Ch3 - Dumb Luck

Some people are only alive thru sheer dumb luck.

The stairs spiraled up inside the tower.

Seeming to never end.

Yet at the top, a single door.

Purpura gently opened the door.

Against the right wall, was a variety of weapons.

Opposite were schematics.

Against the back wall was a small bed.

There were large windows on each side of the bed.

Purpura closed the door behind himself.

"By the gods!

You're Purpura!"

Purpura looked to his left, and there was a male.

The male had multicolored hair, mixing green and orange.

It was hard to tell if the coloring was natural...

Or perhaps a dyeing gone horribly wrong.

The male's armor was mismatched, and mix colored.

It was hard to tell if this was intentional, or not.

His appearance either said assassin, disheveled battle mage, or clown.

Purpura stared at him, in silence.

Not sure what to make of him.

The male spoke, sounding excited.

"I've always loved your work.

That thing with the duchess?
Oh, beautiful.

And that incident with the nightmare demon?

I didn't even know nightmare demons could be killed like that!

Actually I didn't know you could kill anyone like that."

The entire time the guy spoke, he waved his hands around and paced.

Purpura just watched him, not quite sure what to do with him.

The guy kept speaking, not really looking at Purpura.

So Purpura quickly formed blood needles.

He then tossed them.

The male suddenly tripped and fell on his face.

Dodging the needles in the process.

He then got up, "Sorry, I fall a lot.

Dunno why."

He dusted off, and Purpura felt cautious.

"Oh! You work for Prince Tynan, right?"

Purpura made no movements to indicate an answer.

"I wish he and the princess got along better.

It seems silly that they're always fighting!

Siblings should get along, don't you think?"

The guy was walking about again.

He spoke quickly, and with excitement.

Almost like no one had talked to him in a while.

Or like he'd met his hero.

Purpura didn't agree with that statement.

Siblings naturally fought.

At least he did, with Rose.

He had no qualms with his other siblings.

Likely because they weren't crazy.

Purpura formed more needles, as the guy moved about.

"I mean seriously!

They should work together.

They could do so much more!"

Purpura tossed the needles, just as the guy bent down.

The guy picked up two daggers.

"Like duel wielders always do so much damage!

They can just offer an endless assault."

Purpura felt himself getting annoyed.

Twice the male seemed to absently dodge his attack.

He didn't want a full out fight, but if it came to it...
Then he would.

The male began waving the daggers about like an untrained child.

And began making sound effects.

Duel wielding could be strong.

However they sacrificed defense, in favor of rapid onslaught.

Only those with intense training, could make up for this.

The male kept swishing around, and attacking air.

Suddenly one of the daggers slipped out of the male's hand.

It hit a iron shield and bounced off.

Suddenly hitting Purpura in the leg.

Purpura grunted, and knelt down.

"Oh, s**t!

I'm so sorry!

I've got bandages!" he said running over to a box.

Purpura felt extremely confused.

Was the male unaware of the royal siblings' current engagement?

Had the princess not told him?

Purpura yanked the dagger out, and forced blood to move and clot.

The male moved towards him with bandages, and other medical supplies.

Suddenly the male tripped.

Purpura jumped out of the way, as various medical supplies flew.

Including a scalpel and rather questionable ointments.

The male got up, looking confused.
"I'm so sorry.

I'm such a klutz.

I'm surprised I ever get any assignment accomplished."

Purpura stood, as the male dusted himself off again.

It was true, tales of this assassin's jobs lent themselves mostly to luck.

Anyone witness was sure he'd die.

However luck seemed to favor him.

How to kill someone who has luck on their side?

Suddenly Purpura heard a crack, then instinctively jumped away.

Just as a hanging light crashed to the floor.

The male looked startled,

"Oh geez!

How did that happen?

I thought these places were built better.

They always say things aren't built like they used to...

But that's not safe at all."

Purpura got up up, and looked at it, then the male.

Was the male unaware of his luck?

Surely he seemed unaware of Purpura's intentions.

The male spoke more,

"Do you really never talk?

I mean, everyone says so.

But... i bet you talk to the prince.

You're his only assassin.

I've seen you two.

Just standing next to each other.

You guys seem to understand each other.

Like you have a secret agreement.

And to have secrets you have to talk.

Come on, I promise not to tell.

Just say one little thing."

Purpura just glared at him.

The guy sighed, "Fine.

Maybe I can force you to say something!"

the male then jumped at Purpura.

Purpura jumped away, tripping over a rope, causing an ax to fall.

He hit the ground, barely avoiding the ax's slice.

He looked up.

Why was this guy's entire room a deathtrap?

"Ah, why'd you knock down the ax?"

the male got up, and reset it, as Purpura moved away.

"It reminds me of my first real contract.

The whole place was booby trapped.

I'm surprised I got thru without injury.

I mean, I've always been a klutz.

Not you though.

Every mission you do...

Geez, it's like reading stories of the greats.

In and out without being seen?

If I had your skills, perhaps I'd be promoted to top assassin.

I'm surprised I even got this job."

He sat down on the bed, looking a bit depressed.

"You though.

Geez, you're his only assassin.

He doesn't even need multiple assassin.

I mean you-"

He paused and jumped up.

"OH GEEZ!

You're here to kill me, aren't you?!

I totally forgot that the princess warned me you were coming.

Ah, s**t.

Uh- I..." he was pacing about the floor waving his hands again.

Purpura watched him panic about.

"Okay, how about this?

One-on-one duel.

That's fair, right?"

Purpura sighed, a one-on-one duel potentially favored the male.

Sometimes, luck beat skill.

And given the male's history...

His luck always seemed to win out.

But Purpura took a combat stance.

"Yes, thank you!" the male took a similar stance.

the male lunged at Purpura, who jumped aside only to knock over a weapons display.
The male picked up a dagger, and held it.

Purpura knew the male's stance was awful.

It was unbalanced, and easily beat.

Purpura cautiously watched the male, trying to decide the best course.

Was there a way to turn luck against people?

He wasn't sure.

But surely there was a way to ensure even luck couldn't help.

The male lunged at him again, and Purpura quickly grabbed the male.

"Eh!" Purpura then pulled him.

"Hey, let go. This isn't fair!"

Purpura went over to the window, and threw the male threw it.

It shattered and glass fell with the male.

Purpura watched, they were easily ten stories up.

No way of surviving such a fall.

But he watched anyway, to ensure nothing lucky happened.

Suddenly the stone rumbled, and began to shift.

Purpura moved, as stones began to fall.

If luck couldn't save the male, it was gonna take his killer with him.

Purpura quickly moved, as the entire tower began to collapse.

He cursed himself, this was ridiculous.

He began falling, not sure if there was anything he could grab at.

Everything he tried just began falling.

He was free falling, and had nothing to stop his decent.

He pulled a vial out of his pocket.

It sloshed with a black liquid.

He pulled his mask down, and quickly downed the liquid.

He grimaced, it was disgusting.

Suddenly he fell thru a black portal.

He landed on a wood floor, dropping the vial.

He coughed a bit, and looked about.

"I told you that would come in handy one day.

Though I am curious why you needed it."

Purpura looked and standing next to him was prince Tynan.

The prince offered a hand, but Purpura ignored it.

He got up, and dusted off.

Tynan picked up the vial, "Suppose we should make more.

Does that skill work with any species' blood?"

Purpura nodded.

"I can only imagine what you could do if we actually had blood."

Purpura shrugged.

The vials contained various species's blood.

If ingested, it temporarily allowed him that species' abilities.

Generally at the sacrifice of his own for a bit.

He kept a couple on his at a time.

If working for the prince he kept one of the prince's.

The prince cut himself, oozing shadows.

He scooped a bit, into the vial, before it healed.

He then offered the vial back to Purpura.

Purpura did the same, with his own blood.

They had realized long ago that by combining their blood.

It allowed Purpura to open a shadow portal where ever he was.

It always dropped him by prince Tynan though.

He didn't have any real control.

Simply offered an emergency escape.

"I imagine you're making good progress with her assassins."

Purpura shrugged, with a slight nod.

"Good. I was hoping you could do something else for me.

I have to ensure she gives.

She seems to have little true concern for her assassins.

It's mostly just a show of force...

I need you to go after her pets.

Then you can return to her assassins.

This will be difficult, as they are all housed in her underground.

Perhaps one of those is of more emotional value to her."

Purpura nodded, and began to walk away.

"As a note, I do not possess any such pets.

Never had an interest."

Purpura got to the door, and paused before looking back to the prince.

The prince glanced up to him, but Purpura walked out.

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay. & thank you to my roommate for the inspiration for this target.