Assassination: Copycat Gang

Cetus crouched on a boulder, shrouded in his guild armor. This job was at least a step up from the last one. Apparently Blanche had played a little joke on the new guy. It was some sort of ritual in joining Hidden Blades. At least that was what he could understand of what had been told to him. It didn't matter much. The pervert was in jail after paying out what he owed. He probably hadn't seen it coming whatsoever. On top of it there was a girl out there that was mentally scarred. Cetus wasn't sure how badly. He hadn't wanted to risk his alter ego getting caught and ruining all the work he'd put into it. So jailed pervert and traumatized victim. A good job all around in his mind. There wasn't a flicker of guilt or any other annoying emotion.

Now Blanche had given him a real job. There was a gang out here making things difficult. Apparently all the attention they were bringing toward dark guilds was causing an issue. Hidden Blades couldn't remain hidden while the spotlight shone on them. Cetus could understand the sentiment. Take out the obstacles and lay low until the heat died down again. Nathair had helped Cetus do that several times when fake Order of Law branches had popped up. Those had been some of his favorite missions. Some had been challenging with the leaders of the fake cults being rather smart. Nathair had almost died on the last one. Cetus was pretty sure she still bore the scar from that wound. Cetus had come close to losing his head that time too. There had been too much blood all around for him. His nature had reared up trying to grab him by the throat. It had taken extraordinary willpower not to lose his mind.

Cetus' attention was brought back to the pass below. Two figures were passing through it. Each held a bag. Most likely those contained the loot from their latest heist. Cetus leaned closer to the edge frowning. One of the figures didn't match the descriptions he'd been given whatsoever. The woman on the left wasn't a part of the gang he was meant to destroy. Poor girl. She'd stuck her foot into something and now she wouldn't make it out alive. His instructions were very clear. No survivors. Cetus looked toward the other figure. Toby the Defiler. Right on time. Cetus dropped to the pass floor. The couple - Cetus assumed the woman was Toby's girlfriend - laughed raucously. They believed they'd gotten away scott free. He shook his head. You never relaxed until you reached headquarters. Even then you had to lay low for a few hours. Otherwise, you were tempting fate. Just like this gang had.

Cetus was little more than a shadow as he moved through the night. Toby was holding some sort of lacrima torch, lighting the way forward. The assassin was careful with his foot placement. He stalked his prey, listening to them chatter. "-see the look on his face?! Priceless! I can't believe he thought you'd just let him go!" The girl cackled. Her expression was close to adoration. Perhaps that was why Toby kept her around. Toby chuckled himself, his back straightening. "Of course. They always think I'll just let them go. They'd never believe I'd simply kill them to keep them from identifying us." There was an arrogance to his tone that made Cetus roll his eyes. Where was the professionalism? This man wasn't a very good thief if he was boosting of killing all the witnesses. A real thief would know the danger taking such a path held.

The pass narrowed quickly. Here was where Cetus would strike. Only one person could pass at a time here. With the bulging bags on their backs, the couple would have to wait for a while as the other struggled through the pass. Toby went first. Chivalry was dead. While the thief struggled, grunting and groaning, Cetus moved in. It only took a swipe of his hand. The woman's throat opened up like a fountain. She dropped the bag trying to stop the bleeding. Cetus grabbed it before it clattered to the ground. No need to alert everyone. The assassin slowly lowered the bag to the ground. He wanted to search it. It might have a few useful tools. However, he was supposed to be a ghost this time. Nothing left behind whatsoever. Using tools from loot meant he had to take them with him. That in turn left evidence. Sloppy.

Cetus removed the magical brand he'd had made earlier. It had the guild symbols of a few of the dark guilds excluding Hidden Blades. This entire job was meant to leave a message. Flesh sizzled as he pressed the brand into the woman's face. Then it went back into the pouch. The assassin slipped through the pass right as Toby popped out the other side. The thief started turning around to call for his girlfriend. That was when he died. Again Cetus had to stop the bag from clattering to the ground. He left the intended message before heading up the pass. Nothing behind him hinted at his presence. Only two bodies with dark guild symbols branded into their faces. A good start to this entire job.

The HQ Toby had been headed to wasn't as hidden as the Copycat gang thought it was. Cetus made a face at the name. Who had thought up the name Copycat Gang? It was awful. Anyways, the assassin had found the HQ within an hour of searching for it. It was little more then an elaborate cave system set into the mountains. The thieves could disappear into it, sure. However first they had to reach it. Cetus also didn't think it had a back door either. A stupid HQ really. Who didn't put at least two hidden back entrances to a hideout?

Randy Booklet stood in front of the cave entrance as a guard. A rather terrible guard in Cetus' opinion. He was almost asleep on his feet, his cudgel leaning against the wall behind him. The assassin waited a few moments plotting the best approach. He didn't want anyone to see him nor to have anyone sneak up on him until the killing was done. Once the shark man was sure, he moved. Randy didn't have a clue what hit him. One moment everything was clear. The next a wraith was in front of him. Randy went down without a sound. Blood pooled quickly around the body. Cetus had to breathe through his mouth to avoid its effects on him. Blood was a constant bane for him. Quickly, Cetus finished the job. Another gang member dead and tagged.

The assassin crept down the corridor. This served as the entrance hall. Cetus was disappointed. He could already spot several ways the defenses could have been improved. Then there was the fact that there wasn't another guard sitting at the end of this hallway. Sloppy. Very very sloppy. There were three gang members left to find and eliminate. Assuming there weren't any other unexpected party guests. Cetus slipped into the first room. This split off into three not counting where he had just come from. Loud music was coming from one of them. He could use that for cover. All Cetus needed to do was see if one of the gang members had retired early. Or decided to have a small party of their own.

The assassin slipped from shadow to shadow as he searched. There wasn't much to this HQ except when it came to the personal rooms. He assumed that the party was being held in the treasure room. Not like that couldn't go wrong in any way, shape, or form. Cetus could feel an actual desire to kill these idiots forming in his stomach. They all gave real criminals a bad name. It wouldn't happen again, at least not by this group.

Cetus found the youngest of the group, Kim Strange, having a little fun of her own. He peeked through the door and sighed. The girl was combining drugs with sex for some reason. The five men in her room would have to be eliminated too. The irritation this group caused him was rapidly growing with every member he killed. Only Randy hadn't been too difficult. The shark man wondered what had caused the thug to get stuck with guard duty. Cetus waited until he had the optimal chance. Then he exploded into action.

The first two died with quick jabs. The necks of the next two flew against the wall. Cetus let the terror swallow Ms. Strange before sinking his teeth into her throat. The last man standing screamed into Cetus' hand. The assassin slowly rose from the corpse of the teenage gang member. Blood dripped from his smile. The man fainted. Cetus killed him before dumping the body on the ground. Wiping his mouth off, Cetus glanced around. It seemed rather distasteful to leave the bodies naked. Almost like he was trying to make a statement. Well he was but not the statement the room left in mind. The assassin pulled out his brand and went to work.

It turned out that the last two members of the gang were down at the party. Cetus supposed that was a good thing. He could take the last of them in one fell swoop. The assassin crept down the hallway toward the treasure room to see what he was dealing with. The room made Cetus curse. Ten people danced with bliss. There was no way to tell which were his targets because a magic light pulsed overhead. Stupid gang. Stupid people. Cetus liked a challenge, true, and he had no trouble killing people. However, he was supposed to get in and out for this job. Leave a message. All these extra people did not let him do that. He'd have to use magic.

Cetus let the power of the White Baron sweep over him. The Spider of the White Court gladly filled the assassin with his power. Cetus groaned as extra limbs popped from his body. Small spinnerets formed on each wrist. The assassin could feel his body change and shift becoming a large white humanoid spider in black armor. A small chittering laugh left his throat. Time for this to end.

The assassin leapt into the air. Landing amidst the partyers, Cetus struck out quickly. Bodies collapsed around him. His body was the wind and behind him was a breeze of red. With the Baron's power flooding through him, Cetus dispatched the remaining people with ease. His job was almost done. He needed only to leave the message and brand the corpses. Blinking his many eyes, Cetus stood back to admire his handiwork. There was only perhaps a drop of blood out of place. They hadn't been able to react before he fell upon them. It had been almost too easy.

Cetus made sure to brand each face. Dipping his fingers in the throats of Wade and Zach, the shark man wrote out the message from the Dark guilds. Steal the name. Pay the price. Or something along those lines in large dripping letters. Cetus double checked everything until he was satisfied it was to his standards. With his job complete, the assassin slipped from the cave. He'd be leaving an anonymous tip with the police later tonight. They would find the bodies and the world would know. Messing with the dark guilds was a dangerous affair. Cetus had to wonder. If messing with the dark guilds ending in a message for others, what happened to those that were within a dark guild themselves?

WC: 1998