Northern_Lights_2014

of Death, King of the Gods, with a nervous look on his face, as if he was expecting someone to kill him, in- stead of the other way around. The man’s face brightened up a bit when he saw Royce. “Ah, you’re here. Good. I need you to—” Royce cut of his next word with a raised hand, “Come, walk with me. I was told what you want me to do, but I want to hear it from you.” Royce set off to his left, towards the Market District. “Yes, I understand this may seem odd to you, but didn’t your man already tell you?” “Yes, but I want to hear it from you. You must understand, I’ve never taken a contract like this before.” He realized he may have been walking a bit too fast, since the priest was almost running, trying to keep up with him. “First, what’s your name?” “Gibbs, sir, my name is Mandris Gibbs.” “Well, Mandris Gibbs, how and why do you want me to kill you?” Aldous asked. “Well, Mr. Royce, I’m fairly impartial as to how the deed is done, as long as I’m surprised. I don’t want to see my death coming. As to the "why," well I’m sick of life. I hate the things I see every day. I’ve seen men robbed blind and no one, not even the guards, helped them. Just the other day, I saw a man mugged in an alleyway, between the Temples of Death and Khav. The mugger took the man’s coin purse, and all his valuables, then stabbed him for no reason. The man had been perfectly cooperative, never shouted or protested or anything, and the damned mugger killed him anyway. “It makes me sick to see what the world has become. I am a priest of Death, and so I can’t kill myself, lest my soul be tortured for eternity. Everyone knows how my Lord views suicides.” “So, let me get this straight; you want me to kill you, because you feel that life is hopeless and worthless, and can’t kill yourself, because you want to ‘save your soul’?” Aldous inquired, genuinely interested, “And you know I’ll kill you, but you want me to surprise you?” “Well,” Gibbs said, “Yes, that’s about it. And, yes, I realize that you may feel some obligation to convince me otherwise, but I must tell you, my mind is set. If you won’t do it, I’ll find someone who will. I came to you because you’re the best, and I need the best. I’m confident of your skills, and I trust you’ll do what needs to be done.” “Okay, when do you need to be dead by?” “As soon as possible, I would hope. Now, take this.” He drew a key from a pocket of his robe. “There is a small box on a dresser in my bedroom. The box contains your reward, and will only open upon my death.” Aldous took the key, “Alright. Meet me at the viewing terrace on Kragg Mountain tonight. I want to show you something that every man should see before he dies.” “I’ve lived in Cindro all my life. I’ve seen the city from the mountain.” “Yes, but you have not seen what I’m going to show you.” And with that, he disappeared into the crowd. The sun had set by the time Aldous made his way up to the viewing terrace. Gibbs was already there, looking stressed and a little angry. Aldous’ black outfit helped him blend into the shadows, and standing still, he was nearly invisible. “Where is he?” He could hear Gibbs muttering, “When someone asks you to meet them somewhere, it’s customary for them to be there first. I thought assassins were supposed to be punctual. Ten minutes; I’ll give him ten minutes, and then I’m leaving.” He sat down near the edge of the terrace, and looked over the city. Aldous stepped forward lightly, his feet making almost no sound, but Gibbs chose that exact moment to look around. "Ah, good, you're finally here. Now, what was it y—AAAAHHHHHHH!" His words were cut short as Royce placed his foot on Gibbs' back and gave a firm shove. Royce waited for a few 30