it over his head.

To Mirror’s dismay, Star Lance barely seemed to notice it. Her frown deepened.

“You’re a tough one,” she squirted out of an attempted headlock and put the desk between them. “But you’re not like me, are you? You smell too mundane for that.”

Star Lance drew a slim machete from his waist, slashing at Mirror and drawing blood. “Keep talking! You won’t be able to once I kill you.”

Mirror Match dodged away from the Assassin, her hand finding the knife she’d thrown away a few moments prior. It was barely six inches long but it was still better than nothing. When Star Lance came at her again, she locked blades with his machete, the contact juddering up her arm. Star Lance’s other arm remained free however, and he took advantage of his by stabbing Mirror in the side with his hidden blade. She winced in pain.

Kicking the troublesome lieutenant away, Mirror stumbled back, pressing a hand to her ribs and scowling. “I don’t want to kill you…” her voice seemed to waver, sounding like two people speaking at once.

“Well, I do. You’ve done enough damage today.”

The Templar made a noise that was something between a laugh and a cough. “Funny. That’s just what I thought about your little scheme with the Eye.”

“The Templars want to control the world. We want to keep balance. We do what is necessary.”

“Then you’ve really lost sight of what it means to be as Assassin. Your founder would be ashamed of you.”

The two opponents rushed at each other once again, Mirror ducking beneath Star Lance’s blade and jabbing fingers into various pressure points, her hands moving in a blur. She smiled as Star Lance’s poise broke, but he maintained enough control to stab her in the leg with his right-hand hidden blade. Mirror Match broke contact with him by kicking him in the throat and clung to one of the bookshelves for support, her leg no longer able to bear her weight for the time being.

Rubbing his neck, Star Lance’s face darkened. His right hand flicked out and there came a series of clicking sounds as a complex mechanism attached to his hidden blade unfurled. In less than a second, the Assassin was left holding a short, thin spear with the hidden blade as the spearhead. Finally, the blade segment clicked out into an arrowhead formation, completing the trick weapon’s transformation.

Even Mirror looked impressed. “That’s a neat trick.”

Star Lance speared forward with his weapon, catching Mirror through her cape as she jumped to the side. He pulled down, yanking Mirror back and slamming her against the ground. The Templar tore her cape off and leapt backward over the overturned desk. To Star Lance’s credit, he didn’t betray a single shocked expression when she continued upward and planted both feet against the ceiling, flying at him with murder in her eyes, only steadied his aim and hurled his hidden spear at his onrushing enemy.

Then Mirror collided with him and both of them went tumbling head over heels into a filing cabinet. The Assassin’s eyes went wide, and Mirror Match sank her teeth into his upper arm. Star Lance felt something shoot into his bloodstream, robbing him of all strength to do anything but breathe and speak.

Getting to her feet, Mirror Match looked down at her lower body, and at the spear that had gone clean through her abdomen, sticking out her back and dripping blood copiously.

“Now that,” she wiped a stream of blood from the corner of her mouth. “Hurt.”
Star Lance attempted to get up, but it felt as if every muscle in his body had turned rock solid. Even more shocking, Mirror Match wasn’t dead or dying.

“That’s impossible… What are you?”

She didn’t answer him immediately. The Templar agent’s face contorted in discomfort, her hands closing around both ends of the spear and breaking the shaft in half for easier removal. She tossed the metallic shafts down to the ground and returned to the cabinets to search for her prize. With a triumphant cry, Mirror’s hands closed around a crisp, beige folder and she rifled through its contents, withdrawing a single sheet that she tucked into her coat before coughing up a bit of blood.

The Templar agent’s fingers reached into her cleavage and drank from a tiny glass vial of green liquid and sighing with apparent relief. Star Lance noted that what wounds he’d inflicted had stopped bleeding already, and the most recent one was already slowing down.

“What am I?” Mirror leaned over Star Lance and shook a finger at him. “I’m the one who’s going to be walking out of here with this paper while you sleep off my kiss.”

“Not if I have anything to say about it!” came a shout from the side. The Mentor stood behind Mirror, a bookshelf slightly ajar, covering the secret entrance she had come from. The other woman’s shimmering hair was unkempt and disheveled, as if she had just woken up. At her side was an item that was familiar to Mirror Match: a gilt longsword that hung in its scabbard. Surprisingly, Mirror Match immediately relaxed her stance, abandoning all appearances of hostility.

“Steel Shine,” Mirror nodded civilly. “You’re looking well.”

“What have you done?” the Mentor said, aghast at the battleground her office had become. “What did you do to Star Lance?”

Mirror sidled away from the incapacitated lieutenant. “Sorry about the mess. He and I had a bit of a disagreement, and if the rest of your disciples weren’t out to kill me, I’d stay to help you clean up.”

The Mentor scowled and reached for her golden blade. She began drawing it out of its scabbard, but before it passed the halfway mark, it stopped. The Mentor raised an eyebrow as she looked down at her blade.

“What’s going on?” she muttered under her breath.

“Oh, right, that. You promised, remember? Or you might not,” Mirror Match gave the Mentor a final bow as she continued to struggle with her sword. No matter how hard she pulled, the blade simply would not leave its sheath.

Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Mirror Match giggled and edged out of the office. She arrived at the steps just in time to meet Frigid Night coming down the same way.

His eyes widened upon beholding Mirror’s bloody form.

“Mirror? What happened to you?”

She drew him close. “Thanks for having me, Friggy, it was fun.”

“Wait-”

“But I really must be going now, so…” Frigid’s face reddened as her lips met his. “Ciao.”

And with Frigid too dazed to protest, Mirror slid herself down the banister and out into the lobby.

Chapter 46: I am the Bone of My Sword

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Frigid stood dumbfounded, trying to wrap all the information around his head as Mirror disappeared through the front doors.

“Frigid!” The Assassin turned around, seeing something he never thought he could ever imagine.

It was Star Lance and the Mentor, though the lieutenant was being supported by their leader, an arm over her shoulders, slowly dragging one leg behind him.

“Did you just let her go?” the big man barked.

"What...?" Frigid tilted his head, his mind full of questions. "What happened?"

"She poisoned me," Star Lance grunted, trying to lift his other leg from under himself. “Some kind of drug in her mouth.”

Frigid recalled the day Mirror betrayed him. Just before tossing him into the sandy pit, he remembered something sharp pierce his neck before his whole body stopped functioning. He thought she had bit him, but that just sounded too out of the ordinary. Normal people couldn’t do that.

"I did what I could for him, but he's not ready for combat," the Mentor said for her friend. “We need to catch Mirror Match. She took a file from my office.”

“What? Which file?”

“I don’t know.” The Mentor was beside herself with distress. “My entire office has been ransacked, It’ll be days before I can get this in order!”

A novice Assassin arrived around the corner, covered in ash. “The fire in the medical clinic is out of control! We need to call the fire department!”

“No,” the Mentor snapped. “We cannot call them. Rally what Assassins are left and get Pierce to reactivate the sprinklers. I need you all to hold down the fort while we pursue Mirror Match.”

“Yes, Mentor!”

Frigid stepped aside to let the novice pass. The Mentor and Star Lance hurried past, the lieutenant almost able to stand now. On the way they passed the burning clinic, the odor of which made Frigid light-headed.

Trueshot rushed past them, carrying the front end of a hose. “Mentor!” he shouted. “It’s Mirror! She’s sabotaged all the vehicles! Tires have all been melted with some kind of acid! What should we do?”

"Contain the situation. And keep an eye on things while we're gone."

Frigid quickly followed them down the street, using his new eagle sense skill to follow Mirror's trail through the rain that had started to fall. She had betrayed him again, and he had gotten more Assassins killed by bringing her back with him. He shook the thoughts out of his head. Right now, catching up to her was what he needed to focus on.

After a while, Star Lance had recovered enough strength, able to run on his own without help. He’d refused to get medical assistance on his arm, although it was still bleeding rather profusely for such a small wound. Frigid could tell he was on reserve energy, but his strong willpower kept him going.

It unsettled Frigid to see Star Lance look so vulnerable. Even more, it struck a chord deep within him that he was, at least in some small way, responsible for it all.

The Assassins followed the glowing gold trail, turning from street to street as they moved. The sun had already set, casting long shadows across the wet and gloomy Trottingham streets. Fortunately for them, most people had already returned indoors due to the rain, allowing them to act more suspiciously while they attempted to catch up with Mirror.

Soon, they found her, a faint shape in the dark sprinting away from the bureau fast enough to break the speed limit in a school zone. Even with them running as fast as they could, Frigid knew they were falling behind.

The ex-Assassin made a sharp turn, her feet taking near the entrance of the nearby four floor hotel. Frigid, Star Lance, and the Mentor could only watch in amazement as Mirror bent her legs and jumped up the first floor balcony, hopping like a ninja from foothold to foothold as if gravity didn’t affect her, finally vanishing into one of the open windows.

Star Lance closed his mouth. “What the hay...” he hissed. He turned to Frigid and the Mentor, his eyes flashing furiously. “I impaled her with a spear. There’s no way she should even be walking, much less doing acrobatics like that. Frigid, I thought you knew what you were doing, knew her better than all of us! How did she get so good; is she even human?”

"She never did anything like this before..." Frigid continued to look at the opened window. "The Templars must've done something to her. If they hurt her..."

"You're letting your emotions cloud your judgment!" Star Lance waved a hand at the building. "You let her do all this, Frigid. You let her get away!"

"We'll discuss this later, Star Lance," the Mentor said, putting a hand on his arm. "First, let us find her. I have much to ask her."

The three Assassins took the main way into the hotel, walking through its round glass swivel doors. The foyer was a massive carpeted area, full of gold and red furniture, along with a few trolleys with bags, strewn across the space, unattended. Even the receptionists seemed to be missing from their stations.

"Where's everyone?" Frigid asked anxiously, sensing something was wrong.

"Probably a trap," Star Lance grunted as he rubbed an elbow, flexing it. “She knows we're on her tail."

"No," the Mentor shook her head and pulled her hood up. "Too big. The Templars must know we're here. Be ready."

The Assassins headed straight for the staircase to the next floor, but kept their eyes and ears on alert. Frigid didn’t like it, and he was having a bad feeling in his gut, but he knew they had to find Mirror Match. They had seen her escape to the first floor, so they stopped after one flight of steps, searching the corridors for a way to the outdoor area of the hotel.

“She can’t be much further,” the Mentor whispered as she rounded the next corner ahead of the other two, carefully taking slow quiet steps.

“She climbed to the next floor…” Star Lance said bluntly as he tried to keep up with her.

The three soon arrived outside in some sort of courtyard. Potted plants and benches took up some of the area, otherwise leaving a vast amount of space, probably used for events. Frigid looked around, but saw no sign of Mirror Match, though one man sat on one of the benches. When Frigid focused his eagle sense to find Mirror’s trail, he noticed the man was highlighted in red.

“Templar…” the Mentor breathed as the man rose up. He had brown hair over gold skin, making look relatively normal, except for the black combat attire and helmet he wore, and the gun at his side.

“Ah, Assassins,” he said as he got up and smiled at them. “I’ve been waiting for you.”

“Where’s Mirror Match.” Frigid stepped past the Mentor and Star Lance, extending both hidden blades, ready for a fight.

“Oh, you don’t need to do that,” he smirked. “The name’s Bullseye, and I’ll be the one you’re facing today. Don’t expect to leave alive, though. My orders are to kill you. All of you.”

“You’re going to take us down, all by yourself?” Star Lance pushed past Frigid and showed his teeth to the Templar.

“Of course not,” he laughed before releasing a shrill whistle. All of a sudden, a group of soldiers ran out from the surrounding doors, filing in with rifles in their gloved hands. A few other personnel, with white outfits joined them, each one holding either a SMG or sword in their hands. By the looks of it, they were Templar guards, while the black coated ones seemed to be the same military as before. Dragon Unit.

“This is what I plan to take you down with,” Bullseye smiled and locked his eyes on the Assassins.

It was a scene right out of Frigid Night’s worst nightmare.

The entire courtyard of the hotel was one massive kill zone, with more and more Templar troops and mercenaries spilling out of the empty rooms and taking up positions on the balconies. Frigid Night counted at least twenty guns and half as many blades in front of him alone. A swarm of laser sights played about on his chest and face. Bullseye smiled darkly as he himself unslung his submachine gun from his belt and took aim.

Star Lance and Frigid Night retreated instinctively, backing up against Steel Shine. The Assassin leader herself hadn’t moved. She stared daggers into Bullseye, even as the last of his men lined up beside him and aimed their rifles at her.

“You’ve been outmaneuvered, Assassins,” the man sneered as he flicked down the visor of his combat helmet. “My mercenaries would have been more than enough to take you down, but now that the Templars have so kindly lent me some of their men as well, you might as well surrender. Make it easier on yourself.”

When none of the Assassins made a move, Bullseye fired a burst of bullets into the ground next to their feet. Slivers of concrete flew up, pinging against Steel Shine’s armored legs, but still she did not flinch.

“Last chance,” Bullseye called, reloading. “Throw down your weapons, or I’ll fill you with more holes than Swiss cheese.”

“Mentor?” Frigid whispered, unable to keep a tremor out of his voice. “What do we do?”

Steel Shine’s face remained impassive, but she inclined her head in the tiniest of nods. “Do as he says,” she said softly.

Star Lance immediately unbuckled his sword belt and dropped it, shortly followed by his hidden spears and blade. “As you say, my Mentor.”

Frigid followed suit, placing his armaments on the ground in front of him. His arms felt too light without a pair of hidden blades on them.

“Very good!” Bullseye praised mockingly. He aimed his weapon at the Mentor. “Now it’s your turn. Drop the sword.”

Dutifully, Steel Shine unfastened her sword from her belt. From the corner of his eye, Frigid Night thought he saw a thin smile creep into his Mentor’s face. She held out the weapon, the sword that Frigid Night had never seen out of its sheath. Perhaps it didn’t matter, he thought bleakly. There was no way out of this, and without a Mentor the Assassins were finished.

Then the Mentor spoke again, not taking her eyes off Bullseye. “When I draw,” she instructed quietly. “Duck.”

The Assassin Mentor closed her eyes. Bullseye took aim, the order to fire halfway out of his mouth. There was a snick as the sword slid free from its scabbard, the blade glinting not silver, but gold.

“What?” Bullseye squinted as the Mentor stood there, sword drawn. She raised up her weapon as her eyes started to glow, prompting the lieutenant to take a step back. “Ah, shoot her, shoot her, shoot her!”

Then Steel Shine disappeared.

The breath was knocked out of Frigid Night as Star Lance threw them both to the floor, a hail of bullets whistling over their heads and barely missing them. There were shouts and yells from all around, but Frigid couldn’t see any of it. His hood had fallen over his face and he was being dragged roughly somewhere by his superior.

“What’s going on? Hey!” His hood refused to come off, as both his arms were pinned behind him.

“Mentor’s covering us,” he heard Star Lance grunt as he struggled to get Frigid and himself out of there. “We need to get out of the kill zone.”

“You mean she’s out there all by herself?!”

Star Lance seemed to chuckle. “Better her than us, kid.” The hand on Frigid’s collar let go, dropping him into a wooden floor.

Wasting no time in removing his hood, Frigid scrambled to his feet. “What gives? Where’s the Mentor?”

Star Lance’s rugged face was painted in a devilish smirk. He jutted a thumb at the window of the room he had dragged them into. “Out there.”

Chapter 47: The Sword of Equestria

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Bullets flew all around in the courtyard, but Steel Shine paid them no heed. Every single shot that neared her was deflected aside by the blade of her sword. Its diamond sharp edge sheared through the rain and through a man’s chest, neither the bulletproof vest or his bones providing the slightest resistance as he died in a spray of blood.

She followed through and ended the lives of three more before leaping up into the sky, a pair of spectral golden wings sprouting from her back. She hung there like a phoenix burning bright in the sky, a shaft of light in the storm.

“Kill her!” she heard Bullseye shriek, hysteria in his voice.

Following the sound of his shout, Steel Shine plunged down, sword extended. The tip stabbed into the ground next to the man, missing his foot by mere inches. He raised his gun. The Mentor wrapped her hand around the firearm and squeezed, smiling as the submachine gun crumpled in her grip. Bullseye pulled a pistol from his belt but the Mentor seized his hand and broke his arm in three places faster than blinking before taking off again, the sword a blur of motion as she flashed from soldier to soldier, spraying blood and gore with every stroke.

She was relentless. Body parts and discarded guns rained from the balconies as Steel Shine sheared through flesh and steel with equal impunity.

A Templar enforcer screamed in terror and tried to run into the same room as Frigid Night and Star Lance, almost making it to the door before Steel Shine cleaved him from shoulder to hip. Frigid gave an involuntary cry as his face was lightly peppered with blood.

It wasn’t long before the courtyard ran red with rainwater mixed with blood and the screaming died down. Only Bullseye was left, the mercenary kneeling in the rain, clutching his arm and moaning in pain.

Like a comet, the Mentor soared down from the roof and landed on her feet in front of Bullseye, her entire body drenched with the fluids and entrails of his men.

“C’mon, kid,” Star Lance vaulted over the window sill and out into the rain. “It’s over.” Frigid followed, not trusting himself to speak.

As they approached, Frigid was able to see his Mentor clearly for the first time since the fight began. She was covered in a faint golden aura, and a magnificent pair of ghostly wings extended from her back, making her look like an angel. Her already glamorous hair had grown to her knees, almost like a tail, and strangest of all, a pair of what looked like a pony’s ears protruded up from her head.

She’s not human. Frigid gulped, his mind reeling from the revelation. While he had once joked about it to his friends, he had no idea that he had actually been right all along.

The Mentor stood in front of Bullseye, eyes shining pure gold. She pointed her sword under his chin, flicking off his helmet and revealing his sweat-drenched and stricken face. She remained silent, but angled her weapon’s tip up, forcing him to stand.

The mercenary could take it no longer. His nerve breaking, Bullseye made as if to run, spinning on his heel pushing Steel Shine away. He had only run three paces before a golden sword blade plunged into his back, embedding itself up to the hilt.

Bullseye gasped. Blood ran from his mouth. Steel Shine pulled her sword out smoothly, and as Bullseye’s body fell she sliced at it in a frenzied fury before finally turning her back. The mercenary’s body trembled, then fell apart before Frigid’s eyes, collapsing into tiny chunks of meat and bone.

“Hmph.” The Assassin Mentor swiped her sword to the side to remove the blood, then resheathed it. As she did so, the golden aura faded, taking with it all the inhuman features. She sagged on her feet and would have fallen had Star Lance not hurried forward to catch her.

“What… what just happened?” Frigid whispered in wonder and shock. It had all been over so quick.

“Not now, kid.” Star Lance picked up the Mentor bridal style and gestured to Frigid to follow. “We need to get her home, and away from here.”

Mirror Match watched from her hiding spot above the courtyard. A nostalgic smile remained on her face after watching the Mentor dissipate her shiny form. “Nice to know you’re still around, old friend.”

Star Lance quickly picked the woman up before he and Frigid left the compound. It seems that they had forgotten all about her. Mirror shrugged. That just left her the option to get back to Manehattan easily. It was too bad for Bullseye and the other Templars though, but it didn’t matter to Mirror.

She got up and leapt over to the next roof before hopping across the rest of the city. She had gotten what she had come for, and now, her plans were going to go about just the way she wanted.

High Noon swept the remaining cinders away as he whistled. After waking up, the group of them had gone to find the person of highest rank. In the end, he was tasked with cleaning the bureau. Mirror Match had caused all kinds of damage to the place.

"Is this it?" Windy Sails asked as she dumped a pile of debris into the large trash bag.

"Looks like it. Guess we're done here," Noon replied.

They left their equipment by the door before taking the trash bag with them, heading down to the fire disposal to dispose of it.

"A-are you alright?" his apprentice asked him. "You were knocked out earlier."

"Yeah don't worry about it," High Noon smiled and waved a hand. "I'm all good now."

"Oh. Well... that's good."

"Yeah."

The two Assassins quickly dumped their bags into the furnace before heading for the door. There was still much to be done, but at least this was a start.

High Noon looked around at all the remaining broken objects from the aftermath. Some Assassins needed medical attention, but the medic wing still needed to air out from the released chloroform. Dr. Patch was handling the wounded in a different room, but there was only so much she and her medics could do without the right equipment.

"Yourself, Windy?" he decided to ask his younger friend. "You doing alright? This must've been a new experience."

"I'm still a little shaken," she admitted as they arrived back at the lobby. Spectral Rim, Fire Frenzy, and even Pierce Network were still sweeping up some broken glass from the ground. "But... well, thank you for being here with me, High Noon. I f-feel safer with you a-around..." her cheeks lit up to a light reddish colour.

High Noon smiled, but couldn't stop himself from blushing as well, but luckily, he had his hat. "Shucks. Well, that means a lot, Windy. I'm glad to be useful here."

They found a spot by two potted plants; one pot had a few missing corners, but still seemed to hold the plant alright. High Noon leaned his back against the wall and slid to his rear, sighing as he watched the front doors.

Windy Sails joined him, sitting next to him on the ground. "Is Frigid going to be okay? Must be hard. Losing the trust of your friends..."

High Noon nodded and closed his eyes. He had heard what some of the other Assassins thought about his friend. How he was a traitor and such.

In their position, he might've felt the same, but he knew Frigid. He knew the sadness the grey haired Assassin had gone through. He was still trying to return things to the good days, but it just didn't seem to have any effect.

"I know Frigid. He's not going to let a few insults affect him. What I'm worried about is how he's going to be blaming himself for all this."

High Noon didn't know if his friend was going to recover well from this, but he held on to the hope. Frigid Night was a strong Assassin. When it comes down to the final decision, High Noon knew he would make the right choice. At least, that's what he thought.

"The power of an artifact of Equestria..." Twilight Sparkle drew a very badly drawn sword in her notebook, though her handwriting wasn't faring any better. "Sunset Shimmer had told me some stories, but this one... Wow. A human, well, mostly human managed to conjure up the powers of the artifact."

"Mentor Steel Shine was the descendant of the First Assassin," Morning Blade reminded. "Technically, she still had some Equestrian blood in herself... uh, right?"

Morning Blade was a historian, not much of a biologist.

"I wouldn't know myself, Morning. I would have to study the body, but... I don't want to bother her. She died trying to protect you and my friends. She's a hero."

"She was, wasn't she." Morning pulled at her braid, remembering the night at the bureau where Mentor Steel Shine had fought Sombra. There, she had witnessed the powers of the artifacts for herself and it even left her a souvenir."

She touched her eyepatch through her white hair. It had been a while before she got used to having just one eye and she had to come up with a really good excuse of why she had lost it when she returned home to her family. Thankfully, the questioning hadn't gone on for long.

"So..." Twilight swung her feet under her chair. "What happens next, Morning Blade?"

Chapter 48: Disarray

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"Stop squirming..." Wolfgang smiled as he stepped down on the poor man's already broken leg. He would've screamed louder if not for the cloth tied around his mouth. "Your friend already paid the price for trying to get away. Why not just relax? It'll be more fun that way, at least for me."

Wolfgang's smile widened as he pulled a long meat cleaver from his coat. It was already stained and rusted from countless other kills, but still very much usable.

He spun the man on his back and pressed down on his tied up arms before digging a portion of the cleaver into the man's right palm. The man tried to scream again, but to muted effect.

"Now I know I'm supposed to be killing Assassins, and believe me, I did..." Wolfgang began talking as he pulled out the blade, only to pierce it into the man's lower arm. "Just so happens you people were there. Can't have any witnesses you see... Understandable right?"

The man seemed to try to say something, but obviously couldn't.

"What's that?" Wolfgang flipped him around and put an ear close to his mouth. "I can't hear you! You've gotta speak up!" He lifted his cleaver and smashed it down past the man's ear.

Blood began spilling out as Wolfgang picked up the piece of meat. He chuckled to himself before tossing it into a pile of trash. He looked into the man's eyes, watching the glistening orbs radiate pure fear. That was his job besides killing. To make his victims show their fear. Only then, did Wolfgang feel more alive.

He picked up his cleaver again and looked at it. All of a sudden, his phone began vibrating in his pocket. The killer snarled and fished it out, but not before embedding a part of the blade into the man's chest, not deep enough to kill, but enough to hurt.

"Yes, Wolfgang here..." he said, slightly irritated. "Can this wait? I'm in the middle of some... Work."

"Wolfgang, it's Lumberjack."

Wolfgang nodded. It was the bossman. He kind of liked the guy. He wasn't as formal and professional like the chairman was, which was something Wolfgang himself didn't enjoy doing. Talking to Lumberjack was so much easier.

"What can I do for you, boss?"

"Got a few jobs for you," Mahogany Wood's brother continued. "The Assassins are in disarray at the moment. They'll all be about and around, doing what they can to fix themselves back up. This is your chance. Teach them to fear you. Destroy them."

Wolfgang's eyes immediately widened, but so did his long smile. "Oh, that I can do, boss. That I can do. In fact, I shall begin right away."

With that said, Wolfgang pulled his cleaver above his head and brought it down in between the man's eyes, this time lodging it all the way to the brain.

"Chairman, this is unacceptable!" Talon grunted as Crescent Wing fixed him a wary eye, silently telling him to cool down. Talon sighed and took a more passive stance. "I just lost half my men in that... that witch's plan! Something must be done!"

Mahogany breathed heavily out his nostrils as he swiveled his chair back to the table. They had all seen the footage from Bullseye's helmet camera. How a whole unit of trained soldiers had been cut down like a lumberjack cutting down trees. What more is that the Assassin Mentor had wielded her artifact against them, shredding even Dragon Unit's lieutenant to bits.

Even now, after learning the location of the Assassin bureau, they couldn't attack like they had first planned to. With a weapon like that, they only had a death wish to charge in there.

Then there was Mirror Match. Sure, she was a few levels above his common men, but her plan had just gotten a lot of his men killed, just for a list of names.

"Yes, I admit. It wasn't a thought out plan," Mahogany said at last. "But we had results. Now we know what the Assassins are capable of, and we know what Mirror Match can do to them."

"But... Chairman! My men!"

"Sacrificable, major." Mahogany said sternly, something in his eyes telling the red-skinned man to stand down. "Don't forget. It's all for a greater cause. We just need to look ahead. In the end, we will be the victors. Not the Assassins."

"But what are we to do now?" Talon raised both hands in question. "The Eye is destroyed. It would take months to rebuild something like that!"

"Leave the projects to Timber," Mahogany replied. "He's already taking care of it. This time, we'll just need to make sure the Assassins don't reach it."

Talon wanted to say more, but he could think of nothing else. "As you say, chairman." Talon slightly bowed before leaving.

Mahogany Wood turned his chair back to the window and looked out. "Crescent, send word to gather as much materials as they can. This might be our chance while the Assassins are in disarray."

Mahogany smiled. This time, they had Mirror Match early on and a whole stack of data on the machine. The Assassins weren't going to stop him this time.

Satin Breeze watched Star Lance as he sat beside the Mentor as she rested on her bed. He would gently rub at her head from time to time, an action Satin thought she would never see from the lieutenant. He must care a lot about her to be this worried.

The whole office had been trashed. There were papers all across the floor and a few shelves had been moved about during Star Lance's fight, and everything was splattered with dried blood. Satin shuddered. Star Lance had told them about the fight, how Mirror just couldn't die, even with a spear to the gut, and how she had taken him down with the fangs that had sunk into his arm. The lieutenant was still recovering from that, but he deemed his wounds insignificant compared to the Mentor, who lay unconscious at his side.

"What do you think she took?" Dewdrop asked her partner as she neatly arranged a stack of paper in her hands.

"Star Lance said only the Mentor knows," Satin shrugged. "But he did say she pulled a paper from one of the files."

"Why invade the bureau, fight off a bunch of Assassins, just to get a piece of paper?" Dewdrop mused as she dumped the papers on the table.

"She was after one of the reports." Both turned to Star Lance, his back still facing them. "I'm not sure which one she took. Only time will tell us why she needed that. Whatever the Templars are planning, it must be important if they were willing to attack us here."

“But if Mirror can defeat even you, then how are we safe?” Dewdrop asked. It had a lot of sense. If the Mentor’s right hand man couldn’t beat Frigid’s ex-girlfriend, then who could?

Satin waited for Star Lance to start shouting, but it never came. Instead, it looked like his shoulders slumped even lower. “I don’t know… I… I don’t know…”

Satin wanted to encourage the man, to tell him that there was still hope for them, but she didn’t know how. Mirror Match had really broken the morale in their bureau after her attack. The blue-purple haired Assassin just continued and helped Dewdrop put away the rest of the papers in silence. They quickly left to give Star Lance and the Mentor some room, heading up to Dewdrop’s.

“Man, I don’t know what to think about today…” Dewdrop sighed and put her hands behind her head. “When did Mirror get that good? There’s no way anyone can take down Star Lance, and yet… she did!”

“Yeah… I don’t know what happened to her,” Satin shook her head. Her old master really had some skill. She could’ve been a traitor the whole time, holding back and watching them as they went about their daily tasks. “We’ll just need to be extra careful. Double the watches and everything, you know?”

Dewdrop scoffed and narrowed her eyes. “Yeah? Tell that to Frigid. If it weren’t for him, all this wouldn’t happen. He just can’t let go that Mirror’s now one of them.”

“It’s not his fault, Dew.” Satin knew saying none of it was his fault was totally wrong, but she just didn’t like blaming him for everything that happened lately. They arrived at the top of the staircase and continued right towards Dewdrop’s room. “He’s just… lost. Clouded.”

“Well, whatever he is, he’s gonna get all of us killed if it keeps going like this.” The pale coloured Assassin grabbed for her handle and pushed the door open. “Someone’s gotta tell him before he makes another dumb move like this.”

Frigid Night breathed heavily as he walked among the other Assassins. After returning to the bureau, none of the others had bothered talking to him, giving him watchful eyes as he made his way through. He had even offered to help Dr. Patch clean up the medic wing, but even the usually nice head medic didn’t have anything to say to him.

Frigid sighed. He had really blown it this time. Bringing Mirror Match back to the bureau? Now it sounded like a terrible idea. He had just wanted her back, ignoring all the warnings the others had given him. Even now as he walked down the halls to his room, he still loved her. After everything she did, he still wanted to protect her.

What did he get out of all this? Resentment. Now the others didn’t want to have anything to do with him. They probably thought he was a traitor, helping the Templars steal information from them. He couldn’t blame them. Twice now, he had failed to do the right thing.

As he got closer to his room, he noticed something white pasted on his door. It was a simple drawing of his head, along with a huge ‘X’ crossing over it in red. Frigid just opened his door and headed in, leaving the paper stuck on its sleek surface; he deserved it after all.

Fortunately, his room was untouched as he dumped his coat, knife slings, and hidden blades on his side chair before throwing himself face down onto his bed. He thought about his current options, unsure of what he was going to do next. With his latest stunt, he was sure to have lost the trust of most of his fellow Assassins; they probably wanted nothing to do with him anymore.

With nothing more to do, Frigid pulled his pillow over his head and drifted off to sleep, hoping things would be different in the morning.

Chapter 49: A Glimpse of True Fear

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Two months later

Glimpse led the way ahead as she and Broadside scouted the rooftops opposite the Board building in Manehattan.

“Come on,” she called as she looked ahead, watching out for any roof sentries. “Almost there.”

She watched the Assassin drag himself along, his large body steadily but slowly making its way to her. After losing his brother, the Assassin seemed to slow his movement, as if his brother was the one keeping him going.

Glimpse sighed. Every Assassin that lost someone seemed to change dramatically. Even poor Frigid Night. After losing his teacher and his girlfriend, he had become deluded. Even now, he was still searching for ways to turn her back to the Brotherhood.

The pink haired Assassin just didn’t know what to do with him. Sure, he caused a lot of damage in the recent months, but she felt like she shouldn’t cause him more pain. Her best course of action was just not talk to him.

“Sorry, Glimpse,” Broadside averted his eyes from her. “I don’t have that motivation I used to have. I think you’ll be better off without me. I’ll just slow you down.”

“Broadside,” Glimpse said sternly. “You’re a Raider. If not for you and your brother, I don’t think we would’ve gathered all the information we have today. You’re important to the team, whether you believe it or not.”

“But it’s only just us left,” he reminded his leader. “My brother and Mirror Match are gone.”

“Broadside.” She waited until he looked at her eyes before continuing. “Do you know how many other Raiders I’ve lost over the years? When you joined me, I’d already lost three other Assassins. I don’t sit around all sloppy and mopey. I move on, because it’s my job. If we don’t do it, who else will? You’ll make it through this. We will find out what the Templars want, and we will stop them.”

Broadside looked to the sunset and slowly nodded. “Yeah. You’re right. If I just stay here like this, my brother wouldn’t want that.”

“Glad you understand that, Broadside,” Glimpse smiled and gave him a pat on the back. She looked back to the Board building. “Now, how about we get to our spying?”

“Funny you should mention that,” a voice said from their radios. Glimpse’s eyes shot wide with recognition, just as a phantom blade dart whistled past Broadside’s ear, nicking off a bit of skin as it passed.

The larger Assassin quickly grabbed for his ear before ducking down, scanning all around for the attacker. Their radios kept squawking with static, interfering with Broadside’s ability to concentrate and use eagle sense.

“You alright?” his superior checked on him as she tried to find Mirror Match.

“Just grazed.” He pulled his hand away from his ear, noticing a little blood. “I’ll be fine.”

“I doubt it.”

With a growl, Broadside tore off his walkie-talkie and crushed it under his boot. “You wanna fight us, come get us, you traitor!” He whipped out his light machine gun from his back and gripped it under an arm.

“The only traitor here is you, Broadside. I’m not the one who left his brother to die in a fiery explosion.”

“S-shut up!”

“‘Shut up’? Pathetic and inarticulate. Your brother must be so proud of you.”

“Cool it, Broadside,” Glimpse muttered. The two Assassins stood back to back, scanning every possible angle for Mirror Match. She had kept her radio, but turned down the volume as far as it could go.

“Given that your dear brother died at the exact same time, I would think that you know why I’m here tonight. You took something from me five months ago on that day. I’m here to collect.”

A whisper of movement flickered a few rooftops away, like an oversized crow. Dark and ominous, the ghostly shape blurred from cover to cover. Broadside had never been superstitious, but something about that thing was just not right. Darting from cover to cover, the man caught a glimpse of something faintly glowing and green as it approached.

“Glimpse,” he said urgently. “Turn around. Now.”

His superior swung around but in that split second, the dark shape sped forward at them like a bullet. Broadside saw a flash of an open fanged mouth and he squeezed the trigger of his gun, its barrel right under the attacker’s chin.

“Whoops,” Mirror Match gloated. Dressed in a voluminous set of black robes, the Templar agent’s right hand grasped a short, jagged black dagger, the tip of which was now embedded in Broadside’s gun. Luminous green liquid trickled from its point, and a quiet hissing noise signalled that the innards of his gun were melted beyond repair. ‘Too slow.”

The Assassin quickly tossed his gun to the tiled roof, watching as the barrel began dissolving into nothing. Mirror Match leapt back as Broadside swung at her with his hidden blade before swooping back in to uppercut the Assassin so hard that his feet left the ground.

Glimpse joined in, swinging her daggers at the Templar agent as Broadside hit the ground hard. Mirror parried them lazily, her black dagger cutting deep notches into Glimpse’s steel. The female Assassin was soon forced to drop the smoldering hilts before the acid ate through them completely.

“...what?” the pink haired Assassin gasped as Mirror delivered a straight kick into her gut, knocking her back and down on her knees.

Broadside had picked himself up and came at Mirror, but faster than blinking she wheeled a hundred and eighty degrees and kicked him right in the fork of the legs. She smirked and turned back to Glimpse just in time for the Assassin to shove her poison blade straight into her belly.

“Oh,” was all Mirror said. Glimpse waited for the toxic cocktail to take effect, but as the seconds ticked by, Mirror remained standing.

“Well now,” the Templar agent smiled. “That’s something.” her black dagger flashed out, its liquid coating severing the straps of Glimpse’s wrist weapons and leaving her unarmed; at the same time a hidden blade slashed open the front of her shirt, exposing her bare skin to the chill night air. Glimpse kicked at Mirror, but she abruptly faded from view, reappearing behind the Assassin and twisting off her outer jacket, tossing the garment off the edge of the roof.

Enraged, Glimpse lashed out at where her senses told her Mirror must be, but instead her strikes hit thin air. Something heavy struck her in the temple and her vision went black; what felt like long talons attacked her immediately, stripping the remains of her torn shirt and bra away like the wrapper from a candy bar.

The Assassin felt Mirror’s hands clasp her backside and the nape of her neck, pulling her in tightly. Struggle as she might, Glimpse was unable to stop Mirror Match’s lips from meeting hers in a deep, sensual kiss.

She almost didn’t feel the fangs puncturing her tongue.

Broadside watched his superior’s body slump onto the rooftop, her eyes wide and staring.

Mirror dabbed at her mouth with a sleeve, wiping off the blood. “No love for me? That’s a shame; you’re a pretty good kisser for someone who’s not into me at all though.”

The burly Assassin took a throwing knife in each hand and charged at the ex-Assassin again. He tossed the first knife toward her head, the second one toward her left leg. Mirror Match smiled and looked as if she suddenly faded away, the knives missing their mark as they sailed off the roof of the building.

“What a-are you?” Broadside swallowed as he spun on his heel and extended his hidden blade.

A hand seized hold of his arm. Another clamped around his mouth, rendering him speechless.

“Let him go!” Glimpse shouted from her corner, unable to move.

There was the faintest sound of skin leaving skin and warm breath on Broadside’s cheek. Teeth nibbled at his ear, scratching the spot where he’d been shot earlier.

“For crimes against the queen and her kin,” an ominous, two-layered voice croaked. “On her behalf, I hereby sentence you to death.”

“No! Don’t!”

Instead of finishing him like Glimpse thought, Mirror Match spun Broadside around, biting into his shoulder while at the same time drawing an inch-long incision on his palm with the tip of her dark dagger. As the man crumpled to the ground, Mirror Match nodded with satisfaction and knelt down next to Glimpse.

The female Assassin was trembling, both with cold and unbridled terror, along with fierce anger. The Templar hummed to herself as she arranged the two nerveless Assassins so that they were facing each other, propped up against various bits of rooftop scenery.

“Don’t worry,” Mirror crooned affectionately. “I’m not going to kill you.” Glimpse shuddered. Mirror Match’s fingertips were blackened and where there had once been neatly trimmed nails, each one was now long and filed to a razor point. They lingered on Glimpse’s bare chest and traced her curves, tweaking at the sensitive spots.

“No, I’m going to leave you alive so you can tell the others that I’m coming for them.”

Glimpse’s eyes were closed and her breathing was shallow. Mirror frowned. Reaching out, she pulled the Assassin’s eyelids up, snapping her jaws in her face and spraying her with spittle.

“Look at me when I’m talking to you!”

What looked like tiny green flames flickered at the corners of Mirror’s eyes and her breath choked into Glimpse’s lungs. She couldn’t hold it in anymore; the Assassin let go of her last bit of dignity and started to cry.

Mirror Match ran her clawed fingers down to the Assassin’s waist and closed on one of the silver vials that she kept there to refill her poison blade. Unscrewing it, Mirror tilted her head back and drank down the entire concoction. “Ah. That hits the spot,” the Templar licked her fangs before they pulled upward into her gums, leaving her smile just as perfect as it had been before, the flickering fire extinguished, but that terrible, terrible face would be etched into Glimpse’s mind for countless nights to come.

“Now, I’ll leave you for your friends to pick up. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone else what happened here, not even the boss. Oh, and one more thing...” Standing up, Mirror’s index finger sawed through Glimpse’s waistband and stripped the shorts from her body. “I’ll just hold onto these.” Then as an afterthought, she peeled the Raider’s panties off her waist as well; there was a wet patch on the crotch. Her pointed nails trailed over the exposed skin beneath playfully, making Glimpse shake with revulsion. “And these. Ciao.”

Left with little more than her socks and boots and sitting in an expanding puddle of her own fear, Glimpse could do nothing but stare at Mirror Match’s black-robed form as it leapt off the side of the building and disappeared into the night.

Chapter 50: Consultation

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Frigid Night sat in the canteen, a table all to himself. The others around him paid him no attention, though he got a few stares from time to time.

He tried not to think about them as he finished up his pasta; he had enough worries going through his mind as it was. He drank down the last of his coffee and sat back in his chair, wondering whether he should go find something to do.

His private thinking time was rudely interrupted by someone he didn’t see tapping him on the back of the head.

“Hey screwball, your crazy ex has been seen again.”

“Hmm?” Frigid raised an eyebrow. “What happened?”

The Assassin who had spoken, someone who Frigid recognized as an Apprentice rank, merely snorted at him.

“Go ask Glimpse. I’ve got better things to do than talk to you.”

Frigid frowned at the Assassin as he walked away. Normally, he wouldn’t let a lower-rank Assassin insult him and walk away, but he couldn’t blame them for hating him. He got up and went to look for Glimpse. Last he knew, the Recon and Intelligence Division leader was out scouting the Templar HQ. Something must’ve happened. Frigid hoped Mirror didn’t wound them too badly as he headed up the stairs.

He decided to head to the medic wing first. If Mirror had done something to them, that’s where they’ll be after returning from their recon. He saw them almost immediately as he pushed through the doors. Glimpse was hunched over on a bed wearing Broadside’s coat around her while she shivered. Her eyes were empty and vacant, as if she wasn’t quite all there. A cotton pad hung halfway out of her mouth, soaked red with blood.

Frigid spied Broadside lying down on another bed, Dr. Patch standing beside him. He looked even worse than Glimpse did; his face was ashy and deprived of all vigor, and a wet cloth spread over his forehead did little to counteract the sweating that drenched his clothing.

“Glimpse,” Frigid called as he headed towards them. The senior Assassin took one look at him and turned away. “Are you alright? What happened?”

Glimpse mumbled something around the pad, refusing to make eye contact.

“Could you please not ask her questions now, Frigid,” Dr. Patch frowned. “It’s hard enough healing mouth wounds without jostling it with speech.”

Frigid gave the Raider a sympathized look. “What happened to her, doc? What happened to both of them? What did Mirror Match do to them?”

“I don’t rightly know,” Patch said tersely. “But from what I was able to gather, Mirror Match has a bit of a vendetta against us. She also poisoned Broadside here with something I can’t seem to pinpoint.”

“She thtole my panths,” Glimpse spat forlornly.

“She what…?” Frigid drew back a step. “Why?” He shook his head, deeming it lower than what she had done to Broadside. “Is it curable?”

“I don’t know!” Patch said irritably. She stared into a microscope and held up several charts. “It’s unlike any toxin I’ve ever seen, it’s doing something to his blood, almost like it’s… alive or something.”

“She kisthed me,” Glimpse said quietly to no one in particular.

“Mirror did what…?” That statement caught Frigid’s attention. Then he remembered what was more at stake and returned his attention to the doctor. “What do you mean alive? Like, it moves on its own?”

Dr. Patch nodded. For the first time since he had known the doctor, Frigid saw uncertainty in her eyes. Until now, he’d held onto the belief that no matter what, Dr. Patch would be there to help Assassins recover from any injury that they might suffer out there. But now, she looked almost afraid.

“I don’t know what this is, but it matches no known substances in my experience, and I’ve experienced a lot. This is… different. Either it’s very new or it’s very old to have escaped medical scrutiny.” She ran a hand through her hair. “This isn’t looking good, Frigid. I don’t know what this toxin might do to him.”

Glimpse shivered and drew her knees up to her chest. “I feel violated,” she whispered.

“It’s all my fault…” Frigid said after a short pause. His old partner had mentally scarred Glimpse and poisoned Broadside with something very potent. “If only I had killed her that day…”

Then Patch did something Frigid didn’t expect. She slapped him.

“Look, I don’t care if you want to wallow in self-pity your whole life or not, but you can’t keep blaming yourself for every single thing that horrible woman does. What she does with the Templars is not your fault. Should you have killed her that day? Maybe. But in the world of medicine, there is no ‘should have’. Either you did it, or you didn’t. You’ve got to move on, or so help me, I’ll hit you so hard your grandchildren will feel it.”

“Thanks, doc…” Frigid rubbed at his cheek. Sometimes, he forgot Patch was a trained Assassin like the rest of them. “You’re right. Maybe I’ll start looking ahead. Try and get Mirror to understand.”

Patch frowned. “That’s not quite what I meant.”

“But Patch. I… I still love her! I don’t know how I can get myself to end her. She was everything to me. I think she still is.”

“End her, he says…” Patch and Frigid turned to look at Broadside. The man was sitting up, looking even worse than before but giving Frigid the evillest eye he’d ever seen. “If it was that easy, don’t you think I’d have done it? You can’t end her, Frigid. She’s too good. Thrashed us. She beat Star Lance, Frigid. What hope do you, do any of us have?”

Frigid tried to find something to say, but he just couldn’t. What could he say to make a point? To make any point? He had nothing. Frigid just hung his head and shook it. “There must be a way.”

Broadside shook his head, the action causing him to reach for a bucket next to his bed and retch into it. The sound of sick splattering into the bucket made everyone but Patch flinch. When the ill Assassin wiped his mouth, they all saw blood.

“I think you better go, Frigid.” Patch waved him off as she attended to Broadside. “Your presence is not doing him any good.”

Frigid nodded and took one last look at Glimpse and Broadside before heading out the double doors.

Vendetta, Frigid thought. What kind of vendetta would Mirror have against the Assassins?

Then he thought of it. A few months back, Mirror had stolen a document from the Mentor’s office, and then today, suddenly all this. He figured if anyone knew what she was after, it’d be the Mentor.

Frigid headed around the corner, walking towards her office, almost running into three other Assassins.

“My bad,” he told them as he made his way past them.

He almost took a fourth step when a hand grasped his shoulder roughly.

“Why don’t you watch where you’re walking,” the Assassin told him. “Or are your eyes as blind as your heart?”

Frigid chose to ignore the comment. “I said I was sorry.”

“Yeah well, saying sorry can’t bring the dead back. Why don’t you pay for it?”

Frigid turned his head to see if the lower-rank Assassins were bluffing. They were not. “Not now. I’m busy.”

“Busy doing what?” Another one scoffed. “Busy planning on betraying us too? Like your girlfriend did?”

“You take that back, apprentice.” Frigid flashed the younger Assassins a warning in his eyes. Bad enough they were avoiding him, but now, this Assassin called him a traitor like Mirror? Frigid couldn’t accept that.

“Make me.” the Assassin folded his arms and smirked.

Frigid threw the first punch, catching the first Assassin off guard; he probably didn’t think Frigid had the guts to do it. The first one went down, knocked out in one blow. The other two, one female and one male, growled at Frigid and ran at him, fists flying for his face.

The veteran ducked under the first one and spun her legs out from under her while delivering a straight blow to the third Assassin’s abdomen. The boy doubled over, allowing Frigid to toss him on his back. He quickly turned his front to the last Assassin, waiting for her to make her move. Instead, she hopped back a few steps before zooming down the hallway, soon out of sight behind the corner.

“Newbies…” Frigid muttered as he straightened his coat before resuming his walk.

He’d had enough with their petty insults. If the others really wanted to take it up with him, they’ll be getting what’s coming. Frigid just wasn’t going to sit around and do nothing any longer, while they spat various names at him.

Finally arriving outside the Mentor’s office, Frigid rapped his knuckles on the door and waited for an answer.

“Come in.”

He gently pushed the door open and closed it behind him before approaching Star Lance and the Mentor, seated at one of the desks going through papers together.

“Yes, Frigid…” Star Lance sighed and returned to his work. “What do you need?”

“I… wanted to talk about Mirror Match,” Frigid squeezed out. It was a lot harder to talk about her around the bureau now, with all the hate the other Assassins have for her and himself.

Star Lance looked to the Mentor for advice. Steel Shine pushed back her chair and stood up. “Frigid Night. What do you wish to ask.”

“Mirror Match,” Frigid started after a swallow. “I want to know who she’s after, and I believe the missing document has something to do with this. May I ask, Mentor, what did she take that day?”

The Mentor looked to her cabinet of files. “She took a report of the mission. The one where we destroyed the Eye.”

Frigid thought about it. Why would Mirror want something like that? It was not as if she was super interested in it. Then he remembered. Mirror had said something to him shortly after the Eye exploded.

“What in the queen’s name have you done?!” Mirror had yelled at him. It was important to her. Frigid had missed that until now. “I hope I can return the favor.”

“Broadside was on the demolition team,” Frigid realized, both eyes widening to spheres. “Mirror Match is after the ones who blew it up!”

“It seems so,” the Mentor confirmed with a nod of her head. “The document she took… It contained the names of everyone that took part in the mission, along with the objectives they had to complete. She knows which of us took part in destroying the Templar’s Eye.”

“I spoke to Glimpse just now,” Star Lance muttered. “She said that Mirror poisoned Broadside with some kind of dagger, right after saying something about crimes against a ‘queen’. Seems there’s more going on with the Templars than we know. Either that or she’s completely delusional. She did say your girlfriend stole her pants.”

Frigid’s cheeks turned red. He still didn’t know what Mirror would want with Glimpse’s shorts. “Mirror mentioned a ‘queen’ when after the machine blew up. Could the Templars have a Grand Master above Mahogany Wood?”

There was a full minute of uncomfortable shifting. Frigid and Star Lance looked at their shoes. The Mentor rubbed the hilt of her sword, as if deep in thought. Finally, she nodded.

“I will consult the archives for any information on any Templar Grand Master. In the meantime, anyone who was on the demolition team for that mission must be closely guarded and watched. No matter how good Mirror Match is, she’s only human in the end. We can beat her.”

Not human. Frigid doubted that. He quickly stood up as well. “Let me help,” he offered. “Two people can search the archives faster than one.”

The Mentor shook her head, smiling without any humor or cheer.

“It’s not that kind of consulting, Frigid Night. You need to get back to work.”

“Yeah, kid,” Star Lance stood up and cracked his neck. “Even I’m unable to help her. This is a job only the Mentor can do. Just get back out there. See what you can do to help.”

The last thing Frigid wanted to do was go back out into the wolves’ den that the bureau had become, but he didn’t really have a choice.

“Okay. Let me know if you find anything.”

Chapter 51: A Longtime Confession

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“Heeeeey, Veeelvet!” Dewdrop slurred as Satin caught her, stopping her from falling face first into the doormat. “You’rrre home earleee.”

“It’s like, ten in the night. Are you drunk again, Dewdrop?” Velvet asked as she walked around both of them.

“Do me a favour, Velvet,” Satin smiled at her younger sister. “Never get drunk like this.”

“Sure, sis.” Velvet helped Satin get Dewdrop on the couch, putting one of the cushions under the pale woman’s head to support her it up. “Anything else you need? Cause I was thinking of heading to bed soon.”

“Yeah, Velv,” Satin said and sat beside her partner. “I’ll watch her. You can go on to sleep.”

“Okay. Night, Satin.” The middle schooler went over to her room door and waved one more time before closing it behind her.

Satin leaned back against the cushion and patted Dewdrop on the leg. “Well, Dew. I hope you learn your lesson. Don’t get drunk. Otherwise I have to deal with all this.”

“I get it, I get it,” Dewdrop mumbled, turning to her side and resting her head on one arm. “Don’t get drunk. I’ll try, Satty.”

“That’s more like it, Dew,” Satin chuckled, though she didn’t expect her partner to follow that rule very well.

“Actually, Satin…” Dewdrop said softly. “I’m… I’m not actually drunk.”

Satin did a double-take before looking back at her partner. “Y-you’re not? What?”

Dewdrop turned and faced Satin. “I did it to be here… with you. I didn’t want to go back to the bureau tonight.”

“Dewdrop…” Satin’s cheeks glowed red. “You could’ve just asked.”

“I didn’t know if you would let me,” Dewdrop admitted and sat up beside Satin. “I need to tell you, Satin. I know you already know, but… I’ve fallen in love… with you. You’re the reason I’m with the Assassins, after all. It was because of that day.”

Satin remembered. She had gone to one of the bars to get a drink. That was where she had met Dewdrop. The blue haired Assassin used to be part of an unruly gang, but she had followed after Satin that day, immediately saying yes when Satin decided to recruit her. Sure, she had made plenty of advances toward her back then, but to hear those words from her...

“Dewdrop…” Satin said again and clutched at her scarf. She knew Dewdrop was important to her, but she hadn’t thought it had developed this far for herself.

“You don’t need to say anything, Satin,” Dewdrop reached for her partner’s face and held it in her hand. “I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, whether we’re still with the Assassins or not.”

Satin hesitated for a second, but soon found her feelings for the other Assassin. She too had fallen for Dewdrop. She couldn’t imagine losing her partner as well.

The purple-skinned Assassin leaned in and kissed Dewdrop on the lips, closing her eyes as she took in the warmth of her partner’s lips. Dewdrop followed suit, wrapping an arm around Satin’s back, while the other continued to caress her cheek.

Satin Breeze opened her eyes again when Dewdrop began removing her clothes, putting them aside as she removed her own.

“I love you so much, Satin…” Dewdrop said in between kisses as she climbed over Satin, pushing her down. “So much…”

The two of them continued like that on into the night, expressing their feelings to one another to their full extent. For Dewdrop, this was the moment she had dreamt of the moment she laid her eyes on Satin, and she cherished it with everything she had.

"Oh boy, another one of these, huh?" Twilight pulled at her hair, her cheeks red. "Where did you even get information like this?"

Morning Blade's cheeks were equally as red. "I-I mean, I simply overhear things from the others. Like the other time, Frigid and Mirror supposedly just wasn't quiet enough. This one, well... I heard this one from Dewdrop herself. I guess she's not one to shy away from such things."

"Oh. R-Right."

"Umm... yes." Morning direly needed to change the subject. "Have I told you Dewdrop's story before? She's got quite the beginning as an Assassin."

"You have mentioned, yes. You said she was part of a gang?"

"Yes. She told me how she came to the Assassins all those years ago, though, I don't know how much of it is true. I only have her word for it.

"How it goes is, Dewdrop grew up on the streets. She used to be from an orphanage, did you know? But she killed one of the boys there after he, uh... tried to, um, there's no easy way to say this. After he tried to rape her."

"What?" Twilight leaned back in shock. "Orphanage? How old were they?"

"On that, I'm unsure..." Morning Blade pulled at her braid. "But yes, she was young. It must've been a terrible experience, but she fought back in self defense. After that, she fled and lived her life on the streets until her gang found her. I forgot its name, but that's where she was for a long time, up till she met Velvet's sister, Satin. Dewdrop said it was love at first sight."

"Wow. Go on."

"Well, in order to leave her gang, her boss told her she would have to wipe out the other gangs to make sure theirs would have no competition. Oh, and she was like, their best enforcer or something, so she was really valuable."

"And so that's what she did?" Twilight asked. "She wiped them all out?"

"Dewdrop said so, yes. After that, her boss tried to betray her to the Templars, so she wiped out her gang too."

"Wow... Dewdrop was sure the, um, skilled one, huh?"

"She was." Morning nodded, remembering her friend. While she and Dewdrop didn't always see eye to eye, Dewdrop had still been a good friend and one she was sad to have lost. "Um... Twilight. Tell me more about your world. All I know is you are all ponies. What else?"

"Oh, yes, of course, that's easy." Twilight nodded and seemed happy to move on to a different subject now. "So we have two princess who rule Equestria, Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, who lower and raise the moon and sun."

"Ah, yes, you have mentioned Principal Celestia's counterpart once before." Morning bent back and laughed lightly. "It still baffles me how our worlds are mirrors or sorts. I've known Principal Celestia my whole high school life. I wonder what your princess is like."

"Oh, they're very similar. They don't even feel like different poni- uh, people."

"And you too are a princess. Um, what do you do as a princess, Twilight Sparkle?"

"Oh, I'm the Princess of Friendship, so my goal is to help maintain or create friendships so that everypony's happy."

"Hmm, makes sense, I guess." Morning nodded along. It sounded like a cartoon world, but the princess herself was seated right in front of her. "I could spend days listening to your story, Twilight. But perhaps if we still have time after Frigid's story."

"Sure. I would be happy to talk to you about Equestria," Twilight said and flipped her notebook open again. "So, where were we again?"

Wolfgang let out a shrill laughter as he grabbed an Assassin by the face before slashing at the other one’s eye with a dagger, knocking him down to his knees, screaming.

“Pathetic. What do they feed you Assassins in Fillydelphia? I’ve fought better ones from Trottingham.”

The Assassin unsheathed her hidden blade and stabbed for the killer’s arm, but Wolfgang simply let go and elbowed her in the nose, her body landing at the feet of a black robed figure that Wolfgang recognized. He wasn’t pleased to see this person.

“Mirror Match,” He said glumly. “I hope you’re not here to take my kills. What’s with the ridiculous outfit?”

The purple skinned woman shrugged and stepped over the Assassin. “Chairman couldn’t reach your cell. He wants to see you about your little field trips. He looked pretty pissed about it too.”

“Don’t mistaken my field trips to be like yours,” Wolfgang smiled and put a foot on the female Assassin’s neck. “Lumberjack gave me my orders. I’m just doing them how I wish.”

“Lumberjack still answers to Mahogany,” Mirror shot back. “And Mahogany wants to talk to you. Right now,” she tapped her foot on the ground to emphasize her point. “In person.”

“Fine, but just so you know…” Wolfgang pressed down harder and watched as the Assassin stopped moving. “I’m doing my job well. The chairman’ll be proud of my work.”

Mirror Match sniffed at him snidely. “If you say so, Wolfey.”

“You know, I hate that name. So much. So very much.” Wolfgang flipped his knife into reverse grip and stalked over to the wounded Assassin.

Mirror smiled wider. “I know. Leave that one to me. Killing him is just a waste, you know. Why not leave him alive to send a message?”

“Send a message? What for? This guy’s not even from the same bureau you keep visiting.”

Wolfgang took another step toward the downed Assassin but stopped as soon as a red laser dot appeared on his finger. His frown deepened.

“You know, I thought we were supposed to be on the same side…” he growled.

“We are. It’s just when you start defying orders that I get the sense you’re not quite with the rest of us.”

“As I’ve said, I’m not doing anything wrong,” he squinted his eyes. “I’m just finishing up.”

Mirror Match nodded, but didn’t lower her gun. “Then you won’t mind leaving the cleanup to me. I’m more than capable, if you’ve seen my results from my little visit to the Trottingham bureau.”

Wolfgang snarled but shook his head and stowed his knife. “Oh, very well. Whatever you want, princess.” He grumbled as he pushed past her and disappeared down the street.

Mirror waited until she could no longer smell him, then bent down to examine the two Assassins. Her gun was replaced by two vials of bright green liquid.

“Let’s see, time until effective brain death, four to six minutes… there should still be time.”

Kneeling down to the female’s side first, she poured the contents of one vial down her throat and tilted the head back to force the liquid down. Next she drew a plain combat knife from inside her robes and pulled back one sleeve to stab it into her forearm. Dark red blood trickled out of the wound and into the female’s mouth, pooling around the throat.

Leaving the concoction to do its work, Mirror then stalked to the still conscious man. Batting aside his feeble attempt to stab her, she gripped his face and turned his head left and right, clucking her tongue.

“Hmm, this doesn’t look too bad,” she said as she brought out the second vial. Without ceremony, she unstoppered it and threw it into his face. The Assassin coughed and spluttered, flinching as Mirror held him down and dripped more of her blood into the socket where his eye had been. Once that was done, she finished by tying a bandage around his eyes and topped it off by shoving a lollipop into his mouth.

“There we go! Now keep that on for a few days, and try to avoid getting knifed in the face again. Growing back eyes is troublesome, even for me,” Mirror giggled and listened to the female Assassin groan and come to. “And do me a favor, the next time you see Wolfgang, just run away. You two aren’t very good at fighting.”

“Who are you?” The man asked around the lollipop. “Who are you really working for?”

“Well, that’s an easy one,” Mirror twitched her sleeve back into place and dropped into a sprinter’s crouch. “I’m working for whoever I want to work for.”

There was a whoosh of displaced air and Mirror Match sprang vertically upwards into the night, leaving behind two very confused Assassins in her wake.

Chapter 52: Unwanted Words

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“I didn’t ask to speak to you,” Mahogany Wood said sternly. He glared at the sweaty and blood-stained Wolfgang who had stormed into his office without so much of a ‘good evening’.

“That witch!” Wolfgang cursed and stomped his foot on the carpeted floor. “It was mine! That kill was mine! It should have been me!” Spit flew from the killer’s mouth as he ranted. “She played me like a fiddle!”

“What are you talking about?” Mahogany wiped a fleck of spit from his desk. “Calm yourself, Wolfgang, or I will have you removed.”

Crescent Wing stepped past Mahogany and put a hand on the hilt of one of his sabers.

“Gah.” Wolfgang turned around and headed out of the office. “That witch better start talking.”

Wolfgang headed back down to his hideout and slammed the door open, startling Pressure Point, in the middle of a knife throw. She narrowly caught it as gravity returned it to her.

“Wolfgang, do you mind?” she hissed at him as he stomped past. “I was doing something.”

Wolfgang grunted and reached into the fridge for a beer. The hideout was dark and the walls were full of bullet and knife holes, but it was one of the few places where he and Pressure Point could kick back and relax, under a sort of unofficial truce.

Two more bottles and a chicken sandwich later, Wolfgang was feeling a lot more relaxed. Pressure Point had also gone off to check something with Lumberjack, leaving Wolfgang alone for the time being.

“Ahh,” he belched. “Sweet solitude.”

“If you weren’t here, it might be.”

Wolfgang quickly kicked both legs off the table and was on his feet in seconds. “You witch! Where are you?!”

“Normally, I’d call you blind as a bat,” Mirror’s voice echoed from behind the TV and she walked out with her hands in the pockets of her dark robes. “But that would be offensive to bats.”

“You stole my kills!” Wolfgang pointed a finger at the purple-skinned woman. “That was mine! I was going to kill him! I! Me! Mine!”

“Uh huh,” Mirror said without interest. “Well I didn’t see your name on them, did I? How’d your talk with Mahogany go anyway?”

“The chairman didn’t even want to see me!” he raised a fist. “I should’ve known it was all a ruse! I was following my orders!”

Mirror pulled the fridge open and retrieved the last bottle of beer. “I think he just forgot about your meeting, Why don’t you go ask him again?”

Wolfgang swung a fist drunkenly at Mirror Match, but she bent under it and dodged it.

“Enough jokes! Face me like a real man!”

Mirror and Wolfgang glared at each other, both of them coiled like springs, ready to snap at the smallest misstep. A line of sweat ran down Wolfgang’s cheek. He flexed his fingers, ready to draw his knife. Then Mirror Match broke eye contact and yawned.

“If you want a fight, I’m afraid you’ll have to take a number. I’m booked for the rest of the week.”

The black robed woman chuckled and made for the door of the hideout. Wolfgang lunged at her, fists raised, but before he could strike her, Mirror Match pivoted around and smashed the bottle of beer on his forehead. Blinded by the sudden spray of lager, Wolfgang stumbled backward and collapsed on his rear.

Tossing the remaining neck onto the floor, Mirror regarded him coldly. “You drink too much.”

The ex-Assassin turned around, flipping her cape behind her and headed out of the dark room. Wolfgang rubbed at his head, but made no move to get up.

“That woman…”

High Noon and Windy Sails sat in the canteen, finishing up their lunch.

“So, how’s your… food there, Windy?” High Noon striked up a conversation.

“Oh, it’s… well, it’s good,” she replied with a smile.

High Noon just loved it when his apprentice smiled, but these days it was increasingly rare. Mirror Match and the Templars had put a damper on everyone’s moods, including theirs.

“Perhaps we should go get some training done,” High Noon said as he stood up with his empty plate.

Windy nodded and joined him, putting their plates away before heading to the dojo.

“S-so, how are things between you and Frigid lately?” she softly asked, playing with her fingers. “He’s been getting a lot of trouble from a lot of the others lately.”

“Nah, he’s fine. He’s starting to hold his ground. I’m more worried about the ones who try to pick on him.”

Noon pushed open the door to the dojo and led Windy in.

“So, what are we doing today?”

“I think we should work on your combat. Just in case something were to happen.”

“O-okay…” Windy meekly nodded. “But, no offense to you, Noon, but… I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to fight in a real fight.”

High Noon walked up to Windy and took her hidden blade arm and showed her a few techniques. “It’ll be safer if you learn some. I don’t want you getting hurt in case the Templars attack us here.”

Windy nodded vigorously, her face glowing like a lantern. She tried to copy him as he showed her how to use the hidden blade. She didn’t quite agree with the cowboy, but she loved being around him, so she did her best.

“How are you able to fight, Noon?” she decided to ask as she watched him, almost a little too closely. “Isn’t it scary?”

“A little,” High Noon admitted. “I prefer not to let my enemies get close, that’s why I use a gun. But it’s okay to be scared. If you’re not scared, you don’t think about protecting yourself.”

“That’s nice and all but…” Windy put a hand on her elbow. “I-I was, umm, asking how you get yourself to, umm, fight.” Her cheeks continued to stay red.

High Noon scratched the back of his head. That was a good question. “Well, uh, I guess I fight because if I don’t, the Templars will probably kill me, or take over the world. Or both.”

“R-right. That is true, I suppose… I wish I could be more like you, Noon. You never think something’s too dangerous to handle.”

“Well, I do, Windy. Everything we do is dangerous in our line of work, but we have a job to do and people to protect. Like you, Windy.”

“Like me?” she flashed him an embarrassed smile.

High Noon suddenly felt his face heat up. “Y-yeah, you know, ummm… we all... fight to protect... each other. You know…”

“Oh! Yeah, I know. I know.” Windy and High Noon quickly turned from each other, both unsure what to say next.

“Right, l-let’s continue with your training,” High Noon chuckled nervously and brought out his hidden blade again. “You go like this, and like this…”

Frigid Night stood away from the others in the lobby, watching High Noon and Windy quickly file in with the others; the cowboy gave Frigid a friendly nod of acknowledgement as he passed him.

The Assassins waited as the Mentor arrived on the balcony with her lieutenant following behind her, his arms folded.

“Good evening, Assassins,” she began. “It has come to my attention that we are being targeted. Targeted by a woman we once called our friend. Mirror Match.”

A few eyes immediately turned to Frigid, silently shunning him. Frigid frowned and pulled up his hood over his head.

“Broadside and Glimpse were victims in Mirror Match’s attacks, but who she was really after was Broadside. Mirror intends on cleaning out all the names of those of you who took part in destroying the Templar machine.”

Murmurs erupted within the mass of hooded figures as they began asking each other questions.

“Quieten down!” Star Lance barked from above, waiting as the noise began dying down.

“Pierce Network, Fire Frenzy and Sparkplug are targets,” the Mentor continued, panning her eyes through the crowd, looking for the three Assassins she mentioned. Frigid noticed the hacker standing close to the back, his head looking down at his phone. “We will take shifts in protecting them when they leave the bureau. From our reports, Mirror Match has a black dagger, capable of melting through weapons and armor, as well as some kind of paralytic toxin that she administers through a bite. More details will be in the papers Star Lance will be passing out after this meeting is over.”

A blade that melts other blades. Frigid remembered seeing something like that. A dagger, black as night, coated in some kind of green substance. Mirror had almost killed him with it the night of the machine’s destruction. He couldn’t deny that was probably what she used to infect Broadside. He felt sorry for the large man. Frigid himself was spared from the deadly toxin, while the other Assassin was now lying in bed, dying from a mutating, living poison.

Star Lance suddenly turned away, bringing a metallic object to his ear. A phone call. Mentor turned slightly to see what he was doing, but returned her attention downstairs. “Now I know it all sounds absolutely frightening, but I want you to know, we have nothing to fear. Mirror Match is only one person. If we stand together, we will succeed.”

As the Assassins began to file out to get back to work, Star Lance caught Frigid’s eye, signalling him to join them up on the balcony. He and a smaller gaggle of his colleagues, including the ones whom Mirror had supposedly targeted for termination, were also there. None of them looked particularly happy to see him.

“Mirror Match was just sighted in Fillydelphia,” Star Lance told them. “Assassins from the Fillydelphia bureau said she helped them. She saved two of their apprentices from Wolfgang.”

“She… what?” Frigid thought he had heard the lieutenant wrong.

He wasn’t sure who looked the most disturbed by this news. Each of the Assassins around him stared slack-jawed at Star Lance, some of them already raising their fingers in protest.

“Now this raises a few more questions…” the Mentor said, putting a hand under her chin. “You’re sure they’re talking about Mirror Match, Star Lance?”

Star Lance nodded, but kept his expression serious as always. “I’m certain. Their Assassins have started calling her the ‘Witch of Manehattan’. They reported that she healed the two Assassins.”

“Healed?” Sparkplug asked for clarification. “What do you mean healed? As in she patched them up?”

“As in she brought one of them back from the dead. The Assassin who reported this said that Wolfgang killer his partner but Mirror revived her somehow. Saved his eye too, after Wolfgang cut it out.”

“Impossible,” Sparkplug muttered.

Fire Frenzy was more interested in something else. “Manehattan? We have where she lives?”

“Most Templars live in Manehattan,” Pierce Network said without looking up from his phone, busy tapping away at something. “Mirror’s already building herself quite a reputation as one of the city’s most… generous citizens.” Pierce sent Frigid’s heart fluttering. His phone displayed an image of a highly dolled up Mirror Match in a slinky dress, presenting a check for some kind of charity fundraiser. “All of it cash the Templars are paying her, my guess. None of it actually legitimate. They’re all corrupt, all those Templars, and Mirror’s just the newest one of them.”

“Surely someone knows where she lives!” Fire Frenzy slammed a fist into his palm. “She’s so high profile! If we can find out, all it’ll take is a few guys to sneak in and catch her with her pants down-”

“It’s not that simple.” Frigid watched as all eyes turned to him, some more annoyed than anything else. “The Fillydelphia bureau, whether we like it or not, they’re less sure about Mirror now. They’ll want answers.”

“We didn’t ask for your input, Frigid!” Fire Frenzy glared. “Actually, why are you here? We can’t trust you anymore! You led her right here!”

“How about gas?” Sparkplug mused. “Like we did back in Chicoltgo thirteen years back. Pumped that stuff right into that arms dealer’s bathroom and choked him while he was still on the can.”

“Yeah, one problem,” Star Lance showed them the report. “Glimpse told us that she stabbed Mirror with her poison blade, but to no effect. She also said she drank down a bottle of poison like it was a drink. I doubt gas is going to work.”

This caused a ripple of unease among the Assassins. Trueshot raised his hand.

“What about doing it the old-fashioned way?” the Stalliongrad Assassin said. “All I need is a good view, and I can make the shot.”

“Trueshot,” Rose Petal put a hand on his shoulder. “Remember the last time you had a gunfight with her? She almost killed you.”

“But that time she knew he was there,” Star Lance said with a nod. “If we were to catch her unawares… not even she could survive a bullet to the head.”

“One problem…” Pierce turned his phone for them all to see again. It was a picture of a tall Manehattan building, mostly wide windows and glass panels. “I just found where she lives. Big place, penthouse of three floors above at least thirty floors. Also got the zoning and interior design companies they called in, courtesy of the Board of Education. Look.” He held out his phone. “Windows are all made of military grade bulletproof glass. Nothing short of an anti-tank round is getting through those. Probably at Talon’s recommendation. Plus, it’s basically the tallest building in Manehattan for blocks around. You can’t get up to a higher spot to get a good shot at her. Templars… They really know how to get on your nerves. Just this other mission-”

“Besides,” Rose added bitterly. “She’s famous now. Killing her like that would make the police come down on us like a load of bricks.”

“Okay, okay,” Trueshot raised his hands in defeat. “Guess my way doesn’t work. So what do we do?”

“It’s like we’re in one of the Eastern comics.” Rose Petal wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. “When men fight against the demons from the underworld, except now that we’re on the receiving end, it doesn’t seem nearly so exciting.”

“There must be a way,” Star Lance said resolutely. “Everyone’s counting on us, and she’s just going to keep picking us off unless we do something.”

Everyone’s attention was momentarily distracted by the sight of an exhausted Dr. Patch joining their meeting.

“Mentor, everyone,” the doctor said regretfully. “It’s Broadside. He’s dying.”

Chapter 53: Someone to Depend On

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"So this is your first encounter with that poison?" Twilight Sparkle asked the white haired ex-Assassin, deciding to stand up to stretch her legs. Human legs were so much more susceptible to the cold than pony legs.

"I wasn't there, Twilight." Morning Blade adjusted her braid's hair tie. "But I had heard of the poison's horrors first from Dewdrop. Let's say it's a weapon I would never want to come into contact with. It's like it has a mind of its own."

"In all of Equestria, I've never come across poison like this." Twilight flipped at her notebook pages. "You must tell me more about it, Morning. Perhaps I'll have more clues to study this in detail."

"Right." Morning nodded. "Then I shall continue."

The clinic, never the best place to be on the finest of days, was now as quiet as the grave. The only sound now the labored breathing of Broadside as Mirror Match’s poison did its work on his body.

“I’m afraid I can’t find a cure,” Patch replied, defeat scrawled all over her face. “I’ve spent the past night looking up as much information as I could, but… I don’t know! I don’t know how to save him…”

Broadside’s skin was a pallid, uniform grey, and his lips flapped with each breath his drew in. That and the faint twitching of his fingers indicated he was still alive. The cut on his hand had become inflamed and puffy, and most disturbingly of all, the veins around that area had become dyed an acrid green.

“It’s okay, Patch,” Rose Petal put a hand on the doctor’s arm. “You tried your best.”

“But it’s not enough!” Patch put her face in her hands.

“You did everything you could, doc,” Fire Frenzy wrapped an arm around the doctor comfortingly. “Unlike someone else here, you did your best to keep Mirror from hurting Broadside.”

“What, Frenzy?” Frigid scowled at the fiery Assassin. He had just about enough of petty insults. “You have a problem with me, just say it straight out! Let’s hear it.”

“Yeah, I got a problem with you! You had more than enough chances to put steel into that turncoat, and you didn’t do it. You’re too chicken to have anything to do with Mirror Match!”

“Well why don’t you fight her then!” Frigid got right into Frenzy’s face. “She’ll be coming for you soon enough, why don’t you show everyone just how pro you are then?”

“Maybe I will! At least it’ll prove I’m willing to do what it takes for the Brotherhood, unlike you!”

“Well until you do, why don’t you stay out of my face, huh? I’ve had it up to here with you all thinking I’m in league with her!”

Frigid stormed out of the room, leaving everyone else bewildered. He headed straight for the roof and leapt off around the back where no one really ventured. The wind blew around him as he fell, soon landing on a few old mattresses he had stacked there a few years ago. Frigid bounced off and made his way down the cliffside towards an old secret hiding spot. It was a small cave just under the cliff and next to the water; a place where he could be without the sound of the other Assassins accusing him. He and Mirror had used to come here sometimes when they didn’t have work to do, back when things used to be simpler.

“There’s nothing simple about this entire business, you know,” a familiar voice said not too far away. “Never was.”

“I had a feeling you’d be here,” Frigid sighed as he sat on a small boulder and looked out to the sea.

“How could I not be?” Mirror’s dark robes made her look like a ghost, sitting on the rocks near the entrance. “From what I hear, I’m the talk of the town these days.”

“Why are you after them, Mirror?” Frigid looked at her. “Dr. Patch is devastated. She doesn’t know what to do. And Glimpse… I don’t even know what to say.”

“Those who defy the queen must be punished,” she recited in one breath. “And me, I’m just doing what I’m supposed to, just like all of you would love to end me if you had the chance. Well, almost all of you.” She finished with a wink at Frigid. Her face looked normal. No fangs or anything, and she sat back as if this spot were the safest place in the world.

“Who is this queen?” Frigid decided to ask, sitting forward, letting his boots touch the shallow waters. “Is she the one controlling Mahogany Wood?”

“Oh, Friggy,” Mirror clucked her tongue as if she were dealing with a naughty child. “I could tell you, but then I’d have to end you too,” in a flash, the crooked dark dagger was in her hands, the Templar agent raising it to her mouth and licking the point. “And that would be unfortunate, because I really rather like you.”

Frigid Night nodded. Looks like he’ll just have to figure it out through other means. There was no way he was going to fight her again, even if he didn’t love her. “Mirror, could we just… not talk about all this business at the moment? I came here to get away from all that.”

Mirror shrugged. She unwrapped a lollipop and stuck it between her teeth. “Suit yourself.”

Frigid smiled and looked down at his faint reflection. Strange how the only one he was happy around was the enemy. “How are things with you?”

“To be honest, very dull. Mahogany Wood is full of delusions of changing the world when he’s not even capable of changing his pants without Crescent Wing around to back him up, and everyone else acts like this is the most important thing of their lives. Trust me, it’s not.”`

“Yeah…” Frigid looked out at the glowing moon, casting light across the rocks and water. It was a wonderful picture, one of the reasons why Frigid Night liked coming here. “I still miss you, Mirror. It’s empty without you.”

Mirror stuck out her tongue. It was smudged green from her sweet. “Tell me about it. All this money, all this power, and still no one to share it with. No family or friends to use my wealth for,” the ex-Assassin reached into her robes and unfolded what Frigid thought looked like a photo; he caught a flash of three teenage girls before she stowed it away. “Not really a lot of fun.”

“Well, this is nice,” Frigid agreed with her. He put a hand to the photo in his coat; the one of Mirror and himself. “Just the two of us. Our organizations away from here. Will you really not come back?”

Frigid was not surprised when Mirror let out a bark of laughter. “I might ask you the same thing. The Templars are winning, Friggy. They have the money, they have the power, and now they have me. If you come back with me, I’m sure I can convince the chairman to let you in.”

“G-go back with you?” It sounded tempting, but he couldn’t abandon the others at the bureau. Frigid hopped off his rock and slowly approach Mirror’s side. “But I can’t. The others, the Mentor. I can’t betray them.”

“From what I hear, you may as well have,” Mirror muttered. “How are they treating you back at the bureau, anyway? All sugar and rainbows?”

Frigid thought about it, deciding there was no harm in telling her. “They don’t trust me anymore…” He took a seat beside her. “They’re giving me a lot of trouble because I brought you to the bureau, and… because I didn’t kill you that day.”

“Well you got a B for effort that day, though I think if you’d scored an A, I’d have ripped your fingers off and forced you to eat them,” Mirror kicked her legs out casually. “So yeah, I think what you’re getting back at the bureau sounds better than that.”

“I guess so…” he hunched. “As much as I’d love to be with you, Mirror, I don’t think I can leave the Assassins. I might have lost a lot of friends, but I still have High Noon and Satin. I can’t leave them like that.”

“Yes. Satin.” Was Frigid imagining things, or did Mirror’s voice change slightly at his friend’s name? “She’s gone through so much for her sister. It’s… admirable. Very admirable. I know she doesn’t want to hear this from me, but… I’m proud of what she’s doing.”

For the first time in a while, being with Mirror had him chuckle again. “She really has. She’s a good girl. Even her partner, Dewdrop. Sure, she goes out drinking a whole lot, but at least she’s dependable.”

“I’m glad she’s found someone she can depend on. Better than me, at least.”

“I depended on you, Mirror. You were my partner. You were my girlfriend. I still don’t know what to do without you.”

Mirror’s mouth twisted into a wry smile, one that alarmingly showed off an impressive pair of fangs. “You’ll figure it out. Do your best to keep Satin safe for me, though if anyone lays a finger on her I will personally beat them until they’re spitting up teeth.”

“I’ll be sure to do that, Mirror.” Frigid leaned back against the cool cave wall. “But… thanks, Mirror. For coming here.”

He waited for an answer, but none came. Frigid opened his eyes to find that he was alone.

Chapter 54: Run

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Two weeks later

Fire Frenzy stalked the rooftops of Seaddle, searching for their target, Oil Spill, a Templar resource dealer.

Two other Assassins followed behind him, warily watching the area for any unwanted guests.

Soon, their target was spotted. A middle-aged man with slick green hair, strolling down to the docks with a group of armed guards behind him. Frenzy counted at least six.

He put down his binoculars, putting up his hood to keep his blazing hairstyle from being spotted. “Ready?”

“Good to go.”

Frenzy nodded and leapt off the edge of the roof, closing his eyes as he landed in a crate of cardboard boxes. He rubbed at his shoulder and hopped out, waiting for the other two Assassins before making his way to the docks, keeping low. He had one hand on his sword hilt, just in case, while his hidden blade arm panned around in front of him.

The Templar had his back to them, talking on his cell phone. His guards didn’t look particularly disciplined, one of them was even playing some kind of handheld video game while they walked to the yacht that was holding the new stash of goods.

“Will you stop playing that video game?” Oil Spill snapped at the guard. “You’re supposed to be watching out for any dangerous people, remember?”

“But boss,” the guard said reproachfully. “We’re dangerous people.” He returned his eyes to his game.

Oil Spill turned around fully and threw his hands up. “Will you stop playing that video game?!”

“Sorry, boss.” The guard knew when he was pushing it, so he stowed it in his back pocket.

Fire Frenzy and his escorts tensed. They were almost out of sight and out of the light, and that was when they would swoop in for the kill.

He held up five fingers.

Five… four… three… two…

“Fancy seeing you here,” Frenzy’s radio squawked.

Frenzy immediately stopped and stared. He put a hand to his radio and looked to the others. “She’s here. Get ready…”

The other two Assassins nodded, raising their weapons, their original objectives forgotten. Keeping Fire Frenzy between them, the two Warrior ranked Assassins circled around, looking high and low for the tiniest hint of a woman in dark robes.

The minutes ticked by. No one appeared.

“Maybe she chickened out,” one of them reasoned.

“I doubt it,” Frenzy shook his head. If he knew the woman well, she was waiting to make an entrance.

And then Mirror Match dropped out of the sky, landing in a crouch right in front of the three Assassins hard enough send a gust of wind outwards. Her mouth was open, fangs dripping with a viscous liquid. Each finger was extended to bare a short but lethal claw. She smiled up at them.

“Run.”

Fire Frenzy’s escorts didn’t need to be told twice. Dropping their weapons, both men threw their arms in the air and scrambled as fast as they could away from the Templar agent, hollering in terror.

"Seriously? They'll need a word with when I get back..."

Frenzy stood his ground, sword drawn and stance ready.

“You’re not going to run too?” Mirror laughed and licked at her fangs. “It would’ve been more fun if I had to hunt you down.”

“I’ll be the one taking you down, witch.”

“Lots of people are calling me that recently. I rather like it. No one’s called me that in a millennia; it makes me feel young again.”

“You’re crazy,” Frenzy spat. Now she thinks she’s been living for a millenia? “I’ll pay you back for all the friends you Templars have killed.”

“Of course, every era there’s someone who calls me crazy. I prefer eccentric, or maybe even reaper.”

“Stop stalling.” Frenzy raised his sword tip to her head level. “This ends now, and I’m going to be the one to finish you. With or without backup.”

Fire Frenzy swung at Mirror Match, who scooted back to dodge it, a suppressed pistol already spinning out into her hand. She squeezed the trigger twice, one bullet striking near the hilt of Frenzy’s weapon and severing the blade from the handle, the second shot drilling into the Assassin’s foot.

Frenzy looked at his broken weapon and then at his bleeding foot. He didn’t feel the pain, but felt his rage against her building up. He unsheathed a dagger and his hidden blade and attacked Mirror in a flurry of swings, slicing at her unpredictably.

Each and every one of his attacks found itself being effortlessly blocked by a short, jagged black dagger that Mirror slipped out of her sleeve. Frenzy remembered the reports detailing her black blade. Broadside had died from the incurable poison coating it. He made a note to avoid the weapon as much as he could, while looking for an opening to strike her. Already, his blades were starting to disintegrate, forcing him to come up with a new attack plan.

Mirror’s jaws snapped at Frenzy, far too close to his face for comfort. Bizarrely, she smelled absolutely wonderful, like strawberries and cream, in stark contrast to the wolfish set of teeth that had almost broken the skin next to his eye. They were long and white, and scraps of what appeared to be meat clung to the edges. What was it that the paper had said? Paralytic injectors in her mouth disguised as fangs? Well from this distance they sure as hay looked like the real thing.

Frenzy quickly spun under her and kicked out in a spin, catching Mirror in the left leg. Mirror fell to the side but flipped herself back up, dragging Frenzy’s right leg with her, spinning the Assassin upside down.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Mirror drew a silver combat knife and plunged it deep into Frenzy’s already bleeding foot, the blade entering the top of his boot so hard than it came out the bottom, pinning him to the ground.

“Agh!” Frenzy yelled as he turned to face Mirror. He looked down and gripped at the blade, yanking it out as he watched her. The Templar made no move to attack him as he stood up and readied her dagger.

“Are we going to fight, or are you just going to flail around like a three year old for some more?” Mirror said plainly. “I have a gala to attend tomorrow and I’d prefer to get some sleep tonight.”

“It’s not over,” Frenzy mumbled through his teeth and quickly slid forward, stabbing the dagger forward as fast as he could. She caught it between two fingers.

“No, but it will be soon. You Assassins are all the same; such a lust for revenge and death, but so little love. Your founder would be ashamed of you.” She ran at him and pushed him against the wall.

“It’s because of you!” Frenzy rubbed at his head. He had lost the knife when Mirror knocked him back.

Mirror Match snarled and reached into her robes, her hands coming out with a long stiletto between each finger. Fire Frenzy yelled as each knife was jabbed into his limbs, each gleaming point driven into the wall with the heels of her hands like nails. Each stab was punctuated by Mirror hissing, “Don’t you dare! Blame me for this! If you’d only had more! Information! I. Wouldn’t. Need. To. Do. This!”

“Gah!” Frenzy struggled, but he had no way out, nor the strength to force himself out. He had been beaten. “You were… my friend once, Mirror. But you betrayed us! To think I… trusted you!”

“Hmm. I wonder whose fault that is.” Mirror slapped the immobilized Assassin’s cheek. “Assassins getting attached to people when you’re in a business that can spell the end in an instant. Didn’t you learn anything from Ice Flake? People die in this profession, little boy,” Mirror’s voice wavered in Fire Frenzy’s ears, two of them just out of sync.

“Don’t you talk about Flake!” Frenzy lunged his head forward, the only movement he could handle. “I’ll… I’ll kill you for what you did to her!”

Mirror looked bemusedly at him. She folded back her hood and leaned in to kiss Frenzy, her lips wrapping around his sensuously. The Assassin struggled and tried to bite her, but she was too nimble. Just when Frenzy thought he would pass out from lack of air, Mirror drew back and licked her lips.

“Hmm. Nothing. What a pity, but that seems par for the course with you Assassins, it seems,” Mirror’s tongue lapped at a drop of fluid that hung from one of her fangs. “Excepting Friggy, of course. He’s just such a dear.”

“I knew it! He’s… working with you... isn’t he? I should’ve killed him too!” he said through breaths. “You’re all going… to get it!”

Frenzy tried to free himself again, but to no avail. He slumped lower as fatigue began catching up from the pain and exhaustion.

“I get that once every few decades too,” Mirror murmured to herself before shrugging and drawing her gun again. Taking careless aim, she pointed the weapon’s muzzle at Frenzy’s knees and shot twice more. Frenzy screamed as his kneecaps were shattered.

“For crimes against the queen and her kin, on her behalf, I hereby sentence you to death,” Mirror said quietly. Her black dagger, its length glowing green, carved into Fire Frenzy’s shoulder, the acid eating through his clothing and etching out a crude image of a crown.

Frenzy felt as if he would pass out at any moment, but his consciousness held strong as he stared as violently as he could at the ex-Assassin. “You witch… What did you do…?”

“I killed you,” Mirror shrugged. “And in three days, your body will realize it. I would say rest in peace, but honestly I don’t think you deserve it.”

Frenzy remembered Broadside lying in the medic wing, dying from this very poison Mirror had carved into him. There was nothing he could do. After the third day, Broadside had just passed on, leaving them without a word.

Frenzy stared off numbly, not even caring about the bite that Mirror dealt to his hand. One by one, she took back her knives, leaving the Assassin to fall to the ground.

He wasn’t sure how long he had been lying there, but by the time Frenzy’s escorts came back, he had already passed out.

Chapter 55: The Witch's Poison

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The Board of Education’s meeting room was filled today, each chair occupying a Templar member as they listened to Citrus Drops, their new media officer, as she gave her report on their latest cover up.

“And that’s how I plan on explaining all the member’s sudden deaths,” Citrus finished, placing her papers on the table as she sat back down.

Murmurs began surfacing as the Templars discussed the talk with each other.

“Excellent speech and plan, my dear,” Mahogany Wood spoke, his voice silencing the others. “You’ve got your father’s skill. He would be so proud of you.”

“Thank you, chairman,” Citrus smiled.

“Now, if that is all, you may go. I understand you have more important things to do than sit here.”

Citrus Drops nodded and headed out of the room. Mahogany gave it a good ten seconds before beginning his real meeting.

“Now, I want to talk about the Assassins,” he began, a more serious tone entering his words. “As of late, Wolfgang and Mirror Match have dealt a few blows to them, which is good. Now, how soon can we get more of you out there to help them? I want to see the Assassins in ruins before our feet.”

“But brother,” Timber raised his hand. “What of the Mentor? The last time we went up against her, she shredded through a squad of Talon’s finest soldiers.”

“Easy,” Wysteria said from her seat. “We just need to wait for them to leave the bureau. Then we’ll kill them. That’s what Wolfgang and Mirror Match are doing, no?”

“Or…” Timber coughed to get their attention. “We could wait until the new machine is done and find someone who can wield the artifact. We already have data from the previous tests. We don’t need to start over.”

Mahogany leaned back and thought about his options. “We will do both. Lumberjack, you will coordinate the attacks. Timber, the machine.”

“Sure, Mahogany.” Lumberjack pulled his legs off the table and raised a fist. “Consider it done. We’ll give them a good brawling.”

“Excellent.” Mahogany’s mouth formed into a smirk. “The Assassins believe they have won when they destroyed the first Eye. They thought it was over for us. Well, they are gravely mistaken. Our vengeance will overrun them and then… they will have no escape as we crush them under our feet once and for all. It is only a matter of time. The Order will be the winning side, not the Brotherhood.”

Frigid Night, hearing the news earlier, had rushed to the entrance of the Trottingham bureau, just in time to see the medic Assassins rush Fire Frenzy in on a stretcher. His white coat was stained red, along with a whole set of puncture wounds on his arms and legs.

“What happened to him? Was it Mirror?” Frigid stopped one of Frenzy’s bodyguards.

The man just shrugged him off and headed away without a word. Frigid decided to head to the medic wing, following behind Fire Frenzy.

“Frigid! What happened?” It was Satin Breeze and Dewdrop, arriving next to him. “Was it Mirror again?”

“I think so,” he nodded as they proceeded down the corridor. “Frenzy’s in really bad shape.”

“You actually sound worried, Frigid,” Dewdrop nudged him. “I thought you two had a problem with each other?”

Frigid closed his eyes for a second and sighed. True, his relationship with Frenzy especially had taken a dive in the last few months. The two Assassins rarely let a day pass where they weren’t at each other’s necks. Just a few days ago, they had gotten into a big fight. Punches had been thrown, but luckily, Rose Petal was there to stop them before it could escalate to blades.

“I hope he’ll be alright,” Satin said worriedly as the medics pushed the medic room doors open.

Dr. Patch was the first to acknowledge her new patient, dropping everything she had before running to Fire Frenzy.

“Mirror Match?” she asked the escorts.

Both nodded at the same time.

Frenzy was shifted to a bed, squirming in pain from his battle with Mirror. Patch quickly got to taking his coat and shirt off, examining the ugly green mark on his shoulder.

“No…” Patch froze. “No no no… Not yet. Not so soon...”

Frigid made his way over with the girls, looking at the orange-skinned Assassin. His body was covered in sweat, along with holes in his arms and legs; knife wounds by the looks of it.

Patch quickly began attending to him, grabbing a cloth and bucket from her portable store and placing it on Frenzy’s head to cool him down.

“Medic!” she called, summoning one of the nearby Assassins. “I’ll need help with the wounds. Get me some stitches and-”

Patch suddenly stopped talking, along with all the other Assassins. Right before their eyes, Frenzy’s knife wounds began bubbling with green vapor, slowly converging towards the middle of each hole. Soon, the wounds were gone, nothing but a patch of new skin.

“I… I don’t believe it.” Patch pushed a hand through her messy pink hair. “How…?”

She bent lower and poked at the new skin. Frigid watched as her finger sank into the skin and come back up, noticing how real it was.

“The poison is a lot more alive than I first thought,” the doctor said as she quickly grabbed more medical supplies. “It seems it’ll try to keep its host alive until… Well, until the three days are up.”

“But how is that possible?” Dewdrop pushed forward to take a closer look. “You’re saying this poison is alive?”

“We have reason to believe so.”

“That means we have time!” Satin slammed a fist into a palm. “We need to find a cure!”

Patch removed her glasses and wiped at her eyes. “I’ve tried… I’ve been trying. Since Broadside. I don’t know if I can find one…”

“Mirror Match,” Satin told her. “She uses this poison. She must know of a cure!”

“But how are we going to get her to talk?” Dewdrop folded her arms. “I doubt she’s just going to tell us what it is.”

“She w-won’t.” All heads turned to Fire Frenzy, looking up at them from his pillow. “But I have a feeling… Frigid knows.”

Frigid almost looked as astounded as everyone else. “Me? Why would I know? You think Broadside will be dead if I knew it?”

Frenzy had trouble, but managed to turn his face into a snarl. “You’re in league with her, aren’t you? I know you’re working for her! That’s why she’s still alive!”

“What? Look, she might’ve been my girlfriend, but that doesn’t mean I’m helping her!”

“Stop lying to us!” Frenzy yelled even louder. “This is all your fault, Frigid. You’re to blame for all this!”

“Okay, enough shouting.” Patch put a hand on Frenzy’s head. “You need to rest. Frigid, I think you better leave.”

Satin put a reassuring hand on Frigid’s shoulder. “I’ll keep you updated. Don’t worry.”

Frigid looked at them and Frenzy for a few more seconds before nodding and leaving. “I’m sorry, Frenzy…”

Wolfgang slid to the side and kicked out at the Assassin’s knee, crumpling him to the floor.

“Ah!” he yelled as Wolfgang kicked him in the side of the head.

“You Assassins present me no challenge,” Wolfgang said smugly, jabbing a knife down through the Assassin’s leg, earning his screams. “I thought you were trained killers? How is it I’m better than you?”

Wolfgang pulled out a long silver pistol and shot one bullet at his head, watching blood spurt up into the air before the Assassin went limp.

Another Assassin, a female with long golden hair, lunged at Wolfgang and stabbed a knife into his shoulder.

“Augh!” Wolfgang stood up and tried to shake her off. She leapt up and held on to his back, not letting go of the knife in the killer’s shoulder.

Wolfgang ran to the nearest wall and started smashing her against it, smiling as each bash made her utter a gasp. The Assassin eventually reached a point where she couldn’t take it anymore and fell off Wolfgang’s back, groaning from the pain.

“How’d you like that huh?” Wolfgang kicked her in the gut. “Hurts doesn’t it?”

He bent down and delivered a volley of punches to her face, knocking her out cold.

Wolfgang laughed and viewed his battlefield. The male Assassin was dead behind him, while he still had this one to deal with. Not bad.

Wolfgang decided to have some fun. As a crazy serial killer, sometimes you’ve just got to do as you like with your victims.

He slowly unzipped her white coat and pulled up her shirt, gazing at his wonderful catch.

“Nice body,” he grinned as he pulled out a long sleek dagger. “I hope you don’t mind me too terribly for being an artist. Then again, you’ll be dead, so I guess you won’t.”

With that said, Wolfgang brought his knife down to her tan skin and got to work.

Chapter 56: The End of a Life

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"Alive... you say?" Twilight dropped her pencil to the floor in shock, her thoughts reeling over the information she just received. "How...?"

Morning Blade shook her head sadly. "I do not know. Never in my life have I ever encountered something like this. I still don't know how Mirror Match had come to acquire such a lethal weapon, but she did. She killed them all with the touch of this blade. Except that one traitor..." She bunched up the fingers of her left hand into a fist.

"What traitor?" Twilight tilted her head to the side.

"That traitor, Pierce Network. Uh, the hacker man." She received a nod from Twilight Sparkle. The ex-Assassin turned and looked out the window just in time to see a squirrel hop past. "He left us when we needed him the most. He's the only one who evaded Mirror Match of all of them."

"Oh. What did he do to survive so long?" the princess asked.

Morning's expression seemed to dim. "I really don't care what he did. He betrayed us all. He betrayed the Creed. He betrayed what we stood for."

"Ah, right, that creed of yours..." Twilight scribbled the word down on her notebook. "What exactly is this... Assassin's Creed you have?"

Morning looked back at her and stroked at her braid. "We believe in this: Nothing is true, everything is permitted. Umm... It's how we live out our lives. As Assassins. Our code of conduct. Doesn't sound easy, huh?"

"Yeeeaaaah..." Twilight just stared at her.

"It's... hard to describe in just this one sitting. Perhaps another time? We've still got a lot to cover." She flipped through her book, noticing they were only about halfway through the pages. "Sh-Shall we?"

"Right. Lead on, Morning Blade."

Star Lance opened the door after the second set of knocks, looking down at Glimpse. She had on a simple black hoodie, zipped up to the middle, along with a new set of black shorts and red sneakers. Her pink hair was messily tied up into her usual ponytail and her face told him she hadn’t been sleeping for days.

“Yes, Glimpse. What can I do for you?”

“Is Mentor awake?” the Raider leader asked. “I need to talk to her…”

Star Lance nodded and moved away to let Glimpse into the office. Steel Shine sat at her desk, looking up and smiling as Glimpse approached her.

“Yes, Glimpse. What may I help you with?”

“Mentor…” she rubbed the back of her head. “I wanted to talk. About… leaving the Brotherhood.”

“What?” Star Lance was taken aback. “Why?”

“It’s not your fault,” Glimpse quickly added. “It’s me. I just… I don’t think I can take it anymore. I can’t sleep. I keep having nightmares about Mirror Match and Broadside. I keep seeing him die before my eyes, with that traitor laughing behind my back. Then after that she keeps touching me, and I can’t move. I can’t handle it anymore!”

“I can help you, Glimpse.” The Mentor stood up next to the pink haired Assassin.

“I can’t continue,” Glimpse muttered as tears began forming in her eyes. “Now Frenzy is dying too. I can’t do this. I can’t keep watching my friends die, and… I don’t want to see Mirror Match again. I’m afraid of her…”

Steel Shine stood silently, options buzzing through her head. “Glimpse. I shall respect your wishes, but is leaving what you truly wish for?”

Glimpse closed her eyes and nodded, on the brink of crying. “Yes, Mentor…” There was just too much for her to think about. She wanted to abandon it all. To start a new life elsewhere.

The Assassin Mentor put her arms around Glimpse and gave her a comforting hug. “Then it shall be. I’ll get Pierce Network to erase any trace you have to us to keep you safe. May your days ahead do you good.”

The Mentor felt Glimpse’s hands wrap around her back. “Thank you, Mentor. Thank you for everything.”

“Thank you, Glimpse. For giving so much of your life for the Brotherhood. You will not be forgotten.”

Star Lance and the Mentor walked the beaten Assassin out to the entrance to bid her farewell. Glimpse wasn’t the brave Assassin she used to be. Mirror Match had broken her; she had taken away her will to fight on and her ability to act as an Assassin.

“Where will you go, Glimpse?” Star Lance asked her as he stopped by the doors.

“I’m thinking of heading to Canterlot,” she told them, wiping at her eyes. “Templar activity is low there and nothing much happens. I think that’ll be a good start for me.”

“Take care, Glimpse,” Mentor put a hand on one shoulder, Star Lance on the other. “If you ever need any help, don’t be afraid to seek us. You will always be one of us.”

Glimpse nodded and gave both the Mentor and the lieutenant hugs before heading down the hill, stopping halfway to give them one final wave before entering the main city, ending her old life, ready to begin a new one.

Frigid Night waited in his little alcove, waking up especially early to make sure no one saw him leaving. The moon was still hovering in the night sky as Frigid placed himself on one of the rocks.

He just had to talk to Mirror Match today. Frenzy only had two days left and he had to find a cure for him, no matter how much they hated each other.

Without warning, two arms appeared in his field of vision from behind and wrapped around his neck. Mirror Match pulled him close and leaned her head against his.

“Hey, Friggy. Nice to see you here.”

“Mirror,” he acknowledged. “How do you always know I’m here?”

“I have my ways,” she added with a kiss to his cheek. “You’ve got this wonderful smell about you.”

“Mirror, we need to talk. About Fire Frenzy.”

“What about him?” Mirror’s voice suddenly turned colder.

“Is there a cure?” Frigid asked. “Please, Mirror. You can still save him.”

“Certainly there is a cure,” Mirror said, her voice brittle. “Every poison and venom in the world has a cure; whether I intend to share it with you is another matter entirely. And I won’t. Not for him, not for you, not for anyone. Well, almost anyone,” she rescinded sourly.

“Please, Mirror. I know, Frenzy isn’t one of my best friends, but I still can’t just let him die.”

“He was dead,” Frigid’s ex-girlfriend sniffed at him. “The moment he chose to get involved in that Eye business. It just took this long for the reaper to catch up with him. You can’t outrun death,” Mirror laughed bitterly.”And that’s exactly what I’ve become. Only a pardon from the queen can save him now, and the queen will never pardon him. Of that you can be sure.”

“But why, Mirror?” Frigid put a hand on her cheek. “Why was the Eye so important to you? What did the Templars do to you?”

“They didn’t do anything. I’ve known the Templars a lot longer than you, and I can tell you they’re very simple people. As for the Eye, you wouldn’t understand.”

“I can understand if you let me, Mirror. Please, let me help you.”

Mirror put a finger to her chin in thought. “All right. I know how you can help me.”

“Tell me, Mirror. I’ll do everything I can.” Frigid gave her a hopeful smile.

“You can help by coming with me back to the Templars and helping them rebuild the Eye. Once it’s operational, I can tell you why it’s so important.”

Frigid was about to reply when something she said caught his attention. “Wait, they’re building a second one? Already? But… if it becomes operational, Mahogany Wood will have what he needs to control the world!”

“He can try,” Mirror said offhandedly. “But that man couldn’t control the media if he didn’t have his lackeys doing it for him. He can’t even control his own bowels after a plate of chili. Only thing keeping him in the game are his speeches and his money.”

“But… if you’re not helping him, then what are you after? Why help him?”

Mirror chuckled darkly.

“It’s a simple enough concept. He has something I want, I have something he wants. We exchange goods and services and both of us walk away happier. Barter, Friggy. Maybe you’ve heard of it?”

Frigid contemplated his options. If Mirror wasn’t helping Mahogany, then it wouldn’t hurt to go with her. Wouldn’t it? After all, he technically wasn’t betraying the Assassins. He would just be doing something to help Mirror Match, the woman he loved. Right?

“And after it’s done, you’ll just walk away from them? That’s what you said, right?”

“If the Eye works, and if, it works how I want it to, and if I’m done with Sparkplug and Pierce by then, sure. I won’t have much of a reason to stay anyway.”

“But… Sparkplug and Pierce,” Frigid looked down at his legs. “They’re our friends. Why must you kill them?”

Mirror Match snarled, a bestial sound that wouldn’t have been out of place in a horror movie. “First off, they’re your friends. And second, they’re already dead, like Fire Frenzy. I just need to break the news to them.”

“Please don’t do this, Mirror,” Frigid pleaded with her. “I’ll go with you. Please, just leave them be.”

“You’re so heroic, Friggy, taking their sins on your own head.” Mirror’s black dagger flipped out into her hand and she spun it around her fingers, drops of green spattering all over her sleeve and eating holes in it. “But I’m afraid their crimes are not the kind where I can just delegate the punishment to someone else, least of all you. I have a duty to do, and I intend to see it through, even if it takes me the rest of time to do it!”

Frigid didn’t know how else he could convince her. She just wouldn’t let them be for destroying the first machine. He wanted to try again. Ask her to lay off the killing, but he just didn’t know how.

“At least give me the antidote,” Frigid said at last. “Frenzy doesn’t deserve to die like this.”

Mirror flipped her hair out of her face and walked to the cave’s mouth.

“You’re wrong. He does deserve it.”

Chapter 57: One Morning

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"It's a shame I never got to meet Glimpse." Morning Blade adjusted the eyepatch on her face. "I heard she was fast. That's why she was a Raider. Leader of them, in fact."

"But Canterlot, huh?" Twilight looked all around the room. "She's in this city somewhere."

"That she is, Twilight." Morning Blade smiled. At least Glimpse had gotten away from all this before things started getting worse, like Sombra killing most of the Assassins in all the bureaus. Morning had thought they had it the worst, but none of the other bureaus had survivors; she could count herself lucky that she was even sitting here, telling her story.

"So... Fire Frenzy... Did he...?" Twilight held her pencil over her paper, biting her lower lip in anticipation and dread.

Morning sighed and nodded. "I think it's better I spare you the details of what happened. At least, in record for what happened. I wasn't there. Though... Here, why don't I just continue and you'll see what we have."

One week later

High Noon and Windy Sails strolled down the paved walkways of Canterlot, a small city where nothing much really ever happened. In fact, there was so little significance to the place that the Templars rarely ever came to this city, giving the two Assassins the perfect chance to scout out potential recruits.

After Glimpse had left, the Mentor had sent them to the city to make sure she was alright, but also to find a good replacement.

High Noon and Windy had donned simple clothing to fit in. Noon wore a simple buttoned up jacket over a blue collared shirt and jeans, while Windy wore a white polo shirt over a green skirt. High Noon wanted to tell her she was really pretty, but he couldn’t build up enough courage to do so.

Pierce had already given them Glimpse’s home coordinates, allowing them to locate her house without too much trouble. It was in the suburbs, away from the main city. A short bus ride was all it took for them to arrive there. Noon paid the fare and they got out.

The place was just how he liked it. Houses outlined the streets, a good distance between each other, and it didn’t seem to be a crowded place. High Noon liked small towns where everyone knew everyone. It just made life easier if he could have that.

“So, where are we headed?” Windy asked, following behind him.

“Pierce said it was number five, so let’s look for that.”

The two Assassins followed the street, looking around using their eagle vision, just in case Glimpse happened to be out on the streets. They didn’t want her seeing them, did they?

Noon made sure to look into the houses, just in case. Glimpse was a friendly enough Assassin; she might’ve already made friends in her neighbourhood. There was still no sign of her, but soon, the two of them arrived outside her supposed house, number five.

It was a simple one storey house, with a garage extension like the rest of the other ones down the lane. Noon focused his eagle sense and peered inside, looking for signs of his old friend. Soon he found her, a blue glowing form seated by a table with what looked like a cup of coffee in her hands. She wore her signature red sleeveless top, along with a pair of black shorts.

“Found her,” he told his partner. “She seems to be fine.”

“Oh. Well, that’s good I suppose…” Windy meekly smiled. “I’m glad she’s getting used to this new life.”

“Yeah…” High Noon would’ve loved to live like that too. A normal home, a normal life; it would’ve been nice if he had Windy by his side too. “Glad she’s safe. Now, shall we look for a replacement? Mentor wants us to find someone fast like Glimpse.”

“Where should we start?” Windy looked around. There was no one else on the streets except for an old man walking his dog on the opposite side of the street.

“Well, where can we find a big space full of people…”

“How about that?” Windy pointed to the shape of a taller building they could see over the top of the houses further away. “That looks like a big place.”

High Noon nodded as both made their way through the streets, navigating closer towards the building.

“Noon?” Windy pulled on his sleeve, getting the cowboy to turn to her. “I don’t m-mean to be rude or anything b-but… Is finding a replacement such a good idea? I mean, we’ve been taking a lot of beatings from the Templars lately.”

High Noon knew the truth in her words. If Mirror Match wanted to, she could devastate the whole Brotherhood with ease. In the last few months, they had lost more Assassins than Noon had ever known since his first day in the Brotherhood. Broadside and Fire Frenzy had gone the hard way, suffering till the end from that incurable venom Mirror had.

“I know it might not seem like such a good idea… but without new Assassins, we’re going to go dry.”

Windy looked down, afraid of what was coming. High Noon was too, but he had to look strong, if only for her.

Noon clenched his fists. If only I could tell Windy how I felt about her…

“We’ll pull through, Windy. I won’t let the Templars harm you.”

“Thanks, Noon,” she smiled, her face forming shades of red.

The two Assassins arrived just outside the large purple building, crossing the road to a statue and a golden upside down horseshoe with a ‘C’ in the middle of it. in the middle of the lawn. It was of white stone; a horse by the looks of it, standing on it’s hind legs on top of a base.

“Looks like a fine establishment,” High Noon whistled while marveling at the architecture. “Wonder what this place is.”

Noon walked over to the golden figure and examined the small words embedded in the base. “Canterlot High School. Huh… It’s just a school.”

“I-is this really a good idea?” Windy shook, unsure if it was a good question to ask.

“Well,” High Noon put his hands in his pockets. “It’s a place to start. We’ll make sure to only talk to the seniors, I guess. Don’t want to get them into our business if they’re still too young after all.”

Noon and Windy hesitantly walked towards the school building, unsure if getting kids into their war was the right thing to do.

“We can’t just walk into the building, can we?” Windy looked to the glassy front doors. Some students walked about within, probably heading to their next class.

“Perhaps there’s an outdoor field area? We could check there,” Noon suggested with a shrug. “I’m sure we’re allowed to watch. Actually, that’s a good idea! We can find someone quick to replace Glimpse.”

They walked around the school block, High Noon leading the way. Windy seemed like she really didn’t want to have anything to do with the school here, but Noon knew they had to, so for once, he took the initiative. The area was relatively small, only containing a soccer and baseball field, while a track surrounded the soccer field. A few students were doing laps, while a few more were having a friendly soccer match.

“The running ones look promising.” The Mentor wanted someone fast. What better people to look at than the runners? “Come on, Windy. Let’s see if they wanna talk.”

Windy followed behind the cowboy, but gently held on to the back on his right arm. High Noon put a hand on one of hers and squeezed it, assuring her that he was here with her.

Three of the runners turned to look as High Noon and Windy Sails approached them. One stopped and began catching her breath before slowly walking towards the Assassins. She had white hair with green streaks, tied up into a braid behind her back. She took deep breaths, but began slowing her breathing down as she began maintaining her heart rate.

“Yes, do you need something?” she asked. High Noon was impressed. For a student, she had quite a good amount of stamina to recover so quickly.

“Uh, y-yes, that’s right. We do,” High Noon quickly sputtered. He’d never thought it was going to be so easy to start talking to someone. “You s-see, uh, we’re actually here on a job recruitment.”

“Y-yes. What he said,” Windy tried to help Noon. The cowboy flashed her a smile of gratitude. “We’re l-looking for s-some people to j-join us.” Windy realized she had no idea what to say, instead, grabbed Noon’s arm tighter and leaned further behind him.

“Right.” Noon rubbed the back of his head and tried to look as convincing as he could for the girl. “You see, we’ve lost a lot of people lately, and… we kinda need to replace them. People to fill in the spots, you know.”

“What kind of job is this?” the green-skinned girl folded her arms. “I can’t give you an answer if I don’t even know what I’m signing up for.”

The runner seemed like a decent enough girl. High Noon decided to take the chance and walked a few steps away. “Do you think you can come this way? What we do is… a little… odd to most people.”
The girl shrugged and headed after them.

“You think she’s a good one?” High Noon leaned over to whisper in Windy’s ear, startling his apprentice.

“W-why not?” she replied, her cheeks changing colour as she realized how close Noon’s face was to hers.

“So, what’s your name?” Noon asked after stopping behind the bleachers. “I’m High Noon, and this is Windy Sails.”

“Morning Blade,” she nodded.

“That’s… an interesting name for a student.”

“Well, most people were students once,” Morning Blade looked up at the sky. “So what’s this job you want to talk to me about? I still have a few miles to go.”

“Right.” Noon looked around to make sure the coast was clear. “You see, we’re… Assassins. We’re fighting a war with another secret group of people known as the Templars.”

“Assassins?” Morning Blade raised an eyebrow.

“Now, it might sound rather crazy, but it’s the truth. Now, these Templars, they plan on enslaving the entire world, ruling over everyone with this artifact they have. Our job is to make sure it never happens, and if possible, destroy them.”

“So… basically, you guys are like heroes or something?”

Noon looked to Windy and chuckled. “Well, if you put it like that. But we’re not that good. We’ve all killed people for the wrong reasons, well… not Windy here. She’s the best of us.”

Windy widened her eyes as her cheeks flushed. She quickly looked away, trying to hide it from the student.

“Do I have a choice?” Morning Blade began pacing along the grass. “You’ve told me all this. If I say no, do you have to kill me?”

“No no, of course not,” Noon quickly waved his hands in front of her. “It’s a choice. Whether you want to help us or not is entirely up to you. We’re just saying, we fight to keep the world safe from the Templars. But… Know that we need you and anyone else we can find. Things are taking a turn for the worse.”

“Sounds like a really hard task. How do I know you’re telling the truth and not just trying to swindle me?” Morning Blade stared at them, waiting for an answer.

High Noon looked to Windy, and Windy looked to High Noon.

“S-should we j-just show her?” Windy whispered.

“Guess so…” High Noon turned back and smiled at Morning. “Here. All Assassins have these...”

He raised an arm up and flexed it, suddenly shooting his hidden blade out from his sleeve, startling Morning Blade.

“...What?” she asked as she took a reflexive step back.

“Yeah, uh, these are the weapons we use,” High Noon said as he sheathed his blade.

“So, for real? You fight for the world and all that?”

High Noon nodded and scratched at his beard. “Yeah. That’s all true. If we weren’t doing so, I’m afraid the Templars would already have what they want. Complete domination. The whole world submitting to one leader.”

Morning nodded and looked back to her track team running around. “I better get back to practice, but… I’ll think about it. How do I find you when I’ve decided?”

High Noon pulled out a piece of paper and tore off a portion of it. Windy handed him a pen and he quickly scribbled down his number with his name above it. “You can call me at this number. I’ll relay your message to our Mentor. She’s the one in charge.”

“Right. Well, I’ll be sure to give you an answer soon, but it’ll have to wait till I graduate of course,” she smiled at them before walking back to the track. “Don’t want to ruin my studies to save the world.”

Chapter 58: A Final Touch

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Satin Breeze and Dewdrop swiftly hopped into the back of the truck before the man came back. They scanned the insides before positioning themselves behind a stack of wooden crates.

“Are you sure this is the best way, Dew?” Satin asked as she tried her best to squeeze in the small corner.

“Of course!” Dewdrop smiled as she pulled down her hood to straighten her blue hair. “Sneak into truck. Truck takes us to Templar base. We steal Templar secrets. Stall Templar Eye construction. Get out. Easy!”

“If you say so.”

The driver came around shortly after, whistling an odd tune to himself before closing the back doors and locking them.

Satin tensed for a moment as she thought about the plan. It seemed like an easy enough plan, but she was afraid it seemed a bit too easy. What if they ran into trouble? What if they ran into Mirror Match? Her old teacher had already killed Broadside and Fire Frenzy in the most horrible way. Satin didn’t want to end up like them.

Dewdrop sensed her partner’s worry and reached a hand over and put it on her shoulder. “Hey, we’ll get through this, Satin. I’ll do my best for you.”

Satin leaned over and kissed Dewdrop on the cheek as the truck began to move. The ride was bumpy, but the two Assassins managed to keep any crates from falling on top of them.

“Where do you think they’re taking us?” Dewdrop asked as she leaned back against the side. “That same building?”

Satin shrugged. “I doubt it. Why would they keep the Eye in the same place as the last? Though, I can’t say that wouldn’t be the case.”

“Yeah, some of these Templars sure know how to use their brains,” Dewdrop said while making a spinning motion with a finger by the side of her head and sticking her tongue out.

“Oh, Dew,” Satin laughed.

The truck eventually came to a stop after another turn. The sound of the engines cut off as they heard the driver’s door slam shut. The two girls quickly pulled their hoods back on and got into a crouch. Voices were heard as the driver began conversing with someone else.

“How many?” Satin asked aloud as she focused her eagle vision, trying to determine how many people they had to face at the moment. The crates in the back were going to be taken out, but they needed to know how many workers there were, just in case.

“Sounds like four,” Dewdrop guessed, trying to listen to their different voices and footsteps.

Then the doors began opening as the first man came into sight. It was the driver, but shortly after, three more men came into view and began unloading the crates.

“Ready?” Satin asked her partner. There was only one option for this, and they had to take the chance.

“Always,” Dewdrop nodded.

After one more breath, both Assassins hopped over the crates, catching the first two men by surprise. Satin’s hidden blade found itself in the man’s chest before she pulled him towards her and dumped him in the truck. Dewdrop had already slashed the first man with her blade before spinning and stabbing the next one through the neck. The last man shook for a second before turning around and dashing off. Dewdrop simply pointed her hidden blade at him and pressed a button near her palm.

Dewdrop’s hidden blade shot out and impaled the man in the back, knocking him down with a cry. She swiftly moved over and yanked her blade out of his bloodied back. “We better hide all these.”

Satin nodded. They shouldn’t leave so much evidence of a fight for the Templars to find. Together with her partner, they moved the rest of the bodies into the back of the truck and hid them behind the crates before locking the back doors.

“There,” Dewdrop dusted her hands. “That should buy us some time. We just need to find their machine and anything else that might be important and sabotage them. Then we can go spend some quality time together.”

“How insightful, Dewdrop,” Satin grinned as they headed for the nearest door.

The way up from the loading bay proved easy; only a single stairwell stood in their way, easily overcomed in a matter of minutes. It was just like the last time they came to a building like this. Satin pushed open the door leading out to the office floors and peered out carefully. This time, however, they had snuck in through a night shipment, so the halls were a lot less populated; perfect for the Assassins to have a good look around the place.

“Looks easy enough,” Dewdrop murmured from behind. “If they just let us walk through their building like that, we’re bound to find some clues and data.”

The female Assassins stood up and began searching the nearby tables for papers and anything that might point them towards the Templars’ ultimate goal. It was only after the fifth table did Satin look up to see a blinking light in the corner of the room, just under the ceiling. The blue-purple haired Assassin stared at it for a few seconds, trying to figure out what it was. Once she understood, her eyes widened with caution as she backed away into her partner.

“Dew,” Satin said, her voice full of warning. “They know we’re here. They’ve been watching us.”

“What?” Dewdrop looked around, trying to figure out what Satin meant.

“Camera,” Satin pointed to the black box with the blinking red light.

“But there hasn’t been any alarms,” Dewdrop mentioned. “Don’t you think they would start blaring those things if they knew we were here?”

“Unless they have something else planned.” Satin quickly scrambled to the other tables and grabbed what she could, stuffing them into her coat. Dewdrop watched her and did the same. Whatever information they could get, Pierce could decipher it for them. They just had to get back to the bureau.

Satin stopped and focused her eagle sense, listening and watching for anything that might seem out of the ordinary. The camera was active and they had been prowling within its view for a good amount of time, so why wasn’t there an alarm yet?

A sudden burst of fire just next to her answered her question. Satin immediately grabbed Dewdrop and dived down before more bullets began pelting the desks around them.

“Soldiers,” she breathed as she focused her eagle sense. There were just six men across from them, standing just under an exit sign. Each one had on a black suit and helmet. Dragon Unit.

“We can take them,” Dewdrop unsheathed both hidden blades. “I’ll go around.”

“No Dew,” Satin grabbed her partner’s arm. “We have what we need. Let’s just go. I don’t like the looks of this.”

“But they’re at our exit!” Dewdrop pointed out. If we want to get out, we’ll have to get through them.”

Satin turned her head and saw a second exit sign on the other side. “There’s always more than one way out. Come on.”

The two Assassins kept low, watching as papers near their heads began floating up as more bullets impacted into the desks as they moved.

From the sound of it, their assailants had suppressors, the gunfire almost unheard. If they came with suppressors, they must’ve known Assassins would be coming. No guard would protect their own building with suppressed weaponry.

“Head up!” Dewdrop suggested as they entered the next stairwell. “We can get away using the roofs. Or if we’re lucky, a jumping point.”

“Good thinking, Dew.”

They proceeded up, only to notice something rolling down the steps towards them. Something round.

“Satin!” Dewdrop warned as she pulled her partner’s arm, throwing her down the stairs before diving down herself.

The grenade’s explosion was deafening in the enclosed space. Satin closed her eyes as the ringing grew stronger. She focused herself. They had to move. The Templars above would likely be coming down to check on their work soon.

Satin looked up to see Dewdrop lying on top of her, her head down. She reached a hand to her partner’s shoulder. “Dewdrop!”

“Uhh…” the pale Assassin muttered as she began pushing herself up. “I-I’m fine, Satin… Just a little burned out.”

Satin got up and hoisted Dewdrop back to her feet. She put an arm to her partner’s side, but it felt sticky.

“Dew?” Satin looked at the blood on her hand, then at her partner’s side. Dewdrop had a piece of metal stuck in her side, blood already pooling around the shrapnel.

“Doesn’t matter…” Dewdrop managed a smile and a hand to hold her injury. “Just a small wound. Let’s go. We don’t have much time.”

“Can you move?”

“Totally.” Dewdrop stood as straight as she could to prove she could do so.

“We have to head back down.” Satin speculated. “Go. I’ll cover the rear.”

Dewdrop drew one of her three swords strapped across her back and headed down, one hand on the hilt and the other at her side. Satin quickly headed down behind her, constantly keeping an eye behind her, just in case the soldiers decided to rush down. Her partner kicked open the door on the lower floor and headed through. Satin swooped through the door and closed it silently before they proceeded down the new hallway. It was painted pale green, and only a few lightbulbs spanned the ceiling above them, casting dark shadows all around. Black solid metal doors were on their left and right, going down the corridor with them.

“I wonder what’s behind these doors, Dewdrop muttered as she put her sword down to push at one of them.

“Dew, you’re injured,” Satin stopped her. “Let me.”

Satin pressed both hands against the door and pushed. It was tough, but she was progressing slowly. Inside the room, there were all kinds of metallic objects, from wrenches to metal plates.

“These must be parts,” she guessed as she picked a gear up. “For the machine!”

“And we just happened to stumble here? Awesome.” Dewdrop picked up one of the screwdrivers and jammed it through a plate. Satin looked at her with a weird eye. “What? Might as well destroy some of this.”

“But they’re coming!” Satin hissed. “We don’t have time!”

“Fine, fine…” Dewdrop threw another piece into the corner after denting it with her hidden blade. “Let’s go.”

Satin was about to leave when something shiny caught her eye on the opposite table. She walked across the room and examined the object. It was a small grey hard drive, the words, “World-Changing Plans” were written in red on the sleek surface.

“Seriously?” Dewdrop said as she looked at the words. “Why would the Templars just leave this here?”

“Don’t know, but this is our lucky day,” Satin smiled and pocketed the device. “Alright. Let’s go.”

The Assassins left the door open as they headed away. Nearing the end of the hallway, Satin began hearing the sound of boots on the concrete floor and hastened her pace. She made sure to keep Dewdrop in front of her at all times; she didn’t want her partner to fall behind because of her injury.

Two guards rounded the corner in front of them, pistols already aimed at them. Satin pulled out two throwing knives and chucked them forward as Dewdrop ducked down. Both blades found their mark, lodging into both guards’ chests. By the time the two Assassins passed them, they were already dead.

“Where are we now?” Satin thought aloud as she looked down the next hall. It was a wider passage, but three soldiers already stood on the other end, coming towards them with rifles drawn.

Satin saw no alternative and made up her mind. She turned and forced one of the black doors open, pushing Dewdrop inside.

“Satin? What are you doing?”

Satin looked at her and pointed to the hall. “Stay here. I’ll lure the Templars past you. Once you’re clear, go. Get the data back to the bureau.” Satin pulled out the hard drive and papers she had and put them in Dewdrop’s coat pockets.

“No, Satin,” Dewdrop grabbed for her wrist. “I’m not leaving you. We’ll do this together.”

“You’re wounded, Dew,” Satin looked at her partner’s stained coat. “I’m not letting you die. I’ll buy you time to get away. This is some pretty important information. You need to get it back to Mentor.”

Dewdrop’s eyes began misting, but she still managed to pull Satin in for a long kiss. When she finally broke away, she looked Satin in her orange eyes. “Stay safe. I love you.”

“Love you too, Dew,” Satin assured with a final touch on Dewdrop’s cheek before heading out and closing the door.

Chapter 59: The Wolf's Deed

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Satin Breeze hid behind the wall as the Templars approached her position. She held two items in her hands, one throwing knife and her dagger, keeping a watchful eye at the incoming soldiers. When she determined they were close enough, the Assassin leaned out and threw the knife right into the first soldier’s eye. A spat of rifle fire shot up into the ceiling, causing dust to cascade down, dirtying the remaining two men’s outfits.

Satin quickly ducked back and sprinted down the hall, turning at another corner as she watched the Templars point towards her. Unfortunately, about four guards appeared around the corner as well, a baton and pistol in each of their hands.

Great. More guys.

Satin found an open glass door ahead, running through it as two guards leapt out from behind it. One swung his baton at Satin, but she crouched under it and kicked his legs out from under him. The second guard, a female, pointed her pistol at Satin, only to lose it when Satin slashed at her hand with her dagger, before delivering simultaneous blows to both of them with her dagger and hidden blade.

She heard a troupe of footsteps behind her and spun just in time to slash a guard across his face before kicking him in the gut, sending him sprawling back into the rest of the armed Templars.

Satin turned and ran, heading into a carpeted room surrounded by glass. She hoped that Dewdrop had listened to her and gotten out when she had the chance, otherwise, all this would’ve been for nothing.

Satin sensed movement behind her, quickly throwing herself back as a long blade slashed down at the spot she was standing in. Two ninjas looked down at her, a katana in each of their hands.

“Great,” Satin muttered as she stood up and raised her dagger. “You know, ninjas don’t make sense in this day and age.”

“Time to die, Assassin,” the first one said through his clothed mouth.

Both slid to Satin in a flash, their blades crossing from side to side as Satin did her best to parry them. One cut a portion of her scarf off as she floated around them, but Satin got a good hit in with her hidden blade, stabbing the thin piece of metal into the ninja’s upper arm. The man squealed but Satin spun down and slashed at the back of his legs with her dagger, watching them go down.

Satin kicked up his katana into her hands just in time to parry the second ninja’s strike. She pirouetted around, cutting a long gash along his chest to his back. The Templar ninja clutched at his chest, then fell on top of his wounded friend. The Assassin fled the room as more guards approached, taking the katana with her. It was a good weapon after all.

She disemboweled a guard as he approached her from a side corridor, heading past him as he fell to his knees. Two soldiers approached her, training their rifles on her form. Satin slid under the first burst of fire and slashed up with her new weapon, cutting the first man from his thigh up before sticking her hidden blade into the second man’s heel. The Templar howled, only for Satin to jump up and jam her katana through the man’s chin, watching the blade emerge through his head.

“Gross…” Satin murmured and retrieved her long blade.

Another guard approached her, a short blade in her hands. Satin blocked the first strike as the guard swung her steel. The guard hopped back and stabbed forward, allowing Satin to run along the curved blade before cutting down with her katana. Blood sprayed out from the guard’s shoulder, her body dropping to the ground shortly after, a pool of blood spreading across the carpeted floor.

A few more corridors and the exit sign was just ahead. Satin could see it. All she had to do was get there. All of a sudden, someone smashed through a glass panel on her right and barreled straight into her, pushing her down into another office room.

“My, my,” a voice said as Satin flipped herself up. “You’ve killed a lot of people today, haven’t you?”

Satin looked into the cunning eyes of a killer she remembered from the Assassin’s files.

“Wolfgang,” she spat as she stood up into a combat stance.

“And… Whatever your name is,” he smiled and twirled a dagger in his hands. “Luckily for me, I happen to be back from the field just in time to add another Assassin to my kills.”

During this pause, more Templar forces managed to catch up, stopping just outside the office, their weapons pointed at Satin.

“No!” Wolfgang waved a hand at them and formed a wider grin on his wolfish face. “She’s mine.”

The men behind Wolfgang looked at him as though he was an annoyance but they lowered their rifles anyway.

“Just you?” Satin questioned the killer as he began circling her.

“Just me,” Wolfgang confirmed after pulling out a second knife, longer than the first.

The killer attacked first, forcing Satin back with a flurry of quick strikes, his blades spinning in the air like a fan. Satin parried at his blades, swinging the long sword left and right, occasionally dodging around the wooden desk in the middle.

“Is that all you’re capable of?” Wolfgang taunted as a dagger swooped past Satin’s face and embedded itself in the table. “Defending? Where’s all the attacking you Assassins are good at? Give it to me!”

Satin jumped onto the table and cut down, narrowly missing Wolfgang’s face as he kicked out with one foot, knocking her down to the wooden surface. He stabbed down again, but Satin caught him in the arm with the katana, forcing him back with angry howl.

She pulled a smoke bomb from her coat, but Wolfgang lunged at her, the bomb going wide, striking the floor outside the office. Satin heard the coughs of the Templars outside as smoke enveloped them.

Satin pressed the attack, swinging the sharp blade at the killer, refusing to give him a chance to attack. Wolfgang got in a lucky strike with a dagger, hooking it into Satin’s shoulder and pulling her down. Satin countered with a hidden blade strike, jabbing it into his thigh and drawing blood.

“Not bad,” Wolfgang grunted and pulled harder on the knife. Satin couldn’t hold back a small cry of pain as Wolfgang dug it deeper. “Scream! Shout! However you please! Just let me hear you!”

Satin raised the katana, but Wolfgang pressed a knee down into her arm, forcing her to let go. His other hand reached for her neck and grabbed it tight.

The killer’s attention was focused on her face, allowing Satin to slip her other hand down and grab for his weak spot. Wolfgang’s face immediately changed into one of anguish as Satin grabbed harder. His legs weakened, allowing Satin to lift her hidden blade arm and stick it into his chest, just under the ribcage.

“Gah!” Wolfgang leapt back as Satin released her hand. He instinctively placed both hands down to his lower area and held it for a few seconds. “You cheater!” he muttered with a higher pitched voice. “Even I don’t do that to people!” He clutched at his chest as blood began to spread on his white shirt.

Satin attacked again, this time with her dagger. Wolfgang did what he could to stay out of her way, but watched as the Assassin began cutting him along his arms and legs.

Wolfgang fell back against the doorway, quickly scrambling to the soldiers as the smoke began thinning down and pointing at Satin. “Shoot her! Do it now!”

Satin realized the threat too late, too slow to jump behind any cover as the first bullets penetrated her body. She clutched at her chest and abdomen before spitting out blood. She felt her strength fading as she slumped to her knees. The maniac before her widened his mouth into laughter as Satin fell to her back.

“Dew...drop,” she muttered, blood pooling around her. “Velvet… I’m sorry…”

Wolfgang looked down at the body of the Assassin, his mouth open and drooling. He prodded her body with his shoe to make sure she was really dead, then knelt down to pick up his knife.

“Good work,” he said to the six guards who stood with their rifles still smoking. “Now go find her partner. She can’t have gotten far, just follow the blood.”

The members of Dragon Unit saluted and charged off into the corridor, still filled with smoke from the Assassin’s smoke bomb. Wolfgang loomed above the dead Assassin, already planning how to make a spectacle with her remains.

“I reckon you’d look awfully pretty with your insides on your outsides…”

Just as Wolfgang was about to make the first incision, there was a crack of gunfire from the direction that the soldiers had gone. The killer turned his head to look. With all the smoke it was hard to see what was going on, but he saw an outline fall to the ground with the sound of breaking glass.

There were five more shots, each one perfectly timed to come at equal intervals. Then it was all quiet.

A Dragon Unit helmet rolled out of the smog and stopped at Wolfgang’s feet. A small hole had been punched right at the center of the bloody visor.

Raising his knife, Wolfgang shuffled past the macabre piece of headwear.

“Who’s there! Show yourself!”

A bullet tore out of the smoke and clipped Wolfgang’s wrist, spraying the air with red and shattering his knife, the metal shards cutting his face.

Wolfgang stumbled back, cursing and grasping at his wounds. It almost made him miss the black-gloved hand that shot out and closed around his throat.

Never having been a man who scared easily, Wolfgang would not have been ashamed to admit that he was afraid of the person who was holding him above the ground now. Mirror Match had always been formidable, but before she had been calm and demure. Now she looked positively livid.

“What in the queen’s name,” she hissed. “Have you done?”

Iron fingers constricted Wolfgang’s throat and he was fast running out of air. He kicked out harmlessly, the black robed woman’s rage drilling into his mind.

Without warning, Mirror flung him to the ground with enough force to crack something before kneeling onto his chest, pinning him down. Her mouth was gaping and dripping with something that looked too milky and opaque to be drool, which made little plumes of smoke rise when they pattered onto Wolfgang’s front.

“There… was an Assassin!” Wolfgang gasped, glad to finally have his breath back. “Killed her, just like the rest.”

“Which Assassin?”

There was a dark undertone to Mirror’s voice, almost like there were two women speaking in tandem. Wolfgang’s eyes widened; there was a pistol in Mirror’s other hand.

“You shot them…”

Mirror only pressed harder on his chest. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said coolly. “Now, which Assassin did you kill?”

“I don’t know! They’re all the same to me!”

“To you, but it matters a lot to me who you kill.”

“Why’s that?” Wolfgang wormed under her knee to no result.

He would never get an answer, for at that very moment, Mirror Match looked up and caught sight of the Assassin’s body. She leapt up immediately and hurried to the corpse’s side, putting two fingers onto the neck as if checking for a pulse.

Wolfgang staggered to his feet, holding onto the wall for support. “No need to check, she’s dead. Now let me finish it.”

Mirror whipped around furiously, firing her pistol at Wolfgang’s feet and making him jump.

“What is wrong with you!?” Wolfgang scampered away further. “That’s mine!”

Mirror stalked up to Wolfgang, her pistol at her side and with a burning gaze that could have melted glass. Her voice was caustic and full of barely restrained fury.

“I don’t have to explain anything to you, you feckless dimwit. Do you even have a brain, or were you born with a broken record in your head that just plays ‘kill people’ on a constant loop? You had an Assassin at your mercy, and you decide not to capture and interrogate her for information?” Wolfgang was too slow to avoid a stinging slap to his face that knocked him to the floor. “You are as useful as a teapot made of sugar, and at least those don’t talk back.”

Mirror knelt once again, only this time picking up the fallen Assassin and sighing. The woman’s movements were gentle, as if handling a newborn child.

“I’m taking this one to be buried,” she said evenly. “If you value your life, don’t follow me.”

She caressed the bloodstained scarf around the Assassin’s neck and walked out of Wolfgang’s line of sight. Unheard by his ears, and indeed anyone but Mirror, there was a shuddering sigh and the click of a cell phone being readied.

“Hello? Yes. It’s me. Listen, I have a favor to ask of you…”

Frigid Night had only just taken down his target when the phone in his pocket began to vibrate.

He raised an eyebrow as he finished dragging the body behind a dumpster. He fished the handheld device out of his coat and put it to his ear.

“Frigid here,” he said, but almost immediately, the sound of someone panting and crying overtook his voice.

“Frigid? It’s Dewdrop,” she said in between sniffles and swallows. “Satin. Please. Help… She stayed behind, I don’t know where she is now. Please.”

Frigid immediately leapt from his position and sprinted down the street, the phone still to his ear. “Where are you?”

“Just… Outside a warehouse…”

Frigid remembered that they had an assignment to find out more about the new Eye the Templars were making. Then a mental map formed in his head. It wasn’t far. Luckily he also had a job in Manehattan.

Hang tight, Dewdrop. I’m on my way.” Frigid pocketed his phone and kicked off the side of a building, grabbing a pipe before hauling himself up the side of the building.

He really hoped that nothing happened to Satin. Dewdrop had sounded so devastated. He’d never figure such a tough woman like her could sound like that. He also had a promise to keep with Mirror. He had to keep Satin safe.

He raced across the rooftops of Manehattan, jumping from building to building until he arrived at their approximate location. He activated his eagle sense and looked for signs of Dewdrop. Soon, he found one. A blue streak leading into an alleyway beside two buildings, one short, the other tall.

“Dewdrop?” he called as he scaled down a pipe to the alley.

His friend stood up and ran for him; tears were streaming down her face as she shook. He noticed she held a hand to her side, where her coat had a huge stain of blood.

“Frigid!” She flung herself into his arms and cried. “Thank goodness. I don’t know where she is. She hasn’t answered… Please. Find her. She was in that building.” Dewdrop pointed to the smaller building.

“Got it.” Frigid nodded and pulled up his hood. “Stay here. I’ll have a look.”

Dewdrop nodded and sat back down. Frigid climbed the building and headed for the nearest way in, an open window. Now, where was he going to start? He searched room to room, looking for any signs of conflict or his grey-skinned friend. So far, each room was empty.

Frigid couldn’t risk shouting. He didn’t know the situation before Dewdrop left. Maybe he should’ve asked her, but it was too late now. He found his way to a staircase, only to find the floor above had been marred by some kind of explosion. Debris lay across the floor he was on, part of the staircase now missing. The white coated Assassin decided to head down, looking for signs of movement or combat.

Along the next hall, he finally found what he was looking for. Bodies of the black-garbed Dragon Unit and Templar guards were strewn across the floor. Frigid continued down, looking for signs of life, hoping that Satin would be near enough for him to find. Then he quickly slammed his back against the wall before turning the corner. Ahead, two guards were bent over one of the Templar bodies, examining it or something; Frigid didn’t know, but he had finally found someone living.

He nodded to himself before rounding the corner, slowly and silently approaching them from behind, both their backs turned to him. Frigid unsheathed both hidden blades and a shoe blade as he got closer, finally breaking into a run. The guards lifted their heads, but Frigid was already on them. He sliced at the first one with his shoe blade, just under the chin, leaving him to die while he stabbed both hidden blades into the second guard’s shoulders, making sure to avoid his vitals.

“Agh!” the guard shouted as Frigid slammed him into the ground.

“Female Assassin, dark complexion, blue-purple hair,” Frigid spat at the man. “Where is she?”

“Gah, I don’t know!” he said as he tried to get up.

Frigid was unconvinced. He removed one blade and split it into its trident form before stabbing it back into the man’s shoulder multiple times before leaving it in. “Where. Is. She?”

“Okay! Okay!” the man gave in, trying to hold back the pain in his shoulders. “Last I saw, her body was being carried out! Please! That’s all I saw! I don’t know anymore!”

“Body…?” Frigid felt like the room around him was about to turn into a vacuum. His breathing became more shallow as he thought about it. “She’s… dead?”

The Templar scrunched up his face and nodded. Frigid sighed and released him. He began walking away when he remembered what these Templars had done to Satin, the woman he promised he would protect. He pulled out a knife and tossed it as hard as he could into the back of the Templar’s head. The force of the blow knocked him down with a thud as Frigid sprinted back the way he came.

Satin Breeze was one of the only friends the Assassin had left and now she was gone. No matter what, she was always nice to him, even when the others insulted him. He had promised Mirror that he would do everything in his power to keep Satin safe. He had failed.

Frigid didn’t know what to do. How was he going to break the news to Dewdrop? She was already sobbing and everything being worried about her partner. What was she going to do now? Whatever it was, Frigid hoped it wouldn’t be too drastic as she came into view under the window he stood at.

The grey haired Assassin leapt down and landed in the dumpster beside Dewdrop, startling her to look up. She frantically looked around, but the truth was in front of her; Frigid had returned without Satin.

“No, no, no…” Dewdrop began breaking down again. “Where’s Satin…?”

“Dewdrop.” Frigid rubbed the back of his head as he pulled his hood down. “I’m sorry.”

Dewdrop didn’t have any more words. She immediately started sobbing hard and buried her face in her hands. Frigid felt really bad for her. He knew what it was like to lose someone you loved. He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around the smaller Assassin and pulled her close. Dewdrop let herself lean against Frigid as she continued to let all her tears out, followed by her voice.

Frigid could do nothing but hold her tight and close his eyes.

Chapter 60: The Extremely Unexpected Guest

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"Poor Velvet..." Twilight Sparkle sighed heavily after hearing about what had happened to Satin Breeze, the ex-Assassin's older sister. "To have lost the only family she cared about. That must've been hard. Did she know yet?"

Morning Blade shook her head. "Not yet, no. But she will soon. It's... It's a little strange, I must say. To this day, I don't know if I actually believe Velvet. Is she alright? Velvet."

"She's getting better, yes," Twilight said, nodding her head. "She was starting to fly yesterday."

"Oh, that's nice, wait... fly?" That seemed to make Morning Blade sit up, more alert.

"Oh, yes. Velvet isn't some normal pony. She's a batpony." Twilight went on to explain their differences.

"That's... how interesting..." Morning looked back down at her notes. Funny how that girl seems to be around bats."

"What do you mean, Morning?"

"Oh, you'll see. Truthfully though, I do not know what happened to Satin either. Frigid had only mentioned Wolfgang had gotten her. Other than that, I suppose only a Templar would really know what happened. And they're all dead."

"Yeah... Well, I'm glad Velvet and Satin are reunited once again, even if they're from different worlds."

"Frigid, he's alive there, huh?" Morning Blade looked out the window, unable to spot the Wondercolt statue outside. "Perhaps I could go visit him one day? I just have to know. I miss Frigid. I wonder if he's anything the same, minus the lone wolf attitude."

"Oh, he's no lone wolf, Morning. He's a good pony. I'd like to introduce you sometime. Well, reintroduce. Maybe to yourself too."

"That would be fun." Morning smiled. "That would be fun indeed. Alas, it's time we head back into the story. It's not going to be all that fun in there right now."

"I guess we'll have to brace ourselves then." Taking a deep breath, Twilight nodded firmly. "I'm ready."

The Trottingham night was clear and bright, an almost full moon glimmering among its lesser brethren in the sky, its beams illuminating a simple apartment in which a young girl sat dejectedly in the small living room, staring at a TV that was turned to nothing in particular.

Velvet Breeze had just finished the last of her homework, finally able to sit back and relax until her sister got home. She was getting hungry, but she normally waited until Satin got home before doing something about her hunger, unless stated otherwise. Satin would usually call back to tell Velvet if she was coming back late or not.

Velvet took her phone out to see if her big sister had called or anything.

“Nope. Still nothing…” she sighed as she continued to watch a treasure hunter pull a diamond statue from a pedestal. “Satin, where aaaaaaare yooooooou?”

Velvet decided to give her sister ten more minutes before she would go make her own dinner. Being alone most of the day, Velvet had to learn how to make her own meals, though her specialty was a great fruit salad.

Velvet continued to lazily watch as Daring Do began running out of the temple, a giant boulder chasing after her from behind, threatening to crush her under its weight and rocky surface.

After the treasure hunter had managed to squeeze out of the cave entrance, Velvet decided to have a look at the time. Satin still had another four minutes before Velvet would go get dinner ready. It wasn’t like Satin to continue on at her job without letting Velvet know. Something must have come up. Maybe Dewdrop got drunk again and Satin had to get her out.

Velvet didn’t know why she didn’t think about it sooner, but she took out her phone again and called her sister. The ringing continued on for a good twenty seconds before the line switched to voice mail. The blue-skinned girl sighed and put her phone away.

“What’s going on, big sis?” Velvet muttered as she checked the time. It had been twelve minutes already.

The middle schooler headed to a window and gazed out at the night sky. The sky was already completely dark and there was still no sign of her older sister.

Then there was a bat. Then a second. Then a third, fourth, fifth, and so on, the winged creatures hovering around just outside her window in a group.

Unlike most people her age, Velvet had never been afraid of bats. There had been plenty of them back in Hollow Shades and they had all been friendly enough once you understood them.

“Hey there,” Velvet said gently. “What are you all doing here?”

The bats chittered and screeched at the glass. They pressed up against the window in a solid mass before clearing away to reveal a beautiful, moon-like face framed with wavy red hair.

Velvet was startled at first when the woman appeared, but walked to the window and opened it. “Umm… hello.”

“Good evening, my dear,” the woman said gracefully. “May I come in?”

Velvet blinked a few times but stepped aside and gestured. “Sure. If you like to.”

“Thank you, little vun.”

The woman spoke with a heavy Trotsylvanian accent. Gracefully, she climbed through the window, lifting the skirts of her black gothic dress to allow entry. Velvet caught sight of a pair of black, leathery wings that joined her arms to her back.

“Are those real?” she couldn’t help but ask, pointing at the wings.

The woman shrugged and beckoned to the girl with a pointed nail. “Vhy, yes, they are. Please. Come sit. I have… some rather shocking news that I think you vould take better not standing up.”

Velvet did as she was told, sitting on the couch beside the pale woman. “Shocking?”

“Yes. You von’t like it, and neither do I.”

“Is it that you’re a vampire?” Velvet asked. “Because that’s pretty obvious from here.”

The vampire in question raised an eyebrow. “You’re taking that awfully calmly. You’re not afraid I vant to drink your blood?”

“I had to deal with a lot of weird stuff as a kid,” the middle schooler shrugged. “I’ve come to just accept things as the way they are. Are… are you here to drink my blood?”

The vampire eyed her analytically.

“No,” she said decisively. “Too young and soft.”

“Okay, well… what was it you were going to tell me? Or was that it?”

“First, let me introduce myself. My name is Rovena Eventide, of the Trotsylvanian clan of vampires. Subservient to Countess Vinter Solstice,” as Rovena spoke, Velvet could see all too clearly the pointed white fangs that adorned her mouth. “And tonight, I vill be your friend for as long as you need me.”

“Umm… thanks.” That didn’t bother Velvet one bit. In fact, she didn’t have a lot of friends. She wouldn’t mind having one more.

Rovena shifted uncomfortably. “I do not think you vill be thanking me vhen I am done…” She took a moment to compose herself before producing her handbag. “I vas flying home from meeting vun of the members of the Chicoltgo clan vhen I got a call from vun of my oldest friends.”

Velvet nodded. “Is she a vampire like you?”

Rovena waved her hand dismissively. “No, but she has a long history vith the likes of me. She saved my life a vhile back. But the thing is, she also knew your older sister. And it’s because of that reason vhy I’m here tonight.”

Then Velvet finally put the pieces together. Her sister hadn’t arrived home yet, and the vampire, Rovena, had said that she had shocking news. “What happened to my sister?”

Velvet’s guest closed her ruby eyes as if trying to find a way to put it delicately. “Your sister vas involved vith a league of assassins. They vould go out and fight their enemies in secret to keep the vorld safe, as they have been doing for centuries.”

“A-Assassins?” Velvet repeated. “Keeping… the world… safe?”

“It is a lot to take in, I know,” Rovena said dully. “But as you vould guess, such a job entails some degree of risk. Tonight, I’m afraid, your sister’s luck… ran out.”

Rovena unclasped her elegant black handbag and drew out two things. A tattered red scarf and a polished silver hairclip in the shape of an inverted letter ‘V’.

Velvet’s vision started getting blurry as she took the items from the vampire’s hands. They belonged to her sister. She unfolded the scarf in her hands and held it close.

“My friend tried her best to save her, but even she vasn’t fast enough,” Rovena continued quietly. “She vanted to be here to deliver the news personally, but she vent to bury your sister in Hollow Shades, in your family’s mausoleum. I happened to be in the area, so… here I am.”

Velvet curled herself down to her knees and hid her head within her arms, grabbing tighter to the scarf and hairpin. Soft whimpers could be heard from within.

Gently, Rovena reached around Velvet and encased her in a warm, comforting hug. She smelled faintly of strawberries and cream, but the girl was grateful for her presence all the same.

“I am, sorry, you know. It is never easy, losing a sister. Ve have that in common, little vun.”

Velvet lifted herself and wrapped her arms around the woman’s abdomen and cried into her black dress, soaking a good portion of it. Rovena patted Velvet tenderly as the girl sobbed long into the night.

Eventually she ran out of tears and sat numbly against the vampire’s damp clothing. Rovena took in a deep breath through her nose.

“Look,” she said. “Your sister’s friend, the vun called Dewdrop, vill be along soon. I can’t be seen vith you. Vampires aren’t looked upon kindly by most people.

“But let me give you a present,” Rovena held out one elegant hand and eased off one of the many silver rings that she was wearing. “Take this, as a token of our friendship. Ve may not ever meet again, but I vould like you to have something to remind you that, vherever you are, you have at least vun friend. I svear to you that my friend, and I vill get the vuns responsible for this, you have my vord.”

Velvet accepted the ring silently and put it into her pocket.

“I vould ask that you keep that ring as our little secret, Velvet,” Rovena bowed to the girl and walked over the still-open window. “Vherever you go in life, little vun, know that you are not alone. Your sister loved you, even to the very end.”

The bats converged onto Rovena’s form and when they cleared, the vampire was gone.

Chapter 61: Welcome to the Brotherhood

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“Dewdrop, what is the meaning of this?” Star Lance bellowed. “You can’t just bring kids here to the bureau.”

“I couldn’t just leave her alone!” Dewdrop tried to convince the lieutenant. “She can’t just live by herself!”

A few other Assassins had gathered in the waiting room Dewdrop had brought Velvet to, including Star Lance and the Mentor.

“We understand, Dewdrop, but bringing a kid here…” Trueshot put a few fingers to his head.

“I’m not sure if children understand what we do,” Rose Petal put a hand on Dewdrop’s shoulder. Then she looked to the Mentor and her lieutenant. “Perhaps unless they grew up in the Brotherhood.”

Dewdrop stood protectively in front of Velvet Breeze, who watched the adults argue with glassy eyes.

“Look, I’m not going to leave a kid out by herself. Especially Satin’s little sister. She’s all I’ve got left of her.”

Star Lance said nothing and turned to the Mentor. Steel Shine closed the book she was holding with a snap and stepped forward to look at young Velvet Breeze.

“She can stay,” she said. “She has nowhere else to go. It would be wrong to just let her fend for herself after such events. She doesn’t even know what happened yet.”

“Yes, I do,” Velvet spoke up. She instinctively liked the Mentor, and Dewdrop had always been a friendly face around her home. ‘You’re assassins, right?”

“You already tell her everything?” Star Lance asked the blue haired Assassin.

N-No! I just brought her here after… Satin passed on.”

“A vampire told me everything,” Velvet said, taking everyone’s attention.

There was a full minute of dumbfounded silence at each and every Assassin in the room stared at Velvet.

“A… A what?” Windy Sails cowered behind High Noon. “V-vampire?”

“Vampires don’t exist!” Trueshot scoffed. “Kid, are you really sure it was a vampire?”

“Yes,” Velvet confirmed. “She told me so.”

“She told you so?” the Stalliongrad Assassin laughed, much to Dewdrop’s annoyance. “What, did she have a silly Trotsylvanian accent, white skin, black clothes, fangs, and a pack of bats following her?”

“How did you know?” Velvet asked.

“She’s serious?”

“Trueshot, stop bullying the kid!” Rose Petal pulled him back.

“I can prove it!” Velvet said hotly. “She gave me big sister’s scarf and hairpin! Look!”

Velvet took out Satin’s tattered scarf and Assassin hairpin.

“Those do belong to Satin,” Dewdrop added on. “I should know. She was my partner…”

“Kid.” It was Pierce Network. Disinterested in the conversation until now, he stepped forward with his phone and turned it around for Velvet to see. It was a picture of Mirror Match. “Did this… ‘vampire’ look like this?”

Velvet tilted her head. “Isn’t that the lady from TV? The millionaire philanthropist in Manehattan?”

Pierce nodded. “Yes, that’s the one. She receives a lot of money from the Templars, the people we fight against. They pay her well to take down Assassins like us. She thinks she can play it all nice for the people out there and on the media, giving money to all kinds of people, pretending to be a nice person. Well, she isn’t.”

“Pierce, please,” Rose shot him an eye. “Don’t bore the kid with your long speeches.”

The Chicoltgo Assassin rolled his eyes and returned his attention to his handheld device.

“Well, no,” Velvet told the others. “She didn’t look like that. She had white skin, red hair, red eyes, and she dressed in all black. Oh, and she had wings.”

“Are any of you taking this seriously?” Trueshot poured himself a shot of vodka from his flask. “Vampires? Really?”

“Well, after seeing what Mirror Match can do,” Dewdrop pointed out. “Yeah, why not? And besides, I trust Velvet. If she says she met a vampire, then she met a vampire.”

“Me too,” High Noon raised a hand. “She’s Satin’s sister. If she’s anything like her sister, then I believe her too.”

Rose Petal joined in. “I… don’t believe her, to be honest, but we would be worse than the Templars if we didn’t give Satin’s sister a place to stay. It’s the least we can do to honor her memory.”

“Mentor?” Star Lance asked for her approval.

Steel Shine looked hesitant, but nodded too.

“She can stay,” she said. “You can unpack in Dewdrop’s room, but we’ll come up with a schedule for you tomorrow. I’m not getting you involved in this any more than I can help it. It isn’t right to ask you to fight for us.”

Dewdrop sighed and hugged Velvet close.

“You hear that, Velvet? Welcome to the Brotherhood.”

By the time Morning Blade finished this segment of the story, the sun had already set over Canterlot, bringing about the night sky and the stars that lit it up. It was a nice night, but it made it much colder.

Even with her training, Morning shivered under her coat and zipped it up, only now wishing she hadn't worn just her skirt. She made a reminder to wear a pair of leggings tomorrow, or at least pack a pair of leggings just in case.

She had seen Twilight Sparkle off to the portal to Equestria earlier and seeing the princess pass right through the reflective surface still send confusion through her mind. This wasn't something someone could normally just do, walking through it mirror. It was strange, definitely, even if she saw it with her own eyes.

"What a time, huh?" she said to herself, blowing out a puff of mist.

Things were just about back to normal again. She was an Assassin no more, though the memories still lingered. All the friends she had made over the last few years, they were all gone now. It was a hard life, being an Assassin. They faced death on a regular basis, usually escaping, but this time, death had claimed just about everyone.

Morning had moped about it for days before finally leaving the house to meet up with Twilight. Sitting around and feeling sorry for herself wouldn't change anything, nor would it bring her friends back. All she could hope to do now was continue living, making the most of what she had. She could've died just like one of the others, but she lived. She had to go on, if not for herself, then for her friends.

"Friends..."

Sunset Shimmer and the other girls were now her friends. She wasn't alone. She still had others to confide in, others to talk to about past events.

And of course, there was still her family. And they were waiting back at home for her right now, she guessed.

Smiling, Morning Blade thumbed in a message to Sunset Shimmer to ask how she was doing, then started into a light jog, ready to go home for a good rest tonight. Tomorrow, there was much more to talk about.

Chapter 62: The Definition of Insanity

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Morning Blade returned to Canterlot High School again the next day at about eight thirty. She hadn't been able to sleep all night. Telling the past of the Trottingham bureau brought back painful memories for the ex-Assassin, and it really didn't help her sleep. She still pictured the friends she had made, the close ones, in her last memories she had of them.

Frigid Night, Dewdrop, High Noon, Patch, even Mentor Steel Shine. They had all died fighting for what they believed in. They died preserving the way the world worked, which wasn't complete domination with a single person on top. The world wasn't meant to be controlled by a single person. It was just too much power to give to just one person.

Morning clenched her fists as she waited by the statue for Princess Twilight. Today was going to be another long day, but it was going to be worth it, just like all the previous days. Frigid deserved having his story told. In the last days of the Assassins, Frigid had been insulted and shunned, and Morning felt like only she really knew the truth behind him. He wasn't a backstabbing traitor. He was just a confused and anguished Assassin. If the things that happened to him happened to anyone else, she was sure they'd do just the same, though at times, Frigid did make some bad choices.

But he wasn't the one to blame. It was that witch, Mirror Match.

Morning Blade was thankful Velvet had put her in the ground. After everything she had done to the Brotherhood, she deserved to die.

There was a shimmer at the base of the statue and Twilight Sparkle hopped out, taking a few steps to steady herself before dusting down her blue shirt.

"Phew, sorry I'm late, Morning Blade. Spike forgot to set my alarm clock."

"It's fine, Twilight, really. I can wait a few minutes." Morning Blade chuckled. "Shall we?"

"Yup. Let's go. I... don't exactly pack a coat for this." Twilight rubbed at her arms.

Morning Blade led the way back inside, already pulling her notebook out of her bag. There was still so much to tell.

One week later

Sparkplug didn’t like it any more than his two guards by his side, but they couldn’t spare anyone else. And besides, what kind of Assassin would he be if he just hung around the bureau all day, hiding from a woman trying to murder him?

“All set and ready to head out?” he heard Rose Petal ask them.

“All set,” Trueshot replied. The Stalliongrad Assassin wasn’t taking any chances. Besides his new sniper rifle and usual sword, hammer and sickle, Trueshot had added on two steel knives, a pistol, two brass knuckles, and a small dart gun to his arsenal.

“You don’t think that’s overkill?” Sparkplug asked him as they left the main entrance.

“I’m not letting her take me by surprise this time,” Trueshot chuckled and pulled the bolt back of his sniper rifle. “And I’ve got to keep you safe. I’m not letting you end up like the others.”

Sparkplug nodded. Broadside and Fire Frenzy had lost their lives as soon as they headed out on their respective missions. Sparkplug knew that the Witch of Manehattan was no doubt going to show her face. Their mission was to take down a Templar target in Fillydelphia, but was it wise to travel so far? If it came to a retreat, Sparkplug wanted to be near enough to get back to the bureau.

“How far are we going?” Rose asked them as they broke into a jog. “And are we even sure she’ll show up?”

“Almost certainly.”

The three Assassins eventually decided it was better to head to Fillydelphia and complete their mission than just camping around all night, waiting for Mirror Match, even if the risks were higher away from their homefront.

It was late evening when Rose Petal and Trueshot stood on the roof of a baseball stadium while Sparkplug went to meet with an inside man who supposedly had a way to easily get to their target.

“Was it wise to just let him head out alone to find this ‘inside man’?” Trueshot asked as he kept his eyes on the surrounding buildings with his eagle vision. It was turning out to be a clear night with an abnormally huge moon in the sky that was dyed an ominous red. “I have a bad feeling about this. Even the sky is bloody tonight.”

“It happens every few years or so, Trueshot,” Rose reminded him as she too kept a vigilant eye on their surroundings. “Nothing special. Unless you’re a witch or something. We just need to keep our eyes out for Sparkplug’s sake.”

“But Mirror Match is a witch!” Trueshot threw a hand up while the other held his rifle. “Don’t you remember all the stories?”

“You mean with all the odd healings, superhuman abilities and the bite?” Rose Petal crossed her arms. “I refuse to believe it’s because she has magical powers. In the East, people can do amazing things with medical herbs and manipulating the chi of others. I’d bet Mirror is using something like that.”

Trueshot sighed and nodded. “You’re right, Rose. There’s no way she’s some kind of monster. Monsters don’t exist. Only strange humans do. This time, I’m ready for her.”

A while longer passed as the moon climbed higher into the heavens. Its ruddy light cast deep shadows all around, but neither Assassin was unnerved. They were trained to use the night to their advantage; there was nothing for them to fear about it.

Their radios crackled to life.

“This is Sparkplug,” it said. “My meeting with the inside man might need to go on for a bit longer due to complications at the target’s stronghold. Standby for further orders.”

“Copy that, Sparkplug,” Trueshot said sharply. “We’ll continue to keep watch out here.”

“Good. You do that.”

“These inside people...” Trueshot shook his head as he placed his radio back on his belt. “Trust them to always mess up. That’s why I don’t use them. Ever.”

The night wore on. The traffic below ceased and soon the streets were completely empty as midnight drew nigh. Rose Petal was just yawning widely when she felt something brush the back of her hand. It felt like fingers.

“Yeah, what is it, Trueshot?” Rose Petal said without looking up.

“Hmm?” Trueshot said from behind. “What was what?”

The female Assassin glanced at her partner curiously. “I don’t know, didn’t you touch me just now?” She held up her hand; there was a faint smear of some kind of paste on it. She rubbed at it and it vanished.

“Uh...” Rose could hear the confusion in his voice. “I’m all the way over here.”

Both of them activated their eagle sense at once, scanning the surroundings for any sign of a hostile entity. When it turned up blank, Trueshot shrugged and brushed a speck of dust from his sniper scope.

“Eh, we’re just getting tired. It’s almost midnight, and Sparkplug’s still meeting with that inside man. I hope whatever he learns is worth it. To be out till midnight like this is just tiresome.”

Rose Petal agreed, but decided to check it out anyway. She pulled her radio out and put it close to her mouth. “Sparkplug, this is Rose. What’s going on? Is everything alright with you?”

“Yeah. Everything’s fine. We’re just finalizing the blueprints of the target’s panic room now. The insider’s been really helpful. Keep up the good work, Rose Petal.”

As Rose put her radio away, she felt something was a bit off. Sparkplug never called her by her whole name. Not even the first day they met.

Trueshot pulled out his phone to check the time. Momentarily blinded by the bright light of the screen, he almost missed the sensation of something touching his free hand’s bare skin.

“Trueshot,” Rose decided to ask. “When has Sparkplug ever called me ‘Rose Petal’? Something feels wrong. Maybe we should check on him. In person.”

The sniper nodded and wiped away a strange sticky substance from his hand. He raised the hand to his face and looked, beholding an odd, cream-like material on the surface. He wiped it off on his sleeve. “It’s eleven fifty anyway. I don’t want to be here when the clock strikes twelve. Tonight feels… strange.”

“Yeah. Ten minutes until the witching hour.”

They nodded to each other and began making their way down from the roof, looking for the room Sparkplug used. A small twinge of discomfort went through Rose’s head, making the world spin and almost costing her a handhold on the side of a wall.

“You alright?” Trueshot shouted from above her.

Rose dropped the last few feet and rolled to dampen the impact. “Yeah. I’m fine.”

Trueshot joined her, unclipping his radio and calling their friend again.

“Sparkplug. It’s Trueshot. Me and Rose are coming to meet with you. Something has come up.”

“Yeah. Sure thing, Trueshot. I’m almost done here anyway.”

Sparkplug and his contact had been using an empty apartment for their meeting spot, only one street away from where they had been standing watch. The window was dark, and Rose’s eagle sense revealed only one blue shape inside, lying on the floor.

Suspicion clouded her mind as she brought out her radio again. “Sparkplug? Do you read us?” She kept an eye on the blue shape.

“I read you. What’s the situation?”

The blue shape inside continued to stay still. Rose looked to Trueshot for advice. Her head was beginning to feel heavier as they approached the meeting point, her footsteps getting slower and more irregular. Something was definitely wrong, but she couldn’t figure out what.

Trueshot quickly caught her before she could fall over. “Rose. What’s wrong? Are you sure you’re fine?”

“It’s nothing! We need to get to Sparkplug! That’s not him answering the radio!”

“What? But it sounds just like him!”

“Trueshot. Sparkplug never calls me by my full name! And no one else is in that apartment,” Rose pointed to the familiar figure lying on the floor. “Except him! He’s not the one answering us!”

Trueshot bit back a curse. “It was a setup? We have to get to him!” A wave of dizziness swept over the sniper. “Come on, let’s move!”

The two Assassins raced to the apartment and through the window, heading straight for Sparkplug’s motionless body.

It was a grisly sight. The interior of the room was blood splattered and true to his word, there was the inside man. He had been nailed to the wall with a staggeringly large amount of steak knives and was most definitely dead. Sparkplug himself lay face down on the ground, not moving at all. The back of his clothes had been cut open to bare his back, upon with were carved in sickly green lines…

“For crimes against the queen and her kin, on her behalf, I hereby sentence you to death,” Rose whispered as she read the words aloud. “No…”

“How…?” Trueshot put a hand through his brown hair. “We were watching… Gah! We were fools to let him go on his own!” He punched a fist at the wall. As he did, Rose caught sight of something dark moving outside in the ruby light. It was a large bat, and clasped in its feet was a radio. Sparkplug’s radio.

“Where is she now?” Rose mumbled as she watched it flap around under the moonlight. Why did that bat have his radio?

Trueshot was the first to head out of the apartment. Rose followed shortly after, both Assassins still shaken from the sight in the room. The grey coated man mumbled something in a foreign language and pointed a phantom blade at the bat, priming one of the darts. The shot knocked the radio from its claws and the creature flew off, screeching indignantly.

Rose and Trueshot gathered around the device where it had fallen in the dirt. It was Sparkplug’s radio all right, name tag and all. It was also still operational, all the lights and buttons in perfect condition. The Stalliongrad Assassin picked it up and stowed it away in his coat.

“What, she has control of bats now?” he said as he unslung his rifle. “She must be close by. Watching us.”

It was at that exact moment that both Trueshot and Rose Petal became aware of a presence. A shadow fell across both of them.

“Vell, vell, vell,” a husky, feminine voice drawled. “Vhat have ve here?”

Silhouetted against the crimson moon and hovering just above a chimney, sat a woman surrounded by a cloud of bats. Her face was alabaster, framed by elegant, wavy ruby hair. The newcomer’s scarlet eyes glittered as she leapt down off the roof, landing before the two Assassins, the movement ruffling the leathery membrane that joined her arms to her back.

“I vas vondering vhat might have disturbed my children,” the woman said offhandedly. Now that she was no longer in the moon’s light, her black gothic dress, long detached sleeves, and knee high boots all were starkly similar to the description that Satin’s little sister had given them. “I should have guessed it vould be you.”

“Seriously?” Trueshot raised his rifle and pointed it at her. “The kid wasn’t kidding…”

He squeezed the trigger and watched a bullet exit his gun, heading directly for the vampire woman’s heart, knocking her back but otherwise causing no visible damage.

Trueshot widened his eyes and fired again, this time aiming for her white face. The vampire twitched her arm up, shielding herself with a leathery wing. At the same time a swarm of bats swooped down onto Trueshot, biting and clawing at him in a frenzy.

“Ah!” he sputtered as he tried to wave them off, keeping his armored arms above his face. “Get away! What in the world?!”

Rose Petal quickly ran to him and batted the creatures away, trying to keep them from biting her friend’s face. There were so many of them, screeching and snapping at any exposed flesh that by the time she got them off, both Assassins were sporting a fair amount of cuts and bites. The vampire laughed and hopped back up to the roof in a single jump.

“We need to close the distance,” Rose told her partner before heading up the side of the building.

The vampire sighed and held out her hand, a small cluster of bats converging around her fingers and shimmering before solidifying into an antique-looking saber made of dark grey metal.

“Rose, look out!” Trueshot pointed his rifle at the weapon and fired twice. Before his eyes, the weapon seemed to eat his bullets, the metal disappearing through the saber like a portal. “What…?”

The vampire’s smile widened and she dissolved into mist, covering the entire space with impenetrable white fog. Rose Petal yelped, a snow white hand condensing from the mist and seizing her by the throat. Dozens of other such hands began to form around her, grabbing her limbs and holding her down.

“Trueshot!” Rose called as she fought to free herself. She could hear her partner, but through the fog, she had no idea where he was. She unsheathed her hidden blade and stabbed for an arm and they let her go, dropping the Assassin to the ground.

Rose closed her eyes as she approached the ground, but to her surprise, the ground sank as she landed and bounced her right back out and onto the street.

“Oof!” Rose flipped herself onto her bottom and stared with amazement at the floor. “Wha… What was that?”

Trueshot was having a worse time of it. The man had somehow managed to located the apartment and he was now running up the stairs to try and get a better vantage point. What he did not expect was for a man covered in blood and stabbed from head to toe with steak knives to shamble out into his path, groaning and reaching out at him with mangled fingers.

Instinctively, Trueshot unsheathed his sword and cut it across the man’s chest, staggering him but not dropping him. The groaning grew louder and the fingers turned into steak knives, each point shining in the dark like the stars. He just cut again and again, trying to get the man away, at the same time moving backwards back down.

At the corner of his eye, Trueshot saw the vampire closing in on him with her saber drawn. He threw his sickle, but the vampire exploded into a cloud of bats, leaving behind the body of Sparkplug on the ground.

To his horror, the other Assassin turned his head to Trueshot and screeched, “You left me to die!”

“No!” Trueshot turned and looked for the vampire. “Where are you?! What have you done to me!”

“Vhat have I done to you?” the heavily accented voice seemed to come from everywhere. “You have done this to yourself. The Vitch of Manehattan varned you, but you vould not listen. Now I must deal vith you as I see fit.”

“Vitch?” Trueshot copied before he understood. “Mirror Match sent you! She betrayed us! She killed our friends! She even betrayed the one who loved her. Why are you helping her?”

“The vitch’s qvarrels are her own. I for vun have only a favor to fulfill to her, and I intend to do it.”

Trueshot bent down and retrieved his sickle, pulling his hammer from behind him as well. “Come out and face me! Stop using your fancy tricks!”

There was a bark of laughter. “I vill put down my veapons as soon as you lay down yours. How is that? You don’t scare me, little man. You don’t compare to any of the hunters from vun hundred years ago.”

Swarms of chittering bats flapped around Trueshot, each one of the infernal creatures bearing the face of someone he knew: the Mentor, Star Lance, Frigid Night, Sparkplug, and countless others. Their screams and screeches pierced his ears like needles.

And out there in the nucleus of chaos and wrongness, the vampire sat on thin air, watching solemnly.

Trueshot flailed his weapons around, trying to chase the gruesome bat creatures away. “You’re not real! You can’t be!”

The bats spun around the stricken Assassin in a funnel cloud, trapping him in place and slashing at him with wings of steel. Trueshot fought, but to no avail, unable to kill even a single one; it was as though his blades phased through the creatures.

“No! No!” The grey-skinned Assassin sprinted for the window and threw himself out, grabbing onto a lower ledge at the last minute before dropping the rest of the way. Trueshot landed on his knees before scrambling back till his back was against the wall. “Nasty things…”

The Assassin’s whole body was hurting from all the cuts and bruises he received from all the weird creatures.

“Give up yet?”

The vampire was hanging upside down in front of him, their faces on the exact same level. Her fangs glinted in the moonlight as she smiled.

Trueshot groaned and leaned his head back. He had come prepared for a fight, but instead, got something he never expected. “Wh-why? Why do all this…? Why not just fight me?”

The vampire reached out and tapped him between the eyes with a manicured nail that was, of course, painted black; he smelled something, something like strawberries and cream.

“It’s very simple, mon gars. The Vitch of Manehattan vanted a distraction vhile she vent after her target. Since she is in a hurry to attend a funeral in Hollow Shades tonight, I have offered to cover for her usual role vhich she takes after taking down the target. Ve’re not all bad, ve vampires. Only that tonight’s events pit us against vun another.”

Trueshot closed his eyes, but reopened them after remembering his partner was still out here. “Where’s Rose?”

“Maybe she ran off for some garlic,” the vampire dropped down to his level and flourished her saber. “Or a vooden stake. Either of vhich vould be more effective than your toys. Or not.”

Using the conversation, Trueshot had slipped a hand into his coat and held his pistol. He only had one chance at this, but he was going to take it. He slowly turned the gun in his pocket, making sure the barrel was facing the vampire while she talked. When he got the trajectory about right, he wasted no time in firing. The bullet ripped out of his coat and flew straight for the vampire’s head.

There was a faint twitch as the bullet entered the side of the creature’s cheek and tore out the back of her neck.

“Hmm,” the vampire said, raising her hand to her face. “Ow.”

Then she dropped her saber and fell to the ground.

Trueshot pushed himself up, but trained his pistol on her body. Vampires never go down with a single bullet, at least, that’s what he knew from the movies. He emptied his magazine into her body before swapping to his sniper rifle, loading three more shots into her before taking his radio out.

“Rose? Do you copy? Are you there?”

Rose’s voice came clear out of the other side. “Yeah. I’m okay.” her voice was shaky but otherwise sounded unhurt. “Where’s the vampire?”

Trueshot looked down at the body, which had alarmingly begun to burn, bursting into bright green fire. “She’s dead. Burning at my feet right now. Where are you? Are you still close by?”

“Close. The street’s melting and there are killer bats everywhere. I’m hiding in a dumpster.”

“Hang tight,” Trueshot said as he began walking. “I’ll come find you.”

Trueshot holstered his guns and tried to focus his eagle vision, but he was really tired from the strangest night he had ever gone through.

And then something grabbed him on the shoulder. Something with long, blackened fingers tipped with even darker, three inch long talons.

“Going so soon, little man?”

Trueshot’s blood stopped in his veins as he looked over his shoulder. Standing behind him with its hand on his shoulder was a truly horrifying creature. All black and streamlined, yet still vaguely human, its gaping mouth was full of needlelike teeth, its fangs like twin hunting knives and dripping with saliva on their serrated edges. Long, purple hair fell to its bare feet, of which each toe was also tipped with a claw. The remains of the vampire’s charred dress clung to the monster’s lithe form. Its catlike eyes, once crimson, now burned like acidic green spotlights, wide and glaring with hate.

Trueshot unsheathed both his hidden blades and stabbed back, one going through her arm while the other buried itself into her chest. The creature screamed at him, spraying his face with drool before sinking its teeth into his arm, tearing through the fabric and taking a bite out of his flesh.

“Agh!” Trueshot yelled as he fell back, clutching his wounded arm. Even though injured, the Assassin still managed to retrieve his pistol in his good hand and fire at the creature, tearing skin off her shoulders and arms with sprays of red. The vampire extended a pair of flaming green wings and flapped into the air a few meters.

Spitting out the mouthful of meat, the creature swooped through the gunfire and clawed him across the chest before screeching something unintelligible at him. Trueshot spun on a heel and fell face down, struggling to hold himself up. He turned himself over and grasped for his chest with his injured arm before spinning his sniper rifle into his arms. He pressed down on the trigger and watched the bullets tear through her abdomen like paper. Yet, the creature advanced, even though Trueshot could see through her destroyed belly.

“Pathetic,” the creature hissed as the wounds began to close and stop bleeding altogether in a lick of green fire. There was no more hint of the Trotsylvanian accent. It sounded like two women talking at once, just out of sync. “Not even silver bullets. Still, you annoy me, so…”

Wrapping one hand around the barrel of Trueshot’s rifle, the vampire jerked it from his grip and crumpled the barrel and receiver in its fingers. Before he could arm himself any further, the Assassin’s hands were taken in a vice-like grip and brought up to the monster’s mouth.

“Like I said before, I’m just here to fulfill a favor,” Trueshot could see every single groove and point of those teeth, like those of a bear trap. “The next time you see the Witch of Manehattan, tell her we’re even.”

She bit down hard and the night was rent with the sound of screaming.

Chapter 63: Blurring Allegiance

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Frigid Night sat alone in the bureau’s lobby, watching the front door. His guard partner had upped and left when he found out that Frigid was going to be on watch with him. He didn’t blame the guy. He’d done a lot to deserve their animosity as of late, so he volunteered to keep watch by himself.

The Mentor probably wouldn’t have let him do it alone, but Wreckhouse and Tangent were watching from the roof, so she let it be in the end. At least there were two others, should the Templars decide to attack them now.

He had almost dozed off when he heard the roar of a car’s engine and then the screeching of tires. Frigid got up to investigate as he heard the sound of scuffling feet.

He peered out the front door and saw Rose Petal, hauling out Trueshot around her shoulders, his chest, arm and hands bandaged all across, red already staining the white cloth. Rose herself was covered in small cuts on her face, arms, and legs.

“Help! Someone get over here and help me!”

Frigid wasted no time in running out to help his old friends. He scooped Trueshot under the other arm and supported him in. “What happened, Rose? Where’s Sparkplug?”

“He’s still in the car.” She looked up to the other two Assassins of watch and waved for them to come down. “You two! Can you get Sparkplug? He’s still in the car!”

Wreckhouse nodded and the two Assassins wasted no time in scaling down the building.

After entering the bureau doors, Rose sighed. “We were attacked,” she answered his previous question. “You won’t believe it. I still don’t believe it…”

“Mirror Match?” Frigid asked worriedly as they escorted the wounded Assassin towards the medic wing.

“Mirror got Sparkplug while we weren’t watching. I’m sorry. That was our mistake, leaving him by himself. But no, she didn’t attack us. We had to fight off a… a vampire.”

“Sounds rough. Wait, what?”

“The vampire Satin’s younger sister told us about,” Rose shook her head disappointedly. “We should’ve believed her… Now Sparkplug and Trueshot are dying.”

Frigid had already lost Dust Fencer and Satin Breeze. He wasn’t ready to lose another good friend. “Don’t worry, Rose. We’ll get him to Patch. She’ll know what to do.”

“But Sparkplug,” she mumbled as they carried Trueshot up the staircase. “He’s going to end up like Broadside and Frenzy. We have to find a way to help them.”

Frigid nodded in agreement. They had to get the cure, but was it possible? Mirror knew of it, but she refused it give it to him.

As soon as Patch saw the Assassins bringing in the wounded, she directed a few of the other Assassins to get the beds ready while moving to meet them.

“What happened?” she asked as she helped to put Trueshot on one of the beds.

She inspected his injuries and only then did Frigid realize the sniper was missing a few of his fingers.

“What are these wounds…?” Patch said, disbelief in her voice. “It’s like he was in a fight with an animal. These are claw and bite marks…”

“Vampire marks to be precise.” Rose shrugged when Patch looked at her. “It’s true.”

“Nothing can be more serious than Mirror’s poison, I guess,” Patch sighed and began grabbing supplies from her racks.

Wreckhouse and Tangent laid Sparkplug on another bed, facing his body down. Frigid looked with disgust at his back, which was scrawled with green marks all over. He didn’t want to look any more and returned his attention to Trueshot.

“Thanks for the help,” Rose nodded faintly to the three Assassins. “But you better get back to your posts. No one else is guarding the entrance.”

“Right!” Wreckhouse smacked the side of his head. “C’mon, Tangent! I don’t want to get in trouble with Star Lance!”

The two younger Assassins ran ahead of Frigid, heading back up the stairs to the roof. The yellow-skinned Assassin kept a good pace towards the lobby, his mind going through a swirl of different thoughts. Vampire? How did Mirror get her hands on a vampire? And why did she hurt Trueshot like that if she was only after the Assassins who destroyed the machine. Looks like he had plenty to talk to his ex-girlfriend about the next time he saw her.

"So for real. There was a vampire?" Twilight drew a pair of fangs in her notebook. "I didn't think they existed in your world."

"Neither did I." Morning Blade pulled her braid in front of her shoulder. "I haven't seen it myself, but you know me, I'm a historical type of person. All these tales of mythical creatures, they don't exist. But then I saw what Sombra and Mentor Steel Shine could do. Perhaps vampires are not so far off after all?"

"Yeah... Well, lead on, Morning Blade."

The next night, Frigid Night sat in his secret cave, looking out into the darkness, waiting. No matter what time, Mirror always came to him when he sat here; Frigid still had no idea how she did it, but she just did. Maybe the Fillydelphia Assassins were right and she was a witch.

A sharp inhalation at the mouth of the cave announced the arrival of Mirror Match. Unlike the other times, the ex-Assassin looked as if the world had done something to personally offend her.

“Mirror,” he stood up to greet her as she walked towards him.

She didn’t answer, instead taking out a dagger that Frigid recognized as Satin’s and tossing it onto the floor of the cave, where it landed point first in the sand.

“Well? What do you think I should do?”

Frigid scratched at his head. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t make a girl a promise you know you can’t keep, Frigid Night. I trusted you to keep Satin safe. You had one job, and I still ended up having to attend her funeral.”

Frigid looked down at his boots. “Mirror… I’m so sorry… I didn’t reach her in time. By the time Dewdrop told me the situation… I’m sorry.”

Mirror wiped her hands on her black robes, which were becoming increasingly torn and stained with each meeting.

“Sorry doesn’t cut it. Sorry won’t bring back Satin, or any of the others you Assassins have lured to their deaths. How do you expect to win this war if even a hired killer can take you on?”

“Hired killer?” Frigid looked up at his old partner’s face. “Was it Wolfgang?” He balled up his fists as a picture of that man’s smiling face appeared in his mind. “He did this, didn’t he?”

“He and a group of Talon’s men. Those I already took care of, and I’ll get Wolfgang in due time.” Mirror poked Frigid in the chest. “The question is, why didn’t you all train Satin to fight better? You’ve made an orphan of her younger sister.”

Frigid felt as if that wasn’t a fair claim. “You were her teacher, Mirror. Why did you leave without training her?”

The Templar tossed back her hair. “Do you really think she could match my standards?” The question was a good one and silenced Frigid’s tongue.

“We all did our best, Mirror.” Frigid sat back down. “We taught her what we knew. Even we don’t hope to win against overwhelming odds.”

“Overwhelming odds be thrown out the window, Frigid!” Mirror hissed. “You’re Assassins. If you have to fight openly, then you’ve pretty much already failed at your job, haven’t you? I knew a woman once, Posey I think her name was, she could clear an entire castle without being spotted. And she was self taught!”

“We’ve hit a stump. It’s like the Templars know our every move lately. You didn’t tell them our plans did you?”

Mirror inhaled and exhaled. “Now why, would I do that? We’ve been out of touch for years now. I’m sure whatever plans you had when I left are greatly outdated.”

“On my last mission, the Templar I was hunting had gassed the room I hid in,” Frigid told her. “I doubt he prepared that without knowing he was being followed. Satin might have had it the same.”

“I told them nothing of any of your schemes, Frigid. At this point, I know as much about your goings-on as Rovena does. Which is to say absolutely nothing short of what I can guess.”

“Rovena…” Velvet Breeze had told them the name of the mysterious vampire that dropped by and now Trueshot was lying in the medic wing in critical condition. “Why do you have a vampire with you? And why did she tear Trueshot up like that. He’s not one of your targets.”

For the first time that evening, Mirror Match’s face twisted into a mockery of a smile.

“Rovena’s neutral, Friggy dear. She’s just a friend who owed me a favor, and since I had to attend Satin’s funeral in Hollow Shades, I asked her to fill in for what I usually do after an execution. Whatever she did had nothing to do with me whatsoever. And from what I hear, Sparkplug’s crew were rather negligent anyway. She was rather cross about her dress being ruined too.”

Frigid sighed and looked at his reflection in the water. Things had changed. They weren’t the Assassins they used to be. Frigid wasn’t the Assassin he used to be.

“And you needn’t worry about Rovena anymore anyway.” Mirror twirled a throwing knife between her fingers before making it disappear up her sleeve. “She’ll be in Trotsylvania by now, where all the real hunters are. If anyone was bitten, you’d best give them an infusion of garlic and holy water mixed with the ashes of burnt incense to keep them from turning, I might add.”

Frigid made sure to remember to do that later. “Hunters… Mirror, tell me where to find Wolfgang. Let me avenge Satin.” He stood up and took Mirror’s hands in his. “Please.”

Mirror looked at him critically. “No, I don’t think so. I have my own score to settle with him, and if he survives that, then you can do what you like.”

Frigid lowered his eyelids, unsure of what he wanted to do. He continued to stand there, holding on to the hands of the woman he loved. “Mirror… I don’t know what to think anymore.”

“What, did you know about the werewolf already?” Mirror said sneakily.

“Werewolf!” Frigid was aghast. “You’re kidding, right?”

“You’re right, I am,” Mirror winked at him. “They’re extinct.”

“Oh, Mirror,” Frigid smiled. “I’m sorry. I still miss having you around, spending time with you day and night.” His hands moved to her shoulders.

“Hmm, yes. I know. We could be together every day if you came with me.”

“I already said I would, Mirror. If you were to leave the others alone. That’s all I asked.”

Mirror Match shrugged and stepped away, back to the mouth of the cave. “Yeah. Not going to happen. You tell Pierce Network that he’d better get used to staying in that bureau of yours for the rest of his life, or to get his affairs in order because the next time I see him it’ll be the last.”

Frigid chased her to the entrance, but the Templar was much faster, leaping up into the air before disappearing out of his line of sight.

“Mirror…”

It was only then that he remembered that he hadn’t asked her for a cure for Sparkplug. Maybe he hadn’t wanted to after all. Was being with her more important than saving his friends? Frigid didn’t know anymore.

He took a long sigh and headed out of the cave.

Chapter 64: Reactions

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Mahogany Wood walked into his brother’s office, a stern look written all over his face as he walked through the automatic glass doors.

His brother sat at his desk, busily monitoring his computer screen. He looked up at his brother and straightened his lab coat.

“Timber,” Mahogany greeted as he stopped next to him. “What’s the situation?”

“It’s the Apple, Mahogany,” Timber pointed at the screen. “It’s... reacting to something.”

The screen displayed footage of one of the security cameras of the artifact, sitting on its pedestal and surrounded by bulletproof glass and laser beams to prevent theft or destruction. Everything looked surprisingly normal; it wasn’t what Mahogany had been expecting to see at all when his meeting with Principal Cobalt had been interrupted.

Only one thing was odd about the whole picture. The Apple was radiating light like a heartbeat. Beams of warm, buttery light shot out like scanners, bathing the walls in gold. The entire picture was vibrating, as if the artifact were either shaking violently, or emitting noise.

Then a crack formed on the screen. Noise it was, like singing.

“What is going on?” Mahogany Wood slammed a fist on the desk. “Get a team down there. Find out what’s going on!”

Timber picked up his phone and dialed in a number. “This is Timber. Something weird is going on with the artifact. Get down there and find out what’s happening.”

The scientist got up and grabbed his goggles before heading out of his office. “I’ll figure this out, brother.”

Mahogany continued to look at the screen as Timber left, the light from the Apple continued to hum and beat as though it were a living thing. Whatever was happening, Mahogany hoped it was just a minor bug and not something that would render his plans obsolete.

“Please, please, please!” Velvet begged as she sat before the Assassin Mentor. “Teach me how to fight! Teach me how to save the world like my sister did! Please!”

“I cannot do that.” Steel Shine shook her head for the fourth time. “The life of an Assassin is a dangerous one. I will not bring a child into this war.”

“Oh, please! Let me help!” Velvet made her face as sympathetic as she could. “I know you’ve all been having it hard lately, so please! Let me help you change all that. I know I can do this! Please, oh please!”

Steel Shine looked to Star Lance for support. Her lieutenant, who was the one that normally looked to her for advice, simply scrunched up his face and shrugged.

The Mentor sighed and lowered her head. “Very well, Velvet Breeze. I shall allow you to train, but under one condition.”

Velvet’s face lit up and she hopped up to her feet. “Yes! Whatever you say, Mentor!”

“I want you to learn from Pierce Network,” the Mentor crossed her arms. “He’ll teach you how to use the baton. A non-lethal weapon.”

Velvet didn’t mind. Any way she could make herself useful was fine by her. “Sure!”

“I’ll get Pierce right away,” Star Lance said, heading out the door.

Wolfgang returned to the killer’s hideout after another long day of killing. Today, he only managed to kill one Assassin, which sickened him. It wasn’t enough. So before heading back, he proceeded to a small corner of town and broke into a few homes.

Tomorrow, the news was probably going to be covering a string of murders in that small sector of Manehattan.

“Pressure Point, I’m hoooome!” Wolfgang sang as he threw his knife into a chair.

No one answered, so Wolfgang simply shrugged and headed for the refrigerator and got himself a can of beer, cracking it open before returning to his chair. He sat down with a heavy thud and pulled his knife from the chair.

“Kill, kill, kill…” he muttered to himself. “Just gotta make sure I kill everything. Ha! Just you wait Assassins. Wolfgang’s coming for you all.” He chugged down a portion of his drink.

Without warning, a knife tore through the air and impaled his can right out of his hand, spilling beer all over the floor.

“What the hay?!” the killer turned his head as Pressure Point waltzed in, a smug grin on her face. “What gives?”

“Nothing really…” she said, dropping the smile in an instant. She flipped back a portion of her purple hair and balled a fist. “Just wanted to try something new.”

“And what might that be?”

“Giving you a good beating!” Pressure Point, like a trained boxer, threw a right hook into Wolfgang’s cheek, flinging him off his chair and onto the hard ground.

“Hey, hey, what was that for?!” the blue haired killer rubbed at his face. The skin below was already turning a purplish red.

Pressure Point shrugged and got another fist ready. “Nothing really. It’s just that you’re inexperienced and unpredictable.” She directed another punch to his already wounded face.

Wolfgang reached behind his shirt and pulled out one of his switchblades. With a flick, he extended the blade and slashed out at Pressure’s face. She leaned back to avoid it and lashed out with a kick at the hand which had taken a bullet earlier. There was a crunch as boot connected with bone. Wolfgang gasped and spat blood as Pressure Point jabbed him in the jaw twice more before flooring him with a vicious uppercut.

The killer crawled back against the wall and retrieved one of his fallen blades. “Are you crazy?! I’ll kill you for this!”

“Probably,” Pressure said. “But not today.”

Wolfgang shifted his body uncomfortably as he dealt with the pain. Pressure Point had hit him really hard and it was starting to get to him. He slowly pushed himself up, rising to his feet with a groan.

“We’ll see about that, Pressure.” The killer spat out a wad of spit mixed with some blood and approached her warily with the dagger.

Pressure placed her hands behind her back and grinned. Wolfgang bared his teeth as he slid to her, the dagger following his hand as he thrusted forward. The female killer ducked and weaved in and out of his strikes, her hands still behind her back.

“Stay still!” Wolfgang snarled and grabbed her arm with his other hand. “Ha!”

Pressure grabbed ahold of the same arm and tossed the killer back behind her, dragging his face along the floor before flipping him over, sending him rolling into the table, overturning it with a crash. Before he could get up, Wolfgang felt himself being dragged back before a series of powerful blows smashed down against the sides of his head. He could do nothing more as Pressure Point flipped him over and planted her fists down into his face, hitting him so hard that his mouth and nose became a bloody mess, with a few teeth falling out and onto the floor.

“P-P-Preshurr… P-Poincht…” Wolfgang spurted through a broken mouth. He feebly reached up to grab her face, but his strength had left him. He dropped his arm back to the ground and breathed what he could through his injured nose. “W-why…?”

“You deserve it… Wolfey.” Pressure Point got up and cracked at her knuckles before patting down her hair and attire. Wolfgang’s head rang; it sounded like two women were talking at once to his beaten head. “You’ve caused me quite a lot of trouble lately, and this is the best way to repay you.”

Finished with everything she wanted to say, Pressure Point grinned at the wolfish man and waved before heading out the door, slamming it behind her.

Wolfgang lay on the cold hard ground, looking up at the black ceiling. At least he wasn’t dead. He still had a chance to get even with the other killer. He tried to get up, but he just didn’t have enough strength to do anything but lie there, moaning in pain.

That crazy woman… I’ll be sure to give her some when I get up.

Wolfgang knew it was going to be a while before he could even muster enough strength to leave the room. After that, he would probably still have to see a doctor or at least someone with medical experience about his face. He felt as if a steamroller had gone right over it.

There was nothing more he could do at the moment. The killer finally sighed and resigned himself to stare at the ceiling for the next couple of hours.

It was going to be a long wait.

Chapter 65: Out of Balance

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“Out of balance,” Pierce said without looking. Velvet dropped her hands to her side and looked at him. “When you strike with a baton, you’ll need better balance to recover from each strike.”

“Okay.” Velvet tried again, landing blow after blow on the dummy in front of her, watching it bounce back and forth after each blow.

“Not bad kid,” Pierce nodded with approval, but still without taking his eyes off his phone. “You learn fast. Maybe in a year or two, you’ll get the hang of it. Though, that might be a little long for Assassin standards. We’ve been losing people too much lately. I’m… sorry about what happened with your sister.”

“Yeah…” Velvet put a hand to the hairpin she kept in her hair. She didn’t use it for its original use, instead leaving it in her hair just to remember her sister. “Was she a great Assassin?”

“Yes,” Pierce nodded and took his eyes off his phone for just a second to look at Velvet. “She was a good kid. Fast learner, just like you, I guess. It’s a shame she… passed on. Templars. One day, they’re all going to pay. Whether by our hands or by someone else's. We’ll make them regret the day the decided to try to take over the world. That’s what they’re planning, you know? Their leader, Mahogany Wood sees a future where the world bows under one ruler. Himself. We’re going to make sure that never happens.”

“Oh…” Velvet made an understanding inside her head. She had to get better. To be able to fight to protect others from the Templars. She looked at the dummy and imagined it as a Templar, like a knight from the old days. She raised her baton and attacked again.

“That’s right, kid. Left, right, left, right. Make sure you hit important places, like the head, arms or legs. A crippled opponent is better than a standing one.”

“Say, you sound like you’ve been around for a long time,” Velvet asked as she worked on the dummy, sweat forming on her brows. “How long?”

“Long enough, kid,” the hacker sighed. “Too long. I’ve watched this bureau rise and fall. Times are changing. We’re not the Assassins we used to be. Not when the Templars have someone like Mirror Match. She’s after me, you know? A team and I destroyed a Templar world-changing machine. I’m the only one left standing. The only one she hasn’t touched. I don’t know what this ‘queen’ of hers has to do with any of this but she’s taking us down for her, supposedly. And I already have their other plans. They plan on unleashing a second machine besides converting the populace to their side. Against us. You know, it’s all thanks to your sister that we know more about the Templar plans now. I wish I could’ve thanked her in person.”

Velvet listened attentively. It seems her sister was a well respected Assassin, not just by her close friends, but also by many of the others, including Pierce.

“You’re a good kid, Velvet,” Pierce nodded. “Remember that. Us Assassins, we’re too deep in this ocean already. Know this, Velvet Breeze. Don’t walk too far into the deep waters. That’s where all the dangerous fish are.”

Sparkplug lay on his bed, unmoving. It had already been two days, and the Assassin was entering the third and final day of the venom’s lifespan. He had already entered his comatose state, and in a few more hours, he would just cease to be, just like Broadside and Fire Frenzy before him.

Dr. Patch sat on a stool opposite him, defeat written all over her face. Rose Petal stood beside her, a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“You did your best, Patch. There’s nothing more we can do but give him a proper goodbye.”

“I know, I know…” Patch sniffed and looked at the wheels of her chair. “But I’m a doctor. I’ve sat by and watched two of my friends die, unable to do anything for them. And now Sparkplug…”

“You saved Trueshot,” Rose Petal squeezed the medic’s shoulder. “If it weren’t for you, he wouldn’t be sitting there in bed waving to you right now.”

Patch looked up at the Stalliongrad Assassin. He gave her a warm smile and a wave with a three-fingered hand, bandaged all the way to the elbow. In the crook of one elbow was a noxious mixture of the prescribed holy water, garlic, and ashes.

“You’re right, Rose,” Patch nodded. “Even if I can’t do anything, I’ve got to work hard, if not for him, then for the others that I can still save.”

“That’s the spirit, Patch. But for Sparkplug, we’ll be with him until he goes. It’s the least we could do for an old friend.”

“Do you think it’ll end?” Patch asked despondently.

“What will end?”

“Mirror Match’s executions,” Patch explained as she readjusted her glasses. “Mentor said she was only going after those involved in the Templar machine’s destruction. But what if it doesn’t end with all of them dead? What if she goes on, one Assassin at a time until there are none of us left? What can I do then?”

“She won’t,” Rose looked at Trueshot. “She’s only used that black blade on the people she’s targeted.”

“But this queen she keeps killing for… Who is she? Is she even a real person?”

“She has to be. Why else would she go through all this trouble to kill them?”

Patch shifted a hand under her chin. “Though… I’ve never heard of this queen. Neither have any of you, I’m sure. Is there someone out there higher than the Grand Master?”

“I don’t know, Patch. But we’ll stop Mirror, queen or no. We’re going to make sure of it.”

“But Pierce. He’s the only one left from the team. We can’t just let Mirror do as she pleases with him. We can’t let him leave the bureau. That witch has successfully taken down each of her targets without fail. Pierce is not going to be any different. She and her pet vampire.”

“We’re Assassins. We can’t just lock the man up in the bureau just because he’s being hunted. And Pierce is different. Even if he’s not the most social person, he’s smart. I’m sure he’ll figure out a way to deal with Mirror if he does go out,” Rose chewed her lip. “As for vampires, I’ve already put in an order for silver bullets and garlic. We’ll be ready this time.”

“Pierce’ll find a way to beat her, Patch,” Trueshot croaked out of his dry mouth from his position. “He’s our best hacker after all. He’s got a lot of information to work from.”

“I guess.” It was a thin string of hope for Patch to hold onto, but she gladly took it. It was better than letting go and falling into the jaws of the shark below. They would have to ready themselves against Mirror Match. They had to beat her. That was all they had to do now.

Chapter 66: Hope is a Sad Thing

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“Pierce! What are you doing?” Spectral Rim ran along behind the Assassin’s top hacker as he headed for the front door. “You can’t go out! That’s exactly what Mirror Match wants!”

“What she said,” Silent Frame whispered from behind a book. “You’ll end up like the others.”

“No I won’t.” Pierce stopped and faced them, though his eyes remained on his phone. “Mirror Match thought she was going to have it easy, waiting for her targets to leave the bureau before stalking them and finishing them off with her clever weapon. Not this time. I’ve prepared myself, created different routes and methods in either taking her down or getting away without dying. I’ve also been researching her plans and attack patterns and even that toxic weapon of hers. Her weapon is like a living thing of its own, capable of-”

“Whatever, Pierce.” Spectral pushed past his wall of text. “How are you planning on not getting poisoned? That’s what I want to hear.”

High Noon and Windy Sails, drawn in by the sudden shouting, walked over to see what it was all about. Windy’s face turned into something from a horror movie when she heard he was going out there to challenge Mirror.

“Y-you can’t go out there, P-Pierce,” Windy mumbled, partially behind her teacher as always. “She’s d-dangerous.”

“And we’re not letting you sacrifice yourself like that either,” High Noon replied as firmly as he could, though inside, he was shaking. “If y-you’re going out there, we-we’re going with you.”

“High Noon is right,” Spectral nodded. “The others only had two bodyguards each, and they weren’t enough. If you plan on going out there to defeat her, we’re coming too.”

“I’m with the others.” Silent Frame put her book down and nodded. “We’re going with you, Pierce.”

The hacker looked like he wanted to complain, to tell them how ridiculous of an idea it was. But then he remembered he was about to go out there on his own to do the same.

“Fine. The more the merrier as some people say. Though, as you know, I don’t believe in that saying. I think more people help you mess up sometimes. People think they’re helping, but sometimes, they just make it worse. If we’re leaving, then we’re leaving now.”

The Assassins began moving with Pierce to head out. Windy took another few steps forward before Noon threw a hand in front of her, stopping her in her tracks.

“Noon?”

He looked down at her with a more serious expression. One the apprentice had never seen before. “You’re not coming, Windy. It’s far too dangerous.”

“B-but… Noon…”

“I don’t want you to get hurt, Windy. Mirror Match is no simple Templar.”

Instead of turning back and listening to whatever he told her like always, Windy stood her ground. “Y-you always tell me that I shouldn’t be so afraid. That sometimes I just h-have to do what’s right. Don’t ask me to stay this time. L-let me go w-with you, Noon. I want to protect Pierce, and… y-you.”

“Windy…”

“If you’re going, then I am.”

Unable to change his apprentice’s mind, High Noon shrugged and gave her a smile. She had learnt well from him. Maybe a little too well.

“Alright, Windy,” he replied. “But at first sight of trouble; if we are unable to go according to plan, I want you to run. Alright?”

“Thanks, Noon.” Windy nodded her thanks and headed off behind Spectral Rim and Silent Frame.

High Noon hopped that he had made the right choice, but he told himself he was going to do everything in his power to keep her safe. He wasn’t going to let Mirror hurt Windy.

The Assassins headed to the nearby parking lot and got into Pierce Network’s van. High Noon got into the driver’s seat with Pierce sitting next to him, while the others got in the back.

“So what’s the plan?” the cowboy asked as he started the engine. “How are we beating Mirror?”

Pierce’s eyes remained on his phone. “I’m planning an ambush. I’ve linked up my phone to some of the city’s traffic and security cameras and uploaded a facial recognition program as well as a speed tracker. Mirror seems to like going fast; the camera will pick up anything man-sized that’s going faster than usual and alert us, giving us the advantage,” he tapped the dashboard, where a sonar like display had been installed. “There’s also a proximity-based motion tracker built into the van.”

“That’s great and all that we know where she’ll be.” Spectral leaned forward, placing her head between the two in front. “But how are we going to beat her?”

“I’ve found a spot in town where a few devices have been linked together.” Pierce turned around and showed them a map on his phone. “You’ve got steam pipes, circuit boxes, and even a garage door, just in case.”

“Wait…” Spectral raised an eyebrow. “Why can your phone control all that?”

“Well, it’s actually a rather complicated process. You see, I-”

“Okay, okay, nevermind.” Spectral returned to her seat and put the seatbelt on. “The less I know the better.”

“Also, these.” The hacker reached under the dashboard and passed around some gas masks. “In case of a smoke bomb or worse.”

“Yeah, don’t want to get knocked out like the last time, eh Silent?” High Noon chuckled from the front. With these, no chloroform was going to stop them.

“Since you’re all here as well, we can set up a point of attack.” Pierce tapped on his screen and zoomed in with his fingers. He pointed at two separate buildings. “If you can split up into twos, we can ambush her from above. I’ll be below while you four wait for my signal. Then we strike Mirror all at once, and perhaps we’ll be able to take her down. Without her, the Templars are nothing again. We’ll be able to take them down like we used to. They go back to hiding from us with their establishments and simple thugs.”

High Noon thought about it as he drove on. It all sounded just a bit too easy. He’d seen Mirror take down Assassins with ease, though back when she had infiltrated the bureau, she didn’t take on Silent Frame and the others. Maybe she couldn’t deal with strength in numbers. Noon held on to that thought. He hoped that was the case.

Pierce started directing High Noon as they approached the main part of the city, the sun already sinking below the cityline. The rest of the journey was short as Noon backed the white van into an alley before cutting the engine. He left the keys in.

“Okay, two of you up there.” Pierce pointed to the building next to them. “And two there.” He pointed to the one on the opposite side of the road. “I’ll lure her out to the center. Right in the middle of the junction.”

“Umm… Are you s-sure people won’t b-be coming down this way?” Windy began fiddling with her thumbs. “And what about the buildings? What if s-someone sees us?”

“I’ve changed all the traffic lights,” Pierce said calmly. “There won’t be a car in sight until I change them back. As for the buildings, there aren’t any that close by. If we’re lucky, they won’t get a clear look at us. I’ve also jammed all communications. They won’t be calling for the cops anytime soon.”

“Sounds good and all, but what if it fails?” Silent Frame asked as she checked the bullets in her pistol. “What if she beats us anyway? Do you have an escape plan?”

“I’ll just use the van,” Pierce pointed a thumb back to the vehicle. “I’m a pro when it comes to evading pursuit.”

Riiiight… High Noon thought. But if the plan failed, it would be better for him to stay back and hold Mirror off while Pierce got away.

Finalizing the rest of the plan, High Noon headed up the nearer building with Windy, while Spectral and Silent took the other one. High Noon watched his apprentice climb as he did so himself, though he made sure to avoid looking up her skirt. She was already pretty good at the movement. It seemed that it was only her combat she needed to work on.

“Windy,” High Noon called as he pulled himself up behind her. “We need to talk.”

“Yes, Noon?” she asked, turning to face him.

“When it comes down to the fight… Please, stay here.”

“B-b-but you said-”

“I said trouble,” High Noon reminded. “If we get into a fight, I think that counts. I won’t let you get injured, Windy.” High Noon felt his pulse rise as he looked into her eyes. “Windy, I… I…”

“Assassins,” Pierce called on their earpieces. “Something fast just tripped one of the speed cameras. I can’t even see what it is. It must be her. Get ready.”

Windy patted High Noon on the arm. “You can tell me later. Right now, we’ve got a Templar to stop.”

“Windy, really. Please, stay up here. For me.” High Noon headed to the edge of the roof and crouched down. He took his hat off and pulled up his hood, ready for what was coming; all the other Assassins did the same.

A pinging sound originating from the van could be heard, growing faster by the second. It was Pierce’s motion tracker. Something was coming fast, or someone.

“Deep breaths, everyone,” Spectral said on the radio. “Here we go.”

The tracker’s sound grew faster and faster until… Nothing. The sound just abruptly stopped.

"They wanted to... to what?" Twilight Sparkle almost fell off her chair. "They wanted to confront her? Even after everything that happened?"

Morning Blade nodded sadly, her mind elsewhere. "Yes. Things happened, Twilight. Before I joined. I had no say in any of these. But after learning of this part, I had hoped things would turn out differently. Hope..." she chuckled to herself. "Hope is such a sad thing, isn't it? Sometimes... hoping just isn't enough."

Twilight chewed on the end of her pencil. "What happened?"

Morning Blade wore a stern expression. "Twilight, from the point after destroying the Templar's Eye, things just started getting bad for the Assassin Brotherhood. I don't think there was another high point after Mirror Match started executing Assassins. I guess... I guess the Brotherhood just never recovered after that. This part... This would just be another moment where things don't go exactly as planned, huh?"

"Huh... But I disagree, Morning. Hope is a strong thing. Hope is what gets us to keep trying. To keep going when things look bleak."

"I wish I could be as optimistic as you, princess. Maybe now I can, now that everything's over." Morning looked up at the ceiling. "But here in the story, things are far from it."

Chapter 67: Unstoppable Force

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Pierce stood in the center of the street, his eyes darting left and right as he watched the tracker on his phone, linked to his van earlier.

Something bounced out of the darkness overhead. It was a tiny device with a blinking red light and an even tinier speaker.

“I thought it might be you. No one else would make it so hard for me to get their number.”

Pierce took a close look around the roofs and swiped at his phone, bringing another screen out. His other hand extended his foldable baton, the steel glinting in a street lamp as the sun disappeared, leaving the moon to cast its glow over the city streets.

“Hmm. I see three… no, five of you tonight. Stepping it up at last, are you?”

“Come on out, Mirror Match,” Pierce called out. She could see all of them, meaning their ambush plan was already a failed attempt. He had to change things up. Pierce began walking to a fire hydrant. “Let’s end this once and for all.”

“Hm. Suddenly so brief and to the point. If you were like this all the time, I wouldn’t feel nearly as excited about finishing this tonight.”

“Come down, Mirror. No one else should die tonight.” Pierce moved his finger to a red button on his screen and waited.

There was a pause.

“As you wish.”

A cluster of smoke bombs were flung down from a chimney, exploding all around the Assassins’ general area and flooding them with thick, white smog. The toxicity gauge in Pierce’s phone beeped red, indicating some kind of harmful chemical in the bombs.

“Masks!” Pierce shouted into his earpiece. He unslung his own and swiftly attached it over his face. It took a while for his breathing to adjust, but after a few moments, he stood calmly in the middle of the smokey zone.

“Well I’ll be,” the tiny speaker said. “Finally the Assassins show some signs of learning from their mistakes. Such a shame too; I made those myself. Tonight was supposed to be a field test.”

“Do you have visual on her?” Pierce whispered to the others.

“Not yet… Wait, there!” High Noon shouted on the radio. “Just in front of you, rooftop.”

A black shape, like an oversized crow, was darting from cover to cover, the only thing giving it away a green glow that outlined a crooked dagger blade. The pinging got louder, more intense.

Suddenly, the hydrant that Pierce was standing next to exploded open and showered him with water, the liquid drenching him and all his equipment. There was the sound of spent casings hitting the floor.

Through the veil of water, Mirror Match dropped down in front of him, at the other end of the street. The Templar’s face was set in an amused, but firm expression that bespoke no mercy. In one hand she held her suppressed pistol, and in the other, her black dagger.

“Now that I’ve taken care of your phone, please tell everyone to stand down and I will only execute you. Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

“We’re not letting you die, Pierce,” Spectral said. “Assassins, let’s get her!”

The other Assassins began scaling down the roofs, though High Noon made sure Windy didn’t before heading down himself.

Pierce saw his chance and headed away from the water. Mirror was standing in an expanding pool around her feet, just next to one of his primed circuit boxes, and Mirror didn’t know his phone was waterproofed.

Perfect.

Pierce tapped a button and watched as the circuit box exploded in a shower of sparks before sending a current down to the water around the ex-Assassin.

Mirror’s eyes widened a split second before the electrical pulse hit. Thousands of volts of it jolted from the water up into her body, making her jerk around and causing all the remaining bullets in her gun to explode. Only the hand that held onto her dagger remained unaffected, though after the short five seconds that the circuit box had to give were over, Mirror Match was left kneeling in the water, smoke rising off her entire form.

“Is she… Dead?” Silent Frame raised her pistol and kept it pointed at Mirror Match.

“Nobody move,” Pierce instructed. “Wait.”

From the throat of Mirror Match came a damp gurgling sound, a sound that rose in decibel and pitch until it was almost a screech. It took a few moments for the Assassins to realize she was laughing.

“Heehee… ha ha ha…” Mirror staggered to her feet. The gun lay on the ground, the receiver warped and twisted from the explosions. She reached up to the side of her head and took out the ruined headpiece that she had been using to talk to them. “Funny guy.”

Silent fired her pistol at the Templar, who blurred aside to dodge, though not fast enough to avoid one clipping her shoulder. Spectral Rim unsheathed her daggers while High Noon drew his revolver and lasso.

Pierce, Noon, and Silent fired more bullets at Mirror, forcing her to dodge more, though she began closing the distance on them.

It was exactly what Pierce wanted. With another tap, he blew the steam pipe on his left, just under a building’s shelter, blasting a jet of hot steam into Mirror and all around her, blanketing the area once again.

Out of the mist, Silent Frame saw Mirror lunge at Spectral Rim, her fangs in full view and ready to bite. Then High Noon’s lasso tightened around the Templar’s leg and she fell short, jaws snapping shut inches away from Spectral’s upper arm. Spectral took her chance and delivered a kick to Mirror’s head, knocking her on her side.

Mirror swiped at her leg with her dagger and cut the rope, following through on the strike and missing Spectral by a hair with the toxic point. Tiny drops of green pattered onto the Assassin’s robes and began to eat their way through, forcing the Assassin to deposit her coat on the ground before it could eat into her arm.

With the steam still clearing, Pierce aimed and fired in the Templar’s direction, but hit nothing. He caught sight of Mirror lurking behind a wall and jabbing herself in the thigh with a syringe filled with green liquid, noting how its administration seemed to restore her vigor and spirit. Now there was something he hadn’t accounted for. Her fingertips seemed to have grown claws as well, short but sharp looking.

“I’m impressed!” Mirror called, the agent disappearing into the darkness. “Were you waiting for me all this time? Luring me in by making me overconfident with the easy kills before? If so, then congratulations, it worked.”

“Stay close…” Pierce told the other three Assassins as they backed towards each other. “I’ve still got a few more tricks up my sleeve. It ends here today. That Templar is going to wish she never betrayed us. She thinks they’re the winning side? We’re going to break that illusion.”

The Appleloosan Assassin watched his surroundings carefully, holding tightly to his revolver, waiting for the Templar to show her face.

Noon couldn’t believe it. With how things were going, they might actually stand a chance against Mirror. He took one quick glance up at the roof, making sure Windy Sails was still there, safe away from harm.

Good, he smiled. She was still there. He couldn’t let her get hurt. He had tried to tell her how he felt about her earlier, but he just couldn’t get it out.

Mirror lurched out from behind, dashing straight for Pierce, her claws raised, ready to tear out the hacker’s face. High Noon was the first to see her, firing his revolver in her direction. Although none of his bullets hit their intended target, it was enough to catch the Templar agent’s attention. That was good. The bad news was now Mirror was loping toward him, fangs and claws outstretched, and his gun was empty.

Silent Frame came to the rescue, tackling Mirror Match to the ground and thrusting at her neck with her hidden blade. Had Mirror not put her hand in the way, the weapon would have struck home.

Mirror bared her fanged teeth at Silent Frame in a ghastly grin. “Now this is a fight!” Curling one leg in front of herself, she lashed out, the kick launching the Assassin into a streetlamp hard enough to break the glass.

Spectral spun back and slashed at Mirror, catching her once across the chest and another on her left thigh as High Noon began reloading his revolver.

The cowboy kept two combat knives behind his back, but he preferred his guns. It was also better to keep his enemies further away.

Mirror backed off and stuck both her hands into her coat, her right emerging with another syringe and jabbing it into her thigh, and her left coming back out encased in some kind of leather glove. The Templar agent huffed as the numerous wounds on her body rapidly ceased to bleed and closed over, leaving black marks where they had been.

Pierce had gone over to help Silent Frame up while Noon and Spectral continued their assault, the female Assassin slashing at the Templar while High Noon took careful shots at her. Both of them were slowly pushing her back towards another of Pierce’s traps.

“Back up!” Pierce called to his teammates as he readied his phone while supporting Silent with his other arm.

High Noon and Spectral Rim dodged back and shielded their faces as Pierce blew another circuit box. Mirror Match was still wet from the fire hydrant, and the resultant outburst of electricity drove her back, her body convulsing but still refusing to let go of her dagger. Her dedication was admirable, if ultimately more than a little off-putting.

“Why won’t you just fall?” Spectral shouted to the woman as she began recovering from the second shock attack.

Mirror fumbled into her robes for a third syringe, which slipped from her clawed and smoldering fingers.

“Why not? I’ll tell you,” she jabbed the needle into her leg and stood up straight. “Because my queen needs me alive more than you want me dead.” Mirror drew handful of small spheres from her belt. “That’s why, no matter how many times you cut me, burn me, kill me, I’ll keep coming back until I win.”

The ex-Assassin tossed her little spheres at Spectral Rim’s feet. They exploded into clouds of greyish vapor that drifted around her like a thin fog, but otherwise didn’t seem to do anything other than make her look around questioningly, protected behind her gas mask.

“Was that supposed to do something, Mirror?”

To which Mirror Match answered in a perfect imitation of a cultured Canterlotian accent, “Yes. This.”

Mirror blurred across the short expanse of distance up to the edge of the grey vapor and clicked the fingers on her left, gloved hand. Pierce caught sight of what looked like tiny stones on the bottom of the fingertips and then the sparks flew, setting the smoke alight like a torch dipped in gasoline with a roar. The Assassin’s reaction was immediate, her weapons falling from her hands as she ran away, screaming and windmilling her arms as the flames licked at her body.

“Thank you, Beatrix...” Mirror snatched up Spectral’s knives and threw them at High Noon.

“Woah, nelly!” Noon grunted as he jumped for the side, avoiding both the knives and the fire.

Spectral Rim dived at the water around the hydrant, rolling around in the puddles until the fire was out. She did not look good: the gas mask had been melted by the intense temperature and her clothes and skin were charred, but to everyone’s relief she got back up and took up a fighting stance.

High Noon smiled to her and shot at Mirror again as he pulled out a throwing knife. The Templar dodged his first two bullets as he threw the knife, which thudded into Mirror’s right forearm. It didn’t even slow her down as she weaved in and out of the remaining bullets and toppled the cowboy with a flying kick that knocked the breath out of him.

Noon fell back against the pavement, his revolver spinning away. He felt a pair of hands grab onto him and haul him up but he stared in surprise as he realized it was his apprentice.

“Windy!” he gasped as he pushed her to the side, further away from Mirror. “What are you doing? I told you to stay up there!”

For the first time since they met, the blonde Assassin flashed him a frown. “No, Noon. I’m n-not staying up there while I watch you get hurt!”

“Oh, so sweet,” Mirror laughed as she approached them. She grabbed the knife in her arm and yanked it out before letting it clatter to the floor. “You two don’t have to get hurt, you know? Just give me Pierce and you can all be on your way.”

The cowboy pushed Windy behind him and whipped out a combat knife and his hidden revolver. “No chance, Mirror.”

“Always the tastiest who fight back the hardest…” Mirror muttered resignedly, her hand going into her robe once more. “Must be a human thing.”

Human thing? High Noon didn’t really know what his friend’s ex-girlfriend was anymore, but he wasn’t going to let her harm Pierce or Windy.

“Yes!” Mirror crowed at High Noon. “Love them more! Your love only makes me stronger.”

“What?” High Noon raised a confused eyebrow. What did she mean by that? He fired off two shots from his hidden revolver and he began pushing Windy in front of him, the two heading back towards Pierce and the others.

Mirror blurred to his side, running ahead until she was between High Noon and the rest of his team.

“Lovely! The gang really is all back together again! I’ve got just the thing to celebrate!”

The Templar drew out a silver sphere with etched lines on it, roughly the size of a tennis ball. Cocking her arm back and ignoring the gunshots of the other Assassins, Mirror tossed the orb above head height.

An ominous click sounded as the ball’s silver outer shell flew off in segments, uncovering an interior that bristled with more needles than a hedgehog, each one connected to a vial of milky, opaque concoction.

“Get down!” High Noon threw himself over Windy just as each of the darts rocketed out in all directions, embedding themselves into the street, the van, the Assassins, and even Mirror herself. He felt two stick into his elbow and chest and before he knew it, all the strength trickled from his body, rendering the cowboy unable to move anything but his face and throat. It was just like what the reports said about Mirror’s bites, only this was a bomb instead.

“It worked!” Out of the corner of his eye, High Noon saw Mirror plucking three darts from her person, completely unharmed and unaffected. “That little device cost me so much to make, but I think after tonight, it was time well spent.”

“Windy, you alright?” High Noon checked, unable to see his apprentice. “Were you hit?”

“I-I’m fine…” she whispered from under him. “Thank you, Noon. You protected me…”

He could see the other Assassins from his position. Silent Frame and Pierce Network were unhurt but Spectral Rim lay near the van, unmoving, a few darts sticking out of her back.

Silent Frame raised her gun. “What did you do-”

“Oh, shut up!” Mirror shot her with a dart from her phantom blade and she slumped to the floor. “Stay silent, Silent.” She slowly stalked towards the hacker, a long grin forming on her face. “Just you and me now, Pierce; let’s see what other tricks you’ve got.”

Pierce reloaded a new magazine into his pistol and held it over one arm, using it as a support while also holding his phone. Mirror simply slapped the firearm out of his hands. She tutted disapprovingly.

“That’s not a very original trick, Pierce.”

“I still have this…” Pierce ducked behind his van as he hit another button on his phone to trigger a set of C4 he had hid earlier, just along the pavement. He pulled Silent and Spectral along just in time as the first wad of plastique detonated. The blast singed the ends of his coat but he got away from the rest of it as a heatwave blazed past him, forcing him to keep his hood and cap lower. He hadn’t set enough to blow the whole street up, but the destruction was still sizeable.

High Noon could feel the heat from the other side of the street, but at least he and Windy were untouched. He doubted Pierce had accounted for the others and himself. That was a really dangerous trick.

“You two okay?” Pierce asked the female Assassins, checking on their faces and any exposed skin. “Sorry. I should have made sure you were out of the area before that. That was foolish of me. You could’ve died all because of me. But it doesn’t matter now. I think we got her. Stay here, I’ll check it out. Right. Silly of me to ask you to stay when you can’t move at the moment.”

Pierce got up and looked past his van’s back doors, slowly sliding himself against the metal vehicle until he arrived back at the blast zone. Smoke was still pouring out to the sky, and the noise would have attracted more than half the city. They didn’t have long before the law showed up.

There was a tap on his shoulder.

“Now that’s much more innovative. Let me show you one of mine.”

Pierce’s phone was torn from his grasp as Mirror Match’s form phased past him, an empty syringe dropping in her wake. The Templar agent had snatched up High Noon’s revolver and she threw the phone into the air to shoot it, putting a round right in the center of the screen.

Noon watched Pierce go down on his knees and scrape up the remains of his handheld device; he looked almost sad. If this were any other time, High Noon would have started laughing at how close the man was to his technology than other people, but this wasn’t one of those times. This was still a life or death situation, especially for him.

“What have you done…?” he looked back up at Mirror Match. Most of her robes had somehow survived the blast, though a portion of it was still on fire. Mirror seemed to be a patchwork of a monster herself. Large chunks of her skin had turned black, including parts of her face and neck. A shard of the pavement was sticking out of her left eye, but it didn’t seem to have affected her aim.

“I am soooooo tempted to kill you slowly,” she said in a guttural growl. Her fingers found the concrete sliver and peeled it out. “Recovering from all this is going to be a pain.”

Pierce patted away at his pockets, looking for something he could use against her. She had destroyed his most prized object, his weapon that connected all his traps together, and the traps seemed to have been the only thing effective against the witch tonight.

The only thing he could find was his baton. Pierce sighed and pulled it out, extending it with a flick. “What are you, Mirror Match? You’re no human. You can’t be. You survived electric shocks, steam pipes, even my C4. And you remain almost whole. I’ve never faced anything like you in my whole career as a vigilante or as an Assassin. It takes a lot to kill someone… something like you. I’ll figure it out, Mirror. Just you wait. I’ll find a way to finish you.”

High Noon struggled to get up. He had to go help Pierce. Mirror was going to do what she had planned to do since that one night all those years ago. He strained himself, although he couldn’t really feel anything. He willed himself to get up, but his body just continued to lie there, unresponsive, though he noticed a few of his fingers twitching.

Come on… Just a little more… You can do this, Noon.

Mirror Match snarled and thumbed back the hammer of High Noon’s gun. “Your prattling is going to kill me if I have to listen to you ramble on for much longer. Don’t you ever stop talking?”

“I’ll stop talking when I’m dead.” Pierce moved into a half-crouch and readied himself. “I might still have a few tricks up my sleeve.”

“Just get out, Pierce!” Noon shouted over to the hacker. “Just go! Save yourself!” The cowboy noticed his elbow move by an inch as he continued to struggle.

“You want to cross blades with me?” Mirror laughed and spat out a globule of blood. “Have it your way, but make it quick. The police will be here shortly, and I will live!” The Templar agent stuck the revolver in her coat and drew her black dagger.

“Don’t do it, Pierce!” Noon warned the man again. “She’s too strong! You’ve gotta just get out of here!”

“He was already dead,” Mirror assured High Noon. “I’m just here to deliver the news. Now, have at you, Pierce Network! The reaper has come for your soul.”

Pierce swung his baton at the woman, smashing the light metal against her at a fast pace, giving her no room to counter him just yet.

High Noon watched the battle, still unable to do anything but to try and get up. A drop of sizzling poison fell near his face as Templar and Assassin clashed weapons. Pierce and Mirror pushed against one another, then Mirror used her free hand to draw the gun from her coat and shot it at his foot.

Pierce said nothing as he hobbled back, blood slowly flowing out from the hole at the bottom of his shoe. He took one look at his baton and tossed it away, noticing the venom already eating away at his weapon, slowly disintegrating it. Mirror chased him around his van twice before Pierce produced a fountain pen from the vehicle’s open window and threw it point-first into her good eye.

“You wretched little pest!” The Templar agent grabbed at the pen and tossed it aside. Her head swung to and fro, sniffing and flicking her tongue at the air before locking her unseeing gaze on Pierce’s rough location. “I don’t need to see you to kill you, Pierce. Justice is, after all, blind.”

High Noon wanted to go help the man but he could still barely move. The other two Assassins by the van seemed to be doing the same, but to no avail. “Gah. Windy, could you help me up?” The cowboy waited, but there was no response nor did anyone help him. “Windy?”

In the meantime, Pierce was backed into a corner. With his foot in this condition and aggravated by the laps he’d run around the van, he could feel the wound sapping his strength. Mirror’s dagger swiped left and right, preventing him from escaping with terrifying accuracy for someone who was blinded.

Abruptly, Pierce saw Mirror’s nostrils flare and she whipped around, grabbing hold of an arm-mounted blade that had been whistling at her back. High Noon blinked a few times before struggling harder to recover from his state of paralysis.

Mirror sniffed a couple more times before frowning.

“Windy Sails. Are you so eager to get involved? I already said I was just here for Pierce.”

“Y-you shouldn’t d-do this, Mirror…” Windy stuttered as she feebly tried to force her arm out of Mirror’s.

“Windy! No!” High Noon shouted over. “Don’t do it!”

“Windy, get out of there!” Spectral added in from beside the van.

Mirror lowered her bleeding face to Windy’s level, her fangs clicking against her lower teeth. “Now, Windy. Listen to your friends. Back off and you can walk away from this unharmed. No need to throw your life away for this piece of filth.”

The apprentice merely shook her head. “E-even if h-he is a piece of fi-filth, he’s doing w-what he can for the b-better of this world. I-I can’t let you kill him…”

“No one thinks of themselves as a villain, Windy,” Mirror muttered slowly. “I think, I know, I am doing the right thing here. You probably do too. The question is, are you willing to die for it? Because I am.”

“Windy, don’t do this!” High Noon continued to break his paralysis, finally able to feel his toes. Just a little more! You’ve got to save Windy!

Windy looked up and frowned at the Templar. “Y-yes. I am.”

At that moment, the attention of all was caught by the sound of an engine starting. Pierce’s van. The Assassin had sneaked away while Mirror and Windy had been talking and now he floored the accelerator, opening the window as he did.

“Catch me if you can, Templar.”

Mirror dropped Windy’s arm and ran towards the van as it began picking up speed. She slashed at the back door with her black dagger, but fell on her face as Windy grabbed ahold of one of her legs. She turned her head and hissed menacingly at Windy, the Assassin flinching at the sight of the Templar’s bleeding eye sockets. The left one was already back, its tattered eyelid unable to cover its burning stare completely.

The white van continued down and disappeared around the next street corner with a screech of rubber on asphalt.

Mirror Match slowly got up, her one eye now gleaming green and catlike. She licked her lips and spun to look at Windy Sails.

“You’ve cost me my prey, girl.” Her voice was even and calm.

Mirror Match walked one step at a time at the young Assassin. Her black dagger spun around her clawed fingers, many of which were chipped. The sizzling point of the weapon rested an inch from Windy’s nose.

“You said you were willing to die for your cause just now…”

“No, Mirror! No!” High Noon had regained the use of an arm, slowly dragging himself across the street towards the others. The gravel cut into his skin as he slid across it, but he didn’t care. All that mattered right now was Windy. “Don’t do it, Mirror. Please! Leave Windy alone!”

Mirror glanced aside at High Noon before shrugging. The dagger vanished, spinning into an unseen sheath. “This isn’t meant for you anyway. I don’t plan to execute anyone but Pierce, and I will get him, even if it takes me the rest of my very long life.”

Mirror began to stroll away from the scene, nonchalantly driving another syringe of green liquid into her thigh as she went. High Noon sighed in relief.

“However, you did inconvenience me quite a bit tonight and I’ll need to rest quite a while to recover from… all this,” Mirror’s voice carried over. “So…”

There was a single shot, the bullet tearing through the back of Mirror’s coat under her arm. Then another.

Windy Sails’ eyes traveled downward, widening at the growing dark stain on her front.

Mirror carelessly tossed High Noon’s revolver over her shoulder. “The rest of you take note. This blood is on your hands; if you’d just allowed me to take what was rightfully mine, none of this would have happened.”

Mirror didn’t see Windy sink down onto her knees and pitch over to the side, nor did she pay attention to the Assassins whose cries of shock and outrage would have woken an entire city block. Mirror Match reached the spot where her motorcycle was parked and sped away from the scene just as the sirens became audible.

Chapter 68: The Unknown Future

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“Windy! Nonononono…” High Noon began crawling faster as both arms became fully usable, while his legs slowly pushed his body forward. “Windy!”

He arrived at his apprentice’s bleeding body as a pool began to spread underneath her. The bullets from his gun had gone right through her body, one in the gut and one in the chest.

“Windy… Why?” High Noon asked as he reached for one of her hands. He held it tight. “Why didn’t you run…?”

“Wouldn’t h-have made a difference…” Windy gasped.

“We can still get help…” High Noon reached for his phone with his other hand. “We’re going to get you back to the bureau, Windy. I’m not letting you die here.”

Spectral Rim tugged at High Noon’s shoulder, most of her bodily functions back to normal. “The cops are coming. We need to go. Now.”

Silent Frame’s leg was still having trouble bearing her weight, but she too came over to help. “Come on, Windy,” she forced a teary smile onto her face. “Patch’ll have you fixed up in no time.”

It took a few minutes for them to find and hotwire a car that would fit all four of them. Silent Frame drove, with Spectral sitting beside her and High Noon with his apprentice in the back, resting her head on his lap.

“Hang in there, Windy…” High Noon pressed his spare bandages around Windy’s body to prevent too much blood from escaping.

Thankfully, the bureau wasn’t far, since they were still in Trottingham. Silent speedily swerved the car to a stop just outside the bureau before the three of them got out to carry Windy in.

“Medic!” High Noon shouted to the front guards. “We need a medic!”

The sentries sprang into action, one of them running up into the clinic and the other one setting up a stretcher that was kept near the door for such emergencies. The run to the medic wing was quick and careful as the Assassins struggled to get there before Windy could lose too much blood.

Come on, come on… Noon thought to himself. He wasn’t going to let her die. He couldn’t. She meant a lot more to him than he had ever shown to anyone. He wasn’t ready to let her go.

They pushed the doors open just as Patch was tying up the bandages on Pierce’s foot. The hacker looked at Windy and widened his eyes as she was placed on a bed beside him.

“Attend to her first, Patch,” Pierce pushed the doctor towards the other Assassin.

“What happened?” Patch pulled the bandages off Windy to inspect her properly. “Did Mirror…?”

“She… She shot her.” High Noon grabbed the medic’s coat. “Doc, you’ve gotta save her! You’ve gotta!”

“Was she poisoned?” Pierce raised the question.

Noon shook his head. “No. Only shot. With my own gun.”

Patch pushed him away and set about attaching various tubes and wires to Windy to get a better reading on her vitals.

High Noon didn’t know what else to do. He felt like all he could do was stand around and watch his apprentice slip away. He couldn’t stop himself from tearing up, the clear water flowing out of his eyes and down his cheeks.

“Noon, I’m sorry for what happened…” Silent put a hand on his shoulder.

Pierce hobbled to them on crutches. “Yeah. I owe the kid my life for not letting that witch on my van. I can’t believe she survived all that. No one’s ever lived through one of my C4 ambushes before. No one’s ever fought me blind either, now that I think of it. Wonder what she really is. Maybe a mutant.”

“Doesn’t matter what that witch is right now.” Spectral pointed to Windy. “What matters is that we pull her through this.”

Patch suddenly let out a shout. “I need help here! She’s going into shock!”

One of the medics ran over with a defibrillator and got it ready while Patch got Windy prepped for the trial. High Noon didn’t want to look. It was too much to see Windy in such a state. The cowboy turned around and listened as the defibrillator charged up before the charge was released with a sudden boom. Then again, and again, and again, until Windy’s heartbeat resumed an average pace.

“Noon, it’s over,” Silent told him. “She’s fine for now.”

The cowboy nodded and slightly turned his head back to look. Windy’s eyes were wide and fluttering, though they shut again when Patch injected her with something to calm her down.

“I don’t know how well I can fix this on my own.” Patch wrung her hands nervously. “We need equipment that I don’t have here.”

“Where can you find the equipment?” High Noon quickly butted in. “I’ll-I’ll get it for you! Just tell me where to look.”

“Well, hospitals mostly,” Patch grabbed hold of High Noon as he made to sprint away. “But I won’t have you breaking into one and taking anything. The people there need those things too, and you’d do more harm than good.”

“What c-can you do, doc?” High Noon’s mouth began quivering. “Y-you’ve got t-to save her…”

Patch sighed. “I’ll do the best I can, High Noon. I’ve already put through a request to have her treated at a hospital, but first I need to stabilize Windy and stop the bleeding. Your- that is to say, the bullets did a considerable amount of damage to her major arteries.”

“N-Noon…?”

The Assassins turned to Windy as she lay weakly in the bed, turning her head to look at her teacher.

“Yes, I’m here, Windy.” Patch stepped out of the way to allow the cowboy to kneel down by her bedside. He took her hand and held it with both of his.

The other Assassins sidled away and out of the clinic to allow them some room. Even Patch went over to her desk to finalize the requests for hospital treatment.

“Noon, I’m sorry… For not listening to you.”

“It doesn’t matter now,” High Noon shook his head as more tears emerged from his eyes. “You did good, Windy. You saved Pierce. I just wish… wish it could’ve been different… Windy, I wanted to tell you something… I’ve always wanted to tell you, but I didn’t know how…”

“...What is it, Noon...?” Windy asked.

“Windy… um…” High Noon still didn’t know how to say it, but he felt like he needed to tell her now. There was just too much risk if he didn’t do it now. He wanted her to know how he felt about her, even if she wasn’t going to make it. “Windy, I’ve… I’ve had feelings for you. Since the day we met. I wish I could’ve told you sooner.”

“It’s okay, Noon…” Windy flashed a smile to him. “M-me too… I never knew how to s-say it. I’m sorry, Noon. I should’ve known you f-felt the same about me.”

High Noon rested his head against her bed and closed his eyes. He should’ve just said this from the very beginning. At least then, they could’ve enjoyed the time they had together. No. That was wrong. He did enjoy the time they shared. Being with Windy was something he would never say was a waste of time.

“You’ll get better, Windy,” Noon raised a hand to her cheek and held it there. “Then we can spend everyday together. Better than we used to.”

Windy nodded slightly and turned her head to face the ceiling. “Thank you, Noon. For looking out for me. For teaching me how to help others… To s-stand up for what’s right.”

The apprentice held her teacher’s hand to her face as she closed her eyes. Noon stayed with her in this position for a few more minutes before Dr. Patch came back.

“High Noon, it’s time for me to get to work,” she patted his shoulder. “I’m afraid I have to ask you to leave. Procedure and all, you understand.”

“Of course, doc.” High Noon stood up and placed a quick kiss on Windy’s lips and pushed her hair out of her face. “Don’t worry, Windy. Dr. Patch will look after you…”

Noon nodded to the doctor and left the medic wing, more tears falling down his face as he thought about the unknown future. A future which might not include Windy Sails.

Chapter 69: Looking in a Mirror

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Mirror Match lay surrounded by candlelight, in the spacious bathtub on the second floor of her penthouse. Only the top of her head was visible from the depths of the murky brown sludge, with a small straw to allow for breath. Occasionally a bubble would break the surface with a bloop.

Eventually she elected to surface, a beast from the depths dripping with rejuvenating mud. The straw was spat into the bin while she used a towel to wipe off her face and extremities. Pierce and his team had done a number on her: very little lilac remained on her skin, and her newly healed eyes glinted green and catlike in the flickering tongues of fire.

Taking a seat on the side of the tub, Mirror began to trim her nails, starting with the claws on her fingertips and then her toes, clipping and filing them back to a respectable length in preparation for a fresh layer of polish.

Stepping into the power shower, jets of icy water sprayed at Mirror Match from all directions, stripping the remaining mud off her skin. The previous bath had restored her body to normal workability, though it had left her feeling rather hungry.

As soon as she was clean, Mirror picked up a bottle of unmarked liquid and scrubbed herself with it. Flakes of lilac mixed in with the bathwater, the Templar agent running the brush over every part of herself to ensure all the dye was gone. She repeated the process with a second bottle that washed the faded orange and green from her singed hair, restoring it to its former beautiful royal purple. She admired herself in the mirror, her face charcoal black behind her hair.

Pleased with her work, Mirror dried herself and draped her body in a fluffy white gown that was monogrammed with two gold ‘M’s, heading toward the living room to relax for a while, her hair tied up in a sensible ponytail.

Clicking on her wall sized TV, she quickly cycled through the hundreds of channels and deduced that there was absolutely nothing good on at all. Drawing the line at a 24 hour Ebony Wings marathon, Mirror turned the screen off, her long tongue sticking out between both fangs with disgust.

“Why anyone would make a hack like her an academy acclaimed actress is beyond me…”

Even with most of the windows shuttered, there was an irritatingly bright amount of light coming through between the ones that weren’t. With the push of a button, the rest of the glassy panels went dark as well, plunging the penthouse into a penumbra of artificial light, all the better to suit her currently dour mood.

“Oh, Psithyra…” Mirror sighed to herself. “What has gotten into you lately?”

This sudden brashness in her recent actions didn’t sit well with her. In the old days, it would have been simple with executions: get in quietly, deliver the sentence, and slip out with no one being the wiser. All this open field fighting was… unnaturally foolhardy of her. Something was wrong with how she’d been feeling as of late, but Mirror couldn’t quite place what exactly.

The Templar agent stood up and poured herself a glass of iced scotch from the nearby cooler. Then another. And another. She ended up drinking down the entire bottle, but it didn’t help. Mentally cursing her kind’s inability to get drunk off alcohol, or almost anything else for that matter, Mirror flopped back down on the lounge and allowed her hands to wander down to her belt, where her jagged black dagger hung in its scabbard, one of the few things in the world its venom wouldn’t destroy.

On a whim, Mirror flung aside her bathrobe and strolled into a carpeted corridor lined with glass cabinets and old paintings, admiring her toned body in the numerous reflections.

It didn’t take long for her to find one of her favorite items. A suit of battle-worn chitinous armor inside a transparent case, hung on its display proudly. She touched a palm to the cool surface; in times gone by, she had worn this armor and had been at the head of the charge, rallying others to her spear. Times had been simpler back then, with firearms that only fired one shot and couldn’t penetrate a wooden barrel, much less a top-quality suit of armor. Not like the ones Pierce and the Assassins had been pointing at her not too long ago. Those had hurt quite a bit.

“What a mess,” she muttered at the armor’s empty helmet. She had joined the Assassins on the presumption that with all their spies and contacts, maybe they would have a solid lead on where her queen was. When that had turned up empty, there had been no choice but to defect to the Templars, hoping that their information would be better. So far, it wasn’t looking like much of an improvement.

There was an oni mask on the wall behind her, another one of her favorite items. A little souvenir from her time in the East, one that she had worn of various missions as she searched for meaning, including one for the assassination of a man named Tiger Claw. That had been fun, unlike the dross she was forced to deal with today. Just another price to pay, she thought.

Her previously sour mood lifted by how good the evening air felt against her bare skin, Mirror hurried to the guest room where she slept and made a call on her cell phone. There was something she needed to close the book on.

Upstairs, another phone began to ring. She went and picked it up too.

“Hello, Rovena,” Mirror said into the first phone sweetly. “How are things in Trotsylvania?”

The second phone was held to her other ear while the first one was lowered.

“Qvite vell, my friend,” Mirror replied in a thick Trotsylvanian accent. “Did your executions go as planned?”

Mirror huffed and blew a strand of her purple hair from her mouth before raising the first phone back up. “Most of them. The last one… I had a lot of interference. The target got away.”

“Ah, vell. You’ll get them next time, I know you vill.”

“Thank you,” Mirror breathed. “It means a lot to me, your opinion.”

“I know. You ought to get some rest, Mirror. You are not sounding so vell.”

“I’ll do that,” promised Mirror. “Thank you for all your help, Rovena. I couldn’t have done it vith- I mean, without you.”

At that, Mirror clicked ‘end call’ on both phones and put them away. She scowled, displeased at her mistake on that last sentence.

“You’re slipping, Thyra,” she clucked her tongue at her reflection in the polished tabletop. “Can’t risk a cock-up like that when we’re meeting with dear Friggy, now can we?” Her voice took on an ominous, double-toned inflection near the end.

The Templar agent ran a finger along her supple thigh, which reminded her: she had to mix up more vials of that infusion in case of emergencies. Last night she’d been injecting them like a pyromaniac with burn cream in a fireworks storage shed, and it would be most unfortunate to run out of them in a tight spot.

No matter. First thing tomorrow she would get back to her labs and get mixing, assuming that buffoon Mahogany didn’t have anything asinine for her to do like he sometimes did. Then maybe she would have time to meet up with Frigid Night and have a proper meal from him. She might even go back to look in the Templar database, just in case they had a better lead than the Assassins on where she’d left off back in Trotsylvania all those years ago.

Enthused with the idea of not having to feed on tiny individual scraps for sustenance, Mirror prowled back to the living room and settled down on the cream couch again, the TV flickering to life as she did so. At least there was one thing she could commend that Ebony Wings for: her performances were good for putting her to sleep.

Chapter 70: Under the Knife

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Wolfgang rubbed at his sore jaw as he hid in the darkness near the ceiling, holding on to four knives he had jammed in the walls to keep him up there.

Most of his injuries had toned down after a few days, though it still hurt all over. A few more minutes saw Wolfgang’s mouth curve into a smile. Below him, Pressure Point had returned to the hideout, walking under his position without noticing him.

Ho ho… This time I’ll get the better of you, Pressure.

Wolfgang let go of his knives and hopped off the ones he was standing on, directing his body straight for the other killer below. He landed on her with a whump, his weight pushing her to the ground in an instant.

“Ow!” Pressure shouted as her head hit the ground. “Wolfgang? What gives?!”

“What gives, she says?” Wolfgang pretended to talk to someone beside him. “She doesn’t know why I’m sitting on her?”

“Yeah, I don’t. You mind telling me why?”

“Don’t act dumb, Pressure,” Wolfgang snarled and pulled out his switchblade. “You very well know why. Time for payback!”

Wolfgang hurriedly stuck his blade up under her arm, through the ribs. He smiled to himself as she screamed in pain and thrashed around, trying to get him off. He held firm, pressing the blade deeper as Pressure began to cough up blood.

“Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha!” he cheered to himself as Pressure soon leaned back against the ground and stopped breathing.

He heard the door to the hideout slam open. It was the Witch of Manehattan, Mirror Match.

“What the hay is going on here?”

“Oh nothing much,” Wolfgang smiled and grabbed for Pressure’s face. “I just settled a score with this woman who was supposed to be my partner.”

“Really?” Mirror peered down at the dead body of Pressure Point with curiosity. “What did she do?”

“What, you don’t know?” Wolfgang pushed apart Pressure’s lips and looked down her mouth. “And here I thought you were one of the smarter ones. She betrayed my trust the other day. She did this to me.” Wolfgang opened his mouth and showed Mirror the teeth that he didn’t have anymore.

“Doesn’t look like she put up much of a fight,” Mirror observed.

“No she did not. No fight, in fact.” Wolfgang got to work in digging his blade into the other killer’s gums, trying to pry out her teeth. “Now I’m just going to do to her what she did to me.”

Mirror watched him for a while. About when Wolfgang got to the molars, he heard the sound of someone trying to hide snickering behind him.

“What so funny?”

“Nothing! Nothing at all. It’s just that… it takes a lot of force to knock someone’s teeth out. You’d usually bruise your knuckles doing so.”

“Glad to know. That’s why I use a knife anyway,” he replied as he dug out one of Pressure’s molars.

Mirror nudged Pressure Point’s hand. “I wonder how they are? Her knuckles, I mean. She usually uses a weapon, right?”

“Throwing knives? Yeah.” Wolfgang turned around to face Mirror. “Why are you still here? Can’t you see I’m busy?” He rubbed at his cheek before returning to dislodging the rest of the killer’s teeth.

Mirror bowed apologetically. “To be honest, I wanted to ask if I could use your medicine cabinet. The one in the staff room is missing the item I need, and yours was the closest. May I?”

“Why?” Wolfgang’s voice raised a pitch with the question. “I need what supplies I have here. Why don’t you go ask someone else?”

“I only need one tube of cream,” Mirror persuaded. “Come on, the sooner I get it, the sooner you can go back to your, er, work in peace.”

Wolfgang sighed but got up after sticking his knife in Pressure Point’s eye before proceeding to the cabinet. “Which cream do you want.”

Mirror pointed to a barely-used green and blue marked box.

“That one, please.”

Wolfgang pulled a tube from out of the box and tossed it to the agent before squatting back down over Pressure’s body. “There. Now, go away, thank you.”

“You’re very kind, Wolfey.” Mirror winked at him and breezed out of the room before he could retort.

“Yeah, just run!” he shouted at the door. He really hated it when people called him ‘Wolfey’. He continued carving Pressure into a perfect image of what she had done to him the other day. After finishing up with her other eye, Wolfgang realized he didn’t check what he had given Mirror. It might have been something important or something he needed, so he headed back to the cabinet to have a look at the box.

It read: “Iron Will’s Extra-Strength Muscle Rub - For reducing those aches, cramps, and bruises!”

One by one, all the pieces fell into place. Tearing his eyes from box, Wolfgang knelt down next to Pressure Point and examined her knuckles. No signs of bruising whatsoever, and no sign of any cream for that matter. Come to think of it, this woman probably wouldn’t have had the physique to give him a prolonged beating anyway… which only left one possibility.

“That witch…” Wolfgang crushed the box in his fist and threw it as hard as he could at the wall. “She played me like a fiddle! Again!”

In the dark of the night, High Noon was tossing and turning. Since getting into bed, he hadn’t gotten any sleep at all. All he could think about was Windy, lying in the medic wing, a big hole blown through the middle of her life. High Noon couldn’t understand why Mirror had to shoot his apprentice. Windy was the most innocent of them all. She hadn’t killed a single soul in her whole life, and why was she the one to die instead of him?

The cowboy couldn’t take it anymore. He flipped his bed sheets off of his form and crept out the door, heading down to Patch’s clinic. He needed to know how Windy was doing. It pained him to think about it, but he just couldn’t get her out of his mind. He had to know for sure that she was doing fine.

Noon crept past Pierce’s room when he began to hear voices inside. “Are you sure there’s been no sighting of this queen of hers?”

“No.” It was Frigid Night’s voice. “I’ve searched. I’ve followed up leads on everything Mirror had said and done. The Templars don’t seem to have a queen amongst them. Only their Grand Master, Mahogany Wood.”

“This is puzzling,” the hacker said. High Noon continued past the room, but heard one more line. “What if this queen is all a figment of her imagination? Let’s be honest, Frigid. Mirror doesn’t seem to be operating on the same kind of rules and logic that we are.”

High Noon scoffed at that comment as he headed down the stairs. If the queen was all an imagination, then many of the Assassins would have been killed for nothing. Windy would’ve been hurt for nothing. High Noon didn’t want to accept it, even if it meant there was someone dangerous of that status out there. He just didn’t like the thought of Windy getting hurt so badly because Mirror was delusional.

He arrived and stood just outside the medic wing. Light shone from under the door, meaning someone was awake in there, most likely Patch herself. The cowboy slowly pushed the door open and peeked in, searching the room for the doctor.

The pink haired doctor was sitting around the corner, facing Windy’s bed, wiping at her eyes as she sat there.

No. Please, no…

High Noon quickly pushed the rest of the door open and ran in, his heavy footsteps getting the medic’s attention.

“High Noon. I was going to tell you in the morning… I’m sorry. I did my best, but she just lost too much blood.”

Noon’s mouth became dry as he turned around the corner to look at his apprentice. She was just lying there, her eyes closed, but she wasn’t breathing and her skin had paled.

The cowboy stood as long as he could until his legs gave out under him, sending him sprawling to his knees. A new waterfall of tears spilled out of his eyes, the cowboy unable to control it. He sat next to Windy and wept, letting all his emotions inside flow out with his tears.

“Noon, I’m so sorry…” Patch slid her chair beside him. “I’m a doctor. It’s my job to save people, but… I couldn’t do anything. Broadside, Frenzy, Sparkplug, Windy… I’m sorry I couldn’t save any of you…”

Patch herself began crying, leaning down to her knees and covering her face with a hand.

High Noon’s worst fears had come true. Now his apprentice was gone and he had lost all the remaining time he had with her. He had wanted more. Hoped for it, but it just wasn’t meant to be. It was Mirror. It was all that witch’s fault. Besides sadness, there was also anger in High Noon’s heart. The next time he met that traitor, he was going to give her a piece of his mind, even if it killed him.

One week later

“Chairman!” Wolfgang shouted as he pushed through the wooden doors to Mahogany’s office.

It was so immediate that Crescent Wing pulled out a saber and pointed its tip towards the killer as he approached the Grand Master.

“What is it, Wolfgang?” Mahogany frowned as he looked at the oncoming killer. He made no attempt to flee, having complete trust in his bodyguard. “There better be a good reason for this. I have a meeting with the principal of Fillydelphia State School in a few minutes. I don’t want you here for that.”

“It’s that witch, chairman!” Wolfgang stopped before Crescent’s blade and stomped his foot. “She beat me up and made me think she was Pressure Point! Then laughed at me after I killed Pressure Point!”

“You what? You killed an asset?” Mahogany just wanted to have the wild man killed, but he was still useful, so he held in that order. “And you claim Mirror Match pretended to be the other killer and beat you up? How do you suppose she did that?”

“She-She…” Wolfgang stopped to think. “She… Dressed up! That’s right! I know she did! Pressure Point wouldn’t beat me up for nothing, whereas Mirror Match has been at my throat for the last few months!”

Mahogany sighed and clutched at his head with a hand. This psychologically-problematic killer had been coming to him so many times, always to complain about Mirror Match, one of his top agents, and how she always messed up his plans and took his kills. Now here he was, saying she beat him up as someone else.

“Wolfgang, what evidence do you have? How can you prove it was her?”

Wolfgang pulled at his lip and opened his mouth, revealing a few missing teeth in his gums. “Look-a-dissh! She did dissh!”

“Wolfgang, anyone could’ve done that. How would it be her?” The phone on his desk began ringing, distracting the occupants in the room to the black vibrating object. He gave the killer a watchful eye as he picked it up. “Yes, this is Chairman Wood.”

The voice on the other end seemed distressed. “Brother, it’s Timber. We’ve got a big situation. Bigger than the last time. There’s… Someone, or something in the vault with the Apple.”

“What?!” Mahogany slammed a palm on the desk and stood up. “How? Get the guards on it immediately. I’m heading over. Get Talon over there as well, tell him to bring his men!”

Mahogany put the phone down and straightened his beige suit. “We’ll talk another time, Wolfgang. There’s an emergency at the artifact. Crescent, call off my meeting with Principal Frost. This is more important.”

The Templars swiftly left the room with Wolfgang following behind. The killer wanted to see what all the commotion was about. Anything that made the chairman angry was something worth seeing.

Chapter 71: I Tried Being Reasonable

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Twilight Sparkle shuffled her feet unconsciously. "Poor Windy... Gone just like that. I was hoping she could get the right treatment."

"Me too, after I heard all this..." Morning finished with a sigh. "I actually knew her, you remember? She came with High Noon to recruit me. As far as first impressions go, she seemed nice."

"It doesn't even sound like the Assassin life suited her one bit."

"I guess it really didn't." Morning Blade drummed a finger against her book's pages. "From what I gathered from Noon, she really just wanted to help make the world a more balanced place. Whether she could fight or not."

"That's really a shame... Good ponies or people like that don't deserve to die."

"How right your words sound, Twilight Sparkle. How right they are."

Frigid Night walked down the halls as he headed for the roof. He had to talk to Mirror, after everything that had happened. Instead of Pierce, Mirror had killed Windy, and Frigid wanted to know why. He knew his best friend had been interested in the girl since day one, but now… Now he didn’t know what to think.

He passed by High Noon on the way, noticing he was still down about the whole event.

“Noon, you alright?” Frigid asked as he stopped to talk. “I know, it’s tough to lose someone you love.”

“Yeah, it is, isn’t it?” Noon slumped lower and pulled his hat over his eyes. “I just wish I could turn back time. I should’ve told Windy how I felt earlier. I should’ve… I should’ve trained her better. I should’ve taught her how to defend herself better.”

“Don’t blame yourself for that, Noon. You did your best. We all did. We gave her hints on how to operate. We should’ve done more for her.”

“But I was her teacher. Not you. Not anyone else. It was me. I let her die…” High Noon looked away. “Where are you headed, Frigid?”

“I’m… Going somewhere to think.” Frigid patted his friend on the back and headed out. He had no more comforting words to use. Assassins came and went. That was the life of a trained killer. They had to be prepared to lose friends.

Frigid performed a leap of faith off the roof, landing down on the old mattresses below and headed to his secret place to contemplate on things. It was still midday, so a few rays of sun managed to pierce the darkness of his little cave, warming it up a little.

As expected, Mirror Match was there waiting for him. She was wearing her now extremely ragged black robes, with some kind of harness beneath it. He could see the butt of a pistol poking out.

“Friggy,” she greeted warmly. “You smell nice today.”

Frigid regarded Mirror Match. She looked just as good as always, if not better. Her skin glowed with health and her hair looked freshly done. Certainly she showed no signs of the intense battle she had been embroiled with the week before, not even a single black mark or scar for it.

“A-are… Are you… Alright?” he stepped towards her. “I heard about… All that.”

Mirror sniffed derisively. “What do you think this is, amateur hour? It takes a lot more than that to slow me down… especially when I have you to come back to.”

There was a folding table with a pot of piping hot tea on it, with two teacups and a plate of biscuits to go with them. Mirror gestured to two rocks that were positioned to be chairs. Frigid sat down opposite Mirror and she poured him a cup. It wasn’t long before the cave filled with the perfumed scent of dandelion tea.

“Of course…” Frigid nodded. “But, what happened with Windy. Why? She’s the most innocent of all of us. And she wasn’t one of your targets.”

Mirror stirred at her drink, looking pensive.

“I’ll admit I lost my temper back there, Friggy, but it really gets to me, when people get in the way of my work. My queen is relying on me to execute any dissidents, and I did give them a chance to hand Pierce over… they had to learn somehow that standing in my way only makes it worse for them. If you’d prefer, I can shoot someone else next time?”

“High Noon’s been really down, Mirror,” Frigid said as he picked up his cup of tea. “I just don’t know how to cheer him up.”

Mirror picked up a biscuit and snapped it in half, popping one piece into her mouth. “You want my advice? Leave him alone. Time heals almost all wounds, Friggy,” she held out the other half of the biscuit to Frigid. “Trust me on that one.”

He doubted time healed almost all wounds, but she was right. He needed to give High Noon his space to recover. He took the biscuit from her and bit into it.

“Do you like it?” Mirror tittered. “I baked them myself, you know.”

“Yeah, these are good,” Frigid continued chewing. “You’re a great baker, Mirror. I just wish our situations weren’t conflicting.”

“Story of my life,” Mirror shrugged. “And I’ve lived a very long one.”

Frigid had heard the stories. Some of the Assassins claimed she was something nonhuman, something old and terrible from some long-forgotten hellhole, but he didn’t know how much truth was in their words. After all, he’d never seen anything else but her fangs, and those could be done with cosmetic surgery these days.

“I wish we could put all this behind us, this war.” Frigid finished swallowing the biscuit and reached for another. Those things were pretty good. “Once this is all over, what then?”

Mirror regarded the question seriously. “Between you and me, I wouldn’t start planning your retirement just yet. You might not think so, what with the stalking and the killing and the hurting that the Templars have been doing, but back at headquarters, Mahogany Wood is worried. It’s making his hairline recede and I rather like that, but I have an uncomfortable gut feeling that this war hasn’t even reached its peak yet.”

“Worried? What’s he worried about?”

“Well…” Mirror’s face contorted into a sly smile. “I might be able to tell you, if you give me a kiss.”

“A k-kiss…?” Frigid’s temperature suddenly increased by a few degrees. It’s been a long time since he could just casually kiss her.

“Yes. Just for a moment, let’s leave this talk of Templars behind and just enjoy each other a bit. How about it?”

Frigid was about to say ‘yes’ and tackle her to the ground, but at that moment, Mirror’s nostrils flared and her head jerked to the mouth of the cave, her pretty face twisting into a snarl.

Frigid didn’t see anyone else, but his attention was focused mainly on the woman before him anyway. Then out of nowhere, a loud crack pierced the silence around him, making him flinch and instinctively cover his ears.

A look of outrage crossed Mirror’s face, followed by a spray of red. Fangs shot out from her gums as the woman picked up the teapot and hurled its boiling contents at the intruder.

High Noon stepped to the side and fired his revolver again, hitting Mirror square in the chest. The Templar uttered a simple cry of pain and turned to Frigid, giving him an expression full of hurt.

Frigid quickly pushed past her and shielded her with his body. “Noon! What are you doing? Stand down!”

“No. Not this time,” High Noon shook his head and put his other hand under the revolver’s handle. “I’m killing her today.”

“Better men than you have tried!” Mirror coughed up one of the bullets and gave High Noon the evil eye.

She unhooked a slim metallic canister from her harness and pulled the ring. The flashbang bounced once before detonating, its report almost deafening in the enclosed space. Frigid was thrown aside by someone’s hand and his vision was full of green flames, exploding out of nowhere. There was the sound of what he imagined were the clicking of bones in their joints, undergoing some intense pressure.

From above him, he heard Mirror whisper to him, “Stay down, and don’t look.”

There was another gunshot and the hiss of a smoke bomb. Frigid did as he was told, covering his head with his hands just in case. He had no idea what was going on, but there was plenty of sound enough to tell him it was a fight.

The cave echoed with the hissing and growling of what must have been a beast of medium size and the sound of High Noon’s revolvers firing again and again, the bullets ricocheting off the cave walls with pings and zips.

“I’ll kill you, Mirror!” Frigid heard High Noon shout. It sounded angry, though it had a tinge of sadness in it. “This is for Windy!” He heard another two gunshots before the sound of what must’ve been Noon reloading.

Something green flashed in the smoke and the outline of High Noon dropped his gun, the barrel dissolving away. The tea table was seized by an unseen force and thrown at High Noon hard enough to shatter it and send splinters of porcelain and wood everywhere.

Through it all, an eerie voice that sounded like two women talking just out of sync slavered at High Noon.

“Do you have any idea how much effort it takes to get myself in order for this! You are a voyeur of the absolute worst kind!”

Frigid rolled aside as High Noon’s face slammed into the ground next to his. The cowboy’s clothes were rent with what appeared to be claw marks and bites. A blackened, lean, and muscular hand tipped with talons closed around Noon’s neck, tightly enough to draw lines of blood.

“I could kill you now, tear the insolent head from your shoulders,” the eerie voice said from the smoke. Frigid saw twin orbs of luminous green, like two lanterns. “But I think that’s too kind a fate for you. Attacking the queen’s kin… you’re lucky I don’t want Frigid to see what I can really do. Shoot me again, and I’ll feed you your own fingers.”

The hand released High Noon’s throat and the cave mouth was outlined by a humanoid, yet anatomically impossible figure. Those fingers were way too long and sharp…

“He’s all yours, Friggy.”

And then it was quiet. Frigid got up to help High Noon to his feet as the smoke finally began to clear. Frigid’s head turned around, seeing that the walls in his little hideout were outlined with what looked like claw marks, and the tea table lay broken in the water, wood thrown all over the cavern. There was also what looked like the charred remains of Mirror’s outfit and harness. The weapons were still attached; she had left in a hurry.

He pulled High Noon up, but the cowboy didn’t look like he was helping himself.

“Bitten,” Noon said with almost disgust in his voice. “Can’t move.”

“Oh, uh…”

“Is this what you’ve been doing?” he interrupted. “Meeting with that traitor? Having tea? Even after what she did to Windy?”

Frigid was having trouble coming up with an answer. For some reason, the only thing he could think of right now was Mirror Match. Her beautiful face, the way she walked, even about the smooth body under all those clothes. Then there was the image of what looked like something out of an old Trotsylvanian tale. Something vaguely resembling a human but with ghoulish, bestial features. Were the stories true? Was his ex-girlfriend really some kind of monster?

“Frigid, I’m talking to you!”

“Huh, hmm?” he babbled as he accidentally fell back against the rock wall. “Mirror Match… Please come back, Mirror…”

“Have you lost it?” Noon barked at him. “If I weren’t paralyzed right now, I’d beat all your teeth out! Frigid, how could you do this to me? I thought you of all people would have my back, and yet here you are, meeting the enemy!”

“Was that her?” Frigid asked dumbly. “That thing that was here. That wasn’t Mirror…”

“Open your eyes, Frigid! That was Mirror Match. She’s not the girl you think she is! She’s evil and dangerous and you’ve been helping her!”

“Noon, I’m sorry. You know I love Mirror. I still believe there’s hope for her.”

“She killed Windy, Frigid. She killed her…” High Noon ended his shouted and closed his eyes in anguish. “I don’t know who you are, Frigid. You’re not the same person who helped me understand why I fight.”

Frigid knew he had blown it. He should’ve been more careful coming to the cave. He’d been doing it often that he stopped looking over his shoulder when he headed to the roof. Now High Noon knew his secret and Frigid knew it wouldn’t stay a secret after what happened today. He was lost and he didn’t know how to come back.

Frigid knew things were going to take a turn for the worse and there was nothing he could do but walk into that approaching storm.

Chapter 72: Long Live the King

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Mahogany Wood waited for the men to open the vault doors as he, Crescent Wing, Timber, Quantum, Wysteria, Talon, and Wolfgang stood behind them, waiting to see the intruder inside. The soldiers carried a rifle each while the guards had their pistols and batons ready.

“How did he get through all… This?” Wolfgang pointed out. “There’s like… At least ten feet of steel between us and the artifact! I know. It must’ve been Mirror Match, that witch! She’s a traitor I tell you!”

“Quiet, killer!” Talon barked at the grey-skinned man. “Show the chairman some respect!”

“And enough with Mirror Match,” Mahogany faced him and frowned before turning back to the vault doors.

After using their keycards, the first gate opened, allowing Mahogany and the others to step through. The chairman inputted his passcode into the next door before proceeding to the third to place his thumbprint before looking down into a retina scanner. All these locks hadn't been opened by whoever was inside. Somehow, they'd managed to get in from another way. Whoever this was, they had some questions to answer.

Soon, the last doors swung open, revealing the artifact sitting in its glass case, glowing like a small star. The only difference this time was a dark shape, vaguely human standing before it, casting dark shadows all across the room. The Templars readied their weapons as they approached it. There was a clear contrast between the darkness and light in the room. It was almost as though the room had been split in half as the shadows seemed to stop against the light, though it didn't look like either one was trying to fight against the other. It was as though they were actually coexisting.

“Who dares to point their weapons at me?” the darkness boomed. What looked like a face turned to face them, displaying burning green eyes with red pupils and trailing purple smoke looking back at them.

“Who is it you are?” Mahogany stepped forward to question the shape. “What are you doing in our vault? How did you get in?”

The shadow lifted a finger and pointed at the artifact as its brightness continued to increase in intensity. “This belongs to me. I have come to reclaim it.”

“Belongs to you?” Talon stepped forward and raised a fist at the entity. “We’ve held this artifact for centuries! Who are you to say it is yours?”

The shadow seemed to sharpen and solidify into a coherent mass, towering over the major. “When you serve under me, you will address me as King. Is that clear?”

“And why are we to serve under you?” Wysteria challenged, drawing a dagger. “Who are you?”

“You will also bow in the presence of your king,” The shadow raised one hand, golden light spiralling out and every single Templar sank to one knee in front of it.

“I-Impossible!” Mahogany gasped as he was brought down. He recognized the light from the days when his father and previous Grand Master, Aspen Wood, had tried to use the artifact. Aspen had passed on after putting too much into the artifact, setting him on the crusade to finally be the one to research and understand just how the artifact functioned. And now, this shadowy figure was using the artifact like it was just a pencil. “W-who are you? What do you want?”

“I am King Sombra. Ruler of the Crystal Empire. As for what I want, I doubt you could comprehend my aims, much less prove worthy of hearing them.”

“You can control the artifact,” Mahogany continued. “We have searched high and low for someone like you. You can lead us! Lead us to world order! With your power, we can finally achieve our goals!”

The shadow seemed to pause at that. The golden net around Mahogany dimmed and allowed him to stand.

“Continue.”

“We Templars seek world peace,” Mahogany said as he dusted off his pants. “There is too much chaos about. Someone needs to be in charge of it all. That is our plan. To unite the whole world under one leader. You can control the artifact! You’re the person… uh, thing we’ve been searching for! Lead us forward as our Grand Master!”

“Brother,” Timber looked up through his peripheral vision. “I don’t know… We should think more about this first.”

The shadow, Sombra, drifted closer to Mahogany. The chairman could feel the warmth being sucked out of the surrounding air and he struggled not to flinch. “A curious and yet similar aim to my own. As king, I accept your offer of leadership and so long as you follow me, I will lead you to victory.”

The aura cast from the Apple faded and allowed the other Templars to stand.

“Really?” Wolfgang was the first to speak. “I mean even as a killer I think this is nuts! Why should we follow this… this shadow?”

“Do not question the king, Wolfgang,” Mahogany glared at the killer with his arms folded behind his back. “Simply accept your new leader and submit to him.”

“I submit to no one but my own feelings and wants!” Wolfgang snarled and turned around to move for the exit. “I didn’t sign up to be ruled by someone. I signed up to kill. So long, losers! I’m going to find someone to take up my evening with!”

Wolfgang didn’t even make it one step before a net of pure, golden light wrapped around his body, dancing over every inch of him before zeroing in on the killer’s head. Wolfgang went stock still and ever so slowly spun on his heel and knelt to the shadow.

“What is your will, my king?” he intoned formally, his eyes bleary and unfocused.

“Submit willfully, or I will obliterate your consciousness.”

The other Templars looked at each other and muttered a little before one by one they knelt down willingly before Sombra.

Mahogany Wood’s smile couldn’t get any wider. He liked the way this guy worked. Even Wolfgang couldn’t say anything about it.

“Long live the king,” Mahogany too bent his knee.

“Long live the king!” the rest of the group chanted.

Chapter 73: Fickle Trust

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After regaining his mobility, High Noon had gone straight to the Mentor and told her everything about Frigid’s meetings with Mirror Match and how he had even defended her from the cowboy.

Frigid stood there with his head down, ashamed to look the Assassin Mentor in the eyes. He knew what he did was bad, but he just couldn’t help it. He still loved his old partner, unable to perform his duty of ending her. He watched as the Mentor stood silently, deciding what to do with him.

Star Lance, on the other hand, had plenty to say. “How could you, Frigid? You know she’s the enemy and yet you still meet her! This is wrong in so many areas! Did you forget what she did to the others? Did you forget what she did to Dust Fencer?”

He was right. Mirror had killed his old teacher. The one who taught him everything there was to being an Assassin. Yet, he turned back to her.

“I’m sorry,” was all Frigid knew how to say right now.

“I’m disappointed, Frigid Night,” the Mentor said at last. “I’d thought you made your resolve. Truly, I thought I could count on you to make the right decision. After seeing what you’ve done with the trust that I and every other member of the Brotherhood has placed in you, I find no other choice but to consign you to house arrest.”

“For how long?”

“Indefinitely, until we can come up with a more fitting consequence.” The Mentor shook her head solemnly and placed a hand on the pommel of her sword. “Do as you will, but if I or anyone else catches you with one foot outside this bureau, we will have no choice but to use force.”

“Yes, Mentor…” Frigid looked at his feet.

“About time you left, Frigid,” Star Lance grunted. “You’ve got a lot to think about. And a lot of trust to earn back.”

“I’m sorry, Frigid,” High Noon said from his side. His neck was all bandaged up, along with one of his arms from the fight with Mirror. “But you left me no choice. I thought I could trust you too.”

Frigid nodded and proceeded outside and immediately bumped into Pierce Network and Dr. Patch.

“Frigid, we heard what happened,” Patch said as he closed the Mentor’s door behind him. “And Pierce and I have decided it’s time to tell you some things about Mirror Match. Things we’ve been hiding from you.”

“What?” Frigid mumbled as he listened on.

“Come. Let’s walk.”

The Assassins began heading upstairs, most likely towards one of their rooms.

“Your girlfriend isn’t-”

“Ex-girlfriend,” Patch reminded the hacker.

“No, from what I’ve heard, she isn’t exactly his ex, is she? He’s still been seeing her and who knows what else he’s been doing with her. She’s clearly still his girlfriend.”

“Point taken and it doesn’t matter,” Patch almost chuckled, but stopped. “Frigid, Mirror Match, I don’t even think she’s human. At all.”

“No, it can’t be,” Frigid shook his head. He still didn’t want to accept the fact that he had been dating some kind of supernatural beast.

“I have videos,” Pierce said, pulling out a sleek new phone.

“And I have scans,” Patch added, fishing a tablet from out of her coat.

They arrived at Pierce’s room. As soon as he threw open the door, the Chicoltgo Assassin stalked right over to his row of computers and plugged his phone in.

“Mirror Match destroyed my previous phone, but she didn’t know I had set the van’s four cameras to start recording as soon as the fight started. That’s what you always have to do as an Assassin. Have backup plans of backup plans. That’s what happens when things get too easy. You start forgetting how to plan ahead, relying on your confidence instead.”

“What Pierce is trying to tell you is that he recorded your… girlfriend in combat,” Patch summarized as she closed the door. “And what I have for you are samples, taken from one of those syringes she had on her.”

“Now, Frigid,” Pierce swiveled around on his chair. “This might take you by surprise, since you knew this girl very well. Take a look at all of this.”

Frigid bent his head down to the computer screen level and watched the battle unfold. He closed his eyes every time something had blown up in Mirror’s face, but to his surprise, she kept coming back, even after a fiery explosion, jabbing her thigh with some kind of syringe each time. Her nails had grown into claws, something like what Frigid had seen earlier today, though they were shorter in the video.

“You see all that, Frigid?” Pierce frowned at his screens, remembering the fight. “She’s not human. She can’t be. She withstood electric shocks, steam pipe blasts, even my C4. There’s no way anyone can survive C4 at such close range, yet, she’s still alive. I don’t know what she is, but she’s not normal.”

Frigid, shocked, managed to look to the doctor for her take on his girlfriend.

Patch tapped away on her tablet and brought up sheets of data of chemicals and blood samples. “Silent Frame managed to grab me one of those syringes and I got some of her blood off of Pierce’s coat and analyzed both of them.

“Turns out her blood is different from ours. There are chemicals in there, things that our blood does not hold, things that are actually harmful to us. From what I examined from the syringe, her blood is a catalyst for the formula she jabs herself with. Whatever it is, her blood also seems to have healing properties, likely only for herself or whatever species she actually is.”

It was a lot of information for Frigid to take in all at once. Even if he wanted to, there was no denying that Mirror Match was not human. Now he had seen the videos. He had the reports on her biology.

“I think she’s only been using you, Frigid,” Pierce continued.

It looked like he was about to go on another one of his monologues when the door behind them opened, An angry looking High Noon walked in and stood away from Frigid.

“You don’t see it, Frigid?” he started with a raised voice. “She even said to me that night, ‘your love only makes me stronger’. I know it doesn’t sound like much but I’m betting it means something. She’s using you, Frigid. And you’ve been playing along just according to everything she wants. I thought you were better than that.”

“No, I don’t believe that!” Frigid shot back. “Sure, it looks like she’s a monster, but so what? I love her. And she still loves me.”

“Seriously, Frigid?” High Noon waved his good hand. “Are you so blinded by your love that you don’t see that she’s just using you to get us?”

“She’s doing all this for a good reason. She told me! She’s just looking for someone she lost long ago.”

“But how long ago, Frigid?” Pierce asked. “Kinda sounds like she’s been around a long time. Way longer than any of us.”

“Doesn’t matter how long. I know Mirror. I know she’s not doing this because she wants to, but because she has to.”

“Do you really, Frigid?” High Noon turned up his volume. “What do you really know about her? Wake up, Frigid! You’re deluding yourself!”

“No. Mirror’s not evil!” Frigid pointed a threatening finger at his friend. “Give me time! I can still win her back!”

“She killed Windy!” Noon yelled back. “Windy was very important to me, and Mirror shot her without remorse! Is that still good in your book? And I’ve seen Mirror. I’ve fought her! She looks nothing like the girl you know. If only you could look past yourself!”

“Okay, Noon, I think that’s enough shouting,” Patch grabbed his shoulder and gently pulled him back. “As for you, Frigid. Listen to what he said. It made a lot of sense. Mirror Match is not the person you knew, nor the person you love.”

Frigid raised a hand and opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He simply looked around then took a step back and sat down.

“Mirror Match is just a front,” Pierce said as he typed on his keyboard. “I doubt any of her background is true. High Noon is right. We don’t even know who or what she really is. Face it, Frigid. She’s already made her choice to leave us. She won’t come back. There’s no reason for her to come back. She only wants to use you, not to be with you. Templars are all just in it for themselves. That’s what we hope to destroy. They are not going to win this.”

Patch sighed and put a hand on Frigid’s shoulder. “I know, it’s tough to accept it. Especially if it’s the person who you care about the most, but you’ve gotta move on some time.”

“Take your time, Frigid,” Pierce told the grey haired Assassin. “As long as you need. Just make sure that you get over it in the end.”

“You’re going too easy on him,” High Noon grumbled and opened the door. “He doesn’t deserve your kindness. He doesn’t deserve someone to love.” The cowboy stormed out of the room and jogged off down the hall without closing the door to Pierce’s room.

“You see, Frigid?” Patch pointed to the retreating shape of High Noon. “You’ve lost even the trust of your best friend.”

“Yeah…” Frigid saw it now. It was a pointless endeavour chasing after Mirror Match. No matter what he did, there was no way of convincing her to return. Now everyone else he cared about were gone. “I’m sorry. I’m just… I’m gonna head back to my room.”

Frigid quietly headed out and walked towards his room; it was just down the hall from Pierce’s.

Trust. He didn’t like it. He had put all his trust in his friends, in Mirror Match. He had lost all their trusts and now, he didn’t have any for them as well.

Mirror Match. How could she? She used him. She betrayed him. Yet, he still blindly chased after her, having a false hope of being able to turn things back to the way they were before she betrayed him. He pulled out his picture of her and looked at it for a second before deciding to put it back in his coat.

Frigid entered his room and flopped down onto his bed, face down. From tomorrow on, trust wasn’t going to be a problem anymore. He didn’t need anyone else’s trust, and neither was he going to trust anyone again. Things were better off this way.

"They're not making things any easier for Frigid, huh?" Twilight Sparkle chewed on the end of her pencil. The rubber tasted quite nice.

Morning shook her head. "I think they are, actually. Frigid... He never did see what Mirror Match really was. He loved her too much. She was a monster, Twilight. I would even say she was as bad as Sombra was. She didn't care about anyone else but herself. She used Frigid. She deserved her death. The others, they cared enough about Frigid to try to help him see the truth, but I guess... love blinds us, huh?"

"Have you... loved, Morning Blade?" Twilight asked, watching the ex-Assassin play with her braid.

"Not exactly, no." She shook her head again, slightly disappointed. "I never had the chance, being with the Assassins in their last days. Frigid would be the closest I would ever get to falling in love, I suppose. It's not like we were together or anything, but I did have a lot of respect for him. I looked up to him, no matter how many mistakes he made. I just knew he would make the right choice again one day. It's just unfortunate... that his right choice was the last thing he would ever do..."

Twilight watched Morning's face contort into various states of emotional pain. Getting up, she walked over and put a hand on the ex-Assassin's shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. "At least he redeemed himself, huh? Before going?"

"That he did, princess. That he did." Morning Blade looked at her journal. This was Frigid's life as an Assassin. All here in her book. Telling his story made her feel like he was here with her again, even if it was at a disappointing moment in their history. "Come, let us continue."

Chapter 74: Something Wicked This Way Comes

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“Aah!” Mirror Match involuntarily groaned as she applied the ointment and bandages to her wounded chest. She had planned on getting her fill from her meeting with Frigid, but instead, she used up all her reserve energy facing off against High Noon. She didn’t have enough left to heal her wounds, though she managed to scrape up some residue from some of the civilians in Trottingham; just enough for her to get back to her penthouse without drawing undue attention.

Mirror cursed at High Noon as she finished wrapping the bandages around her chest. She hadn’t felt this weak in a long time. Tiny gouts of emerald flame escaped from her nostrils and from between her teeth as her internals attempted to repair the damage they had been dealt.

Mirror pushed a whole clump of purple hair out of her face before shuffling herself over to her nail clippers and scissors. She grumbled, having to cut her nails and hair back to normal length again was a pain, especially since she only just did so the previous day. Plus, her body was in bad shape from the bullets, unable to heal up instantly because of her rash decision. She had been careless, not smelling High Noon until he was practically upon them. She was getting sloppy, letting her guard down in Frigid’s presence.

“You’re lucky I don’t kill you right now, High Noon…” Mirror coughed as she picked up her clippers. “Or actually, unlucky if you look at it from your view…”

After she finished trimming everything back to regular length, the Templar agent slowly made her way to her living room wearing nothing but her bandages, gently leaning herself back on the couch with a sigh. It was going to take at least three days before she could get back to operating strength. She wished Frigid Night was here right now. With him around, she could probably get back to her optimal within a few hours. Thinking about the grey haired Assassin just made her stomach rumble so she changed topics.

Mirror Match picked up her remote and flipped to a random romance channel. Whether she liked it or not, watching through it would at least help her through a little of her pain.

A sappy love story was playing, where a girl had been separated from her lover because of a parasitic infection and had to fight her way through infected humans to see him again. The film refreshed Mirror slightly, until a character played by Ebony Wings popped on stage and saved the girl.

“No, no, no, no,” Mirror muttered as she began flipping through the different channels. “Why is it always her? Is she in every blasted movie?”

Put off by the supposedly acclaimed actress, Mirror decided against watching the TV and stalked over to her room where she carefully laid herself on the bed, avoiding pressure on her injuries.

“Ah... ” Mirror hadn’t had to deal with lasting pain in so long that she had almost forgotten what it was like to have to live with it normally. “As if life could get any worse…”

Something would have to be done. Mirror dialled up one of her agents, Sassy Saddles. After the fifth or sixth ring, someone picked up on the other end.

“Hello, Sassy? Yes, this is Mirror Match. I wanted to ask you, how soon can we have another charity event going up? Yes, I wish to donate some funds to the old people’s home. No, I don’t care which one! I’ll send over the invoice and you can present it for me. No, I shan’t be attending, Sassy. I’m feeling a touch unwell and my doctor has told me to get a few days’ rest. No, it’s not serious; just a slight allergic reaction to a shot, you know how it is. Call me back if there are any complications. Goodbye.”

Mirror put the phone down and gazed lazily at her wall. This charity event ought to speed up her recovery process. It wasn’t as good as meeting dear ol’ Friggy, but it was a start.

Already she could taste the gratitude and adoration of the masses, and it invigorated her. A dull grin full of fangs lit up on her charcoal-black face and she ambled out to the expansive hallway of mementos.

Among all the priceless artifacts and sentimental items, there was a plain metal globe. Spinning it three times clockwise, Mirror found Trotsylvania and pressed it, the segment of the sphere sinking in with a click.

A few seconds later, a previously plain section of the wall slid open on oiled hinges and Mirror entered, the lights turning on from a hidden sensor. Inside, various cabinets of guns, knives, and ammunition lined every visible surface. Foregoing the weaponry for now, Mirror trekked to a corkboard that had a series of photos pinned to it. In view were Sparkplug, Broadside, Fire Frenzy, and Pierce Network. All but the last had a silver knife thrust through the forehead. Pierce had surprisingly given her a lot of trouble for a guy who didn’t seem to do anything but sit in front of a computer all day, but she was determined not to let the hacker win.

She pulled her dagger from its sheath and sucked on the tip, sitting down at the workbench and fiddling with the loose parts. Perhaps it was time to cease with the traditional approach with Pierce and move on to something a bit more unexpected. First things first though…

There was a slim black laptop in the corner hooked up to a printer and it took all of five minutes to get a photo of High Noon on paper.

She smiled and got ready to pin it to the board, already tasting the words, ‘for crimes against the queen and her kin…’

Mirror stopped, the pin millimeters from the surface of the paper. Crimes against the queen and her kin. Not the queen or her kin. And.

Though she longed to stick the tack into the cowboy’s portrait and mark him up for execution in her mind, in her deepest heart of hearts, something was holding her back.

High Noon had annoyed her, true, but he wasn’t worthy of an execution. Not quite. Not yet. And she was not the queen.

Mirror touched the tip of her kris dagger to the photo, the acid eating away at the paper instantly and dissolving it to nothing.

“Hmph. I hope someone kills you, High Noon, but it won’t be me.”

As for Pierce… Mirror already had a few ideas that would allow her to finish the man without having to get close like before. Tradition demanded that she be there to administer the kill in person, but like every tradition, it had to change with the times. He would suffer as they all had for destroying the Eye. To have a means of finding her queen for the first time in almost a century, snatched away because of some petty turf war between those Assassins and Templars, was enough to make her blood boil. Crimes against the queen and her kin indeed.

The Templar agent continued to tinker and toy with her spare parts, almost not hearing her phone ringing outside. Mirror quickly hopped off her chair and rushed for the exit, accidentally hitting her wounded side on the way out.

“Agh! Who placed this door frame here? Ah!” she clutched at her side as she hobbled for her phone, finally picking it up after what seemed like forever. She hoped whoever was calling had better have a very good reason for disturbing her at this unholy hour. “Hello, this is Mirror Match speaking.”

“Mirror Match, it’s Mahogany. Something… has come up. We need you back as soon as possible. We finally found someone who can use the artifact, or rather, they found us.”

“Is that so?” Mirror’s eyes brightened at that. “What are they like?”

“He is a man of magnificent vision and power, who will at long last be able to put the world into order. He has requested that we refer to him as Grand Master, or King Sombra.”

“Sombra…” The inside of Mirror’s mouth was suddenly very dry. “Are you sure about this, sir? His name is Sombra?”

“Very certain. He said so himself. Why? Do you know something about him? If so, do enlighten me.”

“No, sir. Just noting that this new Grand Master shares the same name as an old king from Saddle Arabia. How will this affect my work, sir?”

“Very little. He is doing exactly what our Templars have visioned for generations! We’re finally on the road to total victory! Though, whatever he asks of you, I recommend you do as he says. He doesn’t take kindly to insolence.”

Mirror’s smile had no humour to it. “Don’t worry about me, chairman. I’m well learned in the ways of royals.”

“Very good. So, when are you able to return here? The new Grand Master wants to meet all his subjects.”

“Not anytime soon, chairman,” Mirror added a little pain to her voice. “I just got back from a battle with the Assassins. They got me pretty good. I’m afraid I’ll need to recuperate for a few days.”

“Oh. That’s a pity. Then I wish you swift recovery. You are one of our best after all. I shall inform the Grand Master that you will return in a few days. Take care, Mirror Match. Get well soon.”

Mirror set down the phone with a clunk. Sombra. Now there was a name she hadn’t heard in many years. Not since…

“Oh, pull it together, Psithyra,” Mirror admonished herself. “You’re royalty yourself; what would your queen say if she saw you in such a state?”

The night was cold and dark, but even in her little sanctuary of warmth and light, Mirror Match felt a shiver run through her that had nothing to do with the temperature. Something very bad was coming, and it had everything to do with this Sombra. She was sure of it, and her intuition was rarely ever wrong. One of her old friends from long ago had told her of a dark king called Sombra who took over her empire. She hoped this wasn’t the same one; if so, her executions would have to take a back seat while she assessed the gravity of the situation.

“Chrysalis, my queen, friend of my heart…” Mirror intoned reverently, her hands clasped on her breast. “Wherever you are, please give your servant the strength to face the day.”

"That's as far as we get for the day, huh?" Twilight Sparkle rubbed at her shoulders as they made their way back out of the school building, heading for the Wondercolt statue.

Morning Blade looked up at the darkening sky and nodded. "I'll need to get home too. My family will be expecting me."

"It's just a shame how things turned out for the Assassins, huh?" Twilight breathed on her hands and rubbed them together. "I know, you killed people, but in the end, you're Sunset's friends and you were trying to safeguard your world and ours, even. That automatically puts you in our good books, let me tell you that."

Morning smiled, but shook her head. "No, like I said, we're not good people. The things we have to do as Assassins, never go there, Twilight. It's not a world you would want to be part of. I see that now. Back when I joined, I thought I'd be making a difference, protecting the world from the Templars. In the end, killing is killing, princess. I had to lie, cheat, do everything I could to make sure we won."

"But you're not a bad person, Morning Blade." Twilight placed a hand on the ex-Assassin's shoulder. "You learnt to be better than that."

"That's something I'm still learning." Morning looked down at her hand, opening and closing it, reminiscing how a hidden blade would shoot out from her sleeves normally. "But don't worry about me, Twilight. I've learnt that now, I have to live. Live on for my friends. It's what they would've wanted."

"You couldn't have said it better, Morning." Twilight stuck one foot through the portal. "Well, I won't keep you any longer for today, Morning. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"You will. Take care, princess."

"Goodnight, Morning Blade."

Chapter 75: Dangerous Territory

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The sun shone brightly in the sky over in Canterlot Park as Morning Blade sat down on one of the benches surrounding its small lake, where a trio of ducks could be seen cleaning themselves.

Today was a rather warm day of winter and seeing as it was also the weekend, Twilight Sparkle had suggested a change of scenery, instead of just constantly meeting up over in CHS. Morning had been quick to agree with the pony princess, so here they were today.

"Thanks for the scarf, Morning Blade." Twilight had the red piece of fabric wrapped tightly around her neck. She had also donned a pair of leggings that had magically appeared when she came through the portal. Morning didn't know the science to that, so she shrugged it off as magic. "The place really is beautiful. I see why people come here."

"It is." Morning Blade shoved her hands into her jacket pockets. It had been so long since she'd been here. Or at least, it felt like it had been a long time. It had only been two years. "And the weather isn't too bad today, nor is it snowing much, so you know, it's a nice change."

"Definitely." Twilight nodded. "So where are we today, Morning Blade? In the story, I mean."

The ex-Assassin flipped through her book and pressed a finger down on the page she stopped at. "We're skipping ahead again. Funny, huh? How we always skip ahead after each day."

"It just fits more perfectly, I guess." The pony princess smiled.

"So today, we're going to a new place. Have you ever been to Saddle Arabia, princess?"

"Saddle Arabia, huh? Did you go there, Morning?"

"I did. We did. You know what happened there, eventually..." the ex-Assassin said with a sigh. "Well, this is just the beginning of it. Are you ready?"

"Fire away, Morning Blade."

Two years later, Masyaf, Saddle Arabia

The two Assassins crouched low as a searchlight passed along the roof they were hiding on, watching above as the light made its way past them and onto the next building. The female one, a woman with chin length raven black hair, let out a sigh of relief as her partner looked her in the eyes. She wore a simple Saddle Arabian attire, consisting of a grey sleeveless half shirt, exposing her brown abdomen, dark combat pants, and a brown jacket, resting only on her shoulders, flapping in the wind behind her.

“Ready, Keila?” the other Assassin asked, pulling back his dark blue cloak to take hold of two silver daggers.

The woman nodded to her turquoise haired companion and brought out daggers of her own before they leapt over the roof’s tiling and headed down to the compound below. The man had on a blue jacket over a white tunic and grey pants, along with two scimitars strapped to his thighs. Both their hoods were low over their heads, almost covering their eyes.

Over the past month, Templar sightings had increased, forcing the Assassins to investigate their home city further. Tonight, the two of them had found a whole Templar operations base, just on the outskirts of their city, Masyaf. It was close. Too close. Somehow, the Templars had gone about constructing a whole building without the Assassin’s knowledge.

After radioing in their findings, Mentor Shamal had ordered them to infiltrate the base and grab what they could to figure out why the Templars were here. Keila was the first to arrive at the edge of the next roof, looking down at the dusty streets below. Two guards patrolled around the side gates under them, each one carrying a grey rifle in their hands.

“Trouble?” her partner asked as he bent a knee to look down. “Looks easy enough.”

“Ikram, wait!” Keila grabbed for her friend’s cloak, but the male Assassin was faster, instantly leaping off and heading down, a blade poised up, ready to strike.

Keila followed suit, targeting the second guard as she fell. She felt her knees smash into the man’s back as she pressed him to the floor before stabbing into the back of his neck with her knife, watching as Ikram stood up from his kill, his blade glistening with dark blood in the moonlight.

The Assassins dragged the bodies out of sight, leaving them by a low wall in the shadows before they got to work on the side gate. In less than a minute, Ikram had picked the lock, holding the metal door open for Keila, closing it behind him once she was inside. They immediately put their training to use, keeping to the shadows as their superiors had taught them. It was a lesson, passed down from the old king of Masyaf during the first era; it was a simple rule.

“The shadows are your friend. Use them, and they will protect you.”

Enveloped in the dark, Keila and Ikram crept along the perimeter, looking for a good angle to rush for the building without being spotted. Guard towers outlined the four corners and some in between, their searchlights panning across the darkness of the rest of the city.

The two Assassins originally had a mission; they were to assassinate a Templar agent called Lightstream. She had been spotted on the other side of the city, where Keila and Ikram had begun tailing her, only to end up at this new Templar outpost. Perhaps they would still be able to complete their objective, but Mentor had deemed it less important. Gathering information was now their top priority to determine why the Templars had moved such a large amount of their resources and men to Masyaf.

They had never dared set foot in the first Assassin stronghold, but here they were. They must have had something planned, or something powerful enough to face the Assassins in their home field.

“There,” Ikram tapped Keila on her shoulder, pointing at an open door by a smaller building. “Let’s go.”

They moved fast, but silently, their footsteps unheard on the grey concrete as they darted from shadow to shadow, until there was no shadow left for them to use. They increased their speed, quickly crossing over and through the open door, Keila silently closing it behind her, just in case.

The room wasn’t big, but had plenty of crates, some stacked on top of each other. They outlined most of the room except for a small square area which held a brown table and a steel shelf next to it, containing more containers. Keila stood up and used her eagle vision to look around. For now, it seemed they were alone. She headed to the table, investigating its contents; stacks of paper were strewn across it. The female Assassin picked up a piece and read from it. Slowly, her eyes began widening as she continued reading, trying to understand what the enemy had learned.

“Artifacts?” Keila lowered the paper and looked at her partner. “You don’t think they know…?”

“I doubt it,” he shook his head and pulled his scarf down. “Even we don’t know where she hid them.”

“But what if they do? What if they’ve found her resting place?”

Ikram huffed and narrowed his yellow eyes. “Then we better find out what they know. Check the rest of the papers.”

The Assassins scrambled through the sheets, placing the irrelevant ones back on the wooden surface and pocketing the ones related to artifacts.

“Looks to be enough. We should leave.”

“Right.” Keila nodded her head and proceeded out the door, watching her surroundings as she poked her head out.

She really hated surprises and she wasn’t going to let a Templar sneak up on her. The Templars had no training or teaching. They simply knew how to kill and follow orders like dogs. Keila grimaced at the thought of a mere Templar catching her off-guard.

The two Assassins headed back to the shadows and began their trek back to the gate. Keila was first, opening the gate for the companion to exit through before walking out herself. She turned to close it, but caught sight of something in the distance. Something familiar. Golden flowing hair over a lithe woman in a black suit.

“Lightstream,” Keila whispered to herself.

She remained at the gate for another ten seconds before Ikram began calling for her. “Come on, Keila! Let’s go.”

“Our target,” Keila continued looking on. The woman was on the move, two guards following behind her towards another building. She had two options now: leave with intel they had, or pursue her target and return with two objectives completed.

She eventually made her decision and dashed back in, keeping low to avoid a searchlight.

“Keila!” Ikram called from behind her, but she didn’t stop. The faster she moved, the quicker she could get away from the danger zone.

The Assassin arrived between two buildings, the cement structures casting a long dark shadow in between and along a good stretch of ground, allowing Keila to stealthily approach her target. She had never lost a target before, and she wasn’t going to ruin her streak now. She dove from cover to cover, but moved at a fast speed. Keila had quickly closed the distance between herself and the Templar in a matter of minutes. Flashing her daggers out in her hands, Keila silently hopped up on a crate before leaping out of the shadows, her blade just over Lightstream’s head.

One of her guards had spotted Keila and screamed a warning, but he was too slow. Keila had thrown a dagger through the man’s eye, while her second one had found itself in the other guard’s chest. Spotting danger, Lightstream turned around, just in time for Keila to plant a solid kick to the front of her head, knocking her back.

Keila wasted no time. She spun a kick under the Templar’s legs, sending her tumbling to the ground with a groan. The Assassin yanked out her blade from the first guard’s eye and approached her target, knife raised.

Lightstream lived up to her name, instantly springing up and kicking out with both legs, hitting Keila in the chest so hard that she let out all the air in her lungs.

Careless! Keila thought to herself. She should’ve known the Templar could fight back. Most of them knew how to defend themselves. She scolded herself for not being careful enough, but she would deal with the rest of it later. First, she had a Templar to kill. Keila steadied her breathing and got to her feet, her dagger in her hands.

“Assassins,” Lightstream muttered as she got into a fighting pose. “I should’ve figured you would find us sooner or later. This is your city after all. I’m afraid, though, that you are not allowed to leave here, dead or alive.”

Keila said nothing and readied herself. Her eyes darted around, watching the area for reinforcements. So far, the rest of the base didn’t seem to notice her intrusion, but there was no way to do anything about it at the moment. She just had to take Lightstream down and get out before anyone else found out.

The Templar moved surprisingly fast, swinging a volley of punches towards the dark haired Assassin, instantly forcing Keila on the defensive. She lashed out with her dagger a few times, but cut nothing but the air around her. Besides punching, the Templar was also able to dodge past her blade with ease, spinning and jumping to get out of the way.

“You like that?” Lightstream smirked as she continued on the offensive. “I used to train in an acrobatic troupe before the Templars hired me. I don’t need weapons to defeat you. My body is my own weapon.”

With another swift kick, the Templar kicked the dagger out of Keila’s hand before twirling on the spot and smashing the back of her other foot into the side of Keila’s head, sending her sprawling to the ground.

Keila grunted as she broke her fall with her arm and shoulder, quickly rolling out of the way as the other woman delivered a axe kick to the spot where she had just been. Keila’s head was slightly spinning from the hard blow, but she managed to get on her feet as she slipped both arms into the sleeves she had at her sides. She still had one more surprise for the Templar.

“Getting a bit cold, Assassin? One would think you’re used to your city’s climate. Don’t worry. Once I’m done with you, you won’t be.”

Keila allowed herself to smile as the Templar closed the distance. Lightstream had an advantage at close range, since her attacks were fast, and she didn’t have a weapon, meaning her fists had to make contact with Keila. Being so close, the Templar would have a bigger blind spot, allowing Keila to do as she pleased.

Lightstream attacked, swinging punch after punch, adding in a kick after every few salvo. Keila avoided them to the best of her ability, and when she saw her chance, unsheathed a hidden blade in her sleeve and jammed it right under Lightstream’s left arm, completely catching her off-guard and by surprise.

“Agh… what…?”

The Templar immediately stopped and took a few steps back before falling flat on her back. Keila returned her hidden blade to its sheath and crouched down over the Templar as she tried to breathe.

“Very sneaky… Assassin. But it won’t matter…” Lightstream coughed as she clutched at her side. “You cannot stop us now…”

“What do you hope to accomplish?” Keila finally spoke to the woman, her voice low and serious. “You already have one artifact and you can’t even use it. Why get more?”

Lightstream tried to laugh, but a gurgled cough emerged from her mouth instead, along with a spat of blood. “You Assassins don’t... know anything. Grand Master Sombra is coming… and you can’t stop him… The artifacts… will be ours…”

Keila had more questions, but the Templar was gone. With one last breath, her head fell back against the ground and she stopped moving. The Assassin moved a hand over to close the woman’s eyes before standing up.

“Rest well.”

Finally able to stop and think, Keila put a hand to her head as she began to notice the pain. The Templar had really kicked her hard, but no matter. She could rest back at the bureau. Now she just needed to get out and find Ikram before heading back. There was plenty of news to discuss.

Sombra.

It couldn’t be a coincidence that they had a new Grand Master called Sombra. Every Assassin in Saddle Arabia knew the name of the old king. So why did the Templars have a Sombra?

It seemed things were about to take a turn into dangerous territory.

“That was really dangerous, Keila,” Ikram told her as he wrapped an ice pack to her head. “You could’ve died there.”

Keila sat with him in an air-conditioned room as he finished up her wrap. Due to the warmer temperatures of Saddle Arabia, the ice pack wouldn’t last very long outside the room, so temporarily, she had to stay here.

“Well, I made it out, Ikram. I even got our contract,” she said as she rubbed at her chest where the Templar had planted both feet. It was still sore when she breathed, but it would wear off in a day or two.

“True,” he muttered. He looked down at her chest and chuckled. “You want me to message that for you? I’m really good at it.”

“Yes, I remember,” Keila joined him in laughter. “But no thanks. Not right now. Maybe later?”

“Sure. Sounds like a plan, Keila. After our debrief perhaps?”

There was a knock on the door; both Assassins turned to look at it.

“Come in,” Ikram said as he stood up.

The door swung open, revealing a familiar man with black hair and a beard. He had a brown cloth wrapped around his head, along with a beige cloak around his neck and shoulders.

“Mentor Shamal.” Keila tried to stand as well, but after having too long of a break, her head immediately started spinning, sending her back on the chair.

“It’s okay, Keila,” Shamal waved a gloved hand. “Stay seated.”

“You wish to speak of our mission, Mentor?” Ikram hazarded a guess.

“Correct. From what you said over the phone, the Templars know where the artifacts are?” The Saddle Arabian Mentor took a seat across from the two Assassins. “Fill me in on the details.”

“We found notes, Mentor.” Keila placed a hand to her bandaged head, pressing the cool pack closer against her head. “The Templars know the rough vicinity of the artifacts. The ones buried in Masyaf.”

Their Mentor put a hand to his chin and hummed. “How did they get this close without detection?”

“Our contract,” Keila started. “She mentioned the Templars had a new Grand Master. She said his name was… Sombra.”

Even Shamal was taken aback by the news. “Are you sure? She said his name was Sombra?”

“Yes, Mentor.”

“This is troubling news indeed. You sure you didn’t mishear the name? How can it be the name of Saddle Arabia’s old king?”

“No, of course I heard it right,” Keila said again. “Perhaps we should get Mentor Steel Shine on the line? I’m guessing she’ll know what to do.”

“It’s fine,” their Mentor shook his head. “I don’t want to involve her in this. We can do it.”

“Mentor,” Ikram called for his attention. “This is no small matter. If the Templars know where the other artifacts were buried, that could prove a huge disadvantage to us. We still don’t know where they are and we’ve lived here all our lives.”

“Ikram is right, Mentor,” Keila added on, her eyes shining with fighting spirit. “We can’t let the Templars win. Not here. And if this Sombra thinks he can get the artifacts without a fight, then he’s wrong. Call Mentor Steel Shine. Get the other bureaus to help.”

Shamal thought about the plan for a second, eventually conceding with a nod. “Yes, you’re right. This is our home. The heritage of all Assassins. I shall get on the line with her immediately. Keila, Ikram, thank you, and may your sleep tonight be well. Get some rest.”

The two Assassins got up to see their Mentor out before leaving themselves.

“Well, Keila,” Ikram dusted his hands. “It’s rather late. Shall we retire to my room?”

Keila wore a playful smile on her face. She grabbed him by the coat and began pulling him down the corridor. “No. Let’s go to my room.”

Chapter 76: Frigid's New Apprentice

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"This is where I come in, Twilight." Morning Blade smiled at the thought of appearing in her own book again. "This is where I finally join the Assassins."

"Oh, that's cool. So I get to see how you first joined?" Twilight watched as a duck dove under water, leaving only its rear sticking above the pond's surface. "How did that go?"

"Well..." Morning pulled at her braid. "I kind of didn't write my origins in the Brotherhood, seeing as I don't need to write about myself. But I suppose I can tell you about it.

"So after I finished school, I gave that number that High Noon gave me a call. I actually forgot about it for a while, but I happened to find it in one of the many books I own. After that, it was a simple arrangement of a meeting where I got to talk to Mentor Steel Shine and Star Lance. They explained to me what it means to be an Assassin."

"Just like that?"

Morning nodded. "Well, their cause sounded just, so I agreed to join them. The Templars sounded like they needed to be stopped, and of course, they did. So that's how my life in the Brotherhood began. Frigid was assigned to be my teacher. That's when I first met him. So..." Morning tapped a finger on her book.

Much had happened for Frigid Night as of late. He had finally been released from house arrest about four months into it, allowing him to continue his task as an Assassin. He made sure to do everything the Mentor asked without question, trying his best to at least let her know he wasn’t going to compromise again. Through hard work and selfless performance, Frigid had finally achieved the rank of Assassin; it was the highest honour a person could go besides Master Assassin, which only the lieutenant held.

Trueshot and Rose Petal had congratulated him, but the other Assassins still cleared away from him whenever he got too close. It didn’t matter to Frigid anymore. If the others didn’t want to talk to him, then so be it. Things with High Noon were getting better, but the cowboy still didn’t quite know what to say to him, nor did Frigid.

“Frigid?” his new apprentice called him to the edge of their perch, looking down at the streets of Trottingham’s main city. “I think I see them.”

Morning Blade had joined the Assassins two months ago, straight out of some school in Canterlot. The Mentor and Star Lance had thought it would be good for Frigid to train someone, to have someone to be responsible for. It was a long time since Frigid had gone on a mission with someone else, longer since he had to look after someone.

The green-skinned girl had done up her white hair with green highlights into a single braid, going down the left side of her head. She had on a new off-white coat, similar to Frigid’s, but more slim fitted, along with a red shirt and long grey pants.

He had wanted to grumble. To tell them that he worked better alone and that they should hand her to someone else, but in the end, he said yes and took her under his wing. Frigid taught her the mere basics, partially afraid that she too was going to betray him. If she wanted to do so, she would have to go learn up her other skills on her own, because Frigid wasn’t going to teach her any.

The Assassin looked down at the passing cars, watching a convoy of Templar vehicles round a corner and headed towards…

“The beach?” Frigid muttered. “Why are they heading to the beach? With cars?”

“What should we do?” Morning Blade asked, resting a hand on the hilt of her katana.

“Let’s get closer. See what they’re up to.”

Frigid leapt off the roof first, not waiting for his apprentice as he bounded along the roofs before launching himself down into a sturdy tarp over some beach shop, bouncing a few times before coming to a stop. Morning Blade soon appeared beside him, climbing up from below; she didn’t seem particularly bothered that he had just ran off without warning.

Frigid Night watched the Templars at the waterfront step out of their black cars. They had driven down down the sand, just to the edge of the water. He had no idea what they were planning, but it looked important enough.

Three soldiers stood with the Templar, a grey haired woman wearing a white half-coat over a black suit.

“Get the weapons ready,” their target, Sugar Rush ordered a few more men at the cars.

The other Templars began lifting out medium sized black cases and placed them on the shore, just out of the water’s reach.

“They’re transporting weapons?” Morning Blade whispered to her teacher. “To… the water?”

“We’ll find out soon, I’m guessing…” Frigid scanned the beachfront with his eagle vision, looking for signs of other people. Sugar Rush was meeting someone, but at the beach? Soon, they had their answer as a large shape on the other side began rising out of the water as it approached them.

“Is that… a submarine?” Morning pointed, wide-eyed at the sight.

It resembled a large metallic drum with two fins on the side and a conning tower sticking out at the top.

“Seriously?” Frigid marveled at the Templars’ desperation to win this war.

The underwater vehicle pushed through a portion of the sandy beach before stopping close to the Templar ground team. A man familiar to Frigid hopped out the top and landed on the beach with a few other men, dirtying his black combat boots along the way.

“Talon,” Sugar Rush greeted as the red-skinned man walked up to meet her.

“You got the weapons?” he asked without wasting time.

“Right here,” she said and stepped aside for her men to bring the cases over.

“Where are they taking all these?” Morning Blade pointed to the ocean. “Across water… It has to be somewhere far.”

“Come on,” Frigid sneaked off the tarp and kept to the shadows, walking slowly on the sand. “We can’t let them leave. Stick close. We’ll take them.”

The sand was wet and sloppy, forcing Frigid to take more steps than he needed to get to the Templars without falling on his face. As soon as he was close enough, he kicked off the sand as hard as he could and propelled himself up into the air.

Unfortunately, his jump didn’t go unnoticed as all the Templar heads turned in his direction. Fortunately, Morning Blade had him covered as he took down the nearest guard, burying his blade into the man’s neck as Morning’s first bullet from her pistol took out another who was lifting his gun up.

“Assassins!” Sugar Rush yelled as she headed for the back of the Templar force. “Kill them all!”

Morning Blade swiftly whipped out her katana, cutting a man across the chest as she drew it, a skill Rose Petal had taught her. She proceeded into the crowd, using her pistol and blade to thin down the soldiers, fighting her way to their target.

Frigid headed straight for Talon, extending both trident blade attachments and his shoe blades. Frigid had lost to the ex-military Templar the last time they fought, but Frigid had learned a lot over the years, even if things weren’t always going great.

He swung a blade at the major, but Talon simply grabbed his arm and stopped the blade before his face.

“You, I remember you,” Talon fixed his thin orange eyes on Frigid. “You think you can defeat me? Just like that?”

“Not quite.” Frigid jammed a blade into Talon’s arm and used it to lift himself up to stab the man in the chest with both shoe blades, but as soon as his shoe blades touched Talon’s chest, they bounced off instead of going through.

Talon chuckled and threw the Assassin off of him, almost not noticing the wound in his arm. “Body armor. Your blades will do nothing against me.”

Frigid growled as he flipped himself back to his feet and readied himself. The major’s body was protected, but Frigid obviously knew his arms weren’t. Talon’s sleeve was already soaking up red as he stood there. He attacked again, swinging his arms at the Templar, trying to get a hit in on his arms or face. Talon kept stepping back and parrying Frigid’s arms away with his own, the man being much stronger than the grey haired Assassin.

From the shallow water, two of his men joined in, pointing their rifles at Frigid. The Assassin quickly tossed two throwing knives and ran, getting as close towards them as he could before they could fire. One knife killed one of the men instantly while the other only disabled the other man’s gun.

Stepping under the Assassin’s blade, the guard drew a stun gun from his belt and fired it up, only for Frigid to kick his hand and send arcs of electricity into the man’s own chin.

Talon glared at Frigid and spoke to a radio on his lapel.

“This is Major Talon! Dragon One, get on the turret and focus all fire on the Assassins! I want them dead!”

Immediately, a hatch atop the sub’s sleek surface slid open and a platform was raised. On it was a man in full body armor, crouching behind a heavy machine gun that Frigid had once seen in a museum, only this one was obviously operational and sported a few modern upgrades, like a laser sight and a bulletproof glass canopy.

Frigid’s pupils shrank to dots and made a run for the streets before the sound of bullets began blasting through the soft sand behind him. He ran past of few of Talon’s men as they began clearing out, stabbing one in the chest as he tried to take a shot at the Assassin. The major himself was ushering the remains of his crew to hurry with boarding, only stopping to snatch a scoped rifle from one of the crates and jam a magazine into it.

He didn’t wait for the man’s body to fall, keeping his pace up as he headed for his apprentice.

Morning Blade was having a fight with Sugar Rush, the female Assassin wielding her katana, and the Templar using a staff of sorts.

Frigid could almost feel the bullets behind him as they began to get closer. He wouldn’t make it to the city.

Instead, Frigid whistled to Morning to get her attention. “Morning, this way! Quick!”

Frigid tossed two smoke bombs down, one a little further from his position as Talon’s first bullet tore through his coat pocket, almost hitting him. The Assassin soon found his apprentice in the dense smog and pulled her along, getting both of them away from the beach and into the city while the smoke blocked the Templars’ vision.

Frigid lead the way, leaping over a low brick wall and resting his back against it, keeping his head below the wall’s height.

“You alright, Morning?”

“Yes, sir,” Morning Blade patted herself for any injuries she may have missed. “Sorry I couldn’t stop the Templar, though.”

“It’s fine. They had a turret. I mean, seriously? What?” Frigid looked around and made sure the streets were clear before pointing up the building. “We better head back. We gotta let Mentor know about that sub and the weapons transfers.”

The Assassin Mentor had her work cut out for her, the first thing in the morning. There was some investigation to be done on Frigid Night’s mission yesterday. The Templars had a submarine and they were shipping weapons across the water, under the Assassin radar. The question was: Why?

Steel Shine set down the summary of the night’s events and sighed. Although she didn’t look it, the Assassin leader was nearing her late fifties and at times like this, it really showed in her eyes and stance. Shine’s mother had been the exact same way, as had her grandmother and great-grandmother before her, all radiating that unearthly youth. She often joked in private that some of her luck had rubbed off onto Star Lance, but as he thought of Pierce Network, Red Card, and the other veterans, he wondered how true that was.

No matter the truth, Steel Shine looked worn and weary now. Resplendent in her silk morning gown, the only signs of her station were the hidden blades on her wrists, the sword buckled at her side, and the innumerable age in her glittering eyes. Eyes that had seen too much.

“You feeling alright, Steel Shine?” Star Lance pulled up a chair and sat down beside her.

Steel Shine stared at the strip of wallpaper between two bookshelves, still as a statue and just as solemn.

“No, I’m not.” The Mentor pushed aside a lock of her dazzling hair. “Nightmares. They keep coming.”

“You okay with talking about them?” Star Lance asked, putting a hand on hers. “Sometimes it makes you feel better.”

“Talk about them?” Steel Shine exhaled. “They’re dreams, Lance. They’re not real. It’s silly of me, being afraid of things that aren’t real. Might as well talk about ghosts and dragons and vampires.”

Star Lance fixed a serious gaze towards her. “Are you certain? What about the bleeding effect?”

The Assassin leader pursed her lips. “It’s not getting worse, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Could it be that… she’s trying to tell you something? Your ancestor.”

“No. Yes. Maybe. I don’t know, Lance. Ever since that day when Mirror Match broke into the bureau, I’ve been having these strange dreams. I feel like… I’m meant to know something, but the moment I wake up, it slips away.”

Star Lance leaned towards her and gave her a kind smile. “I’m here for you, Shine. You can tell me. Perhaps I’ll be able to remember something about your dreams.”

“If you think it’ll help,” Steel Shine loosened her sword belt but didn’t take it off, letting the weapon’s weight pull her gown against her skin. “I guess it starts with Mirror. I caught her after she… bested you,” she said it delicately so as not to upset her friend. “I’ve been thinking. She seemed to know me, and after that, the dreams were about the past, or what I think is the past. Knights. Sorcerers. Battlefields. An age of kings. And always I feel like I’m supposed to know the people I’m seeing, but I don’t.”

“Knights… Kings…” Star Lance droned a low hum. “Yes, I think your ancestor is definitely trying to tell you something, Shine. The question is… what? Why is she showing you her time? It must be something important we’re missing… Hmmm… You don’t think Mirror’s ancestor was there too?”

The Mentor put a finger to her chin, but the sound of her phone ringing caught both her’s and her lieutenant’s attention. Star Lance quickly flew over to the machine and picked it up.

“Yes, this is Star Lance,” he said. There was a slight pause before he began nodding in acknowledgement. “Ah, yes. She’s here. Just a moment, Mentor.” He walked back to Steel Shine and handed the phone to her. “It’s Mentor Shamal.”

“Shamal?” Steel Shine took the phone and put it to her ear. The Saddle Arabian Mentor rarely called, but when he did, it was usually important. “Yes, Mentor Shamal? It’s Steel Shine.”

“Mentor Steel Shine. It’s good to hear from you. We’ve got a problem here in Saddle Arabia. Specifically, right here in Masyaf.Somehow, the Templars have appeared here, already having a whole base of operations.”

“Templars… So that’s it…” Steel Shine let her recognition show on her face. “They’re traveling by water. One of my Assassins discovered a submarine. They’ve been transporting weapons.”

“Submarine? Really? To think the Templars were this paranoid. But that’s how they’re doing it. Right under our noses. That’s a smart move. ”

“Yes. Have you found out what Mahogany Wood is planning? Is it her tomb?”

“Oh, Mahogany? No. Did you hear? There’s a new Grand Master in town, and this is the troubling part. His name is Sombra.”

“Sombra…” Steel Shine repeated and looked to Star Lance, an almost equal look of astonishment on his face.

“Sombra?” Star Lance whispered over. “The old king of Masyaf? Did the Templars find his tomb?”

Steel Shine shook her head. “No, Lance. He’s… the new Templar Grand Master. Shamal, what do you know about this… Sombra?”

“Not much yet. It’s only been whispers, but it seems he originated from nothing. Just shadow and smoke. And, he also knows that the artifacts are in Masyaf.”

“What?” Steel Shine leaned forward in shock. “How? How could they know?”

“We don’t know, but they don’t know where it is yet. They only know it’s in the city.”

“Well, whoever this… false Sombra is. You have to stop him. The Templars cannot learn of the artifacts’ location. Even I don’t know where they are. She didn’t want anyone disturbing her ever again.”

“Of course, Mentor Steel Shine. I’ll see to the Grand Master’s assassination.”

“Stay safe, Mentor Shamal,” Steel Shine wished and clicked the phone off. Star Lance took it and brought it back to its holder. “Lance, I have a bad feeling about this. Was it a good idea? I told him to go straight for the Grand Master. What if it doesn’t work? What if they fail? What then?”

Star Lance pulled Steel Shine in and gave her a warm hug. “You always know what’s best, Shine. I believe in you. So do the other Mentors. Don’t worry about the Saddle Arabian Assassins. They have that shadow walking trick. Never fails to surprise me, but they’re our best bet at getting close enough to their Grand Master.”

“Yes, of course.” Steel Shine leaned into her lieutenant’s embrace and sighed. “You’re right. Thanks, Star Lance. For being at my side.”

“Always, Steel Shine.”

Chapter 77: I am the Darkness

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"So, you and Keila, Morning Blade," Twilight Sparkle said, stopping the ex-Assassin's storytelling. "Did you two get along well?"

"I never did quite talk to her enough to get to know her better, but we were on rather okay terms until the recent events." Morning Blade pulled at her braid unconsciously. "She left us when we needed her the most. Truthfully, I resented her then, but she did come back to help us, after all. And I don't want to hold grudges after everything's over. I guess, yeah, I have nothing against her, Twilight."

"So Keila, she's... nice?" Twilight wanted to confirm.

Morning chuckled and wiped at her cheek. "Yes. She generally is. She just got a little grumpy every time she talked to Frigid. The two of them are the ones who don't get along."

"That's a shame. Were they always like that?" Twilight leaned closer. "Were they always at each other's necks?"

The ex-Assassin smiled and held up her book to the pony princess. "We'll get there, princess. We'll get there."

“Simple plan, don’t you think?” Keila asked her partner as the briefing came to a close.

“Maybe a bit too simple…” Ikram mused as he sheathed both scimitars at his sides. “This is the Grand Master we’re talking about. A surprising one too. If he’s anything like the old king…”

“Ikram, you worry too much!” Feather Duster walked in, a fellow Assassin with short light yellow hair, loading a bullet into her sniper rifle. “See this gun? I can take down at least a troop of Templars from afar before they figure out where I am. If this Grand Master is protected, then so be it! I’ll just find a good spot and end it.”

“Well, if you could do that, why are there still so many high-profiled Templars around?” Ikram challenged. “I mean, you could easily just shoot all your targets right?”

Keila frowned. Sure, it sounded like they could easily take down this Grand Master with little problem, but it probably wasn’t going to be that easy. The black haired Assassin figured she would have a look after inspecting the Templar base down near the center of town.

Shadowstrike, Feather Duster’s partner entered the room and beckoned for them to leave. “The rest are already going. What are you three still doing here?”

“Right, sorry!” Feather Duster grabbed her scimitar and a satchel of throwing knives before heading out with her partner.

“Come on, Keila. I want front row tickets for this,” Ikram smiled and bounded out the door.

Mentor Shamal had gathered ten Assassins and sent them to raid the Templar stronghold, their objective to take down their new leader, Sombra, and to prevent them from ever finding the other artifacts buried within Masyaf. The new Grand Master’s name still puzzled Keila. Something was warning her at the back of her head that this man wasn’t quite what she thought he was, but she had no idea what else to think.

The group of Assassins had left through the top of their bureau, using the roof to get down to the other roofs before sprinting their way over to the Templar base, all the while sticking to the shadows.

As was usual for Saddle Arabia, the sky was mostly clear and free of clouds, but without much of the light pollution that major cities suffered from, the Assassins were able to easily slink from one pool of shadows to the next, completely invisible to anyone who might have been looking out for them, Templar or otherwise.

Since the enemy was in the same city, the Assassin crew soon found themselves outside the Templar perimeter, looking down into the compound from above.

“I got this covered.” Feather Duster quickly got on her belly and propped her sniper rifle in front of her face, flipping the scope covers open and loading the bullet into the chamber, all set to go. “I’ll let you know if I see anything noteworthy.”

The Templars had dug in deeply here, setting up their camps and expanding their perimeter. As they watched, a handful of guards gathered round a bonfire and began to eat their dinner. The entire camp was lit with numerous halogen lamps. These were the grunts, however. The important people were most likely sequestered within two imposing metal structures that were encircled with tents, lookout towers, and smaller buildings.

Keila and Ikram had already been here before, remembering the old way in. Unfortunately, the Templars had upgraded their gates since their last visit. Besides the two guards stationed outside the gate, a new sentry nest was positioned next to it, a man inside holding on to a shiny new machine gun of sorts with a metallic roof over his head, preventing any projectiles or air assassinations from reaching him.

“Weeeell…” Ikram shrugged. “Maybe we should find another way in?”

“There’s ten of us,” one of the other Assassins, Sting Wing, replied. “We can take that gun nest easy!”

“At the risk of putting the base in alert?” Keila reminded him. “Bad idea.”

“Well, do you have another plan?”

“Actually, yes. There’s a generator system inside that fenced in area over there,” Keila indicated a towering rectangular box with a soft blue light on it, just on the edge of the camp. “If we shut it down, we’ll be able to sneak in until they get it back up again.”

“Feather Duster can knock it out from here,” another Assassin pointed out.

“No, if the Templars see the bullet holes, they’ll know it’s us. We’ll have to manually turn it off.”

“A few of us should head in,” Ikram suggested, pointing to the guard tower around the side. “Perhaps we can jump in from that.”

“Yeah, okay. You wanna do it, Ikram, or should I?”

Ikram unhooked a wooden crossbow from his back and fitted a special bolt on it.

“Sweet dreams,” he said, and fired. The sentry in the tower slapped a hand to his neck before slowly sinking to the floor. “See you soon, Keila.”

The turquoise haired Assassin traveled along some buildings before making his way down to the vacant guard tower. He climbed straight up to the top instead of taking the stairs, before propelling himself as far as he could, off the railing and into the compound, landing with nothing but a soft thud as he rolled to lessen the impact.

Sticking to the deep shadows that the lamps cast, none of the guards even heard Ikram zip toward the generator and press his thumb onto an emergency stop button, plunging the entire outer camp into darkness.

“That’ll buy us a few minutes.” Ikram pulled his walkie-talkie to his mouth. “All clear, Keila. Get the others here quickly. I’ll find a good spot to hide before the lights come back on.

The blue coated Assassin kept low and proceeded along to one of the nearby storage sheds and kept to the walls, sinking into the darkness. He watched as the rest of his friends enter through the side gate after the sudden blackout caught the guards there by surprise, allowing the Assassins to take them down with ease. Not a single bullet was fired from their new turret as Keila led the group in.

“Nice one, Ikram!” Keila whispered as she gave him a friendly punch.

“Thanks, but we still have a target to find.”

“Yeah well… Yeah. Let’s go.”

Keila pushed past him and headed into the building, sneaking through a room filled with crates and cardboard boxes as the rest followed behind her through the building.

There was a guard along with a blue haired man in a suit standing by some crates, inspecting the contents, but they were dealt with easily. From the darkness, Shadowstrike emerged and pulled the guard back into the shadows; the other Templar didn’t even notice the guard’s disappearance.

The purple haired Assassin swiftly stuck a katar into the man’s chest as he held another hand over his mouth, the whole ordeal sounding nothing more than a cough.

Keila dealt with the last man, stabbing one of her knives into the back of his neck before pulling him into the shadows.

“Simple as that,” Ikram smiled and patted his partner on her back. Keila really was something else. He was glad he got to work with such a talented and beautiful woman. “Alright, let’s go on. The target should be in the main building. Shouldn’t be far.”

As they left the shed, the lights around them suddenly came back on, forcing the Assassins back into the building.

“Perfect,” Sting Wing grunted and looked ahead. “What are we going to do now?”

Ikram scanned the path ahead. The base only had so many lights, still leaving plenty of shadows for them to sneak around in. They would just have to be more careful now.

“Same plan. Just stick to the shadows like we were trained to and everything should be fine.”

A group of patrolling soldiers emerged from around one of the tents, panning their flashlights and rifles across the flat space ahead.

“Great.” Ikram ducked back behind a crate and rolled his eyes. “Just what we needed. Feather Duster. What do you see?”

“I’ve got them in my sights,” the sniper replied over the radio. “But you’ve got to be ready.”

“You guys all set?” Ikram whispered to his little team, receiving nods from all of them. “Alright. On my mark, we neutralize them all. Feather Duster.”

There was the sound of glass cracking along with the impact of something into the cement floor behind. One of the soldiers dropped dead as Ikram and the other Assassins left their cover, running straight for the other soldiers. Ikram hit the first Templar, drilling a knife right under his chin, while Keila slashed at a man’s legs before stabbing him in the neck after he fell. The other Assassins had pulled out their daggers and got to work on the remaining soldiers. The Templars didn’t manage to fire off a single bullet.

Silently and efficiently, the Assassins shifted the bodies into the shed before proceeding towards the main structures. Many of the windows were lighted, with some having Templars walking about inside. Ikram and Keila made especially careful observations at the windows, hoping to identify the Grand Master before arriving, allowing Feather Duster to take the shot, saving the Assassin team any trouble they might face on the way in.

“What does he even look like?” Sting Wing asked from behind as they crept behind a dumpster in between two tents.

“No one’s seen him yet, Sting,” Shadowstrike told the green haired Assassin.

“And we’re taking him down before he can do any damage,” Keila murmured over to them. “We’re not letting him learn the location of the other artifacts.”

They were about to go on when Ikram felt Keila grab on to his arm. “What?”

“Something’s moving.” He followed Keila’s finger to a portion of the floor as it rippled and bent like it they were standing in a pond of sorts.

Before they knew it, something began rising out of the darkness, wearing a long red cape over glinting steel armor with a large Templar cross on its chest. It was a grey-skinned man with flowing black hair which seemed to move on its own and glowing green eyes with red pupils. The man’s appearance alone forced Keila and Ikram a step back, the Assassins already feeling something off from the man before them.

Then they noticed something else: A bronze coloured sphere in his hand.

“The artifact…” Keila gasped as the man stood there, looking at them, his eyes glowing like fireflies.

“And just who might you be,” the man hissed and raised his left hand, the one holding the artifact. In an instant one of the Assassins standing next to Ikram burst into dust, quickly blown away by the wind. “This is my domain. You are not allowed here.”

The remaining Assassins sensed the danger and took a few steps back, their weapons raised and ready to fight.

The grey man bent back in laughter before flashing them a smile full of white teeth. “You think those puny weapons will hurt me? Bow before your new king, and perhaps I’ll let you live as my slaves.”

Immediately, the Assassins all knew who this mysterious figure was.

“Sombra…”

Sombra fixed his glowing eyes, which began emitting purple smoke, on the Assassin who said it and immediately disintegrated him with another blast of his weapon. “That’s Grand Master Sombra. As Grand Master, I ask you. What are you doing here?”

The Saddle Arabian Assassins quickly scattered, running back to the shadows as Templar guards began running in, attracted by the battle.

That was when Keila and Ikram realized their mistake. They had snuck in, avoiding as many of the Templar forces as they could, who now began making their way to the center. Now close to the middle and facing off against the Templars’ new Grand Master, the guards on the outer sections of the base now had them boxed in, meaning they were trapped.

Keila and Ikram had gotten separated from the others when the Assassins dove in different directions, doing their best to get away from the Templar Grand Master and the other Templars, now homing in from around them.

The two of them had managed to get back to one of the storage sheds, but the black haired Assassin turned back just in time to see another Assassin gunned down by some of the guards.

Keila gritted her teeth and gripped her blades tighter, but Ikram was there to stop her before she could run back out there to get vaporized by the artifact.

“Keila, we have to go,” he told her softly. “There’s nothing we can do. Our priority is to make it out and hope the others do the same. Don’t worry. We’ll stick to the shadows like we normally do and we’ll be out in no time.”

“But what if the shadows are not yours to use?” a dark voice boomed behind them. Both Assassins turned around in time to see Sombra melt out from the shed wall. “You think the darkness is your ally? I am the darkness!”

“Go!” Ikram pushed Keila and the two Assassins took off sprinting out of the shed and straight into a group of guards. Ikram instinctively threw down a smoke bomb, blanketing the area in thick smog as they ran for the outer wall. Gunshots could be heard from behind them, but they couldn’t stop. Not now. There was nothing they could do for their friends that were still behind them.

Then Keila was falling, sticking a hand out to break her fall as pain began flaring up her leg. Something had hit her, and it took all her strength in her leg to push herself back up. Her scream turned Ikram back around who hauled her up and over his back like little kids being given piggyback rides by their parents, only that this wasn’t a fun time at all.

“You’ve been shot!” he told her as she held on to him tightly. “Hang on! I’ll get us out of here!”

Ikram was still surprisingly fast with the weight of another person on his back. Keila guessed all those years of training as an Assassin in the dunes had paid off.

One guard stood in their way, his pistol drawn, but Keila still had her hands. Before the guard could pull the trigger, Keila’s knife had found its way into the Templar’s forehead, sending him down as Ikram hopped over his body.

“Good hit, Keila!” her partner smiled and sprinted on, holding firmly to Keila’s legs to keep her from falling off. When she got out of this, Keila was going to start respecting her partner more for taking her weight on his shoulders. Literally.

The turquoise haired Assassin was about to leap into the shadows again when hands suddenly pulled him and Keila back.

“Avoid the shadows!” It was Shadowstrike. He pointed to the gate and pushed Ikram to run, moving alongside him. “Their Grand Master now controls the darkness. I saw Desert Storm move to the shadows, only to be pulled deeper by that man or whatever he is. We cannot use them anymore. We’ve got to stick to the light!”

Keila felt Ikram tense up, but her partner did as Shadowstrike said, running right across the expansive space to the gate. Two soldiers stood by the metallic door, pointing their guns for the Assassins. Keila was about to ready another knife, but Shadowstrike and Feather Duster were faster. One soldier dropped almost immediately while Shadowstrike slid at the other one and kicked his legs from under him, allowing Ikram to push the gate open with a shoulder and rush out into the city.

Keila looked back to see Shadowstrike and Sting Wing, close behind her and Ikram.

Safe. At last, Keila thought and let herself relax. “Thanks for carrying me, Ikram.”

“I couldn’t leave you behind, Keila,” he grinned as he set her down by an oil drum, a good distance away from the Templar stronghold.

The Assassins made sure to avoid settling down in the shadows, just in case. It felt weird, not being able to use the shadows, but if the Grand Master had that kind of power, then they had no choice.

“What are we going to do now?” Keila asked the others as she began to deal with the bullet in her leg. She cringed as she finally managed to get it out. “We can’t attack them like that again. Not at night.”

“But that’s what we’re trained for!” Shadowstrike replied, throwing his hands up in the air in frustration.

Feather Duster returned, hopping off a building above and landing in a dumpster just opposite the Assassins. “I saw Ghazi take a bullet to the back of his head. So this is all of us, huh?”

Keila looked around and nodded. They had lost five of their brethren today, and who knows what might’ve happened if they had brought more. “Things don’t look good. That Grand Master… Sombra. He has the artifact. Not just that. He can use it!”

“I think we need to get Mentor Steel Shine down here,” Ikram said as he helped bandage up his partner’s leg. “She’s the only other person in the world that has an artifact. She’ll know how to handle this.”

“We’ll have to get back to the bureau,” Sting Wing got up after bandaging up an arm. “Tell Mentor what’s going on. This is not something we’ll be able to handle alone.”

Chapter 78: Saddle Up

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Frigid Night arrived at the lobby with Morning Blade just as their Mentor stomped one of her greaves, quieting the crowd of Assassins below the balcony.

“What do you think she wants to talk to us about?” Morning Blade asked her mentor.

“Templars,” Frigid simply said.

Their Mentor cleared her throat before beginning her speech. “Assassins. I’ve gathered you all here today because we’ve had news in Saddle Arabia. Troubling news. The Templars have snuck their way in from the seas, already having a portion of Masyaf under their control. I will be taking a few of you with me to Saddle Arabia to help out. This is going to be an important day for the Brotherhood all over the world. If the Templars succeed here… Let’s just say there will be nothing we can do to stop them.

“We’re also calling in Assassins from all the bureaus. All Mentors will be sending a portion of their people to Saddle Arabia to stop this threat. Now, those of you willing to go, please come see me and Star Lance in the meeting room. That will be all.”

The Mentor concluded her speech by disappearing out of sight, along with her lieutenant. Murmurs began spreading across the Assassins present; Frigid could hear decisions being made and questions being asked.

“Frigid, are you gonna go?” Morning Blade asked, pulling her braid in front of her. “This sounds pretty important.”

“We should,” Frigid nodded. “And I doubt Mentor’s going to let me stay here without one of them being around.”

“Is it because of that incident again?” Morning asked. “It doesn’t matter. They should know that people deserve second chances.”

“It’s fine, Morning. I’m used to it. That’s just the way life is now. If people can’t trust me, then that’s the way it is.”

“Oh…” Frigid’s apprentice sounded disappointed, but there was nothing he could do about it. If she didn’t like it that he had trust issues, then she didn’t like it. Simple as that.

“Come on. Let’s go,” he said and began heading for the stairs. “Might as well get this over with.”

“Dewdrop,” Velvet Breeze asked as sweetly as she could. “Do you think the Mentor’ll let me-”

“No,” was Dewdrop’s immediate answer. “I’m not letting you go to Saddle Arabia.”

“But-”

“No buts, Velvet,” Dewdrop patted the young girl’s head. “It’s dangerous. Mentor said so herself. It’s better if you stay here. Besides, you still have to train. Speaking of that… How has training been for you?”

“It’s been great!” Velvet bounced in her chair.

“I know Pierce can be a total bore sometimes- Wait, what did you say?”

“I said it’s been great!”

“Bu-but… It’s Pierce Network!”

Velvet tilted her head to the side. “What’s wrong with that?”

“Isn’t the man like, super boring and drags on and on about irrelevant things?”

“Yeah, he does, but sometimes he talks about some pretty interesting stuff. Did you know he used to be a vigilante in Chicoltgo in his earlier days? He had taken apart an entire conspiracy all by himself! He even took down the people that had killed his niece! I think that’s very cool, and he tells me all sorts of funny jokes!”

“Seriously? Jokes?”

“Yeah! I can’t quite remember what they are, but they’re funny.”

“Wow,” was all Dewdrop could say. “Just… Wow. I never knew.”

“How much time have you spent talking to him?” Velvet asked. “I mean, the more time you spend, the more you really get to know someone.”

“Well…” Dewdrop flipped her hair back. “Yeah. Only a little… But, he’s been teaching you? Like, properly?”

Velvet nodded vigorously. “Yeah! In a few years, I should be a master at it! Just one thing.”

Dewdrop raised an eyebrow. “Yes? What is it?”

“I don’t think a baton’s going to do well in a real fight,” Velvet kicked her legs back and forth under the chair. “Do you think you could teach me how to use a knife, Dewdrop? Or at least, something more… sharp?”

“Velvet, you know that’s a bad idea…” Dewdrop put her arms on her hips. “Mentor’ll have my head if she finds out.”

“Well, do it secretly then!” Velvet put a finger to her mouth and smiled.

“Satin wouldn’t have wanted this, Velvet.” The mention of Satin’s name pained Dewdrop, but she didn’t want Velvet ending up like her big sister. She had to keep Velvet safe no matter the cost. “She never wanted you here.”

The girl also looked like she was hit with a sudden wave of sadness, looking down at her feet which stopped swinging. “Satin wants me safe, Dewdrop… That’s what she would want. If I can’t protect myself… What happens if you’re not around?”

“I’ll be around, Velvet,” Dewdrop said and gave the middle-schooler a hug. “I’m going to be here for you.”

“But with all this Saddle Arabia stuff going on, what if the Mentor wants you to go?” Velvet looked at Dewdrop with big eyes. “Please, teach me how to use a real weapon, Dewdrop! At least then I’ll be able to protect myself properly.”

Dewdrop sighed but formed a small, thin smile on her face. “Alright, you win, kid. But remember, not a word to anyone.”

“Of course!” Velvet hopped off the chair and jumped excitedly. “So when do we start?”

"I guess someone got the word out, huh?" Twilight Sparkle laughed, then remembered they were in a public place today and lowered her voice. "Since you have that part in your book."

"Oh, ha, yeah, Velvet was the one who told me..." Morning Blade grinned, reminiscing on a time before Sombra attacked the bureaus. Even if things had been bad when she joined the Assassins, there were still her good moments of being part of the Brotherhood. Velvet was one of them. She was always a fun girl to be around with. "Have you seen her in the last couple of days, Twilight? How has she been doing?"

"Oh, I just went to visit her yesterday after I left you." Twilight fiddled with the pen in her hands. "She's still mostly bedridden, but she's getting better, that much I can tell. Our unicorns are working some good progress on her as we speak."

"Unicorns, huh..." Morning looked up at the sky, where there was a cloud that coincidentally looked like a horse. "But that's good that Velvet's doing better. She went through so much to get us where we are today. The end of the long war."

Twilight nodded. "Sombra was delayed because of Velvet and Sunset. Equestria owes them. It's our duty to make sure Velvet gets back all well and good."

"And for that, you have my thanks, Twilight." Morning put a hand on the princess' shoulder. "Thank you so much for taking care of Velvet."

"Like I said, we owe her too. Now, back to the story?" Twilight's grin widened.

"Right, sure. Let's see..." Morning flipped the page.

“You? Volunteering?” Star Lance folded his arms as he looked at Frigid Night. “I’d thought you’d want to stay here.”

“Well, you’re probably going to bring me along anyway, right?”

Star Lance nodded and almost smiled. “That’s right. Mentor’s orders. You’re going regardless. Glad to see that you’ll be there because of your own volition.”

Frigid Night, Morning Blade, Trueshot, Rose Petal, and even High Noon had gathered in the meeting room, volunteering themselves to go on the Saddle Arabia mission with the Mentor and Star Lance.

“From the reports of the Saddle Arabia Mentor, things are looking bleak,” Steel Shine began. “Their new Grand Master, going by the name, Sombra, has full control of the artifact. If we don’t do something, he could overtake Masyaf in a day or two.”

“Then why hasn’t he?” Morning Blade asked. “And by Sombra, do you mean…”

“Yes. The name of the old king of Masyaf,” Star Lance answered her question. “But that was a thousand years ago.”

“But the history books said he died long ago and was buried in his city,” Morning continued. “Unless this is a different person, but with the same name. But, how is that possible?”

“We don’t know,” Steel Shine shook her head. “That’s one of the things we have to find out when we get there. And as for why he hasn’t taken all of Masyaf, I personally think he’s still getting used to the artifact. These weapons,” Steel Shine put a hand on her sword. “Take some breaking in.”

Frigid nodded in approval at his apprentice’s understanding of history. He hadn’t taught her anything about the Brotherhood’s history, yet she knew about this king. She must have studied a lot of that while she was in school.

High Noon raised his hand, sitting in his corner. “Yeah, uh, why do I have to go? Why can’t I just stay here?”

Guess High Noon didn’t volunteer, Frigid thought to himself.

“We’d thought the change in scenery would do you some good, Noon,” Star Lance told him, his voice more relaxed than usual. “We just want to get you back to top shape. I know it’s hard to let go, but this is the life of an Assassin. Losing friends is inevitable.”

“Yeah…” High Noon sighed at looked away. “Thanks.”

Frigid almost felt sorry for his old friend, but things have changed. He wasn’t as close to the cowboy ever since Windy Sails had died. High Noon really missed her. Frigid didn’t blame him. He still missed Mirror Match, though he had gotten over the fact that she had only used him and didn’t care for him at all.

A few of the other Assassins began asking the Mentor questions. She carefully answered each one, making sure those going to Saddle Arabia had every shred of knowledge they needed before throwing themselves in battle.

“How do you feel about all this, Frigid?” his apprentice nudged. “It doesn’t sound or feel right.”

True, Frigid felt that there were just about to step off the diving board into the deep end, but he didn’t show it on his face.

“Don’t know, Morning, but whatever it is, we’ll be ready.”

“Has there ever been anything… you weren’t ready for?” Morning decided to ask, though she tried to pick the best words for it. “I mean, something that no matter how much you prepared yourself, it still posed a problem?”

Frigid knew the answer to her question, but he simply shrugged and shook his head at the same time. “We’re Assassins. It’s our job to be prepared for anything.”

“Oh, well… Okay then…” Morning Blade sighed. It was tough to get a straight answer out of her teacher.

“If that’s everything,” the Mentor said after getting up. “Then we leave at nightfall. Thank you for agreeing to doing this.”

Chapter 79: Sand and More Sand

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The journey to Saddle Arabia was long and boring. Frigid lost count of the amount of times he fell asleep in the plane, only to be woken up by turbulence every few miles.

Star Lance had met up with an old friend and contact in the Trottingham airfield, Airshift, who was the one smuggling them into Saddle Arabia via air transport. Sure, traveling by air was the fastest way, but Frigid Night wished that the man had a more advanced and sturdy plane. The Assassin felt like the craft was going to fall apart any minute.

“Frigid?” Morning Blade got his attention with a hand on his shoulder. “You feeling alright?”

“Sure,” he mumbled, making sure to increase his grip on the worn out leather seat. “I just hate air travel. It’s dangerous. Feels like we can just keel over any minute.”

He looked across to see High Noon almost as uneasy as he was. The cowboy flashed a weary smile to Frigid who nodded back to him. At least High Noon was done throwing insults at him. He turned to his apprentice, who didn’t seem to worry that they were in the air at all.

“You’re not bothered by all this?” his curiosity piqued by his calm apprentice.

Morning shook her head. “When I was still in school, I used to travel a lot during the holidays. History was my favourite subject, so I thought I’d see the world and all the historical sites it has to offer. So yeah, flying doesn’t frighten me much.”

“Well, that’s good. But I’m not frightened. Just uneasy.”

Frigid didn’t know why he bothered to act all tough and fearless, but he just forgot about it and closed his eyes again, returning to sleep.

He soon found himself awake again, staring out the window at a sunny, sandy expanse of land beyond the plane’s interior.

“Morning, Frigid,” Star Lance said, almost startling the grey haired Assassin. “You sure slept well. We’re here. Time to go.”

Frigid rubbed at his face and got out of his seat. It seems he did manage to get some good sleep after all. High Noon and a few of the other Assassins had already left the plane, while Morning still sat calmly beside him, a smile on her green face.

“Morning, sir,” she chuckled. “You look like you had a good rest.”

“Yeah…” Frigid scratched at his face. “How long since we landed?”

“Only about twenty minutes. I was just going to wait for you before we head out.”

“Well, let’s go then.” Frigid walked out the side of the plane and was immediately hit with the different climate.

Saddle Arabia was much hotter than any of the other cities he had been to before; sweat was already starting to form just under his hairline. High Noon had his hat on as usual, but in this situation, Frigid wished he had brought one along too.

Man, it’s hot. Frigid put a hand over his eyes as he trekked down a small staircase to the rocky pavement below. The Mentor was already ahead, talking to a few people in long coats.

“Assassins,” the Mentor said as the rest gathered nearby. “Welcome to Saddle Arabia. I know, the heat will take some getting used to, but if we’re efficient, we won’t be here long.” She raised a hand to man with black hair and a shaggy beard. “This is Mentor Shamal, the one in charge of the Saddle Arabia bureau. He’ll brief you on the happenings here.”

The man bowed and beckoned them to follow. “Welcome to our city. Things haven’t been going as we have planned I must admit. That’s why you’re all here. The new Templar Grand Master, Sombra, has full use of the artifact. And the worst part, he has control of the shadows too.”

“Umm… What’s wrong with that?” High Noon raised a hand, but immediately stuck it behind his back when one of the female Assassins, a woman with black hair, shot him a look. “Well, n-not like there’s anything wrong with it or a-anything. I-I was just won-wondering is all. N-no problems. Yeah. Just forget I said anything.”

“It’s fine, Noon,” Steel Shine said to him before explaining. “Saddle Arabian Assassins are trained in the old art of shadow walking. It’s a skill that was passed down since the founding of the Brotherhood. These Assassins are able to use the shadows to blend into their environments better than you are able to, almost disappearing from sight completely.”

“Yes,” Shamal continued, his dusty cloak floating along behind him. “Without the shadows, I’m afraid our sneaking just won’t do. We’re not so used to doing things like you Assassins just yet, so I hope you’ll all be able to get things done where we can’t.”

“What do you need of us, Mentor?” Frigid asked the new faces. “Whatever you need, we’ll get done.”

“The Templars are planning to expand. They’re scouring the city for clues on the other artifacts’ location. Our mission from here, is to stop them.”

“It’ll be the same then,” Frigid said, wiping sweat off his brow. “Just… A lot of sand and heat.”

“The sand’s only outside town,” the black haired woman pointed out to him. “And doesn’t mean it’ll be as easy as your home city.”

“It’ll take time to get used to, but we’ll get the job done.”

“Good spirit,” she nodded.

“This is Keila,” the Saddle Arabian Mentor put a hand in front of her. “She’s one of our best Assassins here.”

“Thank you, Mentor, but that’s hardly true.”

“And this is Frigid Night,” Steel Shine pointed to the white coated Assassin. “He’s become one of our best.” The Mentor turned to him and made a more serious face. “But he still has a lot to learn and a lot of trust to earn back.”

“Nice to meet you,” the one called Keila stuck out a hand for Frigid to take.

Great, Frigid thought as the Assassins moved out from the airfield, heading to a set of jeeps. More people trying to be friendly.

“Nice… to meet you,” Frigid mumbled as he shook her hand.

“Frigid, the people here seem generally nicer,” Morning said to him in the back of the sand coloured vehicles. It smelt of old socks and smoke. “They’re a lot friendlier than the Assassins on our side.”

Frigid sighed but agreed with his apprentice. Keila seemed genuinely interested to meet them. But Frigid wasn’t here to play nice. They were only here to take down Templars and leave. That was all.

“I’ll just keep speaking to a minimum. Don’t want to start trouble.”

Frigid watched from the corner of his eye as his apprentice looked down at her hands with a heavy sigh. He felt bad for always upsetting her so much with his attitude, but he didn’t want to let his emotions control him. He had lost so much along the way and he didn’t want to experience all of it again.

Then there was that nagging paranoia at the back of his head.

What if Morning Blade was going to betray me? I shouldn’t get too attached to her like I did with the others.

Frigid figured that distancing himself from everyone would make it better in the long run. Emotions were a hindrance. He would be better off without them, but no matter what, you could only harden yourself by so much.

Emotions will always be there, no matter how far down you keep them, and Frigid had pushed them really far away.

Timber stacked all his papers together before shoving them violently into his bag. This was his chance. Grand Master Sombra and Mahogany were away in Saddle Arabia trying to figure out the location of two more artifacts in one of the cities there.

Timber had tried to convince his brother that this wasn’t the same vision they once had, but Mahogany wouldn’t listen. The chairman saw Sombra as the one who would fulfill everything they ever wanted.

The scientist saw it differently. Sombra didn’t want world peace, he was sure of it. He was after something much bigger. Timber didn’t know what it was yet, but he was sure once the Templars fulfilled their purpose, then they were no longer needed. If his brother couldn’t see it, then he needed to go to someone who would.

He hadn’t told anyone of his plans, not sure who he could convince and who would go straight to his brother and inform him.

He shifted his glasses up his nose and picked up his briefcase before heading out the glass doors of the lab and towards the staircase leading to the carpark. He was almost to his car when he spotted two more familiar faces standing by the vending machine.

“Sir, there you are,” Test Tube saw him and stashed his coins back in his coat pocket.

“Test Tube! Quantum!” Timber quickly regained his composure and walked forward. “Yes. What do you need?”

“We know why you’re leaving, sir,” Quantum started after a sip of his soda. “And we want to go with you.”

“What? Really?”

“This new Grand Master is too much,” Test Tube continued. “We knew you would come to the same decision, sir, so we waited here for you.”

Timber couldn’t help but laugh. His scientists had come to the same conclusion after all. Sombra was only here because it suited him. Once they achieved his goals, what would become of them? Timber was sure he knew the outcome and it didn’t look nice.

“Then we leave now,” Timber said as he moved for his car boot. “We’re getting out and finding help.”

Test Tube got in the back while Quantum sat with Timber in the front. The head scientist started the engines and drove out of the carpark and down the street away from their lab. They had to go to someone. Someone who would believe everything they say and would be willing to help. Now the question was, who could they look to for help?

Timber only knew of another group that had a chance at fighting Sombra. He made a left turn at the next road and headed towards the Trottingham highway.

None of them noticed a dark motorcycle and its rider lurking in the shadows just outside the gates, following them with its headlights switched off.

Chapter 80: Hidden Ones

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Frigid Night looked out at the vast expanse of desert before his eyes, directing his vision to a small little settlement by a bunch of boulders. There were three tents pitched up in a circle around a campfire along with a few men patrolling the borders, rifles in their arms.

“Okay, Frigid Night,” Keila said beside him, standing from her prone position. She seemed to strain a little on one leg, but otherwise, she was fine. “If you’re as good as your Mentor says you are, this should be a walk in the park for you.”

Frigid stayed silent. Their mission was to infiltrate this outer Templar camp and stop them from proceeding further. Their target was a man named Blue Stripes, an average Templar.

Trueshot and another Saddle Arabian Assassin called Feather Duster stood behind them on a higher elevation of rock. The Stalliongrad Assassin had his new sniper rifle in his hands while the female Assassin had gone down on her belly and pulled out a bipod from her rifle’s barrel, her eye already down the scope.

“We’ve got you covered,” she told Frigid and Keila. “I’m the best eye out here.”

Trueshot chuckled and pulled back his slide. “Sorry. I think I’ve the better eye here.”

“Well, my gun’s a lot better if you can see.” Feather Duster panned a hand down her weapon. “Sleek, camouflaged, 7.62 rounds, bolt-action. All the power I need.”

Trueshot showed her his. “Well, mine only fires 9mm shots, but it’s semi-automatic unless I feel like changing it to full automatic. Able to take down multiple targets at once.”

“Not bad. You build that yourself?”

Trueshot put a hand on his hip. “Of course! Been a sniper for most of my life. Yourself?”

“Yeah, literally grew up with this gun here. Made her myself when I was younger.”

“This is going to be fun,” Trueshot smiled. He looked at Frigid and Keila and tilted his head to the campsite. “Go on ahead. Feather Duster and I have you covered.”

Frigid nodded and hopped down the rock. He remembered Keila probably had an injury on one leg or something, so he raised a hand to help Keila down.

“Why, thank you,” she smiled and accepted his help.

Running on the sand was much harder than Frigid had anticipated. He had to make sure to keep his balance or fall flat on his face. Keila was already way ahead, jogging around on the sand like it was concrete, even with one injured leg. Before he was even halfway to the Templar site, Keila was already crouching down behind a rock right next to their camp.

Seriously? Frigid thought as he picked up his pace, only for his feet to sink deeper in the sand. Perfect.

“Come on, Frigid,” Trueshot buzzed in his earpiece. “What’s taking you so long? Keila’s already there.”

“Not as easy as it looks, Trueshot,” Frigid replied flatly as he continued on, careful not to make too much noise as he got closer.

“Took your time,” Keila said without turning around, watching the Templars closely. “I’ve already found our target. The one with the stripey blue hair.” She pointed at the man in a red shirt and scarf by the campfire. “Okay, the plan-”

Frigid didn’t wait. He wanted to prove that he was capable of handling any situation. He whipped out two throwing knives and took off running to the camp. Men began pouring out of the tents to see what was going on as Frigid tossed his knives, taking down two guards immediately before jumping towards a third. He extended a shoe blade and slashed another Templar across the face before plunging his hidden blade into the guard’s neck. One guard pointed a pistol at him, but suddenly fell down, a hole in the back of his head.

A few more guards around began dropping as Trueshot and Feather Duster began picking them off one by one, making sure to get the ones that were targeting the yellow-skinned Assassin.

“Good shot, Feather Duster,” Frigid heard the Stalliongrad sniper on the radio. “But I took down more guys this time.”

There was laughter from the other sniper. “Alright, alright. But next time, I’ll be the one who’s shots make the most difference. Sound good?”

“Sure. Sounds fun, my new friend.”

Frigid continued fighting, slashing at every guard on the way to Blue Stripes, who was pushing men in front of him. Keila was soon behind him, taking down guards with two silver knives. The Trottingham Assassin split his hidden blades into their trident form and cut away at two more guards. One of them fell to his knees, allowing Frigid to kick off of the man’s shoulder and leap high above Blue Stripes, raising an arm, ready to deal the finishing blow. The Templar unclasped a pistol from his belt, but he was too slow. By the time he managed to pull his gun out, Frigid had already landed on him, pushing him against the sand with both knees, sliding a few centimeters.

Still unused to fighting on the soft sand, Frigid lost his balance, falling off the man and rolling once before stopping next to the campfire. Blue Stripes took this chance to retreat into one of the tents, firing blindly behind him as more guards emerged from inside.

Frigid felt two hands grab ahold of one of his arms and pull him up before he heard Keila’s voice.

“What were you doing?” she asked. “That was reckless. We hadn’t even come up with a plan yet.”

“I almost had him.” Frigid stood up and patted sand off his coat.

“Well, almost. That can mean life and death in most situations.” Keila eyed him critically. “Is this how you normally go about with your assassinations?”

Frigid ignored her and ran off to the tent, leaving heavy prints on the sand as he dashed for the target’s hiding spot. Another few guards dropped dead around him from the two snipers, and eventually, there were no guards left.

Frigid entered the tent and immediately dodged back out as Blue Stripes shot a few bullets in his direction.

“You think it so easy to defeat us, Assassins?” he shouted frantically as he reloaded a magazine. “Grand Master Sombra will destroy you all!”

Frigid circled around the back and cut a hole right into the tent. Blue Stripes turned around with a surprised look on his face, but he was too late to stop Frigid from stabbing him in the neck with his trident blade.

“Ah…” the Templar stumbled back as he clutched his neck. “No matter... This... is only the beginning. You cannot win...”

Frigid narrowed his eyes as he approached the blue haired man, who was slowly losing his strength. “What do you hope to accomplish? What does your Grand Master want to achieve?”

Blue Stripes dropped to the sand, blood flowing from his wound. “You’re better off… finding out on your own… I’m not telling… you… anything...”

The Templar spat one last time and slumped his head to the ground, dead.

Frigid sighed and got up, returning outside. Keila walked up to him and folded her arms.

“What?” Frigid pointed to the tent. “I killed him.”

“Yeah, and good job for that, but he could have told us so much more. Why salt the enemy well instead of capturing it for our own?”

“The objective was to eliminate the Templar targets,” Frigid said simply and cleaned one of his blades with a white cloth. “And that’s exactly what I did.”

“Could have stood to share your plan with the rest of us, though.” Keila headed over and knelt down to search the target’s body for anything of use. “There’s no point sending all of us if you just do your own thing.”

“I haven’t had a partner in a while,” Frigid admitted. “But I find this way much more reliable, don’t you think? Less chance of getting stabbed in the back like this.”

Keila squinted at Frigid, like he had suddenly begun speaking a different language. “That, may be one of the worst ways to put it possible. If we work together, we can watch each other’s backs. Or do you not trust us?”

“Sorry, I don’t quite trust anyone anymore. Only the Mentor, really.”

“You have issues, Frigid Night.” Keila eyed him one last time before returning her attention to the Templar’s body. “Found a phone, but it’s encrypted. I’ll get our hackers on it or something once we get back.”

There was a short spurt of laughter on the other side of the radio before Trueshot spoke.

“Too bad Pierce isn’t here, yeah? He could hack that with a hand behind his back.”

“I’m pretty sure our guys are better,” Feather Duster said.

“Have you seen our guy? Pierce Network is really the best hacker out there. Haven’t seen anyone better. The only problem is that he has almost no personality.”

“Well,” Frigid interrupted them. “It’s about time we head back. We should let the Mentors know what we found.”

Frigid turned and climbed back up in preparation to return to the other Assassins, with Keila staring at his retreating form, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“That one’s hiding something,” she muttered. “And since when did he give the orders around here?”

"Not a lot of good Frigid is doing to his reputation, huh?" Twilight Sparkle asked. "Back in Equestria, Captain Frigid isn't like this."

"Yes, well... he went through a lot, Frigid..." Morning Blade huffed and looked up at the ceiling. "I mean, I don't agree with what he did, but what's done is done, hmm? I can only what would've happened if he and Keila would've gotten along. Things might've been different now."

"Yeah. We can think a lot of what might happen. But we can't change any of it, Morning. We only regret things when we look back."

"That is true. We should look forward, huh?" Morning smiled and touched her eyepatch. "I guess you're right, Twilight. Nothing more I can do about it. I wonder what Keila is up to now? I hope she's doing okay."

Chapter 81: A Meal and Creamer

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Timber pushed the door to a small cafe in Trottingham’s city, Test Tube and Quantum following behind him. They had finally arrived in the main Assassin stronghold and all they had to do was find an Assassin. The sun had already set behind the tall buildings, casting shadows across the streets. The sight reminded the Templars of old folktales where monsters roamed the streets of Trottingham, but that wasn’t important at all at this time. They had to find an Assassin, somewhere in the city and convince them to help.

Piece of cake, Timber thought in his head as they sat down and ordered drinks. He didn’t give it any thought on how to actually find one of them. Soon, the waiter arrived and served them, but they were still no closer to finding an answer to their problem.

“So what now, boss?” Test Tube asked as his hands cradled a cup of coffee.

“We just need to find people that don’t want to be found,” Quantum mumbled at the table.

“Yes,” Timber nodded. “We need to look. What does an Assassin look like? It could be anyone. We just need to analyze the people carefully.”

The scientists looked around, but it was as it always was anywhere in the world. People were about doing their own things, minding their own business. There were a few people in hoodies, but they didn’t seem to bother about the Templars themselves, seated at the table.

“I don’t know,” Test Tube raised both eyebrows and sighed. “There doesn’t seem to be anyone gunning for us.”

“Perhaps we just need to wait,” Timber pointed to their drinks. “Give them time. Just relax and drink up.”

“Yes sir.” Quantum and Test Tube clashed their mugs together and swallowed the contents.

Timber smiled faintly and got to his coffee. “So why did you two want to come with me? I thought I was the only one who disagreed with the new management.”

“This guy is different from your brother,” Test Tube admitted. “He didn’t give us a choice to serve under him or not. Did you see what he did to Wolfgang? I mean, that guy doesn’t even come to the lab to bother us anymore. He’s so civilized now!”

Quantum scratched at his chin. “And I have a feeling he doesn’t aim for world peace. There’s more to it. A thing of such power? I’m sure he’s aiming to rule over the world.”

“With only himself at the top,” Timber added. “Yes. That’s what I thought. He’s not like my brother. He doesn’t want to unite the world, but Mahogany just won’t see it.”

“The chairman has waited for so long to find someone who can wield the Apple. He’s not going to give it up now.”

Timber put a fist to the table and adjusted his glasses with his other hand. “That’s what we need to do. We must show my brother the truth! We need to uncover Sombra’s true plans. That’s why we need the Assassins. I’m sure they can help us.”

“What makes you so sure they want to help us, sir?” Quantum asked. “We’ve been against them all these years and suddenly, we appear in their home asking for their help?”

“Yeah…” Test Tube leaned back and crossed a leg over a knee. “If I were an Assassin, I wouldn’t be too quick to trust a group of Templars.”

“We need to convince them…” Timber looked out the cafe window at the busy streets. “But how do we get the people we’ve been fighting against to believe us? That we want to help them…?”

“Well, you’re in luck,” someone said from another table. All three Templars turned to face a woman in a dark coat, the hood pulled low over her head, though Timber could see a teal braid out of her hood. “Yes, I’ve been listening to your conversation, and yes, I know who you are, Templars. Let’s say I’ve been deciding what to do with you, but I figured I’d let you say what you have to say before I decide.”

“Uhhh…” Timber mumbled and cleared his throat before looking at his companions. “What do you guys think?”

“Well, we were looking for an Assassin,” Quantum shrugged and pointed to the hooded woman. “She fits the description, I guess. Go ahead, sir. See if they’re willing to help us.”

“Yes, go ahead,” the woman said before turning around to face them. Her eyes were hidden in the shadows under her hood, but Timber could still see her amused smile under them. “What problem must you Templars have that you come to us for help?”

Timber rested an arm over the chair and began, “It’s our new Grand Master, Sombra. He doesn’t carry the same goal and outlook as the rest of us. I’m certain whatever he has planned is far more sinister.”

“And what do you mean?” the Assassin’s smile faded.

“He’s got the entire lot of Mahogany’s organization under his thumb, and he’s-”

The woman clapped a hand over the scientist’s mouth, silencing him. She appeared to be looking over their shoulders, out onto the shadowed street. The scientists followed her head’s direction, right out to look at a slim figure all in black with a closed helmet astride an equally dark motorcycle. A few inches of green and brown hair fanning out under the helm’s collar told them more than enough.

“It’s Mirror Match!” Test Tube hissed and ducked his head under the windowsill. “How did she know we were here?”

“She must have followed us,” Quantum gritted his teeth. “We should’ve known!”

Timber removed the Assassin’s hand from his mouth. “Assassin, you’ve got to help us! She’s trying to silence us!” The scientist was sure the Witch of Manehattan’s mouth was curved into a smile under that helmet.

“You can take her, right?” Quantum said quietly. “I mean, there’s a reason we’re all scared to sleep at night with you Assassins prowling the rooftops, uh, no offense.”

“We Assassins are good, but not that good,” the woman breathed and continued to look out the window. “And besides, Mirror Match is on a different level, if you haven’t noticed. I won’t be able to take her on my own.”

“What? Why not?”

She turned her head to the man, her face giving him enough information to know not to push it.

“Alright, alright.” Timber raised his hands in surrender. He looked around the cafe, looking for another way out. There was only the one door at the front of the establishment. “How do you propose we get out?”

“First of all, how do I know I can trust any of you?” the Assassin asked. “You might be here just to trap me after all.”

“Oh, no,” Timber quavered. “She’s coming in!”

The black-clad Templar agent pushed the glass door open and headed to the counter, not looking once in Timber’s direction. She faced her back to them while she placed her order, her helmet still on her head with the visor down.

“There’s no way out!” Test Tube began to panic. “What are we going to do? What are we going to do?” He looked to the other two scientists for help, his shaking increasing in intensity by the second.

“Shh!” the Assassin hissed. “You see those people coming in?” She pointed to a flock of late night workers who were making a beeline for the cafe’s door. “When they come in, move into their group and go out the door. Harder to spot you that way.”

“She’s bound to see us! There’s no way we can get past without her seeing us!”

Timber put a hand on his friend’s shoulder to get his attention. “Do as she says. It’s better than sitting here and waiting to die.” He turned back to the Assassin. “What about you? We still need your help.”

“I’ll be ready to make a move if Mirror tries anything,” the Assassin’s mouth twitched, which Timber’s minor degree in psychology told him meant she was nervous. He sympathized. “Just go, before the crowd is all in here,” Timber felt her hand press something into his palm. “Meet me here once you get out. If you’re serious about Sombra being trouble, then I think we have more to talk about.”

The head scientist nodded and pocketed the piece of paper before getting up, motioning for his companions to follow. He walked as calmly as he could towards the door, pretending to look out the window while keeping an eye on Mirror Match from the corner of his eye. She was still placing her order by the looks of it.

The first man outside pushed the door open, rushing in with a crowd of his friends behind him. Timber used the chance to get him and his Templars out the door as the workers came in, using the crowd to cover their exit as Mirror continued to face her back to them.

What on earth is she doing? Is she playing with us?

Timber hoped the agent was really as oblivious to them as she looked. He didn’t want to walk into a trap and get killed tonight. Not yet. He still had a job to do. Information to relay. He had to make sure Sombra was stopped and that his brother would see the truth.

They made their way to the man’s car and got in, only breathing once they closed all the doors. Timber looked outside, relieved to see that Mirror hadn’t followed them out.

“So what now, boss?” Quantum asked as he locked the side door, just in case. “Where to?”

Timber took out the piece of paper the Assassin had given him and looked at it. “We go look for the Assassin. She said she’ll meet us at this address.”

He handed the paper to the white haired scientist and started the engine. He hoped the Assassin was true to her word.

Spectral Rim warily crossed the few meters between herself and Mirror. The Templar agent stood by one of the windows, seemingly entirely focused on her cup of coffee. Her visor was still down, giving off the eerie impression that she was looking both everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

The Assassin pulled down her hood, and picked up a sachet of sugar and a straw. She kept part of her vision on Mirror Match, watching to see if she was going to make a move to go out after the Templar scientists. It all seemed like she had no idea they were here at all, but Spectral knew that wasn’t the case. The girl was a lot smarter than she had let on when she was with the Assassins. Spectral had seen it firsthand.

A packet of creamer fell from Spectral’s fingers and she glanced down to pick it up again. At the same time, she suddenly became aware of a presence at her side.

“Let me get that for you,” a muffled voice said before two long, black gloved fingers swiped the creamer from the floor, returning it to the Assassin.

Spectral instinctively took a few steps back and raised her gauntlet in front of her. “What are you doing here?”

“Getting myself a straw,” Mirror replied coolly, her finger brushing against the Assassin’s knuckle. “It’s difficult to enjoy my coffee without one.”

“A straw for coffee?” Spectral raised a suspicious eyebrow. She put her other arm behind her back, just in case she had to draw her knives.

Mirror nodded once. “Indeed. How else am I to drink it?”

The Assassin unconsciously rubbed the finger that Mirror had touched. The very point of contact felt oily and damp, which somehow seemed wrong.

“What did you do?” Spectral lifted her finger for the Templar to see.

Mirror inserted the end of her straw into her cappuccino and took a long drag of the scalding liquid through one of her helmet’s breathing holes.

“Oh, that? It’s moisturizer. Your skin is terribly cracked and worn from stress, Spectral.”

The Assassin looked at her hands and then wiped the finger against the cloth of her skirt. “Well, thanks, but it was extremely unnecessary. And why don’t you just take off that helmet to drink your coffee?”

“Hmm, well I could take it off…” Mirror crept closer so that their bodies were almost touching. “But do you really want to see what I’ve got under it again so soon?”

Spectral Rim remembered the fangs in the traitor’s mouth and shuddered slightly, though she managed to keep a tough face.

“Just leave your helmet on then. So, what do you want? Why are you in Trottingham? You’re not getting Pierce. We’ve made sure he’s safe from you.”

To Spectral’s surprise, Mirror gave a good-natured guffaw.

“Oh, yes. Well, you’ll be pleased to hear that the tedious little man has been bumped down a few spots on my list of priorities. As for why I’m here, I simply followed those eggheads from the labs. They were childishly easy to track.”

“Doing the dirty work for the new Grand Master? How about that queen of yours?”

Mirror stiffened for a brief second. The straw found another hole in her helmet and an angry sip was taken.

“It’s not that simple,” Mirror said, her voice brittle. “Royals are always demanding. Whether it’s a king or a queen, they want things done their way, and King Sombra wants every one of his subjects following him unquestioningly.”

“Well, you’re not taking the scientists back, if you want to know.” Spectral glared at her reflection in Mirror’s visor, hoping she was looking at the Templar’s eyes. “We’ll find a way to beat you.”

“Oh, I can think of several ways to do that right here,” Mirror breathed. Spectral took a step back as the Witch of Manehattan advanced on her, hips swinging and one gloved hand tickling the Assassin’s cheek.

Spectral glanced around in desperation. While the shelf of condiments was relatively hidden from view of the rest of the patrons, pulling a weapon here would most definitely violate the Creed, as well as several city laws. She was left with no choice but to stare at Mirror’s leather encased form, leaning as far back as she could and trying not to think about how well that skin tight outfit accentuated all her curves…

“Come on, Spectral,” Mirror’s voice wormed its way into her head, while the Templar laboriously tugged down the zipper of her jumpsuit, exposing a couple of inches of skin. “Just you and me. No one else has to know.”

“No no, what…?” Spectrum felt her head begin to spin, grabbing ahold of the table counter behind her. “No. Frigid… Aren’t you with him? What are you doing?”

In a blur, Mirror had steered the dazed Assassin out a side door and out into the streets. A light fog swirled through Trottingham, hiding the two from view of any bystanders.

“Beautiful night, isn’t it?” Mirror purred, pressing her marshmallowy chest against the Assassin’s own, the leather squeaking slightly. “Reminds me of the koi gardens back at the Emperor’s palace, you know?”

“What are you… talking about?” Spectral tried to push the Templar away, but her fingers felt tingly and weak. Why was she suddenly like this? “What did you do to me…?”

“Nothing.” Spectral let out a throaty moan as Mirror’s fingers squeezed her rear. “You’re just reacting to how most humans do when exposed to my charm. You taste so nice, by the way…”

“N-no, I don’t know what you’re t-talking about…” Spectrum grabbed Mirror’s arm and did her best to pull it away, but couldn’t.

Unbuttoning Spectral’s grey coat, Mirror snaked a black gloved hand under her white shirt, a finger drawing little circles on the Assassin’s collarbone before wandering down her top, each digit worming under the cloth and sending little tingles of excitement down Spectral’s spine.

What’s wrong, Spectral? Why can’t you push her away and grab a dagger?

“Oh, it’s damp out,” said Mirror quietly. Spectral’s own flushed and sweaty face was plain for her to see, reflected in the Templar’s polished visor. The Assassin wasn’t sure what was going on, but she felt her senses slowly slipping away as she continued to stare at her face in Mirror’s helmet. The space in her mind was slowly being taken up by the woman before her. In a moment of lusty desire, the Assassin thrust her head out and gave Mirror’s helmet a few sloppy licks. “And the weather’s not the only thing that’s wet, is it now?”

No, Spectral! What’s gotten into you? Snap out of it! It’s all a trick! She’s messing with you! Stop. Stop this...

That last piece of rational thought was thrown down a chasm of mental blankness that opened up with Mirror pressing her knee between Spectral’s legs at a very sensitive spot and pushing her over the edge.

“Ooooohhhh, yesssss…” Spectral moaned as her legs shuddered beneath her. She grabbed Mirror’s helmet with both hands and lifted it off her shoulders, revealing a very amused face of the Templar agent. She softly caressed Mirror’s cheeks with both hands, badly wanting the Templar to do more. “More, Mirror… Please…”

Moving her face forward, Spectral placed her lips against Mirror’s own, hungrily looking for the Templar’s tongue with her own. Moans escaped the Assassin’s mouth as the Witch of Manehattan fought back, entwining their tongues together. She winced as Mirror replaced a hand on her chest, squeezing softly.

So good...

Soon, their mouths broke apart, Spectral breathing heavily, her cheeks glowing like a street lamp.

“Well, that’s all the time I have for today,” Mirror Match smirked at the putty of an Assassin that she held in her arms, still basking in her afterglow. “Now to clean up.”

Ever so gently, Mirror opened her mouth and kissed Spectral on the neck, sucking on the skin before driving both fangs into the Assassin’s flesh. Spectral went limp in Mirror’s arms and the Templar agent set her down softly next to the door.

Retrieving her helmet from the ground, she gave the visor a quick wipe before lowering it back on her head. Then Mirror tore open a packet of coffee creamer and dusted the contents over Spectral’s upper lip and around her nose. The Assassin sneezed, but couldn’t do anything about wiping the contents off her face.

“Thanks for the meal, sweetie,” Mirror blew Spectral a kiss and sauntered away, her hips swaying hypnotically in the streetlights. “If you’re still interested, you know where to find me. Ciao.”

Chapter 82: Trying Friendship

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Frigid Night stood with Keila in Mentor Shamal’s office, waiting for the Saddle Arabian woman to explain the details to both Mentors. Trueshot and Feather Duster seemed to have made a fast friendship. Both snipers had headed to the armory to compare their guns, no doubt.

Frigid looked around the cement office, surveying pictures on the walls of different Assassins and mounted weapons, which were mostly curved swords or knives. This was also the first time Frigid didn’t see Star Lance with the Mentor. Back at the bureau, they were never apart. The Assassin figured the lieutenant must be out there doing fieldwork.

“And that was what happened, Mentors,” Keila finished, with a quick glance at Frigid. “That’s why I think he needs to learn some team skills.”

“Mentor, I disagree,” Frigid added after Keila was done. “I did my job. The target is dead. The mission was a success.”

Keila pouted and crossed her arms. “Yes, but as I have told you, Frigid, he could’ve told us more. And besides, you didn’t explain your plan to us from the start. I had no idea what you were up to.”

“I knew what was going to happen,” Frigid countered. “Plans are never fully used anyway. It’s better to just have the rough idea and finish it.”

“That’s… so ridiculous!” Keila raised her volume a little, though she was still controlling herself. She turned to the Mentors and pointed at Frigid with a hand. “Mentor Steel Shine, do you agree with him? His logic is flawed! I’m sorry, Mentor. I’ve tried to be nice to him. I really have, but he just doesn’t want to accept my friendship or my suggestions.”

“Frigid Night,” Steel Shine said calmly. “Please come with me.” The spectral haired woman stood up and beckoned for him to the door.

Frigid sighed and turned to follow, ignoring the stare Keila was giving him.

Now what…

“Frigid Night,” his Mentor said as soon as he closed the door behind him. “As an Assassin, you know working alone is dangerous. That is why we assign you in pairs unless otherwise stated. Communicating with your partner is highly recommended out in the field. Hasn’t having a new apprentice taught you that?”

“Yes, Mentor…” Frigid bowed his head. “I know. I just… I don’t trust them. What if they stab me in the back? Like Mirror Match did.”

“What if I stab you in the back?” The Mentor arched an eyebrow at Frigid. “These Assassins are not the usual Assassins you deal with, Frigid Night. They didn’t join up like you or High Noon. They grew up in the Brotherhood. Being an Assassin isn’t a job to them; it’s a way of life. Refusing to cooperate with them is somewhat of a faux pas with them. So perhaps you could acknowledge their cultural difference and do as they say?”

“Okay, okay. I’ll give it a try, Mentor.”

Frigid leaned back against the wall and nodded as he thought about it. Frigid didn’t want to be culturally insensitive to these Saddle Arabians, but did he dare place his life in their hands? The one woman, Keila, was being awfully nice to him; it was something Frigid hadn’t received from anyone in a long time, even from High Noon. Frigid decided maybe he should at least try to be nicer. All he had to do was complete his missions here, then he was back home in Trottingham to teach Morning Blade.

Morning Blade. Frigid wondered what his apprentice was doing now. What the Saddle Arabians have tasked an apprentice, Frigid had no idea. Maybe sharpening some weapons or surveillance duty.

“I’ll be heading back to Trottingham in three days time, Frigid,” Steel Shine continued. “If you want to come back with me, you can. Otherwise I’ll have you stay here and assist with keeping Sombra away from his goal.”

Frigid smiled and nodded again. “Yes, I would like that, Mentor. I never thought I’d miss home so much. I can’t wait to get back to training.” Though it was mostly a lie, Frigid did want to get out of the hot and sandy place. The sand just got everywhere. He had even found sand in his hidden blade mechanisms, which probably explains why the Saddle Arabians use their knives more; it was less maintenance that way.

“Very well,” the Mentor made a move towards the office door. “But while you’re still here, I expect you to be on your best behavior. We can’t afford to fight among ourselves when, for the first time in history, the Templars are united under someone who can use their artifact. Stay on your guard, Assassin.”

“Will do, Mentor,” Frigid said as he turned away from his superior. “Thanks, Mentor.”

The Assassin headed down the open corridors as the Mentor returned to the office. They were most likely going to be talking about him; he hoped they didn’t have too many problems to talk about. Frigid decided to look for Morning Blade. He might as well see what his apprentice was up to while he waited for another mission.

Frigid wandered around the Saddle Arabian bureau, taking in the architecture while he searched. Most of the bureau was open-aired, with few rooms being air-conditioned, allowing the hot wind to blow around inside, irritating Frigid. The grey haired Assassin had no idea how the Saddle Arabians could deal with such weather. Then again, they did dress with less layers and they did grow up here, learning to live in the heat from young.

He eventually found Morning Blade by one of the training halls, dressed in a black tank top and pink shorts, giving a punching bag a volley of swift punches. From the sight of her sweaty form, Frigid figured his apprentice has been at this at least an hour.

“Hey, Frigid,” the white haired girl greeted as he stopped beside her. “How’s life beyond the walls?”

“Truthfully? Not where I want to be. I’d rather be back in Trottingham or somewhere without sand. I’m never going to a beach for holidays ever again.”

“Oh.” Morning gave the bag three more punches before taking a step back and pushing sticky locks of hair out of her face. She pulled her braid forward and began smoothing it out. Frigid noticed how the damp clothes clung to her body, bringing out its attraction, but she was still only a young girl, so he averted his eyes and tried to think about other things. “How about some sparring?” she suggested. “Perhaps you could teach me some new tricks?”

New tricks. In reality, Frigid Night had held back teaching Morning Blade everything he knew. That was what had happened with Mirror Match. He had taught her all kinds of skills and tricks, giving her everything she needed to survive. What did she do with all of it? She stabbed him in the back and threw him down a pit, which resulted in the death of his old teacher, Dust Fencer.

Frigid was afraid. He was afraid his new apprentice was going to turn his life upside down so he only taught her the essentials. All the specialized and self-learned skills, he kept to himself.

“Uh, if it’s okay with you, Morning, I’d rather not. Not right now.”

“Oh,” Morning said rather disappointedly. “Really? I mean, we’re going to be here a while after all…”

“Sorry, Morning,” Frigid shrugged. “I’ve got a lot on my mind, and I don’t think I’ll be able to help you out much right now. Maybe I can go get one of the Saddle Arabians to spar with you. Their fighting style is a lot different from any I’ve seen since my early days.”

“If you insist…” Morning threw her braid over her back and continued punching the bag.

“That’s the spirit,” Frigid tried to say with enthusiasm, but it came out more flat than he had hoped. He had to think of something better to say. “If anything, Morning, you have a good fighting spirit. That’s something a lot of the Assassins lack. Something I lack sometimes...” Frigid sighed and shook his head. “Alright, enough said. You can go back to training. I’ll see you later.”

“Bye, Frigid.” Morning Blade looked down at her hands as her mentor left. “Lacking sometimes, huh?”

Chapter 83: Back to the Safehouse

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Timber, Test Tube, and Quantum sat around a round wooden table, waiting for the Assassin that sent them to this small safehouse to arrive. There were two more Assassins in the room, one standing in front of them while another one, wearing glasses, stood over to their left by the door. They hadn’t looked too pleased that Templars had arrived at one of their secret safehouses.

“Will she be here?” Test Tube mumbled as he twiddled his fingers. “Seems like a trap to me… What if she only sent us here to kill us?”

“Everything will be fine, Test Tube,” Timber assured. “We have information they want. Besides, they want to get rid of Sombra as much as we do.”

“Well, you better hope you do,” the male Assassin in front of them grunted. “You’ve seen one of our secret hideouts, and obviously, we can’t let you leave alive if you don’t help us.”

The three of them had already been sitting about for at least two hours already, still waiting for the Assassin that met them at the cafe to arrive. Timber hoped that Mirror Match didn’t get her. The Assassin had said she would deal with Mirror Match if she followed them, and that might’ve been the case.

“You’ve got to send someone to look for her!” Timber quickly stood up but was pushed back down by the Assassin. “Mirror Match might have gotten her! Someone’s gotta go check!”

“Quiet,” the woman at the back said almost like a whisper. “You’re too loud. But you’re right. I’ll call her to make sure she’s safe.”

The bespectacled Assassin whipped out a phone and put it to her ear after pushing a few buttons.

Timber and the other scientists waited anxiously as the silence dragged on. Whatever it was, the other Assassin was not picking up the call.

“Come on, Spectral…” the Assassin muttered as she made a few more attempts to get through.

After a few more minutes, her eyes suddenly went wide as someone on the other end picked up.

“Spectral? It’s Silent,” she began and turned around to face the door. “Where are you? Yeah, they’re here. What? Are you alright? Oh. Well… Alright. See you soon. Take care.”

The Assassin pocketed the phone and looked at the Templars. “She’s fine. She just ran into a little complication. She went back to the bureau to change her clothes before making her way here.”

“Well, that’s a relief,” Timber nodded as sincerely as he could. He didn’t want to seem like he wanted her to die.

“She should be here shortly,” the one called Silent replied.

“That’s good.”

The mood thickened noticeably. “So why are you here, exactly?” the Assassin leaned against the back of a chair. “Why are you betraying your brother?”

“I’m not betraying my brother. Not at all,” Timber continued, much to the confusion of both Assassins. “The new Grand Master has corrupted him. Mahogany has been waiting all his life for someone like him. Sombra’s goals are not the same as ours, but all my brother wants is to follow someone who can use the artifact to do what he never could. He can’t see that Sombra is bringing them down a path that doesn’t lead to peace.”

“To be honest, I don’t think you’d be on the road to peace even if this Sombra wasn’t around,” the Assassin in the shadows muttered.

“But we were!” Test Tube protested, leaning forward. “With the artifact, we would unite the world! No more wars, no more fighting, no more disagreements! A perfect world for everyone.”

The man in the shadows rolled his eyes. “Yeah, whatever. You still haven’t told us what you want.”

“We want you to stop Sombra,” Timber finished for his associate. “I want to free my brother from that… monster. He didn’t give us a choice to serve him. I don’t know if my brother is willingly following him or not, but the madman has to be stopped. That’s why I’ve come to you for help. You’re the only people I know who are capable of standing against him.”

The two Assassins exchanged dubious glances before retreating into a corner and whispering rapidly.

Timber sat on the chair and watched them uneasily. Did they believe him? Did they think it was all a trap? He didn’t know, nor could he hear them, so he played it cool. He was a scientist after all. Scientists did research before deciding if something was real or not.

“What do we do now?” Test Tube asked the other Templars. “Where do we go from here?”

“Already did the math. There’s three of us, and only two of them, meaning we outnumber them if it comes to a fight,” Quantum muttered under his breath. “But taking into account that each of us can’t even crush a soda can without straining ourselves, I think we’d best stay sitting down.”

“They’ll see our reason,” Timber looked to the bright side. “After all, we have information that can help them. It’ll be fine.”

It was at that moment that there was a pounding on the door. Both Assassins’ weapons immediately jumped into their hands and flattening themselves on either side of the door frame.

“Get down!” the female Assassin hissed to Timber and his men.

The Templars did as she said, crouching down beside the table. Timber’s heart beat harder in his chest as he began playing the possibilities in his head. It could’ve been anyone outside.

“Who is it?” the male Assassin said in as casual of a tone as he could muster.

“It’s me.”

Timber perked up a bit. He recognized that voice. The Assassins seemed to as well, because they slid the bolts from the door and ushered in the female Assassin from earlier. She did not look good. The woman’s eyes seemed hollower, there was white dust crusted around her nose and upper lip, and there was what appeared to be a oval shaped bruise on her neck, like a love bite.

“Spectral!” The female Assassin immediately ran to support her as the male closed the door. “What happened to you? What’s that all over your face? Are you alright?”

“Have… have you been taking drugs?” The male Assassin stepped closer and squinted at the white grains on Spectral’s face.

“It’s just creamer…” she replied with little energy. “And I’ll be fine. Just let me sit down for a bit…”

Silent led her friend over to a couch by the corner and placed her there. The one who first met them, Spectral, leaned back and closed her eyes while the other two Assassins stood close by her.

“So?” Silent prompted after a good five minutes. “What happened?”

Spectral breathed in and crossed her arm with a sigh that didn’t sound all that upset.

“I ran into Mirror Match.”

“She didn’t hurt you did she?” Timber heard concern in Silent’s voice. They must know each other well.

“No…” Spectral twirled a lock of her hair around a finger. “No, she didn’t hurt me.”

Timber and the other two visibly relaxed once they saw it wasn’t Mirror Match who walked through the door. The man stood up and clapped the Assassin on the shoulder.

“And you said you couldn’t take her,” he said with a nod. “So she’s dead?”

“Er, no,” Spectral said quickly, suddenly very interested in her boots. “Mirror got away.”

“That’s a shame…” The male Assassin spun around and sighed. “So she’s still out there, waiting… Did you at least wound her?”

“You, hmm, could say that. She left her mark on me.” Spectral pointed out the bruise on her neck. “Bit me then ran.”

“Looks like a hickey,” Silent commented.

“It does not!” Spectral’s face blushed a deep crimson. “Anyway,” she switched subjects before anyone else could object. “What’s the verdict for these three?”

Silent pushed her glasses closer to her face and looked at the Templar scientists. “I would say they’re telling the truth. “They’re not red.”

“Yeah,” the male one nodded. “They want to get rid of their new Grand Master as much as we do.”

“That’s right,” Timber joined in the conversation. “Sombra is stronger and scarier than even Mirror Match. If he gets what he wants, I don’t know how long we’re all going to survive. We need you to stop him.”

Spectral put a hand to her head and groaned. The other Assassins looked at her but she waved away their concern.

“I think we could use their help. They’re scientists, and they’ve worked in the Templars’ inner circle. As the Mentor says, intelligence is everything in our line of work.”

“Yeah, that and a sharp blade,” the male added. “So what is he planning?”

Timber took a deep breath to steady himself. “Sombra plans on finding more artifacts in Saddle Arabia to destroy his opposition, mainly, you. From what I can gather, he doesn’t plan to bring peace. Only war, but… there’s something more to it. I’ve seen the way he speaks and the way he keeps staring off into a certain direction. There’s more to his plan than he’s letting on. I’m sure of it. I just don’t know what, exactly.”

“Well, if anything, he must be sure of his plans,” Spectral spoke up. “The Templars have never dared to take such a big step in Saddle Arabia until now. Either that, or he’s just not using his brains.”

“The Assassins there say he can use the shadows against them,” Silent told the others. “Saddle Arabian Assassins are known for their skill in shadow walking. Your new Grand Master easily took that away from them. I doubt that’s an artifact power.”

“Well, someone more powerful than Mirror Match is powerful indeed…” the male Assassin mused.

“So what are you saying?” Spectral asked her friend. “That this Sombra is… not human? Is that even possible?”

“Well, I doubt Mirror Match is a human too,” Silent folded her arms. “Don’t you think so? After everything you’ve seen?”

“Uhh… Well… I…” The blue-skinned Assassin’s face maintained a solid shade of red as she tried to find the right words to use. “I, you know… If you say so, Silent.”

“Are you alright, Spectral?” her friend asked. “Your face is all red.”

“I said I’m f-fine!” Spectral bend down and buried her face in her lap.

It didn’t take learning psychology for Timber to know she was hiding something. Something had happened earlier; something she was afraid of sharing.

Silent seemed to be adamant in getting her to talk. “No, Spectral. You’re not. What’s wrong? What happened.”

“I-I don’t want to… Silent…” Spectral shook her head. “It’s not important.”

“Spectral,” Silent said more sternly. She walked over and put a hand on the other Assassin’s shoulder. “You’re my best friend. You can tell me anything.”

The teal haired Assassin looked up at the others, her face still flushed. “N-not in front of t-them…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” Timber quickly interrupted. This secret she was holding was definitely more delicate than he had first thought. “You don’t have to tell us here. You two can talk later, alone.”

“Very well,” Silent nodded. “You can tell me later back at the bureau, Spectral.”

Spectral nodded her thanks for the Templar scientist and leaned back again. “I believe they’re telling the truth, guys. They want this Sombra gone as much as we do.”

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend, huh?” the male Assassin crossed his arms and tapped a foot. “Well, I think they’re alright. Silent Frame?”

“They deserve a chance,” the bespectacled woman said. “Besides, we could use some information.”

“We won’t disappoint you,” Test Tube stood up and saluted like he was standing before a general. “We’ll do all we can to help you stop Sombra.”

“What he said,” Quantum stood up and stretched an arm out. “By the way, name’s Quantum. The young one is Test Tube. I’m sure you already know Timber? A member of the esteemed Wood family.”

“Of course,” Silent nodded and pushed up her spectacles. “I’m Silent Frame. These are Spectral Rim and Harrier.”

“Thanks, Spectral,” Timber said again. “For getting us here and for dealing with Mirror Match. I know it’s dangerous so, I want you to know we appreciate it.”

“Ri-right, yes.”

Timber realized throughout the conversation that the Assassin, Spectral Rim, would start blushing whenever someone mentions Mirror Match’s name. Something did happen between them, and Timber had sort of an idea what might have went down.

Part of him wanted to question the Assassin about it, but he knew it wasn’t his place to ask, so he held back. He didn’t want to make them think he was a weirdo.

Harrier walked to a nearby refrigerator and opened it. “Well, you three can stay here for the time being. We’ll make sure to stock up the fridge for you when we get back. Make yourselves at home.”

Silent placed a hand on Spectral’s forehead before quickly drawing back. “You’re running a fever, Spectral.” She scooped her friend from behind and hauled her up. “I’m taking Spectral back to Dr. Patch. I’ll see you guys later.”

“Well, I should get back to my mission then,” Harrier acknowledged and opened the door for them. Then looked back to the scientists one more time and waved. “Take care of yourselves.”

Chapter 84: Age Old Discovery

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Frigid Night awoke the next morning with a huge yawn and stretch. The floor under him was hard but he somehow managed to get a good night’s rest anyway. He looked back to the bed to see his apprentice, still asleep atop the softer mattress, dressed in her black tank top and grey sweatpants, the blanket tossed over to her right leg. Frigid leaned over and pulled the sheets over her shoulders.

The Saddle Arabian Assassins didn’t have much spare room, so Mentor Steel Shine had ordered each pair to share rooms. Unfortunately, that meant Frigid had to share a room with Morning Blade.

It wasn’t like he didn’t like her. Frigid thought she was a pretty girl; she was caring, she was smart, and quite athletic too. But she was just too young for him. That’s why he had slept away from her and on the floor. She deserved someone else. Someone better.

He stood up and scratched at his head before moving to pick up his coat. The night had been a lot cooler than he had expected, but by the time he had realized it, he was fast asleep with his coat hung on the nearby chair. Frigid was thankful that it was only his coat he removed and not his shirt as well. He might’ve frozen over during the night.

He did a few stretches before leaving the room, looking for the canteen. It was still early, the air around him was still cold. The Assassin finally found it two floors and a few corridors down, walking into the expansive closed room. It was almost the same as the Trottingham bureau’s, but it was painted grey-blue instead.

Frigid grabbed a plate of what looked like burritos from the counter, nodding his greetings to the mess Assassin as he headed off. Only a few other Assassins were awake and in the canteen, allowing Frigid to get a whole table to himself. He noticed the food didn’t come with any utensils. Frigid just shrugged and grabbed his breakfast with both hands and took a bite.

Not bad… Frigid thought to himself as he chew. Saddle Arabians sure knew how to-

Then he began feeling something prickly and before he knew it, his mouth was burning.

“Haht, haht!” Frigid hopped off his chair and ran to one of the water dispensers.

The few Assassins in the canteen watched him with amused faces, but Frigid didn’t care. What mattered now was getting some water to douse down the inferno in his mouth. He quickly grabbed a cup and painfully watched as the water slowly flowed into the cup; it was as though time had slowed down for him. When he finally felt like the cup was filled enough, he put it to his mouth and gulped down all its contents.

It wasn’t enough.

Frigid grabbed a second cup as he began filling the first one again, gulping down cup after cup after cup. Finally, after about the twelfth one, Frigid felt the heat dissipate, followed by a sigh of relief from within his throat.

“Not used to the spice there, partner?” someone clasped him on the shoulder. Frigid knew the voice.

“Yeah, never really got into spicy food,” Frigid told his old friend as he took a few long breaths.

High Noon stood behind him with his hat in his hand. “Well, so… H-how’s it going?”

“It’s fine,” Frigid wheezed out. “Just that I’m very sure I don’t like it here now.”

“Oh, well, uh… Good to know, pal,” High Noon feebly smiled. “Any missions today? I had a good one with a Saddle Arabian called Ikram yesterday. He’s pretty awesome. You should see him dance through the enemy with his swords. Uh… They’re called skimi- scimy- something. But the way he moves and everything, just wow.”

“At least you’re enjoying yourself.” Frigid began making his way back to the table, High Noon following behind. “I, on the other hand, still prefer to work alone.”

“Yeah… I’ve noticed. Frigid, maybe you sh-should… move on, you know?” High Noon sat beside the grey haired Assassin and sighed into his arms. “When Windy died, she was all I could think about. I regretted not making my move sooner. She loved me as much as I loved her, but… I was too late. I still think about her sometimes, but I still do as I’m told.”

Frigid nodded and gave his friend a pat. If anything, High Noon was still somewhat special to him. He had fought with the cowboy before bringing him to the Assassins. They had plenty of good times and bad times, but here they were, still alive.

“I’m sorry about Windy. I wished I could save her. Satin too. I’m not very good at saving people am I?”

“I don’t know, buddy… But, it looks like we all lost someone, huh? Dewdrop. Me. You.”

“Yeah…” Frigid pushed his plate away and looked to the ceiling. “We’re gonna make these Templars pay. That’s one thing I’m certain of. That’s why we joined after all. To give our lives for the safety of this world.”

“I’m glad I knew you, Frigid,” High Noon reached out a hand. “I’m sorry I was… hostile towards you. Still friends?”

“Sure.” Frigid shook his hand.

High Noon gave him one more smile before looking to the plate of half-eaten food. “Is it really that spicy?”

“Take these, Spectral,” Dr. Patch said and handed her a cylindrical container containing pink pills. “In a day or two, your fever should go down.”

“Thanks, doc,” the teal haired Assassin smiled and took the container.

They were about to leave, but Silent Frame stopped Spectral before turning back to Patch. “Patch, one more thing. Spectral said Mirror Match had rubbed some kind of liquid on one of her fingers. Do you think you could inspect it and find out what it is?”

Patch rolled her chair over and took the hand Spectral held out. “Hmmm… I can’t really take a sample now. Most of it’s been evaporated already… But there’s still your blood I can check. If you don’t mind of course?”

“Not at all,” Spectral shook her head and waited as the head medic got her equipment ready.

Patch cleaned out Spectral’s arm before plunging a long, thin needle through her skin and into one of her veins. Spectral winced, but it was nothing more than a little prick otherwise. Soon, Patch was done and wheeling herself over to the a microscope by her table, placing the blood in a little slide.

Spectral Rim and Silent Frame waited by the doctor’s side, anxiously waiting to see what Mirror Match had rubbed on Spectral.

“You want to sit down first?” Silent asked her partner, walking over to grab a chair for her. “You’re not well after all.”

“Thanks,” Spectral said and sat down. “But what do you think she did? That Mirror Match?”

“I’m not sure… but after what you told me…” Silent put a finger to her chin. “I’d figure it was some kind of mind control bug, or something that made you drowsy.”

“But I was totally a-aware of my actions,” Spectral looked down and blushed. “I remember everything. I just don’t know why I... acted the way I did...”

“It’s fine, Spectral. Patch will figure it out. Right, doc?”

“Of course!” Patch replied as she continued to look down the microscope. “And I think I may have something.”

“Let’s hear it,” Spectral said, wanting to know exactly what Mirror had done to her.

Patch spun the chair to face the two Assassins. “I’m not a hundred percent sure, but I think I’ve found traces of an aphrodisiac in your blood. Are you sure she didn’t just inject you or something?”

Spectral’s face drained in colour. “Aphro-aphrodisiac? N-no. Mirror Match simply rubbed something on my finger. She said it was moisturizer.” She started feeling woozy and leaned back against the chair.

“What, and you actually bought it?”

“I… I didn’t know…” Spectral put a hand to her head. “S-so… because of this I…”

“It’s fine, Spectral. You don’t need to talk about it again,” Silent put an arm around her shoulders.

Patch waved the two Assassins away, claiming she wanted more time to examine the sample alone. Spectral followed Silent back to her room, deciding spending a bit of time with her friend would dull the shock of her encounter with Mirror.

“I can’t believe she did that!” Spectral groaned into Silent’s pillow as she dropped face first on her bed. “Whhhhyyyyyyyy… I thought she was in love with Frigid? What is she doing?”

“Could be she’s just playing with you,” Silent said as she walked over to her wall. There was a wooden board full of pictures and notes hung up all around its frame. “Remember what happened to Glimpse? I don’t think Mirror really loves anyone but herself.”

Spectral sat up and nodded her head. “And I made fun of Glimpse too… I’m partially to blame for why she left, I’m sure. I hope she’s doing alright.” Then she took a closer look at Silent’s wall and widened both eyes. “What’s all this?”

Silent turned around to proudly display her months of work. “It’s my research on Mirror Match. All this is my little project on the Witch of Manehattan.”

Spectral only had one word. “Why?”

“Glad you asked.” Silent pointed at the board from one end to the other. “After all the… powers Mirror Match has displayed, I had gone back through my books to find out what she could possibly be.”

Spectral felt this was leading to something interesting. “So… What did you find out?”

“She’s definitely not human,” Silent said after a pause. “She’s able to heal herself, as we have seen firsthand. Explosions are not something humans can easily walk away from.”

“And Star Lance did say he ran her through with a spear,” Spectral remembered.

“Yes, and I also have a list of other… ‘feats’ Mirror Match had shown us.” Silent pointed to a particular piece of paper. “Fangs, claws, accelerated healing, speed, strength, poison resistance, transformation, you name it. She’s also claimed to have lived, what, over a hundred years at least? Not human.”

“Well, if she’s not human, then what is she?”

“I’ve looked back in history for any records of people who were able to do things like Mirror Match. Like that glove she used on you. You remember that?”

Spectral recalled the night they had set out to face Mirror Match with Pierce Network. Mirror Match had used a glove with some kind of flints built into it to start a fire that almost burned the hair off the Assassin’s head. Spectral shuddered, but remembered the heat and explosion.

“What about those gloves?”

“There were records in history of an old mage that had used those. Her name was Beatrix, and she used to perform illusions and magic tricks for the royal court in Old Canterlot. The royals loved her. That glove was one of the tricks she had to make it look like she could start fires.”

“Now that’s an interesting bit of information,” Spectral nodded and leaned her head against Silent’s pillow. “So you’re saying Mirror Match somehow got her hands on that?”

“Either that, or she made one herself,” Silent clicked her fingers. “But it could be possible that Mirror Match has been around that long.”

“What, for real?” Spectral raised an eyebrow. “That’s at least a thousand years!”

“I don’t know, but from what I learned, we should never underestimate Mirror Match or her abilities.”

“Gah!” Spectral covered her face with her hands and sighed. “I don’t know what to think about her!”

Silent walked over from her wall and sat at the edge of the bed. “Well, whatever she is, she’s not like anything we’ve ever faced before. She first came to us like a sweet, innocent girl, but now…”

“She’s really turned out to be quite the mastermind, hasn’t she?” Spectral’s face grew red again as she remembered her actions towards Mirror Match recently. “And what about the queen? Any mention of her in your history books?”

“There was one,” Silent continued. “Have you ever heard of the tale of Draculina?”

“What, that old vampire story from Romarenia? What about it?”

“Draculina was the countess of Trotsylvania. She kind of ruled over the city there, something like a queen, you could say.”

“Alright… And what does Mirror Match have to do with this queen?”

“The version you’ve read is the revised edition of the story, with Countess Draculina and her vampire kin being vanquished at the end by the hunters, Silver Spray and her group. The truth, however, is far less comforting.”

“What, you have the real version?” Spectral, for the first time since last night, voluntarily formed a smile on her face. “Where’d you get something like that? And how do you know if it’s true? Could just be some faked recording or something.”

“It’s all handwritten.” Silent headed to her drawer and dug through a pile of books before finally returning with an old looking one. The cover around the book was an old cow skin, cracked and hardened from age. “And this… Doesn’t look fake, does it?”

“I don’t know…” Spectral remained partially skeptical. “Anyway, go on. What did you want to say?”

Silent Frame smiled and cleared her throat. “Her real name was Countess Winter Solstice, and reportedly, she wasn’t a vampire at all, but something completely different. The kid, Velvet, also mentioned that the vampire Rovena served a Winter Solstice, if I recall.”

“Uh, right. So, you going to tell me what she was?” Spectral asked, awaiting further description. “Was she a werewolf, perhaps?”

“The writer doesn’t say, but on this one page near the end, it makes mention of a small, jagged black dagger that inflicts poisoning on one of the characters. Interesting, wouldn’t you say? The exact quote being ‘a knife of green and black, crooked like a crone’s back and dripping with an unknown toxin’. The writer also mentions he had been poisoned by it, but received the cure. There is a cure, Spectral. For that dagger.”

Spectral and all the other Assassins could never forget the black dagger Mirror Match wielded. She had killed three of their friends using the weapon, and even Dr. Patch couldn’t save them. It was a poison that was unfamiliar to everyone in the medic wing.

“So does that mean that witch has really been around for that long? Oh, she also did mention some emperor’s koi garden when I… You know… So does that mean she’s been telling the truth?”

“It seems so,” Silent closed the book and put it on her lap. “At least, from what I have. There’s not much of concrete evidence, though.”

“But this is good! We’ve got to tell Mentor!” Spectral hopped off the bed, but immediately regretted it. It felt like she was suddenly hit with a hammer; she fell back down on the floor, knocking her head against the bed frame.

“Spectral!” Silent helped her up and against the bed. “Careful. You’re not well.”

“Ah, yeah… I’m not… Sorry.” The Assassin rubbed the back of her head. There was definitely going to be a bruise there. “I think I should get some rest later. What should we do? We need to tell the Mentor! This is important information!”

Silent Frame thought about it, then sat down beside her friend. “I’m not sure that’s such a good idea,” she said.

“What?” Spectral was taken aback. “Why not? You’ve almost figured out what Mirror Match really is! That’s important, right?”

“Think about it,” Silent mused darkly. “The bureau’s already scared witless of Mirror Match. Do you think that’ll change if we tell them that she’s over a thousand years old and has probably survived this long by being even more brutal than she’s been with us? I’m telling you, Draculina alone features people who were more skilled than us. And then there’s the possibility there might be more than just Mirror.”

It was all so much to think about. Spectral Rim placed a hand over her heated head and groaned. “Too much, Silent. It’s hurting my head. You want us to keep this information to ourselves because it might lower morale? What about us?”

“Unless you feel like asking Patch for an amnesiac, there’s not much we can do now, is there?”

“Great. Just great…” Spectral closed her eyes, welcoming the dark. “So we’re pretty much doomed, huh? Our morale’s gonna just drop to a low point and stay there?”

“Well, neither of us is on Mirror’s hit list, so there’s no reason to be afraid…” Silent tried to be upbeat, but then settled back into a brood. “We really can’t tell anyone, can we?”

Spectral sighed and looked over to her friend. “Guess not… At least I’m not alone in this. I hate the be the only one holding a secret.”

“Well, you know what they say,” Silent brushed off her hands and stood up. “Two’s company, three’s a crowd.”

Chapter 85: Sugar Rushed

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Frigid Night had been paired up with the black haired Keila again, both of them not too happy with the choice, though the Saddle Arabian Assassin was better at hiding it.

They made their way down the busy bazaar streets, pushing through crowds of people towards the side. The sun was beating down against their faces, forcing Frigid to pull up his hood. Keila didn’t seem to mind it at all.

This time, Frigid and Keila were after a familiar target. The Templar he had lost the other day: Sugar Rush. Frigid didn’t plan on letting her escape again.

“So what’s your plan, oh great one?” Keila jokingly asked. She still put a tinge of niceness into her voice, but Frigid knew she probably didn’t want to be out here with him.

He had heard about her actual partner, Ikram, and how he was such a ‘wonderful man and great partner’. She probably wanted to be with him instead.
“Well, I say we head into the crowds and search for her,” Frigid decided to say. “Then when we see her, we take her down. Simple.”

“What about Templar backup?” Keila folded her arms. “You don’t think she could set up an ambush? The Templars are getting bolder by the day.”

“They don’t even know we’re coming for them,” Frigid scoffed. “So how could they set up an ambush?”

“I don’t know, maybe it’s because they’re in one of the greatest Assassin strongholds of all time and they need to be prepared?” Keila answered sarcastically.

“We’ll see then. Let’s just find our target first.”

Keila narrowed her eyes but Frigid went ahead, pushing through the crowds while he searched for Sugar Rush with his eagle sense.

“I see her,” Keila pointed with one hand before lifting her hood over her head to conceal herself.

Frigid followed her finger to the main square where the Templar was positioned. Sugar Rush wasn’t doing anything in particular, but she had a bottle of water to her mouth as she sat on a polished rock, staring out into the crowds as people shifted from store to store, looking for things to buy.

“Guards to her left,” Frigid pointed to two men in plain clothes, though through eagle vision, they were highlighted in red and wore obvious Templar crosses on their shirt pockets. “I don’t see anymore. I’m going in.”

“No, wait!” Keila grasped Frigid by the arm. “Don’t you think it’s a bit suspicious? At all? Only two guards?”

“She mightn’t know we’re coming for her.”

“If only, huh, Frigid Night?”

Frigid stopped listening and pushed forward, though a bit more carefully. Even though Keila only annoyed him, she had a point. There could always be other Templars hiding around, out of sight, waiting for the command of the woman out there.

Sugar Rush still didn’t seem to notice them, but she was sitting away from the crowd, meaning Frigid and Keila would have to break cover to get to her.

Frigid had to be fast. If she even saw them coming, and if she did have more backup, then they might be in a little trouble.

He put a hand into his coat and grabbed a throwing knife, ready to make it quick before anyone could react.

“Frigid. Wait,” Keila called behind him. “Hey!”

Frigid pushed past the last of the crowds and brought the knife out of his coat. The first Templar guard by the side immediately drew a suppressed pistol from his jacket, but Frigid got him first, chucking his knife straight into the man’s chest.

Sugar Rush brushed her grey hair aside and jumped back behind the second guard as he fired a few rounds at Frigid. The Assassin dodged to the side as the crowds became aware of the weapon in the Templar’s hands, quickly scattering away from the stands and streets, retreating as far as they could from the commotion. Keila was pushed back by the sudden receding wave of people, unable to get to Frigid’s position.

Sugar Rush herself reached behind her back and drew out a short sword made of glittering black crystal. As Frigid closed in on her, the Templar swung the blade, sending a dark crescent of energy slamming into the Assassin with enough force to throw Frigid onto his back.

“What? Oof!” Frigid yelped as he landed on his back and then his front as he flipped over. At the same time, Frigid was overcome with a desire to duck, scarcely avoiding a volley of gunfire aimed at his head.

Things didn’t look so great. Here he was in the open, with a gun pointed at him and a Templar wielding some kind of magic sword.

Sugar Rush flourished her sword at her side, then stabbed at Frigid, an arrow of dark energy tearing past his shoulder and crisping the cloth as it did.

“How did I miss?!” Sugar Rush yelled.

The white clad Assassin saw his chance and leapt clear of more bullets before throwing two knives at the Templars. The first one was deflected by Sugar Rush, while the second one stabbed the guard in his arm, dropping his gun to the ground.

The female Templar lashed out with her black blade again, sending a wave of dark energy in an arc towards Frigid, who skillfully slid under the attack, though he hurt his knees on the hard paved ground. Frigid leapt up and extended his hidden blades in a textbook air assassination, but Sugar Rush stabbed her sword into the ground and a spire of black crystal erupted from the point of contact, almost skewering Frigid on its pointed surface. He slammed into the solid black surface before bouncing back into a tree before sliding a few inches on the ground, tearing his sleeve a little.

How in the world am I supposed to get this done? Frigid thought to himself as he sat back up and stared at the Templars. The guard had retreated behind a sculpture of a man holding a sword while Sugar Rush smiled slyly while standing out in the open, her sword tip pointed to Frigid.

“Come on. Admit defeat. You can’t beat us now. Grand Master Sombra is more powerful than you can ever imagine.”

Frigid wasn’t going to have any of it. He unsheathed all his hidden blades and sprinted for Sugar Rush. The Templar slashed another wave of darkness at him, but this time, he leapt clear over the deadly arc, spinning himself back to his feet before resuming his advance.

Sugar took a surprised step back before cutting downwards with her black sword, slashing a vertical wave forward. Frigid took a step to the right and hopped ahead, feeling the warmth of the blast behind him as he lashed out with a trident blade.

The Templar caught the blade with her own, parrying a few more of Frigid’s attacks while trying to find an opening for another attack.

The other Templar emerged from behind the sculpture, but Frigid simply spun a bladed foot over, slashing him across the chest, knocking him down.

Sugar Rush took the small window of chance and slashed down. Frigid caught the sword in both trident blades, holding the black crystal up inches from his face as the grey haired Templar pushed down with all her might.

Frigid put his legs into it, keeping it up, while slowly pushing it back towards her. A soft cracking could be heard as Frigid continued to get the blades away from himself, noticing cracks forming along the crystalline blade.

Before he could try anything else, both Frigid and Sugar were blown back with what felt like the force of a bomb, something Frigid knew from experience.

Frigid pushed himself off the ground, noticing a constant ringing in his ears, which didn’t soften as he put his hands to his ears. Sugar Rush lay on the other side of the square, holding only the handle of her sword; the black blade was gone. She also began to recover from the blast, taking a look at her destroyed weapon.

She pointed at Frigid and said something, but the Assassin couldn’t hear her. She turned around and began hobbling away, leaving the sword handle on the ground.

Frigid didn’t give chase, instead, falling to a sitting position as he waited for the ringing in his ears to die out. It was having a serious effect on his balance, forcing him to sit still and wait.

Well, this is just brilliant. Way to let her leave, Frigid. He saw a pair of shoes stop in front of him, looking up to see an angry-looking Keila looking down at him with her arms crossed. Perfect. Now we have her too.

She began saying something, but Frigid still couldn’t hear any of it. Then he noticed the people behind her. Civilians, still watching them from the stalls and buildings.

Keila bent down and hauled Frigid up under an arm and took off, heading away from the bazaar and probably began heading towards a safehouse or at least some place more isolated.

“...you thinking…?” was the first thing Frigid heard as his ears started to regain their functionality. Footsteps, crowd chatter, and Keila’s voice increased in volume around him. “I told you to wait! Why didn’t you listen?”

“I had it,” Frigid groaned as they stopped inside a small building. The room had a single couch and nothing else. He slowly walked to a wall and leaned against it as he slid down to a comfortable position. “I even managed to break that special weapon of hers. Where were you?”

“Stuck in the crowds, thanks to you.” The Saddle Arabian Assassin was mad, but she still tended to Frigid’s injuries, grabbing cloth and ointment from a small box under the couch. “I thought you agreed with your Mentor that you were going to be a team player?”

“I did. And I did tell you my plans.” Frigid pushed her hands away and waved. “I’ll be fine. Are you?”

“I’m fine. You do realize that our Mentors are going to have some serious words with you once we get back?”

“What? I did as I was told. I shared my plans with you. And besides, the Templars had a new weapon. A powerful one. At least I managed to break it.”

Keila rolled her eyes. “Think, why don’t you. If that was the only weapon of its kind, why’s a random Templar who’s not even in the inner circle have it? There are more out there, and my hunch is always right in these cases.”

Frigid looked away from her and checked out his sleeves. “At least I figured out how to break one. It just requires a lot of pressure. It’s only effective from a good distance away.”

“Yeah, whatever. What kind of Assassin just goes out into open combat like that? Don’t they teach sneaking where you come from?”

“How were we going to sneak there? The crowd thinned, there was no cover to use, and they were probably expecting us. Sometimes, combat is what you need. That’s why we train in more than just sneaking. Don’t you Assassins?”

“You could have used a smoke bomb or used a disguise,” Keila shot back. “There were at least three ways I could see to get to Sugar Rush without being spotted.”

“Well, you didn’t. Maybe next time you should move faster.”

“Only because your own lone wolf complex didn’t allow for any kind of teamwork at all. We’re supposed to work together, in case you missed the memo?”

Frigid sighed and checked his trident blade functions. “Isn’t informing you of my plans more than enough? I personally think comparing plans would only slow us down. It’s better to act on instinct than to talk about it.” Frigid pulled down his hood and smoothed his hair out. “That would all take too much. Time the Templars could use to counter your plans.”

Keila was so outraged that she actually took a step backwards.

“By the sands, what is your problem, Frigid Night? What you’re saying contradicts everything we’re taught as Assassins. Do you think it’s permanently opposite’s day, or are you just that thick?”

Frigid stood up and turned his back to her. “Doesn’t matter. We should get back to the bureau. We’ve got a weapon to investigate.”

“Fine,” Keila vaulted out the window and onto the balcony. “Meet you at the bureau.”

And with that, she was gone. And so was Frigid’s guide to the maze of streets and alleys that led back to base.

“Blast.”

Chapter 86: Responsibility

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"Gee, Frigid really doesn't make it easy, huh?" Twilight Sparkle asked, watching as a little boy pointed at the ducks in the pond. "He really has such trust issues."

"Tell me about it. He wouldn't even teach me at first." Morning Blade rolled her eyes. "I had to learn how to play dirty in order to get some of my assassinations. I must say, it's not something I'm very proud of, but... you do what you need to do to survive, huh?"

"Well..." Twilight scratched her face, unsure of what to say.

"Okay, this isn't something I should try to justify." Morning decided to look at the clouds in the sky. The wind was strong today, blowing them along. "So yes, if Frigid had been trusting here, I'm sure he and Keila wouldn't have had so many problems. But like I've said before, we can only guess what might've happened. Anyway, so what I did next in Saddle Arabia..."

Morning Blade had returned to the training room back at the bureau, deciding to keep herself in shape during her stay here. Plus, it was nice to get out of her robes; the weather was just too hot here, and her room wasn’t air-conditioned.

She ran rounds around the room, keeping to her standard regime like when she was still in her school’s track team. Morning Blade still missed school; she had great friends, teachers, and principals. She wondered how Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna were doing as she increased her speed, completing her fifth round around the vast room.

Morning could feel the sweat begin to form around her skin as she finished her tenth round, slowly leveling out her pace as she continued on; her black top was already beginning to stick to her.

Since joining the Assassins, Morning Blade hadn’t gotten a chance to run as much as she wanted besides the usual running along rooftops. It had taken some getting used to, but Morning had eventually adapted to the parkour skills that the Assassins utilized. She had mainly learned them all from Frigid, but others like Dewdrop and Rose Petal had also given their contributions to her experience.

The Assassin apprentice thought about her master, wondering what he was doing out in the field right now. He had left earlier with the Saddle Arabian, Keila. The two of them didn’t seem to get along well, but then again, Frigid didn’t look like he got along with anyone, though it was mainly his fault. Still, she admired him. He was a tough, persistent Assassin.

Having taken interest in history class, Morning had gone around asking about her teacher, learning everything she could about him to get to know him better. The white haired girl had recorded it all in a small notebook, but wished she hadn’t. Frigid Night had gone through tough times, changing him into the man he was now. Morning didn’t want to have to ever go through everything he did; she doubted anyone would want his pain. She felt sorry for the Assassin, but Frigid rarely accepted help or even friendship from anyone.

High Noon had told her he was basically Frigid’s only friend; the other Assassins had lost their trust in Frigid after a few dealings with a Templar, Mirror Match.

Morning snatched up her bottle of water and took a long drink. Mirror Match seemed to be at the heart of a lot of issues, now that she thought of it. Nearly every Assassin at the Trottingham bureau was convinced that the so called Witch of Manehattan was a monster of some kind. Trueshot had even gone so far as to say she cavorted with vampires.

Morning noticed someone by the door and looked up. It was one of the Saddle Arabian Assassins, and if she recalled, his name was Sting Wing or something. He had on a grey hoodie and brown combat pants.

“Hey,” he smiled as he leaned against the door frame. “Morning Blade, right? That’s some training you’re doing. Building up your endurance? The sands here can be a real challenge if you’re not used to it.”

Morning put down her water bottle and saluted. “That’s right, sir. Never know where I might have to go next.”

“Sir?” He wore an amused face. “Oh, you don’t need to be so stiff. We’re all Assassins after all. The only ones we really show respect to are the Mentors. You can relax. We’re all the same here.” He cracked his fingers before walking over.

“Oh.” Morning loosened up just a little. “But Frigid Night, my superior, says that I should always do exactly what he tells me to, just like in school, and that’s how Assassin training is. I want to be as good as I can be.”

“Really?” Sting Wing crossed his arms. “Well, maybe that’s how you Assassins work, but here in Saddle Arabia, even a novice is allowed to disobey an Assassin-ranked Assassin; even someone skilled in this work could miss out a few details sometimes. It’s up to everyone to do what is right. And that’s not always to listen to your superiors.”

Morning Blade pondered this for a moment.

“I think I like your way better,” she decided. “But I don’t know if Frigid will be up for it.”

“Well, no one likes being told that they’re wrong, but sometimes, it’s necessary for the safety of everyone else.”

“Hmm,” Morning mumbled. “I guess I’ll see how it turns out. He’s yet to teach me how to fight properly anyway. Every time I ask him to spar, he makes up some excuse not to.”

“Well, maybe I can help you out. Would you like to go a few rounds? I can show you what I know.”

“You would? Thanks so much, sir- I mean, Sting Wing,” Morning corrected herself.

“Alright! Sounds fun.” Sting pulled his hoodie and gloves off and left it by the side. “I might need to switch my blades out. Both of these are poison blades. You wouldn’t want them piercing you.” He unsheathed them to show the apprentice the spiked tips. “One poke from these and even the biggest guy will go down in seconds.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Morning nodded and watched the blades return to their sheaths.

The Saddle Arabian Assassin unstrapped the blades and swapped in a single standard hidden blade, attaching it to his left arm.

“I’m sure you’ve learned the basics?” After receiving a nod from Morning, he brandished the hidden blade and gave it a few swings. “How about our Saddle Arabian technique?”

Sting Wing performed light, but fast strikes, stabbing forward with his blade like a lunging cobra. Morning Blade watched and noted how each strike seemed to flow into the other, connecting really well and allowing the next one’s speed to maintain itself.

“The idea,” Sting Wing explained as he watched Morning try to imitate him. “Is to strike first and not give your opponent time to hit back.”

A smile spread on Morning Blade’s face as the other Assassin went on to describe more complex moves.

“You know, that doesn’t sound like a bad idea at all.”

Frigid Night had arrived back at the bureau close to sun down, finally seeing the hideout from the top of a tall office building.

He didn’t know what kind of damage Keila had already done to his reputation, but it didn’t matter anyway. What matters is that they find a way to effectively combat the new Templar weapons.

He walked past the Assassins on guard without a word and headed for the Mentor’s office. He sort of remembered where it was but it’s exact location was a little foggy to him. He passed High Noon and the Assassin called Ikram on the way up. The Saddle Arabian Assassin gave him a weary look as he passed. Seeing as Ikram was Keila’s actual partner, the black haired woman had probably told her partner all about Frigid. High Noon only shrugged and gave him a feeble wave.

Frigid figured he was going to be in for another long lecture about his actions.

He arrived outside the Saddle Arabian Mentor’s office, knocking on the door.

“Come in,” he heard Mentor Shamal speak.

“Mentors,” Frigid greeted as he opened the door, closing it after entering.

“Ah, Frigid Night,” the Saddle Arabian Mentor said as he dropped the pencil he was holding. “Please, have a seat.” He motioned to a chair across his desk.

Mentor Steel Shine stood behind him, reading through a book which looked as old as Red Card did, glancing up at Frigid before resuming her perusal of the tome.

“Frigid Night,” Shamal continued, putting his hands together atop his desk. “Now, I know it’s not my business to question you on your past, but your attitude and actions towards my Assassins requires me to do so. Your actions may very well cause the death of one of us someday, and I would like to avoid that.”

“What did Keila say this time?” Frigid muttered grumpily.

Steel Shine walked over from her post and put the book down before looking into the white coated Assassin’s eyes.

“She only gave us the report of today’s mission. How you refused to cooperate with her, which almost resulted in you getting yourself and the civilians getting hurt.”

Frigid rubbed his eyes. “Mentor, with all due respect, it could have been a lot worse. The Templars have a new weapon-”

“We have heard, Frigid Night,” she continued. “And we have Assassins assessing the situation. Right now, all I want to talk about is your methods.”

“Keila said you refused to listen to her suggestions,” Shamal started, a hand instinctively scratched at his beard. “And because you failed to work together, you were almost killed by the Templars’ new weapon. In our line of work, Frigid Night, we don’t actively refuse help. You left Keila back there while you tried to take the Templars down by yourself.”

“A dangerous and rash action,” Mentor Steel Shine added. “I know you don’t have the best track record with partners, but you have to move past it, Frigid. Otherwise I’ll have to put you in a job that’s off field.”

“Mentor, I-” Frigid paused. He had to say something to stay in the field, but… He realized he had nothing to refute them with. “I’m sorry, Mentors. I just don’t know what I’m supposed to do with partners. Perhaps if you could just send me out on my own, like how I used to do it. I could get much more work done that way, and I won’t jeopardize anyone else’s life.”

Neither of the Mentors were the least bit moved.

“You always had someone with you before, unless you’re talking about your vendetta with Mirror Match, which I didn’t sanction anyway. Nothing doing, Frigid.” Mentor Steel Shine put a hand on the pommel of her sword and frowned. “This city is too important to risk playing toward your ego.”

“I realize that, Mentors. I do. That’s why I was asking, let me go out there on my own. I’ll take down as many Templars as you want me to, even if it means dying myself. I’ll help you retake the city.”

Mentor Shamal let out a bark of laughter.

“Retake the city? On your own? Don’t make me laugh, boy. Everyone knows that Assassins work better in groups than just one. If you think for once second we’d allow you to go out solo, you must be suffering from heat stroke.”

Frigid wanted to say something, but Steel Shine beat him to it.

“No matter. Frigid Night. Tomorrow, you’ll be following me back to Trottingham. Once we’re back, you’ll focus on training your apprentice.”

“This one has an apprentice?” Shamal sounded honestly shocked. “Are you sure that’s wise, Steel Shine?”

“It’s to help him remember his responsibility,” the Assassin Mentor nodded. “I’m afraid he might’ve spent too much time apart from her since our visit here. I’ll work on correcting that starting tomorrow.”

Both Mentors looked up suddenly, as if they’d each come to the same conclusion at once. Shamal tilted his head to look at Frigid.

“Oh. You’re still here? You’re dismissed, Frigid Night. Get some rest, because right now I really pity your apprentice if this is how you go about things.”

“Yes, Mentors. Good night.”

Frigid headed out and began the walk back to his room. At least the Mentor didn’t put him on house arrest. Those were a few months Frigid would never want to play out again. The only thing he sort of enjoyed was the workouts in the dojo, but otherwise, it was dreadful.

A quick burst of eagle sense showed Frigid that Morning Blade was already fast asleep in their shared room. Tiptoeing in, Frigid quickly changed and dropped to the ground beside the bed, this time, making sure to keep his coat close by in case it got cold.

“One sheep, two sheep, three sheep…”

Chapter 87: And Now, There Were Two

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Things were not going well for Quantum. Ever since Timber had opted that they join the Assassins, everything from living quarters to quality of food had gone downhill. Their lifestyle had taken a step up when they shifted from the safehouse to the Assassin bureau itself, but it didn’t change things much. Already he’d been denied his morning coffee because the mess hall’s coffee grinder refused to work, and now he had discovered that to fix up one of his broken tools he would have to go into town to get it looked at.

They had also been going over the Templar plans with the Assassins, trying to find a way to beat Sombra, but to no avail. Not yet, anyway.

All in all, not a good day, a fact that wasn’t at all mitigated by the fact that it was going to be his last.

By the time the police arrived on the scene, it was too late. The sniper’s bullet hand gone straight into the Quantum’s forehead and exited out the back, effectively blowing half his head off and showering the sidewalk with gore.

Timber and Test Tube were not amused, and had spent the rest of the day shouting at each other.

“We’re all going to die!” Test Tube crouched down. “It must be Mirror Match! She knows we’re all here! She’s not going to stop until we’re all dead!”

“Test Tube, enough!” Timber yelled at the younger scientist. “Panicking about it isn’t going to help one bit! She’s waiting for us out there, yes. Quantum… He made the choice to go to the store to pick up some power converters. There was nothing we could’ve done. Now, I say we hole up and prepare ourselves. We have to make sure Sombra does not win this war.”

Test Tube wiped his dripping brow with his lab coat’s sleeve.

“But how? We’re not fighters; if worst comes to worst, all we can do is run and hide.”

Timber’s mouth tightened, rummaging through a stack of papers that had some kind of diagram on it.

“Well, I was looking into a few notes. There’s one here for a mixture of polycarbonate that’s supposed to be good for blocking bullets. Maybe we can make something of it.”

Test Tube took the papers. He squinted at them.

“Dang. I forgot to bring my reading glasses with me from Mahogany’s. Hold on a minute…”

Still holding the schematics, Test Tube walked up to the wall and turned on the lights. At the same time, there was a small clack sound, followed by a few pebbles of mortar falling onto the floor.

Both scientists looked about for the source of the noise. Timber was the first to find it, what appeared to be a tiny hole in the wall, about the width of two pencils. Sunlight from outside streamed in.

“Huh,” Timber said. “I didn’t notice this before.”

Timber bent down and looked into the hole. Closing one eye, he was afforded a pleasant view of Trottingham, almost all of the town was visible from here, including the faint outline of someone lying on the roof of the closest building, light glinting off a pair of binoculars… or a sniper’s scope.

“Ohshi-”

Clack.

Mahogany Wood breathed in the stale air of his quarters as he returned to it after a long meeting with Principal Cinch. That woman, Templar or not, was a pain in the neck. The topics they discussed rarely ever strayed from the topics of legacy and reputation.

The old hag received a new dean to help out in her school. The new head seemed to be able to handle school affairs much better, but she was far too nice; she would never make a useful Templar, like that goodie-two-shoes Principal Celestia.

“Crescent,” Mahogany called to his bodyguard behind him. “Anything to report? Any news of my brother or his men?”

True, the chairman was saddened to hear his brother had deserted the Templars and their cause, but he didn’t want him to die. Grand Master Sombra on the other hand, had immediately requested their execution, tasking the ordeal to Mirror Match.

Mahogany had seen her work, and he was afraid she was just too good at it. Even if his brother had Assassins protecting him, there was still a high chance Mirror Match would accomplish her mission. The last he’d seen of her, she’d been getting into her car with a suppressed anti-materiel sniper rifle in the backseat, courtesy of Talon.

“Nothing yet, sir,” Crescent replied. Mahogany’s bodyguard shared his sympathy, but they both knew there was nothing they could do to convince the Grand Master to leave his family alone.

Mahogany threw the doors open, revealing an opulent room dominated by a glossy black grand piano. Seating himself before the piano, he pulled the lid up and began to play.

“Chairman,” Crescent Wing asked as Mahogany played. “If I may ask. Is there a chance your brother may survive this?”

The Templar chairman sighed and changed his tune into one of mourning, a dirge for his brother.

“Not much, Cresent,” Mahogany’s fingers danced across the rows of black and white seamlessly. “Not much.”

The chairman thought back to the day Timber had come to him. His brother had tried to convince him that Grand Master Sombra was a threat and nothing like the person they had been waiting for; the one who would liberate the world for them. Refusing to listen, Mahogany had made Timber leave that day.

Mahogany Wood would have preferred it that way, but it just so happened Mirror Match had followed them and learned of their whereabouts. When Sombra found out about their treachery, he had immediately asked for their deaths.

“Crescent, I won’t hide it, but I’m worried. Timber is family, something which I don’t have much of anymore. Even if he were to fight against me, I couldn’t think of killing him.”

“Sir,” Crescent said simply, but Mahogany knew that his bodyguard understood.

Mahogany played one more song, but just as he was nearing the last few bars, the doors swung open.

“Chairman.” A guard stood in the doorway, holding his helmet under one arm and looking nervous. “Mirror Match is back.”

Mahogany’s hands quickly froze atop his piano keys. “Send her in…” His voice was lower and quieter than his normal tone.

“At once, chairman.” The man bowed and took his leave.

“Sir?” Crescent stood by the chairman’s side, watching him. Mahogany seemed to be trapped in time, unmoving over his piano.

Moments later, Mirror Match strolled into the room, dressed all in black, her rifle still slung over one shoulder. Her face betrayed no emotion, and her steps were firm and measured like a soldier’s.

“What do you have for the chairman?” Crescent Wing asked for his superior, seeing as he was still motionless by the musical instrument.

“Reporting in, Crescent,” Mirror bowed slightly. “Since King Sombra isn’t here, the chairman falls under the next branch of command.” She saluted casually and said, “All targets eliminated, as instructed by King Sombra, sir.”

The Horston Templar looked back at the chairman, unsure of how to respond to Mirror Match.

“If that is all, you may go,” he said after a short moment of complete quiet.

Mirror cleared her throat.

“There’s also the matter of my payment…” she said slowly.

“The chairman isn’t going to be paying you for the death of his family,” Crescent Wing replied curtly. “I suggest you find Grand Master Sombra for your reward.”

“Well I would, if he wasn’t in Saddle Arabia at the moment. By order of precedence, the next highest ranking should be acting Grand Master until he returns.”

“Well, then I guess you’ll have to wait for your payment. The chairman isn’t ready to entertain you today, if you can see.”

Mahogany Wood was still seated at his piano, but his hands had moved to his side.

Mirror Match frowned. “That’s not how this works, chairman. I do the job, and you pay me. What makes this time different?”

“Go away,” Crescent growled. “I won’t say it again.”

Mirror Match sighed. “Look, it’s nothing personal, me killing your brother-”

“Get out!”

“Well, okay then, I’ll go,” Mirror pushed the door open and at the same time, a pistol fell from inside her coat. She caught it with one foot and kicked it up into her hands. “By the way, chairman, I like the new haircut. Very, er, shiny.”

And with that, she was gone.

Crescent Wing was about to go after her when something flew past him, spinning and embedding itself in the door with a loud splintering of wood.

“You know, Crescent,” Mahogany said as his bodyguard moved to retrieve the tomahawk from the door. “If it weren’t for her usefulness, I would’ve killed her right there.”

“Yes sir,” Crescent walked over and left the tomahawk on the piano top. “I’m sorry. About your brother.”

“Thank you, Crescent. At least I know I can count on you.”

Mahogany lifted his hands back to the piano keys and began a tune, much more melancholic than the last.

And now, there were two.

“Sleep well?” Frigid Night asked his partner as she rose from the mattress and stretched.

“Yes sir,” she replied with a controlled yawn. “Had a great day yesterday. I picked up some new tricks from a Saddle Arabian Assassin.”

“That so?” Frigid said uneasily. “Well, so long as you think it’s okay…”

He shook his head. What if Morning ever used these new tricks against him? Frigid made a mental note to train more and look into Saddle Arabian tactics, just in case.

“Anyway, we’re going back to Trottingham today,” Frigid said as he pulled on his boots. “Be good to go back home, huh?”

“I guess. Though, I’m starting to like it here. Do you think we can come back?”

“Maybe next time,” Frigid quickly answered. When you’ve graduated from being my apprentice.

Morning Blade headed to the bathroom to change while Frigid got his coat and gear back on.

Finally. Today was the day they were leaving this sandy place. The Assassin just couldn’t wait to get his feet back on Trottingham soil.

In a few hours, Frigid and his apprentice were with the Mentor and High Noon on the runway beside the plane, almost ready to head home.

“Are you sure you’re staying, Star Lance?” the Mentor asked her lieutenant as he stood by Mentor Shamal’s side.

The Master Assassin nodded. “I’ll help coordinate things from this side while you’re gone. I won’t let you down, Mentor.”

In an act that surprised everyone, including her lieutenant, Mentor Steel Shine dove to him for a hug.

“I know you won’t,” she replied in his arms. “Stay safe, Lance.”

“As always, Shine.”

The Mentor broke away from her lieutenant and headed up the plane after one last farewell.

“Guess it’s time for us to go,” High Noon said and placed his hat atop his head.

Frigid beckoned for his apprentice as the three Assassins climbed aboard the plane, seating themselves across from each other.

He could see Mentor Shamal waving to them through the window as the engines began to start.

“I won’t be missing this place,” Frigid spoke as he leaned back and placed his arms behind his head. “Way too hot and unfriendly.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Morning said from beside him. “Maybe you just ran into the wrong crowd?”

“Yeah, partner,” High Noon added from the other row. “Saddle Arabians are generally nicer than the cityfolk you have in Trottingham.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Frigid closed his eyes as the long way home began. First, he would have to endure the treacherous plane ride.

Chapter 88: Moving Plans

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The whole bureau was on high alert when Frigid Night and the others got back. The guards up front had been doubled, while Assassins of all sorts ran about inside. Mentor Steel Shine had gone up with one of the other Assassins, leaving Frigid with Morning Blade and High Noon down in the lobby.

“What happened?” High Noon asked aloud as they watched more Assassins carry down what looked like a body bag. “Were we attacked?”

“The Templars wouldn’t possibly dare attack the bureau directly… would they?” Morning Blade pulled back her hood, concern written all over her face.

“It’s possible,” Frigid frowned as he watched the mayhem in the bureau. “Without the Mentor around, I’m sure they figured they could get an easy one.”

“Then the bureau isn’t safe anymore?” High Noon pondered as he flipped his hat off his head.

“We’ll just have to make sure it is,” Frigid nodded to his friends. “We’re not going to let the Templars do as they please here. We’ll find whoever was responsible and take them down.”

“Even if i-it was Mirror Match?” High Noon carefully asked.

“Don’t talk about her,” Frigid turned his back to them.

“Sorry, buddy. I just… What happens if she was the one responsible?”

“I said to leave it!” Frigid barked harshly before retreating up the stairs.

High Noon scratched at his beard and looked at Morning. The apprentice shook her head sadly and followed after her master.

“Frigid, I don’t know if it was necessary to yell at him like that,” she said as she slowed alongside him. “Though, I’m not questioning you, sir. I’m just asking.”

“It’s nothing, Morning. Forget it.”

Morning Blade looked down at her feet, but continued to follow. She didn’t know how else she could approach the conversation without angering him, so she kept quiet.

“A-are we going back to training, sir?” she asked after a short silence.

“Oh, yes. Mentor said I needed to spend more time with you after all…” Frigid sighed and turned his head to face her. “I guess I’ll teach you some combat moves.”

“Really? Thank you, Frigid!” Morning smiled brightly and followed along with a small hop to her steps.

High Noon had gone to grab a can of root beer from the canteen, stopping just outside in the hallway to enjoy his drink. He couldn’t help but pity his old friend. Frigid Night had once been an excellent Assassin, doing everything he could to further their cause and never working around the Mentor’s or anyone else’s orders. Now, now High Noon had no idea what his friend had become.

And it was all thanks to one woman. One woman who was able to tear down everything he stood for in one hit. Through him, Mirror Match had also taken apart everyone else’s lives in the Brotherhood; even his own wasn’t spared.

The cowboy’s thoughts drifted to Windy Sails again. Life was different without the shy, but cheerful girl around. He still wished he had confessed his feelings to her sooner, but Noon knew it was far too late for that, and there was no reason to hit himself for it.

“Tough day?”

Dewdrop leaned against the wall beside him, her blue hair covering her face slightly.

“Hey, Dewdrop.” High Noon turned to see the young girl, Velvet Breeze. She was giving him a wide smile, along with a small wave. “Hey, kid. Well, to answer your question, Dewdrop, it’s been a tough few years.”

“You can say that again,” she mumbled. “Sometimes, I still look back to the good old days. I miss her, Noon. I miss her so much.”

“I know… I’m sorry, Dewdrop. I wish I could’ve done something for you.”

Dewdrop nodded. “Velvet, why don’t you go grab some food first? Give us some time to catch up?”

“Sure! See you later, Dewdrop. See you later, High Noon!” And the girl was gone, running through the door.

“Satin was a good friend,” Noon began as he drained his can. “She wasn’t like the others. She looked out for me. She made sure I was doing alright.”

“Yeah, she was something special alright,” Dewdrop chuckled. “You know, the only reason I joined the Assassins was to be with her?”

“What, really?” Noon raised an eyebrow. After all these years, he realized he had never asked Dewdrop why she had joined the Brotherhood.

“Yeah. It was never about honor or saving the world for me,” Dewdrop’s eyes misted over with recollection. “It was about Satin, and it still is. The world can wait.”

“Well, I guess we all have our different reasons for why we fight.” High Noon cautiously patted the female Assassin’s shoulder. “But we’ll all get through this, Dewdrop. We can win this.”

“I already said I don’t give a damn about the world,” Dewdrop’s voice grew frosty. All I care about now is keeping my promise to Satin to take care of her sister, and to kill the son of a bitch who took her from me. Frigid told me. It was Wolfgang. Wolfgang was the one responsible for Satin’s death.”

High Noon opened his eyes wider at his friend’s sudden hostility. “I’m sorry. Must’ve slipped my mind. Yes. My bad, Dewdrop. But don’t worry. We’re with you on this. All you have to do is ask. We’ll help you take Wolfgang down. He deserves what’s coming.”

“Pft. Whatever.”

High Noon blinked a few times to check if he was imagining things or not. Dewdrop was generally a nice person, though she did have her bad days; the cowboy had never seen Dewdrop like this before.

“A-are you alright, Dewdrop?” he squeaked.

“I’m fine.” Her tone continued to remain harsh.

High Noon was afraid of saying something wrong, so he kept his mouth closed and stared up at the ceiling.

“I’m sorry, Noon,” Dewdrop breathed out, wiping at an eye. “I think I better go check on Velvet. Don’t want her to eat something she shouldn’t.”

“Yeah…” High Noon watched Dewdrop go. “Good talk, Dew. Good talk.”

Mahogany Wood was not happy. Not only had Mirror Match gone and killed his brother, he’d had to sit through an entire meeting of Sombra praising her for putting such a swift stop to ‘traitors to the king’, as he put it. And on top of it all, Sombra had ordered him to pay her half a million dollars for her work. Mahogany obeyed of course, but there were limits.

Since returning from his time in Saddle Arabia, Sombra had gone into full leadership mode, ordering all the Templars around like they were pieces on a board. Mahogany didn’t mind any of it, since Sombra was the only one who could fulfill his goals, but he minded it when Mirror Match seemed to be getting more praise for the death of Timber.

“You alright there, bro?” Lumberjack checked from across the table.

Mahogany looked at Mirror Match and shook his head. “I am. I’m just upset that she followed through with her orders. Timber was family.”

“I don’t know... Seemed to me Timber was trying to help the enemy.”

“But he’s still family, Lumberjack. Would you have killed him for changing sides?”

Lumberjack considered the question very carefully.

“You know, there’s an old saying, ‘heavy is the head that wears the crown’. You know what that means?”

“Yes,” Mahogany said irritably. “It means that those in charge have to make difficult decisions and choices. What are you getting at, brother?”

“What I’m saying, is that Grand Master Sombra probably didn’t want to have those three killed, but he had to because it was the leader thing to do.”

“Uh huh. I’m sure it was hard to decide,” Mahogany replied sarcastically.

“If you would like to know…” Mirror Match said from her seat. She was picking her teeth with the tip of a throwing knife. “It didn’t seem like a hard choice for his majesty. He simply ordered me to find the traitors and execute them. That was it.” She winked at the chairman and his bodyguard. “And thanks for the payment, boss. I really appreciate it.”

“Necessary sacrifice as you would put it, chairman,” Talon grunted. “He went over to the enemy. Who knows what the Assassins might’ve learnt about our secrets and plans.”

“Watch your tone, soldier.” Crescent Wing stepped forward and put a hand on his saber’s hilt.

“Can we not get into pointless fights here, boys?” Wysteria held up a hand. “We can’t change what happened. Timber’s dead, but the Assassins aren’t going to be getting any secrets from them anymore. We should just focus on finding the artifacts in Saddle Arabia.”

Mirror Match stood up, flicking the throwing knife up her sleeve. “Well, I’ll let you talk about the artifacts, then. I’ve got another job to do.”

“So when are you heading to Saddle Arabia, Mirror?” Mahogany Wood asked, putting his hands together. “I haven’t seen you contribute to anything in a while, besides the death of my brother.”

Mirror Match harrumphed. “I’ve contributed plenty. Saddle Arabia’s not on my to-do list, thank you very much. Got enough to take care of here before setting my sights on some city in the sand.”

“She’s right, you know?” Wysteria pointed out. “Why are we looking for more artifacts when we already have one that could change the world?”

Mirror spoke up again, this time from the doorway. “Because the king decrees it. And whatever the king desires, the king shall have. Good day, all.”

The rest of the Templars watched her leave, some with more enthusiasm than others.

“Well, it wouldn’t hurt to have more, I suppose.” Lumberjack leaned back in his chair and propped his feet on the table. “So, what are my orders, brother? What would you like me to do? It’s been a while since I’ve felt useful. Grand Master Sombra hasn’t let me get anything done.”

Mahogany Wood mused about it. “I want you in Saddle Arabia. If anything, you’re one of our best fighters, Lumberjack. And also, I’d like you to keep me informed of what’s going on there. That is, until I decide to head back there myself. As Chairman of the Board of Education, I need to keep up with the appearance. And that means going for meetings and talking about improving schools.”

“Consider it done, Mahogany,” Lumberjack cheered. “I’ll head out when the boss heads out, then. I’ll be at my very best. I’ll make sure to pack back a few Assassin heads for you.”

“As will I,” Talon stood up. “I’ll lead my troops on the front lines. We’ll push back the boundaries of the city and claim it as our own. Authorities are easily paid off, but if we do encounter resistance from them, rest assured, I’ll handle it.”

“Very well, major.” Mahogany knew the Assassins were the main obstacles standing in their way. If they could only eliminate all of them, then his dreams would most certainly become a reality. “With Assassins being dragged to Saddle Arabia, perhaps it’s also time for us to get things done in our major cities here.”

“I can start getting more weapon shipments in,” Wysteria volunteered. “What do you think, chairman?”

“Do it. We can take this chance to arm ourselves.”

“Sounds like we got a ball rolling here today!” Lumberjack roared with excitement. “I’m bringing my prized axe out of the cabinet for this occasion.”

“Well, you have your orders,” Mahogany smiled. He hadn’t felt hope like this in a few weeks. Timber’s death was only a setback. It was up to Mahogany to finish what their family had started. “Let today forth bring us victory over the Assassins!”

Chapter 89: Dirty Tricks

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"I'll be in this next bit, Twilight." Morning Blade ran a finger down one line in her journal. "This part takes me back... It really does."

"What's up?" Twilight decided to look at the various ripples on the pond's surface. Those were likely made by water bugs.

"Just some exercise. You know, Frigid didn't train me much, yes? Thought I would betray him." Morning shook her head. The more she thought about it, the weirder it became. "I don't know why he decided to live like that, but he did."

"Mirror Match betrayed him." Twilight patted Morning's shoulder. "I'm sure if the person you love betrays you, it'll be hard to accept others again."

"I don't know, princess, but it's no way to live." Morning sighed extremely deeply. "I just wish things had been better between us. I would've liked to have gotten to know Frigid better. From himself, I mean. Not from asking others about him."

Morning Blade stepped out of the shower and began to dry herself with a towel. Frigid Night had taught her some neat fighting skills today, which excited the young apprentice a lot.

Day after day, she had asked for him to train her in combat, but he had always found excuses not to do so. High Noon had told her it was because he was worried she might use it against him like Mirror Match had.

Something must’ve changed his mind, because he had shown her an advanced skillset.

Morning still needed time to pick it all up, but she was glad that her dear old master had finally taught her something she could use.

Morning Blade knew that deep down, her master was still the kind man she had heard about before she joined the Brotherhood.

The apprentice hung her towel behind the bathroom door and got dressed before leaving for the cafeteria. She met Dewdrop and Velvet Breeze on the way down; they seemed to be heading to the dojo.

“Hey, Morning Blade,” Dewdrop wished as the three girls reached the bottom of the staircase.

“Good evening, ma’am,” Morning saluted. “Evening, Velvet Breeze.”

“Oh, enough with the formalities, Morning,” Dewdrop guffawed. “No one else does it. I don’t see why you’re so uptight. Loosen up a little.”

“Frigid told me that-”

“Bah, Frigid this, Frigid that.” Dewdrop placed her hands on her hip. “That guy’s not exactly a shining paragon of example like he used to be.”

“But shouldn’t I still take his word for it? He’s more experienced after all.”

Dewdrop rolled her eyes and shook her head.

“A little too experienced, if you ask me. That guy’s stirred up a lot of trouble around here because he can’t keep it in his pants. Just… act casual.”

“I’ll try, ma- Dewdrop.” Morning gave the other Assassin her best smile. “So where are you two headed? Isn’t Pierce Network the one training young Velvet?”

“He did this morning!” Velvet said. “He really knows how to use a baton! Did you know he used to be a vigilante?”

“No. I didn’t.” Morning made a reminder to ask Pierce about it. It sounded like he had some interesting stories to tell, though he liked to go on and on when he talked.

“Pierce is busy right now, and I want to spend some time with her,” Dewdrop said with a rather unconvincing smile. “You know, show her some of my tricks.”

Morning Blade didn’t buy it, but she didn’t have anything to do anyway. “Mind if I tag along?”

“Sure, I don’t see why not,” Dewdrop shrugged and down the hall with Velvet at her side.

“So what are we doing today, Dewdrop?” Velvet bounced.

“Well, the original plan was to do some target practice with throwing knives,” Dewdrop pushed open the dojo door, revealing it to be devoid of people. “But maybe since Morning Blade is here, we may as well go a couple rounds at each other. You up for that, Morning?” Dewdrop gave the other Assassin a sly wink.

“If you would like,” Morning Blade agreed. It’s been a few days since she had last sparred with someone. “What is Velvet going to do?”

“She can practice throwing knives.” Dewdrop steered Velvet to a target board and handed her three small knives. “It’s like throwing darts, Velvet. You can do it. Satin told me you have a good eye.”

While Velvet got to target practice, Dewdrop and Morning Blade walked over to the matted part of the floor and stood on opposite sides of each other.

“Anything goes?” Dewdrop checked with the apprentice.

“As you wish,” Morning nodded. She could already feel her blood pumping. This was going to be an exciting fight.

Dewdrop reached behind her back and pulled out one sword. “What’re you going to fight with?”

Morning Blade reached into her coat and pulled out a long steel blade. She had picked the katana as her weapon of choice mainly because of its weight.

The two Assassins began circling each other, assessing each other. Seeing as Dewdrop had arrived first, Morning knew she was definitely outmatched, but she would take whatever Dewdrop was going to show her and put it to experience.

“I’ll begin, I guess.” Dewdrop slid towards Morning Blade, covering the distance almost immediately.

The blue haired Assassin cut down with her sword, almost too quickly. Morning stepped to the side as she watched a portion of her fringe separate from her before floating down slowly. She brought up her katana and parried Dewdrop again as the more seasoned Assassin kept on the offence, forcing Morning to either block or dodge.

“You’ve got to find an opening, Morning,” Dewdrop instructed. “No Templar is going to give you time to think during a fight. You’ve got to work fast.”

Then the butt of her sword found Morning’s nose and knocked her back. The apprentice staggered back and grabbed for her face with one hand. She felt warm blood dripping from her nose through her fingers.

“You alright?” Dewdrop asked, but continued to attack. “Remember, a Templar won’t give you a pause just because you’re injured.”

Morning shifted both hands to her sword and parried as many blows as she could. Dewdrop was a skilled Assassin, leaving almost no room for Morning to counterattack. The white haired apprentice saw openings at times, but she was too slow to react in time, forced back to defend herself instead.

The younger Assassin kicked out with a foot, but only let Dewdrop grab it before throwing her forward. Morning steadied herself but felt something hard hit the back of her head, blurring her vision.

“Still good to go?” This time, Dewdrop stopped to check on her.

“I’m… fine. I’m fine.” Morning turned around and attacked.

Dewdrop brought her sword up, but Morning grabbed one of Dewdrop’s hand with her off hand before yanking her down to the side. Dewdrop abandoned her sword and rolled to avoid Morning’s blow before pulling out another one from her back sheath.

“Hey, that was pretty good.”

Dewdrop attacked again, this time, much faster. Morning worked to the best of her ability, but her best wasn’t enough to win.

Then Morning fell. She had taken too big of a step, allowing Dewdrop to kick one leg out from under her before delivering an elbow strike to the apprentice’s chest.

“Oomph!” Morning gasped as she hit her back on the floor. She didn’t get back up, involuntarily groaning from the pain.

Dewdrop pointed her sword down at Morning. “So, how was it?”

“Very good.” Then she spun out a leg, catching Dewdrop off guard, sweeping her off her feet and onto the floor. Morning Blade hopped up and brought her blade close to Dewdrop’s head.

“That’s a pretty rad move,” Dewdrop laughed and pushed Morning’s blade away before getting up. “Frigid teach you that?”

“Picked it up on my own. Figured since I’m not so experienced, I should learn to catch my enemies off guard.”

“That’s dirty.” Dewdrop walked over and shook Morning’s hand. “But that’s good. Works well against the enemy. Nicely done, apprentice. Keep it up, and perhaps you’ll reach Frigid’s rank.”

“That’s a long way away,” Morning said as she sheathed her sword and stowed it back in her coat.

“Well, he did it. I don’t see why you can’t. Sorry about the nose, by the way. Do you want some ice? I can go grab some for you.”

“It’s no problem.” Morning wiped her bleeding nose with her sleeve. “I can manage. Thanks for the sparring. I should let you get back to training Velvet.”

“Guess I’ll see you around. Take care, Morning Blade.”

The apprentice waved and headed out of the room. She had suffered some injuries today, but they were good ones. At least she got to learn something today.

“Are you serious?” High Noon jumped back aghast.

“Yeah,” Wreckhouse nodded his head. “Mahogany Wood will definitely attend his brother’s funeral. All we have to do is get into position and when the time is right, we strike.”

“We can’t do t-that,” High Noon tried to stand up for what’s right. “Even if they are Templars, attacking one of them during a funeral? That’s absurd!”

“If we always play fair, we’re going to get nowhere!” Tangent argued, throwing her hands forward, slightly startling the cowboy. “We need to do this! Imagine what would happen to them when we take out their chairman!”

“Another death during a f-funeral?”

“What’s wrong with that? If we can get an easy kill, we should take it!”

“I think that’s a good idea,” another Assassin motioned. “We need to do this. Mahogany Wood is like, their second in command. We’ll seriously cripple the Templars if we kill him.”

“But it’s not right!” High Noon tried to get his point across again. “I mean, I know we’re Assassins and all, but even we have morals! And besides, I’m sure he’ll be guarded. It won’t be easy.”

“That’s why we’re planning this out,” a red haired Assassin replied. “If we place ourselves in key locations and strike all at once, one of us will have a chance to take him down.”

The Assassins didn’t know, but High Noon did. The chairman rarely walked about without his bodyguard, Crescent Wing. Crescent was a civilized fellow, always doing the honorable thing, even when he didn’t like it. Besides that, he was a skilled swordsman. High Noon had the chance to see his sabers on many occasions, and he had always dreaded being on the other end of the blades.

“Mahogany has a bodyguard. He’s not like any of the other Templars you’ve all killed.”

“Pssh…” Wreckhouse waved and laughed. “He’s only one man. Surely he can’t take us all.”

High Noon gritted his teeth and sat back down, placing his hat on his head, covering his eyes.

“Do as you will, but I’m not having any part of this.”

“Fine. We’ll manage.” Wreckhouse and Tangent turned around and left.

The other Assassins in the plan looked at the cowboy before following them. High Noon sat there, shaking his head. The plan they had was crazy, but Noon didn’t deny that there was a small chance of it succeeding, though the losses might be high.

“What are they getting themselves into?”

Frigid Night scouted the city of Manehattan, looking for his target. Today, he was alone, his apprentice back at the bureau learning up on Saddle Arabian history. She thought she could learn something about Sombra, but Frigid didn’t want to stay put so he left her to it, taking a contract from Red Card; he liked going solo anyway.

Since the Assassin numbers were all spread out, some Templars had decided to get things done in some of the major cities, transporting goods and weapons. Frigid figured he could fight back against these Templars; he wanted them to know they still couldn’t do as they pleased.

This time, he was after a Templar agent called Sturdy Shoots. He was supposedly an information broker for the Templars in Manehattan, so that was exactly where Frigid had gone off to.

The skies were grey with the approach of what looked like a big storm. Frigid wanted to be done and home before it hit. He wasn’t in the mood to get drenched today.

Then a smell hit him. It smelt slightly sweet, but also with a tinge of smoke and maybe baking soda. Frigid was about to head to the next roof when he felt himself falling to his feet.

Wait… What?

He thrust out his arms to break his fall, his head also spinning from the sudden deprivation of air. Frigid pushed to stand up, but he only managed to push to his knees before falling to his face on the cement rooftop.

Odd… Frigid muttered and closed his eyes as the strange smell enveloped over him.

Chapter 90: Cemetery Wind

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Everything looks different when viewed through the eyes of an Assassin. People become liabilities, and benches and bushes become safe havens. In this case, it was the Chairman of the Board of Education who had just become a target.

“What’s he up to?” Wreckhouse nudged his partner. “What do you see?”

The sun was setting, casting long shadows all around the cemetery. Silent monuments to souls long past stood sentinel under the gathering clouds, statues and tombstones towering eerily over the crouched Assassins as they spied on the Templar.

“Nothing yet,” Tangent replied, keeping her eyes on her binoculars. “He’s just standing there, looking at the coffin.”

“I see about three guards close by,” another Assassin told them, pointing at three armed men in white uniforms. “There should be more around.”

“And don’t forget Crescent Wing, his bodyguard,” Tangent reminded. The Templar from Horston rarely left Mahogany Wood’s side.

Wreckhouse used his eagle vision to look, but from this distance, he couldn’t see much. Unfortunately, Tangent was the only one with binoculars.

“We’ll move in after the ceremony,” a senior-ranking Assassin called Honeybee said. “If he’s anything like a normal person, he’s going to be one of the last people situated at the grave. That’ll be our time to strike.”

“Any sign of the Witch?”

“Mirror Match? Not yet,” Tangent shook her head. “I’m hoping she’s not here.”

“How are we going to succeed if she was?” an Assassin asked from the back of the group. “There’s no way we can stop her. Did you hear what happened when Pierce Network challenged her?”

“Let’s not talk about that,” Tangent said quickly. “If we win, the Templars will fall apart, Mirror Match or not.”

“Well, there’s still their new Grand Master, Sombra. But this’ll be a start.”

Honeybee nodded and pointed forward. “Let’s get closer. It should be close to the end of the ceremony.”

Tangent stowed her binoculars and pulled out a rope with a rather large hook at the end and tossed it to an opposite building. Once she made sure it was tight enough, she led the Assassins across, walking steadily on the thin rope to the other side. Honeybee was next, followed by the other Assassins, with Wreckhouse leading the rear. The brown-skinned Assassin almost lost his balance, but Tangent managed to shoot an arm out to steady him.

“Careful there,” she said with a small laugh at the end. “You don’t want to die before this mission even starts.”

The small group proceeded on, hopping down to a few lower buildings before running ahead towards the funeral from the rooftops. Manehattan was an easy enough city to navigate since all the rooftops were generally close together. They arrived at a shorter building just behind a tall tree, separating them from their target below.

“So what’s the plan?” Wreckhouse asked as he took his hammer from his back.

Tangent said nothing, only put a finger to her lips as the funeral procession continued, concluding with the coffin being lowered into the ground. A few men and women blew on trumpets and when they finished, the crowds began to dissipate, heading back to their everyday lives, except a few people.

Mahogany Wood stood below, his head looking down at the hole in the ground, dug out just for the coffin. The Assassins watched his bodyguard walk over and place a hand on the chairman’s shoulder.

“He looks sad,” Wreckhouse watched the man.

“Good. He won’t feel sad once we send him off to join his brother.”

The Assassins got into position around the cemetery, spreading themselves out to take down multiple guards at once.

“On my mark, we attack,” Honeybee said on the radio. “Everyone, find a target.”

Wreckhouse and Tangent proceeded to the south side, right above a guard with a rifle. The orange haired Assassin jumped down first, his hammer raised to strike. He landed on the guard, knocking him to the ground before bringing his weapon down on the guard’s head. Tangent landed down beside him and took off in a sprint as more guards began walking out from various scenery.

The other Assassins all leapt down at once, taking down five more guards by surprise before about twenty more filled the grave site.

“Assassins,” Mahogany said without looking up. “I had a feeling you’d show up here. Must you desecrate my brother’s funeral more by adding more death to the scene?”

Crescent Wing stepped forward and brandished both his sabers, while Wolfgang stepped out from behind a horse statue, spinning a dagger between his fingers.

“My, oh my. It’s been a while since I’ve killed an Assassin.”

“Don’t get your hopes up, Wolfgang,” Honeybee taunted. “We’re all getting out of here, and you’re all going to die.”

She locked eyes with the other Assassins and tossed a smoke bomb down, covering the surrounding area in thick smog.

Wreckhouse quickly took down two guards in the smoke, smacking one in the back of his head with his hammer before stabbing another in the neck with his hidden blade. The burly Assassin proceeded forward, taking down more guards as he made his way towards Mahogany’s position. With the smoke, the chairman probably wouldn’t see him coming. This would be his chance to get the Assassins ahead in this war.

He saw him. The chairman was just ahead, covering his mouth and nose from the smoke with Crescent Wing standing in front of him, holding a hand up to protect his master.

Wreckhouse smiled. It couldn’t be easier. He raised his weapon and charged, running straight for Crescent Wing. The bodyguard was the only obstacle standing in his way to their victory.

This was a golden opportunity, and Wreckhouse had been training all his life for this moment. Just as he brought down his hammer, Crescent Wing had moved, bringing up a blade and cutting the head of Wreckhouse’s hammer clean off.

The Assassin quickly jumped back and tossed his now useless weapon to the ground.

“Stand back,” Crescent warned, pointing his sword tip to the Assassin. “You shall not harm the chairman.”

Wreckhouse drew back a step. He was still processing the attack in his mind. That Templar had somehow reacted in the smoke, even able to see his hammer. The Assassin watched the dual-bladed man wearily; this wasn’t a Templar to be taken lightly.

“How dishonorable,” Crescent spat. “Attacking us at the funeral of the chairman’s brother. You sicken me, Assassin.”

“Sicken you?” Wreckhouse brought out both his hidden blades. “You killed him! You Templars killed Mahogany’s brother and his associates and you call us dishonorable?”

Things were looking bad. The longer Wreckhouse stood there talking, the less smoke he had to conceal himself. He could still see the other Assassins taking out the guards around the cemetery, but how many men did the Templars have here?

“What Grand Master Sombra wants does not concern me,” Crescent Wing glared. “What matters, is you. I will not let you lay a finger on the chairman.”

Wreckhouse flourished his hidden blades. “We’ll see about that.”

The smoke had cleared just enough for the Assassin to see his friends combating other Templars. Honeybee was engaging Wolfgang in a duel, while Tangent and the others continued cutting down the guards, though a lot more slowly, since the Templars could see them now.

He stabbed forward at Crescent Wing’s chest with one hand, while the other aimed for his thigh. Both attacks were smoothly deflected by the bodyguard, who used the momentum to slice at Wreckhouse’s chest.

Wreckhouse grunted as he rolled under the blade, kicking up with a foot at Crescent’s wrist, sending the sword cluttering to the ground. The Templar leapt back and slashed his saber down, cutting a gash across Wreckhouse’s left shoulder, sending him shuffling back as he grasped his injury.

Then Tangent was on Crescent, her knee connecting with his cheek and sending him sprawling away on the ground.

“Wreckhouse!” she ran to his side. “You alright?”

“Yeah, I think so. Thanks…” he panted and looked to Mahogany. The chairman was facing them, both hands behind his back, looking unamused. “Get him, Tangent. I’ll distract the bodyguard.” Wreckhouse ran for Crescent, who had recovered, rubbing his cheek with a hand.

Mahogany Wood had retreated behind a tombstone with an angel statue, shouting into his cell phone as Tangent rounded the corner.

“... get down here at once, Mirror! The cemetery, we need your help!”

That wasn’t good. If Mirror did indeed come down here, then things might get nasty very fast.

“No one’s going to save you, old man!” Tangent drew her knives and kicked off the statue, sailing high above his head. Mahogany scrambled away from her, reaching into his coat and drew out a short hatchet, its blade glittering with black crystal.

“I don’t need saving from the likes of you,” he said. He slashed out with the weapon, sending a crescent of dark energy at the Assassin. It missed by a hair and the tombstone next to her exploded in a shower of gravel and rock.

Mahogany used her brief distraction to get out the way, moving to another headstone as quickly as his legs would go.

At the same time Crescent Wing had pressed Wreckhouse into a corner, both his sabers flashing high and low, not giving his foe an opportunity to recover.

The Assassin did what he could, but he only had so much energy with an injured shoulder. He managed to cut a portion off Crescent Wing’s suit, but the bodyguard had managed to dig his blades into Wreckhouse’s shoulders, slamming him against the brick wall of a mausoleum.

“Agh!” Wreckhouse cried out. “I’ll… I’ll kill you!”

The Assassin kicked Crescent in the chest, driving him back a few steps and he stabbed with his hidden blades, only for the bodyguard to twist and avoid them, following through into a roundhouse kick.

Wreckhouse ducked under it and smashed his head as fast as he could between Crescent’s legs. The bodyguard’s face scrunched up as he staggered back, clutching the spot he was hit in.

“You… dirty Assassin. And here I was... trying to be civilized.”

The orange haired Assassin kicked out with a foot, but Crescent managed to catch it with one sword, stabbing the blade through the sole, stepping back once to steady himself.

“Ah!” Wreckhouse yelled as he tried to dislodge the blade from the bottom of his foot.

Crescent twisted the sword and grinned. “Now I have you.”

Wreckhouse hobbled on one leg, trying to steel himself from the pain in his foot, but he could do nothing to attack the Templar in front of him; he was out of reach.

Crescent pointed his other blade at him with an expressionless face. “Do you surrender? I will let you go if you do.”

This is bad… Wreckhouse thought in his head. He didn’t know how else he was going to get out of this one. Tangent. His partner was close by, facing off against Mahogany Wood and that new dark crystal weapon he had. Perhaps if he could get her attention without signalling his intentions to Crescent Wing, he could just pull this off.

“I’ll never surrender to you Templars!” Wreckhouse shouted at the top of his voice.

Crescent Wing sighed.

“You Assassins are steadfast, I’ll give you that. Come then; I’ll give you an honorable death.”

He raised his blade up as Wreckhouse looked to the corner of his eye. Come on, Tangent. Where are you…?

Then she leapt out from behind Crescent, delivering a quick kick to the side of his head. The bodyguard yelped and fell to the side, letting go of the saber in Wreckhouse’s foot, which Tangent swiftly yanked out.

“Thanks, Tangent.” He rose to his feet and picked up the saber. He wasn’t very skilled with swords, but it was still a weapon with a considerable length. “Where’s Mahogany?”

“Still back there,” she explained. “Left him to save your butt. Good thing I did.”

Crescent Wing staggered to his feet, blood running down from his temple. He spun his remaining saber in his right hand.

“You take care of Mahogany,” Wreckhouse said to Tangent. “I’ll handle scarface here.”

“Are you serious?” She looked at his face to make sure he wasn’t joking. “You almost got yourself killed and you want to take him on by yourself? Again?”

“Trust me,” Wreckhouse said. “I can take him.”

Tangent sighed, but she believed him. “Alright. Don’t die, partner.” And she ran back around the huge mausoleum.

“You have courage, but you must be foolish,” Crescent Wing said as both of them circled each other. “You needed her help, and you send her away? Why?”

Wreckhouse smiled wryly. “Figured I’d give you an honorable death, since you were so obliging.”

“Well said, Assassin.” Crescent smiled and brought the saber up into a combat position. “A fight to the death. May the best man win.”

The two men ran at each other, their sabers locking with a spray of sparks. The dark clouds in the city had finally arrived, overshadowing across the cemetery in the twilight as both of them jumped back, only to dash forward to lock swords again.

They clashed twice more, with neither men gaining an advantage. Crescent Wing backed away a few steps.

“You fought well, Assassin. But it’s over now.”

Wreckhouse raised an eyebrow. He didn’t see how it was over. The other man stood a few meters away, staring at him… no. Staring behind him.

He turned around and leapt aside just as a black motorcycle rammed him in the arm, sending him spinning away into a bush. The bike and its rider skidded to a stop and bathed Wreckhouse in its glaring headlight.

“I had him, Mirror Match,” Crescent walked over to the rider and her vehicle. “You didn’t need to do that.”

“Where’s the chairman?” Mirror’s voice was muffled behind her helmet. “His call sounded urgent.”

“He’s facing another Assassin. But I do not worry. He has a new weapon from the Grand Master.”

To prove his point, Tangent burst through the mausoleum behind them, showering concrete across the soil before bouncing to a stop close to Wreckhouse.

The brown-skinned Assassin crawled towards his partner and put a hand on her neck. Good. She was still breathing, but an impact like that wouldn’t be without pain.

Mahogany Wood stepped through the hole in the wall and dusted off his coat. One sleeve was missing and he had a small cut on his left thigh, but he didn’t look like he bothered about it. Much.

“Ah, Mirror Match. There you are,” he said as he joined the other two Templars. “You never answered my calls. I was afraid you weren’t coming.”

“I had a date to prepare for, chairman,” Mirror responded coolly, stepping off her bike and removing her gloves. “Let’s put a quick end to this so I can get back to that, hmm?”

“Yes, that’s a good idea.” The chairman turned his head as Wolfgang walked in to join them, carrying two Assassins by their legs, one of which was Honeybee.

“Did I miss anything, chairman?” he sneered. “By the way, those new bullets work like a charm! Just look at them!”

Wreckhouse noticed half their heads were missing. “You... monsters!”

“I seem to get called that a lot,” Mirror muttered, her face inscrutable behind her visor.

“Monster?” Wolfgang smiled. “Hardly menacing enough. These Assassins did put up a good fight, I must say. Pity they didn’t expect me to pull my gun. Ha! Just one bullet, and bam! Where’d their heads go?”

As Wolfgang and Mirror approached, Wreckhouse had to think fast. Mirror didn’t seem to be armed, but from experience he knew that with her, that didn’t mean much. Wolfgang was in the process of loading a new magazine into his pistol.

With no options left, Wreckhouse threw his saber at Wolfgang, who leapt back in astonishment.

At the same time, Wreckhouse threw down every smoke bomb he had and slung Tangent over his shoulders, moving as fast as his injured foot would allow, making his way towards the cemetery’s south gate.

He mentally hit himself for not listening to High Noon. The Appleloosan had worked in the Templar Order before he joined the Brotherhood. Of course he knew not to mess with the guys on top. Now, all the other Assassins were dead and Tangent was incapacitated. Even worse, through the smoke he could see the outline of someone coming after them, someone with green fire in their hands and a helmeted head.

Come on, Wreckhouse… You can make it back. You’ve got to. For Tangent’s sake.

He kept his eyes forward, picking up his speed, ignoring the pain in his foot as much as he could. Then he was at the gate, vaulting over it with one hand while holding Tangent up with the other. He almost fell when he landed, but Wreckhouse managed to keep going, sprinting down the street, trying to get as far away as he could from the cemetery and… Mirror Match.

Back at the cemetery, Mirror Match watched the two Assassins go, letting the fire in her hands die out before pulling her gloves back on. Her newly grown nails would ruin the insides, but it was far better than letting anyone get a close look at them.

Wolfgang, Crescent, and Mahogany joined her through the thinning smoke, arriving just in time to see the Assassins get into a car and drive away.

“Your orders, chairman?” Crescent had retrieved his sabers and was itching to use them. “Should we pursue?”

“No need.” Mahogany patted back any loose strands in his hair and smiled. “Let them run. They can go explain to their Mentor how dangerous we are. Especially when they attack us during my brother’s funeral.”

“I can pursue, chairman,” Wolfgang stepped to the gate and looked at the city. “Why let them go? It’s more fun to chase them down and scare them, just before you stick a blade into their faces.”

“Seems like your spell is wearing out,” Mahogany said. “You better get back to Grand Master Sombra so that he can fix you up.”

Mirror Match turned on her heel and began walking back to her motorbike. “Well, if that’s all, then I will take my leave.”

“Ah, yes, you have ‘a date’,” Wolfgang pretended to imitate her voice. “And who is the lucky guy you’ll be spending the evening with?”

“The lucky guy?” Mirror’s voice abruptly shifted, becoming identical to Wolfgang’s. “Why it’s only one of the best Assassins in the world. We’re having dinner at my place.”

Mahogany laughed. “And here I thought you had no sense of humor,” he composed himself. “Whatever the case, that voice scrambler in your helmet is impressive. Did the R&D team fix it up for you?”

Mirror Match revved her bike’s engine and prepared herself to ride.

“No.”

Then she was off like a shot, showering Wolfgang with dirt and exhaust fumes.

“I don’t know what she’s up to, but…” Wolfgang turned to the chairman. “Let me go spy on her or something. I want to know who she’s eating with. I remembered she was really chummy with an Assassin back when she was still our enemy.”

“Just leave her be, Wolfgang,” Mahogany grunted. “You have better things to do. Like getting your mind fixed. I prefer it when you’re more… civilized.”

“Bah, now why should I? I haven’t had this much fun in ages!”

“Because I’m not letting you out of sight until you do. Crescent.”

Mahogany Wood stepped back as Crescent moved in, clubbing Wolfgang on the head so hard that he immediately crumpled to the ground.

“Bring him,” Mahogany ordered. “I’ll get Lumberjack to take him to Saddle Arabia when he leaves. Spending a few days with the Grand Master ought to… change his mindset.”

Chapter 91: All Mine

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Frigid Night woke up in a chair, blinking his eyes a few times to adjust his vision. It seemed to already be dark out.

“Guuuh…” he groaned and rubbed at his eyes.

The chair he was sitting in was surprisingly comfortable, but he didn’t remember getting into one. In front of him stood a square oaken table, all prepped and ready for dinner. There were two candles in the middle, along with two plates, glass cups, and utensils on their respective sides.

“What…?”

“Oh hi, Friggy, you’re awake!” someone he knew said behind him.

Frigid widened his eyes as Mirror Match walked over and placed a metal tray full of different kinds of meat in the middle of the table before sitting across from him. She had on her usual Templar robes, though the cape was missing.

“Sorry I didn’t dress up for this,” she smiled happily. “I had to go out to deal with something and cook all this. How are you? It’s been a while.”

“What?” Frigid bent forward slowly, stiff from his time being inactive. “You brought me here?”

“Of course!” the Templar giggled. “I’ve missed you, Friggy, so I thought I’d set up a date for us. Just you and me. You’re fine with that right?”

“No,” Frigid managed to say without a smile on his face. “It’s not. I know you don’t really love me. I’ve seen what you’ve done. I’m just a tool to you, aren’t I?”

Mirror Match drew back, surprised. “Friggy, how could you say that? After setting up everything for you? I had to go through the trouble to plant a fake contract to get you here. I even did the cooking!”

“The contract is a fake? Well… I’m grateful, Mirror, that you took so much trouble to see me, but tell me. What am I to you? Or am I just something for you to use?”

“Of course I still love you, Friggy.” Mirror Match looked down at the table disappointedly. “You mean a lot to me. It’s just… what I need done requires me on this side.”

“And the others?” Frigid reminded her. “Pierce Network, Fire Frenzy, Broadside, Sparkplug. What about them?”

“They acted against my queen. They needed to be punished.” Mirror picked up a fork and knife and picked out a piece of meat. “Please help yourself.”

Frigid narrowed his eyes at her, but did as she said anyway. He figured he might as well be civilized, since she prepared a meal for him, and besides, her cooking was really good. He picked out a square piece of beef and put it on his plate.

“So…” Mirror said after taking a bite out of her food. “Do you still need more convincing that I’m still in love with you?”

“Yes,” Frigid nodded and cut his piece into bite size. “Because from what I’ve looked at, it doesn’t quite seem so anymore.”

He took a good look at his surroundings, just in case he had to make a run for it. The room he was in was huge, the ceiling way over his head. There was a small fireplace by the side, along with a gigantic TV and couch near the center of the room.

“But Friggy, I want to be with you, believe me,” she continued, pouring a bit of wine for both of them into tall glass cups. “But the Assassins are doomed, surely you realize? Now with this new Grand Master at their head… I don’t want you to die, Friggy. I care about you.”

Frigid bit into his meal and enjoyed it for a few seconds before giving Mirror an answer. “If you really care about me, you’d care about my friends too. Please, Mirror. Leave Pierce alone.”

Mirror seemed to think about it, putting a finger to her chin as she chewed. After swallowing, she finally gave him an answer. “Alright, you win, Friggy. I’ll leave Pierce alone. At least for now. How about that?”

Frigid nodded. It was a start. Perhaps he could convince her to abandon her executions completely one day. It seemed impossible, but Frigid held on to that hope. He was also starting to believe she still loved him, but after all the evidence and circumstances they had been through, the Assassin still had doubts about his ex-girlfriend. Was this all a ruse?

“Mirror, I admit, I still miss having you around, but I’ve been getting used to it. Mentor’s given me a new apprentice and all to help me through it.” Frigid continued eating through the beef as Mirror watched him with a smile. It was some really good food she could prepare.

“You’ve replaced me already?” Mirror waved a hand playfully. “Don’t tell me I have to compete for your love now?”

“Oh, no. Morning Blade’s much younger. And I don’t know. I’m not that close to her yet.”

Mirror finished all the meat on her plate and downed her glass of wine. “In that case, you’re still all mine, Friggy. Really, I still love you. You can take my word for it. Would I ever lie to you?”

Frigid took a sip of his drink and raised an eyebrow. “You have, Mirror. You lied to me when I brought you to the bureau.”

“Bah, that was one time, Friggy. I haven’t done so after that, haven’t I?” Mirror leaned back and raised a hand to her cheek as she watched him.

“You really still like me, Mirror?” Frigid asked as he ate some more. “For real?”

Even if they weren’t together anymore, Frigid couldn’t doubt that Mirror Match was the prettiest woman he had ever known. Maybe even prettier now, in fact.

“Who’s the one who stayed by you when all your friends abandoned you?” Mirror asked as she dangled her fork under her fingers. “Who listened to all your problems and gave you advice when you needed it?”

He had to admit, Mirror Match was right. She was there to listen to his troubles and kept him company when the rest lost their trust in him. Perhaps she was right. She was the only real friend he had left. The only person he could express his feelings to.

“I’m sorry I doubted you, Mirror,” Frigid leaned back. “Thanks. For being with me.”

“Of course, Friggy,” Mirror smiled as she poured more wine and grabbed more food. “So, how are you finding the meal?”

“Great as always, Mirror,” Frigid chuckled and cut up a piece of steak. “You’ve got a real talent right there.”

“That I know.” She picked out another chunk of meat and began eyeing Frigid, a small smile creeping onto her face. “Anything else you want?”

Frigid couldn’t help but look at her intently, remembering the fun times they had together; the passionate nights they had together. When he realized he was still staring at her, he blushed and cleared his throat before looking away.

“Oh… No. Everything’s fine, Mirror.”

“Are you sure?” she asked as she deposited another slice down her throat. “You look a little flustered.” Her smile began to widen.

Frigid took a long sip of wine to take his mind off of her. He was starting to look a little too closely at Mirror. He felt his temperature began to rise, thinking specifically to the special nights he had with her.

“Oh, all fine, Mirror… Nothing wrong.”

In truth, Frigid wasn’t alright. He could feel his want for the woman he loved, but it was a strange thing. He hadn’t had this feeling since the days before Mirror left the Brotherhood.

The Templar agent seemed to sense it too. She put her fork and knife down, and crossed over to Frigid’s position. Pulling out his chair, she leaned into him and grasped for his head.

“Oh, Friggy,” she shook her head. She smelt nice. Like a scent of strawberries and cream. “You don’t hide your emotions very well. That’s one thing I love about you.”

She pulled his head close and kissed him. Any restraint Frigid had earlier was broken. He wrapped his arms around Mirror’s back and pulled her in right up against him.

“I’m sorry,” Frigid said in between kisses. “I’ve always loved you, Mirror. I never stopped.”

“I know you haven’t,” she smiled. “I know you haven’t.”

Frigid soon found himself beside Mirror on her bed, his mouth still joined with hers with the exception of small breaths in between.

The Assassin felt as though his mind had been scrambled; all he could think about was Mirror Match. Every small touch sent shocks through his body, leaving him wanting more.

“Let’s turn it up a notch, shall we Friggy?”

In one quick motion, Frigid’s coat and shirt were fluttering down to the floor, following by Mirror’s own, exposing their bodies to each other again. Frigid’s eyes began making his way down her front, eventually followed by his hands as he lost his self-control completely.

“Yes, well done, Friggy,” Mirror closed her eyes and let Frigid do as he pleased. “That’s nice…”

It wasn’t enough for Frigid. He wanted more. He quickly stripped off all their remaining clothes and leaned into Mirror as he looked for her mouth again, kissing her deeply.

“Mirror… You’re so pretty…”

“Oh, don’t worry, Friggy. I know that,” she smiled and traced her fingers along his chest. “And look at you. You’ve gotten stronger! You been working out?”

Frigid felt her lips against his cheek, and then against his neck. For a second, he was afraid she was going to bite him again, but she did nothing more than make him feel alive. It was as if he had an electrical current passing through him; it felt good. Too good.

It felt as if the receptors all over his body went haywire when the Templar agent reached down with a hand.

“Ah, Mirror…”

Then the sound of thunder turned both their heads to one of the blinded windows before the sound of rain howled all around them.

“Oh, look at that. Looks like a big storm.” Mirror pulled Frigid down to her, her mouth right beside his ear. “For tonight, you’re all mine...”

Morning Blade knocked on the door another three times and waited. In one hand, she carried a small towel, while she held a toothbrush in the other.

Her room’s water supply had mysteriously shut off, forcing her to look around for another source. She had knocked on the rooms closest to hers, but no one seemed to be in. She didn’t dare go into just any Assassin’s room, so she headed to Frigid’s.

As she waited she began to think how silly of a plan it was. What if he was using the bathroom? What if he was already asleep?

No. It’s still too early for Frigid to be asleep.

A blush crept over the green-skinned girl’s face as the thought of using her mentor’s bathroom filled her mind. It really was a strange request; she realized she didn’t even know how to ask the question.

She took a long swallow and waited a while longer. When no answer came, she decided to see if he was in there. She grabbed the handle and turned it slightly. She peered into the dark room, honing her eagle vision to look for him. He wasn’t in.

Odd. Where did he go?

She was about to enter when a sudden blast of thunder startled her into jumping into the room, pushing the door with her whole weight.

“Owowowow…” She rubbed at her shoulder. That was going to be another part of her being sore tomorrow.

Then she figured since she was already in his room, she might as well see if she can find out where he went. By the sound of it, there was a large storm outside. She hoped he had made it to shelter before it hit.

“Where could you have gone, Frigid?” she muttered to herself.

The rain seemed to be getting heavier as Morning walked around his room. This was the first time she had gone into his room; she usually just stood by the door if she had something to ask of him.

She didn’t touch any of his things, but she scanned her eyes around, looking for anything that might let her know where he was. She never found any.

Eventually, she decided to quickly use his bathroom and cleaned everything up for him before she left, even the sink top items he had left in a mess. Morning Blade wondered how Frigid had ever managed on his own if he couldn’t even keep his bathroom clean.

Morning Blade returned to her room and curled up on her bed, pulling the sheets up to her neck. Thunder from outside shook her room; Morning brought a hand up and put it against her ear. This was going to be a long night. She closed her eyes and told herself she was going to fall asleep, no matter what.

“Stay safe, Frigid.”

Chapter 92: A Choice to be Made

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"Could I ask a personal question, Morning?" Twilight Sparkle looked up from her notes, stopping halfway.

"Oh, sure, that's fine." Morning nodded. She saw nothing wrong with that.

"You seem to care a lot for Frigid, at least, from what I'm getting in the stories." Twilight scratched the back of her head. "Did you... perhaps have feelings for him?"

"Oh, oh, that kind of question..." Morning Blade blushed and began stroking her braid. "Well, umm... you know, I'm not... uh, very sure myself... I did, um, look up to him very much. I always knew he could be a nice man. Perhaps... maybe I just wanted more from him."

"Well, there's nothing to be afraid of, Morning. Everyone should have someone to love, you know?" Twilight gave her shoulder a pat.

"It doesn't make any difference now, does it? He's gone and so are the others."

"Well, it's good what you're doing, Morning, recounting the stories of your friends. Rest assured, I'll make sure their memories will not be lost."

The ex-Assassin smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Twilight. You're right on that. It's good to have friends."

"Like I always tell everypony, Morning. Friendship is magic!"

It was about four in the morning when Steel Shine awoke to the sound of knocking on her door. Star Lance would’ve normally gotten to it, but for the first time in her life, he wasn’t here right now.

She rubbed at her eyes before shifting out of bed, taking her sword with her. She adjusted her hair and nightgown as she moved for the door, turning the knob and pulling it open.

Wreckhouse stood outside, dirty and bloody from his mission. Both his upper arms were bandaged up.

“Wreckhouse,” Steel Shine acknowledged. “What happened? Did you take down the chairman?”

“No,” he shook his head. “We failed, Mentor. Only Tangent and I got away.”

“Where is she now?” Steel Shine asked worriedly.

“I brought her to the medic wing. She’s in critical condition.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. Tell me about the mission, Wreckhouse. What happened?”

She allowed the Assassin to sit himself in a chair as she grabbed another, sitting across from him.

Wreckhouse made himself comfortable before beginning. “We underestimated them, Mentor. Even the chairman was more formidable than I had first thought. He’s the one who put Tangent in the medic wing.”

“I’m sorry, Wreckhouse...” Steel Shine closed her eyes. “I shouldn’t have let you go. I should’ve known better myself.”

Steel Shine knew she was a little lost without Star Lance to give his input. He normally complemented what she didn’t have, but she couldn’t admit that to the younger Assassin; that would only take away any morale he had left.

“No, don’t worry, Wreckhouse. This was only a delay. We can still do this. We haven’t lost yet.”

“Yeah… I suppose so. Thank you, Mentor.”

“It’s fine. I think it’s safer to focus our attention on Saddle Arabia. We need to stop their advance there before they find more of the artifacts.”

“Mentor, if I may ask… What are these artifacts? Why do the Templars want them so much?”

Steel Shine unclasped her sword from her nightgown and held it out in front of her. “This sword was passed down from my mother, who received it from her mother, and so on. This sword has been with the Assassin Brotherhood since its founding. Now, long ago, my ancestors learnt that artifacts, like this sword, came from… Another world.”

“Another… World?” Wreckhouse seemed to have trouble taking it in.

“Yes,” Steel Shine continued. “Now, it is said only beings from that world are able to call on the full might of an artifact. I’m sure you must’ve heard how I can use its power?”

“Yes, Mentor. Frigid had told me… quite a while ago, actually. How you could fly and all that.”

“Yes, but I am only able to call forth this power partially. Let’s just say that we’ll be able to channel it less and less each generation.”

Wreckhouse nodded. “So what does this have to do with the Templars? Do they have someone like you? From the other world?”

Steel Shine covered her mouth with a hand as she chuckled briefly. “No, Wreckhouse. I’m not from the other world. My ancestor, the First Assassin… She was. And now, I have reason to believe this new Grand Master is from her world, or at the very least related by blood to someone who is.”

“Sombra is from the other world…? So… All this… Wow. It’s a lot to take in, Mentor.”

“Don’t worry. It’s perfectly normal not understanding all of it.”

“So that is why we can’t let them get the other artifacts,” Wreckhouse understood. “If Sombra gets his hands on them, we can’t stop him.”

“I’m afraid so, Wreckhouse.” Steel Shine cast her eyes over her golden blade, reminiscing the past. “Sombra must not find the tomb. If he does, then nothing, not even I will be able to stop him.”

Frigid Night awoke on a soft comfortable bed, staring up at a high white ceiling. His left arm felt tingly. He turned to his left to see Mirror Match resting her head on it, her body curled up against him, holding on to him; her eyes were still closed. Probably still sleeping.

He didn’t want to bother her, but she was just so pretty. He leaned over and planted a kiss on her forehead. Immediately after doing so, her eyes swished open, looking right into his.

“Sorry, did I wake you?” he smiled. She really was pretty.

“It’s fine, Friggy.” She scooted herself closer to him and leaned her head against his chest after a kiss to his lips. “I had a wonderful time, Friggy. I’m glad you stayed.”

“Well, I had to anyway. Unless I wanted to get drenched on the way back,” he smiled and wrapped an arm around her. “I should be the one thanking you for letting me stay.

“Speaking of which, I should probably leave, shouldn’t I,” Frigid rubbed the back of his head and searched for his pants on the floor. “Risky for both of us if we get seen together.”

He got up, but Mirror grabbed on to his arm to stop him. “Wait, Friggy. Don’t go. Stay with me. You don’t need to return to the Assassins. Think about it; you’re constantly surrounded by death, always one blade or bullet away from receiving it yourself. There is nothing gained by going to Saddle Arabia. If you go there, you’ll die.”

“But I have to, Mirror. If we don’t do anything, then your Grand Master wins.”

“You don’t owe the Assassins anything. Stay here, with me. I can explain to Mahogany that you changed sides. I can tell him you were my mole in the Brotherhood. It’s much safer for you here than in Masyaf.”

“Mirror…” Frigid sat there, looking between her and his clothes. “I… I shouldn’t. The Assassins need me.”

“Do they?” Mirror sat herself up and looked into his blue eyes. “From what you’ve told me, they don’t. But I do, Friggy. I need you.”

“But Mirror. The Templars… I can’t-”

“Then we’ll get away. We’ll leave this battlefield, together. We don’t need Assassins and Templars. Just us, Friggy. Just us…”

“What about your queen? Isn’t she a Templar?”

“What? No, she’s not!” Mirror grasped his arm tighter. “As if she would associate her royal self with these halfwits that I have to work with.”

“But… I still have responsibilities, Mirror, as an Assassin.”

“Morning Blade, right? What do you owe her? You said it yourself. You don’t care for her the same way you care for me. Is she more important than I am? Would you prioritize her over me?”

Frigid wanted more than anything to say no, but in his heart, he knew he couldn’t. He still had a job to do. An apprentice to teach. A future to ensure.

“I… I can’t. I’m sorry, Mirror.”

Mirror Match seemed to bristle at his decision, but it soon passed, replaced by a sad smile.

“Well, you can’t say I didn’t try, Friggy... Come on. Let me cook you breakfast before you go.”

Chapter 93: In the Air Tonight

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Trueshot sat in the armory atop an opened munitions box, slotting more bullets into empty magazines.

“What’cha up to, sniper?” Feather Duster popped up, sitting across from him on another box.

“Getting more spare ammo,” he replied, completing another magazine. This was his seventh one done. “You can never be too careful.”

The Saddle Arabian Assassin watched Trueshot’s hands, noticing his missing fingers.

“Say, what happened to your hands? I mean, if you don’t want to talk about it, it’s fine.”

“It’s fine.” He lifted one hand to look at it. “It was a vampire that bit off my fingers.”

Feather Duster nodded at an extremely slow speed. “Vampire…? Really?”

“Yeah. Didn’t believe it myself either, but after the fangs and the supernatural powers, I think it’s safe to say she was real.”

Feather Duster shrugged and propped her sniper rifle up on the box as she began to dismantle it. “Well, I can’t say you’re lying. You’ve got the fingers to prove it. Or not.”

Both Assassins shared a laugh before returning to their weapons.

“How have things been?” Trueshot asked, breaking the silence. “I heard that black haired one, Keila, complaining day and night about Frigid Night.”

“Yeah. I think it’s because he didn’t want to cooperate with her.”

Trueshot sighed. Something really had happened with that guy, and it looks like there was no changing it.

“He’s been through a lot for someone his age. After a few incidents, he decided to go solo. I guess he didn’t want anyone else to get hurt.”

Feather Duster nodded, but Trueshot didn’t think she fully understood what he was saying. To understand Frigid’s story, he would have to start from day one.

“So, how many rounds can you fit in there?” the Saddle Arabian pointed, taking their minds off the dark topic. “You mentioned full-auto for that thing.”

“Twenty,” the Stalliongrad Assassin answered. “More than enough to cut down a squad of Templars in a go.”

“Impressive. May I… May I try it…?” she asked as nicely as she could.

“Oh… Well… Sure.” Trueshot walked over and held his weapon out for her. “Just be careful with her.”

“You couldn’t trust anyone better, my friend.”

She rotated the gun around a few times before putting the stock to her shoulder. Feather Duster looked down the scope and shifted it around.

“It’s very light,” she smiled. “This isn’t bad.”

“Why, of course. Made every part myself, remember?” He looked to Feather’s rifle and pointed to it. “You don’t mind do you?”

“I normally wouldn’t let anyone touch it… But you’re alright, Trueshot. Go ahead.”

Both snipers pointed the rifles around, loading in empty magazines and pulling back the slides like they were using the rifle in the field.

“Wow. It’s very well made,” Trueshot marveled. The weapon truly had fantastic craftsmanship, especially the wooden parts.

“You bet it is,” the other sniper laughed. “This old girl’s seen me through a dozen firefights and won me at least two sniper duels. You ever get into one? It’s harrowing, I tell you.”

“Oh yes. That I know,” Trueshot rolled his eyes, remembering his duel with Mirror. He never stood a chance. “Have-have you ever… dueled someone who could bounce bullets off objects and nail you with them?”

“You two look like you’re having fun,” Shadowstrike said as he and Rose Petal entered the armory. “Still deciding who’s better?”

“Hmm… Equal level, I believe.”

“Yeah, I agree,” Trueshot added. “She’s pretty good. No, really good.”

“How about you two?” Feather sat back down on her box. “Who had the better CQC?”

“She did,” Shadowstrike pointed. “But let it be known, I don’t hit beautiful women.”

“So I’m not beautiful?” Feather Duster playfully questioned. “To think we know each other after seven years as partners?”

“I didn’t say that,” Shadowstrike waved his hands in front of him. “But I’ve never seen the likes of Rose before. She’s a glamorous red flower among the white ones.”

“Uh huh.” The Saddle Arabian sniper wasn’t impressed.

“You flatter me, Shadow,” Rose smiled, but couldn’t stop a small blush from spreading. “But I’m sure your partner is quite a rare one as well. Including her skills. I’ve only ever seen one good sniper in my life, and he’s standing in front of you.”

“Yeah, you two are pretty much the same,” Shadowstrike gave Trueshot a friendly punch. “It’s no wonder Mentor Shamal assigned you two together.”

“Whatever gets the work done, you know?” Trueshot went back to loading bullets into his magazines. “Speaking of work. When are we getting back out there again?”

Frigid Night stepped back into the bureau, close to afternoon, walking right past the guards as they tried to ignore his presence. Besides them, there was another face there, actually happy that he had returned.

“Frigid, you’re back!” Morning Blade greeted him in the lobby. “I was worried you were in trouble or something.”

“Yeah. Just a storm, Morning. I just waited it out in one of the safehouses. Didn’t find my target, though.” Frigid scratched at his face and tried to focus on the ceiling. “Uh, well, did anything happen while I was gone? You get any training done?”

“I trained a little with Dewdrop,” Morning smiled. “She’s very skilled. Oh, and Mentor wants us to go back to Saddle Arabia with her. She says they need more Assassins there.”

“Go… back…?”

Frigid immediately walked over to a wall and pushed his head against it.

“Guuuuh,” he groaned, his voice muffled. “Why? Isn’t there anyone else who can go?”

“Well...” Morning walked over and leaned against the wall. “You’re one of the best, sir. I think the Mentor chose you because you are able to help make a difference. Don’t you think so, Frigid?”

Frigid didn’t answer, but he doubted it. He’d lost the Mentor’s trust a long time ago, and he’d been trying to restore it for the last year. She probably still didn’t trust him enough to leave him here without her supervision. Although, under her eye, Frigid had still spent the night with Mirror Match anyway. It pained him to leave her again, but he knew he still had his duty, and whether he liked it or not, he would have to go to Saddle Arabia again.

“Let’s get it over with then…” Frigid Night sighed and headed up the stairs. “One question. Do we have to travel by air again?”

Chapter 94: The Ambush

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Frigid stepped out of the rickety old airplane and back into the heat of Saddle Arabia, softly groaning as he shielded his eyes from the sun. The ride here and been absolutely dreadful and the Assassin didn’t get a single chance to sleep through it this time.

Mentor Shamal, Ikram and Keila, a face Frigid didn’t really want to see, stood by the exit, waiting for them.

“Welcome back, Mentor Steel Shine,” the other Mentor shook her hand. “Your lieutenant has done a swell job in pushing the Templars back. Why, just yesterday, he fought through an entire platoon all on his own after, sadly, his team perished. Oh, but don’t worry. He’s fine. Made it out with barely a scratch.”

“Everything is good, I suppose?” Frigid’s Mentor formed a thin smile as the Assassins walked away from the landing zone to the jeeps. “How are our numbers now?”

“We’ve lost a lot of good Assassins,” Shamal shook his head. “The Templars just have too many men, weapons, and resources under them. They’ve slowly been pushing us back, but we’ve managed to capture one of the Templar outposts. Assassins from the Chicoltgo bureau are taking a second while we speak. I hope their mission is successful.

“Templars have stepped up their game as of late. Those black crystal weapons? They’ve been appearing in the masses. Almost every important Templar has them now, including a special squad of Dragon Unit’s finest soldiers, led by Talon himself. They’ve been a wrecking force, but with your help, I’m sure they’ll be no match for us, Mentor Steel Shine.”

“Mentor, if I may ask,” Keila slightly raised a hand and walked alongside the colorful haired Mentor. “Why did you bring Frigid Night back? He doesn’t work well with anyone, and he just makes things worse.”

“Hey!” Frigid yelled at her, but Mentor Steel Shine shot a hand out and held him back.

“Frigid Night. We are not here to fight each other, and besides, you two will be working together, so learn to be better behaved.”

“Wait. I have to continue working with him?” She turned wide-eyed to her Mentor. “Mentor, please. Give me someone else to work with! Just not him! I’ve tried to be nice, you know that, but this man is just not someone who I can work with.”

“It’s something you have to understand, Keila,” Mentor Shamal explained. “Not everyone you partner with will be nice like Ikram. Some are just harder to work with. You understand?”

Keila let out a very heavy sigh. “Yes, Mentor…”

“It’ll be fine, Keila,” Ikram said as he put an arm around her. “It’s only for a while. Then we’ll be back together again.” He turned back to High Noon, who stood next to Frigid, tipping his cap lower over his eyes. “No offense, High Noon. You’re still a really good shot.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry,” High Noon chuckled. “It’s what we have to do.”

“You don’t have to act all tough, Noon,” Dewdrop patted him on the back. “Unless it’s because you think you can impress me?”

“What? No, no. No-nothing like t-that,” the cowboy stammered and turned his head away to look at the city.

“I don’t believe we’ve had the chance to meet you,” Keila walked over and stretched a hand out. “I’m Keila. This is Ikram, and I’m sure you should know our Mentor.”

“I’m Dewdrop,” she smiled and shook the black haired Assassin’s hand. “I admire you Assassins. It’s really hot here, but you still go out and do your job. Not bad.”

“Well, it helps to dress light,” Keila smiled, focusing her eyes on Dewdrop’s many layers of clothing.

The blue haired Assassin wore her standard attire, consisting of a blue coat over a grey jacket, which was over a red shirt. About a month ago, Dewdrop had gone and imprinted the Assassin emblem on her shirt. Frigid didn’t know what for, but he thought she should’ve just gone out and wrote, ‘Hey, I’m an Assassin. Come get me!’ on it.

“Yeah, maybe you should remove a layer or two,” High Noon suggested. “You look like you’re dressed for winter.”

Dewdrop smirked. “A real go-getter, aren’t you, Noon? Most guys would buy me dinner before asking me to take my clothes off.”

“What?” High Noon immediately went red-faced. “That wasn’t- no, I wasn’t t-talking about that! No, no, you got it w-wrong, Dew. I was simply won-wondering… I mean, uh… You know, nevermind.”

“High Noon,” Morning Blade tugged on his sleeve. “I think she’s just messing with you.”

“Yeah, totally, Noon!” Dewdrop snickered and hung on his other shoulder. “I know what you mean. Ha! But you should’ve seen the look on your face when I said that! Brilliant!”

“Well… Good for you.” The cowboy pulled his hat lower and walked ahead towards the Mentors. “Uh, I think Mentor called my name. Umm… yeah. I’ll go see what she wants.”

“But he’s right, you know. You might want to lose one layer at least,” Keila continued. “The heat’ll get to you fast.”

“If you insist.” Dewdrop unslung her harness and shoved it into Frigid’s hands, much to his shock and annoyance before removing her blue coat. “This good enough?”

“I guess it’ll do,” Keila sighed. “You Trottingham guys are pretty high strung, aren’t you? Guess I can’t blame you though. Ever since the Templars stepped in, Masyaf’s become a warzone. Everyone who isn’t moving out is bunkering themselves down.”

“High strung?” Frigid voiced, still carrying Dewdrop’s swords and harness. “You Saddle Arabians mustn’t have a lot of nerves if you call that high strung.”

“You’re to talk, Frigid Night,” Keila frowned at him. “You’ve been giving me trouble from day one and I’ve tried to put up with it, but… It’s a lot harder than it first looked, I’ll tell you that.”

“Hey, I tried to be nice. I told you my plans.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t want to cooperate with me. You just wanted to go out there on your own. Well, it didn’t work, so why don’t you learn a little teamwork, huh?”

“She has a point, Frigid,” Dewdrop added. “Working together isn’t as bad as you make it sound. I mean, even you used to work with Mirror Match.”

“Mirror Match?” Keila asked. “Isn’t she the Witch of Manehattan?”

“What, you’ve heard of her all the way here?” High Noon was surprised.

The Assassins arrived at the two jeeps, with High Noon and Ikram as the drivers.

“Well, of course,” Keila nodded as she got in beside the cowboy. “All Assassins should know about her by now. I’m thankful she hasn’t been here. But wait, that wasn’t the question I was asking. She used to work with Frigid?” She watched the other Assassin from the sideview mirror. He, Morning Blade, and a few other Assassins were seated at the back, while Dewdrop and the rest got into the other one with Mentor Shamal and Ikram.

“She was more than just his partner,” High Noon said as he steered the vehicle down a side road. “When she betrayed us… Things changed. People changed.”

“Frigid changed, huh?” Keila turned around to look at the yellow-skinned Assassin. “What happened?”

“Well,” High Noon continued. “It’s a long story, but he had trusted her wholly. When she left, she gave him a little parting gift; he lost both his girlfriend, and his old teacher that day.”

“I’m sorry, Frigid,” Keila looked sympathetic enough. “I can’t imagine your loss, but it still doesn’t give you the right to disobey orders. Give us a chance. We’ll help you.”

Frigid sighed and faced the left, looking at all the buildings they were passing by. “I’ll do things as I see fit. It’s for my own good, and it’s for your own good.”

“Frigid Night, really!” Keila stomped a foot, startling High Noon, who managed to get the jeep back under control. “You are the hardest, most inconceivable man I have ever had to work with! Is it so hard to trust us?”

Frigid grumbled and leaned further back. “Yes. Yes it is.”

Keila threw her hands up and turned to Morning Blade. “Is your teacher always this incomprehensible?”

“Well, not always…”

“Which of course means yes,” Keila crossed her arms and stared at the road grumpily. “Well around here, we call it acting like a dumbshi-”

“Whoops!” Everyone in the jeep was jolted around as one of the vehicle’s wheels fell into a pothole. “Everyone alright back there? My bad. I didn’t see that.”

“What happened?” Keila asked after realizing the vehicle wasn’t moving anymore. The other jeep stopped close behind them, with Dewdrop hopping out the back to join the others. “Did we run into something?”

“Noon,” Dewdrop walked over to his door and leaned on the frame. “I thought you were a better driver than this? How’d you get the jeep stuck?”

Frigid hopped out and looked at the road, noticing one wheel was caught in a fairly deep hole. The hole seemed to be a little too well-shaped, like someone had cut out a chunk of the road.

“Car’s stuck,” he said as he stood up. “But looks set up.”

High Noon and Ikram got out of their seats and moved to Frigid’s position, but as they worked to push the car from the hole, the cowboy caught the glint of something in the rooftops of an alleyway.

“Sniper!” he shouted, and the Assassins scattered as a slug punched a hole in the jeep’s windshield, shattering the glass.

“Where?” Dewdrop leaned her head out, which would’ve been blown off if High Noon didn’t tackle her down.

“Watch out, Dewdrop. Don’t want to lose your head do you?” he warned, leaning a bit too much into her.

“Yeah. I only have one to lose, unlike you.”

“Wait, t-that’s not what I meant-”

“If you two are done flirting,” Keila said irritably. “We have a sniper to take care of. Anyone see the dog?”

“U-up there, by the alley,” the cowboy moved into a crouch and pointed, careful not to raise his hand too high.

Frigid pulled up his eagle sense, catching sight of a small red glow by the edge of the building. It didn’t look too bad, but when he looked around, he noticed a few more red shapes by a few windows; there were at least ten of them.

“It’s an ambush!” Mentor Shamal shouted from behind the other jeep. “Mentor Steel Shine, what should we do?”

Frigid’s Mentor narrowed her eyes, her lips moving in a soundless composition. Then she drew her sword and plunged it into the ground, point first.

Cracks of golden light spread across the ground, forking out to each of the hostiles like lightning. Then she twisted the blade and white-hot flames erupted from the cracks. Frigid heard the screams as each of the enemies were incinerated, the nearest one crumbling into dust before his very eyes.

“Are… Are they all gone?” Morning Blade asked as she stuck her head over one of the jeep’s doors.

Mentor Steel Shine stowed her sword, but dropped to a knee, visibly tired from the use of her powers. Mentor Shamal moved in to help her, but she waved him off.

“It’s fine… Just a little tired. I’ll manage.”

“So, how are we going to do this?” High Noon kept his hat and brought his hood up. “Should we lift the jeep up?”

“Looks like we might have to,” Ikram nodded. Frigid watched as Noon, Ikram, and a few of their other Assassins put their hands under the vehicle as they attempted to lift it.

Their faces were showing the strain, but after a good two minutes of pulling, the jeep finally popped out of the hole. Morning immediately used a loose metal sheet to cover it up.

“Well, that wasn’t so hard,” Ikram quipped. “Now what’s say we get to… what’s that sound?”

Frigid concentrated. At first, he heard nothing, but then there was a sound like a rotor spinning, which really only meant one thing.

A helicopter.

Frigid’s suspicions proved correct as a sleek, black military chopper came into view, hovering just over the buildings the Mentor had attacked, flying down towards them. They could’ve used the jeeps, but then the grey haired Assassin realized they wouldn’t get very far; the helicopter had rocket pods under its wings.

“Everyone get back!” Mentor Shamal waved the group towards the buildings. “Get to the buildings! Use them as cover!”

“Go, go!” Frigid pushed his apprentice in front of him, following behind her after helping another Assassin up.

Not even four meters in, Frigid heard the sound of something propelling itself through the air before a blast of flame shot out from the ground behind him, throwing him to the ground. He lifted his head and looked to the first jeep, which was now a pile of smoldering metal.

He quickly pushed himself up and ran as the helicopter turned itself to face the Assassins, already training its machine gun on them.

Frigid Night dodged right as an Assassin behind him was instantly cut down; some of his blood got onto Frigid’s white robes, but he had no time to do anything about it. He picked himself up and ran along a dirt path towards the city.

“Over here, Frigid!” High Noon called to him from in between two walls. “Quickly!”

Frigid grunted and increased his pace when he heard the machine gun start up again, along with the pelting of bullets as they impacted the ground. They sounded very close behind him.

Then he was between the buildings, narrowly dodging the bullet stream as it proceeded past him. Frigid looked out as the helicopter began to turn itself around once more.

“We can’t stay here,” he told the cowboy. “It’s coming back. We need to move!”

“We’ll lose it in the city,” he nodded. “I don’t know where the rest have gone, but I hope we all get away alright.”

“Right. Go! Move!” Frigid shoved his friend as the helicopter righted itself for another assault. Things weren’t going to be easy this time.

High Noon panted as he arrived in an underground section of a building, able to escape the helicopter. He looked around, noticing Frigid was nowhere in sight.

“Horse biscuits!” he cursed. He made his way back to the entrance to see if he could find his old friend. “Where did you go, Frigid?”

Instead of seeing the white coat of his friend, a group of ten men in black coats rounded the corner, each one holding a rifle, except for the one in front, who carried a black crystal blade. High Noon widened his eyes and ducked back behind cover as the first bullets blew chunks of concrete of the wall he was just at.

Great. Ten against one, huh? Just great.

He retreated down a slope, heading into a carpark, with eight pillars holding up the entire space in front of him. Only four cars were parked inside, which wasn’t good in terms of cover.

“Noon!” he heard some hiss at him. He turned to see Dewdrop hiding behind one of the cars, beckoning him to come over. “Hurry up! Get over here!”

High Noon ran over and ducked down beside the blue haired Assassin, glad to see a friendly face. “Incoming. About ten guys. One’s got one of them black crystal things Mentor told us about.” He whipped out a revolver and held it in both hands. “What’s the plan, Dew?”

“Plan? I say we stay hidden! If they can’t find us, all the better. Though, if we can somehow get the drop on them, then even better.”

High Noon raised himself slightly and looked through the car window. The group of Templars have yet to arrive, but it was only a matter of a few seconds now. Noon focused his eagle vision, acknowledging all the cars around them were white; they were hiding spots.

Then he noticed the inside of the car they were against, packed with boxes and sheets, giving him an idea.

“Hey, Dewdrop. This car has plenty of cover. We can hide in the back and wait for them to leave.”

“Sure! You want to be on top, or should I?”

“Dew! Now’s not the time for jokes!” High Noon shook his head and unsheathed his hidden blade, slowly getting to work on prying the lock open. “You don’t happen to have lock picks, do you?”

The female Assassin shrugged and watched as High Noon finally got the lock open after about twenty more seconds, which felt like hours in this situation.

“Okay, got it. Get in,” High Noon told her. “Quickly.”

“If you wanted a look at my butt, you could have just asked-”

“Now!” he hissed and almost threw her in.

The cowboy leapt in after her, closing the door behind him as the sound of footsteps echoed around in the underground space as the Templars began marching down the slope. High Noon quickly pushed Dewdrop down and grabbed one of the sheets, throwing it over both of them.

“So…” Dewdrop said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Come here often?”

High Noon looked away and groaned. “Really? Now isn’t the time for nonsense, Dew. No offense, of course. I’m just worried for our safety here.”

“Search the place,” a voice sounded from outside, awfully close to the car. “He couldn’t have gotten far!”

High Noon pressed himself lower, holding his breath as he listened. It was only after Dewdrop tapped his arm did he realize how close his face was to hers. Their lips were about a centimeter apart.

“Sorry!” he whispered, feeling his cheeks burn up. He didn’t dare move now. “Templars, you know.”

“Suuure, like you’ve never dreamt of kissing me.” Dewdrop breathed, cringing slightly as she smelled his breath. High Noon was so close that he could also smell hers. It smelt a little like mint, which was rather nice. “Templars. Now, is that a hidden blade in your lap or are you just pleased to see me?”

“I think it’s my ammo pouch, actually.”

“Sure it is, Noon. Sure it is.”

High Noon simply groaned and tried to keep still. At first, it was getting easy, but then Dewdrop tilted her head up and planted her lips against his.

Chapter 95: Is it... Helicopter?

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Frigid Night vaulted over a dumpster and flung himself through a window as the machine gun started up again, shredding the curtains close to his head. He flipped himself back, running through a living room as he jumped out through the next window, shattering glass as he made off in a sprint.

Why me? Of all the Assassins, it has to come after me…

The white coated Assassin continued down another alley, losing the helicopter for the moment as he looked for a place to hide. Mentor Steel Shine could probably deal with it, but she only had so much energy to use up it seemed, and her last attack had left her drained, though not as much as the last time Frigid had seen her.

He figured his best chance of survival would be to find his Mentor, so he began heading backwards along the buildings. If she was still as weak as when he saw her, she couldn’t have gotten too far. He flung himself over a short wall, only to drop into a group of black coated men, all of them holding rifles.

Frigid immediately spun a leg out, catching the first two off guard, knocking them down. He used the distraction to stab another before sprinting off, not wanting to trap himself in the small space with so many guns.

“We found one!” he heard one of them speak into a walkie-talkie. “Turn the chopper around!”

Good work, Frigid. Now the helicopter’s coming back…

He would’ve slapped himself in the face if he wasn’t running for his life.

Frigid rounded the next few corners, not stopping for anything, even after almost slipping on a puddle of water, or at least he thought it was water. She had to be around here somewhere.

Then by luck or excellent tracking skill, Frigid caught sight of a brown coat flapping behind a wall. He hadn’t seen any civilians around yet, so he guessed it must’ve been one of the Assassins. He grabbed on to the ledge and hauled himself over, dropping down between Mentor Shamal and Mentor Steel Shine.

“Frigid Night, good. You’re safe,” Steel Shine flashed him a smile. “Where are the others?”

“Not sure, but Mentor, can’t you just blow that helicopter up? It’s been following me since it showed up. I can’t get rid of it with the weapons I have.”

“I can,” his Mentor unsheathed her blade. “But it’ll take all my energy to take it down.”

“I could use it for you, Mentor,” Frigid suggested. “I mean, if you allow me to.”

Frigid reached out a hand, but the Mentor shook her hand and held firmly on to her sword. “You won’t do, Frigid Night. The sword will burn you out, quite literally. You’re not made to wield it.”

“She’s right,” Shamal nodded. “I don’t know if you will understand it all, but now’s not the time. Just do as she tells you.”

“It’ll take me a short while to gather enough energy, so if you could distract it long enough for me to acquire it all, that’ll be very helpful.”

“Right,” Frigid unsheathed both blades and ran out into the open, next to a shop selling carrots.

The group of Templars that were following him showed up, one of them pointing to him before all of them raised their guns. Frigid tossed two throwing knives at them, taking another man down before he got behind a statue of a goat. The bullets showered debris over the Assassin, but otherwise, he was untouched.

Then Frigid caught sight of Mentor Shamal in the other alley, with his Mentor standing behind him. Golden energy was building around her as she held the sword in both hands, her eyes closed and concentrating.

The Saddle Arabian Mentor scaled up to the top of the building before hastily rushing over to a spot above the armed Templar group. Frigid watched as he jumped, falling straight on top a Templar, gutting him in the neck before proceeding to attack the rest.

The Trottingham Assassin took his chance and joined the fight, rushing in and stabbing two soldiers in the back before pulling them down to the ground, smashing their faces into the hard concrete. He flipped a kick up, disarming another while Mentor Shamal grabbed ahold of the rifle, taking down three more Templars with the gunfire.

Frigid dug his trident blade into the back of another soldier’s neck and tossed him into the remaining men, which Mentor Shamal finished off with the last of the bullets in the gun.

“That ought to attract the helicopter’s attention,” he said as he tossed the black rifle to the ground. “Let’s head back to your Mentor’s position. When that chopper shows up, we’ll be ready.”

“We don’t have to wait,” Frigid pointed as a black shape moved in against the sunlight.

“Mentor Steel Shine, are you ready?” the Saddle Arabian called out as the two men stood in the streets. “Now would be a good time.”

“Not yet!” she called from her corner. “I still need more time!”

“Great.” Shamal sighed. “Kid, looks like we’ll have to play a little game of dodging the bullets.”

Frigid groaned and moved to the side as machine gun fire stabbed into the ground close to his feet. Mentor Shamal dashed to another wall, but both Assassins had to hop out of the way as a rocket flew in, setting fire to a portion of Frigid’s coat.

He gritted his teeth and quickly patted it out before another rocket shot out, blowing him off his feet and through a store window. He flipped himself backwards and got back up on his feet, swatting out another patch of fire at the bottom of his coat.

He could’ve just stayed in the shop until the Mentor had finished off the chopper, but he had to make sure it wasn’t targeting her while she was done channeling the sword’s power.

Frigid climbed back out the window and ducked behind a wall as more bullets struck the spot he was just standing in.

“Too close…” he breathed, pressing himself against the dusty bricks. “You’d think the police would be here after hearing all this?”

The helicopter continued to strafe around ahead, not giving Frigid or Mentor Shamal the chance to get to a better location.

“Where’d they even get an attack helicopter? I mean, I knew the Templars were well-connected, but this is something else.”

“Not important now,” Shamal replied. “We just need to distract it a while longer, and game over. We win.”

As if on cue, Mentor Steel Shine stepped out from her way, holding the sword in front of her, which was now casting a golden glow, making it look bigger than it was. The helicopter fired a missile at her, but in a display of superhuman agility, Steel Shine leapt up and jumped off the missile, using her momentum to fly straight at the chopper before hilting the sword into the canopy. Golden light erupted from the cockpit, boiling away at the pilot and frying the vehicle’s electronics before burning a hole right through the hull.

The chopper spiralled out of control, leaving swirls of smoke across the sky before smashing into the street in a wrecked fireball.

Mentor Steel Shine landed on her feet just in front of the chopper’s remains, the golden aura around her slowly fading until she was on her knees, chest heaving with the exertion.

“Mentor Steel Shine!” Shamal was by her side, helping her up. “That was amazing! I’ve heard the stories, but to see it first hand…”

“It… It’s nothing…” she panted. “We… We better get back… to the bureau. Before they send… more Templars.”

“Right. Frigid Night. Contact the others. Let them know to regroup back at the bureau. We’ll have to make our way there separately.”

“Are you sure you can move, Mentor? You don’t seem-”

“I’m fine, Frigid. Now find the others.” Steel Shine took a deep breath and drew her sword again. “I’ve still got enough strength to get us back.”

Shamal took hold of Steel Shine’s arm, and they both winked out of sight, leaving Frigid with the wreckage and a bunch of scattered Assassins to find.

"So this thing, this helicopter? It's a vehicle, yes?" Twilight Sparkle mimicked the spinning rotor with a finger. "That flies?"

"That's right. You've never seen one?" That made Morning wonder whether they even had vehicles back in Equestria.

"I've read books on your world, but I've read mostly about those airplanes you have," Twilight chuckled. "Not much on these helicopters. Such weird words."

"Mhm, but such power your artifacts have if Mentor Steel Shine could have simply laid waste to a helicopter like that. Truly amazing." Morning zipped her coat further up as a particularly cold breeze wafted by.

"Yes they were. I wish I would have been able to study them, but then again, there's a reason they were put in your world."

"That they were, princess. Even here, they can do things that we humans marvel at. I do not wish to see such power again..."

Chapter 96: Avengers

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Shadowstrike and Rose Petal had took down a platoon of Dragon Unit soldiers when a loud explosion sounded somewhere in the city, grabbing their attention.

“What was that?” Rose said as she spun her tonfa in her grip. “Trouble?”

“Sounded big. Very big,” Shadowstrike tried to look over the cityline, but saw nothing except for a pillar of smoke rising up from the north side. “Vehicle explosion, maybe?”

“Maybe…” Rose agreed. “I just hope it’s not one of ours. Mentor Steel Shine and a few others were heading down from the airport. I hope nothing went wrong there.”

“Yeah. Come on, Rose. We’re almost to our target. He shouldn’t be far.”

“Unless the explosion scared him away.”

Shadowstrike shot her a serious look, which was partially ruined by a faint laugh. “Think positive, my friend. It helps. Sometimes. Maybe.”

The two Assassins ran down the dirty streets, heading towards their target’s location. Rose Petal would normally stop to ask why there was so much rubbish on the road here, but she figured now wasn’t the time.

Their target, Oil Spill, was holding a small Templar outpost near the center of the city and the Assassins had no plans on letting him take the heart of Masyaf. The reports from the recon team said that the man had a black blade of his own, along with a squad of Talon’s Dragon Unit.

Rose Petal was surprised the Templar still had so many men to throw at them. She guessed they had killed at least three hundred of them already, and still, more were showing up. Unless he had a whole country full of soldiers, Rose had no idea where he restocked them.

“I think I see the outpost,” Shadowstrike pointed ahead.

Rose followed his direction and noticed a small chain-linked fence with a spindly guard tower behind it.

“Wow. That was easy enough.” They continued down, using what cover they could, just in case the sentry in the tower were to look at them.

He had a rifle in his hands, and by the looks of it, it was a hunting rifle. They didn’t want to risk testing his aim, so both Assassins ducked down into a lower street and ran along the wall, out of sight from the watchtower.

“Lead the way, Shadowstrike,” Rose smiled as she fell back a step. “You know the city better than I do. I hope.”

“Trust me. I do,” he chuckled and took out his katars.

He dug them under a manhole and yanked the heavy piece of metal up before shifting it with his hands.

“After you,” he motioned with a bow.

“Why thank you, Shadow.” Rose Petal folded her tonfa and kept it before swinging herself down.

The Eastern Assassin grabbed the first rung of the ladder and made her way down, keeping an eye below her just in case. She hopped off as she neared the bottom, touching the slimy ground with an echoing thud.

“Clear!” she shouted up to her Saddle Arabian partner. “Pretty dark down here. Are you sure it’s safe?”

“I’m hoping so,” he gulped as he landed beside her. “It’s still daytime up top, so I think their Grand Master will still be hiding out indoors somewhere.”

“I hope you’re right, Shadow…” Just thinking back to tales she had heard of Sombra gave Rose Petal the creeps.

The purple haired Assassin didn’t bother to pull out any sources of light. Instead, he led the way in total darkness. Rose had no idea where she was going, but Shadowstrike had taken hold of one of her hands, just in case they get separated, which made her feel much safer.

The sewers were completely quiet, except for the occasional drip of water, or one of their footsteps sounding louder than they should. Rose still couldn’t see anything in any direction, but Shadowstrike seemed to know where he was going, so she held strong.

“This tunnel should lead us right under them,” he explained in the dark. “Unless they’ve done something to the entrance, we can surprise those Templars right up their butts.”

“We’ll see, won’t we?” Rose chuckled, her laughter carrying across the walls around the darkness. “How can you tell where we’re going, Shadow? How do you see in all this?”

“It’s instinct, Rose. As a Saddle Arabian Assassin, we learn to hone our senses in the shadows from early on. The darkness is like a second home to us, although now, it seems we’ve got competition, and that competition is a lot stronger than all of us combined.”

“We’ll take him down, Shadow,” Rose gripped firmly on his hand. “We’ll clear the Templars away from Masyaf and retake your home. That’s why we’re here, are we not?”

“Thanks, Rose.” The Saddle Arabian Assassin had a bit more confidence in his voice, and Rose was glad she could help out.

Soon, Shadowstrike stopped by a wall before Rose began hearing clinking sounds. He was climbing a ladder.

“Just grab on to the rails and make your way up,” she heard his voice from above. “But if you still can’t find them, just wait a bit. Once I get the manhole cover up, you should be able to see.”

Rose felt around the walls, eventually finding a cool metal rung before searching for the next one above it, followed by the next few. She had gone up about six more rungs before she heard the manhole being pushed open as light shot down from above, lighting the way ahead for her.

“Finally…” Rose Petal continued climbing much faster than before, eventually hopping out of the hole as Shadowstrike put the cover back in place. “So this is the place?”

“Yeah,” he nodded and brought her attention to the watchtower, just over a row of tents. The guard’s back was faced to them now. “See? We’re in. Now all we have to do is find our target, kill him and as many guys as we can, and get out.”

“Sounds easy when you put it that way,” the Eastern Assassin whispered. “Let’s go.”

The two Assassins ducked among the tents, searching for any Templars that might be inside. Since the sun was still up, most of the tents were unpopulated, except the last one, where a single Templar stood guard over another man.

“Oil Spill,” Rose tapped her partner’s shoulder. There he was. The target they were after. “I’ll take the guard. You can get the man himself.”

“As you wish, Rose.” Shadowstrike equipped both katars on his hands and got into a low crouch.

Rose nodded and both moved in quickly, dashing for their respective targets as the Templars turned to see what the commotion was.

Rose drove the bladed tip of her tonfa into the guard before pulling up, disemboweling the man. Shadowstrike had swiped his weapons at the other Templar, but Oil Spill was quick enough to throw himself back and to pull out his new weapon.

Shadowstrike leapt to the side as the black crystal blade tore a hole through this tent and the next, which the Templar immediately used to get away from them.

“He’s getting away!” Shadowstrike yelled and chased after him.

Rose hopped out after them and pulled one of the needles from her hair. She took aim and with a quick flick, sent the needle right into Oil Spill’s arm. The Templar looked down as the sword fell from his hand before the whole limb went limp. Shadowstrike smiled and swooped in on him, knocking him down before sticking a katar into the back of the target’s neck.

“You’ll… never win…” the man gasped as he fought for air below the Assassin.

“That’s what you all say,” Shadowstrike moved off Oil Spill’s back and crouched in front of him. “But we will. One Templar at a time.”

Instead of rebuking the Assassins like all other targets did, Oil Spill raised his voice as much as he could and bellowed, “ASSASSINS! KILL THEM!” He laughed one last time before breathing his last.

Shadowstrike had no time to give the man his rites as soldiers wielding guns and black swords rushed in, their weapons already trained on the Assassins.

“Well, that was… bad,” the purple haired Assassin said out as he readied his weapons. “We can’t fight them all. And it’ll take some time to get that manhole open again.”

“Smoke bombs,” Rose reminded him, holding three of the orbs in her fingers.

She tossed it down and watched as smoke enveloped the area, allowing the Assassins to move. Shadowstrike took the opportunity to cut down a few Templars as Rose made for the manhole, getting it open while the Saddle Arabian took down as many Templars as he could.

With one final pull, Rose had lifted the manhole high enough to push it away. Quickly beckoning for her fellow Assassin, she hopped down first, landing in the darkness of the sewer before Shadowstrike landed in after her. The manhole was left open, but they didn’t have time to close it. Both Assassins headed in the direction they had come from and when the light had faded, Shadowstrike led the way again, guiding Rose by her hand.

“Good work, Rose,” he called back as they moved away at a faster pace, just in case the Templars were to follow. “That was some good throwing. What was that?”

“Pressure needle,” she replied. “I’m able to render his body immobile if I hit the right nerve points.”

“How?” was all Shadowstrike could ask. “How do you know where to hit?”

“Years of practice. Like how you learn to walk in the shadows.”

“Not bad. Perhaps you could teach it to me some time.”

“Sure. We could trade.” Both Assassins shared a laugh before more footsteps sounded in a tunnel to their right. Or at least, Rose thought it was from the right. It was just too dark to see.

“You hear that?”

“Could be trouble. Careful.”

Just then, a flashlight cut through the darkness in an adjacent tunnel as two shadowy figures moved about, heading towards the Assassins.

“Back!” Shadow hissed and pushed Rose against the side wall.

Rose unsheathed her hidden blade and waited for the figures to arrive. As soon as the first one had passed, the red haired Assassin lashed an arm out and caught the second person from the back, pointing her hidden blade at his head.

“No sudden moves,” she warned.

“H-Help! Dewdrop!” the man yelped.

Rose recognized the voice immediately. She let go of his neck and turned him around as his partner ran back to him. “High Noon! Dewdrop! You’re both here!”

“Oh, it’s just you, Rose,” High Noon gasped, still recovering from the shock.

Dewdrop walked over and shone her flashlight at the trio of Assassins. “Hi, Rose. Who’s this?”

“Shadowstrike, at your service,” he bowed. “I’m from the Saddle Arabia bureau.”

“What brings you two down here?” Rose asked the two lost Assassins.

“We were escaping a group of Templars,” High Noon breathed and adjusted his hood. “There weren’t any other ways out, so we headed down here instead. They had us in a carpark, but Dew and I hid in a car. The Templars never left, so in the end, we had to make our way down here as quietly as we could.”

“Well, they wouldn’t have stayed if you didn’t try to have your way with me.”

“What?” Even in the dark, Rose could see the cowboy’s cheeks burn red. “I never… I did no such thing! We didn’t get… uh, we did nothing!”

“Have your way with her?” That piqued Shadowstrike’s interest.

“You should’ve seen him! As soon as we got into the car, he pushed me down and did all sorts of things to me! Noon’s really great at that sort of thing, though.”

Dewdrop put a hand to her flustered face, while High Noon’s turned completely red.

“I never!” he objected. “I on-only hid us f-from the Templars!”

“Whatever. Doesn’t matter,” Rose interrupted them. “What you two do when you’re alone is not my business, but we should head out and get back to the bureau.”

“But, I didn’t-”

“Not now, Noon. We’ll discuss this later,” Rose said. Though, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to know what kind of things High Noon had done with Dewdrop.

“Okay, if you would follow me,” Shadowstrike said and led the way.

Dewdrop and High Noon hung at the back with the flashlight, while Rose walked along behind Shadowstrike.

“I never did any of that, Dew! W-well, besides the kissing...” High Noon whispered over. “What are you telling them?”

“It was only a joke,” she patted him on the arm. “No need to get all embarrassed about it. Unless, you really did want to do more things to me?”

“No!” he hissed. “I-I never… I didn’t! It wasn’t part of the plan.”

“You sure you aren’t even thinking about that sort of thing?”

“I… Well…” The cowboy was lost for words. “Besides, you were the one that kissed me first.”

Dewdrop batted her eyelashes at him. “I only did it to see if you would take the bait. I didn’t think you’d be so easy.”

“That’s because… because…” High Noon groaned and covered his face.

“Because you still like me?” Dewdrop pressed her body against his arm and smiled at him with half-lidded eyes.

“Uh… Oh boy, it’s really dark down here, isn’t it?” High Noon began whistling. “Watch your step, Dew.”

Rose Petal chuckled in front. It seemed there was more to the story than she was made to believe, though did they mention there was kissing involved?

“These two always like that?” Shadowstrike pointed a thumb to the rear.

“Not that I knew,” she shook her head, but smiled. “I never knew they were this close. They’ve both lost important people in their lives. This must be one way they’re coping with it.”

“That blue hair one seems to be taking it rather well. What’s her name again? Dewdrop?”

“Yeah, Dewdrop. I don’t think so,” Rose looked back at them as the group made another turn in the tunnels. Dewdrop was still clinging on to the cowboy. “I think she’s taking it harder than High Noon. That’s why she’s projecting up so much teasing. She still misses her old partner.”

“We all lose friends and family in this job,” Shadowstrike sighed. “It’s part of us. We learn to accept it and move on, and when we go into battle, we carry their strength and will with us, making sure to accomplish what they couldn’t.”

“I guess you’re right, Shadow.”

Rose Petal thought back to Dust Fencer. In reality, she hadn’t really moved past his death just yet. Sure, she wasn’t all hung up that he had passed on, but she still thought about him occasionally. He had been her and Trueshot’s best friend, and the three of them were a really close team. He was also the pillar holding all of them up. When he had died, Trueshot and Rose had no idea what to do, while Frigid had drifted off into the state he was in now.

Loss was something they had to deal with, but it handled differently with every Assassin.

Rose quickly muttered a silent promise to her old friend as they approached the end of the tunnel. We’ll avenge you, Dust. We’ll avenge all of you.

Chapter 97: It Belonged to a Museum

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Frigid Night had arrived back at the bureau with Morning Blade and another Assassin. He had found them hiding out in a dumpster on his way back to the road. Morning Blade had quickly thrown herself at Frigid with a tight hug, while the other Assassin didn’t look too pleased to see him.

“I’m heading up,” the Assassin told Frigid and left without waiting for a response.

“I’m sorry they all treat you like that, sir,” Morning Blade said as she pulled her hood down.

“It’s fine, Morning.” Frigid led her to the staircase, looking for the Mentor’s office again.

This time, he found it a lot faster. As soon as he landed the first knock on the door, it was flung open with Keila walking out, not looking too pleased.

“Oh, you made it. Well, good for you,” she mumbled to the grey haired Assassin. “Well, I’ll see you later for a mission.”

Frigid frowned at her, but Morning quickly took his attention back to the Mentor’s open door.

“Come in, Frigid Night,” Mentor Steel Shine called him over. “I’m glad you’re safely back. Is this everyone you found?”

“There was one of the others, Mentor. I think his name was Sidewalk or something. He went somewhere else, but he’s back safe,” Frigid reported.

“Good to see you’re still alive and kicking, kid,” Star Lance said as he walked in from behind him.

“Star Lance,” Frigid greeted with a nod. Morning Blade followed suit. “Yes. We encountered some Templar resistance, but we handled them alright.”

“Good.” Mentor Shamal walked over and handed Frigid a picture of a purple-skinned woman he had met before. “This is Wysteria. She’s a Templar in the inner circle. Now, we our scouts have told us that Templar has taken post up in the museum, just next to the main square. I want you to find her and take her out, and if you can, find out what they’re after in there.”

“Doesn’t sound too difficult,” Frigid nodded and stowed the picture. “I’ll get right on it, Mentors. I won’t let her get away this time.”

He turned around and left, his apprentice following close behind him.

“Frigid, sir. What should I do? May I go with you?”

“I guess you can go back to training. Maybe pick up a few more… skills from the Saddle Arabian Assassins.”

Then Frigid was off, heading back outside as Morning Blade stood there. He left too quickly to see her sigh sadly before walking up the staircase slowly.

Frigid Night stood on a building just across the Masyaf Museum. It was close to evening, and the spotlights in front of the old building had already activated, dazzling the night sky above.

“Well, here we are again…” Keila grumbled, sitting on the ledge next to Frigid. “You and me. Why did I have to get you as my partner, Frigid Night? Why couldn’t I have gotten your apprentice for example? She’s a sweet young one. Instead, I get stuck with rebellious old you.”

“Believe me, I’d rather not have you around too…” Frigid squinted and used his eagle sense to look through the museum windows. The exterior was surprisingly free of Templars, which the Assassin found strange. They normally had patrols of guards in all the areas that they controlled. Frigid figured just this once, he would check with his partner. “Well, don’t you find it weird that they didn’t leave any guards outside?”

“I guess… Maybe it’s a trap.”

“Only one way to find out.” Frigid hopped down to a lower ledge where a long grey rope extended over to the museum. “You coming?”

“Seriously?” Keila paused for a second. “You’re checking with me first?”

“Well, are you?” he asked again before taking one step onto the rope.

He didn’t have time to wait for her answer and moved as quickly as he could over the rope, taking one step after another, making sure to keep his balance in check as he proceeded over to the other side. About halfway through, Frigid had almost lost his footing, but managed to right himself with a jump, though he had to swing across on his arms the remaining distance.

The white coated Assassin grabbed on to the solid ledge of the museum roof and threw himself up, panting for breath. It’s been a while since he had to do something so acrobatic and risky. He looked back over to the other roof and waved for Keila to make her way across. Then he did what she had guessed he would do. Frigid made his way into the building on his own, prying open a dirty faded window.

He landed on a rusty support beam, positioned over what looked like the main hall of the museum, which was at least thirty feet below him; a fall here would be extremely hazardous. Along with all the ancient sculptures and artifacts, Frigid spied a few Templars walking around below. Each guard wore a white long-sleeved shirt and dark pants, wielding either a rifle or a baton.

“Ma’am,” one of them turned to the left and saluted, his voice carrying over to the roof, echoing even above Frigid’s spot. “We found the director’s office. Would you like an escort?”

“Lead the way,” a light-pink haired woman motioned, followed behind by two Dragon Unit soldiers.

Frigid recognized her immediately. It was the same woman he had fought so many years ago. He had almost killed her then, but Talon had stopped him and escaped with her. This time, he wasn’t going to let her escape, nor was he going to let any other Templar escape.

He watched her enter a room before the wooden door closed behind her.

Now, how do I get down?

Frigid silently slipped himself off the beam and shimmied his way across to the next one adjacent to his. After another short distance, he let go, landing on his toes on a steel walkway. His impact rebounded across the vast space, but luckily, none of the Templars seemed to notice him.

The Assassin sighed and carried on, following the path right to the end. Taking a deep breath, Frigid hopped over the railing and grabbed the bottom before swinging himself down to a giant stone sculpture of a long haired man holding an orb of sorts. He grabbed on to the nose and slowly began to make his descent, keeping an eye on the Templar guards below while doing so.

“Frigid?” Keila’s voice buzzed in his earpiece. “Frigid, are you there?”

“Right here, Keila,” he whispered back into the radio, hanging on the statue’s belt with one hand. “You need something?”

“I’m on the roof. Where do I go from here?”

“Go wherever you want. I’m going after the target.”

“You can’t say that! I am your partner, Frigid Night, and I demand-”

Frigid took out his earpiece and pocketed it. Her bickering wasn’t going to get him anywhere. She was already atop the museum anyway. She’d be able to find her way down on her own if she was a good Assassin.

Finally reaching the toes of the stony figure, Frigid leapt off and rolled as he touched the floor, stopping before the railing of a balcony. The Assassin looked through the supports of the railing, watching the floor below him.

At least five groups of guards were patrolling the hall, none of them without a partner. The Templars weren’t making things easy this time. Wysteria had gone into the director’s office up ahead, and she probably had it locked too. Frigid guessed he could probably pick the lock, but with so many groups of guards patrolling, it would be too risky to do so. He needed to find another way in.

He scanned his surroundings, looking for anything that might help him reach the Templar target, only ducking over to the side when a patrol appeared around the corner, heading towards him.

Blast…

Frigid crammed himself against the wall beside a potted plant and waited. They were definitely going to see him when they walked past, but at least he would be hidden until they were close enough.

By the time the first guard arrived, Frigid was already on him, leaning out and stabbing a hidden blade into his neck before dropping him to the side and killing the other guard with the same move, placing a hand over his mouth to keep him from making any noise. Once he was sure they were both dead, Frigid dragged the bodies behind a couch in a waiting area in the next room before resuming his watch at the balcony.

There was bound to be more ways into the office than just the front door. There were no windows from the inside, but…

Then Frigid saw it. There was an air vent just above the office in the wall on the first floor.

Perfect, Frigid thought. Now all he had to do was reach it. Here goes nothing…

He leapt off the balcony and quickly dashed for the wall, pressing himself against it as a group of guards began walking over from one of the smaller halls.

Frigid grabbed on to some of the small patterns sticking out of the wall and made his way up, grabbing on to the cool surface of the vent grate. He quickly got to work on the screws holding it in place, digging under them with his hidden blades, trying to loosen the entrance to the ventilation shaft.

He continued to hear the footsteps approach as he finally got the bottom half of the grate open, allowing him to swing it up just enough to squeeze into the vent. Frigid pulled his legs in before placing the grate back down as hastily but quietly as he could, just in time to see two guards walk past his position towards another room on the far side.

Oddly enough, the grey haired Assassin hadn’t seen his Saddle Arabian partner. He had figured she’d suddenly pop up beside him when he was scanning for a way into the director’s office, but even now in the air vent, he couldn’t see her anywhere in the museum. Frigid decided to put his earpiece back into place to see if she was saying anything. It was silent.

He figured she was probably tired of speaking to no one and tried to find her own way around, so he turned around and crawled down the shaft, looking for an exit to drop down into the office.

“Have you found anything?” he began hearing a voice from around the corner ahead, echoing its way to him. “It must be in here somewhere.”

“We’re still searching, ma’am. Something like that must be well hidden.”

Frigid crawled closer, slowing his movements as to not create too much noise.

There was light just up ahead from below a grate on the bottom of the vent. Sounds of shuffling and movement grew louder as Frigid approached it.

“I don’t care how much authority I need to see it,” an irate female voice snapped. “I want that map and I want it now!”

“We’re trying our best, ma’am, but I’m certain whoever placed it here must’ve hidden it well.”

“Gah! Just keep looking.”

Frigid was right on top of them now, peering down through the bars of the grate. The woman, Wysteria, had her back to him, searching through papers and files on a large orange wooden desk while her soldiers stood at other ends, looking through shelves and cabinets.

Frigid Night quickly planned his attack in his head, making sure there was no room for error. One wrong move will surely put the entire building on alert, making his job much harder.

Finalizing it when he pushed the grate down, Frigid tossed a knife into a soldier’s chest before rolling to break his fall. He approached the second soldier as he turned, knifing the man in the foot and pulling him down before delivering a swipe at the soldier’s neck with his hidden blade.

Wysteria, alerted by the sudden noise, spun around and drew her short blades, but Frigid had already vanished from her line of sight, crouching against the backing of the desk, very close to his target.

“Assassins…” Wysteria muttered and began to circle around the table. “Where are you? I know you’re in here.”

The woman’s leg passed by the desk, which was what Frigid was waiting for. The Assassin hooked out a trident blade and caught her in the knee before swinging his legs around Wysteria and pinning her to the carpeted floor. While she lay disoriented, Frigid raised a hidden blade and drove it down hard into the back of her neck, spurting some blood on his coat and even his face.

“Whu… What…? You… Again. I remember you… You won’t win…” Wysteria told him as she gasped for air, unable to breath any longer.

“Keep telling yourself that,” Frigid removed his blade and cleaned it on her coat. “You all say the same thing. You’re not getting the artifacts. Deal with it.”

“You won’t... be so cavalier… when Grand Master Sombra’s done with you... See you in hell, Assassin...” She tilted her head to the side and closed her eyes.

Frigid was straightening up, when a guard entered the room, carrying a flat, wide box.

“Ma’am! We found it- wait, Assassins!”

Frigid swiftly covered the distance and threw the man over his back before stabbing him in the face. With the door open and the noise the man made when he entered, Frigid figured he didn’t have much time before more guards came running.

He looked at the box for a second before making the decision to pick it up and run. He didn’t have time to find out what was inside at the moment, but by the exclamation the Templar had made when he entered the room, the box might just contain that map they were all looking for.

Frigid looked for the front door, but two guards came running his way, pointing their rifles in his direction.

“Crap!” Frigid dashed behind a pillar as the bullets began to tear the plaster off his piece of cover. If the Templars didn’t know he was here, they were sure to know now. Frigid put a hand to his earpiece to contact his partner. Even if he didn’t like being around her, he still didn’t want her to lose her life because of him. “Keila, are you still there? I’ve got something the Templars were looking for, but they’ve caught on to me. Get out of there. I’ll see you back at the bureau.”

There was silence for a few minutes as Frigid returned his attention to the incoming gunfire. He dashed to the side, sprinting along the pillars towards the main entrance, throwing a knife behind him.

“Frigid, I’m here,” Keila finally replied as the grey haired Assassin pushed the main doors open, accidentally shattering one of the glass frames in the process. “I acknowledge your request, but I want you to know, a good Assassin rarely gets caught in the open. Maybe next time you’ll actually work with me.”

“Whatever, Keila,” Frigid said as he jumped down the museum steps three at a time. “Just get out of the area. I’ll see you later.”

The Assassin brought his attention back to his escape. He had something the Templars were searching for, meaning it was probably something very important. If it was the map that Wysteria had mentioned, then it could possibly show the way to the tomb that housed more artifacts, and Frigid couldn’t let it fall into Templar hands.

He was so busy thinking about the prize in his hands that he almost didn’t feel the bullet that pierced his back, shooting out through his stomach, pinging into the floor at his feet.

What?

Frigid couldn’t stop. He picked up his speed, ignoring the pain in his gut and took a sharp right, running down a small staircase to the bazaar nearby. He had been wounded; might’ve even been a serious one, but he couldn’t stop now. That would only give the Templars more time to catch up.

Just then, a group of ninjas dropped from the rooftops, landing in front of him and cutting his escape off.

“Are you serious…?” he muttered through his teeth. “Why are there ninjas in this day and age?”

The first one drew a katana and ran at him, slashing down at his shoulder. Frigid dodged to the side and unsheathed a hidden blade and both shoe blades. It looked like he would have to fight his way out of this one, but things weren’t looking good. He had the box to look after and he was injured.

Frigid kicked out one foot at a time, trying to take the first man out with his blades, though it hurt his abdomen whenever he brought a leg too high up. The rest of the Templar ninjas raced forward, each one drawing their sharp Eastern swords, except for the last one, who drew a scimitar instead.

The Assassin parried their strikes with one hand, while the other kept itself on the box, refusing to let it go. He blocked the second ninja’s attack and kicked low with a shoe blade, stabbing the third man just above the ankle. The Templar shrieked and hopped back, allowing Frigid room to spin a kick to the first man’s head, knocking the man down.

Two more ninjas danced at him, their blades glinting in the light of the setting sun. Frigid sidestepped the first one and parried the second, but one of the ninjas must’ve have seen the blood pooling around his white coat, because he brought a hand from under Frigid’s and connected it with the Assassin’s wounded side.

“Agh!” Frigid fell and released the box as it bounced along the ground, stopping a few inches away.

The ninja above him began delivering a series of kicks to Frigid’s side, lancing pain across his body. He watched through squinted eyes as another Templar moved to pick up the box. That was something he couldn’t let happen. He couldn’t fail the Mentor. Not now.

Frigid mustered enough strength to stab a hidden blade through the man’s foot as it swung towards him again. The ninja screamed in pain as Frigid pulled to the side, toppling the man, and at the same time, delivering another hidden blade strike to his chest.

The grey haired Assassin hopped over the lifeless man’s body as two more blades swung down, narrowly dodging them as he ran as fast as he could to the Templar with the box. Frigid thrust himself forward, catching the man off guard as both hidden blades stabbed into the ninja’s gut, and Frigid didn’t stop until the man was up against the low bazaar walls, slumped over it, dead. He turned and faced the rest of the ninjas as they advanced on him, blades swishing towards his head.

Frigid kicked down at one of their knees, crippling the first man while he parried another’s blade with a trident extension, twisting a little, spinning the sword out of the Templar’s hands.

The Assassin caught it in mid-air and slashed in an arc, separating a Templar’s head and left arm from the rest of his body before using his momentum to block another ninja’s vertical slash. Frigid grabbed a throwing knife from his sling and tossed it at another ninja’s face, embedding the short blade in the Templar’s forehead before spinning a bladed kick at another’s knees, felling him.

Frigid stood over the flat box, making sure to keep it between his feet as he parried blade after blade using the katana he had taken. Another ninja struck at him, breaking his skin just over the elbow. The Assassin dropped the sword and rolled, propelling himself up with a hidden blade just under the Templar’s chin before pushing back, using the man’s body as a shield to get to another ninja. The man spun around and cut at Frigid’s side, increasing the pain where he had first been wounded, but the Assassin didn’t let the wounds faze him. He stabbed into the man’s foot and yanked upwards, thrusting his trident blade into the man’s chest as he sailed up and over his head.

“Gah…” Frigid panted as he put a hand to his side; blood was already spreading down to his thigh.

Only one ninja remained, standing across from him, his scimitar at the ready. Frigid didn’t know how long he had before the Templars from the museum caught up, but he guessed he didn’t have long. He would have to end it now.

The Assassin was the first to make a move, running with what strength he had left as he readied an arm in front of himself. The Templar ninja pulled back his blade before thrusting forward, almost catching Frigid in the face if he didn’t sidestep at the last second. He cut along the ninja’s arm with a hidden blade before jamming a shoe blade right up the ninja’s chest and cutting out. The man dropped the scimitar and staggered two steps before falling on his face, dead.

Frigid let out a deep breath before returning to the box and cradling it under his uninjured side, heading out towards the bureau. He knew he had to tend to his wounds, but if he stopped now, the Templars would catch up to him and that whole fight would’ve been for nothing.

“Keila…” he breathed into the radio as he ran on his reserves, turning out of the marketplace and going along a small narrow sidestreet. “I’m making my way back… but I’m wounded. I don’t know how far I’ll get. You have to get the box from me and get it back to the Mentors…”

It didn’t take long for the Saddle Arabian to voice her reply. “Where are you?”

“Just… out of the marketplace.” Frigid ran along, ignoring the stares of civilians as he made for a dirty alleyway. There was all sorts of trash and puddles strewn across the cement floor, but plenty of trashcans for the Assassin to hide behind. “In some alley that’s pretty much filled to the brim with garbage.”

“I have a rough idea. Hang tight. I’m on my way.”

Frigid placed the box behind him and steadied his breathing before getting to work on his wounds. Before he knew it, he had the injuries cleaned and bandaged, though he could do nothing about closing them just yet. He would have to get back to the bureau to do so.

“Right above you, Frigid Night,” Keila replied before landing down beside him. She picked up the box and looked at it, not at all bothering to check on his injuries. “What’s in it?”

“I think it’s a map,” Frigid replied. “Haven’t got the time to open it yet. Go ahead, have a look.”

“That can wait,” Keila said and put the box under an arm. “You’re hurt. I need to get you back to the bureau. Unless you think you can do it on your own?”

“Oh, I can do it on my own just fine, Keila,” Frigid grunted and pushed himself to his feet. Now that his adrenaline was gone, the pain was starting to seep all across his body. “I just needed you to get the box. I can get back myself.”

“If you insist, Frigid Night,” Keila nodded slightly and was off, starting with a light jog before accelerating into a sprint, disappearing down the street.

Frigid closed his eyes and took three deep breaths. He had almost admitted to Keila that he would like some help to get back, but he managed to steel himself. He couldn’t look weak now. With another deep breath, Frigid walked along the street before picking up his speed as the sun disappeared below the horizon.

Hopefully I don’t pass out until I return...

Grand Master Sombra sat in his quarters, his eyes closed and his mind racing, plotting his next course of action. There was much to do, especially since he was so close to finding the other artifacts buried in Masyaf. The artifact radiated in his hand, slowly returning his strength to him as the days went by.

The old one, Mahogany Wood, had told him about this world’s history, and how the old king here had buried the artifacts after his death, locking them away in an unknown vault somewhere in the city.

Sombra could sense them; he could feel their presence, but their exact location… he couldn’t tell. The shadowy figure silently cursed his powers for not fully returning to him yet. Ever since that little pony, Twilight Sparkle, if he remembered correctly, had stopped him from reclaiming the Crystal Empire, he had been shattered into a billion pieces by the Crystal Heart, only for a portion for him to slip through the magical mirror in the castle.

He told himself that she would be the first one to feel his wrath when he returned, and he would return. That, he vowed to accomplish. Once the artifacts were in his possession and his power fully restored, no one in Equestria was going to stop him from taking back what belonged to him.

A knock from the door distracted the king from his plans of domination as Wolfgang walked in. The killer had a vest across his white shirt, along with a brown coat over all of it.

“I did not wish to be disturbed, Wolfgang,” Sombra boomed, letting his feet touch the floor before walking over to the man. “This better be important.”

“Oh, believe me, Grand Master. It is...” Wolfgang took a step back and put his hands behind his back. “I have just heard back from Talon. He found Wysteria in the museum. Killed, by Assassins.”

Sombra cared little for the humans serving under him. Only one thing concerned him at this point. “And what of the map?”

“The Assassins have taken it, sir,” Wolfgang hung his head.

To the killer’s surprise, Sombra did not seem angry. In fact, this news seemed to make the shadows calmer.

“So… The Assassins have the map. You are certain of this?”

“Yes, Grand Master,” Wolfgang bowed.

“Then all is proceeding as planned. Relay to the chairman that we are to continue taking this city, but so long as one of us has the map, we need not worry.”

“As you wish, Grand Master,” Wolfgang replied uncertainly.

“You may continue as scheduled, Wolfgang.”

Wolfgang bowed one more time and left, putting his arms behind his back as he left. Sombra returned to his meditation, closing his eyes and letting the energy of the artifact swirl around him. The Templars called it the Apple, but Sombra saw more in the artifact than just a mere fruit. He saw a weapon, capable of taking back everything that was rightfully his.

When the time came to return to Equestria, and Sombra vowed he would return, the Crystal Empire will fall under his rule once again, and he would free the umbrums imprisoned within those walls before laying waste to the rest of the world before assuming his role as its new leader.

This day, Sombra decided, couldn’t be more perfect.

Chapter 98: The Location

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It was nearing dusk when Frigid left the medical wing of the Masyaf bureau. He had pushed past his physical limit as he walked through the front doors, only passing out for a short moment when the medic got to work on his wounds. He hadn’t even needed anesthesia for it, which was alright with him.

After getting enough medical attention, Frigid had left, feeling better, especially after waking up. He was about to return to his room to crash when he remembered the box he had passed on to Keila. If it did indeed contain the map that revealed the location of the other artifacts, then all his injuries would have really paid off.

Frigid Night found his way to Mentor Shamal’s office and knocked, stepping back as the door was suddenly swung open by Star Lance.

“Frigid,” he wished before turning his eyes to the Assassin’s bloodstained coat. “Everything alright?”

“For now, Star Lance,” Frigid managed a smile and walked in. Keila and Ikram were inside along with both Mentors, bending over something on Mentor Shamal’s desk. Keila nodded to him and formed a thin smile along her lips before returning her attention to their prize from earlier today.

“It’s this map that you found. It appears to be quite old.”

“Over a thousand years old,” Shamal said quietly. He pointed to a odd, twisted emblem that had been sealed in wax. “You see here, this is the seal of the first ruler of Masyaf, the great King Sombra’s great-grandfather, who first laid down the plans for the city. Now look at this section,” he pointed to a diagram near the middle.

Frigid balked. “Wait, Sombra? What are you talking about, Mentor? The Templar Grand Master?”

The Mentors exchanged glances before Mentor Steel Shine got to work on his question. “You see, Frigid Night, we don’t know where this Sombra, the Templar one, came from. King Sombra, the old king of Masyaf, ruled over Saddle Arabia a thousand years ago, here in this very city.”

“Two Sombra’s…?” Things were getting a little too weird for Frigid. “How is that possible?”

“We… don’t quite know, Frigid Night,” Steel Shine answered. “But that’s not important right now. What matters is this.” The Mentor placed her finger in the spot Mentor Shamal had pointed out earlier. “The central palace, the jewel of Masyaf and the structure around which Masyaf is built. We’ve compared the map’s diagrams to modern day scans of the palace, and…”

“They don’t match up,” Shamal said quietly. “The palace on modern records doesn’t display this ring of chambers under the ground, or this other single cavern beneath that. They only appear on this map.”

“So you’re saying what we’re looking for is-”

“Underground, yes,” Keila finished for Frigid. “This could very well be the place we are looking for.”

“One problem,” Ikram added, circling a finger around the underground chambers on the map. “It doesn’t say which one holds the artifacts, if they even hold the artifacts at all. If we’re going down there, we’re going to have to search, and who knows how much time the Templars are going to give us once they learn our location.”

“Then we must go back to gather more Assassins,” Steel Shine slammed a fist on the desk. “I will leave for Trottingham tomorrow, and for the next week, I’ll travel to the other bureaus and see what I can amass.”

“Perhaps all we need is an inspiring speech from you, Mentor,” Star Lance folded his arms and wore a confident smile.

“If we are to win this, we’ll need every Assassin we can get. I shall do what I can to convince each and every one of them to help. These artifacts are far too important to fall into Templar hands. Frigid Night. You and Morning Blade will accompany me.”

“As you say, Mentor.” It sounded tiresome, but at least he would get to leave this sandy place again.

“Well, then this concludes our meeting,” Mentor Shamal clapped and placed the map back in its box.

Frigid filed out with the others, going back to his room. He was sure Keila was going to be happy for him to leave, and he felt the same way. He wouldn’t have to deal with her for a while, which was good.

The grey haired Assassin pushed his door open quietly, just in case his apprentice was already asleep. To his surprise, she was still awake, sitting atop the bed reading a book.

Morning Blade got up and straightened herself as she noticed her teacher. “Welcome back, Frigid. What happened? Are you okay?” Her eyes focused on his bloodied coat. She got up, ready to help him, but Frigid waved her off.

“I’m fine, Morning. Just injuries that have been taken care of. We’ll be heading back to Trottingham tomorrow. Mentor’s orders. And after that, we’ll be following her to all the other bureaus to get the other Assassins on this mission.”

“I heard you found the map? The map to the artifacts?” Morning Blade sat back down on the bed and picked up her book. “Do we know where they are?” she asked excitedly.

“Maybe,” Frigid shrugged and carefully sat down on the hard but cool floor. He had to watch out for his injury. “Umm… You get any training done today?”

“Oh, yes sir. I did. Sting Wing, that Assassin with the poison blades, he taught me a neat trick with my katana.”

“He did, did he?” Frigid gulped. His apprentice was learning a lot more than he had wanted her to.

“Yeah! If you’d like, I can show it to you tomorrow?”

“Sure, Morning. Well, for now, I think it’s time for bed.” Frigid lay down on the ground and turned to the side. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Are you sure you’re alright?” she asked again, worried about her teacher’s side.

“I’ll be fine, Morning. I’ll live. Get some sleep. You’ll need it.” With that said, Frigid laid himself flat on his back and closed his eyes.

“Good night, sir.”

Chapter 99: A Night of Feeling

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Frigid Night and the others had arrived back at the Trottingham bureau to drop off High Noon and Dewdrop before almost immediately taking off for Hoofington with Morning Blade and the Mentor, who decided to start with that bureau first.

It had taken an hour to get there by car, but Frigid didn’t mind. As long as he wasn’t in the air, travel didn’t bother him. Plus, he didn’t have to move much, which was good for his injured side.

The Hoofington bureau was about half the size of the Trottingham one, but the Assassins there were as hardy as any other.

After a quick chat with their Mentor, Mentor Steel Shine had gathered the bureau’s Assassins before delivering her speech.

“If we’re going to win this war, Assassins, then we need your help. The Templars will not have the artifacts, and we will succeed, but it starts with each and every one of you. Each Assassins plays their part, and no one is insignificant. All your contributions are greatly treasured by us, and only with your help will we succeed. Will you aid in this mission for our victory over the Templars?”

Cheering arose from under her platform as Frigid tried to count the number of Assassins who were willing to risk their lives to ensure the Templars’ defeat. He lost count after thirty two, but at least he knew they were many.

“Do you think this’ll work, Frigid?” Morning tapped his arm. “I mean, our numbers. Do we have enough manpower for this?”

“I’m guessing so,” Frigid nodded his approval. “We’ll win this, Morning.”

“What if numbers aren’t enough?” Morning asked. “The Templars say Sombra can sense the artifacts. What if he finds them on his own before we get all these Assassins there?”

“We’ll do this, Morning. We’re not going to give up easily, you know that.”

“Yes sir.”

“Just remember that if we fail, the world will fall with us.”

The rest of the week was spent with Frigid and Morning following the Mentor throughout the world, visiting the other bureaus to send more help to Saddle Arabia. Frigid had forgotten how many places they had been to, but he recalled going to Fillydelphia, Seaddle, San Franciscolt, and even as far as Prance to increase their fighting numbers.

Finally ending at Canterfax, Frigid and the others began the journey home. They had beds to sleep in while visiting the other bureaus, but to Frigid Night, sleeping in his own bed was its own experience.

“So, Mentor,” Morning started as the car continued to make its journey. “Do you think this is enough?”

Steel Shine had her head facing out the window, but Frigid could still see the determination in her reflection.

“Yes. As a united Brotherhood, we will reclaim Masyaf from Sombra and tear down the Templar Order once and for all. With the artifacts in our possession, we have a chance against their Grand Master. Sombra is powerful, but alas he only has one artifact. He cannot hope to stand against more.”

“You can take him, Mentor,” Morning encouraged. “We believe in you.”

Frigid wished he had the optimism his apprentice had. He had seen how the Mentor fought with her gleaming blade, but after every battle, it was as if the strength was draining right out of her. The longer she wielded the weapon, the weaker she became.

More artifacts? Frigid hoped the Mentor knew what she wanted with them.

High Noon returned back to his room close to midnight, tossing his hat over to his clothes rack by the entrance. The cowboy stretched out the stiffness in his shoulders as he let out a long but pleasant yawn.

He had spent all day helping Red Card shift supplies around, boxing weapons and armor, ready to send them to Saddle Arabia with the next batch of Assassins. Silent Frame was leading the next group while the Mentor was away; they had already left for the airport in the afternoon. Spectral Rim was no doubt going with her partner, but High Noon didn’t know the others who were going.

He had wished them good luck, but they simply walked past him without a word.

Placing his coat, gauntlets and sash on the nearby round table, High Noon went to the bathroom and washed up before sliding his feet over to his table. He swapped his blue shirt and scarf out for a simple grey t-shirt before moving over to his bed.

The cowboy could feel his pillow calling out to him as he sat down and kicked off his boots before turned himself to match the bed, leaning back against his soft pillow with a sigh of contempt. He scratched at his beard and was about to turn off the lamp when he noticed something wasn’t right. There seemed to be something under the sheets beside him.

High Noon pulled his blanket up and almost fell off the bed in surprise. Dewdrop was lying underneath his sheets, completely naked, with her clothes close to her, some strewn on to the floor on the other side of the bed where he had failed to notice earlier.

“Huh…?” she suddenly got up and blinked a few times. “Oh, Noon. Whassup, Noon? Nice night huuuh?”

Great, High Noon frowned. She’s drunk. Again. And naked. Wow, she’s pretty… Wait. Noon! What do you think you’re doing? Focus! No, not so closely!

“Umm… Dewdrop. Not to b-be rude or a-anything, but…” High Noon tried not to look at her body, but she crept out of the sheets, forcing him to flee backwards awkwardly. “T-this is m-my room, you know? I think y-you’re in the wrong place.”

“Nooooonsenssssse!” she chuckled and crawled closer to Noon. The cowboy soon found his back against the wall, looking around nervously, unsure of what to do. “I’m exaaaactly where I wanna be!” The female Assassin placed a palm on the cowboy’s chest, feeling his fast heartbeat. “I know you schtill like me, Nooooon. I know you doooo! That’s why I’m heeere…”

“I-I, uh, don’t know what y-you’re talking about, Dew.” High Noon felts his cheeks burn as the blue haired Assassin lifted herself higher, pressing her bare chest against his. “T-t-too c-close, Dewdrop.”

Oh man, oh man. This feels so awesome... High Noon! Stop thinking about this sort of thing! She’s not herself!

“Come oooooon, Noon! Live a little!” Dewdrop laughed again, patting his chest with a hand.

Most guys would die happy from this situation, but High Noon just didn’t know what to do. Sure, he thought she was hot. Pretty much every guy in the bureau felt the same way, but when they found out Dewdrop wasn’t interested in guys, a lot gave up, disappointed. But here she was, drunk but naked, before his very eyes.

Noon’s self-control broke for just a second as he let an eye wander down her body, taking in the wonderful sight in front of him just for a brief moment, only to realize Dewdrop was watching him with a smirk on her face.

“Uh, it’s n-not what you t-think, Dew,” he stammered embarrassedly. “I-I was just finding a way to… to… ummm…”

“Doooon’t kid yourselffff, Noon.” Dewdrop grabbed his shoulders and pulled herself higher, pinning him against the wall with her elbows. “You like thissssss, don’t you?” She began to slowly bring her face closer to his own. “Just one kiss, Noon. Juuuuuuuust one. Maybe two? I knoooow you like my lips.”

A kiss? I’d love to- No, Noon! You don’t. She doesn’t love you! She’s just out of it! You can’t do it!

High Noon panicked. He felt her lips brush against his, but his head was already against the wall, unable to pull back away from the drunk Assassin. The cowboy could only close his eyes as his friend’s lips enveloped his, his mind almost going blank from the dream-like experience. It felt so much better than the time they kissed in the car.

This isn’t her… She doesn’t know what she’s doing. Though… It’s nice… Dewdrop… Maybe, maybe just for a while...

Dewdrop pulled away for air, giving High Noon a brief chance to get away. He didn’t. The female Assassin quickly swooped back in for another kiss, wrapping her arms around High Noon’s neck, pulling him tightly towards herself as her mouth joined with his once more, moaning into it, bringing up High Noon’s excitement level.

Noon’s will faltered as his hands reached for her pale back and her butt, holding on to her as he enjoyed the moment. Her skin felt so soft under his grip, and the way her mouth connected to his… It was all too much for High Noon to resist.

She broke away one more time, looking him in the eyes with a smile on her face. “See, Noon? I knew you like meeee! Just a little mooore… I can do better than a kiss...”

More-more than a kiss…?

High Noon had indeed thought about going further when they were hiding out in that car from the Templars, but it would’ve definitely been a bad idea then, especially if the Templars heard them.

Dewdrop moved her arms under Noon’s shirt, slowly pushing it up as she kissed him again. Soon it was resting on the bed beside the cowboy as he held her smooth face in his hands, not wanting to let go of such a rare chance with the girl he had a crush on. The blue haired Assassin reached for his belt and undid it as she forced her tongue into his mouth, probing around in search of Noon’s. He felt her place a hand on his sensitive spot down below.

Dewdrop… This is great…

Noon held his friend close, one hand leaving her face to inspect her body. He had never touched a girl’s body like this before, not even...

He remembered Windy again. His old apprentice was such a sweet girl, and that was one of the reasons why he had fallen for her. She was just too perfect, not cut out to be an Assassin. High Noon regretted not conveying his feelings to her sooner. At least Frigid and Dewdrop had their chance with the ones they loved. The one Dewdrop loved. The one she still loved.

Satin Breeze.

This isn’t right. I shouldn’t be taking advantage of this. I’ve got to stop...

Dewdrop was in the process of pulling down his pants when High Noon grabbed for her wrists and held them still. “Dew, wait! This isn’t you. Think about Satin! You love her, not me!”

His sudden outburst stopped Dewdrop in her tracks. The pale-skinned Assassin suddenly pulled back and away from High Noon, falling on her bottom on the other side of the bed.

High Noon looked down between her legs and speedily turned away as his face reddened. The female Assassin seemed to realize what was happening and pulled High Noon’s sheets across her body. The cowboy quickly pulled his pants back up till it couldn’t go any further, embarrassed that he had almost given in to her.

“Wolfgang…” Dewdrop breathed before turning her hostile gaze to the cowboy, her drunken-like state already a memory. “Where is he, Noon? I’m going to kill him.”

“He’s in Saddle Arabia right now, but-”

“He took Satin from me, Noon!” she shouted at the top of her voice. “He deserves to die!”

“Now, Dew…” High Noon decided it was better when she was trying to flirt with him, although it didn’t seem right. “Just calm down. Saddle Arabia is miles away, and the group headed there has already left.”

“Doesn’t matter! I’m going, and I’m going to find that monster and end him.”

“Dewdrop, you can’t,” High Noon said, worried for his friend’s mental state. “It’s dangerous to go by yourself.”

“So what?” she shot back, making High Noon flinch. “All I care about is avenging Satin! Nothing else matters, you understand?”

There was a knock at the door, followed by the sound of the door knob turning.

“Hey, could you lower your…” It was Pierce Network, who paused after taking in the sight of both Assassins, almost fully uncovered.

Great… High Noon wanted to smack himself in the face. Now he’s probably going to get the wrong idea...

“Hmm… I didn’t know you two were in a relationship. I always assumed Dewdrop didn’t like men. Well, maybe I guessed wrong. But I’m rarely wrong, just so you know. I do all my calculations beforehand. ” The Assassin had his eyes on his phone while he spoke.

“It’s n-nothing like that, Pierce, don’t g-get the wrong idea!” High Noon began waving his hands furiously. “She’s just delusional. Uh, that’s not w-what I meant, Dew. There’s nothing wrong with you, uh, you… You’re just confused. R-right?”

“Keep saying what you want, Noon,” Pierce shuffled away as fast as his feet could go. “Just keep the noise down; some of us are trying to sleep.”

The door closed, leaving High Noon and Dewdrop alone with silence building around them. Then after a few more moments, Dewdrop got off the bed and began gathering her clothes, still holding on to High Noon’s bedsheet.

“Dewdrop,” the cowboy rubbed the back of his head. “I hope you don’t make the wrong choice. You shouldn’t go out there on your own, not like that.”

“Why should I listen to anything you say?” Dewdrop turned away from him and dropped the sheet, exposing her rear to the cowboy until he turned away, covering his eyes with a hand. “Turn around. I need to change.”

“Al-already done, Dew…” High Noon kicked his legs off his bed and faced the wall. “An-and, well… I care about you. You’re my friend.”

“I will do anything it takes to kill him, Noon,” Dewdrop said as she slipped her underwear on. “Even if I have to fight you, you hear me?”

High Noon didn’t like where this was going, but he had to stop her. Even if she was like that, she was still his friend, and he couldn’t let her hurt herself.

“Dewdrop, listen. Mentor’s going to be back either tomorrow or the next day. If you can just wait until she returns, you can go to Saddle Arabia with her, no problem. Just… don’t go rogue and do as you please. D-does that sound alright to y-you?”

Dewdrop growled as she fiddled with the button on her pants. “Whatever.”

High Noon wasn’t convinced. “Really, Dew. I m-mean it.”

“And I already gave you an answer, Noon. Drop it already.”

“Oh-okay…” He didn’t know how else to make sure she wasn’t going to leave until the Mentor got back. “Umm… Can-can I turn around n-now?”

The door slamming was all High Noon needed to know. He looked back and sighed, finally able to relax. She really scared him sometimes. If she wasn’t busy trying to tease him, she was busy thinking about killing Wolfgang. Not knowing how to help her, Noon grabbed his bedsheet from the floor and fell on his bed. He turned off the lamp and closed his eyes. All he could do now was worry about tomorrow.

Both Morning Blade and Twilight Sparkle's faces were red after the ex-Assassin had finished recounting this page. Morning didn't even know why she had written it down in such detail, but she did.

"Another one of these, hu-huh?" Twilight pulled at the corners of her purple hair.

"Y-Yes..." Morning took interest in a pebble by her feet. "You kn-know, Pierce was the one who told me at first, and then Dewdrop after. I guess she really... didn't think it was much of any-anything embarrassing..."

She still remembered the day Dewdrop had smugly told her what she had done to High Noon that night, or at least, what she had tried to do to High Noon that night.

"Your Dewdrop really is an interesting character. My Dewdrop is a little cheeky, yes, but nothing like this. Oh, and I have yet to see my world's High Noon. He isn't a guard. I wonder where he is."

"I'm guessing maybe your High Noon's still back in Appleloosa?" Morning was happy to take the topic away from such intimate things.

"I'll make a note to go visit Appleloosa some day. That would be nice," Twilight chuckled. "I could go get some Appleloosan apple cider. That's definitely something to look forward to."

Chapter 100: A Heated Exchange

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It was late in the night when the car pulled up next to the bureau in Trottingham, loaded with tired Assassins and their equipment. The two on guard duty rushed over to help them unpack, asking everything they could as they did so.

Frigid Night focused on moving the gear, tuning out all the buzzing questions around his ears. He had no stomach to deal with pointless talk; it was almost three o’clock now, and he really wanted to get to bed. The next week, he would be heading back to Masyaf with the Mentor again.

Honestly, he didn’t want to go back and listen to more criticism for every little thing he did wrong. So what if his methods were different from the ones used in Saddle Arabia; they got results, didn’t they?

After placing everything in the lobby, the others gathered around the Mentor, waiting to hear what she had to say.

“The Templars have the upper hand at the moment, but next week will decide who wins. Assassins from all bureaus will be heading to Saddle Arabia, and that is when we will make our attack on the ancient palace. Currently, the Templars control it, but that’ll change. We will not let them get the artifacts, and we will defeat them.”

“I’m with you Mentor!” one of the Assassins put a fist to his chest.

“As am I!” another shouted.

“I’ve gathered all the other bureaus, and together, we will take back Masyaf from the Templar hands, but tonight, we will rest, and I will see all of you shortly.”

Frigid Night left the lobby, pleased to be able to return to his room after their long journey away. Morning Blade wished him goodnight and stopped off at her floor while Frigid kept going, almost dragging his feet up the stairs. Normally, he would try to look as strong as he could, just so the lower ranked Assassins knew not to mess with him, but tonight, he just wanted to get some sleep.

Whatever tomorrow, or next week brought, would test him. But he had to stay strong for what few friends he had left. Rose Petal and Trueshot were counting on him, and he couldn’t let them down.

Star Lance kept to the rooftops as he watched a group of Templar soldiers down below. He looked back to Keila and Ikram before pointing a finger down to the Templars before lifting an arm.

They nodded as he unsheathed a hidden spear, the mechanism clicking faintly as the weapon extended to its full length, the blade snapping open into its arrowhead formation and the shaft untelescoping to match. With a flick, Star Lance detached the spear from its bracer, throwing it up once in the air before catching with his hand underneath. He picked a target and with a lightning fast toss, one of the soldiers immediately fell to his knees as he looked down at the spear piercing out of his chest.

Star Lance and the others took the chance to attack, hopping down the roofs silently, their weapons ready. Star Lance placed another spear into its holder before extending his hidden blade.

Keila and Ikram had already taken down a guard each, cutting at their necks from behind while Star Lance kicked off the speared Templar and jammed his hidden blade through one man’s back, while his extended spear caught another Templar in the neck, punching through completely in a spray of red.

He didn’t give the last soldier a chance to pull out his black blade and ran him through with his spear. The dark crystal weapon bubbled and dissolved into smoke as its owner died, just like all the rest.

“All clear,” Keila said behind him, cleaning her daggers on a Templar’s coat.

“Hmm.” Star Lance retrieved his first spear and bent down to look at the spot the black blade had disappeared. “There it is again. These blades don’t stay. Could it be tied to the user’s life?”

“But that sounds impossible,” Ikram sheathed his scimitars. “Doesn’t it?”

“Well, impossible isn’t something we should use so lightly. They’ve got a Grand Master who can transform into shadows after all.”

“True.”

“Alright, keep moving,” Star Lance said as he stood. “Just a few more miles for today. This’ll make things easier for Mentor Steel Shine when she returns.”

The plan was to push to the old palace up ahead, taking back as much as they could on the way there. The day had gone a lot better than expected. Almost too good. In Star Lance’s experience, Templars were like cornered foxes when it came to territory; they’d fight to the last to get to it, but now, all it took was a few kills to send whole camps running. Maybe they were finally losing their nerve, but something wasn’t adding up.

“Do the Templars know where we’re headed?” Keila mused.

“I doubt it…” Star Lance looked around, noticing a Templar outpost just up ahead looked very empty. “But… This is odd. I expected more resistance.”

“Might be a trap up in there,” Ikram pointed at the outpost.

“Shall we investigate then?” Star Lance started ahead, taking to the buildings to traverse more quickly. If it was a trap, he’d rather he be caught in it than Steel Shine.

There were two guardtowers on both sides of the gate, but both were empty, along with the entire courtyard of the place.

Must all be hiding inside. Star Lance activated his eagle vision and looked about, noticing nothing was coming up in red or gold. How strange…

He took two steps back and ran forward, leaping off at the end of the building. The Master Assassin sailed through the air for a couple of seconds before his hands found the roof of the guardtower. He hooked his fingers over the ledge and let the momentum carry his body into the tower before letting go. Star Lance looked back to Keila and Ikram and waved them over before climbing down the tower, scanning his surroundings for signs of life.

Still nothing.

“Keila,” Star Lance said as the Saddle Arabian Assassins joined him inside the compound. “You check that building,” he pointed to the main building. “Ikram, you search the tents.”

“On it.” Both sprinted to their targeted zones to search for Templars while Star Lance walked around the outer perimeter, looking for patrols or anyone he could find.

When their searches turned up empty, the three Assassins regrouped in the courtyard.

“It’s like the camp’s been completely deserted,” Ikram scratched his head with confusion. “Why?”

“I definitely smell a trap now,” Star Lance grunted and darted his eyes around, looking for anything that might tell them what was about to happen. “Stay on your toes.”

And then, all of a sudden, the far gates to the camp exploded into flames, showering all three of them with burning debris.

“What?” Keila swatted dust off her coat as a beige tank rode in towards them.

“Tank! Get to cover!” Star Lance pushed both Assassins ahead of him, vaulting over a crate and sprinting behind a tent. Hopefully the tank wouldn’t see them.

The tank’s next shot ripped through the canvas and impacted the far wall, blowing it to smithereens. So much for that.

“Why are they even blowing up their own base?” Keila yelled over as they made for one of the storehouses. “This is crazy!”

The tank’s cannon turned to them and another row of tents went up in flames. The Assassins hid behind the storehouse, watching as the tank rolled over a charred table, its turret revolving as its gunner searched for its quarry.

“There must be something here we can use to take that down!” Ikram whispered over as they moved behind the concrete walls of the small building.

“There’s bound to be some weapons in these stores,” Star Lance pointed out, heading around to the backdoor to look inside.

The small rectangular buildings were stacked with crates of all sizes, from floor to ceiling. Making sure that the tank didn’t see them, the Assassins crept into the nearest one and began rifling through them.

Keila was the first to get her crate open, but it was only full of whiskey and rope.

“Who the hay packs whiskey with rope?!” she hissed, throwing aside the crate.

“Keila, no!”

But it was too late, as Keila had failed to realize that as the wooden box hit the floor, it made a loud and attention drawing crash.

“Oh fu-”

“Get down!” Star Lance ordered, and not a moment too soon. The Assassins had barely just hit the dirt when the entire roof was torn from above them with a deafening blast as small spurts of fire spread among the wooden crates.

The Master Assassin pulled a shard of wood from his arm as he noticed the armored vehicle slowly rolling its way over to the storehouse before its machine gun began firing at them. The three Assassins threw themselves out of the line of fire and ran in different directions.

“See what you can find!” Star Lance yelled to them as he ran in an arc around the tank.

Ikram nodded, throwing aside the smashed remains of a crate a few meters away from its previous housing. Inside were assault rifles and empty magazines. Snatching up one of the rifles, the Assassin circled around the tank and jammed the stock of the gun into the tank’s treads, while Star Lance distracted the gunner. It broke almost instantly, the treads grinding up the gun like a twig.

“Oh come on!” Ikram shouted, jumping back as the machine gun turret turned to him.

Star Lance took this chance and leapt for the back of the tank, climbing up its engine as he made for the top. He grabbed ahold of the machine gun with his hands, holding it still as it tried to follow Ikram, stopping it. It took all of the Master Assassin’s strength to restrain it, but he held strong.

Then Star Lance heard the hatch opening behind him. He let go of the turret and hopped to the side as the Templar who came out shot and missed with a pistol. Lance took his chance and charged at the man, unsheathing his hidden spear and throwing it with all his might at the man. The spear grazed his arm and the gun fell from his grip and down into the tank. There was a bang and the entire vehicle went still.

Oh no way.

A grin formed on the left side of his mouth as he finished the exposed Templar with his hidden blade before carefully looking down the tank hatch. Two more men sat inside, shooting their guns at the Assassin, who dodged back and retrieved his thrown spear.

“Woah, Star Lance,” Ikram marveled as he crawled up the tank to join him. “What did you do?”

“Lucky strike,” he said and placed the spear back into his arm sheath. “Two more inside and we can call it a day.”

“I think Keila can handle that,” Ikram pointed to his partner.

The black haired Assassin was running over, carrying a satchel in one hand, and a small black device in her other.

“Wait, did you get it already?” Keila asked, wide-eyed. “And I had found all these explosives too.”

“Toss it up, Keila,” Star Lance beckoned, a hand out to receive it.

Keila did as she was told, throwing the satchel of explosives to the senior Assassin. Star Lance wasted no time in throwing it in and closing the hatch before pointing for the Assassins to get away.

Once Star Lance decided they were far enough, he signaled for Keila to push the button on her detonator. The explosion rocked the ground underneath them as the tank went up in a ball of fire and smoke.

“Well,” Star Lance said at last. “Now we know why this place was deserted.”

“Is that it?” Ikram asked as he looked around to the outpost’s fence. “Just one tank?”

“I’m glad it’s just one tank,” Keila scowled at him. “Be careful what you wish for.”

After ascertaining that there were no more Templars to be found, Star Lance pulled out his radio.

“HQ, this is Star Lance. We’ve captured another Templar outpost. Send some guys to collect and secure the area.”

“Roger that, Star Lance,” the other side said. “Stand by until the team arrives, over.”

Star Lance kept his radio and turned his head to their real objective. The palace stood taller than all the buildings surrounding it, untouched by any modern remodeling like most of the city had undergone.

“We’re close,” he told the other two. “Come on. Let’s go see what else the Templars have left for us.”

Mahogany Wood had left his quarters after a good hour on his piano. Crescent Wing followed closely behind, always ready to defend the chairman.

That was one thing Mahogany liked about his bodyguard.

He walked along to his office, his leather shoes clacking against the smooth tiled floors. He had a meeting with the principals again in about an hour, so he had some time to prepare what he needed. Mahogany pushed open his office door, just in time to see Mirror Match close one of his files on his desk.

“Oh. Good afternoon, chairman,” she asked, no tinge of surprise in her voice. “Busy day ahead?”

“And what do you think you’re doing in my office, Mirror Match?” he asked as he walked over around his desk and looked down at her.

“Queen’s orders,” Mirror said, promptly standing up. “Someone’s got to make sure everything is being managed properly, and since King Sombra is away, I thought I’d take a crack at it.”

“And might I ask who this queen is? All the years you’ve served our cause, you’ve never explained who she really is.”

Mirror thought for a moment.

“No,” she said at last. “I don’t think you should.”

“And why is that?” Mahogany raised a suspicious eyebrow. “What are you really doing here, Mirror Match? Why did you join us?”

“I’ve told you, I am searching for someone. It’s not my fault you Templars haven’t been helpful in that regard in the slightest.”

“Are you planning on betraying us, then? Like you did with the Assassins?”

“Pft. For your information, I didn’t plan on betraying the Assassins; it just happened to play out that way. They’ve lost sight of what their organization is meant to do, much like the Templars before King Sombra came along. While I have nothing against betraying you, chairman, I’m serving King Sombra, and if you’ll recall what happened to your brother, he doesn’t take traitors lightly.”

The chairman folded his arms and frowned. Mirror Match had a way with words and they were rarely used to make you feel good.

“Yes. He does not. So don’t try it. That’s what I’m paying you for anyway.”

“And you’re paying me quite a lot, aren’t you,” Mirror flashed Mahogany a bright smile and sidled out toward the exit. “By the way, you really need to alphabetize your files. They’re hugely disorganized; get a secretary or something.”

Mahogany Wood watched the woman leave, only sitting down once her fluttering cape disappeared behind his door frame. The first thing he did was check his desk, just in case he was missing something. Instead of that, he realized everything had been filed back in place, but alphabetized like Mirror Match said. The ‘C’ category was slightly ruffled, as if it had been recently rifled through.

“Sir, did she take anything?” Crescent stopped at Mahogany’s side.

“No.” The chairman couldn’t believe it himself. “No she didn’t… Crescent? Send someone to watch Mirror Match. I want to know exactly what she’s up to.”

“Are you sure that’s wise, sir? I mean, it is Mirror Match we’re talking about here.”

“Just do it, Crescent. I have a bad feeling about her right now.”

"Things sure are heating up, huh?" Morning Blade sighed, her breath visible before her face.

"Surely you don't mean this weather..." Twilight Sparkle rubbed at her shoulders.

They'd been out here almost all morning and part of the afternoon now and the temperature was already beginning to drop. Perhaps it was time to find somewhere else to continue the story.

"I could use a cup of coffee. Would you be interested, princess?" Morning rubbed her hands together and stood up, taking one more look at the quiet pond.

"Sure, I wouldn't mind." Twilight got up as well. "Your world's coffee is different from ours. I like this difference. Let's go."

Chapter 101: A Plane to Catch

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Morning Blade was the first to push the door open to Sugarcube Corner, scooting to the side as she allowed the pony princess to walk in first. It had been quite some time since she had set foot in this place. It was nice to see the Cakes still running the place.

She placed two orders of coffee from Mrs. Cake, who didn't seem to recognize her. Maybe it was the more haggard appearance. Morning didn't deny, she didn't look as young as she used to when she was still in High School. Being an Assassin and suffering such loss was bad on her health.

"Thank you," she told the woman before returning to a table by the window, where Twilight Sparkle was busy gazing out at the passing cars on the street.

"I still don't get how these work." She turned her head back when Morning sat down across from her. "I don't think we're anywhere close to inventing a car over in Equestria. Thank you." She held the hot cup of coffee in her hands.

"What do you use to travel, then?" Morning took a sip from her cup, feeling warmth spread through her insides almost immediately.

"Usually just my wings." Twilight patted one of her shoulders. "Though for long distances, we use trains, or sometimes, magic."

"Such usefulness, huh, magic?" Morning watched the coffee swirl in her cup as she wobbled it under her fingers. "And trains, you say? You're not far off."

"You have trains here too, I presume?"

"Of course," Morning chuckled. "Trains are much older than cars, though we still use them today."

"You humans sure are interesting..." Twilight sipped her coffee, then recoiled and stuck her tongue out. "Hot!"

"That's the idea," Morning Blade continued laughing. "Well..." She reached into her bag and took out her journal. "Are you ready to continue?"

"Twilight nodded, her tongue still out. "Go on. I'n lithening."

One week later

The night had brought in a cold wind as Frigid Night packed the last of their extra blades into the back of Pierce’s van before closing the doors and returning to the vehicle’s side where the others have gathered.

Almost all the other Assassins in the bureau had already left earlier this week, heading to Saddle Arabia to help out their brothers and sisters there. All that were left was the Mentor and a few of Frigid’s old friends.

Also, their private plane, along with at least a dozen Assassins from the bureau had been shot down over the Saddle Arabian sky by a Templar turret, meaning they would need to take a different route back there. Frigid hoped it wasn’t another plane, but when Mentor Steel Shine returned with the plane tickets, he sighed and helped with loading the gear anyway.

Pierce had volunteered his vehicle, since it had the space to carry all of them plus the gear they were bringing for the others, though the hacker himself wasn’t coming along. Dewdrop had tasked him with looking after Velvet Breeze while she was away, and he probably wouldn’t want to risk meeting Mirror Match outside at the same time.

“All done, Mentor,” Frigid said as he joined the others.

“Good,” she nodded and opened the van’s side door. “Let’s go.”

High Noon got into the driver’s seat with Dewdrop seated beside him, while Mentor Steel Shine and Morning Blade got in the back with Frigid.

“This is it, Assassins,” the Mentor said as she buckled in. “This is our final push to the palace. We’ve had our little delay with the loss of Airshift and his plane, but I’ve already called ahead. Star Lance will start the push as scheduled.”

“But Mentor?” Morning asked as she pulled her coat closer over her. The night was surprisingly colder today. Even Frigid could feel it. “Will they be able to use the artifacts without you? I mean, you’re the only one I’ve seen using the artifacts.”

“Anyone can use an artifact, young Morning Blade,” she shifted her coat to reveal her golden sword and its sheath. “What an artifact does is drain its user’s life force. A normal human would die if they used it for even more than a minute, but in case you haven’t seen, I’m a little different from you. I can wield it much more effectively, though I too cannot maintain it for long.”

“Fascinating…” Morning Blade breathed as the vehicle began to start.

“All buckled up back there?” High Noon shouted behind him. “Dewdrop? Buckle up, please.”

At first, Frigid thought she was going to yell at him, but then she smiled almost too happily and buckled in.

“Thanks for reminding me, Noon,” she put a hand to his cheek. “You’re such a sweetie! You always take the time to make sure I’m alright.”

“Uh… ah… well… safety first, y-you know…” High Noon sputtered and rubbed the back of his head.

Dewdrop smirked mockingly. “Sure thing, Noon. Typical answer from you.”

“Well, th-the front seats a-are the most dangerous…” High Noon released the brakes and started reverse out of the nearby carpark. “You know, you could f-fly out of the windshield like a c-cannonball if there’s an accident.”

Dewdrop was about to snark back when suddenly all their radios crackled to life at once.

“It’d still be safer than going to your desired destination.”

Frigid recognized the voice immediately, as it wasn’t one he would ever forget, even after everything she did.

“Mirror Match,” he breathed. He put a hand to his earpiece. “Mirror, where are you? What’s going on?”

“Right behind you, Friggy.”

There was the roar of an engine, and a black and green motorcycle swept past the van, stopping in its path and keeping it from leaving the bureau.

“Hey!” High Noon quickly jammed the brakes, jolting everyone in the van. “See what I mean, Dew?”

Dewdrop’s answer was to snarl and kick the passenger side door open, drawing her sword at the same time. When she swung it down at Mirror, the Templar agent simply held up her hand and caught the blade before wrenching it out of Dewdrop’s grip and throwing the weapon to the ground. She pulled out her second sword, only to have the same thing happen. As she reached for her third, Mirror had already stepped off her bike, grabbing the Assassin’s arm and flipping her down on her back.

“Do everyone a favor and just stay down,” Mirror muttered through her helmet. “I’m not here to fight you today.”

High Noon put the car in parking and stepped out to Dewdrop’s side, pointing his revolver at Mirror’s face.

“Get back!” High Noon barked at her.

“I already told you what would happen if you shot me again,” Mirror tutted. She then produced a white handkerchief. “Now be a good boy and put the weapons away. I’ve got something to say to your Mentor.”

By now, Frigid had followed the Assassin leader out, along with his apprentice following behind. Morning had her new compact pistol behind her back, just in case Mirror pulled anything funny.

“What do you want, Mirror?” Frigid asked, stepping in front of the Mentor.

“An audience,” Mirror said coolly. “But if you’re not willing to talk this out…” The Templar agent reached into her pocket and pulled out a small black device with a red button on it. “I could always blow this place up. I’ll probably survive. You probably won’t. So what’s it going to be?”

High Noon still had his revolver pointed at her, while the others stood still, weighing their options.

Finally, Mentor Steel Shine pushed Frigid aside and stepped forward. “It’s fine. High Noon, drop the gun. If it’s just a talk she wants, I will give it to her.”

Frigid sighed with relief as High Noon kept his gun and helped Dewdrop up. He knew what would happen if they had gotten into a fight with her, and he didn’t want any of them getting hurt for nothing.

“Very good,” Mirror nodded approvingly and put the detonator away. “Now listen to me. Do not go to Masyaf.”

“And tell me, Mirror Match,” Steel Shine asked, putting a hand to her chin. “Why this request?”

“It’s not a request, it’s a favor for an old friend we both know,” Mirror Match said solemnly. “We both know she wouldn’t want this happening on her final resting place.”

“Resting place?” Frigid watched as the Mentor’s face cycled through a few different emotions, finally settling on one of realization. “Her resting place. You knew her? How?” She looked down at her sword and placed a hand on its pommel.

“I knew her very well, if you’d believe it. Now as a favor for our mutual friend, I’m asking you to pull all your Assassins out of Masyaf and to stop this quest for the artifacts. This isn’t what she wants from you, or any Mentor.”

“Pull all the Assassins out?” Frigid was aghast at her request. “If we do that, then Sombra wins! We can’t allow that, Mirror. You know that.”

“Do you think I haven’t thought of that?” Mirror snapped. “This isn’t about King Sombra, it’s about her!” the Templar agent pointed at Mentor Steel Shine. “She’s helping to desecrate the grave of someone I know, and I’m not going to just stand by and let you do it. For the last time, stay away from Masyaf.”

Frigid looked between both Mirror and the Mentor. “Whose grave is this? Mentor, what is going on?”

“It’s not important right now, Frigid Night,” Steel Shine muttered. “Mirror Match, you know we can’t do that. Especially if it’s you who’s asking. How do we know this isn’t just some ploy to get the artifacts without us in the way?”

“You don’t,” Mirror said coldly. “I’ve said my piece. Look, you might think of me as a bad guy, but even I have standards, and what you’re doing is tantamount to robbing the grave of my best friend. What you do is now on your own heads, and I won’t incur any blame for whatever disaster follows because of what you do, Steel Shine.”

“It’s Mentor Steel Shine to you, Templar!” Morning Blade stepped forward and lifted her gun to Mirror’s chest. “Who are you to tell us what to do?”

“Morning, stand down,” Frigid raised a hand up. “Don’t antagonize her.”

Mirror tilted her head to Frigid’s apprentice. “Friggy’s new disciple, are you?” she said cheerily. “Did he also tell you I used to be his apprentice as well? We’re practically sisters, you and I.”

“I know about you,” Morning replied, but did as Frigid said, lowering her gun. “I know how you betrayed him and killed the Assassins on that demolition team so many years ago. You’re no sister of mine.”

“My, my. Someone’s done their homework. Well I’d love to stay and chat, but you see, I’ve got a party to attend in…” Mirror pulled back her sleeve to check her watch. “Two and a half hours, so I’ll just be going now, and hope that your Mentor doesn’t screw things up for everyone.”

“Mirror, wait,” Frigid called after her. “Help us. Help us take down the Templars. With your help, I know we can. Even without the artifacts.”

Mirror laughed, high and sweet, before revving the engine on her bike. “Oh, Friggy. Still as much of an optimist as ever. I’m sorry, but I’ve got better things to do than betray my king. Ciao, everyone, and don’t forget my words.”

As Mirror sped off on her bike, the Assassins were left in a slowly clearing cloud of exhaust. There was a long moment of silence.

“Mentor,” High Noon asked unsurely. “What do we do now?”

The Mentor’s voice was resolute. “We can’t let the Templars get the artifacts, and I won’t have us dishonour the memory of the Assassins who have already fallen by retreating. Everyone get back in the van; we have a plane to catch.”

Chapter 102: The Push

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Frigid Night couldn’t remember the last time he had been in an airport. The group of Assassins stood in a queue, carrying their boxes and bags of supplies as they waited to get to the counter to check in their baggage. He had doubts about all this working out, seeing as they had weapons packed into them.

The grey haired Assassin himself had stowed his body armor and knife slings, keeping them in a small bag slung over his shoulders, but kept his hidden blades and shoe blades on, hidden under his sleeves and boot soles. He didn’t want to get arrested by the authorities before they even left for Saddle Arabia. Morning Blade’s weapons were very well concealed, meaning she didn’t need to do anything about hiding them. She stood beside her teacher, a book in her hands.

High Noon and Dewdrop stood behind Frigid, bickering about her clothes. The two Assassins had also stowed their weapons under orders from the Mentor, though Dewdrop had insisted on wearing her Assassin branded shirt.

“You should take it off, Dew,” the cowboy told his blue haired friend. “What if there are Templars here? We don’t want to attract attention in a public place.”

“I’d say something about you wanting me with my shirt off, but that’s just too easy,” Dewdrop muttered, but slung her jacket back on to cover the insignia. This time, she didn’t bother to bring along her blue coat; she probably wouldn’t be wearing it anyway.

Frigid was surprised for a moment. He never imagined that Dewdrop would actually listen to Noon. He was impressed, but it didn’t stop the cowboy’s face from turning red.

Same old High Noon.

“When we reach the counter,” the Mentor instructed, still facing the front while she spoke. “Leave the talking to me.”

Mentor Steel Shine had donned a long grey trench coat, covering her body from neck to ankle, though she still had to remove her gauntlets. She kept her sword under her coat, just in case she had to draw it.

When it came time for the Assassins to check their things in, Mentor Steel Shine had simply placed a hand on her sword and Frigid couldn’t believe it, but the attendants didn’t even bother whether their bags and crates had weapons in them. They simply did what they had to do with every other luggage and sent them on their way down the conveyor belt.

“Woah,” Morning Blade whispered as she watched it all above her book. “She can do that? I mean, mess with people’s minds?”

“That sword does a lot,” Frigid shrugged. “Probably allows her to do that too, I’m betting.”

“That’s neat,” Frigid’s apprentice admitted.

Soon, all of them had been packed into a first class flight toward Maredina, a city a couple of kilometers from Masyaf.

“Why did it have to be planes?” Frigid complained quietly next to his apprentice. They had been seated in pairs, with Morning next to him, High Noon and Dewdrop behind him, and Mentor Steel Shine across the aisle, seated next to a bigger sized man. The Mentor figured it was safer if she was the one sitting with civilians.

“It’s going to be fine, sir,” Morning patted his arm. “And this is first class! I’ve never been in first class, Frigid. It’s nice…”

Frigid’s apprentice leaned back and closed her eyes with a content sigh. Frigid let it be and looked to the slim black screen in front of his face. He hadn’t known planes had televisions in them now. It was pretty innovative to do so.

He picked out one of the magazines and flipped through the pages, looking for something interesting to watch. Perhaps he could take his mind off the flight if he had something to do.

“Let’s see…” Frigid flicked through the lineup of movies before finally settling on a Daring Do flick. According to the description, this film was a reboot of the series, starring that actress from a while back, Ebony Wings, alongside a new actress for Daring, a girl called Sunflower. Judging from her appearance, the girl was still schooling, just a little younger than Morning Blade.

Frigid started up the movie and slipped a little headset on as forty seconds of logos began.

The rest of the flight was spent watching Daring Do and her arch nemesis, the nefarious Ahuizotl, race through dangerous dungeons and forgotten ruins, occasionally running into a rival treasure hunter, Cat Scratch (played by Ebony Wings). Frigid rather liked how Cat Scratch and Daring Do were rivals, yet also managed to get along behind Ahuizotl’s back. She reminded Frigid a little of Mirror, actually. It made him think of her, wishing how things could change.

“Frigid.” It was his apprentice. “Are you alright? Is something the matter?”

He blinked a few times and shook his head. “No, no. It’s fine. A character in this movie reminded me a bit about Mirror Match is all...”

“You watch Daring Do, sir?” Morning smiled after bending over to see what he was watching.

“From time to time,” he admitted. “Can’t ignore a good movie.”

“You miss her, Frigid?” Morning Blade asked him.

“Miss who?”

“Mirror Match.”

Apparently it was that obvious. Frigid didn’t hide it any longer and nodded. “Yeah. I do.”

“It’s okay to miss someone,” his apprentice continued, closing her book for the moment. “Even if they’re on the other side of things.”

“Really? I mean, she’s done some very bad things, yet, I still find myself drawn back to her every time.”

“Well, besides the bad, there must have been plenty of good things she’s done for you as well. Right?”

Frigid thought back to his past again. When he had first trained Mirror, she had done everything with him, taking down Templar after Templar, doing what was best for the world. She had laughed, smiled, and spent every moment of her days with him, even before they had gotten together. Those were the years Frigid found himself thinking back to.

He couldn’t help but slightly tear up at the thought.

“Sir,” Morning placed a hand over his comfortingly. “It’s okay. I’m here if you need someone to talk to.”

He nodded and for once, gave her a real smile. “Thank you, Morning. I’m… glad I can count on you.”

“Awww…” he heard Dewdrop’s voice behind him as she leaned close to the hole between the chairs to look at him. “Someone’s opening up at last.”

“Don’t bother him, Dew,” High Noon pulled her back. “It’s been a rough couple of years.”

“Why?” she batted her eyelashes at the cowboy. “Jealous? If you’d like, I can give you all my attention instead…”

“Uh, that’s not wh-what I meant.”

“But it’s what you thought, isn’t it?” she giggled and gave him a friendly punch on the arm. “Come on, Noon. I know you still have a crush on me.”

“I… I…” High Noon opened and closed his mouth a few times like a fish before grabbing for his hat. He stuffed it on his head and pulled it low over his eyes.

“I thought so, Noon.” Dewdrop suddenly unbuckled her seatbelt and hopped over onto High Noon, sitting in his lap. She ignored the stares of some other passengers and wrapped her arms around his neck after tossing his hat on her seat. She closed the distance between their faces, stopping only an inch apart. “Come on, Noon. Just say it. I already know you do. I just want to hear it from your mouth.”

Noon pinched at his coat as he gave Dewdrop an incredibly awkward smile.

Morning Blade chuckled before turning back to the front. “You have some good friends, Frigid. Don’t forget that.”

Frigid nodded and returned to his movie. He did have some good friends, but how long would they last?

“Time’s up,” Star Lance stowed his phone and looked up to the crowd of Assassins gathered by the base of the bureau. The morning was already heating up as the sun began to cross the sky. “Mentor Steel Shine’s orders. We attack now. We will push to the palace, we will get the artifacts, and we will win this war!”

“We’re with you, Star Lance!” the Seaddle Mentor yelled and led the first wave on.

“C’mon, Keila,” Ikram pulled at her hand. “We should be there. This is our home.”

“Right,” she agreed as both Saddle Arabian Assassins proceeded with the Seaddle Assassins from the rooftops.

The Templars had deployed a barricade up ahead, using concrete slabs and barbed wire. At least a dozen soldiers stood behind them, rifles already pointed ahead, ready to fire on command. The first row of Assassins fired upon them, immediately taking down a few soldiers before they could retaliate.

“Take them down!” the Templar in charge yelled and pulled out a grenade launcher.

“Wow, these Templars sure are bringing a lot of firepower,” Ikram smiled as they cleared another jump. “How about we give them a little surprise from behind?”

“Oh, how I’ve missed being your partner, Ikram.”

Keila was glad she didn’t have to put up with Frigid Night. Part of her was relieved to hear that Mentor Steel Shine was behind time because of that Assassin, but she knew they needed the Mentor if they were going to do this. She was probably the only Assassin who knew how to wield an artifact.

The two of them arrived behind enemy lines as the first explosions went off, scattering the Assassins down below. The Templars definitely had the upper hand in weaponry, but at least the Assassins had their skills.

Keila was the first to act, kicking off the edge of the building, sailing in the air for a few seconds. The wind was breezy today, blowing about the hot desert air, but Keila found it enjoyable. It was still wind after all. Unsheathing her daggers, she drove them straight through the back of the lead Templar, his grenade launcher cluttering to the ground away from him.

The other Templars turned to her, but she was fast, first attacking their legs to cripple them as she dove from soldier to soldier, using their bodies to avoid more gunfire. Ikram landed beside her, spinning in an arc, severing a few heads from their bodies with his scimitars. Their little attack had turned the Templars’ attention to them, giving the other Assassins time to press their advance.

Things were looking good until a squad of Dragon Unit soldiers appeared, each man holding a black crystal blade.

“Black blades, ahead!” Ikram warned as they finished off the last of the gunmen. “Stay alert!”

One Assassin with blonde hair sprinted for them, swinging her broadsword to her shoulders. One of the soldiers stepped forward and swung his sideways, releasing an arc of dark energy. The Assassin didn’t move out of the way in time, but instead of getting tossed away by the energy, her top half was severed from her bottom as she dropped lifelessly to the ground.

Keila was stunned for a moment. Those weapons never did that. Something had changed.

“Down!” Ikram tackled her as more waves of dark energy pulsed past them, searing the corner of her coat.

Assassins behind them fell one by one as the small squad of Templar soldiers began pushing forward. The upgrade had given the Templars a deadly weapon. Far deadlier than the Assassins had anticipated.

Keila lay with Ikram in a small alcove next to a building, currently out of sight from the soldiers.

“K-Keila, you alright…?” Ikram said weakly.

Keila widened her eyes. Had something happened to him? She looked down and uttered a small gasp. Just under his arm, a portion of his blue coat was gone, his ribs stained with his dark red blood.

“Ikram!” she sat up and held him. “I’m going to get you help!”

“I’ll manage, Keila…” he reassured and grabbed for her hand. “I can tend to myself, easy. Go and join the others… Win this.”

Keila shook her head and held his hand firmly. “I’m not leaving your side until you’re good to go.” She activated her radio. “Star Lance? This is Keila. Ikram’s been wounded. I’ll stay with him until he’s patched up.”

“Roger, Keila,” the lieutenant’s voice crackled almost instantly. “We’ll proceed on. Stay safe.”

“Thanks, Star Lance,” she nodded her thanks and hauled Ikram so that his back was against the wall. “Let’s see what we can do for you, partner.”

Chapter 103: Undoubtedly a Trap

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The signs of battle were showing themselves all over the city. Fires had begun to spread around some buildings, along with ruined roads leading to the old Masyaf Palace. Dead bodies littered the ground; some were Templars, some were Assassins, some unfortunate civilians caught in the middle.

Rose Petal slid under another wave of energy as she kicked out with all her might, staggering one of the soldiers just enough to allow Shadowstrike to perform an air assassination, breaking the Templars’ formation. Two more advanced on the Eastern Assassin, but two quick bullets to their helmeted faces dropped them, their swords dissolving into shadow.

“Thanks, snipers!” she voiced on the radio. “I owe you one.”

“I’m going to guess there’s going to be a lot more owing today, Rose,” Trueshot replied playfully. “Come on, Feather. Let’s move up.”

Trueshot and Feather Duster had taken care of most of the sword group, but Rose noticed they had lost plenty of Assassins at the beginning. Those swords could now cut with the long range attack. Rose didn’t recall them being able to do anything but push people back. Either the Templars had stepped up their game, or their Grand Master had been playing with the Brotherhood the entire time.

“Go, go!” she motioned over to a group of Assassins, pointing her hand towards the palace.

Just then, a trio of tanks burst through one of the buildings, stopping before a short wall, their cannons positioned towards the Assassins.

“Cover!” Rose warned as everyone scrambled in all directions. The first shell was fired, blasting dirt and gravel all over her as she slid behind a wall.

The day just had to start like this, huh? Rose’s arm sleeves had been torn in multiple locations with blood oozing out of cuts from the stray rocks.

Tanks were a problem. If it was a helicopter, Trueshot or Feather Duster could take it down no problem, but a tank didn’t have weak spots for a sniper to use, and it wasn’t just one tank, but three.

Well, perhaps it was time to use the explosives they had stolen from one of the Templar bases. She was about to make a u-turn for them when Star Lance popped out from around the corner, a spear in his hand. He ran up the first tank and tossed his weapon, skillfully getting it down the tank barrel.

The tank must’ve fired, because it’s entire barrel ruptured in a small explosion, opening it like a banana, the edges blackened.

The Mentor’s lieutenant really was a force to be reckoned with. As she stood there marveling, two of the other Mentors dropped from the buildings above, proceeding to the tanks. One had some kind of blow torch in his hands, getting to work on the tank’s armor as the other brought a satchel of explosives to the top of the tank. As soon as the torch had cut a big enough hole, the Mentor with the explosives tossed them in before both took off down another road.

The tank erupted in a ball of fire, sailing up in the air at least two meters before dropping back down on its side.

Now only one tank remained, and Star Lance was already working on it. He pulled a small object from his coat and stuck it close to the hatch. He ran off on the other side and jumped as the square object exploded, seemingly doing nothing to the tank. The lieutenant returned, and yanked the tank’s hatch open before hopping inside.

Rose could hear the scuffle of bodies within before everything became quiet; the only sounds she could hear were the gunfire and explosions ringing around the city. Leaving the lieutenant to finish up here, Rose continued down to the palace alongside some other Assassins. Their goal was to fight their way to the Masyaf Palace and whoever got in would look for the artifact.

She hoped she wasn’t the first to get there. Old stories back from her home came up in her memory; stories where villagers had disturbed ancient tombs, awakening angry spirits who rampaged through towns, destroying everything in their path. What if that happened when they found what they were looking for?

“Come on, Rose!” Shadowstrike tagged her on his way as he jumped over a dead Templar body. “You’re missing out!”

“I don’t think I am,” she muttered and followed after him. Even if she had second thoughts, this was still their mission to accomplish. If the Templars got the artifacts first, then they were going to be in some really serious trouble.

The Eastern Assassin ran after Shadowstrike, dodging debris and weaving around ruined buildings and vehicles. Rose noticed the bodies on the streets decreasing in number, meaning there were less and less Templars to fight.

Odd… She thought they would put up more of a fight closer to the heart of the city, where their forces were gathered. “Hey, Shadowstrike? I haven’t seen a live Templar in a while. Have you?”

“Killed a patrol before I found you,” the purple haired Assassin told her. “But you’re right. I haven’t seen once since...”

“Could be a trap lying ahead.” Rose scanned the streets with her eagle vision, but saw nothing but blue outlines in the grey world.

There were absolutely no Templars in the immediate area. Either the Assassins had killed them all, or there was something they were missing, and Rose Petal had a feeling it was the second option.

“Let’s see what those Templars have planned for us,” she told her friend as they entered the inner city together.

Grand Master Sombra opened his eyes and placed his feet to the ground, standing up from his meditation.

He looked down at the Apple. A fitting name, seeing as ponies liked apples. “You feel it too, do you not? They know where it is…”

The Apple didn’t respond, but he never expected it to. He followed the hum of the artifact in his hand, flowing his mind over to one of the Templars, one that he had dominated like he had with the barbaric Wolfgang.

Sombra looked through the eyes of one of the soldiers, spying across the cityscape. The Templars were retreating, just as he had ordered them to before dawn.

Good. Everything was going according to plan. He had most of the city under the control of his artifact, meaning there would be no help for the Assasssins whatsoever. Nothing was going to stop them now. There had been a small miscalculation when the Assassins had stolen the map, but Sombra knew it was going to be easy after that. He would make sure the Assassins would get to their destination, wherever it was the map had pointed them to. After that, it was all a matter of following them. Right now, he could see groups of Assassins making their way, seemingly towards the center of the city.

“The heart of the city? Where are you going, Assassins?” He turned the Templar’s head to look and understood. “The palace…”

Of course. It made sense that they had buried the tomb under the palace of the old king.

The famous old king. King Sombra of Masyaf.

That part troubled Sombra. If there was a Sombra in this world, there was bound to be a Princess Celestia and a Princess Luna; maybe even that little pony, Twilight Sparkle, the one who had defeated him.

That wasn’t the most troubling part for the Grand Master. He had read up on the city’s history, the knowledge gained from the minds of Saddle Arabians. King Sombra hadn’t been a usurper like Sombra had been. He was raised as royalty, ruling the lands after his father died. Sombra also noted how the people of this world respected his counterpart, unlike the ponies who he enslaved, the ponies he had killed.

Sombra never knew his father, nor did he know what his mother looked like, but he wasn’t born a good soul, like this world’s Sombra, who kept peace until his death. Sombra was born a being of darkness, his sole purpose to free his people under the Crystal Empire, and to take back what was theirs, just as the Crystal Heart had showed him. It was his destiny.

There was no goodness in him, and everypony out there knew it. Even Radiant Hope knew.

Sombra remembered her last words to him as she left his side forever.

“They were right about you all along! You are a monster…”

Sombra had rebuffed her answer and even cursed the kingdom, taking it away with himself when he was banished.

At first, he was glad he had caused her pain. She deserved it. But then in his exile, he grew to miss her. She was more important in his life than he had realized. She had been his only friend in his early days until he had learnt of his true origins. The only pony willing to stand with him while the others shunned them, made fun of them.

Sometimes, the shadowy king wished that things had turned out differently. What if the Crystal Heart had shown both of them a different destiny? A destiny where he never received his true powers. A destiny where he could see the Crystal Faire.

It was all he ever wanted. But not anymore.

Sombra growled and slashed his dream apart, returning to the normal world, stalking over to a window, his shadows increasing in size around him, taking the furniture in the room apart like toys. He tossed a shelf full of books across the room in a blink, shattering wood and paper all over the room. Then a sofa was next as he gripped in the artifact’s power, tearing it in half, all the while yelling at the top of his voice. Only after the room had be totaled before his eyes did Sombra stop.

Now, he wanted revenge. To return back to Equestria with an army that would dwarf anything Celestia or Luna could throw at him. To capture them and force them to watch their kingdom crumble before their very eyes as his umbrum ravaged the lands, destroying everything and anypony in their wake.

Not even that Twilight Sparkle would be able to stop him once he had the artifacts in his grasp. He knew what this one single artifact could do. With two more, nopony would be able to oppose him.

“I will be unstoppable. I will return to Equestria and make the princesses pay! Who can hope to stand against me? I am King Sombra, and if I want to take, I take. If I want you to die… You die. Long live the king!”

Chapter 104: The Tomb of the First

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Star Lance led the assault on the palace gates, throwing a spear through a Templar’s neck before she could swing her black blade at the Assassins. The woman gurgled and fell as four more Templars went down, taken down by Trueshot and Feather Duster.

Things looked good as the Assassins began to push the doors open. Mentor Overcast from Cloudsdale was the first in, firing her rifle through the tiny hole as she strafed to the side. Plenty of Templars went down, but some managed to retreat behind a few support pillars, keeping the second floor of the palace up. Most of the place looked unstable, seeing as it was an old heritage site, but so far it still had yet to collapse on them.

Star Lance ran through the doors and chucked a spear at a rifleman on the second floor. It pierced his chest and sent him tumbling down, with Lance grabbing the man’s rifle as it fell. With his new weapon, the Assassin lieutenant finished off the remaining Templars with the other Assassins before dropping the empty gun on the ground.

“All Assassins,” he spoke into his radio. “We’ve captured the palace. Now, it’s only a matter of time before the Templars learn our plans. The rest of you hold the city. We’ll search for the tomb in here.”

“Got it, Star Lance,” Feather Duster acknowledged in his earpiece. “Trueshot and I have the outside covered. We’ll keep the Templars from entering the palace.”

With the orders given, Star Lance pulled out the map from his coat and gave it a good look. The entrance to the first level underground wasn’t clear, but it had to be somewhere in this huge hall before the throne room.

“Search this place,” he barked. “There should be an entrance here somewhere.”

He used his eagle vision to look around, scanning the ground for any kind of trap door or hatch. The Saddle Arabian Assassins should have the advantage, since they’ve probably been to this palace countless times before. Mentor Shamal was close to the middle, surveying a clump of busts of King Sombra and a woman. It seemed the Mentor was onto something.

“Mentor Shamal… did you find something?” Star Lance asked behind the bearded man.

“No, not yet,” he mumbled, but kept his eyes on the floor. “Though, I’ve never searched the floor here. I didn’t think there’d be anything.”

“Star Lance,” Rose Petal said as she walked over to join them. “The busts, their faces are all pointed in the same direction.”

Star Lance frowned. He hadn't noticed that. It might’ve been that the people looking after this place had moved them, but he saw no harm in checking it out. He stepped up to the closest one, one of the woman, and traced his finger along an invisible line. It looked like they were all facing the back wall, just under the balcony of the second floor, where a brazier stood over a shortened pillar.

“Have you checked that spot, Mentor Shamal?” the lieutenant asked, thinking they were on to something.

“I’ve looked at it, yes, but I’ve never found a secret passage there or anything.”

“There must be one. We just need to look harder.”

Star Lance looked high and low around the brazier, hoping to find a secret switch or button that would open a secret door or something, although he did guess that it wouldn’t be that easy.

Think, Lance. How would they open this tomb back in the day? Secret button? Secret code word? Secret rites? Or could it also have been permanently sealed?

They didn’t have time to figure it out. Surely the Templars must know the artifacts were hidden here as well. Star Lance turned around and yelled for one of the Assassins; a woman with long orange hair jogged over. She had slings of C4 over her shoulders, along with a few rifles in the backpack behind her.

“I need you to blow a hole right here,” Star Lance pointed to the brazier.

“What?” Mentor Shamal wore a face of astonishment. “Star Lance, you can’t blow up a heritage site!”

“It’s important, Mentor. You know that. The Templars could come knocking any second now. We need to find these artifacts and get them to Steel- Mentor Steel Shine as fast as we can. We need to do this.”

Shamal still didn’t seem to want to do it, but eventually he conceded and turned away. “Do what must be done.”

Star Lance nodded to the Assassin with the explosives. She quickly placed a cube of C4 at the base of the brazier’s pillar before asking the others to step back.

The blast shook the old palace, but it still managed to remain standing, much to Mentor Shamal’s relief. The brazier had collapsed down into a hole before the sound of the large bronze dish could be heard bouncing down in the darkness.

Stairs.

Star Lance rushed forward and brought out a flashlight, pointing it down into the gloomy hole. They had guessed right. There was an entrance right here.

“Lieutenant!” one of the Assassins called by the door. “Templars! Incoming! Lots of them!”

“Hold them back!” Star Lance replied loudly and turned back to the hole. “We’re going down.”

The Assassins moved down the old staircase, covering their noses as they adjusted to the stale air. The cavern hadn’t been touched for a thousand years. The stairs were winding, but eventually the Assassins found themselves at the bottom, standing before an old, dark, circular room, shaped like a donut.

A few openings spanned every few meters around the exterior wall, while there was a big wide pillar in the center of their donut with more stairs leading down into the depths.

“Go! Search the place! We need to find that tomb, fast!”

One of the Assassins arrived at one of the entrances, but out of the ceiling, a large circular saw cut down so fast that Star Lance almost didn’t see it as it returned back up into its hidden slot. The Assassin slowly split in half from shoulder to shoulder, both halves falling flat to the ground. He didn’t even have time to scream.

“Careful!” Mentor Shamal hissed. “Traps! I should’ve seen this! Most ancient tombs in Saddle Arabia have traps to keep grave robbers out!”

The Assassins moved about carefully, but as fast as they could. They had a limited time here, and they couldn’t risk letting the Templars get down here.

Star Lance approached one of the openings, carefully looking at all its edges from a good distance. There seemed to be a small thin hole along the left and right sides for something to fit inside. The Master Assassin didn’t know what it held, but he wasn’t going to take any chances. He picked up a random stone lying on the ground and tossed it through the doorway. As soon as it passed the opening, long but sharp spikes emerged from the sides, narrowly missing the rock as it landed on the other side, only for a plate under the rock to start sinking, sending larger spikes out from the ground in the expanse in front of the little rock.

He narrowed his eyes, allowing his advanced eagle sense to take over. Now that the traps had been sprung once, he could combine that information with his natural intuition to find a safe way across. It seemed the other Assassins were also getting the idea, throwing stones across the test the traps before moving in.

Star Lance advanced on the first trap as he flicked a hidden spear out into his hand. He found one of the small openings for the spikes to emerge from and jammed his weapon into it before sticking a foot past the trap line. The trap sprung immediately, but the one spike caught on the spear and screeched to a halt. The rest of the mechanism followed as each spike stopped at the same length as the one Star Lance had jammed.

“That turned out nicely…” he chuckled and left the spear in as he walked over to the next trap.

The second spike trap was incredibly easy for the lieutenant to cross. He simply avoided the pressure plate and was on his way into the expansive room ahead. The room was empty, except for a single stone coffin lying in the middle.

Star Lance approached it, warily watching out for more traps as he crossed the smooth ground. Thankfully for him, nothing happened. He unsheathed a hidden blade and slotted it under the coffin slab and lifted before stuffing his fingers under it when it was high enough. Lance gathered the strength in his fingers and pushed the lid off; the impact echoed across the whole cavern.

A single skeleton lay inside the rocky sarcophagus, its bony hands still wrapped around the rusty hilt of a ceremonial scimitar that had been entombed with it. Upon closer inspection, there was nothing spectacular about the sword inside; this was just a random coffin. Not the one he was looking for.

Star Lance muttered a curse and sprinted back out into the main cave, looking for the others. Rose emerged from one of the other tunnels, clutching one arm.

“Nothing there, Star Lance.” She explained her ordeal with spike traps, only to find a single coffin with nothing of interest inside it. “Got nicked on the way in, but I’m fine.”

The sound of something large hitting the palace above them sent tremors across the cavern, raining dust and small debris over them.

“They’re attacking the palace!” Mentor Shamal returned with a few other Assassins. “Preposterous! They have no sense of preservation!”

“Mentor Shamal,” Star Lance got straight to the point. They had even less time now. “Did you find any artifacts?”

“Nothing of interest yet,” he shook his head.

“Then there’s only one place left to check,” Star Lance said and looked down the staircase in the middle.

The group proceeded down slowly, flashlights dancing across the space to check for any more dangers. Once at the bottom, the Assassins found themselves staring down a hallway so long that their light couldn’t see the end of it.

“Well, great. More walking,” one Assassin groaned. “As long as there are no traps ahead...”

Star Lance led the group, but proceeded carefully. The walls on the sides had small candle holders modeled into them, but years of disuse and the lack of oxygen had already extinguished the fires long ago. After almost five minutes, the Assassins finally saw something up ahead in the darkness.

A door.

When they got closer, Star Lance put a hand to the door, noticing its rocky texture. He handed his flashlight to Rose and pushed at the door, but it didn’t budge, not even slightly.

“Is there a way to open these?” he turned to the Saddle Arabian Mentor.

“C4 should do the trick,” the orange haired Assassin from before smiled, raising her plastique explosives.

“Just watch where you put them,” Shamal warned, looking up to the stone ceiling. “You don’t want to bring it all down on us.”

“I’ll be careful, Mentor Shamal.” She got down on her knees and pasted the explosives to the lining of the door.

When she was done, she stepped back quite a distance with everyone else following her. She smiled and held up her detonator.

“Do it.”

Star Lance flinched as the explosion sounded across the enclosed space, the blast constantly ringing in his ears longer than he wanted. When they looked back past the smoke, the door still stood, though there was a small hole through it, allowing them to see the other side. To their dismay, there was a second door ahead.

“We’ve got to climb through,” Star Lance said, the first to try it.

He stuck a hand and leg through before trying to squeeze his shoulder down. It fitted just nicely, allowing him to scrunch up his body to get his head through. After that, the rest of himself was easy to get in as the Assassin lieutenant finally arrived on the other side.

“It’s fine!” he called through the hole. “Come on!”

The second Assassin to squeeze through was the girl with the explosives. She quickly got to work on the second door as the others made their way through the hole. This time, she placed a little more explosives on the door to create a bigger hole for an easier way through. So far so good, seeing as the ceiling had yet to collapse over them.

For a third door, the female Assassin was the first to go through, setting up her explosives before Star Lance and the others joined her.

The third explosion was as deafening as the first two, but they were somehow still unburied. Star Lance wondered if the tombs were protected by some kind of magical force.

Before the smoke had cleared, rays of light had already penetrated the space they were in. The small group of Assassins cheered aloud, their victory echoing in the cavern around them.

Just ahead of them, Star Lance could see it. There was no fourth door, but a vast circular room with a few statues lining the walls, each one of the woman he had seen earlier, but holding a different weapon each. Something sat in a chair near the back of the room, holding two glowing things in its hands, which illuminated most of the room. Star Lance recognized the armor the statues had, realizing whose tomb this was.

“This is it,” he breathed, turning around to face the other Assassins. “This is the tomb of Emerald Edge, the First Assassin.”

Chapter 105: Blinding White

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The city of Masyaf had turned into full-fledged battlezone by the time the Assassins had found the tomb below. Buildings around the old palace lay crumbled with debris strewn all across the streets, along with the bodies of Templars and Assassins.

Trueshot aligned his sights with the Templar, Sugar Rush’s head, following her as she slashed her way through Assassins. He took a deep breath and pulled the trigger, watching the Templar’s head cock back before her body fell, blood falling from the hole in her head; about a quarter of her face was gone.

“Got one,” Trueshot smiled and pulled the bolt back in Feather Duster’s sniper rifle. “This is truly a good weapon.”

“Yeah…” she chuckled as she wrapped a bandage around her arm. “Told you so.”

“You alright back there?” he asked as he took down another Templar from afar.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m good,” she said as she cut off the excess bandage. “But, I’m afraid you’ll have to do this for both of us. My arm’s out of action.”

“Got it.” Trueshot swapped back to his rifle and clicked on the automatic fire. He looked down at a trio of Templar soldiers and held the trigger down, taking them all down with a single burst.

More began approaching from the east side, each having either a rifle, grenade launcher, or a black crystal sword.

“We’ve got lots more incoming!” Trueshot yelled to his partner and reloaded both sniper rifles. “Can you still fight close range?”

Feather Duster dug around in her pocket and yanked out a sleek silver pistol. “I’ve got your back. Just keep them away from the palace!”

“Right.”

Trueshot used Feather’s rifle first, taking down the Templars while they were still further away. The other Assassins below took to the buildings and waited as the Templars rolled in, shooting at the Assassins still out in the open.

The Stalliongrad Assassin took down another Templar through the helmet before the Assassins rained down on them, gutting a few Templars at once with their knives and hidden blades. Feather Duster leaned over the edge next to him and fired her pistol down at some Templars trying to climb up a ladder to their position. Trueshot helped by firing off a dart from his phantom blade, taking down a Templar with a sword below.

“Good shot,” Feather Duster looked at his phantom blades. “Wish I knew how to use one of those.”

“It grows on you, I suppose.” Trueshot pointed his rifle down and killed a Templar with a black blade who almost brought it down on Spectral Rim. The Assassin turned around and gave Trueshot a wave before proceeding into a group of soldiers. “Man, how long do you think this’ll take. I think I might actually run out of bullets here…”

“I don’t know, but Star Lance should already be down there and if we’re lucky, he’s already grabbed the artifacts and is on his way up.”

The surviving Templars fired back, taking down two more Assassins before the rest ducked to the buildings for cover.

“I hope you’re right, Feather,” Trueshot said as his sniper rifle clicked empty. “Cause I’m all out of 9mm…”

Star Lance approached the skeleton in the chair, noticing it wasn’t regular bone as he got closer; the skeleton seemed to gleam like crystal in the artifacts’ beam. The first object in its right hand was a long golden staff, while a gold shield was placed in its left, both radiating a small amount of light.

“Are these… the artifacts?” Rose Petal asked, stopping by Star Lance’s side, afraid to go any closer.

“Yes,” he nodded and walked closer to the skeleton. “Mentor Steel Shine’s ancestor. It’s all true. The old stories said she was from another world, and I wouldn’t have believed it if her skeleton wasn’t shining like this. Fascinating.”

Star Lance was about to pick up the staff when Rose suddenly screamed behind him, taking his attention. Something dark had grabbed her hand and when an Assassin shone his flashlight over it, Lance noticed it was nothing but darkness. Solid darkness. It suddenly pulled her back, sending the Eastern Assassin down on her back as it dragged her towards a corner, away from the light. Mentor Shamal and some of the other Assassins attempted to grab her, but the tendril of darkness was too strong, breaking her away from their grips.

“Help!” she uttered again as she got closer and closer to the darkened corner.

Star Lance forgot about the artifacts and charged after her, moving as fast as his legs could carry. He could see something swirling in the darkness ahead, kind of like a whirlpool, but more menacing. Just before Rose Petal could enter the dark pool, the tentacle stopped and lifted itself, suspending the red haired Assassin in the air by her arm.

“Just hang tight, Rose, we’re on our way!” Star Lance assured and was by her side.

He pulled at her hand and the shadowy tendril, unable to separate them. His hidden blade had no effect as well, simply phasing through the shadow like it was smoke.

“Foolish Assassins,” a deep voice bellowed beside him from within the swirling vortex.

Without warning, a dark form had emerged and grabbed Star Lance’s throat. Cold but strong fingers hauled him off the ground as the Master Assassin struggled for air, trying to dislodge himself from the figure. Then he was flying, sailing across the air and landing with a bounce before Mentor Shamal.

Star Lance rubbed at his throat and sat up, watching as the Templars’ Grand Master and a few others emerged from the dark portal.

“So nice of you Assassins to lead us here,” Grand Master Sombra smiled, his dark hair flowing along as if it was part of the shadows surrounding him. Purple smoke flowed from his eyes, his dark armor glinting in the glow of his weapon. Rose Petal still hung by her arm by the portal, still trying to get out of the tentacle’s grasp.

“Sombra…” Star Lance spat and stood up. He recognized the other Templars behind the man. Wolfgang, Talon, and Mahogany Wood’s brother, Lumberjack. The killer held a dagger in his hand while the soldier wielded nothing but his gloved fists. Lumberjack had a large axe resting over one shoulder.

The shadowy man’s face changed into one of annoyance and released a pulse of light from the artifact, knocking all the Assassins down. “That’s Grand Master or King Sombra to you, human.”

The Assassins slowly got up, careful not to make any sudden moves.

“Let her go!” Star Lance barked to the Templars as a hidden spear extended into his hand.

“What, this girl?” Sombra looked back and then flashed Star Lance a devilish grin as he returned his gaze to the Assassins. “Wolfgang. You are free to do as you please with her.”

“As you say, Grand Master,” the wolfish man’s mouth widened into a smile and spun his knife between his fingers as he walked over to Rose’s suspended form.

“No!” Star Lance yelled and ran at the Templar, raising his spear.

He tossed his weapon at the killer, only for Sombra to expand his shadows, swallowing the spear into its folds before lashing out, flinging Star Lance across the room and into one of the statues, breaking it to pieces as he landed at its feet.

The other Assassins rushed in to help, but Talon and Lumberjack stepped in front of their Grand Master.

“Want you help your friend?” The man in the red flannel shirt said smugly and brought his axe down to both hands. “Give me a reason to let you.”

Rose whipped out her bladed tonfa and swung it at Wolfgang, but the killer sidestepped and grabbed the handle before yanking it out of her hands and tossing it into the darkness.

“Such strange weapons…” Wolfgang snickered. “What do you hope to do while dangling up there?”

Star Lance got up just in time to see the killer drill his dagger into Rose’s waist, earning her gasp and agonizing scream.

The lieutenant gritted his teeth and charged for the battle, placing a new spear into its holder. The ex-military Templar saw him coming and turned himself to face Star Lance after knocking one of the other Assassins down. Star Lance jumped at him and unsheathed his hidden blade mid-air, stabbing right past Talon’s punch, lodging the blade into his shoulder.

“Gah!” the Templar shouted and tossed Star Lance to the side; the Assassin simply flipped himself back onto his feet and extended a spear halfway. He attacked the man with a flurry of stabs, weaving in and out of his punches as he did so.

Mentor Shamal joined him, swinging a scimitar at Talon’s legs. The red-skinned Templar grunted and jumped back towards his Grand Master, landing close to the grey man’s feet.

“Hmm…” Sombra lifted his artifact and pulsed a wave of energy out, knocking the two of them down again. The Grand Master turned his attention from the sprawled Assassins up to the skeleton of Emerald Edge. “The artifacts are mine.”

He took one step out of the shadows, before drawing his foot back, the shadows around it dissipating in contact with the light.

“Grand Master, what’s wrong?” Lumberjack asked, dropping the unconscious body of an Assassin.

“The light…” he snarled. “She is preventing me from retrieving the artifacts. Lumberjack. Get them for me.”

“At once, your excellentness.” Lumberjack shouldered his weapon and moved for the skeleton.

Star Lance gathered his strength and got up, sliding himself in between the Templar and the artifacts. “Not if I’m still standing, you’re not.”

“Fine then,” he smiled and flicked the axe back into his hands. “Let’s see what you’re made of, Assassin.”

Star Lance extended his hidden blade as the Templar swung his axe down. The Master Assassin blocked with his hidden blade and slid to the side, stabbing down with his speartip. Lumberjack lifted his foot and kicked back, hitting Star Lance in the stomach as he swung his axe in for another slice. The Assassin moved and grabbed the axe’s handle, stopping it in front of his face. He allowed himself to fall back and kick out at Lumberjack, throwing him face first into the hard ground behind him.

“Not bad…” Lumberjack rubbed at his jaw. “No wonder you’re the one in charge here.”

Without warning, he turned and made a run for Emerald Edge’s skeleton.

Shoot.

Star Lance realized his mistake too late. He extended his spear all the way while he ran to catch up with the Templar. He threw the spear with all his strength, but the Templar looked back and dodged to the left, narrowly missing the projectile. Lance missed, but at least he had managed to slow the man down, almost catching up to him now.

The other Assassins were standing by the light, unable to help Rose as the killer sliced at her arms and legs, careful not to cut too deep and kill her just yet. Sombra and Talon stood in their way, waiting for them to approach the darkness, waiting for them to try and save their friend.

Lumberjack had arrived at the artifact first, yanking the shield from the skeleton’s fingers, breaking one of the appendages in the process.

“Ha!” Lumberjack taunted as he spun his axe in one hand, while he equipped the shield in his off-hand. “What’re you going to do now?”

Star Lance replaced his hidden spear and pulled his machetes from their sleeves. “I’m going to take it from you.”

He ran at the man and swung his blades, only to have them blocked by Lumberjack’s newly acquired shield. Star Lance pressed his attack, pushing the Templar away from the seated remains of the Brotherhood’s founder, just enough to grab the staff. Star Lance didn’t realize it at first, but since grabbing the artifact, the cavern had grown dimmer, the light in both artifacts fading after taking it from their owner.

What…? What’s happening?

“Perfect,” Sombra bellowed behind him as he lifted the artifact. The shadows around him began growing in size, snaking towards the other Assassins.

Star Lance quickly returned his attention to his opponent and grabbed the staff in both hands.

Come on, work. Work your magic like you do with Steel Shine. Please. I need to save the others.

Nothing happened. The staff remained like any regular piece of metal in his hands.

Without any other options, Star Lance swung the long weapon at the Templar, who blocked with the shield before swinging an axe out, aiming for Lance’s head. The Assassin swung the staff up and parried the axe before he swung back at the Templar, who kept blocking with his shield.

Star Lance noticed the glow of the weapons increasing every time they connected, brightening up the room bit by bit as he fought with Lumberjack.

“Whatever you’re doing, Star Lance, keep doing it!” Lance heard Mentor Shamal’s voice somewhere on his left. “You’re keeping the darkness back!”

The lieutenant pressed on with renewed strength, understanding that his fight was keeping Sombra back. He was going to make sure he pried the shield from Lumberjack’s cold hands or died trying. He swung again and again, a resounding clunk spreading around the tomb every time the staff connected with the shield. The Templar was strong, Star Lance didn’t deny it. No matter how many times Star Lance pounded down against the shield, Lumberjack never fell.

Suddenly on Lance’s next strike, the weapons’ glow increased in intensity, almost five times more.

“What…?” Star Lance muttered. The Mentor’s sword had never done anything like this before.

As the glow continued to rise in brightness, Star Lance’s hands grew hot beneath him, and he looked down to see that to his horror, tiny orange cracks were spiralling out from the point where his hands touched the metal. Lumberjack was equally shocked, as his shield heated up white hot and began to splinter.

Star Lance threw the staff to the ground, but it was too late. The last thing the Assassin saw was Sombra wrapping the shadows around every Templar but Lumberjack, then his vision was full of blinding white.

Chapter 106: Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

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Keila could see the explosion before she heard it, her eyes widening in understanding as the palace began to disappear in a ball of expanding white.

“Ikram, we’ve got to go!” she started, picking up her partner and hauling him over a shoulder. She had wrapped up his wound, but he was still too weak to move on his own.

“We’re not going to make it far like this, Keila,” he said after looking back. “You’ve got to go on without me.”

“I’m not leaving you!” Keila replied confidently. “You’re my partner!”

“Keila, if you don’t leave, we’ll both die. You must go!” Ikram slipped out of her grip and pushed her forward as he fell. “Just go!”

“No! I won’t!” Keila yelled, her eyes tearing. “I can’t!”

The explosion had already engulfed the entire palace as it continued to spread out slowly, pulling buildings into its sphere.

“You’ve got to, Keila.” Ikram grabbed on to her hand and held it firmly. “Live on for both of us. I’ll always be there with you.”

“Ikram…”

“Go!” He let go of her hand and pushed her legs.

Keila hesitantly turned around and ran, at first slowly, not wanting to lose sight of her partner. Finally understanding Ikram’s resolve, Keila wiped her eyes and sprinted off down the city blocks, running as fast as she could from the expanding sphere.

Spectral Rim held Silent Frame on her lap, her friend’s hands were over the bullet wounds that had claimed her life. The turquoise haired Assassin gently rubbed Silent’s head as her tears fell from her eyes. Her attacker lay close by, one of Spectral’s knives lodged in his ear, dead.

“I’m so sorry, Silent…” Spectral cried, ignoring the approaching Templar guard with a black blade. “I should’ve seen him… I should’ve…”

“Don’t worry,” the Templar taunted as he lifted his weapon over his head. “You can join her soon enough.”

Spectral didn’t care. Her best friend was dead, and many of her other friends were also dead. Was there anything else to live for now?

“Do it,” she said and looked down, closing her eyes. “Just do it…”

She waited, but the blade never came. Only the sound of a large explosion made her open her eyes again to see where it came from.

The Templar was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a giant white ball seemed to be expanding a little further ahead, likely from the center of the city, swallowing everything in its path. Spectral slowly shook her head, but made no move to run.

This is it. I’m sorry, Silent. I’ll see you soon.

Spectral held on to her best friend as the explosion closed in on her, glad that she would be with someone she cared about to the end.

Trueshot watched with disbelief as the explosion absorbed the palace and the surrounding buildings, still pushing outward, threatening to absorb everything around them.

“Feather Duster?” he called. The Saddle Arabian Sniper also had her eyes on the explosion, but made no attempt to flee. “We don’t have a chance, do we? Of getting away.”

He was right. They were way too close to the palace. Perhaps the other Assassins at the perimeter could get out, but they couldn’t.

“We did good, Trueshot,” Feather Duster dropped next to him, one hand held out in front of her chest. “We fought for our cause.”

“Yeah…” Trueshot sighed and took her hand in a firm grip. “We’ve earned this break. Do svidaniya, Feather Duster. You’re a good friend. We work in the dark, my friend...”

“To serve the light. We’re Assassins, brother. Assassins to the end.” She smiled as the white explosion took them both in.

The ride from the Maredina airport had been long as High Noon finally pulled out of the highway, heading down the side road towards Masyaf.

Frigid Night sat all the way at the back of the jeep next to Morning Blade, tapping against the side of the vehicle. They had seen the news on TVs all over the airport. Most of the city had been devastated, with dead bodies lying all over the streets. He had wanted to get in on the fight as fast as they could, but airport security had been increased from the events in Masyaf, forcing him to be patient as Mentor Steel Shine got them through the customs with her ‘magic’.

The Mentor herself had tried to call Star Lance since the start of the ride, but the lieutenant had yet to pick up his phone. Frigid could see the worry scrawled all over her face, but there was nothing he could do about it. He could only hope High Noon picked up the speed from here.

“Hey, what’s that?” Dewdrop pointed out, seated beside the cowboy. “Looks like a-”

Her answer was cut short by the sound of a huge explosion, seemingly originating from Masyaf. Frigid slightly lifted himself, seeing what looked like a huge white ball, slowly expanding from the city’s center. It swallowed everything in its path, from buildings to cars, to roads.

“Explosion!” he warned, sitting back down. “Turn around!”

“I can’t!” Noon yelled from the front. “It’ll take too long to reverse!”

“Well, do something! Fast!” Frigid barked at him harshly.

High Noon jammed on the brakes, but there was nothing he could do as the ball began increasing in speed, making its way past the buildings, still moving towards them.

“Everyone down!” Mentor Steel Shine ordered and stood up, taking her sword from its sheath.

She spun her weapon up and placed one hand on the blade. The weapon glowed and pulsed for a bit before a round bubble of light grew around the entire jeep just as the explosion reached them. Light that seared through closed eyelids enveloped the car, but oddly enough there was no heat. The jeep rocked and skidded in the sand for what felt like forever, with Steel Shine straining against it with her sword’s shield.

And then all of a sudden, it was over.

Mentor Steel Shine collapsed in her seat, exhausted. Frigid lowered the hand he had held out in front of his face and looked over to the city. Or what was left of the city. Where Masyaf had once been now stood a huge, gaping crater.

The Mentor lifted her head and panned it around the blast zone, her eyes widening with every pass. “No, no, no, no…”

She lifted the phone to her ear again, trying to ring her lieutenant, tears already streaming down her face.

“Mentor,” Morning Blade placed a hand on her shoulder. “I… I don’t think there are any survivors.”

“No…” she choked and dropped the phone. “Star Lance… The others…”

Morning Blade held the Assassin leader as she let her emotions flow, trickling down her face and onto the jeep’s leather seats.

“What could have happened?” Dewdrop asked as she hopped out of the passenger seat and onto the sand.

“Could it be the artifacts?” High Noon joined her, placing an unlit cigarette in his mouth as he took his hat in one hand. “All our brothers and sisters…”

Frigid couldn’t believe it himself. Gone. They were all gone. Everything was gone. He jumped out of the jeep and walked out in the sand. He stopped, standing on the edge of the crater. It was just as Mirror had said.

“There is nothing gained by going to Saddle Arabia.”

They didn’t gain anything. They didn’t even get one of the artifacts, and now, it looked like everyone else was gone. Wiped out in the explosion along with the rest of the city.

Frigid clenched his fists and fell to the hot sand under him. He grunted as he pounded a fist into the ground over and over again, sending particles of sand up into the air, some sticking to his face and coat. “No! No!”

Everything and everyone was gone. Rose Petal. Trueshot. People that were actually his friends. Gone.

Frigid buried his face under his sandy hands and shouted as loud as he could.

"Frigid was definitely not the same again after that." Morning Blade was quickly filled with sorrow for her lost friends. Even now, Frigid, High Noon, Dewdrop, Mentor Steel Shine, they were all gone. "I guess until that point, he still cared about others. But after that... I didn't know for a long time."

"But he did, right? He realized his mistake eventually?" Twilight sipped at her coffee, looking at the ex-Assassin expectantly.

"At the very end." Morning looked back outside at the passing vehicles on the road. "Perhaps if he had knew it sooner, things would certainly be different."

"Aw, come on, Morning. You can't keep thinking about what could've been. You know that already."

"I know, I know..." the white haired Assassin sighed and leaned back. "But retelling this story. I just really makes me think. Frigid he's... he's really gone..."

Just thinking about it, Morning felt a well of sadness begin to flow out again and her eyes began to blur. Of all of them, she admired Frigid the most. There had just been a lot of potential in him to be a better person. If it was any consolation, at least he had redeemed himself in his last moments.

Pushing her journal over to the pony princess, Morning leaned her head down into a hand and began to cry.

Chapter 107: Survive

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Mirror Match had just finished having a shower, walking out of the bathroom as she dried her purple hair with a towel. She looked down at the blood on the carpet and clucked her tongue, reminding herself she had to clean that up later.

Earlier, she had caught one of Mahogany Wood’s men entering her home uninvited. She pretended not to know he was there until he got the nerve to leave his hiding spot to snoop around. After a brief questioning, Mirror Match had killed him right here, splattering his blood across her body and clothes when she pried open his ribcage with her talons and rearranged his innards. She hated voyeurs, and was considering sending back a piece of the spy to Mahogany, just to make sure he wouldn’t try it again. That man had to learn not to intrude on her private life.

Mirror sat down on her couch and tossed her towel to the ground, closing her eyes as she listened for the fabric to land.

Her TV was tuned to one of the news channels; it didn’t matter which, all of them were broadcasting the same thing today.

“The explosion in Masyaf was surprising. As of now, we have no idea what had caused it, but Saddle Arabian authorities think it might’ve been terrorists.”

“Pft. Terrorists,” Mirror scoffed as she drank from a bottle of whiskey. It was almost empty and still she felt none of its effects, which irked her. “Sure.”

“We have yet to determine the number of casualties, but we believe it numbers in the thousands. Where the proud city once stood now lies a smoldering crater, seemingly devoid of any life… Families of loved ones have been waiting for news of any survivors, but so far… there have been none.”

“I told you so,” Mirror glared at the news anchor. “Told you not to go, but does anyone listen to me? Noooo… not Frigid, not the Mentor, not even my own blasted sister. You daft idiots.”

The man on the screen stroked at his brown moustache and looked down solemnly at his table. There was nothing else to be said until they received more information from their field teams. The news then cut to an advert about some kind of grass tea. A hand picked up the can of tea and held it up to her face. A face Mirror had never liked since her early days as an Assassin.

“Drink this,” Ebony Wings said on the screen. “It’ll smoothen out your skin like it did for me. If-”

Mirror Match didn’t listen to the rest of the advert. Maybe it was because she didn’t like that bad actress and tuned out everything she said, or maybe it was from her black dagger embedded in the center of her now broken TV.

First, there was the ringing. Then, the pain.

Keila’s eyes shot open as her entire body woke up all at once, bringing an avalanche of pain down onto her prone form. Everything hurt, from her face to her feet, and as more of Keila’s consciousness returned, the agony only intensified until the only thing the young woman could do was lie still and breathe.

Time was immaterial to Keila, but as the sun laboriously rose to its peak, Keila forced herself to move. Stretching out one arm almost made her pass out, but she managed to right herself and half pushed, half rolled into a sitting position. The Saddle Arabian sand was scorching beneath her legs, but they were already in so much pain that Keila didn’t even take notice. After giving herself a minute to recover, she looked down at herself.

Every inch of her tawny brown skin was burned and raw, covered in scrapes and cuts that were still bleeding. Her clothes had fared no better; Keila’s hooded Assassin coat was all but shredded, the remaining scraps of fabric clinging to her with the help of a generous mixture of blood and sweat. Keila’s pants had been torn off at the knees and her right shoe was missing. The front of her sleeveless top had been blackened and seared into rags and the Assassin knew without looking that the back would be exactly the same.

With a shaking arm, Keila raised a hand to her ear. Blood trickled out of it, hot and sticky. Her earpiece was missing. There was no way of communicating with the others; she hoped someone would find her soon.

Unable to sit up straight any more, Keila slumped backward onto the sand, only to wince as her back hit something more solid. She looked back at the crumbling masonry. Old Saddle Arabian architecture, by the look of it. Just like the rest of the city-

Oh no.

Everything came rushing back in a series of flashes. Watching over her wounded partner by the edge of the battle, eyes glued to the ancient citadel in the middle with the sounds of battle in her radio. The flash of light from the heart of the fortress. The white sphere of destruction, spreading and expanding instantly to engulf the entire city. Forced to leave Ikram and running like she had never run before and diving to cover behind a convenience store.

Keila rose to her feet unsteadily, her head swimming with the effort but she had to know. She staggered to the edge of the wall and, after a moment of hesitation, looked around it. What she saw hit her like a punch in the gut.

Aside from a couple of equally dilapidated walls, there was nothing else left of the city of Masyaf. Just an enormous smoldering crater in the midst of the desert. Here and there, the burnt outlines of houses and shops were still visible, charred into the glassed sand by the immense heat of the blast. But everything near the palace, even the ancient headquarters of the Assassins from ages long past, every single structure in the city was all gone. Nothing had been spared, not anyone or anything.

Keila’s throat constricted suddenly as the realization struck her.

Everyone’s dead.

A strangled sound escaped her ravaged throat as, against her better judgement, Keila tried to cry out. It couldn’t be. Everyone couldn’t be… gone. Not like this.

Keila fell into a run. She didn’t know where she was going, only that she had to find someone, anyone, who was still breathing. She slipped in the sand and screamed as it invaded her flayed skin. Keila rose up and kept running. Her gait, once graceful and athletic, was now anything but. A lone figure clothed in rags, shambling across the blasted sands in the ruins of one of the oldest cities in the world.

Every breath ran nails across the Assassin’s parched throat and every step brought a fresh bloom of torture arcing up Keila’s legs, but still she ran aimlessly, calling out every few minutes.

“Shadowstrike? Feather Duster? Ikram? Anyone?”

When asked later, Keila would never be able to recall how she had been able to keep going, but after a seemingly endless run, the Assassin spotted something near where the old king’s palace had once stood. A solitary figure, standing upright and walking leisurely around the crater, and more importantly, a glimmer of golden light. The solid build, coupled with the long, flowing robes and the long object in his hand, put only one name into Keila’s bleary mind.

“Star Lance?” she whispered, and doubled her pace. If the Mentor’s chosen lieutenant was still alive, perhaps there were others.

It seemed to take an eternity to reach the epicenter, the lowest point of the crater, and by the time Keila did, the sun was nearly touching the horizon, silhouetting Star Lance in its glare.

“Star Lance!” Keila gasped with relief. Her legs collapsed beneath her, unable to take the strain a moment longer.

It must have been the blood in her ears, but when Star Lance turned around, he didn’t sound quite like Keila remembered he did.

“Who are you?” he asked.

Keila squinted up at the man, wondering at his question when she understood. She had been right on the edge of the blast; she was probably unrecognizable.

“M-My name’s Keila,” she croaked. “I’m an Assassin, just like you.”

“An Assassin, huh?”

And then he hit her, right in the face.

Sent sprawling across the burning hot sands by the blow, Keila’s only though before she momentarily blacked out was that there was no way that was Star Lance.

Shaking the stars out of her eyes, Keila barely managed to roll away from a blade of blackened crystal that stabbed at her exposed chest. Ignoring her screaming muscles, the Assassin rose to her feet and raised her fists, circling around her opponent.

‘Star Lance’ spun to face her. With the sun no longer behind him, the man’s features were cast starkly into the light. Dark grey skin. Polished steel armor, right out of a history book. Eyes of blood red and poisonous green.

And most frightening of all, in his left hand, he held something that Keila recognized.

The Apple.

“Sombra…” Keila panted as she backstepped away from a horizontal slice. “What have you done?”

The Templar Grand Master’s only response was to thrust his blade at her abdomen. Keila was forced to roll backward to escape, kicking up a spray of sand as she went. A stab of pain arced up her spine as she straightened up from her maneuver.

It’s hopeless. She realized as Sombra strode leisurely at her, flourishing his sword as he advanced. Both of her hidden blades and daggers had been lost, and her now shredded coat had held any other weapons that she might have been able to use. In her current state, she wouldn’t last more than ten seconds against Sombra.

Doesn’t mean I won’t go down fighting.

Suddenly the Templar was at her side, his left hand crashing into her ribs. Again the Assassin fell to the ground, but this time Keila grasped a handful of sand and flung it at Sombra’s face. He instinctively raised a hand to protect himself and Keila slammed a high kick into his neck.

Sombra didn’t even flinch.

There was a crackling noise, and Keila’s brain just registered the smell of ozone before her entire front was beset by what felt like ten thousand volts of electricity; then she was flying through the air, smoke rising off her person as she struck the ground again and again, finally coming to a stop face down in the desert.

She did not rise again.

Chapter 108: Not Without Incident

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Frigid Night put down his binoculars and slid down off the hood of the jeep.

“Hey,” he said sharply to the rest of his company. “I just saw something over there.”

The rest of the Assassins’ eyes followed his finger. High Noon tossed his unlit cigarette to the ground and raised an eyebrow. “What do you see?”

Frigid Night grimaced as he got back into the back of the car. “I don’t know. Drive us closer.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea-”

“Just do it.”

High Noon jumped at Frigid Night’s abrasiveness, but nodded and started the engine.

As the jeep picked up speed, he looked at the rest of his passengers. Morning Blade and the Mentor were seated at the back, the former cradling the latter in her lap and trying to keep up a brave face.

Beside the cowboy, Dewdrop gazed out the window, her expression inscrutable behind her blue hair.

As for High Noon himself, he kept his eyes on the road and his mind on the act of driving. The Mentor would be able to come up with a plan to bounce back from this. She had to.

For a while there was nothing but the roar of the engine as they drove on in silence through where, just hours before, had stood the expansive city of Masyaf. The sands around it were already reclaiming what little was left, as the dunes swept back over the last crumbling bits of stone.

“There,” Frigid Night said.

In the distance something came into view. A dark smudge on the golden ocean of sand.

Without warning, Frigid Night hopped out of the jeep and hit the ground running, leaving High Noon to slam on the brakes.

“Hey! Wait up!”

Turning a deaf ear to High Noon’s protests, Frigid Night sprinted to the obstruction, face grim with determination. By the time the driver had safely stopped the jeep, Frigid was already on the ground, his hands throwing aside handful after handful of bloodstained sand.

“Here, give me a hand with this.”

It wasn’t long before the two of them unearthed a bloody arm, then its owner, a dirty, bleeding female with short black hair. She looked vaguely familiar; it was impossible to tell under the patina of cuts and burns that covered her body, but as they pulled her legs free, she coughed, spitting sand and blood down her front. Frigid and High Noon looked Keila right in the eyes as she struggled to break free.

High Noon held her down after she tried to sit up. “Whoa, slow down,” he said gently. “You’re hurt. Badly. We’re trying to help.”

“H-High Noon… Fr-Frigid N-Night...” the woman gasped in a voice of sandpaper. Her mouth tried to form words, but exhaustion claimed her and she went slack in the cowboy’s grip. More blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.

Dewdrop joined them, sliding out of the jeep gracefully. “Is that Keila?” she asked quietly, almost unable to recognize the Saddle Arabian Assassin from all her burns.

“Yes. It is,” High Noon replied. He looked restless as the sun slipped behind the horizon. The sunset dyed them all orange and purple, transforming the sands into an abstract work of art. At the far end of their vision, a swarm of green and red dots rapidly approached from the sky, accompanied by the sound of rotors.

“We can’t stay here. People are coming to investigate already; you know as well as I that we should be gone by the time they get here.” Dewdrop jerked a thumb back to the jeep. “We should go. Now.”

No one moved.

“Hey,” Dewdrop said, tapping Frigid Night on the back. “You heard me, right? We need to clear out.”

“Wait,” he said. “If she survived the blast, there might be more-”

“Does it look like anyone else survived?” Dewdrop snapped. She swept her arms wide at the rest of the crater. “Everyone’s dead, Frigid, and if we don’t get out of here right now so are we.”

Frigid Night rose to his feet, his fists clenched and his face snarling.

High Noon stepped between him and Dewdrop and fidgeted nervously with his belt. “You kn-know, Frigid, Dew’s r-right. We need to go.”

“And what if it was your friends you were out there? What if it was Windy?” he asked hotly. “You’d just leave her here to die?”

“Frigid... You saw the explosion. There’s no way anyone could have-”

“She did!” Frigid bellowed, pointing at the unconscious woman. “And if she lived, maybe Rose Petal or Trueshot did too. We can’t just abandon them!”

“F-Frigid, be reasonable-”

The senior Assassin took a step at High Noon, raising his fist. “I’ll show you reasonable,” he snarled, punching as hard as he could.

His blow never reached High Noon’s face, even though he made no attempt to dodge it. Someone had taken hold of his upper arm, immobilizing his limb completely.

“Frigid Night,” the Mentor’s voice came from directly behind him. “Have you taken leave of your senses?” She released his arm and stared him in the eyes until he was unable to look at her any longer.

“I’m sorry, Mentor. It’s just that I thought-”

“You’re letting your emotions get the better of you. Attacking your brother, compromising the Brotherhood… is this how Rose Petal and Trueshot would have wanted you to uphold their legacy? Is this what Dust Fencer would want? By defying the Creed that they lived and died for?”

Frigid Night blinked away tears, hating how final it sounded. But in the end, he could shake his head for no.

The Mentor turned away in disgust and motioned for them to follow. “Bring the girl,” she ordered. “She needs medical attention; take us to Maredina. We’ll regroup there.”

High Noon followed after the Mentor with one last sympathetic look at his friend before getting back behind the wheel. Dewdrop followed suit, gently carrying the unconscious woman after wrapping her in her coat. After a few more seconds, Frigid Night followed, defeated.

No one spoke during the whole two hour drive to Maredina. But that suited everyone just fine; in a way, there was nothing else that needed to be said.

Wreckhouse sat by Tangent’s bed in the medic wing, holding one of her hands as he finally took his eyes off his phone’s screen. Mentor Steel Shine had messaged back the outcome, and it wasn’t something Wreckhouse was able to imagine.

An entire city wiped out in a huge blast? That took some serious imagination to process.

He wished Tangent was awake to talk to. He wasn’t sure how to take this news. Dr. Patch had said Tangent was going to be fine, suffering just fractures and broken bones, and a little head trauma. Speaking of Patch, he hadn’t seen the doctor in the last hour.

Shaking his head, Wreckhouse brought his attention back to his partner. “Please wake up, Tangent… I miss you. You mean a lot to me.”

He looked up to the ceiling and sighed. Without their numbers, things were going to be very much different. All these years Wreckhouse had thought the Assassins would have no trouble in ridding the world of Templars. He should’ve understood it wasn’t true when he went after Mahogany Wood.

Assassins were still human.

They could be wounded, killed, and taken away just like that. Maybe falling in love wasn’t such a good idea in this line of work, but Wreckhouse had done it. Now, here was the woman he loved, unconscious and broken in a bed.

“Maybe this was meant to be…” he said to himself. “Perhaps you’ll forget our times together, Tangent. Maybe I deserve this…”

He had come to Trottingham all those years ago to start life anew after being released from prison. In the end, he had been recruited to do what he had wanted to avoid doing again: taking lives. After years being with the Assassins, however, he knew the good they did by eliminating the Templars. By taking a life, many more could be saved, but now, he felt as if he hadn't gotten anywhere. He felt as though everything he had worked to accomplish for the Brotherhood had been erased and he was back at the beginning of it. Did being an Assassin really make a difference?

No one knew what the future might hold, but Wreckhouse felt like he had an idea. Life wasn’t a simple straight path. It is bumpy, and there were going to be plenty more bumps along the way. He just hoped none of them were going to throw him and Tangent off the road too soon.

Patch sat in her room with the lights off, hugging her pillow to her chest.

Gone. The others were all gone. Only Mentor Steel Shine and a few had survived the blast.

As a medic, she had no interest in losing a life. She felt she was supposed to be saving them, and if she failed, then what good was she as a doctor? Growing up, she had gone to Fillydelphia University to become a surgeon, but a different path had opened for her when the Assassins recruited her.

She had saved countless lives over the years as the head medic at the Trottingham Bureau. Ice Flake, Fire Frenzy, Sparkplug, Dust Fencer, Rose Petal, Trueshot, even Frigid Night, and many more, but now, most of them were gone. Taken away by means above her own skill. Even as a doctor, there was nothing she could’ve done to save them.

She pressed her face into her pillow and gritted her teeth. “Come on, Patch. You should be able to do better than that! You went to college! You know how to save a life! Why can’t you?! Why…”

The doctor sat in silence, wondering if there was anymore reason to go on. But in the end, she knew what she had to do. She had to find a cure for Mirror Match’s poison. If she could do that, then perhaps she could renew her determination to continue fighting. From here on, Patch knew she was going to have many sleepless nights, but she held onto the thought that they would all be worth it in the end.

Mahogany Wood had been playing on his piano when one of his guards entered the room, breaking his concentration.

“Chairman, the-”

The man’s words were cut off when the chairman had thrown a tomahawk at him, lodging the weapon in his chest, spreading red across his clean white uniform.

“I said no one was to disturb me!” he yelled at the lifeless body. The chairman grumbled, but couldn’t return to his peaceful instrument. Instead, he stood up and smoothed back his hair. “Crescent Wing, remove him, please.”

“Yes, chairman.”

Mahogany Wood walked to his window and stared out blankly. He had already heard about Saddle Arabia, and how Masyaf was gone, destroyed in a devastating explosion, removing the city off the map. His brother had been there. Lumberjack had been the last of his family, and now, they were all gone. Taken away from him by his enemies.

Everyone, with the exception of Sombra and Mirror Match, had been thrown by this sudden event. Grand Master Sombra was furious when he had found out that neither the staff nor the shield had survived the blast, and Mirror Match just seemed her usual self, if a bit stiff in her mannerisms.

Only Talon and Wolfgang had survived, pulled out of the blast by the Grand Master when things had gone wrong.

“I’m all that is left of the once great Wood family, Crescent,” Mahogany sighed.

“I’m sorry about that, sir,” his bodyguard said as he dragged the dead body up. “If there’s anything you would like me to do, just say the word. I’ll get it done.”

Mahogany mused about it, but decided there was nothing to do at the moment. The Assassins were either all dead or weakened, seeing as almost all of them had left for Saddle Arabia to get the artifacts. There was nothing they could do now.

“It’s fine, Crescent. I think our enemies are having it worse off. Grand Master Sombra still lives, as does Mirror Match. If their precious Mentor is still alive, she is the only one that has a chance at winning this.”

“Of course, sir,” Crescent bowed and opened the door, draping the body over one shoulder. “If you’ll excuse me, chairman...”

Mahogany returned to his piano and positioned himself nicely on the bench. Just before he could place even one finger on the keys, something shadowy began forming just to the right of the piano, by his chair. The chairman sighed and dropped his hands to his side as Grand Master Sombra rose from the floor.

“This instrument. I have never seen its kind in my world before…” he muttered as the darkness around him swirled to a stop.

“This is a piano, Grand Master,” Mahogany answered. “Though, you mentioned you were lost for a thousand years? I’m not sure if your world had something like this such a long time ago. But enough of that, Grand Master. I doubt that’s why you’re here?”

“You are right, Mahogany Wood. In fact, this is why I’m here.” Sombra lifted the Apple in front of the chairman’s face. “I had made modifications to your machine at the labs. The one you call the Eye.”

“Modifications?” Mahogany raised his eyebrows. He didn’t think they needed the machine anymore. Especially after Timber was gone. “What for, Grand Master?”

“Because,” Sombra growled. “If this Mentor is capable of using the artifacts, then there may be others. I will not tolerate competition to my rule. We must find them, and either turn or kill them.”

“Alright, but what were the modifications for, Grand Master?”

“I have tuned it to search your world for others of my kind: Equestrians.”

“Your kind…” Mahogany put a hand to his chin. “Fascinating. So there are more of your kind out there? Is the Eye ready for use?”

Sombra turned his head to the window. “The Eye is still in its early phases, chairman. I would not expect results so soon. As of now, my frequency is the strongest, blocking out any other possible candidates. Your brother, the one that betrayed me, was the only one capable of building it. It’s just a matter of time to find someone else to replace him.”

“What do you think we’ll find, Grand Master?” Mahogany couldn’t help but ask. The machine had never worked for them, but perhaps this time, it was going to get results.

“Threats. But I’m not worried. I am King Sombra, and all those who stand against me will perish. It is just a matter of finding these threats before the Assassins do.”

Chapter 109: This is the Brotherhood

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One week later

High Noon sighed as he sat himself down on one of the bureau’s staircases, too burdened to go all the way back to his room.

Gone. They were really all gone.

Coming back to the bureau, High Noon realized their numbers had really dwindled. Their friends, gone. It felt like a real nightmare, and there was no way to wake up from it.

He didn’t really know what else they could do. The Assassins had fought long and hard, but could they possibly win this war now? With the numbers they had?

He pulled his hood low over his head and sighed again, putting his face in his hands.

“Noon, you okay?”

The cowboy Assassin looked up to see Dewdrop and Velvet Breeze, standing before the staircase, looking up at him.

“Hey, Dewdrop. Hey, kid,” High Noon replied without any strength. “No, I’m not okay, Dew. None of us are. Not after Saddle Arabia.”

“Velvet,” Dewdrop placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder. “Why don’t you go on ahead to my room first? Let me talk to him for a bit.”

“Alright,” the girl nodded and headed down the hallway.

“You know, she just started high school, that Velvet,” Dewdrop told the cowboy as she sat down beside him on the steps. “It’s already been so long since she came here. Since… Since Wolfgang took Satin from us. He’s going to pay dearly, Noon. I’ll be the one to stick a knife through his head.”

“I wish I could think like you, Dewdrop. To feel confident after Saddle Arabia. You never give up. Me? I’m a wimp. Why am I even an Assassin?”

Dewdrop seemed to cool down a little, giving High Noon’s arm a squeeze. “You’re not a wimp, Noon. You stand up for what’s right. That’s admirable, don’t you think?”

The cowboy looked away. “But what good does it do? In the end, we’ve lost everything. Look at how many of us are left, Dew. Doesn’t matter if we’re right. Most of our brothers and sisters are gone…”

“Look at me, Noon.” Dewdrop waited until his pink eyes were fixed on her purple ones. “You’ve always been there for me, even when I despise you for it. This time, just this once, let me be here for you.”

“Dew…”

To his surprise, Dewdrop leaned in and kissed him on the lips, holding it there for a good five seconds before parting.

“Noon…” she breathed in his face. “I’m sorry. That night… I wasn’t drunk. I just needed… I needed…”

“It’s okay, Dewdrop.” The cowboy placed a hand on her smooth pale face, the taste of her lips still on his mouth. “I know. I understand you.”

“And you’re okay with it?”

“I mean… sure… Of course I am.” A tinge of red spread across High Noon’s cheeks. “Y-you’re my friend.”

Dewdrop smiled and moved herself onto his lap. “There’s the Noon I know. Glad I could help.”

“Yeah, thanks Dew. I th-think I better get going now-”

High Noon wasn’t allowed up as Dewdrop leaned in for another kiss, pushing him back against the concrete steps.

He realized that he needed her and that she needed him. Not in the way most people did, but to cope with their losses and problems. High Noon did have feelings for her, that much he knew. He always did, even before Windy had been around.

“Mmm…” Dewdrop broke their lips’ contact and sighed contently. “Do you think… do you think we could ever work something out between us?”

“I… I…” High Noon wanted to say yes. He liked her, but he didn’t know if this was something that would last.

“I know, Noon.” Dewdrop leaned her head on the cowboy’s chest and hugged him tightly. “But perhaps… perhaps this thing between us. It doesn’t have to be so… disconnected. Perhaps… It could be…”

“Yeah, Dew. It could be more. You know, I-I’d very much like that. If it’s something we could achieve.”

“I will always love Satin, Noon. She was ever the only woman for me. But perhaps… you…” Dewdrop looked back up into his eyes. “Come here, cowboy.”

They continued to make out for a good amount of time, enjoying their brief contact and it wasn’t until Velvet Breeze had returned around the corner, wide eyed, did High Noon and Dewdrop stop.

“Oh, Velvet Breeze!” High Noon squirmed under Dewdrop, scratching at his burning cheeks. “Uh… It’s not… I…”

“Umm… I was j-just checking to see if you were still here, Dewdrop.” Velvet’s face went red as well.

“Oh, I’m sorry for taking so long, Velvet.” Dewdrop gently pushed off High Noon and straightened her coat. She turned around and gave the cowboy a pleasant smile before following Velvet back to her room, her fingers lingering on his hand for a moment. “Goodnight, Noon. Thank you.”

High Noon stood up and readjusted his clothes and gear. He placed a finger to his lips, still able to feel Dewdrop’s on his. He was glad he had her to encourage him and to make his moments brighter.

Dewdrop had been able to pound some sense into him. The world wasn’t over, not when he still had people he cared about and people to fight for. He still had Braeburn and his parents back in Appleloosa, Dewdrop, even Frigid Night, and until his last breath, he was never going to turn his back to them. Never again.

It was after midnight when Pierce Network crept down the stairs of the Trottingham Bureau, a pack slung over a shoulder. This was it. There was nothing left for him here. No protection, no assuredness, no point. The Assassins were done. The hacker knew it. After putting everything to calculation, leaving this night was the best option.

Even Red Card seemed down as Pierce sidled past him. He must be feeling like he should’ve been one to go, instead of all the younger Assassins. After all these years, he was still alive, while others had perished.

Two guards stood by the front entrance, one with his shoulders slumped low and the other with her eyes ever watchful. She noticed him immediately and turned with a surprised look on her face.

“You’re leaving?” Morning Blade asked, attracting Frigid Night’s attention as well.

Pierce didn’t bother hiding it. “Of course. It’s time to move on. There is nothing left for us here. The Assassins are finished. I should have seen this day coming, but I just never expected everyone to go up in smoke just like that. I could never imagine what happened back in Saddle Arabia.”

“Traitor!” Morning Blade stood up and unsheathed a hidden blade. “Just because we lost doesn’t give you a reason to pack up and run away!”

“Morning Blade, cool it,” Frigid told his apprentice, but otherwise, did nothing to get up.

“But sir!” Morning turned to face him. “You’ve taught me that an Assassin should never turn their back on their brothers and sisters! This… man is clearly doing so!”

The noise seemed to generate more attention as other Assassins arrived at the top of the staircase, including Mentor Steel Shine. Even young Velvet Breeze stood by Dewdrop near the corner, watching him with shock all over her face.

Great. I wanted a silent departure.

Pierce forgot to account by the book Assassins like Morning Blade to be around. He figured most of them would be too demoralized to stop him.

“Mentor, Pierce is leaving!” Morning Blade complained. “Surely you don’t agree with him!”

Pierce sighed and turned himself to look up the staircase. “Mentor. There is nothing left for us here. Why stay? The Templars might have taken a blow, but they never seem to lack manpower. In my day I killed plenty of Templars, even high profiled ones, but if you cut off one head, two more grow back. They have an unending number. Now with our own numbers decimated, what can we do, Mentor? What can we do?”

“I should kill you, traitor!” Morning Blade snarled and took three steps forward.

“Stop.” Both of them looked up at the Mentor, her left hand raised. “If he wishes to leave, then let him.”

“Mentor!” Morning Blade couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “B-but… Yes, Mentor.”

Frigid Night’s apprentice stowed her blade and returned to her post.

Pierce allowed himself to breathe again. He had never thought the Mentor would just let him go. He nodded to her and proceeded down the remaining steps, joining Morning and Frigid at the bottom. He was almost out when he remembered something.

“Oh, Mentor.” The hacker turned around and returned to the staircase. He dug a hand under his sleeve and unfastened the straps holding his hidden blade in place. He pulled out the weapon and held it out in front of him. “You’ll want this back.”

“Keep it, Pierce Network,” she said, closing her eyes. “May it continue to protect you in your new life.”

“Yes, Mentor. Thank you.” Pierce put it back on his arm and re-slung his pack.

He was about to leave again when he heard the scuffling of feet heading down the steps behind him. Velvet Breeze had pushed her way down with Dewdrop and High Noon following behind her.

“Don’t go, Pierce!” she begged, grabbing his coat. “I’ll miss you.”

He sighed, revealing his front row of teeth. “Velvet, I have to. There is no point staying. What is there left to do? The Templars have won. My Assassin days are over. You just need to accept it. We all once thought the Brotherhood was invincible. Untouchable. We were wrong. Every organization and person can fall. We are no different.”

“What about Mirror Match?” Dewdrop folded her arms and gave him a smug look. “Don’t you think she’ll come after you if you leave?”

Pierce had already thought of that, and he had an answer. “Even if I stay here, do you think you can protect me? We’ve lost a lot of our numbers. Mirror Match will know that. If she wants to kill me, what’s stopping her from walking into the bureau to do so? Actually, it’s better off if I leave. Then none of you will get hurt because of me. That’s a good plan.”

“Where are you going to go?” High Noon asked, putting a hand on Dewdrop’s shoulder to tell her to give up convincing him, but also to reassure her that things were going to be fine with or without Pierce.

“I don’t know yet,” Pierce admitted. He was still looking for a good place to lay low, at least for a few years. “But I spent years learning how to disappear. I can do it. Just give me time and a place, and I’ll learn everything I need to and vanish without a trace. I have my phone after all. These things have seen me through many years, saving me from death many times. I can do it again.”

“Take care, Pierce...” High Noon said solemnly and looked down. Dewdrop placed a hand on top of his, reassuring him as well. He nodded his thanks to her as she gave his fingers a firm squeeze.

Pierce looked down to Velvet one last time and nodded to her. “Take care, kid. It’s been a pleasure teaching you. I can’t remember the last time I trained someone, or the last time I had fun training someone. You’re a good kid, Velvet. Don’t change that. Don’t become like us, cold and distant. Be a light in this dark place.”

The high schooler walked up to him and gave him a hug. “Be safe, Pierce.”

“You too, kid.” He looked up to the others. “All of you, stay safe. If you ever need me, you know how to find me.”

Then the hacker turned around and headed out into the moonlit streets, towards his van. His life of being an Assassin was over. He wondered to himself, what was next?

“Please, please, please!” Velvet Breeze blocked the Mentor’s path, trying to get her point across.

“I cannot, Velvet Breeze.” Steel Shine turned her head away. “You are too young… And this is not a life for you. I only agreed to let you train so that you have skills to defend yourself, not so that you can become one of us.”

“But you need more people!” Velvet pointed out. “I want to help, Mentor. I can help. Just give me a chance.”

Dewdrop and the others didn’t say anything, but Steel Shine knew they were against this idea as well. Frigid Night stood away from the group, looking outside the bureau. He didn’t seem bothered by what Velvet wanted to do.

“Velvet Breeze, I cannot. This is the Brotherhood, not some school club. There are many dangers.”

“I can make a difference, Mentor. Just give me a chance!” Courage shone in Velvet’s eyes as she tried to convince the Mentor. “I’ll work to my best ability to make sure you win!”

Steel Shine couldn’t think of more words. She didn’t want to let the child join, but she saw no way to stop her. “You must adhere to our every rule, Velvet Breeze. Our Creed. Are you willing to do that?”

“Of course!” Velvet nodded furiously. “I’ll do my best!”

There was a long silence before the Mentor spoke again. “Then welcome to the Brotherhood, Velvet Breeze.”

Mentor Steel Shine sat alone in her office, still not used to it being so empty. She sighed and touched an old ring she had taken out of her desk drawer.

Star Lance had always been with her, every step of her life. Being children of the Mentor and lieutenant, the two of them had worked hard to be as good as their mothers had been and if it weren’t for the fact that they were so close, maybe the Assassins would’ve crumbled long ago.

Silver Spear, Star Lance’s mother, had served Shine’s mother faithfully until a fateful accident, where she lost her life, ensuring the Templars lost their hold over the presidential election. Shine’s mother, Steel Glance, was always the person she looked up to, trying to follow in her mother’s footsteps to lead the Assassin Brotherhood to victory over the Templars. She had passed years ago when she sacrificed herself to protect the Assassins, channeling too deeply into the artifact. Star Lance and herself did what was expected of them after her mother’s passing, working on their weak points together, growing stronger.

Star Lance was the fighter, while Steel Shine had been the thinker. Together, they put brain and brawn together and found ways to make things work, but now, Star Lance was gone.

Steel Shine continued to stare at the ring, a precious gift Star Lance had given her so many years ago. A gift to signify that they would be together always, until death.

Now, that had come to pass. Steel Shine was alone and she missed him dearly.

She wanted to break down. To just let it all out, but she knew as Assassin Mentor, she couldn’t. The others looked up to her, like how she looked up to her mother. Now wasn’t the time to show weakness, to show defeat. Now, more than ever, she had to show that she was strong and that the Brotherhood wasn’t dead.

As Mentor, Steel Shine had a duty to perform and no matter how sad and defeated she felt, she wasn’t going to give up until she breathed her last breath. The war was far from over and there was still more to be done.

Rest easy, Star Lance. You’ve earned your rest. I will take it from here and when it’s all over, I will see you again and we will be together for the rest of time.

Chapter 110: Way to Fall

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2 years later

The dormitories were dark and quiet in the chill of the Trottingham bureau. Cobalt’s assassination had been easy; the man had almost been begging for them to come kill him.

The documents would get to the Mentor soon enough, Morning Blade would see to that. In the meantime, the new Assassin lieutenant had orders from her to carry out.

He had accidentally caught Dewdrop and High Noon making out in one of the bureau’s hallways on his way up, but he let them be. Things haven’t been all that great, and it was good to see them getting over their losses together.

The door turned on well-oiled hinges and Frigid Night entered the women’s wing soundlessly. The air smelled… wet. Humid and slightly fruit-scented.

Abruptly, the light turned on.

“You’re here early.”

Seated on a piano bench across the room was Keila, clad in nothing but a knotted white t-shirt and a black pair of gym shorts. Her black hair, with its new white segment, hung in damp tendrils to her waist, and a moist towel draped across her shoulders, blending in with the lattice of bandages that crisscrossed her exposed caramel skin.

She’s come far from two years ago... Frigid Night thought as Keila uncrossed her slender legs and easily sauntered up to him, bandages rustling with the motion.

“I have something to do here, Keila,” he said offhandedly.

Keila smirked. “Sure. Something, or someone, am I right?”

Frigid Night shook his head and frowned. “I told you, Keila. Morning Blade is simply my partner. Nothing else. And besides, I’m looking for Velvet Breeze. Mentor has an important mission for her.

“Hmph. You’re being awfully cold tonight, but I guess it fits your name.”

“And you’re not?” he said, raising an eyebrow. “It’s nine degrees out there.”

“Nah.”

Frigid eyed the white t-shirt. It was soaked with moisture from the towel and Keila’s hair, and it clung to her skin like a wetsuit. “Sure,” he relented.

Keila’s one visible eye brightened. Bending down to tighten one of the linens around her leg, she asked, “What do you need to talk to the kid for at this hour anyway? She has training to do in the morning, you know.”

“About that…” he began. “I’m here on the Mentor’s orders. The novice needs to set out for Canterlot immediately.”

“What for?” A hint of suspicion crept into Keila’s voice like a blade slipping in between a pair of ribs.

“A mission. She needs to infiltrate a high school and locate a student called Sunset Shimmer. The school year’s nearly over, so she needs to go as soon as possible.”

“I see. And why is this so important that the Mentor herself got involved at the drop of a hat?”

“I don’t know,” Frigid Night admitted. “But it might have something to do with the artifacts-”

Frigid Night’s breath was knocked out of his lungs as Keila suddenly lunged at him, sandwiching his body between her and the wall. “The artifacts?” Keila hissed.

Frigid Night could feel a blush beginning to rise to the surface as Keila’s cool, wet form pressed against his chest. Then he saw the fury in her partially bandaged face and the moment passed.

“Yes,” he said, trying unsuccessfully to dislodge her. “Now get off me.”

“And you remember what happened the last time we tried to meddle with those things? Hmm?”

“Of course I do,” Frigid Night said, still trying to force her off, but she had the superior footing. “But the Mentor wants her to do this. I’m just delivering the message.”

“And you don’t see anything wrong with that at all? Sending a kid off to find something like that? Nothing at all?”

It took all of Frigid Night’s self-control not to say yes. “If the Mentor wants it done, then we’ve got to follow. She knows best. Now remove yourself, or I will have to do it the hard way.”

Keila pushed herself against the wall and off of Frigid Night’s body. His entire front was wet. The Saddle Arabian Assassin inhaled sharply and left the room, stopping only at the door to say one more thing.

“Then I pray that you’re right about that, Frigid Night. Because if you’re not, I promise you I will make you wish you had never saved me back at Masyaf.”

With those ominous words still hanging in the air long after the speaker was gone, Frigid Night could only sigh and slump down into a chair. Sometimes, he himself wished he hadn’t saved Keila that day. He gazed pensively at the hidden blades on his arms, a final gift from Dust Fencer all those years ago. There was nothing more he could do, but he had to fight on for his fallen friends. He won’t let their sacrifices go to waste.

Nothing will go wrong. And on those who I’ve left behind, Rose Petal, Trueshot, Dust Fencer, we will find Sombra and I will make this right.

Frigid had a long way to fall, but he figured it was time he began making plans for climbing back up.

Epilogue: A Story Told

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Twilight Sparkle had reached the end of the journal and shut it on its back, her mind working as she tried to deal with all she had learnt. Even from the words alone, she could feel the pain and sorrow of what the Assassins had to go through. Of what Morning Blade had to go through. Of what Velvet Breeze had to go through.

Velvet was still rehabilitating back in Equestria and she was doing very well, but all this had happened to her at such a young age. To have lost almost everyone she knew and cared about. It must've hurt badly. Twilight couldn't imagine losing any of her friends like that. Reading all this made her all the more determined to make sure they protected Equestria with their lives.

Pulling her notebook back out, Twilight began to scribble down on it as she marked down important moments of Frigid Night's story. That was another thing she had to do. The thing she had come to do. To memorialize his story and his friends' stories. To have them remembered, even in Equestria, for what they had done.

Even if they hadn't fought to protect Equestria, they had indirectly given their lives for Equestria. These were stories for even the ponies back home to know.

Morning Blade eventually looked back up, her one eye red and dripping with tears. She sniffed and wiped at her nose, her teeth slightly chattering from the cold.

"Are you feeling better, Morning?" Twilight shifted the journal back to her. "I finished your book. I must say, it's awful, what happened. But... I'm glad, you know? You Assassins and Sunset stopped Sombra. You stopped him from returning with powers beyond our control. You all have our deepest gratitude... You know?"

"Gratitude or no..." Morning sniffed again. "I'm glad someone else knows their stories now... Frigid especially. He isn't the cold-hearted man everyone thought he was. I had known... He still had good in him. I had still believed in him. He had a hard life, Twilight. Such a hard one... I don't doubt I would've done any better if I were put in his position. At least... at least now he has rest. That's... comforting to know, at least..."

"He definitely does. And he still has people and ponies here that will know about him. He still has someone that cares about him. You're a good friend to him, Morning Blade. Thank you, for telling his story." Twilight gave the ex-Assassin a pat on the hand.

Wiping her eye again, Morning Blade managed a smile and picked up her journal, stuffing it back in her backpack. She had done it. Frigid's and the others' stories have been told. They would be remembered for what they had fought for. That was all that had mattered to her. And now... Now she could move on. She could live on for all of them.

Wherever they were now, all her friends, she was sure they would be watching out for her.

"Thank you for the coffee, Morning." Twilight rubbed her hands together and looked outside at the darkening sky. "But I think I should be getting back. I'm also rather excited to share the news with the others."

"Yeah, I should be getting home too. Thank you, princess. For the last few days. It really has meant a lot to me. I haven't really talked to anyone about any of this since Sombra was defeated. It's nice. To have... friends."

"So true, Morning Blade. Remember, if you ever need a friend, you can always find Sunset and the others and if you need me around, I'm sure she can send a message over to me. I'm just a page away."

"I will keep that in mind, princess. Thank you."

Seeing the pony princess off towards Canterlot High, Morning Blade eventually began her trek home. She'd had a long run with the Assassins and her friends had been with the Brotherhood even longer. They had really sacrificed so much to keep the world as it was and safe from the Templars.

Frigid Night may have fallen a long way, but in the end, as long as there was the will to get back up, things could still change for the better. Morning knew it was her turn to return up again. The fall was long over.