An Assassin
Wanderer
Another Debt Settled
I pulled my robe tighter as the doors to the Horse's Head swung open and a gust of wind killed what little heat the fireplace was producing. Two men came in and took a seat at the bar. There were only about four other people in the bar that night, besides the barmaid and the cook. I hate these small towns. It's so hard for an outsider to keep a low profile. I kept drinking my wine and patiently surveyed my surroundings. Luckily I had gotten a corner table at the back so I could keep my eye on everything.
There were three men sitting at a table towards the front. They were fairly drunk trading stories back and forth about the women they had when they were younger. Ah the glory days. Days when ignorance could be used as an excuse for anything. I personally could have done without my youth. There was another man sitting by himself at the end of the bar. Knaf Maharg. This is who I was there to see. He was a gambler, and not a very good one. Even knowing this fact didn't satisfy my curiosity. Someone such as myself was not paid to settle gambling debts. No, this man had done something much worse if my services were needed. The two men who had just recently entered were talking about their days work. They were tailors, and did not pose much of a threat. Then there was the cook. An old man. Feeble and weak.
I suppose I could have just slaughtered them all and been on my way, but that was not my style. Instead, I finished my wine and waited. An hour later I was suprised to see my subject of observation for the evening pay his tab and head home. I decided to wait another hour. I kept thinking about the man and his mistake. I was hired by a local crime boss to settle a very large gambling debt with Mr. Maharg. They were in the last phase of settling this debt. That is why I was called in. My employer wanted all of his money, and Mr. Maharg only had half. The negotiations were over, and after tonight Knaf Maharg will officially be declared the loser.
The question that had been on my mind for a week now was still there.
I am the best that there is at my profession. The very best. And as you could imagine, I am also the most expensive. So why was I hired out to settle a simple gambling debt? Either way it did not matter. The job would be done before midnight anyways and the thought out of my head. I paid for my wine, tipped the barmaid, and headed out the door.
Mr. Maharg lived on the other side of town. A long walk in such cold weather. I pulled up the hood on my cloak and pulled my hands inside my robe. I gripped the handle of my dagger as I walked just to make sure it was still there. I arrived at my destination and saw that all the lights in the house were out. I looked around to make sure I hadn't been seen, and then proceeded to pick the lock to the front door and enter the house. I waited a few minutes for my eyes to adjust to the darkness and removed my robe. I unsheathed my dagger and made my way towards the bedroom. He was sound asleep when I arrived. Drunks are the heaviest sleepers. I always knew a night at the tavern would be a good night for me. I stood over him for a few minutes and watched him breath. I was getting into the mindset for the task ahead of me.
I thought about how fragile life is. He breaths in. He breaths out. He breaths in, and in a few moments he will not breath again. I brought my breathing into unison with his. I could feel his lifeforce. I could feel his energy. I fed off of it. My breathing became heavier and more intense. I gripped my dagger so that my knuckles were white. He was only a flame on a candle, and I was the gust of wind that had swept through the tavern we both sat in earlier that evening. The time was now.
I put my had over his mouth and pressed so that he could not yell, and as I did so he awoke. His eyes became big and he tried to struggle. I easily overpowered him and he tried to pry my hand off of his mouth. Was it to yell for help? Was it to try and fight back? It did not matter. It would all be over with in a matter of seconds. I pulled my dagger back and plunged it into his side. I could almost hear the tearing of the flesh over his muffled screams. Another look at his eyes showed only fear. He kept prying at my hand hoping I would decide to release him and spare his life. I held the dagger in place for only a few seconds and then removed it.
"Shhh. Calm yourself. It will all be over with in a short time." Hearing this he only paniced more. "I have stabbed you with my dagger, and while the wound itsself is not fatal, the poisin which I applied to the blade is. If I release you and you run, then your heart will pump faster, and the blood with move faster, and the poison will kill you faster. You will be dead before you reach your door. Your other option is to lay here and let it take you. Accept death. Give in to it. Savor your last moments of..."
With that he was gone, and whatever deed he had committed, or secret he held, died with him. To me though, it was just another gambling debt. I quickly gathered my cloak and robe to hide to blood on me and left.
I pulled my robe tighter as the doors to the Horse's Head swung open and a gust of wind killed what little heat the fireplace was producing. Two men came in and took a seat at the bar. There were only about four other people in the bar that night, besides the barmaid and the cook. I hate these small towns. It's so hard for an outsider to keep a low profile. I kept drinking my wine and patiently surveyed my surroundings. Luckily I had gotten a corner table at the back so I could keep my eye on everything.
There were three men sitting at a table towards the front. They were fairly drunk trading stories back and forth about the women they had when they were younger. Ah the glory days. Days when ignorance could be used as an excuse for anything. I personally could have done without my youth. There was another man sitting by himself at the end of the bar. Knaf Maharg. This is who I was there to see. He was a gambler, and not a very good one. Even knowing this fact didn't satisfy my curiosity. Someone such as myself was not paid to settle gambling debts. No, this man had done something much worse if my services were needed. The two men who had just recently entered were talking about their days work. They were tailors, and did not pose much of a threat. Then there was the cook. An old man. Feeble and weak.
I suppose I could have just slaughtered them all and been on my way, but that was not my style. Instead, I finished my wine and waited. An hour later I was suprised to see my subject of observation for the evening pay his tab and head home. I decided to wait another hour. I kept thinking about the man and his mistake. I was hired by a local crime boss to settle a very large gambling debt with Mr. Maharg. They were in the last phase of settling this debt. That is why I was called in. My employer wanted all of his money, and Mr. Maharg only had half. The negotiations were over, and after tonight Knaf Maharg will officially be declared the loser.
The question that had been on my mind for a week now was still there.
I am the best that there is at my profession. The very best. And as you could imagine, I am also the most expensive. So why was I hired out to settle a simple gambling debt? Either way it did not matter. The job would be done before midnight anyways and the thought out of my head. I paid for my wine, tipped the barmaid, and headed out the door.
Mr. Maharg lived on the other side of town. A long walk in such cold weather. I pulled up the hood on my cloak and pulled my hands inside my robe. I gripped the handle of my dagger as I walked just to make sure it was still there. I arrived at my destination and saw that all the lights in the house were out. I looked around to make sure I hadn't been seen, and then proceeded to pick the lock to the front door and enter the house. I waited a few minutes for my eyes to adjust to the darkness and removed my robe. I unsheathed my dagger and made my way towards the bedroom. He was sound asleep when I arrived. Drunks are the heaviest sleepers. I always knew a night at the tavern would be a good night for me. I stood over him for a few minutes and watched him breath. I was getting into the mindset for the task ahead of me.
I thought about how fragile life is. He breaths in. He breaths out. He breaths in, and in a few moments he will not breath again. I brought my breathing into unison with his. I could feel his lifeforce. I could feel his energy. I fed off of it. My breathing became heavier and more intense. I gripped my dagger so that my knuckles were white. He was only a flame on a candle, and I was the gust of wind that had swept through the tavern we both sat in earlier that evening. The time was now.
I put my had over his mouth and pressed so that he could not yell, and as I did so he awoke. His eyes became big and he tried to struggle. I easily overpowered him and he tried to pry my hand off of his mouth. Was it to yell for help? Was it to try and fight back? It did not matter. It would all be over with in a matter of seconds. I pulled my dagger back and plunged it into his side. I could almost hear the tearing of the flesh over his muffled screams. Another look at his eyes showed only fear. He kept prying at my hand hoping I would decide to release him and spare his life. I held the dagger in place for only a few seconds and then removed it.
"Shhh. Calm yourself. It will all be over with in a short time." Hearing this he only paniced more. "I have stabbed you with my dagger, and while the wound itsself is not fatal, the poisin which I applied to the blade is. If I release you and you run, then your heart will pump faster, and the blood with move faster, and the poison will kill you faster. You will be dead before you reach your door. Your other option is to lay here and let it take you. Accept death. Give in to it. Savor your last moments of..."
With that he was gone, and whatever deed he had committed, or secret he held, died with him. To me though, it was just another gambling debt. I quickly gathered my cloak and robe to hide to blood on me and left.