Ch6 - Loyalty

Some are loyal till the end. Others are only as loyal as the leash binds them.

Purpura sat on an roof ledge.

Clouds littered the night sky.

Both moons barely half formed.

The cool night breeze caught his scarf and it danced about.

He was in Prison City again.

The city was unusually quiet.

Purpura looked to the adjacent roof.

Standing on the edge was a male figure.

The figure was wrapped in clean cloth.

Every inch of his body was wrapped in the clean white cloth.

He also had pieces of black fabric acting like clothing, though it was likely unnecessary.

The black fabric wrapped about his torso, and was draped over his head like a hood.

Purpura gently stood, and the two simply stared at each other for a long moment.

There were no introductions needed.

They had been introduced many times before.

The first time at the academy, both were notorious for not speaking.

They were subtly introduced during various royal meetings.

They had come to recognize and respect each other's talents.

They were elite assassins, quickly recognized by the royal family for their natural talent.

Both's listed species were not natural assassins.

Nekos, being a extremely gentle species.

Deformis, being extremely reclusive, living away from all other species.

Purpura felt it was a waste, to lose someone who he actually got along with.

Usually the two of them stood in the back of a room, while the siblings argued.

Silently agreeing to the uselessness of the family's bickering.

But they had known, given the family's natural infighting, that this day could come.

Purpura offered the other male a polite bow.

The other male, Anqu, responded in kind.

They then both jumped.

They met in mid-air, exchanging light basic combat.

Before pushing against each other and landing back on their roofs.

They watched each other a moment.

Before both throwing an attack.

Purpura his blood needles, Anqu a long strip of the white cloth.

Anqu used the cloth to catch the needles, and Purpura jumped away dodging the cloth.

Anqu retracted the cloth and threw it again.

Purpura formed a sword and cut the cloth.

The detached part dropped to the ground the rest retracted.

They were both rather aware of each other's abilities.

It made combat more difficult, as they could estimate each other's moves.

Purpura threw another barrage of blood.

Though Anqu blocked it with his cloth.

He knew Anqu's species was rather unique.

Though they did bleed, a blood demon was unable to access the blood inside of them.

From Purpura's studying and the various time travel trips...

He knew their two species had had something like a co-habitation agreement.

Though the blood demons were the 'royal family' they had valued the Deformis's opinions and strength.

Thus the two had lived together, as equals.

It was part of why the Deformis were currently isolationists.

They had been in voluntary isolation for the millennium since the blood demon genocide.

The shadow demons did not hunt them down, and generally let them be.

Only occasionally insisting on checking that they were not harboring blood demons.

Anqu jumped and landed on Purpura's roof.

The two circled each other a bit.

"I got your back, Anqu!"

The two looked.

Standing was the assassin, Purpura had dubbed Dumbluck.

How had he managed to survive that fall?

Especially with the tower coming down on top of him?

Purpura had no idea.

Yet there he stood, looking rather unscathed.

Dumbluck moved towards Anqu, but tripped, over nothing.

He fell and hit a beam that caused a bag to fly up and hit a scaffolding.

The scaffolding began to fall to the side, forcing both Purpura and Anqu to dodge.

Dumbluck got up and looked about, "Sorry!" he exclaimed.

He got up and pulled out a dagger.

"But I'm here to help you take down Purpura."

Anqu stood, his posture oozing pure unimpressed feeling.

Purpura stood, looking generally annoyed.

Dumbluck moved towards Purpura, before sprinting.

Purpura quickly dodged, as Anqu came up the opposite way.

Purpura cursed his own luck.

He and Anqu were practically equals, perhaps he could win a straight engagement.

But with Dumbluck in the mix? His chances of winning dropped drastically.

Dumbluck moved in again, for an attack.

Anqu came opposite, and Purpura jumped back.

As he did, he tripped, and fell back, but managed to roll.

He was knelt down, looking at the two of them.

Purpura quickly charged Dumbluck, with a blood sword.

Dumbluck brandished his little dagger as a defense.

He barely managed to block Purpura's sword.

Purpura formed claws on his other hand, and attempted to stab the male's stomach.

Dumbluck stepped back, and tripped back falling off the roof.

Yet beneath an awning caught him.

Purpura growled, annoyed at his inability to kill the lucky male.

Suddenly a white cloth wrapped about Purpura's throat and pulled him back.

Purpura grabbed the cloth, and ripped it, freeing himself.

Anqu stood ready, and the two engaged in a quick hand-to-hand combat session.

As they fought, Dumbluck pulled himself back onto the roof.

Once up he came up behind Purpura, attempting a sneak attack.

Purpura managed to dodge the worst of the blade, but it nicked the side of his stomach.

Not that it was easy to tell, everything he wore was red with blood.

More blood didn't show.

Dumbluck smiled, dumbly, and Purpura snarled at him.

Anqu took quick advantage of the moment, and lunged Purpura.

The two went down, and Anqu brandished dark claws on his hand.

He held Purpura down, ready to claw his face.

"Finish him!" Dumbluck shouted.

Anqu quickly turned and stabbed Dumbluck instead.

He pinned Dumbluck down, as he stabbed and slashed the male.

Purpura sat up and watched the spectacle.

Finally Anqu got up, and looked to Purpura.

Rather than attack, Anqu made a gesture, offering Purpura a chance at Dumbluck.

Purpura shrugged, and quickly formed his blood claws, before clawing up the male more.

Purpura then held his hand against the male's bloody chest, speeding up his heartbeat.

Dumbluck gurgled blood, as his bleeding increased, and he finally bleed out.

Purpura then looked to Anqu, who offered his hand.

Purpura gently took it, and the two shook.

Anqu pulled a small pendant out of his black fabric and offered it to Purpura.

Purpura took it, it was the princess's mark.

Proof of his position as her assassin.

By giving up the pendant, he was essentially giving up his position.

Plus, it would act as any needed proof that Purpura had defeated him.

Purpura looked to Anqu, questioning what the male intended to do next.

Anqu seemed to look back, and just shrugged.

Whatever he was going to do, it wasn't going to involve the royal family.

Where the others were loyal till death.

He had no such loyalty, so he walked away.

Purpura shrugged, he might as well report his success to Prince Tynan.