In a jungle, armed men have set up a camp illuminated by torches and lanterns. Some were sent on patrols. Others took count of the supplies. The reserves got to kick back and play cards and slam dominoes as loud as any gunshot until it was their turn for guard duty. The ones on the radio coordinated the situation with the rest of their cartel, for this was a key position to monitor for enemy advances. For that reason, the destruction of this camp was requested by an ally in the region.

The patrol returned and the radiomen reported an all-clear. As the first patrolmen took off their boots, and the second round fastened theirs, flying knives slit all their throats at once. Before their bodies could fall to the ground, shadows descended from the canopy above. As they grasped their throats, choking on their own blood, their screams stolen from them, they saw manifestations of darkness snuff out every light in the camp.

The black-clad dragged the still-warm bodies together, then stripped them of their guns and clothes as they were too weak to fight back, left to bleed to death in a short time. The rest of the camp was being pilfered in a similar fashion. The radio was set to give false messages at the times they were observed to have checked in. The battle was over before the victims could even realize there was one.

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The flying knives flew up to the canopy and Angel—adorned with iron wings and an ebony muscle cuirass—descended at last. Some of his feathers were used to form a platform that carried Phillip down as well.

“Wow, that’s all it takes, huh,” said Phillip. He watched his teacher end so many lives in a single lyric with dying gasps as the chorus. The message was clear: a normal assassin could kill a man, but for people with affinities, this was what Philip would be expected to match if he chose this path.

“Bet ya never saw anything like this before,” said Angel, “Well, I’m sure you can do something with that hidden blade thing you got going on. But, in my opinion, you should go a different direction.”

“Yes… I understand clearly.”