Chapter 1: The Story Begins

It was not the sun streaming through the windows of the cottage that woke her. Rather, it was the conspicuous silence that jerked Naimee into consiousness. Mushmom could be relied upon, even more than any rooster could, to pound the ground every sunrise as a greeting to the sun. Could. For two days now, it had been gone... sent on its way by about fifty steely throwing stars.

Naimee got up and wrapped her bathrobe around herself, wondering for the nth time just who was in charge of obtaining and distributing supplies. She didn't know, of course. In a professional community such as the Grosjager, everything was compartmentalized for very practical reasons. First, if any Grosjagian was captured, the information possibly extracted out from that doomed soul would be limited. Secondly, people like Naimee would not be able to kill off the suppliers.

What Naimee did know, though, was that her robe was too tight and too short. In another place, it might possibly have been described as "sexy", but if she wanted to show off her body she would have went to work in the pubs of Kerning City. Luxuries were lacking, but then Naimee didn't join Grosjager for material comforts. In any case, with a few years and a few kills she would advance in rank, and only then could she start thinking about pulling her authority around with respect to accomadations.

Preparation for a mission was almost a ritual. Before doing anything else, Naimee picked up her quiver from beside the bed and selected two long, deadly steel bolts. She placed them gently beside her crossbow. Next, she washed herself - using only water from a pitcher fetched the night before, and therefore freezing cold. Her right-hand glove was the first proper article of clothing she put on. The water still on her hand would soften the leather, making it more supple and sensitive to her grip.

The rest of her armour, in shades of olive green and gold, quickly followed suit. Naimee picked up her crossbow and the two bolts and walked out of the cottage. The door was not locked. There was no point, since after every mission Grosjager operatives changed locations to reduce the risk of being captured. There was also nothing of value left inside, anyway.

Naimee took a shortcut through the forest and shortly arrived in Heneseys proper. Everyone's first mission was in Heneseys. It was perversely proper, that the crossbow-wielding assasins should first demonstrate their prowess in the town of archery... From the very first Grosjagian, the now-retired SteveoArcher (a.k.a. Colonel Steve), to the current Commander, Daar, to the newest member (her) - everyone's first mission was in Heneseys.

The mission briefing played itself out in her head again. Target - Laoprada... 50-something hunter, a disciple of Boter... should have deadened reflexes because of that... client, KoM, as usual... Like all other organizations, KoM had occasionally needed certain targets eliminated, and with a clean reputation to maintain coupled with a mind-boggling large treasury, the secrecy of the Grosjager best served this particular purpose. Not that the Grosjager was a mercenary group, of course. As a disciple of Boter, Laoprada would have been targeted eventually, and now his priority was merely bumped up.

Returning from a bout in the Ant Tunnel, Laoprada would be hailed as a hero by most - except for the Knights o.M., who knew of his illegal association with Boter. They had also insisted on sending an observer to "verify" the death. Totally unneccessary. That punk-wannabe oaf, Ashrey, had been sent to observe and to signal the sniper (Grosjager snipers never let their identities be known), but Naimee had already decided the parade would certainly be a better indicator of Laoprada's arrival than any signal.

Finally, Naimee reached the house known as "Maya's house". The poor girl - she suffered from a chronic cough - she made bamboo hats for a living, and no one ever visited her except for a few misguided travelers who then went off on some ridiculous quest to find medicine for her. The locals simply avoided Maya and her cough. Knock knock.

After a while, the door opened. "Who are-" Naimee struck a quick blow to Maya's neck, rendering her unconscious for a few hours. Naimee went upstairs, to the window, and got to work.

The mountainous crossbow was almost designed to be the sniper's weapon. A long shaft and no-nonsense stringing ensured that the bolt would fly straight and true. The butt was weighted, stabilizing the entire weapon. Best of all, it could be easily bought for a low price at any respectable shop.

Naimee loaded one of her two bolts and waited. Why only two bolts? Grosjager snipers only carried two shots per target during their missions, both as a matter of pride, and also because if captured two arrows were easier to explain than a quiverful of them. She wondered if she should aim for the head or the heart; a head shot would provide a very graphic warning of what fate befell the followers of Boter, but a shaft through the heart seemed more... romantic? Elegant? Pathos, that was it.

The head of the procession had already turned the street corner and entered Naimee's field of fire. Naimee opened the window and rested the crossbow on the windowsill. Her right index finger caressed the trigger of her crossbow. When the time came, it would apply three pounds of pressure, and Laoprada would be "neutralized".

Sure enough, he came into sight. Turning the corner, waving to his admirers on both sides of the street... Naimee tilted her aim slightly downwards, ending on top of the target's torso. Too easy, really... the target was coming straight towards her, body fully exposed... her finger squeezed slowly. One pound... She was fully commited now. It was time to do, or... there was no alternative, was there?

Two more pounds of pressure. The bolt flew.