Yotto – Summer – Mune - Fin (4th Month 51ˢᵗ Day) Year 827 GE

The buildings looked small from Zira's vantage point on a tower near the edge of the city. Leaning her back against one of the beams that reached up above her, she breathed in deep, enjoying the fresh breeze.

Looking to her right, she could see the smog coming off the city below her. To her left was the fields she had traversed to get to the point where she sat now. The sun was starting to set over the fields.

A high pitch ding caused Zira to flinch. She dropped her head, let out a heavy breath and sat forward. “Here we go,” she breathed out not wanting to see what orders had come across this time. Zira pressed a small carving on her ring that would have been easy to miss if she didn’t know where to press, then turned her wrist. One of her bracelets lit up and a small Heads-Up Display or HUD with data scrolling down the screen hovered just above her bracelet.

Zira read the message on the small screen.

Name: Anton Reed

Age: 32 to 37

Race: Zutu

Sex: Male

Hair: Emerald Green, long, worn in wolf’s tail

Eyes: Black

Height: Roughly 6'

Weight: 185 to 210 lbs

Violation: Injured 6 Zitta Duan Kander. Duan is currently in critical condition in Main Base Hospital

Punishment: Elimination

Pursuers: Any Kander near Suthen City is to engage

Zira looked up, and grumbled to herself aloud, “what are the chances?” looking down, she could see the plaque that was the city sign below her. She couldn't see it from her vantage point, but knew very well the sign read Suthen City. Turning her arm back over, she started reading her HUD again.

Last Seen: Wearing a dark green hoodie heading into the slums of Suthen City Sector 7. Beware target is armed with a Sonar Pistol and is well versed in hand-to-hand combat. Approach with caution.

She scrolled down to the end of the message, the last line read “Accept/Decline.” They were buttons, clicking one would either tell those who received and sent the message she would take the mission, or that she was not available, or in the area. If she declined, she would be reported to the main office and likely disciplined if she couldn't provide a viable reason for not taking the case. The ring and bracelet were not only the means to contact the Home Base, but also a way the Home Base tracked their Kander. As long as a Kander completed a set number of missions each year or took those assigned to their area they were mostly left alone. So, with a heavy sigh she pressed the “Accept” button.

Zira did not know Duan personally, but it was the right thing to pursue her attacker. Another ding from her ring and she looked at her bracelet. The HUD now read, “12 Zitta Zira Kander has accepted this mission.” She pressed the engraving on her ring, causing the light from the HUD emanating from her bracelet to shut off.

“Well, here we go.” She leaned forward, bracing herself in a crouch. Pulling her hair back, she pinned it in a wolf’s tail. That done, Zira reached into the bag at her back, pulling out a small black case. Opening the case, she dipped two fingers into the charcoal. Closing her eyes, she ran them first over her left eye, then after another dip before marking her right eye. Opening her eyes, she dipped her fingers again and drew a line from the bridge of her nose down to the tip. To finish her “on-the-job-look” she dipped three fingers and drew three lines parallel across her cheek.

When she was still a young child, she and the other Kander in training were told all missions require they blacken their eyes when they start pursuit, but they had to create their own markings from the basis they were given. The only rule they had to follow regarding the marking was once their “on-the-job-look” was established, they had to register it with the Home Office, and all missions would be completed with this face painting. Zira had thought nothing of it when she was a child, she only wanted to make the other children laugh, now as an adult she hoped it made her less of a menace to those she didn't hunt.

With that done Zira stood, a focused look now painted on her features. She stepped off the tower, the wind now rushing past her ears as she plummeted toward the land below. As the ground approached, she extended her hand out, gripping it as though she were holding a rope, casting Shadow Vine, which whipped out to wrap around one of the lower beams of the tower, securing itself firmly in the structures shadow. Effectively slowing her drop and allowing her to land safely.

With one final look at the fields, she turned and headed toward the city gates. The response was instant when the people saw her coming, hushed whispers and averted gazes. When she passed, many of those on the streets hurried inside. It was well known a Kander never hid the Zitta that designated them as such. But when a Kander had black on their eyes and markings on their faces, they were on a hunt. Only the foolish would start something with a Kander on a hunt. She noticed a stall with magazines, treats, and a map posted on the sign of the stall, she headed there.

The little old lady behind the counter spared her a look but just barely. Zira checked the map; it was the city layout. Suthen City was a large trading hub. “Anything ya lookin’ fur Kander?” The old woman growled. Zira was impressed, but kept it from showing, she could not show emotion until her mission was over.

After spotting a route to Sector 7 on the map, she turned to the older woman, “I'm good Granny Lady, best you close up shop for the day.” And with that she strode down the street. Zira heard the metal fencing slam behind her as the woman closed the gate over her shop.

Another high-pitched ding rang out. Without losing stride, Zira pressed the engraving on her ring and read the message on her HUD, “4 Zitta Goren Kander has accepted the mission.” At the bottom there was a button. “Accept/Decline.” Zira, being the highest ranking Kander on the mission was in charge and could choose to either accept or decline other assistance during her mission. She pressed the “Decline” button and continued on her way.

Crossing her arms at her chest, she quickly spread them to either side of her, casting Shadow Hunt. Shadows she called The Shades seeped from the shadows around her, solidifying into recognizable beings before they melded back into the shadows of the buildings around her. Casting Shadow Hunt would allow her Shades to hunt for her target, inside the city's darkness and shadows. All it would take is his shadow crossing into another shadow alerting her Shades of his location, then they could lead her to his position. Now it was just a waiting game.

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The city was less kept the further in she traversed. By the time she reached Sector 6, word had spread of a Kander on the hunt, the streets had been cleared of all civilians, leaving only piles of refuse and garbage behind. The stink was bad enough Zira had to fight to keep her hands at her sides, and her mind alert. The city was now cast in darkness, the sun having gone down for the night.

Zira was best during the night hours, her Shades eagerly hunting her prey with more coverage each moment. Another ding was the only sound that could be heard. She flipped her arm over to check her HUD. “9 Zitta Surion Kander has accepted the mission.” This time when she scrolled down, she clicked “Accept.” then another screen opened. It read “Instructions.”

She quickly typed “Standby outside Sector 7 East Exit.” She was already approaching from the west, and there didn't seem to be any other exits.

“Accepted,” crossed her screen.

Just then she caught sight of one of her Shades. It dodged from one shadow to another intentionally catching her attention. Turning toward the first she caught sight of another, they were only visible in the shadows when someone knew what to look for. When the Zitta that unlocked the ability had been implanted, she had been made to work with her Shades until she and her Shades could almost speak the same language. Zira had been advised against naming her Shades, with the understanding that naming something magical could give it free will. She ignored the advice. There were only seven and each had a name to match their own personalities. Darkness was their obvious leader and slightly bulkier in form then the others, then there was Joyus, Joker, Mother, Bouncie, Protector, and Trouble. It was Joyus and Protector who had caught her attention, but she knew the others were around.

As she approached the Sector 7 district, she felt the hair on the back of her neck start to stand up.

Suddenly her head jerked back, she quickly followed by going into a back bend. A crossbow bolt passed through where her head would have been. Protector, one of her Shades melded into the shadows again as she dropped the rest of the way, rolling into the shadows herself. She scanned the windows and the rooftops that she could see. It was Protector who found the archer, dragging her from a window by her shadow, her scream cutting through the night’s silence. The woman hit the ground hard, Zira could hear her groan as she rolled onto her side. The height she had fallen from was not enough to kill her, but she would likely have broken bones. Protector and Trouble now both grabbed the poor woman's shadow, dragging her screaming down the street away from Zira. She felt a moment's pity for the woman before she remembered if the Shade's didn't finish the job she would have to. She closed her heart off from the thought and started moving this time from within the shadows.

To Zira's dismay Mother, another of her Shades, had been close enough to see her mistake. Zira felt like she was being lectured with each tug on her hair and clothes. “I'll be careful, Mother,” she finally said to stop her friend’s tugging.

They were well into Sector 7, Zira now slinking amongst the shadows, Bouncie too was moving from shadow to shadow before her, clearly excited for the adventure. Finally, they came upon Darkness. The motion from the other six stopped as Darkness signaled her to open a door to a basement. As she placed her hand on the door and cracked it open, three of the seven moved through the shadows ahead of her. Bouncie, Joyus, Mother and Joker stayed outside the building to monitor the other shadows.

The stairs creaked with each step as she descended into what seemed like a basement. There was a light in the room below. With the noise she was making going down the stairs she knew if anyone was in the room below, they had already been alerted to her approach.

Darkness paused, just a darker space in an already existing shadow. She could feel he was telling her to be ready. Protector too stopped, making three quick motions, she understood there were three assailants below, and two of them were flanking the entrance to the stairs. Still slowly descending without pause, she signaled for Protector and Trouble to drag away the one on the right, Darkness would do the same for the one on the left.

She launched herself down the stairs, rolling to clear away from the assailants at the base of the stairs. The room erupted into noise as a crossbow bolt was loosed where she would have been. A scream on her right told her the attacker was being dealt with, whereas a grunt on her left told her the left assailant was down. Darkness has always been quick when dealing with fleshy beings, he preferred to suffocate them.

Zira was up and running toward the third person in the room, daggers in both hands. The man she advanced on was a Zutu man in his late thirties with Emerald Green hair, her target. He dropped the crossbow he had been holding, pulling a baton from his belt as she struck first with a dagger in her right hand, then the one in her left. He jumped out of the way of the first, then caught the blade of the second on his baton. He advanced, pulling a second baton from the belt at his back, trying to catch her across the ribs. She jumped back, pulling her blade from the baton it had been lodged in, causing chips of wood to come loose from the weapon.

He didn't let her catch her breath, attacking left, then right, high and low in succession until she was nearly back at the staircase. One of his overhead blows caught the light housing, causing it to swing, making the light in the room sway in kind. Zira realized there was still someone screaming in the room. She chanced a quick glance, Trouble was holding the female assailant by the neck of her shadow just a hands width from the ceiling, Protector pulling on the shadow's legs from below. Anton Reed attacked while her attention was diverted. She blocked his baton while dropping, rolling she sliced the large muscle in his thigh. He grunted in pain, but did not stop his attack, striking for her head. When she rolled back and up onto her feet, he tried to sweep out her legs. She stumbled back instead of falling. As she righted, she found Darkness holding his shadow, keeping him from striking down with his baton.

“Deal with that instead,” She nodded her head toward the corner where the woman struggled to pull invisible hands off the back of her neck. With a jerk, knocking Anton Reed back away from her, Darkness sped off to deal with the screaming woman.

Zira took the moment of confusion to advance on Anton; he had gone white when the invisible hands had gripped his shadow. Having trouble recovering, he managed to swing wildly with one of his batons, warding her off, but before she jumped back, she managed to catch one of her blades in his forearm.

The light housing was swinging slower now, rocking the light back and forth in smaller arcs. The screaming had gone silent. Darkness, Protector and Trouble were now hidden in the flashing shadows around them. The Shades would stay out of it unless she really got herself into trouble.

Zira threw first the knife in her left hand; a bright spark filled the room before they were engulfed in darkness. The clatter of the light housing falling to the floor was the last thing Anton Reed would hear before she threw her second blade, a wet gasping noise in the darkness told her she met her mark. And the thud as his body dropped to the ground, the wet gasping all but subsiding.

She pressed a different carving on her ring, a small dark needle popped out of the ring. She stuck the needle into Anton’s cooling flesh; her vision barely hampered by the darkness in the room. Once the blood sample had been taken, she opened up her HUD, waiting for the results. A ding in the darkness, could be heard before the screen on the HUD read “Blood sample confirmed, belonging to one Anton Reed.” Once the blood was confirmed as her targets, another screen popped up, “Mission Status?” It listed a serious of options from “Escaped,” to “Complete,” Zira clicked on “Complete.”

Before she was done in the room filled with her victims, she had to analyze each of their bodies, sending blood samples back to their Home Base for analysis and reporting of additional mission casualties.

It was sometime later, Zira was sitting by a fountain in Sector 3, a ding drew her attention to her HUD. “Anton Reed eliminated at 22:19 hundred hours on Mune-Fin-827, completed by 12 Zitta Zira Kander, collection team 13 collected the remains of one Anton Reed and three sympathizers.”

Her HUD now off, she looked down into the water of the fountain. Her “on-the-job-look” had run, the sweat from exertion during the fight, causing the marks on her cheeks to smear. She scrubbed the remaining charcoal from her face, water dripping off her chin felt more like tears as she looked into the water. Mother, one of her Shades gripped her in a shadowy hug. Now that the mission was complete, she let herself feel the regret of what she had done, leaning into her Shade’s shadowy embrace.

END