It rained like the world wanted to drown.
Golden light was shining out of the mansion's many windows, making the rain glimmer like golden tears. The black blade of a butterfly sword seemed to absorb it, remaining just as dark as the cloaked man who held the dark weapon. He peeked inside the mansion, his face staying in shadow even though it should have been illuminated.
He quickly identified his target among the participants of the extravagant banquet and dove into the shadows. The nobles of various castes were chatting obliviously while he swam trough the banquet's scarce darkness.
Jumping out into the open, the man drew his butterfly sword and swung at his target. However, instead of being cleaved in half, it rippled like water and faded away. Upon realizing he had been tricked, he retreated into the darkness, knowing none of his enemies could follow him there. He noticed a small object flying over him.
'That's weird. They should know grenades can't hurt me while I'm in shadows form.'
A flash accompanied by a loud bang roared trough the mansion's grand hall, lighting up every shadow he could use and blinding him. Next thing he knew, he was up against a wall, several Sun rifles pointed at him.
"Drop your weapons, Shadowborn! You are under arrest for attempted murder!"
He had nowhere to run.
Luckily, the assassin's team anticipated this. The wall behind him exploded, throwing a thick cloud of dust in the air and showering his enemies with chunks of rock.
He used the split second they lost in shock to dive into the shadows again, escaping safely. Meanwhile, his comrades spilled into the building. The guards, still blinded by the smoke, didn't even see them coming. Before the dust could settle, the guards were dead. The assailants fled after saving their friend, leaving no witnesses.
In a dark, secluded alley a man emerged from the depths of darkness. He hurried toward a black van, which was almost unnoticeable in the darkness, eager to get out of the rain. His shoulders slumped as he sat in one of the back seats.
'How many failures will it take? He's just one man. One man!'
He flinched when he heard a sound just outside.
'They told me nobody would be-'
"Hey, Arrik. You okay?"
Arrik relaxed when he heard the familiar, accented voice, letting out a long sigh.
"I'm fine... Just a bit jumpy. The mission isn't over until we get back to base."
The voice came into sight, revealing a wide, short man wearing onyx plate armor. There was an orange glow coming out of the visor. The armor was slightly dented, but that didn't make it any less magnificent. He let out a hearty laugh and said:
"I see you're takin' boss's lessons seriously! He only started coachin' you yesterday and you're already quoting him!"
"I feel like I have to take them seriously. After all, my last mission didn't go that well... Did you manage to find him?"
The armored man shook his head, the visor's light making the shadows around them dance.
"He's like a damn rat. We can never pin him down properly."
Arrik went silent, then asked: "Did we get any new orders?"
"Yup. We wait for the other two, report to Bloodhound, and get the hell out of here."
Arrik nodded silently and got lost in thought, and the other man stood watch. He wasn't bothered by the pouring rain, as the armor radiated heat, evaporating every drop of water that touched him.
"Those slowpokes better get here soon... I'm running out of coolant. Might need some of your mana, Arrik."
Even though the cloaked figure didn't acknowledge his words, he knew Arrik would help if it was needed. A little while later, another silhouette approached them. She stepped into the light, revealing a middle aged woman wearing a dark purple regal dress. She was holding a small umbrella, not big enough to shield the ends of her attire. The armored man greeted her, Arrik snapped out of his thoughts and followed suit. She didn't greet them, only asked a question.
"Did you two, perhaps, find any trace of him?"
"Nothing to report here. Is Garry coming or not? That idiot's late."
"Don't call your brother an idiot, please. It's very unrefined. "
"What else do I call him? He's an idiot with a big hammer."
Arrik let a faint smile show on his face as they continued poking at each other. Their bickering reminded him of simpler days, when his greatest concern was cooking lunch and his hardest duty buying groceries. When he wasn't a solider.
Soon, their last team member approached them. He was a tall, bulky man, his huge biceps glistening in the rain. His short sleeved worker's clothes were soaked, designed for heavy factory work, not the rain. He greeted them with a smile, bringing hope to their faces.
"Guess what I found! Nothing! I'm beginning to wonder if we're chasing shadows."
Seemingly unbothered by the annoyed looks he was being given, he got into the drivers seat.
"Oh, and sorry for being late. I found a clue that led nowhere, so yeah, my bad."
The van, now on it's way out of the middle ring of the Capital, was full of gloom, even Garry's normally unending optimism seemed to run dry. Though their moods improved a little when it stopped raining.
They rode toward their base, planning to report to Bloodhound. As Arrik's thoughtful gaze landed on the sky, he noticed the beauty of a new, sunless day. The sky was clear, not a cloud in sight, the horizon red as blood.
'Why do I feel like something's missing?'
***
In a secluded, silent room, six people sat around a table. Each of their pointy wizard hats and robes of various colors looked rather bizarre, but the men were too ancient to be bothered by such small matters.
"This cannot stand!"
A loud thud echoed trough the vast chamber, shocking the other five participants. Nobody ever slammed their fist in the council of wizards, not as long as any could remember. However, the figure in the dark blue robe just cracked the mighty table that stood there for decades.
"Calm your temper, Marger. We have to keep a cool head while thinking about matters such as these."
"We just lost two of our members, there are weird, unconnected assassinations happening all over the place, and we still don't have any leads on the mess Xanin caused. Everything's going to hell, and you ask of us to think?"
"He's not asking us to think, he's asking us to plan. And I might just have one. We can't do anything for the two idiots, they will have to figure their predicaments on their own, but about the other two problems..."
A third figure raised his voice, stroking the mossy green beard he cultivated trough many ages. He explained his plan to the others, winning their approval with each detail and argument. They have finally come to a universal agreement.
When she heard that, Ella moved her ear away from the door, hurrying down the hallway. It would be better if she wasn't caught, even if one of the wizards was her grandfather. She managed to leave before they could discover her, and she was puzzled by the old men's plan. It fully relied on one man who she knew, and frankly, he was quite dull.
Deep in thought, she bumped into somebody in the hallway. She apologized while lifting her gaze to meet his deep green eyes. Speak of the devil.
"Hi, Merric. Fancy seeing you here."
Before her stood a young man with emerald eyes that starkly conflicted with his dark purple hair. His muscular build, a result of many years of sword training, would be quite alluring to her if it's owner wasn't so dumb.
"Greeting, Ella. The council of wizards called me down here to give me a new mission. What brings you here?"
"I needed some assistance in a certain matter, but since the council is actually holding a conference for once, I've been instructed to wait outside."
"Still, I would have expected you to laze in the numerous comforts of the inner ring. But aren't you a Radiant? You could be studying magic to honor your grandfathers legacy."
"I see you're being productive, venerable mister Merric. If I remember correctly, this is your first combat engagement in about four months. The last one really roughed you up, didn't it?"
He looked away, his eyes darkening a little. He brushed past her, not uttering a single word. Ella regretted her words, as they stung a bit harder than she wanted them to. But it was Merric, he wouldn't fret for long.
'He'll sleep it off.'
Meanwhile, Merric walked down the corridor, wearing an unreadable expression. The conversation looped in his mind, making him a little irritated. Before he got to the meeting room, a translucent figure flew trough a wall and kneeled before him. It looked like a mannequin, it's male body completely devoid of detail, featuring only the face of an old man.
"You have requested my assistance, master."
"Gather information on Ella Trahis. She has been my acquaintance for a while now, but I feel like I never knew enough about her."
The figure simply nodded and dissolved into greyish blue mist, invisible to the human eye. Merric wasn't entirely human. Not anymore.
He finally arrived to the wizards' door. He took a deep breath and knocked, his movements confident and practiced as he entered and bowed to the council. They gave him a formal greeting, holding no respect for someone they saw as an inferior. The wizard in purple broke the silence.
"Your mission is to assassinate the ruler of Serapoth, the crimson king, Bloodhound."