Sleep eluded her these last few nights, which was a strange feeling. Dreams were full of adventure and it never took her long to give way to the pictures dancing in her head. But as they gained more ground—a mere breath away from Thelline at this point—her heart raced with excitement that made it difficult for her to fall asleep in her normal timely manner.

They'd worked so hard, gone through so much, and they were almost done. They'd almost succeeded where others had failed. Memories of fanfare and congratulations still warmed her when she thought back to the reception they'd been given by the villages they'd past. How would a place like Thelline react to their arrival? She couldn't even begin to imagine what lay in store for them at the grand city. It was the excitement of the unknown that made sleep so difficult.

Still, laying in her blankets, she felt the heaviness finally pull at her eyelids. She hoped the dream awaiting her would be a good one.

Before her eyes fell completely closed, a sound—far too familiar yet sinister all the same—caught her attention. Sleep gave way to alerted caution as her eyes opened once more, heart racing with a rush of adrenaline. She reached out to the person closest to her—Kitty, naturally—and shook at the sleeping form's arm in order to wake her up to the dangers.

They were not alone.

Perhaps it had been too much to hope that they'd find their way to the hero's welcome without any more terrible things barring their way. Naive was perhaps the better word, though she'd thought she'd grown past that by now.

With her other hand, she reached for her axe and began to get to her feet, keeping her senses keen for any clues as to what lay awaiting in the shadows.

Damn. She hadn't been given time to react. The arrow walloped into her and for a fear swelled in her as she imagined the sharp point breaking skin, embedding itself into flesh. Instead, it bounced harmlessly away, the strong fabric of the cloak repelling it. It had bruised her just under the rib and shoved a breath from her lungs, but she was very much alive. Shashka peered into the dark, adrenaline rushing, when a soft sound in the black expanse caught her attention. "Show yourself!" she demanded of the darkness, gripping her daggers. She knew she wasn't a match for whatever was out there, not at this distance, and her eyes scanned for a way to hide and creep around back of the intruders.

Shashka's eyes widened. That's a big sword. She hadn't actually thought through what she was supposed to do once they revealed themselves. In fact, she'd been hoping that yelling would rouse the rest of her group and have them flying to her rescue. She'd be making a mental note of who among them was a light sleeper from here on out. She took two slow and careful steps back, in the direction of the camp, trying to close the space between herself and Cassandra. Her eyes darted around. Were they surrounded? How many were there? She didn't like this, being stuck in a position of verbal negotiation. It wasn't really her "thing." A lot of the challenges on this trip hadn't been. Was she supposed to keep this guy talking? And where was Saphira's big mouth when you needed it? She couldn't really ask what they wanted - it was preeeetty obvious it was them. Dead. So what could she say? A bead of sweat ran down the side of her face. Money. Everyone spoke in money. "If you let us go, we can make you richer than whoever is paying you can."

Saphira had been thinking a lot about what awaited them tomorrow, the anxiety preventing her from falling immediately into slumber. What awaited William when he came back - the King, even with the dragon's help, there were still risks and she was afraid something would go wrong and she would never see him again. All of these thoughts were crowding her mind, when she heard the sound that had unfortunately become familiar to them. The sound of an arrow hitting something.

She raised her head a little as Shashka demanded for whoever it was to come out, her hand finding her spear. With her other hand she shook William's body - not very gently to make sure he would wake up - and remained quiet, in case there was a chance for her to catch the assassin(s) off guard.

She saw two figures emerging so far, one with the arrows, and another with a sword.

Shashka's offer might actually be useful, if not for the fact that the money they could offer with the coins came from the same person who had ordered the assassination. Still on a sleeping position, Saphira reached for William's "jeweled" hand, signaling for him to call for Kedrok, hoping he would understand.

The dragon was their easiest way out here.

Battle wrote:

Assassin(s) wrote:

The first speaker, (A), snorted at her offer, nodding his head towards the other, (B), who shrugged and approached confidently. (A) took aim, "Doubt it." 

With so much ahead of him, he had used a fast-sleep breathing technique he had learned somewhere over the years - tracking or military, he couldn't remember - to put himself out in minutes of lying down. It was more difficult than at other times, the anticipation of leaving the task behind him joining together with the usual reluctance to return to court and the fish-bowl life to make a larger distraction than usual, but knowing that others were on watch let him push past it all and let go. However, it felt as though he had barely wished Saphira a good night before she shook him back awake. He blinked groggily, noting the darkness of the skies to wonder if he had only dozed off - maybe she had been telling him something? He was about to ask she repeat herself and apologize when she reached for his left hand, careful to keep her movements small. The grogginess left him in an instant, blood running cold with adrenaline to chase the sleep from him. 

As gruff voice answered a question he had missed, he carefully drew his left fist closer to his mouth, took in a long, shallow breath, and blew cold air over the stones in his hand. 

He hadn't had to call Kedrok often, but the dragon had confirmed his idea about the gems and the elemental affinity calling to the dragon as it had in the lake in the Steppes; he had not had any reason to call him between now and then, and beyond the occasional mental-check in, the dragon had been keeping his distance. But now the pressure he associated with the dragon's mental presence grew in his mind, and he thought calmly and clearly, 'Threats at camp,' as he slowly turned his head towards the sound of the voice, able to make out the silhouettes of the two men in the moonlight: one with a loaded bow in the treeline, one with a sword drawn and approaching them.

The next thing he knew, he was flying.

William rolled up off the ground suddenly but fluidly, grabbing the sword in the sheath that rested beside him as he freed the dagger that hid in his cloak, going from the roll into a stride and using his teeth to loosen the cover of the longer blade as he stared murder at the sword-wielding man that approached them. He stumbled but recovered quickly. With a twist of the wrist, he whipped the weapon to dislodge the sheath fully and sent it flying through the air, and only then did he run, blade behind him, dagger in front to block - 

The assassin got his blade up to defend himself, but William's dagger met it and forced it aside, his momentum carrying him and the sword he wielded forward as he thrust the sharpened blade towards the opponent's unprotected middle. They did not fall to the ground together, but the sword struck home. Hot blood spilled out all around the hilt of his blade and William adjusted his grip and pushed back on the body to dislodge himself, pressing the blade in close again as it came back for a second attack. 

Battle wrote:

 William attempts a surprise attack on Assassin B!
Does it work?
--2
----He's not off guard!
Disarm with dagger?
--5
Force to the ground?
--2
Did it hit?
--5
How much damage?
--5
--STR 6
--STR 6
--WPN 2
--Bleeding! 3
----Total of 22 points of damage! 
Bonus attack?! Pulling the blade out!
--3
--STR 6
--STR 6
--WPN 2
--Bleeding! 2
----Total of 19 points of damage!

Assassin B is bleeding out! And a little surprised! And in crazy pain! We'll say he can't attack at the moment.

Assassin A 
--6
Is a little freaked out and hesitates

Kedrok Rolls:

Battle wrote:

Assassin(s) wrote:

The first speaker, (A), snorted at her offer, nodding his head towards the other, (B), who shrugged and approached confidently. (A) took aim, "Doubt it." 

The threats combined with the sounds of several assassins in the vicinity lead Cassandra to keep her movements slow and careful. Halfway standing up, she straightened her back with a deliberate motion, not wanting to draw too much attention to herself. She grimaced at the offer the assassin made—offended and sickened—and took a small step closer to Kitty's sleeping form. Her hand still gripped her axe, though she didn't raise it just yet, her muscles taut. They were surrounded but at least she could be at the ready for when the battle began.

She appreciated Shashka's attempt at negotiation. There had been a time when she'd fear that Shashka would give in to the assassin's words, but no longer.

The assassin didn't take the bait, but in a flash of movement, Leon attacked. His was a well practiced sword in all the battles they'd had in the past, but something about this felt different. Fluid and almost poetic, in a way. Like a hero straight out of a storybook, he dispatched the assassin with ease.

Cassandra didn't let it distract her a moment longer, however, and closed the distance between herself and the hesitating assassin, lifting her axe in a ready position as she did. She stopped right in front of him, posture threatening. "Lay down your weapons," she said, putting an air of confidence into her voice that her racing heart didn't quite match. She thought of that same storybook hero Leon had just emulated, and used it as inspiration for her own threat. "Or else you'll end up like your friend."

As he freed his blade, kicking the injured man away, William called out after Cassandra's threat, his voice deeper than his usual tone as he projected. "Do not hesitate, Cassandra Bailey. Kill him before he can kill you or any of the others. If you haven't the stomach," he paused, considering the woods behind the man Cassandra held in place before flipping to pin the dagger between left thumb and the back of his hand, facing the gems towards the spot, "then hold him there and I will deal with him in a moment."

A rush of wind moved towards William from the trees, the leaves rustling wildly as a man ((Assassin C)) flew out of their cover and into the clearing, splayed on the ground mere feet from where Cassandra stood.

battle wrote:

MP will be deducted from the sheet[.

Assassin A, standing before Cassandra, started inching backwards, glancing at his fallen associate and back at Cassandra before attempting to shove her aside and make a break for it!

Did it hit?
--4
Cassandra is shoved backwards!
Does she fall?
--3
Cassandra only stumbles, she does not fall!

The assassin starts to run, his going slow through the underbrush of the woods!

She just stood there, mouth open as William filleted the first assassin, then instructed Cassandra to ruthlessly murder another in a voice not his own. What the hell? What the hell?! This was not the same William. Something was very, very wrong. She breathed, her eyes dilated with fear, and stumbled back, away from whatever it was William had become. In that moment, she thought only of home, only of reaching her Papa, only of safety. A cold palace and shining weapon wouldn't welcome her home with warm arms. She couldn't serve someone like this - a monster far scarier than whatever was waiting in the woods.

The shove surprised her—she stumbled back, but caught her footing—but Leon's words surprised her more. She might have had a chance to attack the assassin's back, his movements slow and encumbered by the underbrush. But she stood still, recognizing the way Leon said her name as not his own, and frowned at the instructions she'd been given. This, too, was at odds with what they'd done in the past. Tying up the offenders rather than killing them had been their general plan.

Instead of following after the assassin, Cassandra took a step back and lowered her weapon. "I will not strike a fleeing opponent," she said, voice level and clear, her gaze finding those startlingly blue eyes. "Hesitation has nothing to do with it. We should not resort to cold violence. It only lowers us to their standard."

She'd barely gotten up when William had caught up to the first assassin, his movement unnaturally fast and deadly. Watching him with alarm, she saw him attack the assassin viciously in a way she'd never seen him do before. When he spoke, she understood why. The dragon was... speaking through him, somehow. Was this how the bond worked? The dragon could possess him? Suddenly Saphira didn't like the idea of this bonding anymore. Was William still in there, still in control? If not, was this not just another way of taking over his mind, another takeover of one's will, as bad as what his grandfather was doing?

...Could what his grandfather was doing be related to the bond his ancestor had with all those dragons all those years ago?

As Cassandra chose to let the assassin go, Saphira looked around and listened closely to check if there were other assailants.

"Kedrok, may I remind you that you are in a body not your own? Do not do anything without William's specific consent, especially when it comes to taking lives. The blood will be on his hands."

Battle wrote:

 Saphira checks for other assailants!
Did it work? Perception check! 6
--Saphira's PER: 7
Success!
As far as Saphira can tell, there are no further enemies.
Assassin C starts to recover! In fear, they throw a dagger towards William!
Did it hit?
--3

Assassin A's footsteps quiet...

Bright yellow eyes met Cassandra's as the man she had held at her mercy retreated into the woods, quickly becoming a loose end. "Standards are for those who have another way out," 'William' replied, stepping around the groaning, bleeding man to approach the one he had flushed from the woods. "If these were hired to kill a Prince then they will not simply be allowed to go free for failure - the stakes are too high - and so they will not simply give up after being bested. Accepting the hit was accepting the high probability of death. We're just delivering on that probability." 

The man pulled out a dagger and desperately threw it towards William, but he dodged, the blade landing in the grass behind the Prince. As he resumed his stride towards the man he addressed Saphira's call: "The blood on his hands will practically sparkle. A heroic prince defeating assassins that threatened the lives of his friends? They'll probably give him a medal or something."

Leon—Kedrok—spoke of heroics and medals, things that normally flushed her heart with warmth and excitement. These were things she loved, the stories she clung to when nothing else would do.

But hearing them used in this way tainted that feeling, twisting it into something she did not enjoy. Instead of warmth, only ice shone in these words, sharp and unfeeling.

Leon's body moved closer to the remaining assassin, and with a frown, Cassandra stepped between the two. She kept her back to Leon, facing the more immediate threat so that the assassin would not be able to move or attack without her seeing, but she glanced for a moment behind to face Kedrok's gaze once more. "We thank you for your help, for without it, we were doomed," she said, bowing her head to him. "The situation is under control now, and we'll take care of this one just as we've done in the past. This man's fate may be damned by his own choices, but it is not up to us to play executioner."

Battle wrote:

Assassin B continues to bleed! 

He basked in her appreciation - he always did like Cassandra Bailey - but it didn't escape him how she placed herself between him and the next enemy. He took the moment to wipe the blood from his hands onto the cloak. Her words were those of an adolescent. He did not blame her: these humans were adolescents, and while he wanted nothing more than secure his own security, he would indulge her. "Do as you wish, but if I deem it unsafe I'll take matters back into my own hands." He glanced towards the woods, "While you deal with this one, shall I go after the one you let get away?"

Satisfied that there were no other threats, she turned towards William and stared into the eyes of a stranger. It gave her an alarming, seizing feeling to see him possessed like this, and she decided she didn't like it one bit. Delivering on that probability? The dragon hadn't struck her as cold and bloodthirsty before, but now there it was, the catch. She knew everything with this bond had seemed too good to be true.

His words about getting a medal made her sick, her stomach roiling with nausea. She moved toward him and grasped his arm, even knowing full well she might not be able to hold him with her own strength. But she was going to try her hardest and hell if some super-powered dragon was going to stop her.

Her hazel eyes blazed golden as she spoke firmly, "Give the control to William back. If he decides you're still needed, then you can stay. He might have asked for your help, but that does not equal a carte blanche. I have actually murdered someone and I know he doesn't want this, so give him back to me."

He glanced down at the unexpected hand on his arm and cocked a brow at Saphira Vane for her silent denial. Of all of them, he least figured Saphira to be against doing whatever it took to keep everyone safe; she didn't seem the type to let trespasses slide by only to circle back and cut their throats later, but then she spoke and he had to roll his eyes despite the scathing look she delivered him. "He hasn't been taken from you, he's -" he paused, feeling, "somewhere southwest, heading in this direction. I'll swap back with him as soon as I'm sure his body will be safe from mortal danger, and as my affinity channeled through him is more useful than his own at this level, that means I'm here until that third --"

Battle wrote:

Assassin A wrote:

Assassin A watched from where he stood in the woods. He swallowed hard, considering, and then carefully loaded another arrow, taking deep and even breaths as he moved silently to get a clear shot between the trunks and boughs at the target. He understood now why they were here. It was more than a payday, more than standard royals-killing-royals for gods-knew-what, this was for the good of the Kingdom. The Prince was not right. His air affinity was all off - he had pulled Tyrone out of the woods like it was nothing using a breeze - a bleedin' breeze - and, from what they were saying, he intended to go after him with that. He should go warn someone, tell 'em what the kid was capable of, but the chances of him getting far enough to do that when the Prince could do whatever that was was slim to none. He'd end up like poor Jeffords. He had to stop it - or at least try. 

Assassin A steadies his bow, aims, and fires at William's head! 
Did it hit?
--4
Hit, but not the head.
How much damage?
--1
--STR7
--ARM-1
----Total of 7 points of damage
The cloak's piercing resistance caused the arrow to hit and bounce away!

Assassin A wrote:

He missed. His stomach flipping, he forced deep, even breaths as he loaded another and took second aim.

Kedrok exhaled in annoyance, made to raise his hand and thought better of it - wooden shrapnel could hit either of the women and he promised his protection so long as they did not threaten Leon, so he couldn't bring the offender to him. He'd have to meet him. ! Or~

He raised Leon's left arm again, only partially, as he made a show of being "hurt" by the arrow - right hand covering where the arrow had hit, staggering backward, turning the annoyance hiss into a hiss of pain, the works - and said under his breath, "Let him shoot again, I've got him."

Shashka laid on the ground, hoping to make herself a more difficult target. What the hell was going on? The dragon was INSIDE William? This was nonsense. This was ridiculous. This couldn't be happening. What kind of world let giant magic lizards usurp people's bodies? I want to go home. She repeated it to herself over and over like a mantra. Just let me live, and let me go home. She hadn't signed up for all this... this... whatever it was. World-rending, life-upending magic. She stayed planted to the ground, her face turned away from the action and all the blood.

Battle wrote:

Assassin A steadies his bow, aims, and fires at William's head a second time! 
Kedrok raises William's left hand and fires a blast of air at the arrow, intending to stop it and redirect it back at its launcher, aiming for the heart! (2 MP)
Does it work?
--4
Does it hit?
--5
Heart adjacent! 
How much damage?
--4
--CTRL - Kedrok - 20
--WPN 1
--Bleeding 3
----27 points of damage

Assassin A wrote:

The arrow barely missed his heart. He staggered, drumming up the strength to fire again.

"Cracked shells," Kedrok cursed as the blast of air he had practically perfectly timed ended with near death rather than a true one-shot clean kill. If he were there in his own body that trick would've been child's play, but now he'd have to get these hands dirty again. He took a step towards the woods, ready to track the other down and fully take care of the problem, and paused, glancing at the hand of Saphira Vane on Leon's arm in a signal for her to remove it.

William was... in the dragon's body?! The statement was so shocking that she almost let go of his body - almost. Her brain couldn't even wrap around that. How would it feel like...? Never mind, it still didn't make a difference. This was still his body, and it was still his prerogative to decide what to do with it. He probably didn't even know he was going to swap bodies with Kedrok when he called for help.

As the next arrow bounced off of him, Saphira instinctively ducked, but Kedrok told her to let him shoot again, and with the grace and ease of someone completely in control of the air, he redirected it back to its owner. She gasped when she saw the assassin hit, but even so, he was still trying to get up. He wasn't running for his life. He was intent on killing William even if it killed him.

He didn't deserve to be saved, and yet she felt the need to stop this. She let go of his hand and stepped back, but with the intent of following him if he gave chase to the assassin in the woods.

"Incapacitate, don't kill," she hissed. "Unless you can get William's consent to take his life."

He rolled his yellow eyes, replying sarcastically "Yes ma'am" before stalking off towards the upright assassin, noticing her shadowing him the moment he took his third step. Having a follower wasn't terribly annoying, but that she didn't trust him to keep his word when he gave it was irksome. Humans. He broke into the treeline, closing the distance between himself and the armed man, left hand raised and ready to channel his affinity at a moment's notice, wondering just how he could incapacitate the pesky thing without outright killing it. Suck the air from his lungs? ... Nah. That was a move of finesse, and he was remarkably out of practice. Slam him back into a tree? Do it hard enough and that'll sometimes knock the air out of 'em, and that makes them easier to...

Do they even have rope?

"Do you even have rope?" he said, echoing the thought that brought his thinking to a standstill. How were they intending to?? 

Battle wrote:

Assassin A fires at William, but he's super injured and it's way off.
Kedrok raises William's left hand and fires another blast of air, intending to knock the man into a tree and knock him unconscious. 2MP
Did it work?
--5

Assassin A wrote:

is alive, but knocked out!

"There," Kedrok stated with the air of an annoyed adolescent, "He's out and he's probably not dead." He stooped and easily picked up the unconscious body, tossing it over his shoulder as he returned to the clearing and unceremoniously dumped the form on the ground near the cowering assassin he had torn from the woods before. He straightened, made a motion like dusting off his hands, and looked to them, "So? How are you going to guarantee Leon isn't murdered the moment I return to my body?"

"Yes, we do have rope," she answered, trying not to sound irritated. She watched as he knocked out the assassin, rolling her eyes when Kedrok said he was 'probably not dead'. She didn't think she could get annoyed at William, but the way Kedrok he was acting, he was so obviously not William that it was enough for Saphira to resent his dumb blonde head.

She followed him back and pulled out the rope from their pile of supplies, quickly tying up the incapacitated assassin after searching his body and confiscating his weapons.

"There," she said in the same tone he'd used earlier. "That one's taken care of. Cassandra's got the other one, and that last one is badly wounded. I think it's safe to say the threats are neutralized. Thank you for your assistance. We promise we're not going to get him killed."

And thank you for conveniently leaving out the fact that you can swap bodies with him to begin with!

Cassandra remained quiet, letting Saphira take up the reins in this strange situation. She, more than the rest of the group—excluding Leon himself, of course—would have reason to be extra concerned about these turns of events. Concerning and strange for them all, but she had a closer tie to their absent friend.

It was good, at least, that they'd stopped Kedrok from killing the assassin outright. She didn't recoil away from bloodshed and the need to defend theirselves, but when the battle was already won, it seemed cruel to continue to attack.

Kedrok's intent to kill everything that threatened them would need to be addressed, but that seemed like a better conversation for another time. She would back him up, would not balk at what needed to be done. But only when it was necessary.

She just hoped that this clashing of opinions wouldn't lead to a bigger argument down the line. She didn't miss the annoyance in both Kedrok and Saphira's voices, even as they continued to be civil. Cassandra didn't wish to offend Kedrok, but she wouldn't stand idle when there was need for intervention.

At Saphira's last comment, Cassandra raised her axe once more at the assassin in front of her, gesturing for someone to bring rope over for this one as well. "Don't move," she said to her captive. "Our mercy only goes so far."

Quote :

The assassins do not put up a fight, allowing themselves to be tied up. "What are you going to do with us?" Thr conscious Assassin C asked.

Assassin A is still unconscious!

Assassin B moans quietly as he continues to bleed out.

Kedrok did nothing to help Saphira Vane in tying up the unconscious man - well, nothing beyond glaring a warning at the third threat Cassandra Bailey held at bay. If they kept them here, immobilized, then they should be able to escape to the city, where another such assassination attempt should not occur until... well the palace, depending on how open the King has been about his filicide. Grandfilicide? Anyway, his wishes. He'd locate himself somewhere closer and encourage the boy to get the stare-off over with as quickly as possible, that the King would call off any further attempts before they are executed. 'They' being the attempts, here, not 'they' as in he and Leon, as he would knock that palace down before allowing himself to go out like that, at the hands of a descendant of the defiler that knocked him out the first time.

Get to Thelline, overpower the grandfather to call this nonsense off... his yellow eyes tightened on the third man as someone brought Cassandra Bailey another length of rope and she tied him up. As soon as the man looked secure enough, Leon's stance slackened completely as Kedrok eased out of a fighting mindset. He turned back to Saphira Vane, having left her comment hanging while Cassandra worked, and shrugged. "Good. I won't be far," he stated conversationally, and relinquished control of his bonded, returning to his rightful place in the skies of Esoria, somewhat off of where he had been. He decided to find a field much closer to the city, so that if he had to physically intervene it would be simpler to do so.

Battle wrote:

He'd like to think he kept remarkable control of himself, considering the circumstances. For a first timer, he had gotten the hang of it pretty quickly, and was coasting as fast as he could towards where he felt a strong pull in his chest, hoping it was where he would find his body, his friends, and - in all likelihood - the actual owner of this enormous hulk of muscle, scale and horns. His wings sliced through the air, moving so quickly that he felt like he was being pulled upward rather than supported, and it felt honestly like there was too much weight to be lifted by the outstretched wings that he tilted here or there, but they had to work so he refused to consider otherwise. Honestly the only thing he really didn't know what to do with were his legs, so he had them awkwardly tucked close to his body to resist the pull of the wind against him. The tail was useful in making turns, which was great, as figuring out where he was took a considerable amount of circling to find landmarks he could match to memorized maps. Once he placed where he was - a good deal south of their current location - he winged that way as quickly as possible, and so here he was, nervous about what was happening below, but feeling competent at least in his maiden flight.

Sure, the first moments of flight were rough.  Finding himself so far above the surface that trees looked like shrubs and clouds collected as condensate on his - his? - scales - scales! - as he flew - ! - through the night sky was so unexpected and terrifying the wings collapsed and he had dropped a good bit before he could regain control and then it was a game of balance as he figured out what did what and pieced together what happened. Apparently Kedrok could lend him strength both physical and magical, and could also easily flip their minds' positions whenever he felt the urge. 

An updraft surged and he tensed, jerking as he dealt with the sudden extra force, and then --

He lurched forward on his own two feet, straining to deal with a problem that was no longer there while simultaneously fighting new sensations - his weight on the ground, for one example; having an upright posture with arms and legs again, for another -  and ended up wheeling his arms in an attempt to catch the balance he had lost and ended up sprawled on his hands and knees on the ground, his heart hammering painfully in his chest for the shock of it. He collected his breath, turned, and found himself nearly face-to-face with an older man, seemingly unconscious, all tied up. He pushed himself up onto his knees and rose unsteadily to his feet, having to twitch his arms out to keep his balance. He looked around, taking what stock he could of the situation - Cassandra and Saphira with two prisoners, no signs of anyone else in the immediate vicinity but no evidence of loss on their faces, suggesting everything was alright. He was about to explain what had happened when he noticed that one of their former attackers was still awake and listening, and so decided against it. He cleared his throat, "Shall we go, then?"

With the assassin in front of her secured and Leon seemingly back in his own body, Cassandra lowered her axe, relaxing her muscles for the first time in what felt like hours. She looked over their surroundings to ensure that no more enemies lay hidden in the shadows. As she did, she spotted the last assassin, the one lying on the ground and bleeding. With a frown, she moved to his side, kneeling down.

She glanced to Kitty, then, asking without speaking for her help in stabilizing his condition. What was the point of saving the lives of the others only to leave this one dying in their wake? She didn't know much about first aid, but she knew enough to put pressure on the major wounds so that the spilling of blood would slow.

As she continued to press, Cassandra looked towards the rich home nearby. "Perhaps we should leave these people near there, with a note attached explaining that the owner of that home needs to call in the authorities to deal with them."

She paused, thinking back to what Kedrok spoke of earlier, of how these assassins were doomed to die anyway. She felt conflicted for a moment. She had no love for people who sought to harm others, had no respect for their actions or decisions in life. But... to save them, only to send them straight to their deaths... didn't that equal the same as her killing them anyway? "We could strip them of any identifying markers and write upon the note that they're petty thieves caught in the moment. Something they'll reap punishment for, without giving away their true intentions."

She turned her eyes towards the single conscious assassin, mind conjuring up past stories of villains who turned a new leaf after being presented with the evil of their actions. Was this encounter enough for these assassins to do the same? She'd found, so far, that most of the things she'd read in her books were not all the same as reality.

Naive, Saphira called it. Perhaps. But she still hoped, all the same.

"You should rethink your life's choices," she told the assassin. "Make yourself scarce and find a way to live your life honestly. There's a grand world out there, full of beautiful and wonderful things. Explore it. Better it. There's no reason to taint it with your actions."

Quote :

The conscious man swallowed heavily and nodded, though his expression drooped with hopelessness, brows creasing together as though he may well break down. His mouth opened as if to say something, but he quickly shut it and bowed his head, apparently accepting his fate.

As Kitty and Cassandra pressed upon the bloodied second, they felt his heartbeat beneath their hands as weak, thr ground around him soaking wet but mercifully colorless in the darkness of the night. His skin was sallow and pale; moving him may bring him to death's door.

Shashka stayed exactly where she was, trying to clutch onto a thought that made sense, something that wasn't "dragons are apparently real" and "they can body swap with people." The ground underneath her was the only reassuring thing. It was flat and unmoving in an objectively boring way. She was starting very much to like boring. Her eyes drifted over and she watched as one of the assassins bled; Cassandra and Kitty trying their hardest to stop a wound that didn't look capable of healing. She shut her eyes, not wanting to see the gush of red and the inevitable rasping breath before the end. They weren't supposed to kill anyone, that was what had been agreed upon. Even after she had advocated for it, she hadn't been sure she could do it, and William... the dragon... had been so merciless. She tried to calm herself and think of home, deciding she'd follow the group at the rear once things got moving. Keeping talking to a minimum was best when you had no earthly idea what to say.