//------------------------------// // Showdown in Manehattan // Story: Leap of Faith // by A bag of plums //------------------------------// “I found the backup power.” Dewdrop walked back to the main room as she slipped her outer coat off. With the internal heating back on, she wouldn’t need so many layers of clothing. “And I’ve got the router and cable all set up,” Velvet Breeze said as she tapped away on her laptop’s keyboard. “I’ve got connection.” Just that afternoon, Velvet and Dewdrop had arrived at one of the Manehattan safehouses, picking the closest one to the route Talon was supposed to take. “Great,” Dewdrop walked over and sat beside the young Assassin on the old yellow couch. Judging by its color, no one had used this safehouse in years; maybe even longer than the Canterlot bureau. “Acting Mentor Cranks should’ve sent us a dossier on Talon.” Velvet accessed her email, immediately finding the mail Frigid had sent her, titled, “TALON”. “Let’s see what we have here…” she said as she opened the folder, bringing up a huge wall of text on her screen, including a photo of the Templar, revealing a red-skinned man with a buff body, clad in a green military coat and what looked like a plate of scales underneath. “That’s Talon alright,” Dewdrop nodded. “He hasn’t changed much. What do we have on him?” Velvet scrolled down the text. “Ex-military, leader of the Dragon Unit, left after indirectly causing an accident leaving a general dead, not wanting to be reminded of his guilt every time-” “Guilt?” Dewdrop spat, slamming a palm on the dusty coffee table Velvet’s laptop was on, making the computer jump. “Yeah right. That guy’s a hard one. He probably killed the general with his own hands for all we know. Whoever had talked to the media must’ve been really convincing.” “Huh… Well, it says here he’s now the Templars’ top enforcer, training the guards and soldiers how to properly use their firearms and other weapons, teaching them formations and tactics… Dewdrop, taking him down would do a lot of good for us.” “Yep, I heard you loud and clear.” Dewdrop rubbed her chin and paced the room. “We can’t miss this chance, Velvet. While he’s out here, leading the convoy, we need to kill him. No matter what.” Velvet gulped. “N-No matter what?” “Oh, well, not at the cost of your safety, don’t worry about that.” Dewdrop returned and wrapped an arm around the young Assassin. “I’m not going to let anyone hurt you. You know… Satin would be proud of you if she saw you today.” “Would she?” Velvet’s shoulders slumped lower. “She never told me about this. She always mentioned her workplace wasn’t good for kids. I don’t think she wanted me to be like her, Dewdrop.” “Not that, Velvet. Satin would be proud that you did what you had to to protect someone else,” the blue haired Assassin gave her a squeeze. “You’ve sacrificed your childhood to help us out. You didn’t have to, but you did. I’m glad you’re making friends. Everyone needs them. Even I do…” “You’ve got friends, Dewdrop,” Velvet smiled at her. “I’m your friend. Morning Blade’s your friend. Umm… I’d say Frigid and Keila, but I’m actually not too sure on that.” “I’m not too sure on that either, but…” Dewdrop encased Velvet in a warm hug. “I’m glad you’re my friend, Velvet.” The two Assassins continued to read up on their target, learning everything they could about his combat style. According to the dossier, he was a close-quarters combat expert, meaning they wouldn’t want to get too near to him. If Frigid couldn’t kill him, maybe Dewdrop wasn’t going to be able to do it either. “Hey, I’ve got a gun,” Dewdrop took it out and polished the slide. “This’ll be useful.” “I’ve got…” Velvet held out her knife and hidden blade. “Nothing good for long range.” That just means you’ll keep a good distance, Velvet. Just keep that radio on and be my eyes in the sky.” “But I want to help, Dewdrop,” Velvet pouted and folded her arms. “That’s helping, Velvet,” Dewdrop began explaining. “If you’re watching out for me, I’ll know where all the Templars are. That’s a better plan than both of us rushing in at once, isn’t it?” “I… I suppose so…” “Atta girl, Velvet,” Dewdrop said as she stood up and grabbed for her blue coat. “I think it’s time we head out there. Time to find this loser and finish him once and for all. Just wait till Frigid hears all about this one.” Dewdrop and Velvet Breeze sat atop one of the office buildings at the edge of Manehattan’s city, peering through a pair of binoculars down at a seemingly harmless group of men and women below. There were rows of warehouses here, perfect for storing all kinds of materials and resources. From any normal point of view, they were simple preparing a bunch of metal and bricks for a construction site somewhere, but a normal person wouldn’t have noticed the black crystal Templar crosses on their uniforms. Plus, no normal resource convoy would have so many armed guards. A squad of Dragon Unit soldiers, clad in their usual black trenchcoats and motorbike-like helmets, stood at the ready, watching the white-coated Templars scurry back and forth as they continued to wheel the Templar resources over to the convoy of trucks. “They haven’t seen us yet,” Dewdrop whispered, keeping as low as she could to avoid detection. “That’s good, but no sign of Talon yet. You?” The two Assassins had traveled from their safehouse on Dewdrop’s bike, hiding it in the shadows under the building they were currently watching from. Velvet activated her eagle vision and looked for any traces of the gold hue she needed to find. So far, all she could see was a swathe of red shapes below. “Nothing,” Velvet shook her head. “Maybe he’s in the building.” “Stay here,” Dewdrop held out a hand before moving into a crouching position. “I’ll scout things out.” “What? Dewdrop, wait-” And the older Assassin was off, scaling down the side of the building before leaping across to an opposite wall. With a precise kick and swing, Dewdrop had grabbed ahold of a pipe before flinging herself through an open window, landing in the dark corridors of an old warehouse. Scanning her surroundings, this old warehouse really was an unused one, lacking the Templar presence the other one had. Walking forward, Dewdrop used a hole in the floor to drop down to the previous level, arriving on second floor, peering through a broken window. The Templars were just outside now, across the road at the next warehouse. The Dragon Unit soldiers were still observing the area, mostly looking up. Good, Dewdrop thought. They won’t be looking down here where it matters. Dewdrop crept along the walls until she found a staircase leading down to a hollow room filled to the brim with rubble. It almost looked as if the whole ceiling had collapsed down into the room. I see why no one uses this place… Dewdrop made her way to the front of the building, careful not to accidentally fall and twist her ankle. Spying out from behind a ruined wall, she surveyed the area with her eagle vision searching for her target’s golden aura. And then she saw it. A faint golden shape just behind a metal shutter in the Templar’s warehouse, standing by a pallet of metal coils, directing the workers. “Velvet,” Dewdrop placed a hand to her earpiece. “I’ve got him. Just inside.” “That’s good,” the girl replied in her ear. “What are you going to do now? Should I join you down there?” “Negative. I’ve got this.” Dewdrop waited until all eyes were turned away from her before leaving her cover, keeping low as she sped along, planting her back against the warehouse wall, making sure none of the Templars would be able to see her from this position. Moving around the building, Dewdrop located an open window at the back. The perfect way in. Taking a few steps back, the Assassin ran up to the wall and ran up the wall, a hand grabbing the sill of the open window. Soon, Dewdrop was climbing in, landing quietly inside, quickly looking around to make sure there was no one close by. One Dragon Unit soldier had her back to her, watching the Templars crate a few metal parts. His mistake. Dewdrop approached him and extended a hidden blade. When she was right behind him, she reached up with one hand and covered his mouth while the other jammed her hidden blade deep into his back. The man quickly went limp in her hands, allowing Dewdrop to pull him back into the shadows, hiding his body behind a humvee; a strange vehicle for a job like this, unless it was some kind of backup plan. Deciding not to risk it, Dewdrop pulled out part of the dead Templar’s rifle and lodged it in the barrel of the humvee’s machine gun, making sure it went as deep as it could go. If the Templars do intend to use it, they would be in for a surprise. Dewdrop found Talon, still by the same spot he was standing in when she had first seen him. Unfortunately, his back was to the shutter, and unless she could kill him through the shutter, there wasn’t any easy way to settle this. Backtracking, Dewdrop went around the humvee to the other end, going around the back of the warehouse to get to the other side. About halfway through, she rounded around a stack of machinery, only to come face to face with another of Talon’s soldiers. He turned to her with a startled yelp and pointed his rifle at the Assassin, but Dewdrop had already stabbed up, catching the man under the helmet, driving her blade into his chin. The soldier’s finger curled around the trigger of his weapon, firing it as he went limp. The gunshots sounded loud enough to wake the entire city. “Ah, shit.” “Dewdrop?” Velvet sounded on the radio. “Are you still there? Are you alright?” “I’m fine, Velvet, but I need to move fast. I’m pretty sure all the Templars and maybe the whole city heard that. Won’t be able to talk right now. Just fill me in.” Dewdrop stood up and extended one blade and pulling out her pistol in her other hand. She swiftly aimed her gun at Talon, who widened his eyes and ducked down, rushing for the other side of the warehouse. “Oh no you don’t,” Dewdrop muttered and gave chase, putting a bullet between a Templar’s eyes as she tried to attack Dewdrop with a baton. Dragon Unit soldiers had entered the building by now, firing their rifles at Dewdrop. The Assassin dropped to a slide and got behind a stack of metal tubes as the first bullets pelted the area around her, hitting against the metal with resounding pings. Templar workers had ran for cover, moving to the side and as far away from Dewdrop as they could. “Just one clear shot. That’s all I need…” Crouching low, Dewdrop zigzagged back around to the rear of the warehouse, plotting Talon’s path in her mind. If she was right, he was probably heading for the humvee. Either that, or he was going to get into one of the convoy’s trucks. Dewdrop had a feeling a military Templar like him was definitely going for the humvee. She hoped she wasn’t wrong about that. “Velvet, get the bike ready,” Dewdrop said in her earpiece. “If I don’t get to Talon in time, we’re going for a ride.” “Got it. I’ll… I’ll try to start it.” Dewdrop pulled out a smoke bomb and tossed it to the front of the warehouse, hoping to distract the soldiers while she tracked Talon down. Once she heard the sound of the gunfire stop, Dewdrop stood again and ran forward. She soon caught sight of Talon beyond some more stacks of machinery and shot at him. One bullet hit him in the arm, and one in the chest, but to her surprise, he didn’t seem fazed by it, nor did he look wounded. Stowing her gun, Dewdrop leapt atop the stacks and hopped to the Templar. Timing it right, Dewdrop threw herself off the last pile of metal and onto Talon, pulling him down to the side. Talon recovered surprisingly fast, frowning as Dewdrop got back up, unsheathing both hidden blades. “You Assassins,” Talon grumbled, lifting both gloved fists before his face. “Must you meddle in everything we do?” Dewdrop didn’t answer. Instead, she stabbed high and kicked down low, hoping to catch him off guard. Unfortunately, Talon had seen it coming, blocking with his calf before grabbing her arm midway, stopping it completely. No matter how much Dewdrop struggled, she couldn’t move her arm. Activating her secondary mechanism, Dewdrop shot her hidden blade out, aimed for Talon’s face. Moving almost too quickly for his size, Talon bent to the side, narrowly avoiding the blade as it lodged into a wooden cupboard behind him. Gritting his teeth in rage, his left fist found Dewdrop’s face, knocking her to the side before grabbing her coat and tossing her against the wall as hard as he could. The world seemed to spin and blur around Dewdrop as she watched Talon rush for his humvee, throwing the front door open. She rubbed at her bruised cheek and spat out a glob of blood as she fought to her feet, making her way to the back of the humvee. She reached it just as Talon gunned the engine, the humvee shooting backward and almost ramming into Dewdrop if she hadn’t jumped to the side. Talon reversed the humvee all the way out, clearing through the smoke at the entrance, its speed helping to dissipate the cloud enough for Dewdrop to see out, but also for the Templar soldiers to see in. The blue haired Assassin rushed for the window she had come in by as Talon began to right his vehicle. She heard the gunfire start up again, tearing into the brickworks just under her boots before she threw herself over the sill again, landing in the snow outside with a grunt. “Hey, Dewdrop!” It was Velvet, and she sounded excited. “I figured out how to start your bike! I’m waiting around the side, where you left it. I don’t know how to drive it, unfortunately.” “It’s fine, Velvet. Stay where you are. I’m on my way.” Dewdrop sprinted from the warehouse back to the office building they had waited on, firing her pistol at the group of Dragon Unit soldiers as she passed. Two went down, but the rest spread out and began firing back almost instantly. Dewdrop felt the heat of the bullets as they whizzed past her face, missing her and she weaved in and out of her path back. Reloading a new magazine into her gun, she passed it to Velvet Breeze, who was already seated in the passenger’s seat, helmet on. “Good work, Velvet, you hold on to that,” Dewdrop nodded and flipped herself on her bike, revving the engines as she shot out from her hiding place, following the humvee’s tire tracks in the snow. The remaining Dragon Unit soldiers fired at them as Dewdrop swooped out of the alley and down the street, swerving the bike around in hopes of not getting shot. “Aaah!” Velvet yelped as Dewdrop maneuvered behind a parked car, using it as cover as she hightailed it down the lane. “Velvet, are you alright?” Dewdrop slowed the bike a little and looked back, afraid of what might’ve happened. “J-Just startled… I’m fine,” Velvet replied shakily. Dewdrop guessed it was probably the first time she was getting shot at like that. “Keep going, Dewdrop. Don’t l-lose him.” “You got it, Velvet.” Dewdrop accelerated hard, instantly picking up a few miles per hour as she continued to follow Talon’s tire tracks. The road they were currently on was devoid of traffic, seeing as it was the middle of the night and that this was a warehouse lane. However, this was Manehattan, and there was never a main road that wasn’t empty. Dewdrop knew she would have to stop Talon before they entered the main city, or they were going to have a problem with being seen. Soon, she caught sight of him through the thin fog the weather had brought in. His beige humvee throttled on, a bit slower than the average car, seeing as it was bigger and had armor all over it, with one Dragon Unit soldier standing by the machine gun mounted on top of the vehicle. Perfect… Dewdrop smiled to herself. She was glad she took the time to jam something down the turret’s barrel then. The sound of her motorbike’s engine drew the soldier’s attention to the Assassins. The Templar hurriedly spun the turret towards them, ready to shoot them down. Just as Dewdrop had hoped, the barrel of the machine gun blew up in a puff of smoke, folding back like a banana as the Dragon Unit soldier clutched a hand in his other hand. “What happened?” Velvet said close to Dewdrop’s ear. “His gun just exploded!” “I had a feeling sticking something in that barrel would do us some good,” Dewdrop smirked as she rode towards the Templar vehicle, slowly catching up. “And it’s a good thing I did. I don’t know how well I’d be able to maneuver if they were- Hang on!” The humvee’s machine gun had been rendered unusable, but Dewdrop had forgotten about the soldier’s actual rifle, now held in his hands. She silently cursed herself as she swerved the bike from side to side, doing her best to avoid the man’s gunfire, at the same time, getting closer. “Velvet, my gun!” Dewdrop yelled. “Shoot him before he shoots us!” “Got it!” Velvet answered, her fingers closed around the grip and she held it tightly, disengaging the safety and taking aim. The humvee accelerated, forcing Dewdrop to fall in behind the car as bullets found the spot her bike had been just a few seconds earlier. “Anytime, Velvet,” Dewdrop said, moving away and to the other side of the humvee as a trail of bullets followed them. A part of Dewdrop wondered how long they would be able to keep this up before someone caught sight of them, but she pushed the thoughts aside. Right now, they had a Templar to kill. Firing the pistol, Velvet’s first shot pinged off the ruined machine gun, while the second deflected off the humvee’s back window. They missed the Templar, but at least forced him to duck down behind the machine gun’s nest. Unfortunately, they didn’t take down the humvee fast enough, allowing it to drift along into Manehattan’s city area, merging with a small amount of cars driving along the road. “I’m sorry, Dewdrop,” Velvet said. “I couldn’t hit him.” “Don’t sweat it. We wouldn’t have taken down the humvee in time anyway.” Dewdrop gassed on the handle, making a sharp turn to follow Talon, narrowly missing a civilian car on the way. The car’s horn blared in her face, but she didn't stop. At least with the civilian population driving alongside them, the Templars wouldn’t dare shoot. Right? Dewdrop was proven wrong as she closed in on the Templar’s vehicle again. The Dragon Unit soldier had reloaded his rifle and fired a few volleys at them. One cracked the glass at the front of the Assassin’s bike, while the rest spat into the road and another car’s windshield, forcing it to stop. “Well, they fired back. Go for it, Velvet. Take him out.” “But, the civilians.” “That Templar already shot at us. Whether you shoot or not, this’ll definitely get on the news.” Velvet complied, readying the pistol again. Holding her breath, she fired, the first one going wide. The young Assassin was afraid of hitting anyone walking on the streets, but she fired again, this one hitting the back of the humvee. “I can’t get him, Dewdrop,” Velvet despaired, still trying to aim the gun. “We’re moving too much.” “Alright. I can help with that, but we’ll only have one shot at this. Probably. You ready?” Dewdrop turned her head back slightly. Velvet took a deep breath and nodded. “Ready.” Dewdrop accelerated again, pushing her bike to its limit, gaining speed as it shot towards the left side of the humvee. The soldier at the back fired at them again, but fell short, hitting the road behind the bike. She only slowed the vehicle when they were right next to the back where the soldier was standing. He had stopped firing and was now pointing his rifle at Dewdrop’s head, almost on equal level with his gun. “Now, Velvet!” Dewdrop hissed as she watched his finger move for the trigger in slow motion. His gloved appendage had almost pulled back on the trigger when he fell back against the machine gun nest, clutching his arm. The soldier’s rifle fell out of the nest and clattered onto the road as the man dropped to a crouch. “Nice one, Velvet!” Dewdrop praised as the girl returned the now empty pistol to Dewdrop’s pocket. “Well done!” “Yeah…” the girl sighed with relief. “I thought he was going to get you for a second there…” “Well, he didn’t,” Dewdrop smiled and gunned the engine, approaching Talon’s door. “And that Talon’s about to find out who he’s messing with.” Suddenly, the humvee veered left, and if Dewdrop hadn’t moved the bike with it, it would’ve knocked them both off. Dewdrop swerved around a truck as it blared its horn at her, going against traffic, still following the humvee from the side. Thankfully, there were only three or four cars she had to avoid as she kept up with the humvee, able to see Talon inside, frowning as he looked between them and the road. Good. He’s irritated. “Velvet, get your smoke bombs ready,” Dewdrop instructed as she passed another car before getting the bike close to the humvee again. “Let’s see if he wants to say hello.” Drawing a sword from her bike sheaths, Dewdrop stabbed it as hard as she could at the humvee’s window, breaking through a tiny portion of the glass, but not enough to reach Talon’s face. The Templar’s frown deepened as he winded down the window, pulling out a sawn-off shotgun and pointing it at Dewdrop. Just what I wanted. “Throw, Velvet! Now!” As soon as the smoke bombs left Velvet’s hands, Dewdrop stepped on the brakes, allowing the humvee to move forward, the shotgun blast completely missing them. The Assassins followed closely behind as the smoke bombs detonated, filling the inside of the car with thick grey smoke. Dewdrop watched as the humvee began to swerve left and right, the Templar unable to discern where the front was as the smoke clouded his view. As Dewdrop and Velvet looked on, the humvee rolled up onto the curb, skidded another few more feet, then finally crashed through a wooden fence that surrounded a construction site. Acrid black smoke began to pour into the night sky as the humvee came to a stop at last. Dewdrop maneuvered the bike toward the hole in the fence, ignoring the handful of civilians who had gathered around to gawk. The humvee had crashed head on into a bulldozer, the front of the military vehicle crumpled like a tin can. The soldier at the back had been flung in front of the humvee, his body bent at an impossible angle against the bulldozer. “Huh,” Dewdrop said thoughtfully. “What’s say we go see if Talon’s still breathing?” Turning off the engines, the Assassins got off and cautiously made their way to the crashed vehicle. The entire car had been totalled, but as they peered through the broken glass windows, they saw neither hair nor hide of Talon. Dewdrop quickly lunged for the car and peered her head through the window, looking at the back seats. “What? Where could he have gone? We didn’t see him leave!” “Right behind you,” Talon’s voice came. Dewdrop barely had time to grab Velvet, turn around and dive out of the way before a tongue of fire lashed at the place where she had just been standing. “You alright?” Dewdrop checked on Velvet before pushing her up and away as another spit of flame roared towards them. “Go, go. Get to cover!” “I can help!” Velvet insisted, pulling out her knife. Dewdrop didn’t have more time to answer as another burst of fire torched the ground beneath her feet as she danced back. She grunted as she rushed to the side, pulling one of the three swords from her back. Talon stood before her, wielding a large silver flamethrower in both hands, its tip dripping fire like the saliva of a dragon. “Stand still, Assassin!” Talon yelled and shot another burst at her. Velvet tried to close in behind him, but Talon had noticed, turning around to fire a stream of flame at the young Assassin. “Velvet, stay back!” Dewdrop launched a throwing knife at the Templar. Talon turned his attention back to her just as the knife hit, bouncing off his chest like her bullet had done earlier. Dewdrop noticed now that whatever that scaley thing he wore beneath his coat, it was bulletproof. The red-skinned Templar advanced on her, blasting a long jet of fire at Dewdrop as he moved. Unable to get close, Dewdrop ran back and leapt over a stack of wooden panels just as they caught on fire. It was a bad spot to be, but at least it kept the flamethrower from reaching her for the time being. “You wanted a fight, Assassins!” Talon yelled over the roar of his weapon. “I’m giving you one! Come out and die!” Dewdrop reloaded her pistol and waited. Talon’s body was protected, but his face sure wasn’t. All she needed was a good headshot. Even better, if she could find the gas tank in his flamethrower, she could take him down with his own weapon. “Velvet, where are you? You okay?” Dewdrop spoke into her earpiece, having to slightly raise her volume over the roaring fire. “I’m fine, Dewdrop. Feeling a little hot, but I haven’t been burnt yet.” Dewdrop sighed with relief. She didn’t want to send Velvet back out there, but she didn’t have too much of a choice. “Listen, Velvet. I need a distraction. Smoke bomb, knife, whatever you want to use. Just keep him distracted and keep your distance.” “Got it. I’ll do my best.” Dewdrop retreated backwards and ran along the side of the construction site wall, looking for anything she could use as cover that wasn’t currently on fire. The problem here was that almost everything around her looked flammable. “Come out, cowards!” Talon roared. He let off a stray stream of flame into the air. “Come and face me if you dare!” This guy is nuts, Dewdrop thought as she peeked out between two steel girders. The man’s flamethrower probably couldn’t reach her at this range, but she elected to move again just in case. Getting behind a stack of bricks, Dewdrop held her pistol tightly, ready to test her aim. Waiting on you, Velvet. Suddenly to the right of the Assassin, further up front closer to Talon, there was a clatter, sounding something like a rock falling, followed by a yelp and then a burst of smoke from a smoke bomb. “That’s not going to help you this time, Assassin!” Talon yelled and blasted his flamethrower at the smoke, torching a hole straight through it. Dewdrop tensed for a second, afraid that Velvet might have gotten herself hurt, but then a voice sounded from somewhere on the other side, shouting, “Who taught you how to aim? You missed by a mile!” The blue haired Assassin smiled. Velvet was still alive and she was definitely grabbing the Templar’s attention. Good. Standing up, Dewdrop stretched her arms out in front of her, pointing the gun at the man. She spotted the flamethrower’s sizeable gas tank underneath the weapon and took aim. She’d rather like to see the Templar go up in a ball of fire; a fitting end for Talon. Firing, Dewdrop watched the bullets sail in the air. Two bullets pinged off the metal shell of the weapon, but the third had found its mark, rupturing a hole in the gas tank, causing a small explosion of fire, engulfing Talon’s front. “Yes!” Dewdrop cheered. “Velvet, you alright?” “Yeah, he didn’t get me. Nice shot.” Dewdrop watched the fire die down. She was almost about to keep her pistol when she noticed Talon hadn’t fallen over or anything. As the fire dissipated around him, Talon had both arms out in front of his face, shielding most of the blast with his green coat. Dewdrop didn’t know what material they were made out of, but they had barely caught on fire. The Templar’s face, however, had been slightly scarred and burnt by the explosion, his angry orange eyes now fixated on her. “You’re dead, Assassin!” he roared and ran for Dewdrop. Dewdrop lifted her weapon to fire, but the Templar was fast. Too fast. One bullet exited her gun before Talon grabbed her arm, twisting the gun from her hands. The bullet had hit, but it had hit his vest, bouncing off without harming the Templar. Dewdrop escaped his grip and readied her fists before her. Talon smiled and did the same. “Come get some.” Dewdrop threw a left punch at the Templar’s face, then a right to his shoulder, both easily blocked by the large man. He threw one of his own, barely missing Dewdrop as she ducked down and moved for his legs, punching out at his left knee. Talon answered the attack with lifting his knee, catching Dewdrop in the chest, knocking her to the ground. “I’m going to have fun with you before you die,” he smirked and cracked his knuckles. The blue haired Assassin flipped herself up and spun a kick to Talon’s head, but the Templar blocked it with an arm before wrapping his other around her calf. Dewdrop tried her best to dislodge him, punching him as much as she could, but Talon was tough, his frown growing deeper with each hit Dewdrop connected. The Assassin reached for a sword, but Talon wasn’t having any of that. He grabbed her hand before it could reach back, stopping it from moving. Dewdrop extended a hidden blade to try and stab his hand, but Talon moved and punched her, once in the arm and a second to her chest. Extending both hidden blades, Dewdrop aimed for his shoulders. Talon blocked one while the second pierced his coat and skin, drawing blood. “Argh! You’ll pay for that!” he growled. Talon punched her in the abdomen. Once, twice, thrice, all in the same spot. Dewdrop bent over, on the verge of blacking out from the pain. After giving a straight punch to Dewdrop’s thigh twice, Talon grabbed more firmly to the leg he had in his grip and swung the Assassin over his shoulder and down against the snowy ground. Dewdrop felt the concrete against her skull through the thin layer of snow before the Templar tossed her to the side, letting go of her. Dewdrop crashed against the stack of girders she had hid behind earlier, knocking one over before bouncing to the ground, her body hurting all over. She crawled forward, trying her best to get up, but her legs weren’t following her orders too quickly. Falling to her side, Dewdrop reached a hand up to her head, coming back with blood from where she’d hit it just now. “Dewdrop!” Velvet yelled in her earpiece. “I’m coming to help!” “No… Velvet...” Dewdrop tried to speak, her vision going hazy. “Dangerous… Stay back.” Talon smirked and laughed maniacally before stalking over, standing over Dewdrop’s body. “Get up, Assassin. We’re not through yet.” He moved a leg back and swung it forward as fast as he could, kicking Dewdrop against the girders. The Assassin clutched for her abdomen, coughing hard. Dewdrop lifted a hidden blade, but Talon bent down and grabbed her arm before bending it back at a painful angle. “Aaagh!” Dewdrop yelled, unable to fight the Templar’s strength. “After what you’ve done, do you think I’ll be letting you off easy?” Talon tilted his head and pulled Dewdrop’s arm towards himself, earning more of her screams. “After I’m done with you, you’ll be begging me to kill you.” Stomping on her back, Talon reached down and picked up one of the girders, grasping it in both hands, lifting it high. Dewdrop turned to look up at him through one eye, unable to find the strength to fight back. Is this… it? Am I going to die here? “Vel...vet…” Dewdrop muttered. “Run…” “Let’s see how much you can endure, huh?” Talon slammed the girder down on Dewdrop’s left leg, causing her to yell out in pain. Dewdrop closed her eyes and waited for the next one. Then she heard Talon grunt and the next hit didn’t land. She looked up. Talon was grasping his shoulder, where blood was trickling forth. Velvet stood behind him, her knife bloodied from the blow she had struck. “Leave her alone!” The Templar turned around, anger burning in his orange eyes. “So I see you want to join your friend?” Talon lifted the girder, ready to strike as Velvet slowly backed away from him, the knife held out in front of her. The Templar swung the girder at the exact same time Velvet closed her eyes and swung her knife. There was a bright flash of light. Talon stood there, dumbstruck as the girder he had been holding split into two, falling out of his nerveless hands. Then, a line of blood appeared on Talon’s uniform, starting at his left shoulder, ending at the right of his pelvis. Then, ever so slowly, Talon’s top half slid off his bottom half with a sizzling squelch, both halves falling to the ground with a splat. Even the Templar’s bulletproof vest had been sawn in two, just like that. Velvet opened her eyes, shocked to behold that in her hands, the knife she held had a ghostly golden aura that extended out over a meter to form a spectral sword blade. Dewdrop herself didn’t seem to believe what she was seeing as she lay on the ground, looking between Talon’s severed body and Velvet’s glowing blade. She used her good hand and lifted herself up, using the girders for support as she struggled to stand. “V-Velvet?” she said as the ghostly blade began fading, blinking twice before shrinking back into Velvet’s knife. The girl seemed to sag, her knees buckling beneath her as she sank to the ground. Dewdrop hurried to Velvet’s side. “Velvet… what was that?” “I… I don’t know…” the young Assassin replied, checking her hands. “I-I killed him, Dewdrop. I didn’t want him to hurt you anymore…” “Yeah, but… wow. How did you... do that? It was almost like those stories about the Mentor-” Dewdrop cut herself off. She could hear police sirens in the distance; one of the civilians had probably blown the whistle on them once the fight had begun. “No time... for that right now. We can... talk about it back at the safe house. Can you walk?” “Y-yeah.” Velvet got up, but her wobbly feet sent her back down after two steps. Dewdrop herself had trouble standing, but she hooked an arm under Velvet and helped her back towards the bike. “C’mon, Velvet. We gotta go…”