Kard's choice didn't need further consideration. Between an unknown and known fate, it would always be wiser to choose the option that carried certainty. However, that did not mean any of the options would be easy to accept. Looking into Ecniro's eyes was like staring down into the deepest abyss while knowing far too well you have no other option than falling in and embracing the horrors that awaited inside.
The words of the assassin got etched so deep into Kard's mind he would never forget them. "Be sure to scream a lot, okay? It will make them less likely to come inside."
Kard's experience stretched out to infinity. The two minutes he spent there were like weeks. Ecniro's dagger was hard to follow. Its movements were far too quick as it danced around the thief's body, leaving behind countless footprints. Where the knife didn't land, Ecniro's hands substituted for it. Every movement was targeted. The goal was to leave a mark and force the thief to sing a melody so loud it frightened those gathering at the door.
In a sense, Kard was fortunate. He did not remember the finale of their dance, as his world blackened shortly before that. Ecniro picked up the man off the floor. The only thing he felt bad for was not thinking about the janitors of this place. The splashes of red would take ages to clean off completely. He just hoped that someone would get to it before they would dry.
Ecniro stepped out of the bathroom. His previous victim was still lying on the floor in the main room, while the second prey dripped blood all over him and the casino carpet. The staff had no trouble with the payment. Seeing more crimson on Kard's body than any other colour horrified them enough to completely disperse their own need for payback.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Kard regained his senses late in the evening, when a first yawn moved the wrong body part, causing pain to radiate through his entire being. Only one eye managed to open. The other seemed to be held closed under layers of gauze. He tried to sit up but could barely brace himself with his own arms. Fingers on the right and the entire left hand were immobilized by splints and bandages. His bruised ribs, unfortunately, had to hold out on their own. Hearing his groans, Zelia immediately ran to his side, offering an embrace so gentle he barely felt any pain as she pulled him closer.
"I think the eggs got smashed," Kard said, remembering what he originally went out for.
"You look worse than the eggs," Zelia replied. She had the urge to slap him but his current state seemed to be punishment enough.
"Have you seen Moric?" he muttered.
"No."
"Good. I hope he's gone. Or I'm gonna kill him myself."
A little more than a week passed before the thief could stand on his own two feet again. To help with his slow rehabilitation, he made a habit of going on short walks around the block. To the end of the street, where the casino was, then by the bakery at the corner, and back home via a different street. Zelia even gave him a little whistle so he could call her if he ran into some trouble. After all, the vulnerable state could've been exploited by those lacking even the hint of a human heart. He completed his walks peacefully on both Saturday and Sunday, so he had no reason to believe Monday would be different.
He nodded at the baker as a form of greeting and turned around the corner. The moment he did, something grabbed his attention. A new decoration was hanging on a street lamp. A body. A man. A victim of lynching, most likely. Kard's mind darkened. The person was young and didn't look at all like a local, due to his smoothly brushed golden hair and a face that lacked any scars, being only decorated with a couple of freckles. The thief couldn't believe his eyes until he took a closer look. He looked strikingly familiar, with his massive mole sitting on the left cheek.
Kard sighed. Not of sorrow but a slight relief. Life was tough in New Phoenix and not many could say with pride that they have survived it.