Tsi Luen Assassin

Uncontrollable shivers crept all over Dreygo's body and his hands were cold as ice as the airplane descended fast and turned to position itself for a landing towards the wide airstrip of Tsi Luen Airport. Elaine noticed it as she glanced at the Harbinger with a paled face from the moment the airplane abruptly ascended to the sky and to its descent.

Dreygo did not care to eat meals offered by the stewardess and just sat still, almost motionless, impatiently waiting for the flight to end. His food from the previous meal lifted as the plane did its abrupt descent. He could taste the chicken sauce that flooded his tongue.

Elaine smiled at him and he wanted to give Dreygo some comfort as she saw him perspiring like a leaking faucet on the latter's forehead. Dreygo never had driven before an airplane, only horses and wagons during his time on Earth. The comforts of modern times were beyond the Harbinger's grasp.

"Are you ok?" Elaine asked Dreygo for the hundredth time. Her voice was concerned that maybe Dreygo would vomit on the plane's blue floor carpet. Viriel decided to sit far from them and Elaine noticed that the stewardess flirts with him, offering various food selections that Viriel respectfully declined.

"I'm fine." Dreygo's voice cracked and was a little bit stern. He did not want to show weakness especially when Elaine was just fine sitting comfortably for the duration of the flight.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. We are about to land at Tsi Luen airport about ten minutes from now. The time is five minutes past nine in the morning." The voice loomed through the plane's speakers. Dreygo craned his head and looked for the source of the speaker. He had been wondering almost all day about the overhead voices from the speakers that kept on announcing as they wait in the airport lounge.

A lot was happening in the airport that Dreygo had experienced for the first time and it was excruciatingly overwhelming. Even the motion sensor faucets in glamorous comfort rooms shocked the Harbinger.

The escalators, the elevators, the electronic lights that ran along the wall, the metal detectors, the conveyors and so much more. His long hair was tied and his face shaved and wore two layers of clothing, one was a shirt and the other was a jacket ready to compensate for the cold weather of Cheena. But his clothes were soaked wet with his cold sweat.

Elaine was concerned and took the opportunity to hold Dreygo's hand which he accepted without hesitation. His hand clasped with Elaine's hard as the plane's landing wheels skid to the airport's pavement. The plane normally bounced against the airstrip and Dreygo clasped harder as it did.

He panted heavily until the plane decelerated and stopped at the assigned landing plot. Chatters grew and everyone rustled to pick their bags from the stowage bins overhead, except for Dreygo.

"You can let go of my hand now," Elaine said with a perky smile.

Dreygo almost did not notice that they were holding hands and the moment he realized it, he awkwardly let go of her hand.

"How was your trip?" She asked. Tried to tease him, uncommon to see a fully matured man frightened in airplanes.

"Very discomforting." Dreygo snapped.

They carried their bags and disembarked from the plane. They followed the line of passengers and stepped on a moving conveyor floor to comfortably transport passengers from one end to another.

Dreygo seemed to wobble a bit as his both legs were carried by the running conveyor belt. Elaine and Viriel followed him and were amused with how Dreygo fought to survive.

Passengers populated the vast arrivals lobby of Tsi Luen airport as they waited for their bags in a circular conveyor carousel that came from the whole. Dreygo craned his head towards the high ceilings that held large chandeliers which illuminated the entire floor. The interior design was like a Zen garden, a combination of hardwood, smooth concrete, and reflecting marble.

Dreygo's eyes widen as he did a quick turn to witness the glamour of the vast room. Some of the roofs were constructed with translucent glass that permitted the natural light to finger through the establishment. It was heaven for him and never had he felt so alive since Hell.

As Dreygo was preoccupied with the scenery, Viriel was surveying the area, visually scrutinizing the people around for potential enemies. He anticipated that Kragus would know their arrival in Tsi Luen and the Zi Loks Triad's capacity. This intel was given by another 3rd Rank Angel warrior, Azakiel, who was assigned to monitor the province.

Azakiel had suspicions of the unexpectedly fast-growing Zi Lok's Triad, defeating every other underground gang and mafia that operated within Tsi Luen. He monitored the Triad's movements and witnessed Kragus frequent their midst. He believed that Tsi Luen was the ground zero of Kragus and his Demon Lords' arrival on Earth.

They stopped at the side of baggage carousel number eleven to collect their package. Dreygo's weapon, Ferrum Minus, was wrapped in corrugated packaging as it was prohibited by the airline's policy not to hand carry blades, guns, and the like.

Elaine was amused to see Dreygo's utmost appreciation for the place. Moments after, she noticed that somebody was frequently gawking at them. Her suspicion grew when their eyes met several times. He was sitting at a table, eating breakfast in front of Burger Joint situated on the far end corner of the Arrival hall. A series of food stalls were lined up in that area and people heaved the place. But the man's stare sliced through the crowd and meeting with Elaine's.

Elaine turned her glance to Viriel and alerted him.

"A guy in a black jacket with tattoos on his neck was looking at us," Elaine whispered to Viriel.

"Are you sure?" Viriel asked.

"Yes, for several times," Elaine assured.

Viriel fixed his glance on the Burger joint table and there was no one sitting there. Elaine was also surprised that the suspected man vanished. Seemed that the assassin took advantage of the heaving passengers and hid behind the large circular columns of the hall. Viriel walked towards the place, leaving Dreygo and Elaine behind. There was nobody as the angel confirmed.

Elaine also alerted Dreygo and started to survey the area. But he sensed no Demonic presence around the area, only from afar. Safe to where they were located. But the aura was abnormally strong, a Demon Lord perhaps. He assessed.

"Welcome party for me?" Dreygo said and grinned.

"We better be vigilant from now on," Viriel suggested.

***

The assassin, Fei Dao, stood on the second floor overlooking the Arrival hall. His eyes were sharp and possessed sheer will and dedication to his craft. He moved efficiently and effectively. He could blend with people easily and could attack in stealth. Hand-to-hand combat was also his skill of choice, thus his knives.

He could throw his knives with perfect accuracy for the proximity of around twenty to thirty meters. He had no weapons with him, it was unnecessary for the moment, and the easy way to enter the airport was through the metal detectors. He had only about an hour to prepare and the best way to assassinate with this short lead time was to use his knife and kill on site.

Fei Dao did not have a picture of Elaine and his comrades. The only intel provided to him was tattoo marks on her arms, goth-looking, and black hair. He was briefed that Elaine was accompanied by a Demon and an Angel so it was unwise to attack them at once.

The best choice was to attack from afar hitting only Elaine right before a properly planned escape. But the airport was not the best place to perform the assassination. So many witnesses and numerous guards were positioned at all exit points.

The only and best way to attack was to lure out the Demon and the Angel and attack Elaine alone.

***

The three went out of the arrival hall and called a taxi. Dreygo had witnessed the happy faces of the people hugging each other as their loved ones waited for them to arrive. Dreygo was moved by the sight and he thought, 'These people are worth saving.'

It was raining hard and the thick clouds dimmed the daytime. Dreygo slightly opened the taxi's door and put his hand out as the vehicle rode out in the rain. He felt the cold sensation of rain droplets as they trickled through his palm. There was no rain in hell and he missed the feeling as also the comforting air that carried it. Oblivious to the moves of their pursuers, they maintained vigilance except for the Harbinger.