4 years later…
As he crouched, cloaked in the shadows of an alleyway in the tavern district of Laramea, a rapidly growing 12-year-old Lawk extended his awareness to its absolute known limits all around him. And, then he pushed a little further, striving to improve as always. His master, the Left Hand had explained to him that this was a rare gift, one which rarely manifested in one so young and never to such a degree. Instantly noting the asset for what it was, he had encouraged the boy to endeavor to improve it further. And, he complied with vigor, meeting and surpassing all expectations.
By this point, the peculiar youth was able to mentally map his surroundings, as if seeing them in real time, without directly gazing upon them. He could pinpoint the sources of sounds, detect movement, and even notice fluctuations in any forms of energy, arcane or otherwise. The Left Hand expected it had something to do with his unique eyes, considering that when he did this, they glowed so brightly that the boy had begun to not only close them but also to wear an enchanted blindfold preventing their silvery light from escaping and giving away his position. In fact, the boy had become so determined to train the skill further that he never removed the blindfold in public. A rumor had begun to spread that Lawk had experienced a tragic accident and lost his sight. Though, those who’d kept a closer eye on him, had other suspicions, considering he never so much as missed a step or bumped into passersby, when permitting himself to be seen.
This day, however, was not one on which he was allowed to be observed. He was in the midst of his final test for daytime stealth mastery, which also happened to be his first mission in the service of his master and the crown. Over the past 4 years, there had been no further signs of the Dim Daggers, until 3 days prior, when John had experienced yet another attempt on his life. This time, however, he had not been caught off guard. The Royal Ranger had been training tirelessly, and teaching his adopted son and the young princess, as well as putting the Lartiso twins through their paces over the past 4 years. This had honed his skills past the point they had been at during his prime. Apparently, the peaceful times had led to some complacency he hadn’t truly noticed, until the first two attempts on his life occurred. And, a new fire had been kindled in the man. He was once again in his prime, faster and sharper than ever.
Despite this, however, the assassin that had been selected managed to escape, having been more wary and better prepared than the previous attackers. This time, the man sent was quite the cut above the previous individuals assigned to do John in. It would appear the Dim Daggers had begun to take the royal ranger seriously. And, whoever had paid them, had vast amounts of wealth at their disposal, in order to afford one of the elite Daggers, especially after two prior failed attempts, which had already doubled the price twice.
This time, the assassin had done his due diligence. He had bided his time, done his research, and struck when he deemed circumstances to be in his favor. Unfortunately for this Dagger, however, John’s training was not something he had been able to observe much at all, for risk of discovery. There was an odd, blindfolded boy that always appeared, seemingly looking in his direction, despite the lack of sight. And, the feeling that youth instilled in him made his skin crawl. Though, he could not understand why. Regardless, he was unable to accurately gain his target’s measure. And, he had paid the price for it, receiving a deep slash across his left arm, and another across his back, before he managed to slip away into the shadows.
Or so he thought…
Unbeknownst to the assassin, Lawk had been on his way home from training with the Left Hand, when the Dagger had struck, and he’d witnessed the latter half of the brief exchange, as the killer was driven off. Lawk had tailed the man back to his hideout, as the alarm was raised, and waited for his master to appear, as he suspected he would. Sure enough, deep into the night, he sensed the Left Hand approaching. Or, rather, he sensed an absence of a presence enter into his area of awareness and silently approach. There was only one man who could nearly slip past his senses in the city at this point, though he was beginning to be able to detect him better as well; so, Lawk raised a hand into the stealth master’s line of sight to signal in the coded, rapid sign language he had been taught. The Left Hand signaled back that his final exam for nighttime stealth mastery was considered complete, but that his daytime stealth exam would begin at dawn. He would take over from here for the night, and they would switch off with each other at dawn and dusk over the ensuing days to gather any and all possible intel.
***
And so, we arrive back at the present. Lawk was on the fourth day of his exam. The sun had barely risen, and it appeared the Dim Dagger had healed enough to resume his mission. Unbeknownst to him, however, he was destined to fail…
An hour later, Lawk found himself entering a wing of Laramea Keep that was currently undergoing renovations. It did not take a boy prodigy to realize that this did not bode well. Someone residing in or with access to the castle was the man’s contact. Having explored every nook and cranny of the keep over the years, Lawk was intimately familiar with every passageway, both commonly known and hidden. So, tailing this man, and remaining undetected became child’s play upon entering the castle grounds. After all, the young warrior assassin in training’s favorite pastime in the few hours he did not spend training, was actually also training in a way.
Lawk loved to play hide and seek with Lana, and their favorite location to do so was the keep. Lana’s mischievous and youthful personality had found it infinitely amusing to startle anyone who happened upon the location of their game, and she had become known as the Princess Poltergeist for all of her pranks. Lawk, on the other hand, did not partake in Lana’s pranking intentionally, but he still startled people on occasion, wherever he neglected to warn of his approach. But, the events of this particular day would gain him his own reputation and nickname.
***
“Lord Hand,” the assassin greeted with a subtly mocking bow.
“Dagger,” returned the voice of none other than the king’s trusted Right Hand. Though, it had lost its dignified tone, and the haughty sneer on his face was practically audible. “Why does the ranger yet live?”
“Why did you not properly warn me of his level of combat proficiency?”
“Please, that man’s supposedly legendary feats were all largely luck, and his abilities have long since waned. He should have been easy pickings. Perhaps, you, like him, are no longer capable of living up to your reputation.”
“If he is such an easy mark, why do you not confront him yourself?”
“Such work is beneath one of my station. I would have thought one of your profession would be grateful for the opportunity and the coin. Killing the so-called legendary Royal Ranger John Brahm would certainly raise your rate, absurdly high as it already is, would it not?”
“It would,” the assassin gritted out slowly, clearly angry at the derision.
“Well, then, get back to work, and stop wasting my time.” The Right Hand commanded, the sneer deepening and the disgust beyond clear in his tone by this point.
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“No.” The Dim Dagger’s reply was simple but unwavering.
The Right Hand’s face turned red with anger as he restrained himself from yelling, before replying, “I have paid you more than a fair sum to complete this job, and you have failed to uphold your side of the bargain.”
“As you know, the Dim Daggers reserve the right to call off all missions and return your fee in full, should we deem it insufficient for the risk involved.” As he said this, the assassin pulled a coin pouch out of his pocket, and tossed it to the furious man.”
Gripping the pouch tightly, the Right Hand inquired, gritting his teeth through every word, “And, how much, pray tell, would it cost me to have you finish the job?”
“You do not possess the coin. Though, you may be able to offer one or more of my colleagues a sufficient amount, should your coffers be up to the task.” At the last few words, it was the assassin’s turn to sneer derisively.
“How much?”
“Make an offer, and I will pass it along.”
“Would double suffice?”
The assassin clicked his tongue a few times in quick succession before saying, “Ah, ah, ah, let’s not be cheap now. We wouldn’t want you to earn a much deserved reputation, now would we?”
The Right Hand’s right hand gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, as he barely restrained himself from drawing on the man in front of him, before he replied, “Fine. Triple then.”
“Seems reasonable enough, as they, at least, will have fair warning of the difficulty.” The Dim Dagger’s eyes bore into the Right Hand with barely restrained killing intent at these last words. And, a moment later, the man slipped into the shadows and disappeared before the Right Hand’s very eyes, as he made his exit.
It was, however, much more difficult to escape Lawk’s senses. The youth silently descended upon the Right Hand, rapidly hamstringing him at the exposed area behind both his knees, before disappearing once more, and following the assassin. That should hopefully help serve as evidence of the man’s treachery, when he inevitably lied about how he obtained his injuries. Lawk had, after all, cut him in a very distinct pattern. But, that was a concern for later. For now, it was time to hunt an assassin…
***
“That pompous ass!” the Dim Dagger raged internally. “If ever there is a contract on him, I will gladly fulfill it free of charge!”
Lawk followed the assassin, who appeared to be somewhat distracted at times, despite never faltering in his graceful and mindful movements, swiftly moving from shadow to shadow, interposing objects between himself and any onlookers. But, there were moments when Lawk felt he could sense the man struggling internally. Though, this could be a trap as well, subtle though it may be. So, he waited, following and observing the trained killer’s every movement.
The youth calmly and calculatingly assessed his situation, a train of thoughts flowing through his mind in the blink of an eye, “Hmm…something is definitely off about this one. Master Left didn’t want me to engage him, but I can’t simply let him flee. And, if he is distracted even in the slightest, my odds of success increase. Additionally, if someone with as much respect and authority as the Right Hand is behind this, there could be any number of traitors in the ranks of the guard and Laramea as a whole. No, I am sorry, Master Left, but I must take action.”
Lawk waited for the first opportune moment to strike and descended upon the assassin from a rooftop in utter silence, just as the man was briefly in the open, transitioning from one shadow to the next. The youth’s movements were graceful. His timing was perfect. He brought his opthenium hunting knife, which never left his side, down in a lightning fast slash, hamstringing the man’s left thigh and slowing him down rather than risking it all by going for the neck and chancing his shadow being seen with the late morning sun overhead. The skillful manner in which the veteran assassin moved simply did not allow for a killing blow to be the opening salvo. But, the hamstringing would do.
Caught off guard, the assassin permitted a brief grunt of pain to escape his lips, and he lost his footing for the briefest of moments, not even managing to glimpse the source of his wound. “It’s deep,” he thought, calculatingly as all distraction left him, and he somehow managed to dance gracefully into the shadow he had intended, despite his wound. “I’m gonna show whoever cut me why they call me the Shimmer, hamstrung on one leg or not. They won’t get close again,” he reassured himself. But, there was an inkling of doubt. No one had ever laid a finger on him without being seen, not even the current Grand Master of Dim and Daggers.
Lawk observed his target, calculating his next move, “I had hoped that would slow him further and provide an opening. But, if anything this man has just become more dangerous, despite the loss of significant function of one leg. It seems he is trained to move swiftly while avoiding putting weight on an injured leg. I suppose I’ll have to cut into the other one. Though, he is likely expecting that.” Within the briefest of time spans, a plan formed in the young warrior assassin’s mind.
Lawk utilized one of the first tricks his master had taught him, wielding his intent to convince the enemy he was approaching from a different location than he truly was. The youth made the assassin feel like someone was approaching from behind to hamstring his other leg, while simultaneously, he approached from the front. As the assassin spun, he caught a glimpse of the boy, and immediately regretted his movement. He could not plant his injured leg to quickly change direction. Instead, the killer was forced to swing both arms wielding his daggers to parry and counter. What he didn’t expect however, was for this to be Lawk’s plan all along.
As the Dim Dagger’s arms swung around, Lawk ducked under the first swing, slipping inside the man’s guard, and simultaneously raising and slicing his opthenium blade through the air to block the counterstrike from the second arm. In the blink of an eye, the youth was rolling away again and had disappeared into shadow once more. But, this was not before his hunting knife made contact, severing the tendons and ligaments in the assassin’s wrist, rendering the hand useless and causing his dagger to clatter noisily onto the cobbled street.
The attack, having taken place with timing such that the assassin had been forced to remain exposed long enough to be noticed by passersby, but the clattering of his dagger to the floor revealed his presence to all. Slipping into shadow, especially wounded twice over as he was and with a pursuer who lurked in shadows was no longer his best option.
Instead, he used his good leg to burst forward into a leap and roll toward the nearest person, coming to a crouch behind them with his remaining dagger at their throat. “You’re going to let me go, or this woman will pay the price for your audacity. That blood will be on your hands!”
Instead of replying, Lawk swiftly, silently, and without being detected slipped around to better position himself for his next attack. Meanwhile, the Dim Dagger, leaning on his hostage for support, began limping toward the nearest exit gates at a quick pace. Since, the youth had anticipated this and moved ahead, he was already in position and ready to end the fight. Seemingly appearing out of thin air, Lawk was suddenly in front of the assassin in a blur of motion, his opthenium blade already between the killer’s dagger and his hostage, striking outward aiming to sever fingers, while his other hand wielding his own dagger, was plunging upward into the base of the skull, killing the assassin almost instantly. And, as quickly as he had appeared, he disappeared, not wishing for his identity to be revealed. He was masked and cloaked in the same manner as the Left Hand, but to chance being questioned was not an option. Instead, he returned to the shadows and waited for his master to appear, as he knew the man would.
***
“Well done, Lawk. It would appear you have passed your daytime stealth exam. I have nothing left to teach you at this point. The rest you will learn on the job. Your primary mission from this point on will be ensuring the safety of Lana, but I will assign you other tasks quite often. This way you will accumulate experience and continue to hone yourself. Never cease to strive for improvement.” The Left Hand’s tone was mostly unreadable as usual, but Lawk thought he detected a bit of pride in his master’s voice nonetheless.
“But, that is beside the point now. Recount to me in detail all that has occurred.”
So, he did, in his exceptionally detailed fashion. When the Left Hand learned of the RIght Hand’s betrayal, Lawk was able to plainly read the man’s emotions for the first time. He felt pure, unadulterated bloodlust emanate from his master in a powerful wave before the man regained control. It happened so quickly that had he not been so confident in his senses, Lawk might have doubted that the feeling had occurred at all.
The Left Hand made a brief appearance, rattling off orders to the first guards to arrive, before slipping away again and signaling for Lawk to follow. They had an appointment with a king and a traitor.