”Have you heard whats going on on the western side of this empire? ” asked a man at a table with three others, they were resting in a tavern in a small town. The town was about a months walk or three weeks by horse north-east of the capital.
”Heard the capital needs to be rebuilt, again. ” stated a second one.
”Is the empress leading her men west to regroup for a counterattack? ” asked a third.
”Its the right move, heard the fight was chaotic when a secret weapon appeared. ” said the first.
”If anything, shes letting this rebellion to regroup as well, and if they were that strong at the capital, theyll be even more stronger when they collide again. ” stated a fourth.
”What about the princess? Has anyone heard from her? ” asked the second when their food arrived.
”No, but I bet they have, considering their eavesdropping. ” shouted the fourth to a table of ten teenagers. Seven of them were girls while the remaining three were boys and one had his cowl up, looking at them from the shadow of his cowl.
”Is there something we can do for you? ” asked the third. They said nothing as the boy with his hood up stared at them.
”They don need anything, they got girls surrounding them every night. ” taunt the fourth.
”Its not fair that you guys have a harem to travel with, how about you share the spoils for one night? ” suggested the first as they also noticed them.
”Nothing is ever fair, ” stated one of the boys as he and the other turned around to speak to them.
”And they
e our companions, not our harem.
” stated the other boy.
”Drop it, you two, ” growled the boy with the hood up before taking a sip of his drink. The two turned to look at him and went back to playing with their drinks.
”Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed, did you woke up looking at one of those two idiots? ” asked the second, standing up and walking towards them.
”If you know whats good for you, youll return to your table. ” threatened the boy with the hood.
”Cute, what are you going to do tough guy? ” asked the second man. He soon got his answer as the boy with the hood stood up and pushed him back to the table where his companions were eating. He threw him on it and draw a broken Valtryek sword and stabbed it off to the right side of his head. The mans eyes widen as he stared at the blue and silver blade. His companions were about to arm themselves before the cold void of the boys face and his actions had them freeze. The boy soon let go and put away the broken blade before returning to his table.
”Who are you? ” asked the third as they helped their friend.
”No one special, ” replied the boy as he sat back down, ”Just someone to be afraid of. ”
”I thought assassins were scary but you are on a whole new level. ” stated the first.
”So you ran into them as well, did you hear what happened to them? ” asked the boy. The four men shook their heads, the boy motion them to sit and he begin to tell the tale of the Black Market Games.
A captain of a boat arrived at the harbor within the mouth of the dragon shape continent. He was the only one left on the boat as he carried goods for the Ninja Empire. He was soon moored and a plank was dropped as guards came to speak with him. ”How many are on your boat? ” asked one of them.
”There were ten of us but Im the only one left. ” replied the captain.
”What happened to the other nine? ” asked another one.
”Same thing thats going to happen to you. ” growled a stranger. Suddenly, five black hooded men sprang from their hiding places. Their hidden blades popped open as they plunge their blades into the guards. The guards were too slow to react as their life flash before their eyes.
”I assume we
e good to dock?
” asked the captain, mocking the dead bodies.
”I guess this is too easy.
”
”If only the Assassin Empire share our views, remember why we
e here. To capture the Princess of the Ninja Empire and bring her back home with us.
” ordered one of the black assassins.
”Happy fifteenth birthday, your majesty. ” said a lord. They were at Old Mansion, celebrating the fifteenth birthday of Princess Zhen.
”Thank you, my lord. ” replied Princess Zhen, she was greeting guess with her mother as they arrived for a three-day-long birthday celebration.
”You
e doing great,
” stated Empress Wēi as she saw her daughter sigh with exhaustion.
”I know, I just wish I didn have to wait this long. ” complained Princess Zhen.
”Well if it makes you feel better, a friend could be the thing to lift anyones spirits. ” said Empress Wēi. Princess Zhen looked up to see an aging black hair and bread of the leader of the Ninja Black Market coming towards them. ”Welcome, Lord Tyron. ”
”Thank you, your majesty, and happy birthday to you, your majesty. ” bowed Lord Tyron when he was close.
”Thank you, my lord, did Truman arrive with you? ” asked Princess Zhen. Truman was the real name of Dual Bladed Ninja, or at least she thought. Amongst her friends, she considered him special to her.
”Unfortunately, he took a mission about two to three weeks ago on the other side of the empire. I told him to get it over quickly and come here. ” explained Lord Tyron.
”Still searching traitors with that traitor? ” asked Empress Wēi, she was trying to find the former prince but like her daughter, she didn know that the former prince was right underneath her nose.
”My apprentice and my nephew haven seen each other since the cave. Im told by my apprentice, that hes patrolling the northern parts of the empire. They might have crossed paths this time, but it shouldn be a problem in their work. ” replied Lord Tyron.
Zhōng rode Yáo, his horse, towards the road to Zhēn Lǐ. The wind of their speed lifted his cloak, exposing his gadgets, his knife, and his two ninja swords. Behind where he sat were his blankets for the both of them and utensils used for cooking. On his right arm, was a watch, an heirloom that had a unique feature. His cowl was up as two blue eyes, blazing like fire, peek out of the shadows. He passed people, carts, and soldiers rotating to a different town. No one dare to get in his way for two years, he built a reputation of killing anyone who stand against him.
Zhōng soon made it to a village that was in the middle of his travel, a man waved him down as he came to a stop. ”Thank goodness you came this way, Dual Bladed Ninja. ” stated the man.
”Whats the problem? Im going to be late for something. ” stated Zhōng, still sitting on his horse.
”Please, come with me, Theres something we need to show you. ” said the man and he led Zhōng away. When they arrived at the place the man wanted to show him, Zhōng analyzed what happened. There was blood pouring from dead men and crates destroy, showing it was a struggle. He took a look at one of the bodies, the stab didn all the way through and there were no side swipes of blood on the body nor on the walls where they lay.
”What
e you thinking, Dual Bladed Ninja?
” asked a man from the black market, in charge of the warehouse where the crime took place.
”Wasn caused by a sword, too short, but it wasn caused by a knife as its too thick. ” replied Zhōng.
”This warehouse is a secure place, whoever did this must have had someone from the inside. ” he theorized.
”No, that man was pounced on and that one charged at, the rest looked like they give him a fight. Theres a stable in the back, correct? ” said Zhōng after pointing out the bodys cause of death.
”Yes, we
e only missing a horse.
” he said.
”But who could do this?
”
”Either we have a new hitman, bounty hunter, or hes not from here. ” suggested Zhōng.
”Zhōng, ” a mysterious voice whispered into his ear. Zhōng turned around quickly but saw no one was there. ”I need you to come back to the cave. ”
”Dual Bladed Ninja, you
e alright?
” asked the man.
”Im late, ” stated Zhōng as he turned leaves.
It was dark when Zhōng reached the mouth of a cave, it was months ago when he first discovered this cave. He soon got off of Yáo, the horse whimpered before calming down with a gentle pat. The cave collapse the last time he was there but going deeper inside was still dangerous and confusing. ”Eula? ” he called. His voice echoed before a rumble followed, coming louder.
A bright light appeared and a girl with long blond white hair and green eyes appeared as she glow in a white long dress. ”You came, former prince. ” exclaimed Eula.
”Is something wrong down below? ” asked Zhōng.
”No thats not why I called, how have you been? Its been eight months since we last saw each other. ” said Eula.
”If you
e going to waste my time, then I need to go, Im late for a birthday party.
” grumbled Zhōng.
”Down to business already, ” said Eula, shaking her head while smiling. With a wave of her hand, a blue aqua rock monster joined them. ”This is Ikaika, one of my generals, he has a warning for you. ”
”What kind of warning? ” asked Zhōng.
”Trouble, to those close to you. ” croaked the rock monster. Zhōng looked at her confused as to who is in danger to him.
”Theyve been feeling vibrations of feet running similar to yours suddenly all over this empire. ” explained Eula.
”You feel how hard I step? ” asked Zhōng.
”Thats how I know you
e close.
” replied Eula. Zhōng couldn decide if he felt awe or weird by their ability.
”So where are they? Where did they come from? ” asked Zhōng.
”One is close by, there are nine others spread throughout the empire. They all started up by the Iarnă Mountains. ” answered Eula.
”Then they came from the Assassin Empire.
” proclaimed Zhōng.
”If they move like me, and came from the harbor up there, then they have to be assassins. Do you know what they
e after?
”
”No, we don . ” said Eula.
”Then Im going have to just ask the one close by then. ” declared Zhōng.
”If they are as deedly as they sound, then you
e to need something.
” stated Eula as more rock monsters approached them.
Zhōng watch the herd come out of the cave as they created an arc around them. ”I don suppose you can give me a present to give to someone? Considering you also wanted to chat. ” asked Zhōng, an idea popped into his head.
Zhōng entered his tent assigned to him later that night, he was sharing one with Lord Tyron who appear to be sleeping when he arrived. Zhōng took off his cloak and shoes and laid his weapons right by him as he crawled into bed. Suddenly, a candle was lit giving the tent the light. Lord Tyron was sitting in a chair while his stuff lay on his bed. ”Your late, ” he said.
”Never said what time to be here. ” defended Zhōng as he pulled sheets over him.
”Midnight of the next day counts as late. ” stated Lord Tyron. ”What took you so long? ”
”More came popping up and I had to deal with them. ” began Zhōng sitting up with a necklace around his neck. ”After I deal with them, I was stopped to look at a crime scene that didn make sense till I arrived somewhere else that gave me the answers. ”
”So from the town of the job, to another town with a murder scene, to the cave, to here is the reason why you
e this late.
” summarized Lord Tyron.
”Pretty much, can we get some sleep now? ” asked Zhōng as he nestled back into the bed.
”What part of, come here immediately did you not understand? ” asked Lord Tyron.
”The come here immediately part, ” replied Zhōng.
Lord Tyron sighed and said, ”I know this is perhaps just a show for you, but people look up to you to set the example. Running late cause you found more, or because you gave a helping hand, or you decided to stop to say hello, is not a good look to your reputation. ” he then pulled all his stuff set on his bed off and crawled into bed to get some sleep as well.
”Its not just for show. ” thought Zhōng as he nestled deeper in the bed.
The next morning, Zhōng went to Princess Zhen and her friends after breakfast. Behind his back, hidden underneath his cloak was his present to his friend. He explore around the campgrounds till he spotted her. ”Truman! ” exclaimed Princess Zhen, seeing him approach her and Lord Zào.
”Happy birthday, princess. ” greeted Zhōng, taking a bow.
”May I ask why you
e late?
” asked Princess Zhen.
”Would you like the boring one or a better one? ” asked Zhōng.
”Well, either way, you
e late Dual Bladed Ninja.
” sneered Lord Zào, he didn like Zhōng ever since they met. He was careless and didn like people getting into his personal life. However, thats what Zhōng did, two months ago, Zhōng uncovered a hidden truth about Lord Zàos heroic deeds in the Eight-Year War. This angered Lord Zào as it stated he was a coward and wanted nothing else but a girl to sleep with.
”Its good to see you again, my lord. ” greeted Zhōng, though he despised him as well, he must show some control and respect.
”Wish it wasn , ” stated Lord Zào, not caring about respect at all.
”Could you entertain us with the reason why you
e late now.
” suggested Princess Zhen, trying to break the tension.
”Well, your majesty, the job I did took longer than expected. I had to ride throughout the night and during the day till I made it to a town to rest and resupply short rations. I then was stopped at another village due to an incident and once it was all settled, I arrived here late last night. ” explained Zhōng.
”That sounded more like an excuse than a story. ” insulted Lord Zào.
”Do you have more friends than him, your majesty? ” asked Zhōng, he was starting to feel annoyed.
”What
e you implying, crook?
” demanded Lord Zào, he grabbed Zhōng and immediately regretted it as a knife was stuck out at his stomach.
”This blade was seen a lot of action in the last two weeks, my lord. Killing all who got in my way, if you want to stand in my way as well, I won hesitate. ” threatened Zhōng.
”Truman! Put the blade down. ” ordered Princess Zhen. Even though he was right, she didn want to see blood spill. Her red flared with her anger, she was starting to become an assertive and determined leader. The more she tried to chase him down, the more confident she became.
”As you wish, ” obeyed Zhōng, spinning the knife before putting it away. ”I don belong here anyway. ” he said as he walked away. ”Not anymore, ” he thought, he still had her present with him.
”What is wrong with him? ” accused Lord Zào as they watch him go.
”Thats a man that seen too many fights, and is on the edge for another one. ” stated Captain Howin, joining them with a spear in hand. He saw what happened and felt on edge afterward.
”Another fight? Here? ” questioned Princess Zhen.
”We might need to keep that in mind, he has seen things that he might not want to talk about. He might know something that we don , if it weren for someone pushing his buttons, we might know why he is late and whats coming. ” stated Captain Howin.
Princess Zhen could never find Truman again as she was always talking to people while he was roaming around. When their paths cross, it was brief as someone came to speak to her and hell disappear around the corner. It was almost evening as Zhōng was up in a tower with his present still in his hand. He was leaning on the railing, hands netted as the present was firmly in them. His mind was scattered from what was given to him, to the assassin nearby, to making the princess mad at him. ”Where is he? ” he said to himself as he decided to search the ground below.
”If you
e going to hide from the princess all day and perhaps tomorrow as well, then you probably shouldn have come.
” stated Captain Howin behind him.
”Captain, ” greeted Zhōng, hiding the present.
”Dual Bladed Ninja, ” said Captain Howin, joining him. ”Would mind telling me whats got you nervous? ”
”Just busy, nothing else. ” stated Zhōng.
”Even when you were busy, you had a calmer mind than now. Something seriously has shaken you. ” stated Captain Howin. ”Or Lord Zào knows how to make you explode better than I could. ”
”What do you want? ” groaned Zhōng.
”To bring you back down so you and she can apologies and you can give her your present. ” answered Captain Howin, he notice something going into Trumans cloak after he revealed his presence.
”But I bet you first want me to speak my mind. ” assumed Zhōng.
”Well, if something has shaken you, then yes I want to know what we could be up against. ” confirm Captain Howin.
”Assassins, ” replied Zhōng, they went quiet as the word made Captain Howin quiver.
”How many? ” asked Captain Howin.
”Ten spread across the empire and one of them is here. ”
”What are they after? ”
”Im not sure, but I would feel safer if I knew. ”
”They can be going after the royal family if they
e so spread out.
”
”Agreed, they could be spying on us for weaknesses. ”
”Do you think they
e preparing to go to war and this is a declaration?
”
”Depends where the other nine are, if thats the case, then itll make sense why they
e here.
” They stood in silence as they watch the sun beginning to set.
”Ill give you my and my mens support after you come with me to talk to the princess. ” declared Captain Howin.
”Fine, lets go then. ” sighed Zhōng as he and the captain left.
They walked through the grounds and towards the gardens with other people. The gardens were set up to host the partys dinner tonight. ”Your majesty, look who I found. ” shouted Captain Howin as he approached Princess Zhen.
”Who? ” asked Princess Zhen.
Captain Howin looked behind him to see the Dual Bladed Ninja was gone. ”He was just with me, where did he go? ” he said. As a silhouette of a man scampered across the roof.
The dinner was about to begin as the empress prepared to make a toast. Just above them, a black coat assassin was perched waiting for the princess to come in his acquire spot when he saw her sit down, prepared to jump. He flew over their heads before diving for the princess. Suddenly, a blue and silver mech intercepted him and they crashed into the tents outside of the gardens, causing a ruckus.
Zhōng tucked and rolled after he deactivated his mech. He armed himself with his Longus and the Ninja Sword as he looked at what happened to the assassin. He didn search long as the assassin was already in the air with his blades unleashed. He came down on him as Zhōng just barely dodge. They locked blades as tried to get the angle but the assassin blocked him before throwing a stab at him. He barely escape the plunge as it scratched his shirt. ”Impressive, ” commented Zhōng as he brought his blades back up.
”You
e the one they call the Dual Bladed Ninja, I see your reputation is true about you.
” stated the assassin.
”Does my reputation says anything of me being late? ” joked Zhōng. ”Who are you? What are you after? ”
”You
e going have to beat me if you want to know.
” stated the assassin. He charged with quick speed and strike one of his blades at Zhōngs left thigh. The deep cut was painful, but Zhōng was still able to stand. He changed his fighting style from overwhelming on all sides to constant stikes in the middle. The assassin was forced to block as Zhōng push him back. Their blades locked but before the assassin could react, Zhōng pushed his blades down and out before tackling him to the ground. With his left hand holding the Ninja Sword and the assassins right arm, Zhōng threw punches to the assassins face with his right.
The assassin, noticed Zhōngs error as he unsheathed his hidden blade on his left and prepared to plunge it deep into Zhōngs side. A foot stomped on his hand preventing him from carrying the deed. ”I don think so and Dual Bladed Ninja, thats enough. ” barked Captain Howin, sliding his spear close to the assassins throat.
”Very well, ” panted Zhōng as he got off the assassin when guards hold him down. The cut on his thigh throbbed with pain, it first time he felt pain but it was uncomfortable. He looked up to see the empress, Princess Zhen and a crowd with terror looks on their faces. He pulled up his hood since it came down during the fight and picked up his Longus before putting both blades away.
”You want to know what we
e after, Dual Bladed Ninja.
” cried the assassin just before they took him away.
”Our king wants Princess Xing, Daughter of Emperor Huo, he wants her to come and take her rightful place by his side.
”
”Why her? ” growled Zhōng turning around to face the assassin. The blue eyes under the cowl lit up like flames as he walked towards him.
”Thats none of your business, you didn beat me fairly. ” stated the assassin.
”Permission, captain? I have a reputation to keep. ” stated Zhōng, when he made it to them.
”In front of the princess, you sure you want that? ” asked Captain Howin.
Zhōng pondered what was asked, he wanted this assassin dead since he won speak anymore. They were going after his sister, but the words of the captain rang through his head. ”Then get him out of sight. ” he ordered before turning back around and walked towards the princess while the guards took him away. When approached her, he reached behind and reveal his box gift. ”Happy birthday, princess. ” he said as he gave it to her.
Princess Zhen opened the small little box, inside was a crystal necklace. It sparkled in the setting sun revealing interesting shapes of light. ”Thank you, ” she said before she notice he was gone.
Zhōng was finishing saddling up Yáo when Lord Tyron came to him. ”You are not serious. ” he stated.
”I have to get home, shes in danger. ” replied Zhōng as he tried to get up.
”Shes safe, they don know where she is. Besides, Tony and Darius are with her and her aunt is close as well. ”
”But they don know what we
e up against, these assassins, they
e not what we describe when we talked about them. They
e greedy and more aggressive.
” explained Zhōng.
Lord Tyron sighed and said,
”Well you
e going to start a reputation of arriving late and leaving early.
”
”Like that bothers me, ” stated Zhōng, he then was off, riding back to School Town.