HOME | DD

Description
A sharp, sudden ring startled me as it broke the silence of the night. It was the front door. The series of low knocks that followed indicated me that it was a new job. I already knew that, no one visits me at this time of night. Not anymore. I got up from my chair and opened the door with a tattooed hand, inscribed with the image of a closed eye. Two young men that looked like they just ran a marathon were waiting behind it, breathing heavily, and one of them hastily handed me a piece of paper.

"This one's straight from the boss. You'll have to be quick." He said between his ragged breaths.

I answered him with a single nod to show him I was taking his news seriously. I had known Petrer for a long time and he always gave me useful information along with the orders. If this one was placed by the boss himself, then we could not afford to fail. I invited the two men inside as I read the paper and took in the details.

Two subjects this time, both female, Neko and Human. The place, their description and other useful information like known fighting experience followed. It also had an interesting instruction this time; 'do not capture or engage the male that may accompany them'. Things like that made my job interesting; it was hard to kidnap people without taking out their bodyguards.

I tore the paper into three pieces and swiftly wrote some instructions and materials on the back, then handed the notes to the men that were still recovering their breath.

"You know where to go." I stated, then looked at Petrer. "The second note is for the western backup team, so there's no need to rush on that one, they're closer to the objective than we are."

Petrer nodded then opened the door, motioning to his partner to come with him. The other man waved at me as farewell and went out.

"I'll invite you to a drink when we finish." I told Petrer just as he was going out as well. He flashed a smile to me and closed the door behind him. I could hear the light footsteps of the two messengers as they left in different directions.

"Time to get to work." I said to myself as I flexed my arms to stretch my muscles. It hadn't been long since I had woken up.

In a short time, I gathered some of the most delicate materials we needed; drugs, paralyzers, suspiciously strong cables, magic energy drainers, unstable magic components, amongst other things you wouldn't want the police to see. The rest of my team were to store the other, safer items in case they were located by the authorities. After all, I was the only one with no family and nothing to lose, and also the only one under the boss' direct protection.

Whisper. The boss. He was a pure breed criminal from the poor streets, or so rumours claimed. No one ever remembers you for your deeds as a child, after all. No one except your friends, and the boss did have a lot of friends. Knowing people was his trade, and picking the right people for the right task, his art. I was the one chosen this time, so I'd better not fail.

I only needed to dress like a Middle-tierer and I would be ready.

*****

The night. The lively Negav night extended in both directions of the street, making me remain unnoticed as I waited under a building's archway, my dark brown cape covering up to my eyes to protect me from cold and gazes alike. Not many could feel the magical mark I bear in my hand, and those that did were often too intoxicated with alcohol to care. Those who could care tried to find another street to walk.

One by one, my group gathered together. We were five in total, and we slowly switched from stealth to disguise in order to not draw attention to ourselves. We started chatting about the latest fights in the Arena, about how that nameless guy won the female bounty hunter's heart by duel, and other pointless things. When we were all gathered together, I took out a neatly folded fibre bag, the many folds perfectly sealing its contents from the outside.

"Why do you like using this method so much, Rakihz?" One of my men asked me, a certain joking tone in his voice.
"Why, because it is exciting, and I get a kiss for my trouble." I answered jokingly as well.
"And you certainly don't mind who the kiss comes from." Added another one.
"Nah, he's just starting to become addicted to the antidote. Who knows what he does with that bag when he gets back ho-"
"Hey, shut up. I'm trying to work here, stop distracting me." I cut them out, making them regain their focus on our current assignment.

I unfolded the bag, taking care to hold the end closed. The more air that seeped in, the less effective it would be. I held it up to my face and stared at the two men in front of me for half a second before I exhaled, swiftly opened the bag and sealed it around my nose and mouth. I waited the few seconds that it took for my body to burn through the rest of the oxygen within me, the need for air building up inside. And then, I breathed.

I inhaled deeply, filling my chest with all the air of a bag vastly inferior to my lung capacity. It crumbled, but I kept inhaling, forcing the alchemical pebbles inside to produce more gas until I had my fill. My consciousness started fading.

I felt as if a thick nail had been hammered into my nose and through my skull. My eyes watered, my throat burned. I felt myself fall, but two strong arms held me while the bag was snatched away and folded once again.

We navigated the city like that, walking unnoticed as your average group with a hopelessly drunk friend. By the time we got to our destination, I had already recovered my balance. I looked around, the location being familiar to me. In fact, we might be able to use part of the setup of a previous job.

"Okay, I want two trip wires set in case they try to escape. Fitz, the net and freeze magic." The Neko nodded to me in understanding. "Mowes, you get the can opener."
"Now that's my way." He said, fishing the rifle out of his bag and putting it back together.
"O'Peneye, the cans. Water, flash and knockers. Hudens, what do you think about a blur barrier?"
"It's a good spot." He said simply.
"Perfect. After that, you know what to do."

He nodded, and everyone started to prepare their part as I kept watch. It didn't take long, everything we used was carefully crafted in pieces so as to be easy to carry or hide and fast to assemble. Except the magical barrier, that is.

As the appointed time neared, I spotted a man coming towards us. My new contact in the city maintenance department. With his help, our setup to divert people away from our trap was far more believable; official signs, gear and tools for waterway repairs. He was actually a few minutes early, probably eager to prove he was trustworthy.

"Hello Rakihz." He greeted me, unsure how to address a criminal.
"A pleasant night, Filo." I answered, and noticed how his eyes wandered towards the scenery at my back. "Don't worry, it'll be clean and silent." I affirmed, fixing my gaze into his eyes. "As long as you do your part."
He replied nervously. "I will do it. You'll see."
I nodded solemnly. "Remember, if someone questions you, we can find you witnesses that assure there was a breakdown and the water couldn't reach them. Now go."

The man turned around and left without a word. I smiled to myself. He was scared, and that was good.

*****

A slight breeze is the only thing heard throughout the street, no people, only shadows. Everything was set and waiting, the air vibrating slightly with sparks of magical energy. Tension seized each and every one of us. The wait, more than the act itself, is what scared us the most. The wait where anything could happen, when anyone could come by despite our preparations.

The setup was simple, yet proven effective; a simulated repair enabling us to close up a street, combined with a neighbourhood under our control, where people knew better than to look through the window when it's dark. Or that knew to go ask the organisation before the police.

I looked up at the windows to my right, all of them shut tightly. It was clear they knew the drill, and while they... Suddenly, a characteristic mental noise assaulted me, my mind expanding and synchronising with an alien, intrusive presence. My hair stood on end, as it always did, as Hudens' telepathic link stabilised, just a fraction of a second later. He was the scout on the lookout for the targets, as well as the person to contact in case of emergency.

""Boss. I got a runner. Says one of the targets came out alone, the hot, blonde one."" Hudens conveyed, clearly not using his own words for the description.
""The hot, blonde one, huh? I remember there being a blonde in the description. Got it. I will deal with her quickly, you stay in your spot and support Mowes and O'Peneye. Feed me the updated details as we move, specially the ID and route. Oh, and get the runner to the backup team for transportation.""

I forced myself to see over the visual feedback of the telepathy, taking a glance around. My team was still on the lookout, unbeknownst to the change of plans. I signalled the two appropriate men to stay, then the Neko started following me as I moved, knowing the drill. Hudens' connection slowly disappeared as he noticed me moving and needing full control of my senses.

We didn't bother to hide, as the target was already on the move. A new message would probably come with an updated route, so we just focused on closing the distance for now. We ran past itinerant mages, firedancers, spectropeteers, drink dance-offs and many other night entertainments, each with their own crowd. Not many of them paid us heed, busy as they were cheering in merriment. It was about then when I received a short connection: the target headed towards the Higher Tier. This was going to be interesting.

It was not too long before we arrived to our position. The margin was narrow and we lacked any barriers to conceal the fight, but it didn't have to happen. I had someone from the backup team intercept the target as we came, disguised as a beggar, to buy Fitz some time to set up a rough trip wire trap as safeguard and prepare his equipment. He then stood put, as did I further up the street, for our girl to appear.

She came up from behind a corner, and I identified her as our target immediately. She really was a Human beauty; tall, young, with a beautiful blonde mane, and although she had made an effort to look like a Middle-tierer, a smooth hair like that was a clear mark from the Higher Tier. The boss had a good eye, I had to give him that. And I was lucky too, I might be able to steal her first kiss. My emotion came out a bit too clearly as my tail started to wag. Well damnit, too late to calm down.

I started walking down the street in the opposite way as her. Wagging all the way, my presence was just a distraction from the real threat. As I saluted her politely, Fitz appeared from a side street slightly behind the Human. He was expertly waving a net over his head with silent motions, and carefully threw it at her.

Surprisingly, the girl seemed to sense something and reacted, crouching under the net's trajectory. It passed mere inches from me, making me stop in my tracks. The blonde then tried to recover her stance with Neko-like agility, but she slipped on the newly formed ice sheet at her feet with a small cry. That was the opportunity I was waiting for.

I swiftly took a step forward and supported her body with my arms, at the same time as I kissed her vulnerable open mouth. She didn't have time to reject it as my tongue touched hers, the substance that coated it sending a shocking signal up her nerves that was enough to overwhelm and deactivate her brain. The Human girl became limp under my hold, the added weight making me slip and fall as well in an awkward position. I can hear you laughing, Fitz. The backup team came to my rescue just in time, and they carried the subject away in the blink of an eye. It was only a minute before we disarmed the trip wire and left, unseen and unnoticed.

*****

With no time to lose, Fitz and I ran back towards the ambush spot. We were more careful now, avoiding going down the streets we used before, or passing by the same entertainments we came across, as they tended to move from place to place during the night. While there were no news about the second target and the bodyguard, they could still be heading towards the trap.

We slowed down and took different paths as we got close, slipping into the shadows and keeping low while we took back our posts. Nothing had changed, no unforeseen events, the team was still waiting for our other target to show up.

I yawned. The toxin on my tongue was starting to tickle a bit, so I carefully removed it with a special instrument. I placed the waste in a small container, added a few drops of a reagent to make it mostly harmless, and put everything away into my bag while deep in thought. Well, it seems like I will soon be unable to use the same method. I'm building up resistance to the antidote, and for every use I get less time before I'm vulnerable to the drug. I'll have to pass on the art of the Gentle Kiss to one of the boys... sometime. Not now, at least, I've still a lot to give.

Time passed as I thought about such matters, and I barely noticed the moon shining its light above, then past our street before I got a familiar feeling again. It was Hudens, it seemed like the rest of the operation was called off. I stretched a bit before telling the others: it's time to go home and rest, we did a good job tonight.

Description
A sharp, sudden ring startled me as it broke the silence of the night. It was the front door. The series of low knocks that followed indicated me that it was a new job. I already knew that, no one visits me at this time of night. Not anymore. I got up from my chair and opened the door with a tattooed hand, inscribed with the image of a closed eye. Two young men that looked like they just ran a marathon were waiting behind it, breathing heavily, and one of them hastily handed me a piece of paper.

"This one's straight from the boss. You'll have to be quick." He said between his ragged breaths.

I answered him with a single nod to show him I was taking his news seriously. I had known Petrer for a long time and he always gave me useful information along with the orders. If this one was placed by the boss himself, then we could not afford to fail. I invited the two men inside as I read the paper and took in the details.

Two subjects this time, both female, Neko and Human. The place, their description and other useful information like known fighting experience followed. It also had an interesting instruction this time; 'do not capture or engage the male that may accompany them'. Things like that made my job interesting; it was hard to kidnap people without taking out their bodyguards.

I tore the paper into three pieces and swiftly wrote some instructions and materials on the back, then handed the notes to the men that were still recovering their breath.

"You know where to go." I stated, then looked at Petrer. "The second note is for the western backup team, so there's no need to rush on that one, they're closer to the objective than we are."

Petrer nodded then opened the door, motioning to his partner to come with him. The other man waved at me as farewell and went out.

"I'll invite you to a drink when we finish." I told Petrer just as he was going out as well. He flashed a smile to me and closed the door behind him. I could hear the light footsteps of the two messengers as they left in different directions.

"Time to get to work." I said to myself as I flexed my arms to stretch my muscles. It hadn't been long since I had woken up.

In a short time, I gathered some of the most delicate materials we needed; drugs, paralyzers, suspiciously strong cables, magic energy drainers, unstable magic components, amongst other things you wouldn't want the police to see. The rest of my team were to store the other, safer items in case they were located by the authorities. After all, I was the only one with no family and nothing to lose, and also the only one under the boss' direct protection.

Whisper. The boss. He was a pure breed criminal from the poor streets, or so rumours claimed. No one ever remembers you for your deeds as a child, after all. No one except your friends, and the boss did have a lot of friends. Knowing people was his trade, and picking the right people for the right task, his art. I was the one chosen this time, so I'd better not fail.

I only needed to dress like a Middle-tierer and I would be ready.

*****

The night. The lively Negav night extended in both directions of the street, making me remain unnoticed as I waited under a building's archway, my dark brown cape covering up to my eyes to protect me from cold and gazes alike. Not many could feel the magical mark I bear in my hand, and those that did were often too intoxicated with alcohol to care. Those who could care tried to find another street to walk.

One by one, my group gathered together. We were five in total, and we slowly switched from stealth to disguise in order to not draw attention to ourselves. We started chatting about the latest fights in the Arena, about how that nameless guy won the female bounty hunter's heart by duel, and other pointless things. When we were all gathered together, I took out a neatly folded fibre bag, the many folds perfectly sealing its contents from the outside.

"Why do you like using this method so much, Rakihz?" One of my men asked me, a certain joking tone in his voice.
"Why, because it is exciting, and I get a kiss for my trouble." I answered jokingly as well.
"And you certainly don't mind who the kiss comes from." Added another one.
"Nah, he's just starting to become addicted to the antidote. Who knows what he does with that bag when he gets back ho-"
"Hey, shut up. I'm trying to work here, stop distracting me." I cut them out, making them regain their focus on our current assignment.

I unfolded the bag, taking care to hold the end closed. The more air that seeped in, the less effective it would be. I held it up to my face and stared at the two men in front of me for half a second before I exhaled, swiftly opened the bag and sealed it around my nose and mouth. I waited the few seconds that it took for my body to burn through the rest of the oxygen within me, the need for air building up inside. And then, I breathed.

I inhaled deeply, filling my chest with all the air of a bag vastly inferior to my lung capacity. It crumbled, but I kept inhaling, forcing the alchemical pebbles inside to produce more gas until I had my fill. My consciousness started fading.

I felt as if a thick nail had been hammered into my nose and through my skull. My eyes watered, my throat burned. I felt myself fall, but two strong arms held me while the bag was snatched away and folded once again.

We navigated the city like that, walking unnoticed as your average group with a hopelessly drunk friend. By the time we got to our destination, I had already recovered my balance. I looked around, the location being familiar to me. In fact, we might be able to use part of the setup of a previous job.

"Okay, I want two trip wires set in case they try to escape. Fitz, the net and freeze magic." The Neko nodded to me in understanding. "Mowes, you get the can opener."
"Now that's my way." He said, fishing the rifle out of his bag and putting it back together.
"O'Peneye, the cans. Water, flash and knockers. Hudens, what do you think about a blur barrier?"
"It's a good spot." He said simply.
"Perfect. After that, you know what to do."

He nodded, and everyone started to prepare their part as I kept watch. It didn't take long, everything we used was carefully crafted in pieces so as to be easy to carry or hide and fast to assemble. Except the magical barrier, that is.

As the appointed time neared, I spotted a man coming towards us. My new contact in the city maintenance department. With his help, our setup to divert people away from our trap was far more believable; official signs, gear and tools for waterway repairs. He was actually a few minutes early, probably eager to prove he was trustworthy.

"Hello Rakihz." He greeted me, unsure how to address a criminal.
"A pleasant night, Filo." I answered, and noticed how his eyes wandered towards the scenery at my back. "Don't worry, it'll be clean and silent." I affirmed, fixing my gaze into his eyes. "As long as you do your part."
He replied nervously. "I will do it. You'll see."
I nodded solemnly. "Remember, if someone questions you, we can find you witnesses that assure there was a breakdown and the water couldn't reach them. Now go."

The man turned around and left without a word. I smiled to myself. He was scared, and that was good.

*****

A slight breeze is the only thing heard throughout the street, no people, only shadows. Everything was set and waiting, the air vibrating slightly with sparks of magical energy. Tension seized each and every one of us. The wait, more than the act itself, is what scared us the most. The wait where anything could happen, when anyone could come by despite our preparations.

The setup was simple, yet proven effective; a simulated repair enabling us to close up a street, combined with a neighbourhood under our control, where people knew better than to look through the window when it's dark. Or that knew to go ask the organisation before the police.

I looked up at the windows to my right, all of them shut tightly. It was clear they knew the drill, and while they... Suddenly, a characteristic mental noise assaulted me, my mind expanding and synchronising with an alien, intrusive presence. My hair stood on end, as it always did, as Hudens' telepathic link stabilised, just a fraction of a second later. He was the scout on the lookout for the targets, as well as the person to contact in case of emergency.

""Boss. I got a runner. Says one of the targets came out alone, the hot, blonde one."" Hudens conveyed, clearly not using his own words for the description.
""The hot, blonde one, huh? I remember there being a blonde in the description. Got it. I will deal with her quickly, you stay in your spot and support Mowes and O'Peneye. Feed me the updated details as we move, specially the ID and route. Oh, and get the runner to the backup team for transportation.""

I forced myself to see over the visual feedback of the telepathy, taking a glance around. My team was still on the lookout, unbeknownst to the change of plans. I signalled the two appropriate men to stay, then the Neko started following me as I moved, knowing the drill. Hudens' connection slowly disappeared as he noticed me moving and needing full control of my senses.

We didn't bother to hide, as the target was already on the move. A new message would probably come with an updated route, so we just focused on closing the distance for now. We ran past itinerant mages, firedancers, spectropeteers, drink dance-offs and many other night entertainments, each with their own crowd. Not many of them paid us heed, busy as they were cheering in merriment. It was about then when I received a short connection: the target headed towards the Higher Tier. This was going to be interesting.

It was not too long before we arrived to our position. The margin was narrow and we lacked any barriers to conceal the fight, but it didn't have to happen. I had someone from the backup team intercept the target as we came, disguised as a beggar, to buy Fitz some time to set up a rough trip wire trap as safeguard and prepare his equipment. He then stood put, as did I further up the street, for our girl to appear.

She came up from behind a corner, and I identified her as our target immediately. She really was a Human beauty; tall, young, with a beautiful blonde mane, and although she had made an effort to look like a Middle-tierer, a smooth hair like that was a clear mark from the Higher Tier. The boss had a good eye, I had to give him that. And I was lucky too, I might be able to steal her first kiss. My emotion came out a bit too clearly as my tail started to wag. Well damnit, too late to calm down.

I started walking down the street in the opposite way as her. Wagging all the way, my presence was just a distraction from the real threat. As I saluted her politely, Fitz appeared from a side street slightly behind the Human. He was expertly waving a net over his head with silent motions, and carefully threw it at her.

Surprisingly, the girl seemed to sense something and reacted, crouching under the net's trajectory. It passed mere inches from me, making me stop in my tracks. The blonde then tried to recover her stance with Neko-like agility, but she slipped on the newly formed ice sheet at her feet with a small cry. That was the opportunity I was waiting for.

I swiftly took a step forward and supported her body with my arms, at the same time as I kissed her vulnerable open mouth. She didn't have time to reject it as my tongue touched hers, the substance that coated it sending a shocking signal up her nerves that was enough to overwhelm and deactivate her brain. The Human girl became limp under my hold, the added weight making me slip and fall as well in an awkward position. I can hear you laughing, Fitz. The backup team came to my rescue just in time, and they carried the subject away in the blink of an eye. It was only a minute before we disarmed the trip wire and left, unseen and unnoticed.

*****

With no time to lose, Fitz and I ran back towards the ambush spot. We were more careful now, avoiding going down the streets we used before, or passing by the same entertainments we came across, as they tended to move from place to place during the night. While there were no news about the second target and the bodyguard, they could still be heading towards the trap.

We slowed down and took different paths as we got close, slipping into the shadows and keeping low while we took back our posts. Nothing had changed, no unforeseen events, the team was still waiting for our other target to show up.

I yawned. The toxin on my tongue was starting to tickle a bit, so I carefully removed it with a special instrument. I placed the waste in a small container, added a few drops of a reagent to make it mostly harmless, and put everything away into my bag while deep in thought. Well, it seems like I will soon be unable to use the same method. I'm building up resistance to the antidote, and for every use I get less time before I'm vulnerable to the drug. I'll have to pass on the art of the Gentle Kiss to one of the boys... sometime. Not now, at least, I've still a lot to give.

Time passed as I thought about such matters, and I barely noticed the moon shining its light above, then past our street before I got a familiar feeling again. It was Hudens, it seemed like the rest of the operation was called off. I stretched a bit before telling the others: it's time to go home and rest, we did a good job tonight.