Assassin's Chronicle

"You really don’t want to know who I am?" the figure asked, curious. If someone wanted to kill him, he would want to know who he was. Anfey, on the other hand, appeared completely unbothered by the fact that he did not know who was trying to kill him.

"Why would I?" Anfey asked. "So many people want to kill me. If I try to find out who every single one of them is, it would take too long."

"Interesting," the figure said. He gripped his sword. He was angry, but he still kept the words of his teacher in mind. He wasn’t there to kill Anfey.

"You’ll be surprised," Anfey said. "Well, since you want me to know so badly: Who are you, exactly?"

"Deswright," the figure said. "I’m a student of Philip’s."

"That’s it?" Anfey said, shaking his head. "I thought there would be more."

"You made a mistake the day you killed Zeda," Deswright said coolly.

"It’s too late for that now, isn’t it?" Anfey asked. "I killed him. It’s done."

"I know that," Deswright said. "Which is why I am here."

Anfey frowned. He did not expect such an answer from Deswright. All the top level powers he had met were brilliant people. Even Bruzuryano, who was known for his honesty, had his own secrets. Honesty wasn’t stupidity. He was surprised that Deswright did not get the hint.

"I have to warn you, though," Anfey said, "Suzanna’s almost here."

Deswright frowned. He had been spying on them for a while now and knew that Suzanna had recently moved up a level. He did not need to face another top level power because that would just be too inconvenient. He raised his sword and dashed towards Anfey.

Anfey did not back down, either. He gripped his sword and blocked Deswright’s attack. He wanted to see how different he was from a top level power. This was a good opportunity for him to gain some knowledge and use it to his benefit.

The two swords clashed with a loud thud. Anfey’s fire sword shattered and turned back into loose fire elements. He was too distracted to form another sword this fast. Deswright had used most of his power and had no reserve. Remnants of combat power exploded with the loose elements. The clash sent both Anfey and Deswright flying backwards and crashing into the walls of the cave. The cave shook dangerously, threatening to collapse at any moment.

Anfey quickly formed a fire shield to defend himself from the combat power.

Deswright recovered much faster than Anfey did. He was already heading towards Anfey just as Anfey was standing up. He did not care to prolong this process. He just needed to finish this.

Deswright might have been young and inexperienced, but he was still very powerful. Even though Anfey had the sword Jacob had forged for him, he was still shocked by his collision with the wall of the cave. Deswright only stumbled a little after this clash, but Anfey was thrown away again. He crashed through a wooden door at the end of the tunnel and crashed against the wall. Deswright chased after him quickly. Behind him, the cave and the tunnel shook and began to collapse.

Deswright laughed. "You’re trapped now," he said. Deswright was right. The tunnel had already collapsed and the room they were in was sealed off. There was no way out unless one of them died at the hand of the other.

Anfey shook his head and stood up. His body was very strong now but he was still not strong enough to be able to shake off the pain of crashing into walls. The clashes made him slightly dizzy.

"Just admit defeat," Deswright said, "and maybe I won’t kill you then."

Anfey took a deep breath. The air was very foul in the room because the lack of circulation. That did not help with his dizziness.

"I’m curious," Anfey said, panting. "How did someone like you become a top level power?"

"You’re questioning my abilities?" Deswright asked coolly. He knew that he was powerful enough to defeat Anfey, especially when Anfey was injured. However, he seemed to have forgotten that Anfey’s power did not lay in pure strength. Instead, his speed and agility were what Deswright should really be watching for.

Anfey’s breath stabilized and he summoned a large fireball. He threw the fireball at Deswright and quickly scrambled away, sending a few more fireballs as he ran. He was summoning fireballs as fast as his body would allow.

A small wall of fire appeared around Deswright as Anfey sent a few more fireballs his way.

Deswright could sense that this was Anfey’s last attempt at defeating him. He was very patient and was waiting for Anfey to use up all of his magic. It would take time for Suzanna to find them, and Deswright did not mind waiting.

The light of the fireballs began to dim, and Anfey stopped using large fireballs and began using small fireballs. Deswright watched him without expression. An attack with small fireballs was nothing to a man like him.

Anfey finally stopped using magic and stood there, watching Deswright. The two of them watched one another silently. Deswright frowned. Anfey was supposed to be a paladin, and his magic should not deplete this quickly.

"Is it my turn now?" Deswright asked, waving his sword.

Anfey shrugged but did not say anything. He tapped the ground with his foot as if waiting for Deswright.

Deswright took a deep breath and dove forward. He did not want to kill Anfey just yet. He was still adhering to Philip’s instructions. He wanted to prolong the process.

Anfey waited for Deswright to get close enough to him before moving. He pushed off of the wall behind and moved out of the way of Deswright’s sword.

Deswright dove towards him again, but this time, he realized that something was off. His breathing was becoming more difficult and his combat power was failing.

"What did you do?" Deswright asked angrily. Anfey shook his head and still did not say anything. He dashed towards Deswright and slammed a fist into his chest. Because of his failing combat power, Deswright could not defend himself against this attack. Deswright crashed into the wall. Anfey lunged at him, throwing him towards a large stone before he could regain his strength.

Without combat power, Deswright was not as strong as the stone. His body slid limply off the stone. Anfey picked up Deswright’s sword and stabbed the man through the chest. Deswright watched him angrily, then his eyelids drooped and his body stilled.

After making sure that Deswright really was dead, Anfey walked over to the collapsed tunnel and began trying to dig his way out with the sword.

After a few moments, he made a small crack in the rock pile. He quickly leaned close to the crack and took a deep breath. Then he began digging again.

After a few feet, he felt the stones shaking. He grinned, knowing that Suzanna must have arrived. The shaking was growing stronger. Anfey waited impatiently, knowing that soon he would run out of air. Hopefully, Suzanna heard the noises he made, and he wouldn’t have to die together with Deswright.

Just as Anfey thought that Suzanna wouldn’t find him, a large crack appeared through the rocks and air flowed in. A moment later, Suzanna appeared at the crack. "Anfey?" she called hesitantly. "You still alive in there?"