The thin one and the fat one came marching . Before they could spot me, I thought, better get out of here. Luckily, the old man in front of me had a head and shoulders broad enough to hide me, so I stayed low. The two fools went straight to their captain, like kids caught stealing mangoes.
That was my chance. I slipped a bronze coin into the old man's hand and stood up, moving quiet as a cat.
"What's this I hear? You lost the prisoners to Khonaz?" the captain barked.
"Sorry, Captain Bullgruff," the thin one stammered, already on his knees. "They were too many. We almost had them, but some blond fellow pulled a trick in the middle of the fight, and we had to retreat."
The fat one bobbed his head like a pigeon. "Otherwise we'd have finished the job, Captain."
"Useless fools!" Bullgruff roared, slamming the table with his fist.
Both , dropped to the ground, heads down and backsides up, trying to save their skins before Captain Bullgruff's wrath. But from that ridiculous bow, their beady eyes spotted me through the gap between their legs.
"There he is!" they shouted together. "That's the man who helped the ninjas!"
Well, luck is not my servant. I pulled the door open and slipped outside. Zaman shot his sticky web, pinning the door to the wall. "Wee, this will hold them for a while," he chuckled.
A crash followed. Then Bullgruff's thunder: "What are you staring at, fool? Go get him!" The door slammed again and again, until the captain smashed it down with one punch. The wood burst into matchsticks. By then, I was already running, boots hammering on stone, climbing a wall and scrambling onto the rooftops.
The sun was sinking, the sky painted red. For a moment, I thought I had left them behind.
That's when he dropped in front of me.
A man with long, glossy black hair, combed so fine you'd think he carried a mirror on his back. In his hand, a cord spun, and at the end swung a blade that glimmered like a snake's fang.
He twirled it once, and the air hissed.
I raised my sword, breathing heavy. "Another one."
He smiled. "Not another. The last."
The cord shot forward. I rolled aside, tiles cracking where I had stood. The blade snapped back, slashing across my chest. Pain exploded through my ribs. He jerked the cord again, the weapon circling like a hawk.
I lunged, swinging my sword low. Sparks rang as steel met steel. The cord wrapped around my blade, pulling me close. His knife-edge pressed near my throat.
I gritted my teeth and shoved. My blade slid free, cutting across his shoulder. For a second, the strike left a faint glow in the air, like a line of moonlight. He blinked, surprised. So did I.
"What trick is that?" he hissed.
"Wish I knew," I muttered.
He roared and swung wild. The cord smashed into a chimney, sending bricks tumbling. I dashed in, slashing left, right, desperate to end it. He blocked, the cord wrapping around my arm, cutting deep. My blood spilled across the tiles.
Both of us staggered, gasping, half-dead already. Night crept in; the town below lit with lanterns.
"Die!" he shouted, pulling the cord tight.
"Not today." I twisted, ripped my arm free, and brought my blade down in one last arc.
The glow flashed again, faint but sharp, tracing the swing through the dark. The cut tore across his chest. He stumbled, dropped his cord, and fell to his knees. His black hair spread across the tiles like spilled ink. Then he toppled, motionless.
I swayed on my feet, blood dripping down my side. My hands shook. The blade in my grip hummed faintly, but gave no answers.
Then came the sound, boots on wood, voices shouting. One by one, shadows climbed onto the rooftops. The thin one, the fat one, and behind them a dozen more. And in the middle, Captain Bullgruff himself, fists bigger than my head, face burning like fire.
The cord-man was finished. But now the whole crew had arrived, and night was just beginning.
Author here,
Comment guys ༎ຶ°^°°༎ຶ