Chapter 15: The Assassin

An eternity seemed to pass between when Lucy's body hit the ground and Holgith's boot crushed through the wooden door of the flat. Even Kahya was stunned into momentary shock by the suddenness of her death. Ballan remembered starkly the look of horrified shock on her face.

Kills-the-Joke had come for his revenge, and, whether by chance or malice, they had ended up directly in his sights. His one good eye was now transfixed on him.

"You should run." He muttered ominously, and then... leapt backwards off the balcony, and flew away. At the same moment, Holgith broke down the door in a shower of splinters.

"Ballan!" Kahya shouted, backing away from Lucy's body. Holgith's head whirled left and right, looking for the threat that had escaped his grasp, as Ballan blanched and followed the sound of Kahya's concern.

Lucy's corpse twitched.

Revolted, Ballan stumbled backwards. Like a puppet whose strings were being forcefully reattached, Lucy's corpse rose up, one limb at a time. As it did so, a rattling cackle emanated from her throat. Halfway to standing, her head snapped forward and her eyes opened, glowing with a deep, malevolent red light.

"That... damn... bird!" She bit out, an insane smile spread across her face which... rippled. As he watched, her stern avonian mask fell away, revealing a pale, dark-haired woman Ballan did not recognize. "So he was here this whole time..." The menace she emanated belied her actual size, and with a shock Ballan realized the wound the bullet had made in her chest had completely closed - though the blood remained. She ran her hand across the bloodstain on her chest, and in a single motion, she manifested a crimson dagger in her hand.

Blood magic.

"Lucy..." Kahya murmured, but the woman shook her head, grinning.

"Oh, come now, we don't really know each other like that." The blade glinted in the half-light. "Call me Lucrecia."

Without another word of warning, she lunged forward.

Kahya leapt backwards, but Ballan - his reflexes unhoned - was too slow to dodge the demonic woman's wide slash. Luckily, Holgith grabbed him by the hood of his cloak and dragged him bodily out of the way. With a wordless roar, Holgith threw Ballan towards the door and hurled himself at Lucrecia. Ballan caught sight of the large orc attempting to shoulder check their assailant, but she dodged nimbly out of the way of his lumbering assault. As she did so, she carved a crimson slash into Holgith's arm, causing him to growl in pain. Unable to catch her, he warded her way with a swing of his axe. Ballan scrambled out of the flat just as Lucrecia turned to watch his escape.

He managed not to lose his footing heading down the stairs into the street, Kahya alighting next to him from the second floor as he did so. He looked up the staircase for a sign that Holgith had followed, but was distracted as the barbarian was thrown from the second floor, landing with a grunt on the cobbles.

"Strong!" Holgith coughed, shaking himself and standing up.

Above them, Lucrecia was already poised to chase. Who was this woman? What did she want with them?

Another gunshot rang through the air, the bullet embedding itself in the building behind Lucrecia's head. Several people on the street screamed and a mad dash away from the scene of the violence ensued. Lucrecia simply glared, unimpressed, at the shadowy form of Kills-the-Joke, lurking on the rooftops. Holgith looked around at their two enemies, grimacing.

"Plan?" He demanded. Ballan suddenly remembered the pirate's warning from earlier.

"Run!" Ballan shouted, and began sprinting down the street.

Lucrecia leapt off the balcony after them as Kills-the-Joke reloaded, and vanished.

Navigating the Burroughs at a breakneck pace was a near impossibility, especially as they tumbled into more populous areas. Lucrecia pursued them as if possessed - a possibility Ballan considered increasingly likely - evading potential obstacles or pitfalls with ease. They were not able to stay ahead of her for long, and though they heard the distant bells of alarm as the Guard mustered, they were far too distant to be of any use.

Ballan had an idea as they reached a three-way fork in the road. With not a moment to spare, he produced his spellbook and traced his fingers along the page. Illusory copies of he and his companions dashed in opposite directions, each shouting at each other, as Ballan directed Kahya and Holgith down the middle fork.

He was hopeful this would delay Lucrecia momentarily - and it seemed to, as they lost sight of her around the corner. Unfortunately for him, he had inadvertently led Kahya and Holgith into a dead end - the street terminated in a cul de sac. Looking around for a way out, Ballan spied a shadow flying overhead. Silently, Kills-the-Joke alighted on the opposite end of the square. Holgith positioned himself menacingly between the Kurkrai and Kahya and Ballan, but Kills-the-Joke did not raise his gun.

"Fine mess you've made of the escape I offered you." Kills-the-Joke taunted, eye flicking towards Holgith. He had tangled with the orc before, and lost, Ballan knew. "If you want to survive this, I'd suggest letting bygones be bygones."

Holgith glanced at Ballan, and Ballan looked at Kahya.

"...He hasn't shot us yet." Ballan pointed out. Kahya grimaced.

"Yet." She replied tensely.

The sound of metal grinding on stone put a stop to any further discussion. Behind them, a support beam collapsed, sending a pile of debris scattering across the road. Lucrecia landed in front of it, before hurling a lanternful of oil and fire at the wood. It went up in flames immediately.

"Finally, some privacy!" She crowed, turning to face them. A third gunshot rang out, striking her squarely in the abdomen. Lucrecia didn't even flinch. She just looked bored. "Your part in this is played, birdy!" She called out to Kills-the-Joke. "Time to exit stage right."

The wind picked up, throwing smoke and ash into their vision. Ballan blinked, and Lucrecia was gone. He looked around wildly, but it was Kahya's sharp senses that intercepted the assassin as she dove through the shadows at Kills-the-Joke. Kahya managed to get in between her and the Kurkrai, and they traded a flurry of blows before Lucrecia forced her back. The long shadows of the growing fire cast over the assassin as they backed away from her to stand beside the pirate.

Ballan heard the click of Kills-the-Joke reloading his weapon casually. A shiver ran down his spine, but a single glance at his temporary ally told Ballan that he was focused entirely on Lucrecia.

"Who is this?" Ballan hissed at Kills-the-Joke, who only narrowed his good eye.

"The personal attack dog of Lord Malcom, and a powerful servant of Zagaroth." Kills-the-Joke explained. "He has 'blessed' her with life eternal, if the rumors are to be believed." By the sound of his voice, he seemed wholly intent on testing the veracity of those rumors.

"Well, at least you're well-informed." Lucrecia commented. "But my God's blessing does not end with eternal life." A wide, sadistic grin spread over her face. "Let me show you."

Ballan did not like the sound of that, but he barely had time to open his spellbook before the shadows began to move around Lucrecia. That was all the warning they had before the darkness lunged bodily forward alongside her, and as it reached them, taking her shape. The only advantage they had - numbers - had been stolen in an instant as each of them had to contend with a shadow of Lucrecia.

And they were badly outmatched.

Kills-the-Joke took to the sky, but in the crowded Burroughs, his mobility was limited and it was all he could do to stay out of Lucrecia's grasp. Holgith, for all his prowess, found it impossible to pin Lucrecia down, the cackling shadow he faced taunting him as her blades danced back and forth across his thick skin. Kahya's agility found its equal, but the savagery of Lucrecia's assault threatened to overpower her.

And Ballan faced down no mere shade, but the assassin herself.

He instinctively cast a protective barrier, but such displays of magic were difficult to maintain for long, and he had precious little time to scramble away from her. As the square filled up with smoke and ash, it became clear to him that her strength in the darkness could not be denied - there was no way to both clear the smoke and banish the shadows.

However, he noticed something immediately about her assault that had his mind turning frantically. For whatever reason, she was toying with them. Whether it was simple sadism or something else, he didn't know - but even when her attacks could have found their mark, she left him unscathed. He did not have the temerity to test that theory in earnest, and the danger his friends - and Kills-the-Joke - were in was very real.

She was too fast, too cunning - anything besides overwhelming power would not succeed in warding her away.

Ballan traced his fingers over a familiar glyph, and turned invisible. Lucrecia laughed hollowly as he did so, swinging wildly where he had been as her eyes began to glow. He had only evaded her for a moment, but in that moment, he had found the page he was looking for, his fingers flipping through the familiar creases of his spellbook.

He needed something more violent than she was, that was faster than darkness. Only one thing came to mind.

He reappeared behind Lucrecia, shouting to get her attention as she whirled to face him.

The barest hint of ozone was all the warning she had before a lightning bolt leapt from the pages of his spellbook, striking her squarely in the chest and blasting her forcefully into a nearby building. The shock of it sent Ballan flying backwards - the bolt had been many times more powerful than he had anticipated, and the thunderous boom that followed briefly deafened him. He was able to keep hold of his spellbook, barely, as he sat up and stared into the hole his spell had blasted into the wood and stone of the nearby building.

That spell... was not supposed to do that.

"Good work!" Holgith shouted, rushing over and dragging him to his feet. He was covered in wounds from his battle with the shade, but moved as though uninjured. Without another word, he ran over to the burning debris and hurled it aside with a roar. Ballan steadied himself and rushed through the opening Holgith had made, making sure Kahya was with them. Briefly, he scanned the darkening skies for a sign of Kills-the-Joke, but the pirate had vanished.

"We don't have time for him." Kahya insisted urgently. Ballan simply nodded, and rushed out of the square alongside her.

They ran as long as they could manage - mostly held back by Ballan's lack of stamina. They stayed out of sight of the Guard and fire brigade both, unwilling to field questions about what, exactly, had just happened. Not that Ballan was sure he could have explained himself even if he had the inclination. This was supposed to have been a simple rendezvous, but it had turned into a trap more deadly than he could have predicted.

Only when they could no longer smell smoke, or hear the commotion of the chaos, did they pause to rest.

They stood beneath the cover of a pair of buildings, taking refuge in a poorly lit alleyway. Holgith, with his orcish ability to see in the dark, kept a weather eye out for intruders, but the wounds were clearly beginning to take their toll. Kahya did what she could to tend to him, but it was clear they would need more than simple bandages to see him restored. Ballan shakily began casting a spell to contact Boots, but the three of them were startled out of their brief rest by a shadow dropping silently to the ground nearby.

Holgith started, and then growled in pain as his wounds prevented him from confronting this new threat. Ballan and Kahya watched the shadowed heap warily for a beat, but when it did not move, Ballan locked eyes with Kahya before approaching.

Kills-the-Joke lay on the ground, unconscious. Ballan did not know much about Kurkrai physiology, but it did not take an expert to see the blood pooling on the stones beneath him.

"By all rights we should leave him here." Kahya commented, when she saw who it was. Ballan grimaced. Maybe she was right... but it would not sit right with him.

"We'd be dead if not for him." Ballan told her. She simply nodded in agreement, and crouched down next to the injured pirate. The shade had nearly split him open, by the looks of it. He would need more medical attention than they could provide here for certain.

If they took him anywhere, though, he would be re-arrested. An ideal outcome, probably... but he was also the only one who knew anything about their deadly assailant.

"Do you think she spoke the truth?" Kahya asked after bandaging Kills-the-Joke wounds as best she could. "About the temple."

"I wouldn't trust a word out of that psychopath's mouth." Ballan replied with a frown. "...Although it is hard to imagine a reason she would lie about... that."

"First, Holgith's tribe, and now the temple... What is the cult of Zagaroth doing?" Kahya shook her head. "How far does their influence extend?"

Ballan remembered what Kills-the-Joke had said. A servant of zagaroth, and the hound of Lord Malcom... He remembered the man, having met him briefly at their luncheon with the Archbishop. He had seemed rather sinister at the time, but was he truly capable of employing someone so... vile? Why would he want them dead?

"We're out of our depth here." Ballan said, and prepared to contact Boots once more. "Let's get back to the tower."

Upon hearing about their plight, Boots made his way to the Burroughs with immediacy to shepherd them to the safety of his tower. He made no mention of the unconscious pirate in their midst as he transported them via flying carpet to safety. When they arrived at the tower, an infirmary had already manifested within the walls for Holgith and Kills-the-Joke to recuperate in.

Ballan spared no detail informing Boots what had transpired. For his part, the normally gregarious archmage was uncharicteristically grim.

"A most troubling development..." Boots grumbled, pouring Ballan a large mug of tea. "While I am loathe to take Kills-the-Joke at his word, if Lord Malcom is truly behind these disturbing events, we must move carefully."

"What do you know about him?" Ballan asked, adding a few scoops of sugar to his cup.

"Precious little, I'm afraid." Boots shook his shaggy, behatted head. "Politics have never been my strong suit. My understanding is that he is a reclusive figure, who is nevertheless an ardent sponsor of the cathedral and Avony in general. His generosity is somewhat legendary."

"So, either he's a true patron of Avonia, or it's all a front for his dealings with Zagaroth." Ballan muttered into his cup.

"It is probably best to be suspicious of anyone in power." Kahya chimed in. She had opted not to sit at the large table, instead pacing nervously. Ballan felt sorry for her. If Lucrecia was to be believed, the friends she had left behind - abandoned - had suffered a terrible fate. She hid it well, but she was deeply hurt by the news.

"A maxim I cannot currently disagree with." Boots grumbled. "Although the Archbishop seemed amenable enough, all things considered. He has a personal relationship with Lord Malcom - perhaps he could provide us with some insight." As he spoke, the scent of roast and carrots began floating down from above. With a wave of his hand, cutlery and dishware began to carry itself down the stairs from the kitchen. After the terror of the last few hours, Ballan felt hunger settle in his stomach like a ravenous beast. "As promised, however - supper is ready!"

Ballan helped himself as Boots magicked a plate into the other room for Holgith. While they were eating, Tilda and Krakkus returned, and Ballan apprised them of the evening's events. Tilda became increasingly agitated as the story went on, eventually stabbing the point of her knife into a roasted carrot out of frustration.

"Lord Malcom wants the arcanum crystals for his own purposes, mark my words!" She declared. "His goons descended on us the moment Trav betrayed us - like he'd been tipped off."

"I saw the man briefly after my capture." Krakkus added. "A sallow and callous individual, by my estimation. I was unimpressed by the content of his character."

"He seemed to be working with the Archbishop and the Guard to retrieve them..." Ballan considered, remembering his brief interaction with the man at the luncheon. He shook his head, and sighed. "Could it really all be a ruse?"

"Well, your pirate friend seems to know a thing or two about his actions." Tilda pointed out. "Hopefully he'll be helpful when he wakes up."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that..." Kahya grumbled, finally sitting down at the table to help herself to some of the food.

"I'm certain he's acting in his own self-interest, but the fact remains that he did help us out today." Ballan grimaced. "Mostly, anyway."

"He blew your knee out, kid." Tilda pointed out.

"...It got better?" Ballan offered, and Tilda just chuckled darkly. "Well, he's the best lead we have. As soon as he wakes up, anyway."

"He may be unconscious for some time, but I have taken measures to ensure that when he does wake up, he remains polite." Boots reassured them, and then addressed Tilda. "How was your investigation today?"

"Well, I was going to start poking around the Burroughs for clues, but wizard wonder here-" She jabbed her knife towards Ballan. "-sort of lit the place on fire. It was swarming with guardspeople, so Daginald and I steered clear." Tilda sighed as she nibbled on a carrot. "I'm beginning to think it's the only place Trav could be holed up, though." She tapped her chin thoughtfully, clearly remembering something. "Though I did catch wind that the Guard were looking for someone that had used lightning magic to blast a hole in a nearby building."

"...No one was hurt, I hope? Besides Lucrecia, anyway." Ballan offered, and Tilda blinked at him before sitting up.

"That was you?" Tilda exclaimed. "To hear the Guard talk about it, an archmage went rogue in the square." Ballan felt both a tinge of regret and pride at the accusation, but swiftly squashed both.

"I have been practicing." He protested. "And I think all it did was slow her down..."

"This assassin's a real piece of work, then?" Tilda asked. Ballan nodded grimly.

"I relish the challenge of taking her down." Krakkus declared heartily. "A servant of such evil forces should not be allowed to freely roam."

"Alright, tone it down big guy - we're doing things my way, remember?" Tilda elbowed her large friend, who simply laughed. "We should lay low for a while - and maybe come up with a bit of magic to detect shapeshifters." She stared pointedly at Ballan, who in turn stared pointedly at Boots.

"I'm sure we can come up with something!" Boots declared, wiggling his claws. Several books floated from the surrounding shelves, and deposited themselves neatly in Ballan's lap. "As soon as my dear apprentice reads all these tomes!"

The stack was tall enough for Ballan to smack his forehead into them with a gentle 'thud'.