The Wizard Assassin

by Whiskey Flowers

  “This was a stupid idea number 11” a feminine voice said.

  “No it wasn’t, we know someone is out here” a male voice replied. “Besides number 17, we know whoever it is, they are alone. We can take him easily.”

  “But what if he doesn’t belong to either of us” Number 17 replied. “We would have come out all this way for nothing. The pace we set just getting out here was harsh and now we have nowhere to go.”

  “We can still go up” Number 11 replied. “We know whoever we are chasing is still alive and up there somewhere. If things get too rough one of us can go back and get backup, it’s not like he is going anywhere. Maybe some better supplies for climbing, now stand aside while I place this rope.”

  Dax saw a rope with three hooks land on the same landing he was on then slip off. There was maybe one or two places that the rope could find purchase but it would have to be a lucky hit. Dax was about to go back up to his cave when he saw the hook hit the one place he thought it never would. Dax pulled out his bone knife and sawed through the rope just as it went taut.

  “What the…” Dax could hear Number 17 say. “It looks like it has been cut, he is only right above us!”

  “We got you, you little fuck” Number 11 bellowed. “We fucking got you.”

  “Maybe” Dax replied. “But you still need to make your way up here first.”

  “Oh we know where you are at now” Number 17 replied. “Which number are you?”

  “Number 1” Dax lied.

  “Liar” Number 11 screamed. “Number 1 is one of the hunters, not the hunted.”

  “Oh well” Dax said as he peeked over the ledge and could see both of his pursuers. The archer was a woman, Dax didn’t know how he missed it before. The other pursuer had a crossbow and a couple of knives on him. Dax waved at them as Number 17 took aim and fired. The arrow missed him of course but the woman was stupid for even firing it, now Dax had a small amount of metal in the shape of her arrowhead and the hook he had taken earlier. Dax spent the day blindly tossing down rocks at his foes and hit Number 11 at least once and received some arrows and crossbow bolts in return until they figured out Dax was trying to goad them into wasting their supplies.

  “It is getting dark soon” Dax said as he looked over the side of the landing. “Do you want to call a truce until the sun comes up. I would rather sleep without waiting for a knife to find my throat.”

  “You can sleep when you are dead” Number 17 replied.

  “Have it your way” Dax laughed. Dax stomach started growling and he went back to his hole to retrieve the crude bow he had made. Dax lamented the fact he was about to give back some of Number 17’s arrows but thought the plan he had come up with would work. Dax peeked over and could barely make out his targets, they were hiding close to the cliff face but left their packs out in the open. Dax spied where they were and waited a few hours before he tried lifting one up to him. It was easier to lift than his litter but still taxing as he sat the pack down and went for the other. His pursuers were to overconfident and did not notice him stealing their supplies. Dax laughed to himself as he started going through the packs. Even in the dark he knew waterskins when he felt them. The pair would soon have to go back down the mountain if they wanted to survive. The main weapons the pair had still had to be on them but Dax wasn’t worried, he had their food, water and other things needed to survive out here. If one of them left then he would overpower the other one, if they both left then he would have a good amount of rest. Dax had been out here for three days now and needed to survive for eleven more. Dax had fell into uneasy sleep and was woken up for good when he heard Number 11 cursing.

  “How did you let him take our damn packs” Number 11 screamed.

  “Me?” Number 17 said angrily. “Why didn’t you stop him?”

  “Don’t fight” Dax said cheerfully. “I like to thank both of you for the water and the other food. Now I can survive for a bit” Dax finished as he peeked over the cliff and saw two weapons aimed for him. Dax backed away quickly and was disappointed they did not shoot but laughed as he remembered their position.

  “What is so fucking funny?” Number 11 asked.

  “It’s just that I have all this water and you have nothing to drink” Dax replied. “I think I should help you out, drink as much as you want.”

  Dax pulled down his pants and grabbed his manhood as he handled his morning business. He was happy to see the stream was plenty strong but thought he needed to drink more water based on the color of it. Dax watched his jet fall over the side right to where he thought the two were standing.

  “It’s piss” Number 17 said as she sounded like she was trying to talk with a mouth full of water. The sounds of spitting really made Dax laugh, he laughed so hard he had to sit down to avoid rolling over the cliff.

  “Did you like my gift?” Dax asked. “I meant it for Number 11 but I am happy you enjoyed it Number 17.”

  “You will fucking pay for that” Number 11 screamed.

  “How?” Dax asked. “You have no supplies and no way up here. If one of you leaves then I will attack whoever is left. If you both leave then I think it would be at least three days before you could return, by then I would be three days further up the mountain. Of course if you both stay, you will have to survive without any food or water, you might as well count this as a loss.”

  “We know who you are” Number 11 replied. “We have seen your mask Number 19, we can personally go find your hunter.”

  “Well if none of you are supposed to be after me, why don’t you just go and find who you are really after” Dax asked. “Killing me will get you nowhere, you might as well leave.”

  “You made it personal” Number 11 growled.

  “Remember rule #6” Dax replied. “My life is on the line, I don’t have to fight fair.”

  “You remember that when I stick a crossbow bolt in you” Number 11 replied.

  “Well if you want to make it personal” Dax said as he grabbed his bow and nocked an arrow. “I can make it personal”. Dax looked over and unleashed an arrow and returned to safety. He could hear the arrow hit its mark and thought Number 11 had to take it high in the shoulder, it wasn’t a killing blow but it got the point across. Dax went for another shot but found his prey were using the cliff face for cover again.

  “Was that personal enough for you?” Dax asked as he put away his bow. “Now that you are wounded you have to leave.”

  “I’ll get you back for this” Number 11 growled.

  “Maybe” Dax replied. Dax could hear the two hunters talking but could not make out their words. Dax smiled as he saw his pursuers admit defeat and retreat down the mountain. He had won this round and began thinking of other ways he could strengthen his position. He would need to set traps, they didn’t have to kill only injure, a serious enough wound would make anyone decide to leave instead of kill him. Dax began to think of different traps as well as good fighting positions, before he was only trying to get to safety but now he could fight back. He could stall his opponents if they ever came back before retreating further up the mountain. He would miss his little hole though if he had to leave it, it was in a difficult to reach spot and provided protection against the elements. The next few days passed by easily, the biggest problem and blessing Dax had was when it began raining then snowing. Dax hated the cold and had to spend most of his time huddled inside his hole where he used his fire to heat up the rock inside of his mountain hole. The rock kept heat and made sure he was warm but the frequent gusts of wind howling inside always made him shiver a bit. Dax wished he had a door to block some of it out but it was not meant to be. The only time Dax left his cave was to see if he had any new pursuers, he wished the last two would have packed heavy clothes so he could at least be warm while maintaining his vigilance. Dax was just about to turn around when he spotted a small group of people leaving the forest. It was more than just two of them, Dax thought he counted five of them but could not be sure because of the distance. Dax retreated ca
refully back to his hole and thought with the snow it would take them at least two and a half if not three days to get anywhere near him, and that was if they avoided his traps.

  Dax had taken to leaving little spikes made of bone almost everywhere he knew his pursuers would have to jump. He wanted the spikes to pierce their boots, not being able to walk properly would be a good motivator to turn around. In addition to that, he left little spikes on almost any hand or foot hold he could get to. They would be beyond annoying and force the pursuers to think carefully about their plans. Finally he had three spots picked out that he could fire on his enemy and flee, maybe he could do what he did to Number 11 and have the rest of them flee. He only needed a day more to make it past a week, then he could decide if traveling to the small towns would be worth it but he doubted it. Dax ate some of his food and slept good that night, in the morning he was happy to see even more snow had fell and that he was in the middle of a particularly nasty storm which really would make things difficult for anyone trying to climb a mountain. Dax decided to stay inside for as long as the snow fell, his meat was starting to turn bad so he smoked what he could and used his magic to bury the rest of it in the snow until he had use for it again. Dax was excited he had one week down, as long as nature raged he would be safe. A troubling thought crossed Dax’s mind, what if his pursuers decided they would not give up after the two week mark? Remembering the rules, he knew it would be foolish to count his mission completed before he made it back to their training area. There was nothing he could do about it now except wait, and wait Dax did in his hole for another three days.

  Dax was awakened when he heard the sound of an explosion or something. Dax went to the landing below his hole and saw nothing, it was when he went towards the next landing that he could see a mage holding a staff directing fire at the snow and cursing loudly. Dax nocked as arrow and fired, the mage was taken by surprise and received an arrow in the leg as Dax already had another arrow on its way which slammed into the mage’s foot as the man turned around and whispered some kind of spell. Snow was blasted from all around Dax as he could hear other voices start to yell over the moaning of the mage. His enemy was closer than he would have liked but at least he injured the mage, the man would not make it too much longer up on the mountain. Dax was scrambling back up the mountain when he saw a figure appear on the landing he had just left holding a dagger. This man wore a mask he was not familiar with and carried a small dagger. Dax watched as the man placed his feet in each one of Dax footprints to avoid the spikes but wondered how his opponent had gotten past the spikes below or got up to his ambush point so quickly. His opponent started climbing up the mountain after him, he was smart enough to use his dagger to clear out any hand or footholds for spikes before he moved. Dax had just floated up the mountain and was feeling low on energy when he had another idea. Dax waited for his pursuer to reach his level and blasted the man with magic before he could do anything. His opponent went down and if Dax was any slower the man would have fell over the cliff and to his death. Dax took off his opponents boots and started undressing the man and found out he was being pursued by another female. Dax had never really seen woman parts this close up before and felt a little creepy staring at them but kept going along with the plan. Once the woman was stripped he tossed her over his shoulder after hiding her clothes in the snow and brought her back to his hole, thankfully he left his rope out as he did not think he had enough magic to get them both up there.

  Dax tied the naked woman up in the cave using his magic to secure her bonds to the wall of the cave. Her arms were spread apart and she had a bag placed over her head to obscure her vision, she would stay alive for now but would be his human shield if anyone got too close. It was about an hour before the woman started coming to, Dax hated to admit he spent most of his time staring at her breasts since he could do so without being caught.

  “Where am I?” the woman said trying to move her head so she could get rid of the bag.

  “You are safe, for now” Dax replied. “How long you stay that way is up to you. I am happy to keep you alive until my time is over, but I could kill you and still reach the same ending.”

  “How did you disable me?” the woman said as Dax could see she was trying to hear where he was or gain some insight on where she was.

  “Doesn’t matter” Dax replied. “How many are in your party now, did any of my traps do anything?”

  “Would you believe me if I told you?” the woman asked.

  “Probably not” Dax replied.

  “So do you plan on raping me to pass the time?” the woman asked.

  “Of course not, that would be horrible” Dax replied. “You are naked because I can see you better, right now I am redoing my blanket so it can cover you a little without falling off.”

  “You were bold for choosing this path” the woman replied. “Most would not think of it because it is difficult to ascend without any tools. That and this was designed to trap anyone thinking about it, there is not too many places anyone could go here. Right now I am guessing you have me in the little cave not too far up from where you grabbed me at?”

  “You are correct” Dax replied.

  “And you have every weapon you could think of out of my reach” the woman asked.

  “Almost every weapon” Dax replied. “I am sure you remember the rules, it is the reason you are tied up. Your body could be the weapon but I will not give you the chance to use it.”

  “I need to make a call of nature” the woman replied.

  “No one is stopping you” Dax replied. “You can piss and shit on yourself. If you are too bashful I could always tie you up outside of my temporary home.”

  “You have this figured out well, don’t you Number 15?” the woman asked.

  “I am number 19” Dax replied.

  “Four of you have been killed” the woman replied. “With your present rank you are now Number 15.”

  “Sad to hear it” Dax replied. “But I still live and I have only five more days to survive.”

  “They will be here before that” the woman said with a little laugh. “I told them where you were most likely hiding.”

  “Maybe” Dax replied. “But getting here and doing something are two different things. Especially with the snow falling and the cold, they will turn around, they have to. I doubt any of you brought any heavy clothes and the cold has to weighing on them.”

  “It is I suppose” the woman replied. “If you pass this, I think you will move up in ranking.”

  “Trying to distract me while you try to loosen your bonds?” Dax said noticing the woman squirming. “Good luck with that.”

  “These are really good restraints” the woman admitted. “How did you make them?”

  “The same way I took you down” Dax replied. “With skill.”

  “Bragging on yourself” the woman said shaking her head. “Your pride will eventually get you killed.”

  “Perhaps” Dax replied. “But not today. Today I think I can rest easily, I doubt your people can climb as well as you can and even then they still have to contend with me and I still have a lot of arrows left from Number 17’s pack. Well from the person who used to be Number 17.”

  ~

  “Can you feel it?” the woman said as Dax woke up sleepily and could see it was no longer snowing. Dax had kept the woman prisoner for a day and a half, her waste he used magic to get rid of and thought things were going well. Now though the sun was shining and his pursuers had to have known this as well. Dax peeked out of his hole and his heart dropped when he could see two people were already at the landing below his hole. Dax grabbed his bow and nocked an arrow, he was about to fire when he saw both of them had their hands up.

  “We quit” one of the pursuers said, a man wearing a wolf’s mask. “We are unarmed, hungry and have caught a chill.”

  “Why should I believe you?” Dax asked as he peeked out of his hole and kept his arrow trained.

  “We will do whatever you want for
some food and somewhere warm” Number 17 said as Dax didn’t recognize her right away. You only have few more days to survive but we won't make it that long, we are injured and in need of assistance.”

  “Take off everything you have on including boots and I will toss you down a line” Dax replied.

  “You want us to get naked in this freeze?” Number 17 asked.

  “I don’t want you to do anything” Dax replied. “I know it was more than the two of you so I don’t trust you or your tricks. You can stand there and freeze for all I care. I am warm and I have a good spot to ride out the next few days.”

  “Alright we will do it” Number 17 said as she began taking off her clothes followed by the other man.

  “I want your masks off as well” Dax replied. “Your anonymity means nothing to me.” Dax watched as they dropped their masks and stared at the two before dropping down a line. If he could get them up in the cave, then he could leave and make it back just as the two weeks were about up. Dax grabbed a pack and stuffed some supplies inside of it just as the two made way for the line.

  “Let me go first” Dax replied as he mentally thinned the stone restraints and had them retract into the wall. His hostage was still bound by the light rope around her wrist and Dax was not surprised when she moved her hands forward and tried testing her bonds. Dax scurried down the rope quickly and handed it over to number 17.

  “Your masks will be by the entrance of the forest” Dax stated. “Inside you will find food, water, and other supplies. Climb up the rope now and wait until I am gone to come get your clothes. Tell my captive I will leave her clothes are under that bit of snow to your left.”