A Long Way to Fall

by Cinders of War

Chapter 4: A Cure from Hemlock

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.”

Comments

[Jaxxon Markus Citadel]

What a way to assassinate someone, with a car. Nice work on the Assassins' part overall, but surely the Templars aren't going to take this lying down.

[Sonata Eternal]

Come to your senses, High Noon! I know he already does, because of Leap of Faith, but to see him playing for the wrong team...

[MoonlightRift]

So curious to see how High Noon swaps sides.