Black Knife Assassin, Part One

Black Knife Assassin POV:

Crouching in the death catacombs, my fingers scrape against the cold, ancient stone as I guard the deathroot. My commander's orders, the echo of her voice, a lingering ghost in my mind. Alecto always had a knack for delivering instructions with the perfect blend of urgency and nonchalance. But this time, there was an edge, a silent plea. She trusts me with this, believes in me. But the strain of solitude is more challenging than I expected.

My stomach clenches in a familiar gnaw of hunger, grating against my ribcage like an unkind reminder of how long I've been here. I push the discomfort aside, focusing instead on the rhythmic drip of water somewhere deeper within the catacombs.

The food supplies were meager when I arrived and have long since dwindled to crumbs. The occasional rat or insect hardly appeals to my palate, but necessity trumps preference.

Silence engulfs me like a shroud, amplifying my own breathing, making me feel even more alone.

I hate it - the silence.

Weakness has settled in my bones from the damp, hunger gnawing at my resolve. But I clench my jaw tighter. I shall not falter. I am an assassin; I am an extension of Commander's will, her unspoken resolve. In my weakest moments, I remind myself of this, of her faith in me, her strength fuelling my own.

...

I miss the sun, the wind, the sounds of life, the camaraderie of my comrades. This place is a shadowed hell. But the deathroot is important.

For her, for us,

I must protect it.

I must survive.

...

Resentment occasionally swells within me.

Why me?

Why here?

Why alone?

But the questions remain unanswered, swallowed by the blackness around me. The Commander could have chosen anyone, but she chose me. But why hasn't she come for me yet?

I sense her presence in the gloom, like a memory that's seeped into the surrounding stones. I close my eyes and draw on it, strength from the bonds we've formed, the battles we've fought side by side. This mission, this solitude, it's more than an order. It's a test of endurance, of loyalty.

And so, I wait in the darkness, my body becoming one with the catacombs, my senses dulling. Waiting for my Commander, my friend, to come for me.

To free me.

But until then, I must guard the deathroot. I am alone, weakened, but I shall fulfill my commander's order.

In the echoing silence of these ancient catacombs.

I will endure.

I will protect.

'I will prevail.'

...

Suddenly, the metallic grind of the iron door echoes through the catacombs, jolting me from my contemplation. Anticipation blooms within me, igniting a spark of hope.

I sense two tarnished figures approaching, and my hope of it being my commander were shattered. I get up, and my grip tightens on my dagger, and only one thought goes through my mind.

'I must protect the deathroot!'

General POV:

The two tarnished warriors, Max and D, approached slowly until they stood to face a formidable, but obviously weakened foe. At first, no one made a move, as they all stared at each other.

Max was the first to break the tomb-like silence, using the Two Fingers Seal, he cast the Order's Blade incantation, infusing the blade with a fierce glow.

Beside Max, D readied himself for the impending confrontation, his stance as unyielding as the stone beneath their feet. His hand gripped the hilt of his weapon tightly, the Inseparable Sword gleaming eerily under the ghostly light. His other hand held a sacred Seal, ready to unleash Bestial incantations. Together, their formidable presence challenged the lingering silence, a silent ultimatum to their enemy.

Seeing this, Black Knife Assassin chuckled. She stood defiantly before the two tarnished warriors, her eyes reflecting an unyielding resolve.

Max started the fight by throwing a fireball at the assassin. In response, the Black Knife Assassin, swiftly dodged it and stepped towards Max, closing the distance between them. However, before she could attack, D interrupted her plans. He swung his greatsword through the air, forcing the assassin to retreat. The assassin was as elusive as a shadow, her swift movements were a stark contrast against D's aggressive attack. With a Quick Slash, she countered, with her dagger, as a dark blur against the dim light.

As D was fighting the Assassin, Max used this opportunity to cast more fireballs in order to pressure her. This left the assassin with no other choice than to dodge multiple meters back. As she created some distance, D wasn't going to let her rest. He cast his incantation, summoning the Stone of Gurranq. The incantation materialized multiple huge rock projectiles, each stone launching towards the agile assassin with deadly precision. However, she was fluid and swift, moving amidst the big stones as if it were a mere inconvenience.

As the echoes of D's incantation subsided, Max was quick to follow up. He knew that he had to step it up a notch. Therefore, he put more mana into his next incantation. The Two Finger Seal once again lit up, casting a blazing fireball towards the enemy. The flames roared, illuminating the grim boss room in an unforgiving light. But the assassin was swifter, her movements bordering on impossible. With a single, well-executed Lunging Stab, she evaded the blazing onslaught, and repositioned herself for a lethal counter-attack.

The intensity of the confrontation echoed through the desolate catacomb. The battle had barely begun, yet the boss roam was now a battlefield, due to the attacks from both sides. Max's mana-infused muscles strained under the weight of his relentless attacks, his greatsword was like a deadly blur in the flickering torchlight of the catacombs.

D was by his side, matching his pace and intensity with practiced ease. His incantations and strikes synchronized seamlessly with Max's, resulting that their combined prowess presented a formidable front to their enemy. As the dance of battle unfolded, the dimly lit halls of the catacombs bore witness to their combat skills.

Meanwhile, the Black Knife Assassin was a portrait of lethal grace. She moved with a fluidity that was both mesmerizing and terrifying, her blade slashing and stabbing in a deadly dance of its own.

Her maneuvers were executed with precision. The first was the Feint Attack. In this maneuver, she would leap forward with a counterclockwise slash that was fake. She then followed it up with a real clockwise slash.

The second was the Blade-Dragging Sweep. This began with her plunging her knife into the ground. Using this as a pivot point, she swung around it. This was followed by another clockwise slash. Each of these maneuvers were perfectly executed. Each one served as a testament to her deadly reputation.

Max knew that they would lose if the battle were to continue like this. The Black Knife Assassin was a master of evasion, her swift movements turning her into an elusive shadow amidst the gloom. Thinking quickly, Max gave D a signal and then infused his body with mana, strengthening his attacks. With a powerful sweep of his greatsword, he attempted to corner her. But she was not so easily cowed. With a Lunging Stab, she retaliated, and her blade aimed straight for his heart.

D, however, was ready for her. He used his incantation, the Beast Claw, where he summoned five vertical waves of energy that surged forward, which forced the assassin to retreat. This gave Max the time he needed. His seal cast another incantation, one that would enchant his weapon with holy power, because the enchantment from before wore off. As the enchantment took hold, the Bloodhound's Fang glowed with a divine light once again.

Their fight continued, the momentum shifting back and forth like a pendulum. Max and D's attacks were relentless, pushing the Black Knife Assassin on the defensive. Yet, she was relentless in her own way. With every attack they launched, she countered with an equal ferocity, her moves echoing the desperation of a cornered beast.

Their battle was a symphony of clangs and grunts, the sounds reverberating off the catacombs stone walls. With every successful hit, a grim satisfaction sparked in their eyes as they maned to injure their opponent, even if it's a little, and with every miss, a renewed determination took hold. Max's fireballs scorched the stone floor, and D's incantations shook the catacombs to its very foundations, their combined onslaught challenged the assassin's resilience.

As the confrontation neared its climax, the Black Knife Assassin launched her deadliest attack yet. She jumped in the air and then slammed her dagger into the ground, the Helmsplitter, a move that was as powerful as it was unexpected. The fortress shook with the impact, the shockwaves forced Max and D to step back. But their resolve remained unbroken, their eyes reflecting a single, unwavering purpose - to retrieve the Deathroot and bring an end to this relentless dance of blades.

------------------------------

Authors Note:

The name, and the description of the Assassin's attacks, were copied from the Elden Ring Wiki by fextralife.

https://eldenring.wiki.fextralife.com/Black+Knife+Assassin

-----------------------------