Assassination Attempt

Spider's room was dark, dimly lit by candles. Her canopy bed had blood-red silk sheets and a mirror was attached above her bed. The room gave off an eerie feel. Samuel felt like a fly trapped in a spider's web.

On the vanity where most women would keep their makeup, hair supplies, and perfume; Spider had whips, ropes, crops, studded paddles, ball gages, metal dildos, anal beads, and a girthy wooden baton. The Spider was a sultry dominatrix. And under her bed, Samuel could make out cleaver to kill her lovers.

The room felt ominous, like a torture chamber. Her bedroom was built for pleasure and pain. Or rather Spider was a sadist who got pleasure for delivering pain and death.

"Hurry!" Spider said pointing to her small rectangular window.

The window was just large enough to fit a slender contortionist.

Samuel straightens out his hands contorting his shoulders to fit through the window acrobatically.

Outside in the streets, Samuel walked in the shadows unseen and unheard. Samuel's feet were as nimble and silent as a cat.

His black attire act as camouflage. Like a chameleon, he faded into night. Guards and people passed by not knowing Samuel crept alongside them.

Quickly Samuel sneaked towards Will's Yorkshire mansion tucked away in the woods.

Samuel arrived before Knives and Bone. Samuel quickly identified where Bones and Knives observed the house earlier.

Samuel found a less than desirable observation location, but he would be able to monitor Will and the other assassins.

At the 21st bell, Samuel saw Bones and Knives arrive.

When the clock tower announced the 23rd hour, Samuel saw Will's study candle extinguish. Soon after that Will's bedroom went dark.

Samuel stayed in place for hours, until the clock tower struck the 2nd bell.

Hearing the 2nd bell, Knives and Bones made their way to the house.

Approaching a first-floor window, Knives, used one tool to crack open the window, and a second tool to open the window's latch. This was a common training all assassins and thieve learned.

Gently Knives slid the window open, before crawling inside. Knives made sure the coast was clear before inviting Bones inside.

Inside the mansion, the assassin walked in the shadows to Will's bedroom. Quietly, they owned the door. The door swung open without a creak. Knives took out long ebony poison daggers.

Every assassin knew the easiest way to kill a mage was through the heart with a poison dagger. If an assassin missed on the first try, the likelihood of success dropped to almost nil.

Mages could conjure spells faster than an assassin could swing a blade.

He paused for a moment and then lowered his voice. "And should you slay the wielder of that blade and return the weapon to us as proof, the contract shall be abolished and your name added to the hall of the worthy. None may be dispatched against you after that." "Oh, is that all I have to do?" I replied, sarcasm dripping like venom down my mouth.

Will slept on his side, Bones slowly tilted Will onto his back. His exposed heart centimeters below the poison dagger.

"Will wake up!" Samuel shouted just outside the door.

At hearing his name, Will awoke with a jolt. Only to see a dagger pointed at his heart. Will rolled to the side as the poison blade lodged into the empty bed.

On the floor in his pajamas Will cast [rock spikes] at the intruders.

At the same time, Will looked for his sword only to see the cold murderous eyes of Samuel staring at Knives.

"Filthy traitor! You know the rules, no interfering," said Knives nimbly evading the spikes by jumping onto the ceiling.

As Knives and Samuel began to fight one another Bones and Will looked at one another. Then they looked at Will's sword across the room.

Bones weighed over 200 kilograms and stood over 2.2 meters tall. The man had a huge bulky muscular frame like a bodybuilder.

Without waiting, Will enhanced his body and cast [iron armor] and [modeling]. Soon he was covered in armor and held a Dwarven Steele sword. Seeing Will cast magic, Bones attacked. Bones swung for Will's head. When he missed, he proceed to hammer Will's body with heavy punches.

Will and Bones fought each other's throats, constantly keeping the other on guard.

On the other side of the room, Samuel tried to slit Knives throat. But, Knives jumped backed up threw a dagger at Samuel, slicing a laceration on Samuel's cheek.

While Samuel's cheek bled, Bones decided to ram Will, slamming him against the wall. Will's head bounced off the wooden walls like a ball on concrete.

As Will dealt with the repercussions of a splitting headache, Knives had his knees on Samuel's chest trying to insert the poison dagger into his throat.

As Will was pinned with his back against his bedroom wall, Bones hit wailed on Will's. It was a devastating onslaught of punches.

Just as Bones was about to throw another punch, Will used [rock spike] and [arrowhead] to impale and riddle Bones' body with holes.

Large stalagmites ripped through Bones' feet and out his thigh. His calf's right muscle separated from his body and fell on the floor like a filet.

The holes in his body looked like gunshots. This chest looked like Swiss cheese. Will ran and grappled his katana.

While Will ran and trapped his katana, Knives looked sadly at his pin cushioned partner.

"You! I'll fucking kill you, as soon as I kill this traitorous twat!," Knives spit.

In his anger, Knives lost focus. Samuel grabbed and dislocated his right arm. With his major arm dislocated, Samuel flipped him onto the ground. He rolled the Knives onto his back and slowly pulled the poison dagger across his throat.

The man's neck split open spilling out a waterfall of blood.

Altogether the fights lasted less than 5 minutes. Before the witnesses arrived, Samuel slipped out the window. But before he left, he asked Will to meet him in his study later.

The first arrive was Elizabeth who looked at the gruesome scene and let out a blood-curdling yell and the feinted.

The second to arrive was Michael who looked stunned.

"Master, what happened here?"

"These are an assassin, that tried to kill me," Will replied ignoring the flashing screen.

"Master you killed to assassin by yourself," Micheal looked at his employer in amazement.

It was long after Michael came in, that he dispatched for the city guards.

The city guards were also impressed by his prowess.

It was only after a mage inspector came, that Will started to feel sheepish. The mage began interrogating Will endlessly.

"What happened to the protection arrays that covered your mansion?" he asked.

"Elder Thaddeus set those not me?" Will answered truthfully.

"So, you're blaming a sick old man for your ineptitude?" the mage questioned.

"No, I'm just telling you he set the arrays. Now that he's sick, I forgot to check to see if the arrays were active," Will said hurt by the line of questioning.

"You wantonly neglected the safety of others, why?" the inspector asked.

"I said, I did not know the arrays were off. I just expected them to remain, you know, forever," Will said. Will never expected that his master's illness could disrupt his magic.

"So you depend on your master for everything. You're a pampered noble after all," the inspector wrote in his notepad.

"Excuse me?" Will said confused.

"These men were notorious killers, wanted for dozens of murders. The bounty on them should be enough to fix your master bedroom suite. Congratulations," the inspector said facetiously.

As he finished a giant shadow leopard returned with a dead doe deer between her jaws.

"Will, what happened here?" Nisha asked telepathically.

"Since the arrays, where down two men tried to kill me, but I killed them with a friend's help," Will smiled.

"You should have shouted for me to come back and help you?" Nisha growled at Will.

"Guards kill this leopard, she wants to kill me," said the mage inspector.

"Stop! She's my familiar, she only mad I did ask her for help," Will said calming the guards.

"I don't blame here. I'd be mad if I had an idiot for as my master too," the inspector deadpanned.

"Thanks," Will replied sarcastically.

"One last question? Do you know where their knives went?" the mage inspector asked suspiciously.

"No, why?" Will asked.

"You might not be completely dumb after all. Goodnight Lord Baron," he said before he left.

Once the inspector left, Sasha came and reported Elizabeth was awake and her parents were en route.

Soon the Duke and Duchess vont Whitby arrived with a retinue of guards. The guards formed a perimeter around the house.

Will met the Duke and Duchess in Elizabeth's bedroom.

Sasha was fanning Elizabeth, who was still visibly upset.

"How did this happen? The Assassins Guild knows better than to attack someone with royal blood," the Duke said vehemently.

Will repeated the story he told the inspector earlier.

"You didn't realize your protective array expired? Wait, why haven't you cast an array yet? Guards, quick send for the Royal Mages. Tell them I want the same array here that's over my house," Duke vont Whitby said looking murderously at Will.

Will felt the last 10 minutes had been a whirlwind. Silently, Will cast the [Earth Mantel Array]. A light brown semi-transparent dome covered the house.

"Elizabeth how are you feeling," the duchess asked Elizabeth.

"Will, are you okay?" Elizabeth said worriedly.

"I have a couple of scratches, but I'm fine," Will lied wheezing. Will was sure he had a couple of cracked ribs.

As Elizabeth healed him, Will checked his stats screen:

Race: Human

Rank: 1 (Baron)/ Lord of Games/ Gaia's Champion

Class: Merchant

Sub Class: Spellsword

Attributes:

Constitution—55

Strength—54

Dexterity—48

Intellect—66

Charisma—15

Ranks Skills: Management (60), Diplomacy (40), Accounting (52)

Class Skills: Appraisal (15, 100), [Radar]

Abilities: Journeyman Swordsmanship (15+5, 50), Journeyman Terramancer (39+6, 50), Gaia's Blessing (multiplies your spell strength x2), Journey Blacksmith (2, 50).