𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐀 𝐒𝐔𝐂𝐂𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘. 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐒 𝐀 𝐑𝐔𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍.
It's the beginning of a new age when Jaylah Imperatrix seemingly returns from the dead to reclaim her throne. And in perfect timing.
In her absence, evil has be...
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Act 1 Chapter 3 JAYLAH
The sight of the hooded intruder in the candlelight woke me suddenly and completely. There was no time to move out of the dagger's path; I was only quick enough to grip its hilt as it sliced down to sever my throat. The sharp edge caught the palm of my hand before I succeeded in steadying it above myself.
It hovered in the air for a moment, me giving my all to shove the tip from my neck, and my attacker driving it downward to meet its mark. My arms were toned with muscle from years of swordsmanship, but I was only strong enough to fight my significantly larger opponent for a short time.
When I knew I could hold it off no longer, I summoned all my strength and let the hilt go, rolling out of the way. The tip of the blade barely skimmed across my neck. My feet hit the rug on the floor. Bringing my hand to my throat for a split second, I made sure I was in no danger of bleeding out.
Feathers flew as the intruder yanked the dagger from the pillows my head rested upon just seconds before. Adrenaline fueled my every move, making me faster than usual as I ran for the doorway. If I could find a way to alert Saria or any of my guards...
A gloved hand wrapped around the wrist of my bleeding hand and wrenched me back. Despite how I kicked and fought, the assassin managed to pin me to the ornamental rug, my arms stuck at my sides. They stabbed with the knife again, but I twisted under their weight, letting the blade catch my shoulder rather than my heart.
The strange angle of my body allowed one arm to be freed, which I shot out to claw into the intruder's neck above me. As they jerked back, I weaseled my other hand from their grip and used it to ring the bell next to my bed meant to alert Saria to my every need.
I only managed to ring it once before the assassin cut its string, causing it to roll under the bed. An elbow to the nose had me instinctively retracting my grip on them. My eyes watered so badly I could see nothing in the blurred darkness.
Knowing the assassin would take this chance to stab me dead once and for all, I swung my arms out, trying to gauge the location of the knife. My wrist knocked against their own. There was the blessed sound of metal on marble and I thanked the Gods for it. Now, we would only fight in hand-to-hand combat.
The assassin had no reaction as I hit them in the abdomen—a blow that would have had any normal person doubling over and gasping for air. In fact, it seemed they had no care in the world, even as I hit them over and over again.
There was a rattle at the door handle a room over. I would have let out a breath of relief, if not for the fact that the sound kept coming. Saria was prevented from entering the room. The assassin had done their job thoroughly, blocking off any unneeded visitors while they finished me off.
