Zephyr's hands shot up as his hood was tugged back, and this woman behind him giggled. Giggled?
"Oh honey, what stupidity brought you here?" She asked in delight as though she'd found a gold mine.
"Maybe I wanted to get up and personal with your blade?" Zephyr quipped back.
The woman chuckled some more. "Now that is foolish. Turn around, Slinktail." The blade tapped at the back of Zephyr's neck, and he slowly rolled over, feeling the slice of the blade across his scales, leaving a minor scratch.
Zephyr planned to tug the weapon towards him and toss the woman off the roof, but upon seeing her, he froze.
It was one of the Enforcers. The Spymaster. Her red hair was pulled back into a thick braid, hood covering her features. Now that he was closer to the woman, he could see a few blades subtly stashed in slots of her corset.
"Hmmm? You know me? If you do… I honestly cannot fathom what brought you here to Greenstead, where we have been imprisoning your kind." The Spymaster kneeled beside him, clearly not deeming Zephyr a threat as she spun the blade, assessing him.
"We have a runner!"
The Spymaster rose to her feet, ignoring Zephyr, head slowly turning to the side as she watched below the rooftops and flicked the blade she'd held against Zephyr's neck.
The loud thud of a body announced she hit her target. "Hmm, you are a Slinktail like that. Stupidity must run through your blood." The Spymaster's gaze flicked down to Zephyr, her expression unimpressed and one of boredom.
"As does it through yours." Zephyr swept his leg out, sending the redhead tumbling forward, eyes wide with shock as she braced for the fall. He seized her wrist, yanking her towards him, boots poised to toss her over him.
The Spymaster realised his intent and flipped to the side, scrambling to break free, planting her feet firmly on the tiles and reaching for one of her blades. Zephyr was faster. With a swift twist, he wrenched her wrist until a loud crack echoed between them. A heartbeat of silence followed before the Spymaster's eyes watered, and her knees buckled, grasping her broken wrist.
Zephyr didn't waste any more time. This woman didn't have a name like The Spymaster for no reason. He must put her down before anyone located her, or she gave his position away.
He lunged for the enforcer, spinning her around and wrapped his arms around her neck, squeezing. "What… W-why? You're a… Slink…" The Spymaster's body began to slump down from the lack of oxygen.
That was quick. Zephyr glanced at his arms. He really was getting stronger.
Zephyr released the redheaded woman, leaving her unconscious body on the roof. He should kill her. It would be simple, but the adrenaline pumping through his blood and the idea of being caught and thrown back into one of those cages made him flee the scene.
It wasn't until he landed in the alley below that he cursed himself for that mistake.
The sound of a whistle from above alerted others in the shadows to jump out and guards to run to Zephyr's location.
She was the 'Spymaster' for a reason. Female or not, she wasn't going to be so easily defeated. She faked passing out in his arms. Idiot.
He rounded a corner, power swelling at his fingertips and engrossing his body. The Slinktail skidded to a stop upon seeing five guards running in his direction and others who'd chased him coming in the opposite direction.
His hand slid to the hilt of his sword, bracing himself for the inevitable. That was until all nine of them, four dressed in black and The Spymaster's minions and the remaining typical hunter guards, stopped and looked around, confused.
"Where'd he go?!" One of the guards in charge shouted.
Zephyr stood between the two groups, but neither saw him. He looked down at his hands. They weren't transparent, yet he was invisible. He was a Slinktail. How was this possible? How were any of his powers possible?
"You two go down there! You two with me! You…" The guard paused his orders, noting the people dressed in black had already disappeared. "Alright, the spies are doing their own bloody thing!"
The guards parted in search of the Slinktail. That chilling power from before slithered back to the bottom of Zephyr's feet. Without fully understanding it, Zephyr knew whatever stealth he'd gained diminished, and others would see him now.
Greenstead was teeming with hunters and enforcers. Every bend around a corner, Zephyr stopped, almost bumping into them. He could kill them, but it would alert the others to his location. He was becoming a skilled fighter but couldn't fight off that many guards.
This really had been a stupid idea, but if he came out of this alive, he'd use it against Garzon. Sorgaran might deem it more entertaining than anything, though.
The more Zephyr snuck around, the more Slinktails and a few Draegorths he saw caged up in those carts. They lined the streets, half dead. No guards remained by the carts; they were searching for Zephyr, which was rather funny, considering he was just one Slinktail.
A Slinktail that injured one of their enforcers. One enforcer… Where were the other two?
Zephyr stopped by another building, remaining hidden until at least five minutes passed without anyone discovering him or going by the street. Then he shot forward, tugging the lock pick set out of his pocket and started working on the first cage in reach. The mechanic sound and vibrations of the cage moving slightly jolted the demons out of their slumber.
Some started to speak until Zephyr put a slender finger against his mouth, and a hush fell over them. With one final turn of the wrench, there was a satisfying click, and he pulled away.
"Escape to the Dark Forest," Zephyr instructed before moving on to the next cart.
Or don't. They shot in all directions and would most likely be caught again within a few minutes. It didn't matter as long as they distracted the guards.
He had to move quickly so they could help cover his escape. After many more cages were unlocked, a dagger sliced through the air, pinning his hand back on the bar before more Slinktails and another Draegorth could break free. They didn't care for the Slinktail who helped them.
The currents that kept them all weakened in the cage disintegrated, and Zephyr was the only one in the way now between them and their freedom.
The door swung open, and with it, Zephyr.