Mind Games

"Everyone's a hero... till you shoot off a leg or two." ~ Graves, The Outlaw

Give me some constructive criticism or just criticism. Just give me something?

Also, in the last 5 days we've gone up nearly 200 collections. Practically doubling the overall count.

P.S. I played basketball with the Filipinos again. Why? I should have learnt from the first time. I left the court beaten and broken. Never again.

Never play football/soccer with the Ethiopians. Never play ping pong/ table tennis with the Indians. Never play League with the Polish.

You will not have fun.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gregori sunk low and looked around the side of the carriage. He spotted ten armed men facing Arran and his group of three.

He walked to the side and into the trees.

As he did, he tuned out the conversation they were having in front of him. Instead he focused on confirming the total number of targets.

Still ten.

Amateurs.

Fucking Amateurs.

In a couple seconds, he circled behind them, in complete silence. After which, he slowly got close to the farthest one.

Arran's eyes fell on his and he raised a finger to his lips, telling him to remain silent. But the look in his direction was enough for the person in front, their leader to notice.

Just as he turned to look toward him, a noise erupted from the bushes, grabbing his immediate attention. He spun the other way and barked, "Check the bushes Tran." 

Tran walked to the bushes, his spear pointed forward.

Meanwhile, Gregori used the opportunity to grab the person farthest away and knock him out. As the body went limp, he softly let him down.

He moved on to the next one and stilled when he heard screams. His eyes flitted toward the bushes Tran had walked into but there was no sight of him.

The screams put the other men on high alert as they raised their weapon in the direction of the bushes.

Mentally he made the count, two down. Eight left.

The leader indicated to go look with a nod of his head. Two more went to the bushes. Their screams followed shortly after. Then silence.

At the same time, Gregori repeated his previous actions knocking another down. His snuck up on two standing close to each other and knocked their heads together, sending them both crumpling to the ground.

As the screams from the earlier two faded, one of them remaining men threw his spear into the bushes.

The sound of something heavy land on the forest floor echoed out.

"Got 'em." The man smiled and walked toward the source of the sound. Only to stop in his tracks, his head bounced back for a second and he fell face first.

Gregori used that opportunity to tap the leader on his shoulder, he turned around to be met with the side of his shield. He took a few steps back and fell to the ground. 

Seeing that all of them were knocked out or dead, Gregori proceeded to move the bodies to the side, away from the path they were travelling on.

Arran and the other three just watched in shock at how he had dismantled them. 

"You are not bad at this." A voice came from the bushes. 

Gregori looked up as he moved to the side. "You are not bad yourself."

Dereen smiled at that claim. She then turned to face the four men in front of the carriage. "Lets get going shall we?" She spoke energetically.

The four rushed to the carriage and soothed the horses pulling it.

Gregori grunted and made his way back to his seat.

"Don't stop for the night as well. Might as well go all the way." Dereen called out behind her as she made her way to her seat as well.

She winced for a moment as she got on.

She removed her cloak as she sat down. Her red hair cascaded down her back. Her upper torso was covered with some leather clothing leaving quite a bit of cleavage exposed but she also had bandages running across her side, self done by the looks of it. She had small shoulder armor and her forearms had spiked armor. Knives lay strapped across her leg and her belt held up by skull shaped medallions and buckles. Tattoos ran around her hips and her down her ribs, most of them remained covered by the bandages. 

"Like what you see?" She spoke seductively.

Gregori looked her in the eyes, "What are you supposed to be? A skimpy circus knife thrower?"

She chuckled. "Ah... I try to not follow the norm. Those clothes are quite restrictive."

"Returning back after a mission?" He prodded.

"I can't say." She shrugged. "I know what you are doing and you are not going to get anything out of me."

Gregori placed his axe to the side, "I don't want anything from you."

"Well... then the question turns the other way around, what..... do... I..... want.... out.... of... you...?"

"Nothing. You want nothing and you will get nothing." Gregori cut her off.

Dereen pouted. "Come on.. don't be a spoil sport.... okay tell me your name at least."

Gregori turned his head the other way and looked outside, denying her answer.

"Just a name.... can't I have that? I've given my name."

"Dereen is a fake name. Whatever name I give you will also be fake. Why bother?" Gregori spoke as he looked outside, wanting to slip into that state. He couldn't fall asleep, not with an assassin in front of him. That would be bad practice. Giving someone who kills in creative ways for a living the opportunity to take his head was moronic at best.

And then he remembered something.

"But then again..... I can give you a name if you tell me something." He turned his head to look at her.

She leaned forward, interested in what he was about to say. "Ooh! I love a good deal. Okay then... shoot."

Gregori leaned back and asked, "Are you familiar with Noxian assassins?"

"Most of them." Dereen answered.

"Have you heard of this assassin named Talon?" He asked.

Her eyes widened imperceptibly but he caught it. 

"I've heard of him... why do you ask?" 

That proved it. This 'Dereen' knows Talon. Personally even. Not only did she give a shocked reaction, she even questioned his asking.

Gregori smiled. "I met him nearly seven years ago. Interesting lad. Owes me a favor and I plan on collecting it."

She smiled at that.

"Greg."

Dereen looked at him questioningly.

"That is my name."

He turned away after speaking and looked outside, trying to spot different things in the now emerging darkness.

Dereen however, reached under her seat and pulled out a bag. Rummaging through the bag, she took out a lamp and lit it with a match.

The lit lamp became the only source of light in the darkness, casting long shadows outside the carriage. Gregori stared at the shadows cast and watched as the dirt road illuminated by the lamp, passed by.

He kept his wits about him and didn't go into thoughtlessness.

He couldn't afford to do that with 'Dereen' near him. A quick slice of her blade and his head would be rolling on the ground. A completely avoidable death.

And he would avoid it.

One eye on her and one eye on the road.

Hours passed in silence.

"Can't keep a lady company?" She prodded. Not choosing to fall asleep with him near her as well. She found the man interesting. Careful. Calm. He also seemed to know people she knew. People you would only come in contact with when you knew the higher ups in Noxus.

Talon was one such man. 

She would rank him as one of the top assassins in the nation. Without only two known failures in his time as one, he had cemented himself in the royalty of assassination. As much as she hated to admit it, Talon was good. 

But he was a slave to those above him, not choosing to make decisions. It made him seem pitiful in her opinion.

Gregori replied, "I did not realize you wanted company."

"Ah but well.... this is a real bore." Dereen spoke. "Lets play a game."

He turned to fully face her.

"What kind?"

She smirked. "The fun kind. A guessing game. I'll make an assumption about you and you have to tell me if I'm correct and vice versa."

"I'd rather not. It seems to me that information about me is much more valuable than information about yours." Gregori declined.

"Tut tut.... but that's where you are wrong. The game stops when you guess the opponents true identity." Dereen proposed.

"So one side is left with less information than the other." He concluded.

"What'd you say?" She pushed.

He answered with a resigned sigh, "Fine."

"I'll start. You served under General Darius."

He shook his head in response.

"Hah! I knew you were lying. That man doesn't let go of any of his soldiers." She exclaimed.

"You are from a guild of assassins." He stated.

She stopped and stared, before slowly nodding.

He kept him poker face, not showing his elation at the revelation.

"You served under the Grand General."

He nodded.

She frowned at that. Putting together that he served the previous Grand General, Boram Darkwill. That could mean countless groups and legions.

"You are a noble." He stated.

She nodded once more.

Gregori smiled internally, he had figured this girl out. It seemed that she was awful at her own game, by suggesting the game she had revealed that her identity was something of value. That and her position as an assassin? There was only one question left that he could ask her.

She asked her question almost immediately, "You are from one of the main battalions." 

He shook his head.

She widened her eyes. and then she started putting things together. He hadn't served under General Darius.... no he had served with him.

That meant he was higher ranked than she had imagined and was probably in one of the groups that killed the barbarians in the north.

"You are a Du Couteau." He stated.

Her countenance broke. And she nodded. She cursed internally, this man had read her like a book and he did so nonchalantly.

But she had her own queries to sate. And this would likely be her last question, so guessing his identity would be pointless.... she needed to look forward.

"You.... you are not going to the Bastion for a delivery." She stated.

He nodded.

Dereen was shocked at his reply. He wasn't going for a delivery. No. He was going to do some killing. But who?

Then he played his final hand, a simple theory, a guess, a complete shot in the dark.

"A Du Couteau.... too young to be the mother, that would mean you are one of the sisters. Your name has slipped my mind. So, let me ask something else, considering I practically know who you are. Were you involved in what happened in Demacia?"

Dereen.... No. Katarina Du Couteau stared at the man in front of her. In a few questions, he had ripped apart her identity and even figured out her motive.

"I cannot answer that." She replied.

"And that is answer enough." He said. Chuckling sadly. "They try to control everything. Influence everything. I suppose the mage who started the revolution is innocent of the crime he is accused of.... then again, the only ones suffering are those who were born mages and those who are against them. Demacia will be unstable for a while, but if they unite with mages and abolish the Seekers? Then there is no way Noxus will win the coming battles. Sometimes, I wonder if Noxus would be its own downfall." He turned to look away.

A few moments later, he turned back. 

"I feel bad for you. Go ahead. Ask another question." He offered.

She shook her head, "I don't want your pity."

"Ask me a question, in exchange you can send your brother a message from me." Gregori proposed.

Katarina looked him in the eyes and nodded with conviction. Her mind raced with questions that would help her understand the person in front of her. She looked at him, her posture, his attire, his weapons, he belongings for anything, any clues. But one question, kept popping up in her mind. Only one scared her above all. And that would be the question she would ask.

"How many will you kill once you reach the Bastion?"

Gregori raised his eyebrows.

"That is not a question I can answer with a nod but I'll entertain you anyway." His eyes drifted toward the fire in the lamp, "As many as is necessary."