Permission to kill me
Rufus and his friends were granted accommodations in the grand castle of Alamut, where they could rest and ponder their next move. They had been asked to assist the old man of the mountain, and his order of assassins, the Odam Haji. In exchange, the sorcerer would relinquish and gift them the records of the djinn sorcerer Bubu, with whom Cyrus had traveled. But Rufus had asked time to think and ponder the decision.
However, not everyone was able to find slumber. Gadaric, with his restless thoughts, couldn't lie still any longer. With a sudden burst of energy, he leaped out of his window, embracing the cool night air.
As he landed gracefully on the stone wall, he reveled in the sensation of the wind on his face, as he was not wearing his mask. Despite his blindness, he could feel the world around him in a way that no sighted person could. Yet, there was something else. A feeling that he was not alone, that he was being watched. He moved forward, towards the shadowy presence.
With lightning reflexes, he reached out and caught the stalker by the sleeves. He tried to slam them onto the ground, but they were too quick and agile, evading his grasp.
"Who are you?" Gadaric demanded, ready to send a blast of sound. "I can sense your presence, from the beating of your heart, the circulation of your blood through your veins and the soft sound of your breathing."
"I was ordered to keep watch. You went for a walk, so I followed. I apologize, for letting my presence be known to you. That was not my intent," the stalker replied.
Gadaric recognized the voice. It was one of the Sassan assassins, the same ones who had rescued Rufus previously. He felt uneasy, as his mask could not conceal the missing eyes and the mutilated face.
"Well thank you. But I wish to walk alone, with my face being able to breath and feel the nice air," Gadaric grumbled.
"I understand, but I must continue watching you. It is my duty to obey my master's orders," she replied.
"Fine, but don't blame me if watching my face ruins your appetite," Gadaric retorted.
With the assassin trailing him closely, Gadaric continued his stroll along the castle walls. The breeze was crisp and refreshing, clearing his mind.
As they walked in silence, Gadaric couldn't help but notice the assassin's shadow stalking his every move. Her cloak flowed gently behind her, blending seamlessly with the darkness of the castle's stone walls. He found her dedication to her duty admirable, even if it made him uneasy.
The night air was crisp and cool, carrying with it the scents of the surrounding forest. As they walked in silence, Gadaric couldn't help but notice that the assassin was staying far enough back to not invade his personal space, but still close enough to keep a watchful eye on him.
"Can I ask you something?" Gadaric said, breaking the silence.
The assassin stopped moving.
"Why do you do what you do? Why do you serve Odam Haji?"
"I was born to do this, for that is my purpose," the assassins said.
"So this is your reason for existence. It is nice to have found it."
"It was given to be, as this way I would be most useful to my father."
"Father?"
"He didn't see me as a way to be his successor, but he saw me that I can be a tool. A tool for my father, who is the center and reason for my existence,"
Gadaric thought of himself, as her words reminded him of himself before he had met Rufus.
"You father really is one hard stone,"
"No, my father isn't a hard stone. He is the leader of the Odam Haji," the female assassin said, unable to understand the reference.
Gadaric shook his head. He couldn't fathom the old man sorcerer having a daughter.
"So, you do this willingly?" he asked.
"Will is only for the leader. Loyalty is what matters," the assassin said.
"Hmph. Wouldn't have guessed assassins would be any different be they humans or sassans....." Gadaric said and was about to get back to his chambers.
The female assassin nodded and took a step back, giving Gadaric enough space to walk away. As he walked back to his chambers, Gadaric couldn't shake off the feeling of unease that had settled in his stomach. He had always known that all assassins were trained from a young age to be ruthless killers.
He himself oversaw the soul watchers of the empire. Now he gained another perspective.
The sheer loyalty they had. It was like watching into a mirror. During the times he had served the empire and emperor Ala. He wondered, if would he be able to break free from such a mindset and find what he was looking for. Or was he right now also just being blindly loyal to Rufus.
As he entered his chambers, Rufus was also awake. Rufus noticed the troubled look on Gadaric's face, before he placed his mask back on and asked, "Is everything okay?"
Gadaric hesitated for a moment, "I met one of the assassins. Wouldn't you know? She was the daughter of the old man of the mountain."
"Really.....Would not have guessed the old sorcerer had a daughter. Let alone let her be one of the assassins of Osama Haji," Rufus said in disbelief.
"I know. She was following me as I walked along the castle walls," Gadaric said and hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Her loyalty to her father was unwavering. Like she didn't have her own free will. Or even love for herself....It made me question my own loyalty to you and my cause to be here.
"Don't get me wrong. What you are doing is admirable and I wish to serve you. But, I do not want to end up like her. Go back to blind loyalty however righteous the cause is."
Rufus just smiled.
"I do not know about loyalty much to be honest," Rufus laughed and thought about it," Most people have leaned on me for help and most of the time I was too much of a pushover to say no. But I do know that the loyalty I had was more of a duty. Duty towards those I cared about."
"So what?" Gadaric asked,"I also felt that towards the emperor."
"Yes, but when you started questioning it, you didn't question the emperor. Please. Whenever you feel I am in the wrong. I want you to confront me. And even stop me," Rufus said with a smile.
".....you sure?"
"If I ever go astray, I literally give permission to kill me," Rufus joked.
"Well, if that's the case, can I have permission to kill you too?" Edward said, waking up from his slumber and joining the conversation with a dark humor joke.
"You usually don't ask for permission to kill someone," Yosef chimed in.
"Was everyone listening....." Gadaric said.
Pema lifted his hand and only Gwon was sleeping soundly.
"Well, we are all up, might as well get up," Edward said, taking out a bottle from underneath his chainmail armor.
"What is that?" Rufus asked.
"That's not important. What's important is that you were talking about causes and such. Instead of trying to find something like that, I'd recommend you find some woman's company and warmth. It really gives a brief sense of calm and mental acuity after you have laid with a woman," Edward said.
"And how would you know about being with a woman?" Rufus asked.
"I have been with my share of women," Edward boasted.
"WHAT?! WHO!?" Rufus asked, surprised.
"I am a hero of the Fairfax kingdom. I am quite popular," Edward bragged.
"You haven't been with a woman?" Yosef asked.
"WHAT? YOU TOO YOSEF?"
"I bet even Pema is quite popular with the grey skin girls," Edward said.
Pema just lifted his thumb up in the air.
Rufus then looked at Gadaric, who looked away.
"You tooooooo," Rufus said in disbelief.
"Once on a mission, things kinda happened," Gadaric explained.
"I can't be the only inexperienced guy here..." Rufus said.
Everyone then looked at Gwon, who was still sleeping. Though he was a kid, physically at least, he snored like an old man after a heavy night of drinking.
"I bet he doesn't need a brief sense of calm and mental acuity," Yosef joked, trying to be heard over the deafening noise.
"And you all wondered why we were up," Edward slurred as he poured himself another glass of ale.
As the night wore on, the group continued to drink, and Rufus, with his god-like tolerance to alcohol, remained the only one still standing. "Haaaaah. Couldn't I be winning always my battles like this," he quipped.