Swish-swish
The night, a hunting time for predators, now seemed too quiet on Ash Mountain, a mountain range that separates the Great Meadow from the Bacia Kingdom, famous for its volcano that has yet to run out of its life.
A massive cloud swirled above it. The forest was dark—too dark from the lack of moonlight.
Pitter-patter.
The rain started to fall, and water droplets hit the ground hard, breaking the stillness of the silence. Deep in the foot of the mountain, a wooden cabin—out of place in this wildness—stood with its light on, signaling that someone was inside.
"Pant... Father... please... leave me here." The girl's pale skin, unnatural. Her hair, as white as could be, had lost its usual luster a long time ago.
Now sickly-looking, her red eyes—like freshly spilled blood—shone brightly with determination.
Her mouth quivered, a sign of her struggle, but she pressed on. She hoped to convince the one she loved most: her father.
Her hand rose, skinny and trembling, as she held her father's hand.
"I know... pant... that my time... isn't much left." Her mouth, dry, curled into a comforting smile. It looked so strong, if not for the tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.
She was afraid. She was just a girl, after all. How could anyone not be in the face of death? We are all afraid, just as she was.
And that hurt him more than anything he had ever known.
He, the White Assassin, respected by none but feared by all, now felt like a failure as a father and as a man.
He sat there helplessly, watching his loved one start to drift from him—once again.
The pain dug deep inside his heart like a hot iron dagger. It twisted, but would not let him spew out the blood. It was so painful he could die choking on his own blood, yet he was forced to live as his tears slid from his dull gray eyes. Once cool and emotionless, his eyes now held a thousand emotions he couldn't contain.
"No, Malin, my dear." He held her hand firmly, as if she could slip away at any moment. His shoulders dropped like a man defeated.
"I am not going anywhere."
He simply closed his eyes as he comforted his daughter to sleep, his senses tingling.
'They're coming'
' for me.'
He was not a believer, but now he prayed.
He prayed for someone or something.
Please, help this lost lamb.
–––
The night, as silent as it was, was broken by the sound of insects and beasts hastily finding a shelter from the rain or—something big.
Dante looked around warily. He walked along the natural road now, venturing here alone with a flashlight to illuminate his way in this deep part of Ash Mountain.
The trees here were bigger and taller than usual. The volcanic soil here increased fertility more than enough, he figured.
"It's going to take all day if I keep this up," he murmured, half-joking, half-serious, as he kicked the stone in front of him with a 'thuck thuck' sound.
He looked up at the raining clouds as his rainproof cloak swayed against the wind, specifically at a thick tree branch, as an idea struck him.
'Should I climb?' With a shake of his head, he focused on enchanting his legs.
Bam! he jumped, his face hitting a tree first as he started to fall.
"Fucking hurt, damn it!"
He swung his hand wildly as he latched onto the thick tree branch he was aiming for.
"Hmph!" He helped himself up, repeating the action a couple of times before reaching the highest tree branch—as high as he could. The view up here was—yeah, just as he thought—too dark.
He couldn't see much up here, especially with the persistent rain. But then something in the corner of his eyes caught his attention, and something inside his brain clicked.
"Damn it! They've already found him!" Dante exclaimed. He wanted to drop down and run, but with how dark it was and how high the trees were, he couldn't risk getting lost.
So his only choice was to travel up here while looking in the direction where he'd spotted the white light earlier. He hesitated to jump on the tree branch with his shitty mana control now. But he had no time. The fight had already started. It left him with no choice, so he reinforced his legs again as he prepared to jump.
'Don't think! Just let it go!' he thought as he jumped. The wind brushed past him as he flew through the air, landing clumsily on the next tree, almost slipping off.
"Hah!" He hastily balanced himself as he gained some distance, preparing for another jump when the white light exploded ahead, signaling the fight was getting heated.
"Shit, shit! Shit!"
Dante made another jump, this one better than the last.
"Don't stop!" Dante told himself as he landed on the next one and immediately jumped to another. His pace started to quicken as he got the hang of it, but the fight ahead was getting more and more desperate. He had to move as quickly as he could before everything he had done became useless.
---
'I wish I could use Burst Steps here! But it's too quick for me to really control the direction. Normally, I just use it in a straight damn line!' Dante grimaced as he made another jump. He was getting closer to the mountain foot now as the trees started to thin out.
Fire whistled ahead of him now, as he started to notice the silhouettes of people fighting.
'Fuck it! Now or never!' he thought as he gritted his teeth. He used the Burst Step while reinforcing his legs with mana.
'If I use it all together, it will probably send me flying with extreme speed but no control over where my body is heading. My eyes basically can't keep up with this kind of speed at all, so forget about controlling it in the first place!'
A blue flame ignited behind his toes, bursting at the same time he stamped the tree branch with his mana-reinforced legs—so hard that he broke the thick tree branch.
He was sent flying, literally. The burst sent him flying so fast that his surroundings became a blur. So fast he saw the ground getting so close. He really meant it.
'Shit!' He crashed into the ground hard.
Crack!
'Ah, my ribs just cracked, didn't they?'
The taste of iron filled his mouth as his body rolled forward to bleed off some speed before he sprang to his feet and started running, maintaining the momentum that carried him there.
With every step, the pain intensified, but he didn't stop— He couldn't stop.
He unsheathed his daggers from behind his waist as his eyes started to see things clearly. The battle scene ahead was 'Chaos,' that was the only word he could use to describe it.
Bodies lay discarded here and there, eight in total. The floor was burned despite the rain. Cracks ran across it like something big had cut through it. Three figures were still fighting ahead as Dante got closer and closer to the clearing ahead.
'I have to get the timing right! Not too fast, or they'll notice me too soon, and not too late, or I can't land a fatal blow!'
His muscles tensed, his hands clenching around the hilt of his daggers.
'Now!'
He took a deep breath as he activated something he hadn't used much since he had come here. His blue hair swayed, wet from the rain, as he had long since discarded his rainproof cloak a while ago. Pink eyes shone with determination.
St. Elmo's!
---
Chang! Chang!
Axel didn't know how many times he had dealt with assassins that Savalion royalty had sent to finish him off.
And this wouldn't be the last. The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth as he used his trusted daggers to deflect another blow from the assassin on his left.
His daggers were curved with red blades, and a black, mist-like shape jutted out from the middle of the blades.
The other assassin—a woman—thrust her sword at him, aiming for his eye. 'The Assassin's Way.' Axel stepped forward, swayed to the left, and feinted a slash at the woman's stomach before he vanished.
The woman's eyes wavered as she hastily attempted to block with her sword before he vanished.
'Blink' He reappeared behind the woman as his skill activated. His dagger rose, but a lash came first, binding his hand as the assassin tugged hard. Losing his balance as the woman turned, swiftly brought her sword down.
'Perfect coordination.'
Axel parried the woman's blow, letting the lash drag him forward as he used its momentum to spin on his feet and kick the woman, who was still recovering her balance.
"Kugah!"
The force from the mana-reinforced kick left her momentarily dazed, but she recovered fast—too fast, as she grabbed his knee with her hands.
"D68, do it now!"
Frost started to freeze his leg as the lash-holding assassin nodded wordlessly, letting the lightning dance along the lash as it kissed his skin.
His internal organs burned, but his face showed nothing. His brown hair, clinging messily from the rain, as he murmured, "Light Cross." He then jumped on one leg, spinning as his toe connected with the woman's jaw, sending her flying with a 'Bam!'
"Kugh! It's his unique skill!" the woman warned as she balanced mid-air.
The white light swirled rapidly, forming a cross shape. Its edges, shaped like a blade, plunged down with lightning speed at Axel's command.
"Roger!, boss," D68 nodded as he jumped back, avoiding the Light Cross—a long, high-reaching attack as tall as a human torso. If, by any chance, D68 had been slower than this, he would have been screwed from his head to his toe by it.
Axel's breath had long since been ragged. Mist spewed from his mouth from the cold rain. His mana was now running dangerously low now.
He had a slash along his shoulder, a hole in his thigh, and scorch marks on his back left by a fallen enemy, but he held firm, still standing for his pride and his daughter.
The sight of her face, pale and hurt, made the pain he now felt feel like nothing.
"Going," he muttered as he swirled his blades. He lowered his center of gravity. 'Flash Steps'
Light danced around his legs as he dashed forward with lightning speed. The woman, 'Boss' as she'd been called, her eyes wild, cursed.
"Monster!"
She lashed out with a wild horizontal slash in front of her.
Axel ducked low, looking up as his dagger came up swiftly, slicing the woman's arm clean off.
"Fuck!" The Boss cursed. Her eyes, green behind the black hood, shone with madness as she smiled.
Axel's eyes went wide as he noticed it too late. The toll of fighting had made his judgment lapse. The woman, instead of backing away, stepped forward to receive a direct thrust into her heart.
"...Frost Touch."
His heart sank as the woman's dying whispering brushed his ear. Her hand hugged his.
'Her skill.'
The frost now spread from her hand, biting down on his muscles and making him immovable.
And that was bad,he meant really Bad. He looked back, and the sight made him grimace as D68 Charging straight at him. A dagger laced with a green substance dripped from it. Poison.
"Hah! Die, you bastard!"