Third Moon and Western Guardian - 668

Since he already knew plenty about Old Thief Ply, all he needed to do was wait until night. As the sun fell and the moon rose, the man left his house and moved towards a location he would never have usually entered.

He made sure to wear a mask, though his was much simpler than Skymender's. As he walked, he eventually reached a store. It didn't have a door, but a wide open entrance. Around it were plenty of thugs, including Old Thief Ply. He was playing with a ring in his hand, obviously stolen.

The man positioned himself in an ideal location. He was very far away from Old Thief Ply, but his strength and coordination had always been good. He made sure that he was in an alleyway so that he could not be easily spotted. 

Finally, he waited. Eventually, Old Thief Ply seemingly got bored and wandered around. After a while, he neared the man's area. He was alone, simply walking off a few feet.

As he walked past the entrance to the alleyway, the man threw the vial directly at his head. He wasn't sure what it would do, but it was emphasized to make sure that the vial hit the target.

Something about the vial was a little weird, however. It contained liquid on two different sides.

He turned around as soon as it left his hand and ran away. The vial hit Old Thief Ply directly in the head, and he began to scream in agony.

The man barely turned his head to look, but all he saw was a melted face that seemed nothing like the human face it had resembled before. He quickly turned back around and ran even faster, his speed increased by fear.

Naturally, the thugs went to check on Old Thief Ply, but what they saw horrified and stunned them. They forgot to even look around and find the cause.

It was only after the man was long gone that they began to search around. Naturally, they were unable to find anything.

As the man returned home, he took a while to regain his breath. He made sure his blinds were closed and his doors were tightly locked before heaving a sigh of relief.

"Well done." A voice said behind him.

He turned around in shock, and saw Skymender behind him. He wore a mask, but had decided to take off his glove. It didn't matter if he wore it regardless. The man looked at Skymender for a moment before beginning to observe him.

He was quite short, but the man did not dare to underestimate him. He was, after all, the man known across the city as "Skygod". He next noticed his hand, as it stood out. Seeing it somehow reminded him of the melting face of Old Thief Ply. 

It was horrifying, non-human even. It was as though it had come straight from a horror story. 

He finally spoke. "Thank you."

"What is your name?"

The man hesitated. "My real name, or the name I wish to go by."

"Either." Skymender said.

"I suppose you might as well just call me… Third Moon." He said after thinking for a while.

Skymender did not ask where the name came from or why he used it, but instead continued onto business.

"Since you've created a nickname, I suppose that you are willing to work for me."

"Yes sir, it's just that, it's a pretty dangerous job, and I have a mother… As for pay…"

The man seemed to hesitate to speak.

Skymender spoke instead. "If something happens to you on duty, your mother will be taken care of. As for payment, there are two types. Mission based and monthly. For mission based, everytime you complete a mission, you get a portion of what it is worth. As for monthly, you get it regardless. It is enough to allow you to live stably."

It should be noted that although Skymender was still a child, and his height somewhat gave that away, his voice did not. Although his throat was healed, his voice still had a dry and aged sound to it.

It had nothing to do with the chest, but his vocal chords which had been permanently damaged.

Third Moon sighed. "Good. Do you need anything from me right now, Sir Skygod?"

Skymender shook his head. "I just came to confirm your joining and to pay you your mission and monthly payment."

He put an envelope on the table and walked out the front door.

The next day, another person received a letter. 

He was given a similar poison vial and told to complete a similar task, in which he would throw it at a well known criminal's head. This criminal had a hurt leg and could not move very fast, which made the assassination even easier.

This man was the one with the daughter. He too saw what the poison had done to the man and was horrified.

When he returned home, he shakily consoled his daughter to sleep before sitting in the living room.

Somehow, he heard a voice behind him.

"Well done." 

He hastily turned around and saw Skymender. 

"Thank you." He said, observing Skymender.

"What is your name?"

"Like a nickname?"

"Yes."

The man thought for a moment. "Western Guardian."

Skymender nodded.

He explained a bit about pay and how his daughter would be taken care of in case of his death.

"Not to be rude, Sir Skygod, but are you sure that you can adequately have my daughter taken care of and raised well?" He asked.

"You don't know who I am under the mask. I can assure you that she will be safe."

The man nodded.

Before Skymender left, he asked another question.

"Last night, I heard of Old Thief Ply dying after having his face melted. I'm not the only one you're paying attention to, am I?"

"No." Skymender said.

Western Guardian nodded and didn't say anything more.

Skymender left and a new day arrived. There was only one person left.

The man with the large family.