Regis scaled the vines, dropping vertically and grabbing onto the rough, sturdy plants with his hands.
A quick drop, he landed on the bottom.
The lower middle levels. A residence area.
It was not as lively here.
Little heed was paid to Regis as he walked along the streets that were usually deserted at night.
There were only a few late night parties and drunks on either side of the street.
Lighting was scarce, allowing him to discard his flower necklaces.
It was his favourite route.
He knew that the keepers wouldn't pry into the area due to complaints by the local populace.
The entrance to the secret passage is just down the street.
If it weren't for the baggy loot, he would have stopped to buy a pint and another stick.
He let out a yawn. The drug he took to keep him awake through the night was starting to wear off.
"I hope I still have some meat left in the back. Heck, this thing better buy me a full warehouse of them."
He wandered down the quiet street. The singing of a drunk bard under a hearthstone lantern.
He stopped abruptly. He felt a brief disturbance in the wind.
He turned the corner.
With his shadowmeld active, he is basically imperceptible whenever anywhere outside the light.
He began walking in a jagged path.
The sparse lanterns provide a path through the darkness.
He waits in a corner, unable to shake off the sense that he was being followed.
It was a common tactic. Movement gives away one's position.
If he waits patiently enough, his followers always reveal themselves.
"Rurr…."
He looked around. No sign of any opposing assassins.
"Just a stray cat?"
He closed his eyes and meditated, remaining completely still. His breathing slowed. The movements were so minimal that makes him intangible to an adept mana sense.
"Meow!"
With quick reflexes, he swung his blade.
Clang! It hit something. It felt like a claw.
The scraping sound of polished steel against what felt like hardened bone.
Shadow dash.
He dashed into the open space to avoid being pinned to the wall.
His attacker came into view.
The texture of its fur coat barely visible in the dim light.
It lunged at him.
Its claws grabbed onto his sword.
He dodged to the side, allowing the beastkin's momentum to swing past him.
Shadow dash.
He drew his blade as the beastkin grabbed onto the scabbard, allowing him to break free from its grasp.
As the breastkin regained its balance, he shot his grapple hook and retrieved, pulling open the distance between them.
"Hey! Look! What's that!?"
He leapt over a late night party going on below.
The reflection on the well polished steel glimmering in the moonlight shining through the gaps in the web of bridges above.
"Meow! What's that you're wearing!? Meow knew that scent was familiar. Hey! Would ya mind telling me where you get it from?"
"Shit"
He barely made it to the next building before the beastkin emerged onto the skyline behind him.
"Meow! Yeah! That's right! Get rid of that cloak so I can see it. Hey! Buddy! Meow! Do you not know what you're putting on? Meow! Do you really, really not know?"
Regis felt a sudden vacuum corridor forming around him. He dodged to the side at the last moment. He felt the raging sting of the slicing wind drill flying past him missing him just by a hair.
"Yep! That smells familiar alright! Hey! Pervert! Yeah you! What's wrong with you? Jumping around the night wearing that over your body! What by the great mother is wrong with you? Meow!"
The beastkin circles around and catches up to him.
Clank! Clank! The sound of claws clashing against the steel.
His foe attacks in random, irregular patterns but each strike had the force behind it that would rip through to his flesh.
"Meow! Hey! You fight pretty well! Meow! Why are you doing this? Parading it around at night? Did someone hire you!? Who? Tell me. Tell me. Tell me. Meow!"
Quick swings with his wrist. His light blade met each of the wild swings. The residual wind scratched leather on his arm.
"Hey! Buddy! Hey! Meow! What have you been doing with it? Pervert! Eggplant! Dough head! Meow! Did you like having that wrapped around your body!?"
Keeping the blade close to his chest, Regis made quick jabs to deflect the constant flurry of blows.
The beastkin backs off for a moment.
He could sense the wind gathering around her.
A thick fog suddenly appeared as a smoke bomb was detonated.
Shadow clone.
He and the clone dashed off in opposite directions.
As he hopped onto the next building, a wide sweep of wind barreled down on him.
He planked flat on the ground at the last second.
The sound of wind scratching against his prize on his back.
"Shit. I have to get out of here."
Clank! Clank! The beastkin was on him again, engaging him in a melee.
"Nice trick! Meow! I can smell you! Hikari's gym smell. I can still smell it through the soap. Is that what you perverts get off to!?"
Dash.
He used his mana to create a burst of speed as the beastkin would not be fooled by his clone.
"Smell. Where can I find something to disrupt its smell? The market place?"
He reached the pillar of vines. His grapple hook got him halfway up the pillar.
The beastkin followed close behind.
"Meow! Trying to get away into a crowd? I can still smell you ya know! Meow! That's how strong the smell is."
Dash. Regis dodged upwards as the beast pounced.
Dash. Dash. In terms of mobility, his foe's mastery of the wind gave her an advantage, though not a completely unsurmountable one.
He barely made it to the top by expending his mana and mingled with the crowd.
"Hey! What gives?" "Is that a man running around wrapped in an underwear?"
"Meow! Come back here! Stop running through the crowd with it! It's embarrassing!"
The chase continued through the crowd. The zigzag path neutralized much of the speed gap.
"It can't catch me like this, but I'll run out of stamina before it does."
They reached a market place. Rows upon rows of merchant stands peddling their wares.
"Hey! Pervert! Why don't you just give it! Give it. Give it. I can't track you without the smell! Or do you like the smell too much?"
Regis jumped over a fish stand, grabbed one and tossed it at his pursuer who swiped it aside.
"Nice try! I don't eat fish! Now give it."
Whoosh. Another smoke bomb went off.
"This trick again? I can still see you?"
As the beastkin cleared the smoke screen, a fistful of spices was thrown at her.
"Ah… Choo!" She sneezed.
The brief window where she was stopped, her prey had disappeared.
She raised her nose to the wind.
There. She locked herself into the trail again.
"That's not going to stop me buddy! Meow!"
She followed it out of the market place. Her prey was standing at a fork to two alleyways facing her confidently.
"Hey! Wait a minute, what's the deal here?"
She prowled low and approached carefully, scanning the area for anything untoward.
Shadow clone. The assassin split into two copies, one going into each alleyway.
"This one again? It ain't going to work!" She followed the scent.
She caught up to the assassin and pounced him.
The clone dissipated into thin air between her claws.
"Huh?"
She lifted her nose and sniffed. The scent was still strong around her but her prey was nowhere to be seen.
"Meow. That's strange."
Then, she looked up and saw the source.
A white piece of cloth tied to a beam, glimmering in the moonlight, fluttering in the wind.