This team is composed a Assassin and a Thief.
This is one strange duo were usually assigned to assassination missions. They are siblings who have worked together for many years. The older one is the Assassin while the younger one is a Thief.
Their mission is to eliminate a Royal Guard. The High Priest didn't give any reason why they should eliminate that target. They didn't question the mission and accepted it. They were given a map and the identity of the Royal Guard.
The Assassin is quite different from the other cultists. They do not attend the daily prayers once and they do not appear to be faithful to the cult's religion. Yet they are still one member who they respect as they have been a huge help. The High Priest even guarantees that the Assassin's loyalty to the cult won't be ever broken.
The Thief will sometimes try to persuade their older sibling but to no avail, they are very stubborn. It makes sense since the Assassin is the type who doesn't believe in gods. Their deep blue eyes shimmer through the darkness like a Sapphire. They wear a metal mask that cannot be removed since it was bonded with their skin. It is strange that they were alive for many years without eating.
How the Assassin sustain their life is a mystery even the High Priest cannot figure it out. Their metal mask remained polished without even rusting. It was given so much care like that is part of their face and identity. The Thief knew the secret why the Assassin have that mask. They prefer not to bring it up.
Their target has green hair, green eyes, height that is rather tall, and they looked like they are in their 30s. The target is a male and their job is to protect a young princess from Usignolo Kingdom. The mission is oddly specific but they have no choice but to clear it as fast as they can.
Usignolo Kingdom is a place where people prosper thanks to its great economy. It is located further west, just past the Artiglio Orso Grotto. It is a very long way to travel.
The duo prepared for the expedition and have the essentials necessary. They brought a golden chalice with them with their family mark engraved to it. It bears. the letter the same as the Assassin's surname.
They have met lizardmen on their way. The Assassin quickly assassinated them all. The absolute rule of the Altare Cremisi will kill them the instant they killed more than one for one day. But strangely enough, the Assassin got the special privilege of having more enemies to eliminate for their convenience.
There are alot of mysteries around this specific Assassin. They are not faithful. They are independent. They are anti-social. They are cold-blooded. Their thirst for blood cannot be quenched. But for a few centuries, they remained loyal for the cause of the Altare Cremisi. They will never turn their blade against their fellow comrades, unless they betrayed them first.
Because of this, the Assassin has the reputation of being called a "Crimson Grim Reaper". Unlike their younger sibling however, is bounded by the rules and must follow the code of conduct of the cult. The Thief is not a confident cultist, as they usually will hide in their older brother's shadow for safety.
They are stronger than normal humans, but their humanity makes them a person with morals. They won't kill people for no reason. The only time they kill is when they needed to hunt prey for food. They also need to eat.
They eventually reached Artiglio Orso Grotto, a grotto where monsters rest and take shelter. It is a big labyrinth where unexperienced adventurers will surely die if they weren't prepared. The Assassin is doing maintenance of their customized ceremonial sword.
The customized ceremonial sword looks like the standard ceremonial sword of Altare Cremisi. It is only sharpened bones that is later on decorated to become a sword. The difference is what it is made of and how it is made. The Assassin's ceremonial sword is made of alloy steel. It is crafted by smiths from nearby settlements.
The Thief sees how powerful their older sibling is compared to other fellow cultists. Their dark crimson robe covers mostly their body and the metal mask conceals their face. Their deep blue Sapphire eyes flickers like a star, as if as their life has been resetting all the time.
How envious may be, when a single member of the pack of wolves is much stronger than the rest, even the alpha wolf. But the younger sibling aspires to become as strong as the Assassin, and they are willing to make them shine brighter than the rest.
The two siblings are about to enter the Artiglio Orso Grotto when a group of humans and an elf appeared from behind. They are quite surprised. The human who seems to be a leader greets them casually. He refers himself as Pane. Pane is a man in early 30s who wields a sword and buckler. They are quite optimistic.
The Assassin didn't quite like being talked to but the Thief decides to have a talk with this particular group. The Thief refers themselves as Gatto. They told Pane that they will be getting through the Artiglio Orso Grotto in order to reach the Usignolo Kingdom.
Pane gets it and says good luck for the siblings. The Thief asked Pane about their business out of curiosity. Pane's group are armed, so it is either they are hunters or adventurers. Pane mentions that they were mercenaries for hire, and they have to beat the Artiglio Orso, the bear that lives deep in the Grotto.
Artiglio Orso have sharp claws that can scratch through metal and they are ferocious when they were backed into a corner. They are quite a trouble and they must be taken out as soon as possible, before anyone unfortunate gets to be the bear's dinner.
Pane introduced his other companions. The red lady carrying a spear is named Bambina. The young man carrying a longbow is Affilato. The female elf that is carrying a healer staff is Pesca. They are using low grade weapons which makes the Thief grins because of how badly these poor guys have equipped themselves. They are either brave or stupid.
Affilato got angry of the Thief's negative remark but Pane tells him to stand down. He knows that they aren't giving the impression as a great company of mercenaries, yet he is quite confident and tells the Thief that they will be alright.
Pane's group soon went ahead of the two siblings. The Thief feels pity for Pane and his companions. The Assassin didn't respond but they continued to walk to their own destination. The Thief soon follows.
There are alot of monsters in Artiglio Orso Grotto. Three blue wolves lunged at the Assassin at the same time, but their heads get chopped off with simple hacks with their sword. It is very durable can chop off bones of the beasts. The Thief stands back as they do not want to be a burden. They praise the Assassin's superb ability to kill.
They continued their way and the more the Assassin kills in the Grotto, the more wary the monsters have become. They are so wary at the Assassin that they rather avoid them rather than being killed. The blood of the monsters completely soak the Assassin. The smell is undescribable and unnerving, like they are carrying the whole graveyard with them. Even the Thief is afraid of the Assassin's capabilities if they eventually will defect the cult.
Screams can be heard and deadly wail echoes through the Grotto. It seems that Pane's group got into trouble and is on verge of dying. The Assassin didn't really care about them so they continued on their way. The Thief in the other hand is worried but in the end, did not choose to help them. Their code forbid to help strangers without the High Priest's permission.
They eventually got to the other side of the Artiglio Orso Grotto. Only a few miles away remaining to reach Usignolo Kingdom. Night has come and the Assassin is exhausted from slaying alot of monsters in the Grotto. They are one of the followers of the Altare Cremisi Cult, but they certainly ain't one either.
The Thief prepares a campfire and a makeshift tent. They cooked bear meat they got inside the Artiglio Orso Grotto. The popping sounds of the fire, the cricket sounds from the insects, the cold breeze chills the surrounding. The sky is dark because of the clouds. No star is in sight. According to the Thief, it will be raining tomorrow.
The two siblings ate their fill and they sleep for today. As usual, the Assassin woke up way too early around midnight. They are wary around the camp. They seem to be paranoid type of person. All cultists in the Altare Cremisi have better line of sight in the darkness. That applies to the Assassin.
Nothing dangerous happened in the night. Wild beasts occasionally appeared but runs away when the Assassin spots them.
Morning came and the Thief had a pleasant night thanks to their older sibling. The two continue their journey to complete their mission. They have walked through the woods and over creeks until they have reached Usignolo Kingdom.
The outskirts are wide and the production of wheat is very large. Human farmers worked hard under the sun in order for the kingdom to thrive and prosper. Birds flew high and butterflies mingle with the flowers nearby. There are domestic animals in barns such as cattles and sheeps.
There are few caravans entering the kingdom by gate. The guards are very strict. They do not let anyone inside easily without inspecting the people who visits the kingdom. Clearly the two cultists are not welcomed here. They choose to sneak in.
The Thief found a point of entry by the southwest wall. Some rocks from the wall can be gripped. The Thief climbed up the wall and the Assassin followed. They quietly jump over the wall and on one of the house's roof.
Their current target is staying at the palace of the Usignolo Kingdom. A high ranking palace guard with the Leone Family Crest on their suit of armor. They are quite close with the princess of the kingdom, so the cultist will easily find him near where the princess is.
They know what the princess looks like. The Assassin tells the Thief to go on ahead as they prepare their blade for assassination. The Thief understood and jumps from roof to roof towards the Usignolo Palace.
The Thief have number of tools in their possession. They happen to eavesdrop some rumors and information from guards and civilians on the way. There seem to be trouble in the Usignolo Palace. In other words, the Palace is in strict lockdown and is heavily guarded by knights.
Sneaking in will be very difficult. The Thief lay low and looks for an efficient route to enter the Palace without getting spotted. Guardsmen are patrolling the grounds but funny enough, no one is paying attention to the scaffoldings behind the Palace.
The Thief enters the Palace via the broken window near the scaffoldings. They almost got spotted by guards but was quick enough to jump to the support beams up from the ceiling. The darkness helped them hide, as long as they stay still as an statue. Some guards are looking around but do not find anything strange other than the broken window.
Just before the Thief moves on, the Assassin popped out from upstairs. They have used one of the room above to enter the Palace. The Assassin is as deadly as a panther. They must have killed some guards on the way and hide their remains discreetly out of sight, without of course being noticed by others.
The two siblings have regrouped and think that they should split up to find their target. The Assassin goes to the east and the Thief goes to the west.
The Thief discovered some rumors among the attendants of the Palace. The Queen was poisoned with a cup of tea during their lunch. The maid responsible for this is punished but the source of it is nowhere to be found. They are quite anxious as the guards have found some note regarding the assassination attempt from a third party. The King is furious and demanded to find the accomplices.
Because of this conflict, it is most likely that the princess is staying in her bedroom. The target of the cultists might be stationed to guard the princess. The two make their way to the other Palace where the princess resides.
The garden blooms with Tulipani Corallo. Yhe guards are on the watch and the Palace looks smaller than the main Palace. With many guards, it will be hard to look for the correct target if their face is hidden with their helmet.
The cultists tries to remember the distinctive traits of their target. The target is a high class knight so their armband must have the color yellow and brown. They are right-handed. They are rather tall. They are wearing their family crest, the Leone Family Crest.
The Leone Family Crest is a golden crest carved like the lion. The manes of the lion are painted cyan and it have one scar on its left eye. The lion is carved by its left side of its profile.
The cultists tries to find the target with those traits. They found four matches. All of them are near the princess' bedroom.
The High Priest only specified to kill only their target. No other humans must be killed other than the target. The four guards are guarding the doors in order. Two would be guarding the door for 5 hours then changed to other two to guard it for the same hours.
They have to figure out who from these four are their targets. The Thief certainly remember that their target is rather close with the princess. But that information didn't help as the four knights appeared to be very close with the princess. The Assassin's bloodlust is rising. The Thief has to identify who is their target.
Listening closely in the conversation between the guards, they caught wind with one who is using an handkerchief. That one guard mentioned that it was given by the princess. With that small bit of info, the Thief lets go of the chain.
The Assassin pounces the palace guard that the Thief pointed out. They ripped off their armor with their bare hands and scratch their stomachs like a monster. The other guard got petrified with the scene as blood continues to splatter and the scream of a dying man echoes through the room.
The princess' bedroom door is repeatedly knocks. The blood flows through the gaps below the door, scaring someone who is inside. She screamed in horror as the blood slowly enters her room. The Palace Guard brutally gets murdered by the Assassin. It alerted the whole Palace.
Loud horns and bells are sounded and a hundred of footsteps can be heard closer and closer. The Assassin bails out of the scene through one of the glass window by the opposite side of the princess' bedroom. The Thief followed them behind.
All the army chases down the two culprits on the run. Unfortunately for them, the two are abnormal. Their superhuman strength makes them faster and nimble. They quickly jump from houses to house without breaking a sweat. They quickly outrun the footsoldiers. Mages appeared to the scene and attempts to use curse magic to the escaping culprits.
The cultists are very familiar to curse magics, whenever they felt something is wrong, they quickly reverse the spell using a simple chant of prayer. Fireballs and lightning bolts are flying through the air. It only hits the buildings which made all citizens panic in fear. It is a total chaos.
The Thief sensed a barrier magic surrounding the walls. They will be breaking through. They jumped across the wall and hits the barrier. It burns their bodies because of the arcane element but the two cultists endured the scorching pain until they got through the magic barrier.
Though injured and smoking hot, the two cultists have made it out of the Usignolo Kingdom. They quickly runs to the woods with insane speed. The army of the Kingdom couldn't catch up and brought humiliation to their countrymen. The King is super stressed that he have fainted so hard.
The assassination is still not accomplished until they return to the Altare Cremisi Church to report it to the High Priest. The two cultists have to use the same route where they came from.
Unexpectedly, they found Pane and Bambina lying down the floor in Artiglio Orso Grotto, heavily injured and unconscious. Despite being heavily injured, they are still able to breathe. The Thief knew that this will happen to them if they fought the Artiglio Orso unprepared.
Right now they are bound to get chomped by other beasts if they stay there for too long. The Assassin thinks it is best to put out their misery. They hold their ceremonial dagger close to their throat. It is a simple slit of the throat. Pane and Bambina breathe their last breath and became an empty shell.
The Thief feels nauseous about this even though they have seen far worse fates of death. But to their surprise, the Assassin brought an incense with them and lights it up with the flick of their finger. The incense smells like a Carogne, also known as flower of death.
The Assassin asked the Thief to help them do the prayer as they do not really know what to pray. The Thief is kinda happy that their older brother needed help in times like these. They kneel down, hold their hands together, then close their eyes before praying.
"May the soul of the passing reach where they belong. Beyond a doubt."
For normal people, this act is cruel, killing helpless victims without remorse. But to the Assassin, this is the way they can free their pain. Up till now, they have been a perfect killing machine with no emotion. But slowly but surely, their compassion grows bit by bit when they are with their younger sibling.
The Thief is finished praying for the dead people. They asked the Assassin to go back with them to their home, the Altare Cremisi Church. The Assassin agreed and went on their way. Little did they know there is a shadow that is following them close by.
A day have passed before the two siblings returned to the Altare Cremisi. The High Priest received the report from one of the informants from Usignolo Kingdom that the assigned members have successfully assassinated the target.
The Thief feels good upon hearing the good work and as usual, the Assassin shrugs and leaves the area. The High Priest simply laughs. The other cultists are very anxious about that particular Assassin. How was they have special exception?
The High Priest also didn't know the answer but for sure it is because of the Crimson Demon they are serving. Their god created them to become the sword for the cult.
The Assassin is resting on top of the tree, mesmerizing the night sky. There are no stars in sight and rain drops slowly falls down. It rains hard, washing all the dirt off the Assassin, especially the blood. The scene is quite dark but mythical. It is better to call them a Reaper instead of the Assassin.
The sounds of the rain drowns the other sounds and the smell, so the Assassin didn't notice someone is walking closer to them. A voice... A voice of a girl... She tries to get their attention by calling them monster.
The Assassin looks down and sees a familiar person. A white haired healer elf. Their left arm is injured and they got alot of bruise. Their eyes are filled with despair and anger. She asked why they killed her friends, crying and sobbing.
The Assassin jumps down and grabs her throat, choking her. The elf tries to break free but she was too weak. The Assassin told her that her friends is beyond saving because of the wounds. Who would have survived in the wild with broken limbs? Pane have torn off left leg and have broken spine. Bambini's arms are beyond healing. She won't be able to protect her companions.
The elf's eyes shrink in shock. She said to the Assassin that she may able to save them if she healed them. But the Assassin said that even basic healing won't heal grave wounds. They are beyond saving. The elf didn't want to believe it. She keeps beating the Assassin's hand until her right hand bleeds.
The Thief appeared and is shocked by the events that is happening. They watch from close by as the weak elf mutters cursing words. Evil, monster, demon, those kinds of curses. For sure all what she said is true.
The Assassin didn't try to deny it and choose to snap her neck. Her life is expired just like that. The Thief recognized her when they have a good look of her. She is Pesca from Pane's group.
The Thief felt heavy guilt as they witnessed how their older brother killed their victims. Sometimes without mercy, but for other time, it is for mercy. All the Assassin have done is killing. It is like their heart have been corrupted. No, their heart has been long corrupted when they served the Crimson Demon.
At that time, the Thief feels the desire to leave. They cannot watch their older sibling do such things. They are so sick of it when they smell different kinds of blood on them. They do not acknowledge that they have become mindless beasts that kills indiscriminately.
The Assassin looks up to the dark sky, letting the rain wash off their sins away. Their dark blue eyes glimmers through the dark night.
Those eyes didn't look like those whose mind have broken. Their eyes looked innocent even though they have caused more sins over and over again. They acknowledge that they have become demons. And they think that there is no going back.