New Recruit - 672

He sat in silence for a moment before a servant entered his room. Before the servant could speak, Baron Sky spoke. 

"Go bring me Skymender."

The servant nodded and turned around. Skymender was sitting in his room, reading a book, when the servant knocked on his door. 

"Lord Skymender, Baron Sky has requested your presence in his office."

Skymender stood up and left the room, nodding to the servant as he did so. It seemed as though Baron Sky had put some things together, though he naturally wouldn't be certain at all. 

Skymender arrived at the office door and stepped inside. Baron Sky sat with a serious face.

He looked at Skymender's hand. "Could you take off your glove?"

Skymender pulled it off. Baron Sky nearly recoiled. Hearing it described was one thing, but seeing it himself was another. 

He felt as if the far fetched suspicions he held had become a percentage more possible.

He did not hide anything, coming out with his suspicions.

"Are you the Skygod?"

"Who?" Skymender asked.

Baron Sky simply looked at him.

"Nevermind. Sorry for bothering you."

Skymender left. It was impossible for there to be any sort of reasonable suspicion that he was the Skygod, no matter what his personality was like.

There was no more bringing up any idea that he could be Skygod, and Skymender continued his activities in Sky city. Now, however, he had a very good customer.

The police would request an assassination at least once every week, and often more. 

Skymender took these requests himself, not because the Chief of Police had requested so, but because there was a chance that each mission was a trap. After all, no matter what was said, he was a killer.

During the next period of time, an assassination request was failed. Western Guardian, while attacking someone, slipped up and alerted some nearby people. He only managed to escape with his life due to a mist poison he had saved just in case.

He had actually ended up killing both his target and some other nearby people, but it was considered a failure. 

One of the things they were taught by Skymender was to avoid killing anyone not a target, for they could become targets later on, giving even more money.

Nothing actually happened to him besides the fact that he had nearly died, but it served as a lesson.

Skymender considered training them, but after thinking, felt that it was better for them to do it on their own. Any interaction with them increased the chances of bad things happening.

With the city growing, and more and more requests coming in, Skymender began to look for more assassins.

It was hard to find any like Third Moon and Western Guardian, but not impossible. He just had to look for a while. He did things as usual, while also searching for potential assassins. Like this, the summer eventually came to an end. He had found a few potential recruits, but wasn't 100% sure what he was going to do just yet.

More time passed, and after consideration, he decided to recruit another individual. Unlike the previous two, who were simply the best available at the time, this person seemed like a worthy recruit.

In fact, this person had killed before. Skymender knew this because he had been paying attention to her.

She used the tactic of seduction to lure in her target and kill him. Naturally, this meant that she was quite a beautiful woman. 

She had killed this man because he had run over her younger sister in a carriage without remorse, and got off without even a word from the police. This was unusual. Only a noble would get such treatment, but somehow, a simple commoner had avoided all punishment.

Skymender knew that the police were not as righteous as they seemed on the surface, but this was surprising. This was not under the new Baron Sky's reign, but the old one's. Whether or not his father knew of this or not was unknown. 

Regardless, Skymender was focused on recruiting this woman. 

She was currently in hiding. Both the police and the people of the man she had killed were currently hunting her down. She felt it was unjust, but could only live with it.

A few days passed, and she was moving through an alley with a hood covering her head, when someone stopped her.

"It's you! Get her!" He yelled.

A few more men entered the alley from both sides and ran towards her. She pulled out a dagger, but they did not slow down. Suddenly, someone appeared beside her. He grabbed her and jumped up, landing on a nearby rooftop. This was an inhuman movement. Although the roof was low, and only an athlete would be able to jump on it, Skymender had done so while grabbing a woman. 

This was an effect of the Imperial Scholar's chest design. 

The woman looked at Skymender in confusion, but did not swing her dagger. He had not shown any intention to harm her, and she did not need another enemy at this moment. Skymender did not look at her, first throwing a vial of the mist poison down.

As soon as they saw the mist appear, all of the men ran, though some were too slow.

Over time, sightings of the mist had occurred when people were assassinated. It represented assassins, and possibly even the Skygod himself.

The woman had also heard of the legendary mist.

She looked at Skymender differently, not daring to show a hint of ill will.

Skymender finally turned to her.

"My name is Skygod, and I am inviting you to become an assassin." He kept it simple.

Her answer would decide everything. 

She only hesitated for a moment before nodding. "I am willing."

Skymender spoke again. "Then follow me. If you can't keep up, I don't need you."

Skymender stepped backwards, falling off the roof and shooting off into the distance. The woman ran after him.

Skymender was agile and fast, turning sharp corners with ease. The woman struggled to keep up, but did her best.

She was not someone physically fit. She had been completely normal prior to her sister's death.

Eventually, she stopped. Skymender stood ahead, someone resisting under his feet.