by Billy Wong
Kath spat blood out and shrugged. "You're not bigger than me, and fast. I figured you might have trouble dealing with a contrasting style."
"You're wrong." He came on hard, his blade flashing around with such speed she could hardly keep up. She retreated, thinking at this pace he would slow down soon for sure. Yet his onslaught continued, and continued. Her arms grew heavy from warding the myriad strikes. If she faltered for an instant, he would have her, and she couldn't find a good opening to counterattack... She decided to dig in her heels and meet him head on. "Good endurance to last this long!" he said as she tried to match his fury with her own.
For heartpounding seconds that felt much longer, they traded blistering strokes at close range, then she smacked his hilt down with her hand and thrust at his throat. He avoided it by leaning straight back. She chopped down at his chest. He mostly stopped it with his sword, though part of her blade still opened a shallow gash over his ribs as he was forced to his back. They both got the same idea and kicked, the resulting collision of their boots sliding him a few feet away. He flipped upright and then threw his weapon past her. Huh? He yanked on the chain, and she realized he sent it hurtling back at her head. She spun aside and hit the blade as it passed, propelling it with increased force towards its owner. Unable to react in time, he caught it full in the sternum.
The impaled man fell. Walking over, she gripped his shirt and pulled his torso up. "Who is your employer?" she screamed, but didn't have much hope for getting an answer.
"A man... who will change the world," Jagor said through bloodstained lips, then his head drooped sideways with eyes still open.
Kath exhaled. "Should've been more careful about not killing him, I guess." She hefted the corpse on her shoulder and went to find her comrades.
She caught up to them on the way back to school. "You brought his dead body?" one of the boys said, looking aghast.
It didn't make her feel the most comfortable either, but she tried to brush it off. "Somebody at the school might be able to help identify him. Any of you want to give me a hand? He isn't heavy, but I have some wounds." Her nicked chest and hip burned a tad, but her thigh easily bothered her the most.
Zack was the first to volunteer, taking Jagor's legs while she held him under the armpits. They carried him back, and other students gaped as they laid him down just inside the entrance. "You killed another person?" somebody asked.
Kath rolled her eyes. "It was the assassin who kept trying to kill Zack." She unmasked him. He wasn't young or old, somewhere in the upper half of his thirties maybe, though his weatherbeaten face made him seem older at first glance. She began to remove his clothes in search of any unique marks. She couldn't find any, but his skin appeared a little naturally darker compared to most around here. Marty was nowhere to be seen as yet, so she asked, "Leroy, Quinn, any ideas?"
"Looks like he might be from the southern nations, the lands of sand," Leroy said.
"Is that braid a common hairstyle there? Are masks like that popular, for that matter?"
"I'm not an expert, but I don't think they are..."
Zack waved his arms in frustration. "Great, he could be of southern descent but doesn't dress in their traditions so we have no idea if he actually came from there or has been living somewhere else."
"Calm down," Kath said, "we've scarcely started thinking. Although, with no tattoos or anything, we might not have much to go on unless it's well known who makes these." She gave the chain-sword a twirl, making everyone back up a step except Leroy who just grinned.
"Interesting toy," he mused. "Is that chain built in or did he attach it himself?"
She checked. "Looks built in. It's sticking out of one side of the hilt instead of the pommel to let him throw it without the chain getting in the way too much. So that could be something to look into."
"Yeah, but it's still a long shot to find the smith who made it in the whole wide world. Uh, sorry Zack."
"Maybe he's a sailor," Quinn contributed, "with that weathered face."
Zack said, "Maybe he used to be, but pretty sure he was most recently an ass-ass-in given he carried that thing around and repeatedly tried to kill me."
Kath blinked. "Are you trying to be hard?"
"I'm just getting angry that people keep trying to have me kidnapped or killed and won't even have the good graces to do it themselves. Shit, are we going to have to wait around again for them to send somebody else?" Since the answer was most likely yes, Kath didn't respond.
Major Jax arrived along with Marty. "Who did that to him?" the Major asked.
Leroy replied, "Zack showed his newfound skills and crushed him in one attack."
"Then why is Kath bleeding? It's obvious what happened. Admirably successful as usual, Kath."
"That's what she's best at," Marty said.
She gave him a dirty look. "I hope you mean success and not bleeding."
"I meant killing people, but now that you mention it..."
She would've punched him, but told herself at least he hadn't made a joke questioning her gender. "Do you have any ideas about this man's origins, Major? He seems to be of southern descent but doesn't dress typically of their culture, has no identifying marks, and used to fling around this chain-sword-thing."
"It appears he may be a true assassin."
"We've established that."
Major Jax looked bemused. "No, you misunderstand. There is a underworld group which calls themselves 'True Assassins' known for wielding exotic weaponry like that. It could be worth looking into if he might be a member or former member of them."
"It's something at least. Could you also check if Lord Parr is still imprisoned? If he's somehow escaped there would be a strong possibility he's the one behind this."
Jagor's sword was sent off for others to investigate further, and Kath and the boys waited for news. They learned that Parr remained locked up awaiting execution, and the True Assassins idea led nowhere too. Kath didn't like this one bit, and her friends shared that sentiment as their days grew increasingly tense. It seemed like they just waited now for another attempt on Zack's life, and considering Jagor had given Kath a decent fight alone, she had serious doubts about whether she or Leroy would be able to handle it if their enemy sent a larger group. Yet they couldn't justify keeping even more protection around Zack full time without demonstrating it was needed. She no longer felt like the mighty and confident Kath the Blade, but a wounded deer on the run, frightened and unsure where its hunters might come from next. She could only imagine how much worse off Zack was, and wished she could do more than just feel sorry for him.
Chapter 8
A month after Jagor's death, an unconscious young man of about twenty was found one morning outside the school. As they watched the thin youth with close-cropped hair dressed in all white—vest, shirt, pants, boots, and gloves—carried past to the infirmary, Kath and friends immediately suspected it might be a ruse. Nobody unaffiliated with the school came out here. It seemed entirely possible their new visitor was an assassin feigning weakness to infiltrate it. But when he awakened, the youth surprised them by asking right away to speak with Zack. Zack agreed to meet him with Kath, and they approached him cautiously.
"Who are you, and what do you want with me?" Zack asked.
He sounded all too calm and steady for someone who had recently been exhausted to the point of passing out, and Kath figured the odds were better than even that he'd faked it. "My name is Frederick, a member of the Unstained Order. I came here with an opportunity for you. We are in conflict with the one who seeks your death, and if you so desire, we offer you the chance to help fight against him."
She didn't trust him, but the possibility he told the truth had appeal. "You know who's after Zack?"
"He is a fanatic who seeks to turn the very world upside down. It would be a worthy cause for you to join us in bringing about his downfall."
"But why should we believe you? You could just be another assassin sent by the so-called 'fanati
c,' who plans on leading us into a trap set by your friends outside the school. Hell, right now that seems the most likely theory."
Frederick bared his teeth, his serene demeanor evaporating. "How dare you imply I might be a pawn of that fiend? My father and sister both lost their lives at his hands! You couldn't offend me worse." If he was acting, it was pretty good. Still...
Zack asked, "Do you have any proof you are what you say? Anyone can dress all in white and claim to be pure."
Or virginal, Kath thought, but kept it to herself. This wasn't the best time for a joke, and she doubted Frederick would much enjoy it. "Yeah, what proof do you have that couldn't be emulated by any generic assassin?"
He removed his vest and pulled down one side of his shirt, revealing on his shoulder a tattoo of a serpent coiling around a round disk. "I gather the men he usually sends don't have such identifying marks?"
The tattoo looked pretty old, in all honesty. But it remained possible the mastermind had hired differently to suit this specific task, or even turned someone who once opposed him to his side. "Why don't you just tell us who he is and what his goals are? Knowing those things might help us make a decision."
"Letting that knowledge out in the world might make things more complicated than would be desirable. This makes it seem not worth the risk to share with those who aren't committed to helping us."
"We can't really leave the school at will either," Zack said. "We already got sternly punished and warned last time, if we do it again they probably won't let us back."
"If you don't wish to come, I can't force you. Yet if this is your choice, you may never find out who is after you and end up always looking over your shoulder in fear—if you survive that long. I'll tell the others I am recovered enough and go... but I will wait at the nearest town for a few days in case you change your minds."
Frederick left. The staff showed suspicion at his asking to speak with Zack and subsequent miraculous recovery, but ultimately did not send anyone after him. Kath and her friends pondered what to do at lunch. "Do you guys think I should go with him?" Zack asked between mouthfuls of slop. "I know he can't necessarily be trusted, but even if he is an enemy, maybe we could turn things around on him and make him take us to his master. He asked to meet us at town, so I'm guessing he won't be able to ambush us with a hundred men or something without us noticing something amiss."
"A smaller group of skilled fighters could still be too much to handle," Kath pointed out.
"I know, but if they really had an abundance of extremely skilled fighters shouldn't they have sent more than one knowing you and Leroy were around? Maybe they don't have that many to spare."
Kath doubted whoever sought Zack's death could field dozens of warriors on a level with Jagor on a whim, but even two would be an imposing challenge for, say, her and Zack. Marty brought up another issue to consider. "What if they attack you on the way to town instead of waiting until you get there?"
"We could cut through the wilderness instead of taking the predictable route there on the road. If there's somebody watching the school to see which way we go, well, they could attack us when we're on patrol too so not going will only delay the inevitable."
"Besides, it's not certain he's working for the enemy," Quinn, of all people, said.
Kath nodded. "That's true. Do you really want to go, Zack? It sounds like you're considering it pretty strongly."
"Well, if I don't go won't I basically be waiting to die, if we never put an end to the attacks and just keep letting them happen? Even if we might be walking into a trap, this may be the best chance we have of getting to the heart of the problem for a long time. So I feel like we should take it."
She admired his proactive attitude, which in the past would have been unexpected, and Leroy showed that he shared her sentiment as he bumped fists with Zack. But then the big boy asked, "What about your girl, and your parents? If you run away from school to pursue your own goals again, they probably won't let you come back, and then what will happen to you."
Zack looked down. "I don't know, but maybe worrying about future consequences shouldn't take priority over trying to find a way to save my life. Still, my father would be quite irate if I defied his warning not to mess up again..." Kath didn't really think of Zack being targeted for kidnapping and later murder as him messing up, but it was hard to escape the eccentricities of family.
"Maybe you could ask for permission to leave," Marty suggested. "If you make a good enough case, the instructors might be willing to let you give changing your fate a shot instead of waiting to have another dead student here."
"That's a good idea," Kath said. "Let's try asking, it couldn't hurt anyway."
But when they did, the answer they met with was a resounding no. "You have already distracted the other students enough with your antics," Major Larson said with the other instructors nodding their agreement. "If you leave again in defiance of our warning, you should not look forward to coming back."
Kath asked Zack if he still wanted to go, but he didn't reply and spent most of the day in silence. He must be struggling with his choices. Finally, in the dorm before bedtime he told his friends, "I still want to try meeting Frederick. I know the results might hurt, but I can't throw away a chance to save my life even so. If I don't go and then an assassin comes and kills me, I'll die regretting not trying everything I could to stop it." He tried to put on a brave, but weak smile. "So do you guys want to come with me?"
Marty averted his gaze. "Sorry, I can't. It was with a lot of help from my parents' influence that we were allowed back the first time. If it happens again, I'm afraid even they won't be able to save us, or me."
"Don't look at me," Quinn said. "I didn't even go with you before, and I like to talk about grand plots not get involved in them."
Leroy grunted. "I'd love to cut some villains apart with Grim Razor. But since I doubt I'll even get a second chance like you did, I should probably stay put."
Zack wore quite the disheartened expression. "And you, Kath?"
She'd had qualms about going too, and thought about responding like all the others had. But after hearing all of his friends deny him help, she couldn't bring herself to do it too. "If you're certain you want to go, I... will be with you."
Leroy slapped her back. "I appreciate you being a loyal friend. You're better than me, I guess."
"Probably not true. I bet if I'd answered the way you did first, you would've volunteered to come with him."
"Perhaps. You're like the smaller version of me. But you're the one who did it, so you still get credit."
"You mean the female version of you..."
Marty sniggered, and Leroy said, "You shouldn't even have mentioned that."
"But I am a female! Damn you, it's your fault for giving me a boy name."
"But if he didn't," Marty pointed out, "you wouldn't be able to prance around calling yourself Kath the Blade, now would you?"
She pounced on his wording. "See, you said 'prance!' Prancing's feminine, right? People talk about effeminate men prancing."
"But those are effeminate men, not women."
"Gaaaaah!"
Leroy punched Marty's arm, making him rub it. "You just say this stuff cause you can't handle a woman like that. I don't think how Kath is needs to be labeled as masculine or feminine. She's just strong."
Kath chuckled. "I prefer it said like that."
"It makes for fun jokes, but I agree there's nothing inherently wrong with a woman acting like you do," Marty said. "I think you have a beautiful face."
Everyone stared at him. "You like Kath?" Quinn asked.
"Um, no! I was just saying, you know, objectively. She's pretty. It's not like I want her to be my wife."
After a moment of awkward silence, Zack said, "So how do you think we should leave, Kath? It might be good to have a faster way to flee than on foot in case we run into trouble. What would you think of stealing some horses from the stable?"
She raised her brow. "That w
ould surely get our instructors even angrier than if we just fled. But I was considering that too. Maybe we could leave them some of the money your father gave me to soften the blow."
"I'll provide the money," Marty put in. "If I'm not going to help in person, might as well contribute however else I can."
Their course decided, they snuck out through the window that night and went to the stable. Borrowing the two cheaper steeds typically used to pull the supply wagon—the officers' mounts could fulfill that duty for now—they headed out into danger once more.
#
"So what will you do after this," Zack asked as they rode over tall grass, "if we're not allowed to go back to school?" He frowned guiltily. "I hope you've thought about it, and I'm not leaving you with no plan for the future by dragging you along."
"Oh, don't be so dramatic. I was already thinking about forgoing a military career in favor of starting my own company. Maybe a guild, which specializes in dealing with monster problems... for a small charge."
"But you're a noblewoman!"
"Should noble blood preclude a person from doing worthy work? That seems counterintuitive."
"Um, I suppose... but haven't you only fought monsters twice, and both of the same kind anyway?"
She shrugged. "I mean, I am inexperienced. But you get better at things when you do them, and I think I have the basic attributes needed for a monster hunter covered."
"I wouldn't argue with that. Won't your parents be disappointed you couldn't finish military school though, and your brother who you were doing it for?"
Kath's jaw clenched anxiously. That was true, and the main reason she had been reluctant to accompany Zack. "Yeah, but I'm sure they'll forgive me. Saving a friend's life is more important than family honor, and I might accomplish some impressive deeds in the process. What about you? You have any plans other than getting locked up for the rest of your youth by your dad?"