Chapter 55 – Julisa
A lantern hung at the end of the corridor that led to the rear of the bar, the curtain still flapping in the gentle breeze from an unseen draft. SJ heard muffled laughter and froze, letting her ears pick up exactly where the sound was coming from. Partway down the corridor, a flight of stairs began, facing back the way towards and above the bar area. SJ took off and flew to the ceiling, staying in the dark shadows before moving to the stairs and looking up. Lantern light could be seen from above, and she didn't appreciate how light it was. Slowly, she rose to the angled ceiling of the stairs as she flew upwards. The landing she reached was wide and open. Three doors stood off it, yet she went straight to the far end, into the darkest recess, to take in her surroundings fully.
There had been no opportunity for SJ to investigate the building's layout prior to her visit. Even after watching the bar for a few days alongside her scouting trips of Barnabus's store, there had never been an opening. There wasn't even a rear entrance to the Firestarter’s bar; it backed onto another building, and everything was delivered through its main front entrance.
The nearest door to where SJ now hovered was ajar, and cautiously she lowered herself towards it. There were still voices drifting from downstairs, and a door below opened. She froze mid-movement, hearing the creak of a footstep on the stairs. Immediately, she flew into the highest and darkest corner again. A beam ran diagonally up to the pitched roof. There was nowhere to land on it, but it would stop someone from seeing her from the top of the stairs.
The footsteps neared the top, and SJ heard a woman's voice humming quietly. From SJ's position, she couldn't clearly see the beam blocking her view, only making out the feet of the being who walked to the second door in the corridor and entered.
I was hoping there would be less movement around here, SJ thought.
"It's definitely not the cleanest setup for an assassination attempt," Dave said.
There's little else I can do; she hasn't left the bar once since I started watching her.
The door directly below where SJ was now hiding opened. A man appeared beneath where she hovered. There was little SJ could do but wait where she was; she didn't even know which room Julisa was in, or, being honest, whether she was even upstairs in the bar. It was purely an assumption that she would be.
This was a bad idea. Perhaps I should have waited until she was outside. There are too many beings here.
Dave didn't respond, his silence adding to her anxiety.
The man disappeared from her view again, and she heard another door open and close. There was laughter from below, and a voice spoke out, one she recognised. She had overheard Julisa downstairs.
"I need to call it a night. Thanks for your work today," Julisa said.
SJ again heard footsteps on the stairs, the creaking of aged wood. SJ felt out of depth. All her previous recent targets had been meticulously planned to the degree that they were alone and, in various instances, asleep. This time SJ could feel the uncertainty creeping inside her like a twisting vine, slowly strangling a branch.
Julisa's form appeared in the hallway, and SJ watched as she walked directly towards her end of the corridor and entered the door below where she was hovering. The door closed behind her.
I wish I knew the layout.
"Considering the size of the bar beneath here, the area through that door must be approximately the same size as the main bar area."
The Firestarters wasn't a huge bar, but it was substantial, and if Dave's assumption was correct, then there could easily be another few rooms that she hadn't yet discovered. SJ hovered patiently, her wings starting to ache a little from the constant, slow, and deliberate movement keeping her still. The issue was that her claws' concealment would never trigger when her wings were moving, which meant that its added camouflage bonus wasn't being utilised.
Silence returned; the voices that SJ had heard below quietened, and SJ allowed herself a chance to breathe again. Her nerves were on fire as she waited, hidden by the beam. Slowly, she lowered herself to the ground. Then waited for several moments before growing. She couldn't possibly open the door in her miniature form.
As soon as she was large, she opened the door and stepped immediately through before shrinking again. There was a short corridor with two doors off it. The door to her immediate right was open, revealing a small room with several cupboards and shelving. It appeared to be a store of sorts. The other door was closed, and SJ could hear no sound, but could see light from beneath it. She moved over to the door, not flying, resting her wing muscles, which were throbbing now that she had stopped.
There was a crack in the wood near the base of the door; the building was quite old and had seen better years. SJ crouched down and peered underneath. She couldn't see much inside, only just making out the edge of what appeared to be a rug or similar on the floor. There was a low groaning sound followed by a deep sigh.
What can you see, Dave?
"Nothing more than you. I know I look down on you, but I can't see outside of a building or through a door, specifically. Especially when I have never seen inside the room before."
It still wasn't clear to SJ how Dave saw her world, but she did know it wasn't through her eyes, and with the adapted 360 vision he had granted her through synchronisation, it was possibly the closest she would ever get to experiencing it.
SJ watched through the crack under the door as the light inside dimmed. The rasp of a lantern's hood being closed. It didn't go out fully, but enough to trigger SJ's night vision.
SJ moved back from the door and grew. She couldn't fit underneath, and the only way she could enter was by opening the door herself. She waited for several moments, her claws equipped, knowing that she would meld into the shadows. Then carefully turned the handle. It rotated smoothly, making only the faintest sound. She didn't need to open it fully, just enough to slip through. Two inches would be enough, as she immediately shrank again and moved inside.
The semi-darkness of the room was only broken by the hooded lantern, which stood on a table by a large bed at the end of the room. The room itself was open, consisting of a bedroom and a lounge all in one. SJ's senses suddenly fired, like lightning pulsing through her, and Dave's warning cry came at the same moment.
It had looked as though Julisa was on the bed from her angle; the form of a person appeared to be curled under the blankets, but that wasn't the case as the arrow flew at her. SJ hadn't even spotted Julisa until the arrow was already released. She stood half-hidden beside the wardrobe, shortbow raised.
SJ gasped in surprise as she dived to the side. The arrow clipped her wing as she did, and she winced, knowing it had been damaged. As she came out of the roll she had performed, she saw another arrow being drawn back.
"Get into cover," Dave yelled.
Instantly, she triggered her shadow step, reappearing by the side of the bed, the bed now blocking Julisa's view of her. Panic was flooding SJ.
"I've been watching you all day," Julisa said in a quiet voice. "I wondered when you would show yourself. I'm not sure what your interest is in me, though."
SJ didn't reply. In miniature form, hiding behind a bed, with what appeared to be a quite ruthless and skilled ranger with a shortbow, wasn't the scenario SJ had imagined. Many of her previous assassinations had been clean and precise. This was already turning into a shambles.
SJ hadn't used her void grasp skill for some time, not requiring it due to her previous assassinations, but if there was ever a need for it, it was now. She needed to be able to see her target, though she couldn't at the moment.
Slowly, SJ moved to the edge of the bed. She hadn't heard Julisa move from her position and hoped she was still there.
Can you see her?
"Partially, she is still by the wardrobe."
Good, here goes.
SJ jumped out immediately, triggering her phantom shroud skill as she did. Her image remained as she jumped straight ahead, only a few feet, but enough to distract Julisa. As soon as she had appeared, the sound of the bow resonated in the room. A thud quickly followed as the image SJ had left behind was pierced. The impact immediately caused the phantom shroud to dissipate.
SJ turned sharply. She could now see Julisa to her side and cast Void Grasp, which would give her a few second advantage, hoping that was all she would need. Her shadow step cooldown had completed, and she cast herself in the direction of Julisa. She needed to close the gap; there was no way that she could fight her at range. Normally, she would appear behind a target, but from Julisa's position, it wasn't possible.
Julisa had a frown on her face after her arrow had perfectly pierced where SJ's phantom had remained as the void grasp now took hold. SJ saw the movement in Julisa's eyes as it took effect, her body freezing mid-lift of another arrow to her bow. Even after believing she had hit her target, it hadn't stopped the immediate replenishment of her ammunition.
She aimed for Julisa's side, claws forward, triggering her growth, and hit the arrow shaft instead. It spun her, and she struck the wall hard with her shoulder. She had been hoping to embed her claws to grow while striking a weak spot on Julisa.
The timer ran out on Void Grasp as SJ reached her full size, completely off balance, yet still upright due to her boots' skills.
Julisa let out a cry in both surprise and frustration. SJ was now too close to her, and the arrow she had been moving to the nook was damaged from her claws scoring it.
SJ let out a grunt from the impact with the wall. Twisting her body further, she allowed herself to be aligned to strike at Julisa. Julisa spun at the same time, her bow brought round defensively to prevent SJ's claws from striking her. Her claws caught the string and cut through it with ease. The sudden release of tension in the bow's curvature sent Julisa back into the wardrobe, the string lashing upwards towards her face.
Julisa cried in pain as the string struck her cheek; a red welt appeared.
The silent assassination attempt had turned into anything but, as the disturbance's noise was clearly audible. Not just the sound of arrows striking wood, but the banging of furniture and the grunts they both made.
SJ lifted her leg in a kick, thrusting it towards Julisa's midriff. Her elven foe wasn't expecting her to kick at her. Julisa held her bow defensively to prevent claw strikes, and SJ caught her well, thrusting into her stomach. Julisa groaned from the impact as she was forced into the wardrobe's side, the wardrobe moving under the weight of her hitting it. Julisa swung her bow, the end of it striking SJ on her right shoulder. The blow did no damage; SJ's armour class was too high to even consider it, but it did put her off her next strike.
Julisa recovered from the strike quickly as SJ repositioned, her shoulder dropping as she thrust towards Julisa with her claws extended in a deadly punch. Julisa immediately dived sideways, throwing her body in an ungainly but life-saving manner as SJ's claws struck the wood of the wardrobe, easily puncturing it. She cursed in anger as she withdrew her claws, and Julisa scrambled to her feet. What remained of her bow now dropped as she called a short sword to her hand.
SJ advanced; her shadow step still hadn't cooled, and she moved quickly to close the gap. The last thing she needed was distance between them. Julisa swung the sword in a wild arc across her body. SJ pulled back at the last moment from its path. Julisa was in full defensive mode, her swings rapid, slashing motions, not trying to hit SJ, but preventing her from getting into striking range.
"Go behind her," Dave insisted.
It's still on cooldown, SJ's thought hissed back with annoyance.
The sound of a door opening clearly reached them, and SJ heard the telltale bang as it hit a wall. Someone else was coming.
Damn, SJ cursed, she needed to end this and go.
The time was painstakingly slow; the few seconds of cooldown on her shadow step felt like hours as it drew out. As the door to Julisa's room was thrown open, revealing the man SJ had spotted earlier, it ran down. SJ triggered her skill instantly as Julisa's swing carved past in front of her. The timing had to be perfect, and it was. SJ slammed into her, her claws extended, piercing her with both claws in her chest area. Julisa's arm, still gripping the sword, was now pinned in front of her.
SJ's sixteen-inch claws were buried up to her gloves as they pierced her. A gurgling scream left her mouth.
"I'll kill you," the man screamed as he charged across the room towards her.
Julisa gasped as SJ pushed her away from her, trying to free her claws from the strike she had performed. Only just managing to get her left claws free before the man struck towards her with a blade of his own.
SJ grimaced, parrying the blow, the vibration from the strike sending almost numbing shockwaves down her arm. This was no longer just an assassination attempt but a fight for survival. More voices could be heard from outside as SJ went into survival mode. She had to survive; she wasn't going to let everything fail now at this stage. She had too much to lose.
Julisa was clutching her chest, the two fresh sets of claw punctures covered by her hands, as she fell backwards from SJ's attack. She didn't have time to consider her, though, as the man, his face one of pure hatred, swung at her again.
Her combined claws caught the blade again, pushing it aside. His strength was considerable; her arms shuddered again from the impact. She triggered her shroud skill; she couldn't chance taking serious damage. The defensive bonus it gave would hopefully at least offer her some protection if he did land a blow.
The room suddenly felt much smaller, than it had, the walls appearing to close in. SJ scanned the room for an area that could give her an opportunity, her vision allowing her to note any openings. Her best option would be another shadow step behind her opponent this time, but it was still on cooldown. Until then she just had to remain alive.
The next blow from the man came in lower, and as SJ attempted to parry the strike, it twisted her hand, catching the tips of her claws. The move didn't prevent the blow from landing, but it did reduce the strike's potential severity. The blade of the sword cut deeply into her thigh. SJ let out a cry of pain, her boots the only thing keeping her upright.
"Get distance!" Dave screamed.
Cooldown, SJ's only response.
"You have legs now, move," Dave replied.
SJ stepped away from the man. The fallen body of Julisa writhed on the floor, still clutching her chest, as SJ stumbled backwards. The man stepped over Julisa to regain the advantage, as SJ stepped farther away. She had no more than ten feet to the wall behind her, not enough distance with the reach the man would have over her using a long sword.
Damn, she cursed as she backed into the very wall that she had crashed into moments earlier.
The cooldown timer hovered on Shadow Step, teasingly slow. Since it had reached level nine, it was now only 5.5 seconds, reducing by half a second per level she had achieved, but 5.5 seconds during a hectic fight felt like five and a half hours.
It hit zero as the man thrust his blade forward in a lunge towards her. Immediately, she looked behind the man, stepping instantly and pirouetting as she did. Her claws out like a spinning top to slash at her target. The man cried in surprise as she disappeared, his lunge still in progress as she spun. The man's blade struck the wall where SJ had been standing as her claws raked across his back. He arched away from the strike as his body tensed. The tip of his longsword was still buried in the wall's mortar. A lucky strike on SJ's part, leaving him unable to swing his sword without removing it first.
"Finish him!" Dave screamed frantically.
SJ stepped in, striking upwards towards the back of the man's head.
His arms went limp, falling to his sides. The longsword, now sitting at an angle, still caught in the wall, as he crumpled from her strike. SJ didn't pause, withdrawing her claws and turning to Julisa. The elf lay with her eyes wide in shock as SJ moved toward her. "You've sold your latest secret," SJ hissed as she knelt, thrusting her claws downward.
Julisa's eyes rolled as her life left her.
SJ pushed herself upright, wincing from the deep cut in her thigh. She wasn't out of danger yet as she stepped over her target towards the entrance. Footsteps and cries could be heard from outside, approaching the room as SJ shrank.
As soon as she reached her miniature size, she tried to take off. She didn't lift off the ground because the damage to her wing caused by the arrow prevented her. Instead, she looked around. Above, there were beams. She managed to trigger her shadow step just as a woman burst through the doorway. SJ clung to the beam, only just maintaining her balance, the pain coursed through her leg from the wound she had sustained. She was filled with terror at being trapped; she couldn't fly until her wing healed.
The woman froze on seeing what had transpired. SJ's two attackers lay dead.
The woman let out a wailing scream that pierced the night. SJ crouched; her breathing was rapid, and she needed to control it. Blood still flowed from her leg, and she knew that it would heal in time, but it was already creating a pool of blood on the beam where she hid. She kept her claws on as she gripped the cloth of her dress and pulled it tightly down on the wound, wincing and gritting her teeth to prevent making a sound, as she allowed her camouflage skill from her claws to trigger.
She may have successfully completed her quest assignment, but she was now trapped in a room with one exit, and more beings were arriving; there was nothing she could do for now but hope beyond all hope that she remained hidden.
