New characters and the plot thickens =D. Now is when the story begins to get juicy.  Another little hint. I'm not presenting everything in this story full-out. If you've read some of my older writings, it was pretty simple. This won't be. There's going to be a lot of behind-the-scenes things going on. So read between the lines and see if you can't figure out the confusing stuff. It's supposed to stimulate the mind, and that's what I was getting at. Hope you readers enjoy.

It was night. White moonlight was trickling in through closed blinds into a whitewashed room in a small building hidden somewhere in the depths of Hyrule Market Town. Fog had settled from the rain the day before. There was a single bed, a table with a chair, and a coat hanger in the room, apart from an old wooden door that had a large gap in the base. Easy to hear things on the other side of the door... or people on the other side to hear you.

A man sat in the chair with a shot-black coat on. He had his hood set over him. It made him feel secure. It gave him the feeling that he was seeled off and protected by an everlasting shadow. He sat drinking a bottle of whiskey... and old bottle of whiskey. It was cheap, but the age had given it flavor over the years. 

The man, named Lucien, was not actually drinking the whiskey. He had opened the bottle and emptied its contents onto the floor. He got onto his knees and frantically searched for something. His eyes danced over the grey-stone floor until finally he caught something by a glance, a tiny sheet of parchment. Finally, he told himself. It was his next assignment. He stumbled over himself to pick it up as quickly as possible. His heart was pounding. It had been only a week since his last assassination, and finally he would get his next opportunity. The thrill of the hunt pleased him. 

He was disappointed when he had finally read the note. He quickly picked it up and dried it off on his cloak, turned it over, and read the two words "behind you."

What? he thought to himself. Within an instant, his killer-instinct told him exactly what was going on. He pulled out a dagger from his belt and quickly turned around blade first. It clashed with another. He didn't have time to see what it was that he had just struck, but from the feel of the strike he could tell it was a blade. Not a short one, but a sword. He could also tell that the figure was a man, somewhat tall, by the shadow he had cast, and that he was strong, and had a firm grip. Strength, good build, Lucien thought to himself, he can't be very quick, and that's his weakness. All of these thoughts went on within an instant. He gathered his movements and quickly ducked to avoid the second blade that the figure had just pulled on him. Lucien pulled to the left and tried coming at him from behind... but it was no good. The quick rush of adrenaline and the short time which he had to react left him dull-witted to his surroundings. The figure had pulled his right leg back and Lucien tripped over it. His head landed on the bed-post and all went black.

---

He dreamt nothing. All he could feel was a cold feeling on his face and he awoke with a shock. He had just been drenched with ice-cold water. He attempted to lift his hands to dry his face, but they were stopped. He was lying down, apparently tied to something. He opened his eyes and noticed he was in the same room. Apparently not much time had passed. Lucien quickly glanced around the room and found the figure sitting at the table drinking the remainder of the whiskey. He was also cloaked, with his hood drawn over him.

"Thank you, Dona," said the figure. Lucien didn't recognize the voice, which was odd. He didn't know everyone in the Market, but he had spied on enough people to know the voice of the good majority of the town, if not everyone. He knew Dona though. He was enraged. She was his partner, his outlet, where he got his assignments from and where he could lay all of his trust in. They had known each other for years, though, and he wasn't dead yet; so his trust in her wasn't completely gone yet.

Dona nodded at the figure and left the room carrying a bucket. She had just woken him up.

Maybe, Lucien thought to himself, he isn't aware that I've woken up yet. He remained absolutely still and tried to wiggle his hand to his waste pocket, where he kept a lock-pick. He didn't know where the lock to the chains was, but he could figure it out.

"My, you haven't said anything yet," said the figure. Lucien said nothing, hoping to fool the man into believing that he was out cold. "You still aren't saying anything? What a pity."

The man was beginning to turn around to look at Lucien. He quickly and silently returned to the position he believed he was in when he was still unconscious. He closed his eyes and prayed... He heard footsteps coming towards him. He could hear a blade being drawn. If he hasn't killed me yet, he obviously doesn't want me dead, Lucien thought to himself, attaching himself to this idea, praying that he wouldn't be killed. 

"You know," said the man. "I don't have to kill you." He let out a slight chuckle. Lucien felt a cold feeling and something sharp become connected to something very sensitive between his legs. "But I can make your life a hell of a lot more difficult." Lucien opened his eyes to the smiling man. He was gasping.

"Would you like me to slice?" he said with his peculiar grin. Lucien couldn't speak, he simply shook his head rapidly. "Good."

"Wh-what do you want-t?" said Lucien. 

"You're an assassin," said the man removing his blade from the 'spot' and sheathing it. 

"What of it?" said Lucien. "You don't strike me as a guard, or as someone that cares for the law."

"I'm not," said the man. He removed his hood. His face was young, mid-twenties. His eyes were green and his hair brown. It was loose and unkempt, but not unattractive."

"Then wh-what do you want?" said Lucien again.

"I need you," said the man. He turned head and looked up out of the window. "Well, I don't really need you. Somebody else needs you. But for your sake, and for that person's, I won't tell you who it is."

"So you want me to do a job then? Who is it that you want wacked?" said Lucien.

"It's not really one job," said the man. "We need a permanent position. For a one time payment."

"No deal," spat Lucien into the man's face. "I am loyal to no one except myself. I'll hit whoever it is you need killed, but I can't pledge myself to anyone."

"That's a shame," said the man. "Because right here, I have a civilian court-warrant that allows him to kill the possible assassin Lucien Balgaven, under any circumstances." He pulled out a sheet of parchment from the pocket of his cloak with a seal from the high-justice of the royal courts. "However, I was able to strike a deal with the same justice."

"What would that be?" asked Lucien. 

"He said that if you work as a royal asset, he would be more than happy to pardon you of all of your crimes, give you a regular monthly salary, which won't be too high, and give you a secure place in our society for the rest of your life."

"What does this asset have to do?" asked Lucien. 

"Well," said the man smiling. "What you're best at of course. You do what we ask you to do. You ask no question, I won't go into any details in how you do it. I just want it done. Do you understand?"

Lucien nodded. He really didn't have any alternatives at the moment anyway. The lock was at his feet and he wouldn't be able to reach it even if he managed to obtain his lockpick. 

"If I find out that you haven't done your assignment," said the man with his smile again. "We'll simply put out a public kill-at-sight warrant for you. There won't be a place in this country that you can hide."

"Simple enough," said Lucien. "Fine, I agree to your terms. But who do you want me to kill first?"

"No, no, no," said the man. "You've got it all wrong. We're not going to hire you until we need you. You're an asset now, you're a tool, we have more than one of you."

"Then what was the point of hiring me?"

"Well," said the man. "I've been told that you're good... damn good. The people that your 'client' is going after are no pushovers. They'll be tough, tougher than anything you've gone after so far."

"So," said Lucien smiling. "Royalty, politicians, nobles... that's what you want wacked, eh?"

The man smiled. "Whoever we tell you to kill, you do it. If you end up dead, I'll know you've failed. If you survive, then either you've succeeded, or haven't done it. I'll know when you're alive, and I'll know whether or not your target is alive either. Do your job, or your life is over."

"Alright," said Lucien. "So who am I working for exactly?"

The man shrugged. "As an asset, you're not supposed to be aware of that."

"Fine, fine," said Lucien. He looked down at his feet to the lock. "Could you just get me out of these chains." 

"Yeah, in a second," said the man. "By the way. Don't go looking for any assignments. You're with us now. If someone tries hiring you, forget about it. You're not doing it. And, you probably won't be seeing me again... ever. Our targets will be delivered to you, so don't ask anyone around about it. Just go about living your life. When we need you, we'll call."

"Alright," said Lucien impatiently. "Would you just get me out of-" and with that, he looked up again to see the man pull his blade. He hit him over the back of the head with the hilt and Lucien was out again.