A Long Way to Fall

by Cinders of War

Chapter 54: Run

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.

Author's Note:

Another short chapter and weird Mirror Match is still being weird!
Yeah, her behaviour and such is explained over in Lost Connection, but if it still doesn't, feel free to ask us! We'd be happy to tell y'all. Perhaps it could be some lore for us to post over in the Bloodlines group as well!

Stay tuned for more! Cheers!

Comments

[Jaxxon Markus Citadel]

“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.

The guard is not wrong.

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.

She must be scarier than I thought if she has this kind of effect on trained killers.

“Don’t you dare! Blame me for this! If you’d only had more! Information! I. Wouldn’t. Need. To. Do. This!”

Oh. Oh. Ooooh. I think I get it.

[Marcthelightspark2004]

“Of course, every era there’s someone who calls me crazy. I prefer eccentric, or maybe even reaper.”

I dunno why, but I find this snigger, or maybe even Snicker worthy.

[Marcthelightspark2004]

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.

They fing are.

[Marcthelightspark2004]

8837070
Ditto on the third one.

[MoonlightRift]

Yep. I knew it, the Templars simply had more of a way to get what she needs.