The Dagger in The Moon

The Old man's return

   The old man left quickly. Despite his old age his pace was fast and decisive. Nobody paid any attention though being captivated by the festivities. The old man left the square, he saw people being drunk and talking to themselves while they were trying to walk in a proper way. Newborn couples were hidden in some corners distracted in new love's calling. The old man followed the marble street and turned right. He stoped, looking briefly around him. There were no lights that could reveal his presence in any way. He had seen this place a lot the last days. It was Elladan's house. The Guild's headquarters, though he was sure that if he dared to ask the neighbours nobody would know something in particular, except maybe the always well behaving Mr Ravensroar. The old man did a whole circle around the house till he stopped in a small side door. He seemed that he knew exactly what he was doing and where precisely he had to go. He looked around him. Nobody seemed to be close to him, or around him in any way. His hands went deep into his inner jacket pocket. He presented a small iron made tool with a strange shape at the edge. Leaning down he used it to pick the lock, which happened really easy.

-Elladan you will learn the hard way that you were wrong to cross me.

   The door opened quietly apart from a small crack. The old man got in. Fenry the Keeper was sitting in his small office. The old man new what he had to do. He moved cautiously.Small light steps, No sound a sound was heard apart from an almost silent death rattle and the blood that was running from Fenry's throat. The old man hid the body behind a curtain. He got of the room and went down the hall. His blood was already boiling inside his veins. He thought that apart from the job he liked what he had to do, for him it was not just a job. He walked down the corridor and reached the main dungeon.

-Everything looks the same Elladan's ideas and style. He said to himself.

   The old man walked in faster pace almost like he knew everything about the dungeon. One Assassin was on duty watching over the weapon holders but soon the old man blade pierced his back while the old man was holding the Assasin's mouth to secure that he will not ask for help. The old man looked at the weapons with contempt. That was not his goal. Those were strong and well made weapons made by master blacksmiths but his target was something more elegant and discreet. He moved on, passed some of the archways and reached a wall. He started climbing and reached the final archway the one leading on Elladan's office. The old man watched cautiously since as he could remember Elladan did not use a guard at this point of his dungeon. Indeed there was another Assassin there holding a crossbow.

-I have to play my cards right. Elladan seems to have learn of his old mistakes.

   The old man fell down on his knees then became one with the ground. He crawled for bit just as much as he needed to get closer to the Assassin guarding the way to Elladan's office. The guard was cautious, the only way to get passed him was to either distract him or kill him from afar using his hand crossbow. So the old man did. A small bolt left the hand crossbow, whistling in fury in the air. The Assassin guarding the archway felt a sharp pain in his chest and felt down. The old man finished him with his dagger and quickly moved under the archway and into Elladan's office.

   He did not have any problem to get there. He opened the door slightly just to take a peek. The office seemed empty. He went to the office table and in a quick but careful way the old man searched it thoroughly. Then he founded it. A secret button. He pressed it. A mechanism was triggered and a secret compartment was revealed to the old man. There it was Elladan's latest acquisition. The same one he payed the blacksmith Thongar's apprentice to make. The crossbow had a wooden stock made from hazel and elm and coated varnish. The 'bow' was made of wood and an amalgamation of iron, steel and silver. The old man knew that the crossbow had a small killing span, but this specific one was way better. The string was made by dragon skin giving him some extra magic velocity. The secret mechanism of the crossbow could load and reload and bolts almost automatically and take up to 10 bolts made of silver. A skilled user could kill 10 enemies within seconds. The old man was a skilled user. The old man took it in his hands. The crossbow in his hands. Elladan will miss this great weapon. The old man was ready to leave till...

-Hello Astram...

Mr Ravensroar's voice was heard.

The old man turned around...