“Don’t let him slip away like that!” Asher roared as he sent a cone of fire blasting against the wall. A flash of shadow was caught by those flames, and three shuriken found that shadow, pinning the assassin to the spot.
Voyse fell out of the shadow and hung by his cloak, which began to choke him. Cursing all the way, he turned his cloak into a shadow and slipped to the ground harmlessly. With another command, he caught his cloak as it slipped down the wall into his waiting grasp. It took solid form and he wrapped it around himself.
Such time cost the assassin, dearly, though, for the entire guard was upon him now, including the two adept-gone-bounty hunters.
Out flashed a guisarme, a pole-weapon with a curved blade on the end, by one of the guards trying to attack the assassin. Voyse caught the pole just below the blade and jerked on it, hoping to snatch it from its owner. No such luck. The guardsman tugged back with amazing strength, pulling Voyse into other waiting blades.
Showing supreme dexterity, the assassin let go of the pole and bent his back in time to avoid the thrusting blades. He caught himself with one hand, grabbing one of the extended poles with his other. With amazing ease, he kicked down with his feet, doing a half back flip. Wrapping his legs around the staff weapon he held in his hand, he was hoisted up in the air just as the guard pulled the weapon up. The guard began to shake the guisarme violently, causing Voyse’s grip to loosen. Other blades began to raise in his direction, and he began to wonder if his actions were a wise one.
Always the improviser, Voyse called upon the shadows, controlling them to lurk under the guards attacking him. “Try some flux…” He grumbled as the shadows sprung up in a hungry pit of darkness, knocking many a guard over, and even consuming one hapless man. Two guardsmen leaped to the disappearing guard, but it was too late and he disappeared into the shadows, which moved back to their original placement.
Voyse, who had fallen to the ground but was completely unaffected by the attack, leaped to his feet and began to rush off down a nearby alley. A bolt of lightning change his coarse, however, and sent him tumbling to the ground. Ever the quick one, Voyse fell with the momentum of the strike and went into a roll, continuing in his original coarse, which suddenly seemed much hotter. He stopped his roll and came to one knee to find himself only inches away from a towering wall of flames.
Around spun the assassin, drawing a hooked dagger, to face his foes. Among all of the guardsmen getting to their feet, two figures stood among the mass, one with a tell-tale full blade.
“You two…are more powerful than I was first led to believe.” the assassin said calmly.
“Let’s just say we all underestimated each other.” Omurai said, his tone promising a painful death.
“What is it that drives you to hunt me down?” Voyse had to ask.
“Well, at first it was just to get revenge, but that was before you stepped into my turf.” Omurai explained, slowly drawing his signature katana, bringing many awes from the rising guards.
“You are more than just some pathetic adepts…aren’t you?” Voyse said, his free hand going for the hilt of Devil’s Sin.
“You’re talking to the former commander of the Rantok Platoon of the Cloud City Army…” Omurai said with a grin.
A long silenced followed that statement, until Asher got the point. “Oh!…and I’m from Vandekha!”
“So, a commander from Cloud City and some hot-head from the infamous line of Vandekhas…impressive.” Voyse said, nodding his head.
The assassin suddenly knocked aside a dagger thrown at him. He turned his gaze upon Omurai, but found him equally baffled. To his surprise, he turned to see Asher knelt down and reaching for another dagger in his boot. Just as he flashed the dagger out, Voyse knocked it aside and lunged forward.
Asher leaped to his feet in full charge, bringing his full blade up to bear. Omurai also took the initiative, keeping his katana half sheathed as he lunged for the assassin. Just as Asher slashed down with his massive weapon, Voyse brought up his hooked dagger, a meager defense but that wasn’t his intent. Using the extreme momentum of the downward slash and the hooked edge of his dagger, the assassin swung up and around the full blade, sinking his boot into the side of Asher’s face, knocking the fire adept to the ground. At the same time, Omurai gave a devastating horizontal slash of his sword, but the assassin was up in the air by the time he attacked, cutting nothing but air. Voyse sprung off the ground as soon as his feet tapped it, diving for Omurai’s exposed side. The former commander had more surprises up his sleeve, though. Just as the assassin neared the strike, Omurai snapped his free hand, which had been holding his sheath, over his extended arm and sent a blast of wind forth, knocking the airborne Voyse backwards.
As the assassin expected to fall to the ground, he instead found a gloved hand snapping up and grabbing hold of his right ankle. Instincts alone saved his leg as he began to feel heat generating around his ankle, for he sent a blast of dark energy down at his leg, negating the forthcoming flames and sending him flying a few more feet across the street. He hit the ground hard and couldn’t manage to roll out of it. Like a heap of waste, he laid in the middle of the street for everyone nearby to stare at in surprise.
Voyse finally perched himself on one elbow to see Omurai helping Asher to his feet, the fire adept’s left glove smoking from the explosion of Voyse’s attack. With a growl of defiance, he got up to one knee and examined his right ankle. All the wrappings around it were singed, and he could barely feel it. A much better choice than having his leg incinerated from the powerful flames brewing within that adept’s glove. By the time he stood straight up, only on one foot, Omurai and Asher were already stalking in. With a sigh, he held up one hand and looked down.
“You have one this time. I’ll give you that much. The next time you’ll learn the true meaning of torment as I tear away at your flesh…” Voyse promised grimly.
The two bounty hunters were not up for that. Omurai sent out a bolt of lightning as Asher tossed a fireball at the assassin. Both attacks crashed into the wall of the opposite side of the street as Voyse fell into his own shadow and slithered away.