Lilly cast [Overlook] and vaulted over the fence surrounding her home. Walking through the the empty streets of the capital she felt right at home, this was her domain. She was headed towards what people commonly called the den of criminals, located in the outer industrial district. It was where, as implied by its name, all the shady characters of the city gathered. Whether they were there for work or to hire specific unsavory talents, they all had something to gain from breaking the law.

Walking around to the backside of an abandoned warehouse, Lilly approached a green door. Knocking twice, a hushed voice was heard;

“Password.”

Lilly being her professional self answered in her magically altered voice;

“Fuck off and let me in.”

The door opened and Lilly went inside. This wasn’t Lilly or the guard being unprofessional, fuck off and let me in was the unofficial password. There wasn’t an official password, the unofficial one was something the guards came up with to weed out outsiders. If someone tried spouting some bullshit nonsense hoping to get the password right, they were an outsider and shouldn’t be there. If you simply demanded to be let in, you’d be let in.

As Lilly made her way to the makeshift counter she received numerous glares and whispers. In the past year she had made quite the name for herself. After botching the royal assassination her reputation had taken a serious hit. The country had calmed down eventually, or at least the commoners had. The nobles were currently engaged in a war for dominance in pretty much everything. Most likely to gain the recognition of the new king or even the princess, as she was nearing marriageable age.

While this war was fought with money, achievements, social status and much else bullshittery Lilly couldn’t care less about. It was also fought with illegal means like theft, sabotage, espionage and of course assassination. And it was during this war she had regained her fame. In fact, she had surpassed her previous fame and was now feared as the devil incarnate. The amount of lives she had reaped was easily just as many as her entire career prior the war.

The receptionist merely glanced at Lilly before continuing to sort his papers, all kinds of requests and jobs.

“Here for another assassination, Shadow?” The receptionist asked in a raspy voice.

“Yes.” Came Lillys curt reply.

“ Well, we’re out, the nobles can’t continue killing each other for ever.” The receptionist sounded almost sad at the thought of the nobles not just eradicating themselves.

“Surely there’s something that pays well?” Lilly asked, not that she really needed the money, but her attempts at vacations were wholly unsuccessful. She was an active woman, no point denying it.

“Well there is one job… But the guy specifically requested anyone but you.”

She was a bit confused by this but quickly caught on.

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“Assassinating the royal family? Again?”

“Not entirely, it’s only the princess this time. Probably some noble who doesn’t have a son and is too old to marry a 14 year old girl.” The receptionist said this with some mirth in his voice, clearly enjoying the stupid power play of the nobles.

“Well if there’s really no work I might as well get some sleep for once.”

Having finished her business in the den she walked out into the streets again. On her way home she had a sudden stupid idea. (Why don’t I pay the princess a visit before she’s killed.) With that decision made Lilly headed towards the castle.

She had never been inside the castle walls before so locating the princess would actually be the hardest part. Arriving outside the castle walls she looked up at them. They were tall and thick, made to withstand weeks of siege and war. On top several guards were stationed while others patrolled. It was the dead of night and with her spells and armor the guards wouldn’t notice her. She cast the spell [Spiders Thread] shooting a small web like rope up the wall. It stuck to the stones at the top and Lilly started hauling herself up the wall.

Once up she looked around and spotted only a few guards some distance away. One was walking towards her however, so she quickly made her way across the wall and dropped down the other side. Landing in a roll flowing into a crouching sprint, she made her way to the cover of some trees. Taking in her surroundings she noticed the castle grounds were almost devoid of life. Apparently the guards didn’t think anyone could cross the wall without being discovered.

Deciding to trust her spells she stood up and walked towards the castle. It was huge, and most likely luxurious beyond belief. But the only thing Lilly cared for was the windows. She had to locate the princess’s bedroom and by the sheer amount of rooms, it was going to take a while. She walked to the back of the castle where she suspected the bedroom was.

Rounding a corner she saw a shadow streak across the park surrounding the castle. She recognized it having seen it, or rather the person, before. It was the assassin Ghost. Everyone has their own styles, even assassins. Ghost got his name because he not only looked like one, but he also liked tormenting his victims. The Reaper simply murdered anyone blocking his path.

She watched as he arrived at the castle and started climbing. Clearly Ghost had somehow figured out where the princess’s room was, probably bribed a guard. Ghost reached a window and wove a spell, cutting his way through the window. A few minutes later he came back out an dashed away, disappearing in the park. (Huh, wasn’t that a bit quick? I thought he was supposed to savor every kill.) Lilly thought.

Suddenly she heard running steps behind her, and they were closing in quick. (Shit! He really managed to alert the guards that quick!) A moment later a small running figure clad in black clothing rounded the corner. The figure nearly crashed into Lilly but she sidestepped, grabbed it and slammed it into the ground. It only managed to give a surprised yelp before Lilly had a dagger to its throat.

(Another assassin? What the fuck is going on?) Lilly couldn’t help but wonder as she reached out to pull up the persons hood and look at their face.