Chapter 14 Black Knife Assassins

After three grueling days of careful travel, avoiding enemies and conserving his strength, he finally reached the entrance to the Death-Touched Catacombs.

He paused before the doors—a pair of plain.

He took a steadying breath, letting the cool air of the catacombs wash over him as he placed his hands on the doors. "Huff... let's go," he muttered, pushing them open with a slow, deliberate force.

Inside, the faint flickering of torchlight cast long shadows across the stone walls, giving the place an eerie, unsettling aura. He knew what to expect here—an endless swarm of annoying unded cursed skeletons lurking in the shadows.

"Alright," he muttered under his breath, mentally running through his plan. "First objective—find the uchigatana."

Moving deeper into the catacombs, he spotted a heavy metal door ahead. He knew it led to the boss room, but it was locked tight. Looking down the narrow passage to the left, he recalled that the lever to open the door was at the hidden of the catacomb.

He advanced cautiously, hearing the sound of bones shifting around him. He managed to cut down the first few skeletons, but the further he went, the tougher the ambushes became.

A group of skeleton archers lay in wait around a corner, their arrows striking before he had time to react. He dodged the first few shots, but one caught him by surprise, and he felt the sharp sting as he fell, only to find himself back at the entrance.

Gritting his teeth, he pushed forward again.

this time he took a different path if he wanted to avoid the ambushes he had encountered before. This time, he slipped under the stairway, taking a narrow, hidden route he hadn't noticed before. The faint glow of torchlight flickered along the way, casting just enough light to reveal a ledge in the distance.

At the edge, he spotted it: the uchigatana, resting as if waiting for him. He approached carefully, eyeing the shadows, but the weapon was unguarded. He picked it up, feeling the weight and balance—a perfect tool for slicing through the skeletons lying ahead.

He moved forward, jumping down to the level below. Skeletons emerged almost immediately, clawing and rattling as they assembled themselves. With swift, precise strikes from the uchigatana, he dispatched them, the blade's sharpness making short work of each one. He kept moving, sensing he was close to his next goal.

Not far ahead, tucked in a dim corner, he saw the lever that would unlock the boss room door. He pulled it, feeling a sense of relief as he heard the distant sound of doors opening.

It took him a bit of time to return to the metal doors, which were now open. He sighed and glanced at the Uchigatana—it was a good weapon, a katana. But this weapon wasn't the reason he had come here.

The main reason was the injured Black Knife Assassin. If he could use his sweet words to convince her to join his side, it would be a huge power boost. Getting a Black Knife Assassin on his team was no small feat.

But the real challenge was figuring out how to convince her. From what he knew, the Black Knife Assassins' goal was to eliminate the Two Fingers—or the Greater Will, whatever that was.

The Black Knife Assassins seemed to want to disrupt the existing order in the Lands Between, primarily by assassinating Godwyn the Golden using the stolen Rune of Death. Their motives appeared to be tied to breaking the Golden Order and challenging the control of the Greater Will over the world.

While they were likely hired by Ranni the Witch to carry out the assassination, it was unclear if they directly served her. Their ultimate goal seemed to be destabilizing the current power structures—whether for personal gain, revenge, or as part of a larger plan to reshape the world.

It could be anything; nobody really knew.

And perhaps the reason one Black Knife Assassin is here, locked behind those metal doors, is to protect the Deathroot.

As he stepped into the boss room, his gaze immediately landed on her—the Black Knife Assassin. She was like a shadow, her form hidden beneath the full armor of dark cloth and leather, her face obscured by the hood.

He hesitated for a moment, the reality of what he was about to do settling in. He needed to stop her from attacking, to make her listen. His words would be his weapon here.

He took a deep breath, but before he could speak, she lunged at him, her blade flashing in a deadly arc. He barely managed to roll out of the way, narrowly escaping the strike. The fight was on, and for a few agonizing minutes, he learned just how deadly the Black Knife Assassins truly were.

He died—again and again. Each time, he learned a little more about her movements, her style, the way she reacted to his attacks. He began to understand that brute force wouldn't win this battle. Words, persuasion, might.

After his third death, he finally stopped fighting with his Katana and simply stood there as she approached, ready for another strike.

"Wait," he called out. "I don't want to fight you."

She hesitated for a moment, her blade hovering just above his chest, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"I know what you'r protecting," he continued, his voice softer now. "The Deathroot... I get it. But think about this: We don't have to be enemies. You're not the only one who wants to change things. We could work together. I could help you."

For a long moment, she didn't move, her posture tense, the air between them crackling. 

Another attempt. He spoke again, this time with conviction. "The Greater Will don't care about you. They only care about control. But this? This is your chance to choose your own path."

The blade wavered, her grip loosening. He held his breath, waiting for her next move.

"Who Are You?"He finally heard a voice..

"I know what you're protecting," he continued, his voice softer now. "The Deathroot... I get it. But think about this: We don't have to be enemies. You're not the only one who wants to change things. We could work together. I could help you."

For a long moment, she didn't move, her posture tense, the air between them crackling.

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