(Narrator's POV – The Flooded District)
SLICCCKKKKK
THUD
Inside a large rundown building , one not any different from the rest that make up the majority of this ruined district- there is an office.
A highly secure office that has been modified while also utilising the large structure of the building strategically.
Not only causing any intruders, lucky or unlucky enough to enter, to lose themselves while trying to find the heart of the guild, but also leaving them visible enough to be spotted easily, allowing the members to stick to the shadows.
This makes it nigh impossible for anyone to make it to the top.
Well, unless they fight through a giant army of deadly magic ninjas. People whose life's work consists and revolves around learning more and more efficient ways to cut others down. A job they, of course, thrive in, judging by their well-known reputation.
Only then would they have a chance of passing through this deadly zone.
…
And fight an army of assassins he did.
A man cloaked in a reinforced trench coat, a style that either takes inspiration from or is designed after that of Dunwalls military officer uniforms, though with a hood attached for anonymity.
A metal skull mask rested underneath the hood, adorning his face snugly, designed to show a constant twisted smile to terrify his enemies.
His whereabouts?
Currently standing behind a still-warm corpse. His blade suspiciously wet, dripping with a liquid that looks, smells, and feels like blood.
A common theme that has repeatedly occurred in various different ways across the entirety of the building. Dirtying the base of assassins with the blood of its own members.
"Corvo."
A man, this one garbed in a modified version of the Whalers' attire, spoke aloud as he instantly identified the masked man ahead of him. Calling him by name not only as a statement… but a confirmation.
The silence stretched between the two men. Confirming Daud's suspicions about the mystery man behind the mask.
His expression shifted. Going from hidden guilt, to a frustrated anger, and finally to the acceptance that this is fate.
"Come to collect on our debt, I assume?"
Daud's voice became increasingly calm as he worded his question. This one also spoken more as a statement, as if he had predicted this moment and had been preparing for a long time.
…And perhaps he had.
"Did you ever think you deserved to lose the Empress? That a better man stole her life while you sat there and gaped like a fucking fool?"
A sneer suddenly twisted his face out of nowhere as he spoke such mocking words.
Causing Corvo to freeze briefly in shock and disbelief.
BOOM
But soon a thick aura of mana exploded from Corvo's form, disbelief giving way to smouldering anger enhanced by something he didn't understand.
Even without words, it alone was enough to express the sheer rage Corvo felt toward this man.
Everything taken from him. Everything stripped from him was the fault of the man in front of him.
And he would pay.
But even now, Corvo still didn't say a word.
His silence was loud enough.
And that… that made Daud smirk victoriously.
In an instant, Corvo's stumped arm elongated into a chaotic shape reminiscent of his former hand, only this one slightly twisted by the Void.
The runes of the Outsider's Mark burned themselves into existence soon after.
With mana already running through his spectral hand, an ability was activated… many times faster than ever before.
A pool of darkness manifested beneath Corvo's shadow, flowing across the floor in a circle around him as the man unfolded his blade.
And as if the sound of metal clicking into place were a cue, a legion of small beings broke through the liquid darkness below and flapped their wings loudly… charging at the red-clad assassin in a mad dash.
In response, Daud blinked to the other side of the room, chuckling loudly. Just in time to watch the swarm of suicidal crows slam into the walls where he had stood moments ago, melting back into darkness.
"Eager, aren't we, Corvo? And I see the new hand. Did you sell what remains of your soul to him aswell?"
Now with his blade unsheathed, Daud stood at the ready, waiting for Corvo's next move while taking a moment to mock him further.
Only to find… nothing.
Taking a step forward, Daud methodically turned his head, looking for his masked enemy.
What greeted him was silence.
…And one crow perched atop the railing above him.
The crow promptly burst into a cloud of feathers and reformed into Corvo, who, with a flick of the wrist, launched a bolt at Daud.
Time paused with the glow of Daud's own hidden Mark, which shone through his leather glove. Revealing a near-identical runic marking to Corvo's own.
The bolt, now frozen midair, had an almost invisible aura spiralling around it, boasting its penetrating power as well as giving it some rotational force for a bit of extra oomph.
Daud walked a dozen steps away, watching the bolt as well as Corvo's frozen form with interest. Observing them casually, as if this weren't a battle of life and death but a slow stroll through a museum that caught his eye. A habit gained from so many years of bending time — living inside a frozen world where nobody could move besides him.
The power soon came to a close as the world sped back into motion. The ambient sounds you don't notice until they're gone made their presence known once more.
Corvo jumped from the railing, landing softly on the wooden floor. The two men circled each other slowly, searching quietly for any openings to take… but finding none.
A weathered, tired pair of green eyes met the mechanical quartet of his opponent's own.
They stared, burning the image of the individual who had mutually changed each other's lives so significantly. One for the better. The other… for the worse.
The two charged, clashing swords loudly as they met in the middle.
CLASH
They both pushed off, attempting to throw each other off balance. But only succeeding in sending themselves skidding backwards.
That is the problem with being evenly matched with your opponent… everything ends in a stalemate.
Daud took the initiative, firing multiple crossbow bolts in quick succession, forcing Corvo to deflect or dodge them individually.
Using the opportunity he created, the red-clad assassin charged at Corvo in a mad dash. Blade already raised and being brought down upon him.
But with his defence already prepared, Corvo shifted his blade slightly as he predicted the trajectory of Daud's strike, simply waiting for it to land.
But it didn't.
All of a sudden, Daud vanished from Corvo's sight.
He spun around in a panic — or attempted to.
SLASH
Daud's blade roughly glided through Corvo's reinforced coat, managing it only through sheer brute force born from one being tempered by the Void's energy for so long.
The blade cut into Corvo's back, from shoulder blade to hip, drawing an obscene amount of blood as it sank deeply into him.
A quiet grunt escaped Corvo's lips as he turned swiftly and slashed at Daud.
The assassin, once more, blinked away. Appearing a few metres behind Corvo.
Attempting to utilise the move again, Daud sent multiple bolts at him.
The bolts struck only the wall behind Corvo as he blinked a few inches from his previous position, dodging the attack by the skin of his teeth.
He sent counterfire back, causing Daud to blink to another position not far away.
Though the man's Mark continued to glow despite the ability being deactivated, a smile formed on his lips. His hands soon glowing green soon after.
As he felt the presence of mana-
something he was becoming increasingly sensitive to, corvo attempted to dodge, knowing that its was the pull ability he felt before.
Though he didn't even need to.
An assassin, dressed in the classic Whalers outfit, also had his hands glowing with the green aura as daud, using the same ability as the man in an attempt to help.
The use of it from different directions made corvo feel as if he was being torn apart. But it also made it that much easier to escape.
Corvo blinked away, dissapearing from tbe sight of both men. But still, the power did affect him, robbing corvo of his wrist cross bow and blade just before blinking away.
The assassin, perhaps new from his behaviour, bent down to pick up the weaponds and walked over to daud while questioning.
"Daud, what would you like me to do with these weapons?"
The assassin, thinking Corvo had run away, lowered his guard. Walking toward Daud while lazily questioning him.
"What the fuck are you doing?! This is my fight, leave!"
Further conversation was made impossible as a spiked ball hit the wall next to them, ticking ominously.
Daud reacted quickly, using Pull to grab the object and throw it away. But the grenade exploded prematurely, detonating just as it left his grip.
BOOM
An explosion rang out across the room, deafening all within.
Daud stood opposite the site of the explosion. His subordinate was not so lucky. He lay half-dead with multiple puncture wounds and missing limbs, quickly bleeding out.
Daud didn't react. At least, not externally.
"Do you think this will affect me, Corvo? I have sent hundreds of my men to die. I have long grown used to the feeling and know collateral will always happen."
Daud looked around once more, searching for Corvo's hidden form, something that was usually the other way around.
The sound of wind pressure alerted him to turn left, only to see his half-dead assassin flying toward him.
Guided by Windblast, the now-corpse soared at him with the speed of a car, hitting him with the strength of a train. But the goal wasn't just to hurt Daud… it was to—
PPPPPOOOOOOOFFFFFF
The dead assassin's body exploded into pitch-black ash, blinding Daud and remaining unnaturally suspended in the air.
Perhaps a stupid move against an assassin who had long honed his senses to handle multiple opponents at once.
That is why, when he once more detected the subtle wind pressure of an attack, he didn't even bother dodging.
With a bit of will, he moved his mana from his to his hand, lighting up the Mark and causing it to glow brightly through his glove, forcing time to a halt again, freezing Corvo in pla—
STAB
Corvo's blade , now back in its owner's hands -ran through Daud's torso, missing his heart only by mere inches.
COUGH
Silence stretched through the hall as the blinding ash slowly dissolved into nothingness, leaving them frozen in place like actors at the end of a play.
"COUGH COUGH… what?"
Daud's voice echoed through the ash-covered hall, disbelief and shock laced within it.
"…Haha. Corvo, it seems you've had me. Ahh, I see the Void! It's coming to me!… Is that what you thought I would say?"
Daud's elbow connected with Corvo's temple, briefly knocking him unconscious — long enough for Daud to pull himself free from the blade and blink away.
Disappearing from his office to the outside — atop a broken building.
"What are you waiting for, Corvo?!"
Daud's voice echoed through the building, mocking and filled with self-deprecating laughter.
"Let's see who the Outsider saves this time — me… or you!"
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Word count: 1,908