Dressed in black, four men snuck up the street, coming back to the ruinous house that Kai had disappeared into.

Among the four men was the one Parker had attacked. His body had since healed up completely, back to normal with either a potion or healing magic, or perhaps even a vile hexamist mutation designed to increase natural healing to unthinkable levels.

“Reinforcements. I guess they still have business here.” Parker thought, watching them through the seeing sphere.

“Maybe this is their territory.”

Pursing his lips, he frantically looked around the dark rooms one last time.

Still no clues. No signs of Kai.

“Dammit…” he thought, feeling he was close to getting a small fortune.

He moved away from the front door and went to the back room, climbing through the window opening into a courtyard before using his dash spell, slipping away behind some debris.

There was not much left of the shared courtyard, nothing but ruins and decay. Even the weeds barely survived here, navigating around toxic debris and claiming whatever soil they could. Like everything else in the den sector, they hung onto life by whatever strength they had left.

Looking around, Parker found a single alley out of the courtyard, but he could just as easily jump into the buildings through many partially broken windows.

“I’ll see what they do first.” He thought, hoping they would give up a clue about Kai.

Watching through the red crystal eye of the seeing sphere, the four men approached the house, and two entered while two stood guard outside.

Parker squinted into the window, but all he could see was a veil of black.

“Damn, it’s way too dark in there… no use staying here then.”

Parker snuck behind the debris and came to a house further up. He was going to move back into the street, as he would have to gather his seeing sphere, anyway.

As he stepped into another building, he noticed something in the corner of his eye.

A black boot came out of the window from Kai’s building. An enemy had entered the courtyard.

By the way the man was looking at the ground, Parker could tell they were using the same tracking potion he did - though it was an unusual sight. Typically, only bounty hunters and assassins carried these concoctions.

“Shit… glad I dashed away from the window. There will at least be no footprints.”

Thankfully, Parker used a dash spell when exiting the same window, and moved in a blink, leaving no footsteps; no mana signature - but it would only be a matter of time before they found his tracks.

“Hmm, they don’t know that I know... I can use it against them.” A devilish glare appeared in his eyes.

Parker walked halfway through of the house he was in and stopped.

Next, he turned around and used his dash spell, going backwards and hiding in the room's corner, concealed in the darkness.

Standing in the corner, all Parker had to do was wait. No tracks led to him - as long as he didn’t take a step.

He still had his own tracking potion active, and could see his own shoe-prints leading from the window and going further into the house.

The rain was still just as heavy and endless as it had been since he began his hunt, but after only a few minutes, he finally heard faint sounds of movement outside of the window. The wood creaked as someone put their weight on it.

Parker readied his needle dagger as he stared at the window. A head poked into the building and checked the room before stepping in.

Parker held himself as still as possible, each of his muscles tense, poised to strike. He was counting on the darkness to hide him. With no footprints revealing Parker, the enemy probably thought it was safe.

The head disappeared, and then a black boot appeared, stepping into the window.

Aiming his weapon at the enemy’s neck, Parker had the perfect opportunity to sneak attack - yet he didn’t strike.

“Two enemies are still in the street. One is here. Another is unaccounted for.” he thought.

Parker needed to know if there was a second person following, otherwise it could make things difficult, and probably lead to his death.

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“They also possess advanced healing magic. I’ll needed to hit them where it would finish them completely.” He thought.

*Crr~*

A roll of thunder sounded.

The first assailant walked into the house, following Parker’s footsteps through the room.

“Come on…” Parker thought, gazing at the window to see if a second person would come.

He couldn’t wait forever. He had to slay the man before he reached the end of Parker’s footsteps.

After a few more seconds, there was no more waiting.

“Curses!” he thought, gripping his needle firmly and dashing forwards.

Suddenly, the man stopped. He reached the end of Parker’s mana trail.

*Slick~*

Parker’s blade pricked the back of the man’s neck.

*Shring! ~*

“GRRH!”

A dagger plunged into Parker’s stomach, ignoring his mana shield.

The enemy acted so fast; it was almost automatic.

Parker’s armor caught most of the blow, but not all of it. He jumped back, readying his dagger to counter strike.

The enemy raised their dagger, a second one appearing in their offhand.

A single thought echoed in Parker’s mind, “Kill or flee. Only death in between.”

The enemy lunged with a slash, followed by a stab.

*Cling~*

Parker parried the first. The second pierced just above his knee.

Yet he did not shout; his adrenaline stopped the pain.

Parker stabbed back, the needle hitting the enemy’s wrist.

Oddly, the dual-dagger wielder paused for a moment. Parker’s attack was like a bee sting. Perhaps he realised this was no threatening enemy.

Yet instead of finishing Parker slowly, he went all-out, becoming even more aggressive.

*Shring~ shring-shring~*

Spinning slashes reigned down on Parker as the enemy danced around him to one side.

Parker turned to face them, returning a strike with his own.

However, a sharp pain suddenly stabbed into his back.

The man he was fighting disappeared, turning to a black smoke.

“Illusion magic. Fuck.”

Parker didn’t turn around. He didn’t give the enemy another change. Using his dash ability, he blinked deeper into the house.

He fled.

Yet the enemy followed right after.

Parker made it to the front door. Someone braced it shut, closing it up with heavy planks of wood. He felt hope slipping away. There was no escape.

“My leg… it’s weak?” he thought, limping.

Pain returned.

The dagger went much deeper than he realised.

“Not much longer…”

The stab wound in his back felt like a searing flame.

Parker raised his sword for one last clash. The enemy was already here. Barely time to think.

The enemy moved to his left side and swung its daggers low.

Parker guessed it was another illusion.

Fighting against all his honed battle instincts and his own mind, he brought his weapon high on the right side, protecting his head and neck.

*Cling! ~*

The invisible assassin appeared, his weapons slashed away, if only for a moment.

The clone disappearing into more black smoke.

Parker guessed correctly, but he only bought some time.

He raised his sword, preparing for the next strikes. He could stop some of the deadly attacks.

Yet there was no follow up attack.

In defense, he froze; they both did.

In the darkness, it was hard to see the look on the enemy’s face.

A howling wind suddenly came through the house.

Parker clenched his jaw as he waited for another strike.

“Why doesn’t he kill me…”

Suddenly, the enemy’s head turned to the side… and fell off his body.

His knees collapsed, and the headless corpse fell to the floor into a pool of blood.

Parker said nothing, and he looted the enemy while chugging down a viscous red health potion. There were still three enemies left and they may already be coming.

In a few moments, he left the crime scene; his health restored and his wounds healed.

“They’re hyper-aggressive or deadly cautious. But they’re not unkillable. I can still get Kai.” he nodded.

*Sploi~*

The assassin’s arm suddenly burst open, though there was no one around to hear it.