There's no time to think! The longer you take to get your task completed, the more likely it is that you'll be discovered. You dash toward the door just as it's opening, admitting a tall, slender man in a deep blue coat. An angry red scar on his right cheek marks the newcomer as Ichiro, Alisha Grey's ghoul and retainer. Your prey has come right to you! His eyes barely flick up from the doorknob by the time you're upon him, driving a flying elbow right at the bridge of his nose.
The ghoul falls back and breathes wetly through a broken nose as he unsheathes a long, steel blade. You follow up your strike with a second, and a third, and finally he falls to his knees, blood dripping from his torn lips. He spits out a broken tooth, shudders, and collapses to the floor in a heap, blood soaking into his luxurious blue coat turning it dark purple. He's at your mercy. Whether you kill him or spare him, you'll have to choose quickly.
You stare down at Ichiro's unmoving body, fists clenched in anger. You know that it's dangerous to leave him here without destroying him. He's seen your face, and you have little doubt that he'll report your presence to Alisha as soon as he's able. It would be easy to explain, really. In the chaos of the bombing and evacuation, you'd taken the wrong set of stairs. When you arrived in the hall, the ghoul attacked you—you had no choice but to defend yourself. It's a flimsy story, but it's also entirely plausible. Alisha might not buy it, but Corliss would give you the benefit of the doubt if the Diva even bothers to make a complaint.
Of course, your choice means you've failed Bouchard's assassination assignment. Hopefully the old Leper will believe whatever excuse you manage to come up with, but you know he won't be pleased. There's no avoiding that.
The longer you spend here, the more likely it is that you'll get caught. The way is clear, but you can hear police sirens wailing from the outside parking lot—best to avoid the mortal authorities if you can help it. Your search for an alternate exit is quickly rewarded, and you leave by the maintenance door, disappearing into the shadows surrounding a smattering of decorative trees which dot the grounds around the exhibition hall.
Next Chapter