El Asesino
Author's note
This story is not related to my last one. The languages spoken in this story are given different names than in the real world, as such, Spanish is called Castilian simply because it sounds nicer but, it is still the latin american dialect, not the spain dialect. Positive and negative feedback a must. Enjoy.
Walking through the part of town home to merchants, a young bat could only curse his acute hearing and the fact that he chose to come to one of the busiest trading towns in the world. There were traders from all over the continent trading their wares, ranging from the exotic spices of the southwestern savannahs, to the highly praised metal-works of the frozen north. Even traders from the sea could trade here, due to the river that flowed through the center of the town from the BlödSea to a lake a few miles north-east. As the buyers and sellers of wares shouted over prices and one another, the bat kept walking, silently cursing to himself. Normally, the merchants would be trying to attract his attention, but a combination of blending in perfectly with the crowd and a natural aura that made others weary of him kept the merchants away.
Despite the yelling of those around him, the bat stopped after hearing a suspicious sound. He stood amidst a crowd of people, listening intently as he started walking again and only a second after he began walking did hear someone else begin as well. Using skills acquired as a youngling, he was able to figure out that his follower was a male, about 17- 18 years of age, so only a year or two younger then the bat. Also, his stalker was a lion and had a knife strapped to his thigh.
Scanning around, the bat noticed an alley way twenty yards ahead and to the right of where he was. Slowing down his pace, the bat noticed that his stalker did not and so was gaining on him a little. He continued walking while making sure his wakizashi was secured enough that drawing it quickly wouldn't cause the sheath to fly off with the blade, which had happened once, unfortunately, but that's a different story.
Now only ten feet from the alley's mouth, the bat was suddenly stopped by the one merchant with the audacity to shout at how wonderful the bat would look with a ruby necklace.
"Come now, you must try the necklace!" Argued the merchant, who was a rather bulky elephant, under any other circumstances, this large elephant with ivory tusks the size of a full grown fur's forearm would have intimidated the customer so that they wouldn't refuse. However, the bat he was trying to force the jewels upon was in a hurry and not intimidated by far.
"Listen, if you don't leave me alone this instant, I will break your tusks off and use them to rend your limbs from your body. ¿Entiendes?" The bat said calmly, noticing his stalker was only a few feet away. The merchant stared at the bat, trying to judge whether this bat, whom was half his size, could truly do what he threatened to do. "Don't take the chance. I can and will carry out my threat unless you back off." The bat went on. The elephant leisurely backed up, not wanting to take a chance because something about this young bat unnerved him.
Noticing that the elephant wouldn't bother him anymore, the bat continued on his way to the alley, while at the same time, hearing the lion continue following as well. A few steps into the alley, the bat swiftly ran up the left building's wall and promptly vaulted the edge to land on the roof. Crouching down so his silhouette wouldn't appear in the alley way, he waited for his hunter now turned prey. He didn't have to linger for long, shortly after crouching, the lion that was stalking him ventured into the alley carefully.
The lion that entered was scanning the alley, looking for anything that might conceal his target. He took in a large heap of trash that was about the right size for the bat he was following to hide behind. He also noticed that halfway down alley there was a branching alley and expected the bat to be hiding around the corner. Advancing slowly, the lion scanned the alley way ahead, and in doing so failed to notice the bat stealthily drop behind him. The bat crept up behind his prey thinking this would be easy, but sadly 'twas not. The flying fox went to grab the lion's shoulder in hopes of pinning him to the wall and interrogate him but, the lion had other ideas.
The moment the bat's hand touched the lion's shoulder the lion spun around, taking hold of the bat's arm with both of his hands and then hurled him over his shoulder. Needless to say, the bat, which was now flying through the air upside down, was shocked, but only for a moment. Regaining his thoughts, the bat corkscrewed his body in midair and landed on all fours. He looked up to see that the one he tried to surprise was now crouched low with his knife drawn. Standing up, the bat merely stared at the lion, whom was obviously ready for a fight. The lion was wearing a simple leather vest, which was the same color as his golden fur. His head fur was styled in a small unkempt Mohawk, its shade of gold was darker then the rest. His eyes were a beautiful light brown but, the beauty of them was distorted by the scowl that contorted his otherwise lovely face. Am I really getting a crush on the guy who planned to steal from me? Thought the bat, it very well seemed so since the bat could only stare at the lithe body the lion owned. Noticing every lean muscle in the lion's arms as they tensed, ready to attack or defend. The bat's gaze went to his opponent's chest, wishing desperately that he wasn't wearing that vest so he could see all those muscles. Had the bat any self-control, he wouldn't have looked lower but, he did look. The leather pants the lion wore a darker shade of gold then his fur and so was similar to his head fur but, they were slightly tight and so the bat's imagination went rampant, filling with perverse fantasies of what could be. Conversely, the lion was paying no attention to his opponent's physique and was staring intently at the handle of his opponent's weapon. The feline could only see the handle peeking out horizontally from behind the bat at hip level. Realizing the bat wasn't about to draw it, He started to study his mark's body. The bat was a good four inches taller than he was and a little more toned, and decently fed. The calm figure before him was shirtless but, had a slight mane of dark orange fur which extended down to his sternum in a well kept triangular form. His head fur was a shade darker than the predominately black fur that covered most of his body and was swept back so as not to impede his vision. His wings were folded and pressed to his back so as to avoid being an annoyance. The bat wore pants made of black combat leather, meant to deflect weak bladed thrusts, the ends of said pants were tucked into black boots that went up to the middle of the bat's shins. All in all the lion had to admit the bat was quite the looker but, he was here to rob, not flirt.
"Care to explain why you are following me through the streets and alleys?" The bat inquired, adopting a relaxed posture, hoping to prevent any hostilities.
"Are you an idiot? I'm following so I can rob you, now please, hand over any money you have and I won't hurt you." The big cat said with determination but, his hands betrayed him. His hands shook ever so slightly, which his mark noticed immediately. Realizing that the lion wasn't used to actual confrontations, he decided to try the friendly route.
"I'll make you a deal, since I'm new to this town and I assume you've been here for quite awhile, if you can tell me where a good restaurant is, we can both grab a bite to eat, my treat." The bat proposed, studying the lion carefully.
The feline was flabbergasted. "Are... are you serious? I just confessed to have been planning to mug you, and you want to buy me dinner?" He said, with obvious confusion and slight venom in his voice. He couldn't comprehend the fact that someone whom he planned to rob could forgive him and ask him to dine in a matter of seconds.
"Of course I'm serious. I'm hungry, you look hungry, I don't know this town, and I'm assuming you do. This way, we both get what we want... in a way." The shirtless one slowly advanced towards the would-be-mugger, arms extended and palms showing. "I wish not to have an altercation, I'm just a peaceful traveler looking for a meal, and as a show of trust, I give you this." The bat had stopped a few feet away from his potential dining companion and reached to his side where he kept a small coin-purse. He untied it from his waist and held it out to bewildered lion. "Also, my name is Cervantes, es un placer."
"My name's Aric, and I don't know what you just said." Aric stated, slowly, hesitantly reaching for the coin-purse. He wrapped his paw around it and slowly took it, expecting Cervantes to commit some trick. Aric opened the small sack he now held and discovered it only held pieces of gold. There wasn't a single copper or silver piece, just gold pieces. He was holding a small fortune, more than enough to feed himself well for a few years. He quickly looked up at the bat, whom was now standing calmly and waiting patiently. "How do you know I won't run off with your gold?" He asked.
"Because if you try, you'll be dead before you can take a single step." Isaias proclaimed seriously. Aric looked at him and thought whether or not Cervantes could do as he threatened. He didn't take long. He knew full well the bat could kill him and probably not even lose a wink of sleep. "Alright, I'll take you to a restaurant, and no complaining about the price." Aric stated, still wary though.
"Muchas gracias, and don't be concerned about pricing, there's more than enough in the bag. Please, lead the way." Cervantes said whilst gesturing to Aric to take the lead. Aric turned around, albeit with some trepidation, and gestured for Cervantes to follow before proceeding to leave the alley the way they had entered. Once they had left the alley, Cervantes walked up beside Aric and asked, "How long have you been in this particular metropolis?"
"I've lived here my whole life." He stated curtly. "Do you have any particular type of food in mind?" He asked Cervantes, in an attempt to steer the conversation away from himself.
"Not really, but I prefer spicy food if that helps at all." The bat responded, glancing at the lion from out of the corner of his eye.
"It helps, there aren't many restaurants in this town known for their spices. This town mostly focuses on seafood due to the rather large river and lack of spices naturally occurring around this region." He explained whilst leading the bat down some streets, taking a left or right when needed. They passed through some streets with more merchants, except these ones were selling weapons and armor. "Do you prefer fish over beef and poultry, Cervantes?" Aric asked, struggling a little with the pronunciation of the bat's name. "Cervantes?" He questioned, turning around. He realized the bat was no linger behind him, but was instead at an arms dealer's stall.
"How much does this cost?" Asked Cervantes, holding up a finely made, full tang dagger. Its blade was straight, double-edged, and was around five inches long. The handle was just simple leather wrapping, but it was good leather, guaranteed to be quite durable.
"It costs two silver pieces, but, for you I will lower the price to one silver and seventy-five copper pieces." The merchant negotiated.
Aric quickly walked up to Cervantes, who promptly turned to face him. "What are you doing?" Aric asked, a little annoyed.
"Deciding on whether or not I want to buy this dagger." Cervantes stated, nonchalantly. He turned pack to the vendor, "Would you be willing to lower the price to one silver and fifty copper pieces?" He bartered back.
"It doesn't matter what the price is, you'll have more than enough!" Aric loudly proclaimed. "Here," Aric said to the vendor, handing him a gold piece and taking the dagger. "Keep the change." He told the vendor before turning to Cervantes. "Can we please go eat now?" He asked, irked.
"Sure, but you keep the dagger since you're the one who bought it." Isaias responded, smiling at his impatient companion. Aric merely glared at the bat before sheathing the dagger and tying it around his other leg. "By the way, I prefer beef and poultry over fish, but I would love some fruits right now. So I hope the place you're leading me to has both." Cervantes added whilst grinning at the young lion.
"Oh shut up." Aric retorted. He led them down a few more streets before stopping in front of a rather large building. "This is one of the best restaurants in town, or so the gossip goes. People say that the chefs here come from a state called Castellano, it's some land to the west." The native explained.
"I'm familiar with the region, I was born in its lower region, an area called Azteca." Cervantes stated. "Thank you for leading me here, it's been awhile since I've eaten my native cuisine." He said, appreciatively. The bat took the initiative and entered the building, holding the door open for Aric, as any gentleman would do.
Once seated, they waited for a server to come and take their order. Cervantes made a quick glance at the menu, understanding it perfectly due to it being in his native language. Aric, however, was having slight difficulties with it. It also didn't help when the server, a cheerful female ocelot, came over to take their orders.
"¡Buenas tardes! ¿Qué puedo hacer para ustedes hoy?" She asked, looking to them both expectantly.
"Me gustaría la lengua con cebollas, agua dulce, y si possible, muchas fresas por favor." Cervantes responded. The waitress then turned to Aric, "¿Y usted, Señor?" The lion just looked at the waitress sheepishly. "Contéstale, Aric" Ordered the bat, enjoying this a bit too much. "You know full well I don't speak Castilian, jerk!"
"Why didn't you say so? I'd have spoken Terren." Said the waitress. "That would be nice, thank you." Aric responded, glaring at Cervantes still. After the ocelot had translated the menu to Aric and he had ordered his meal, He decided to try the quesadilla de pollo with a glass of water, their waitress went off to give the order to the chefs and left the two to wait.
"You're cruel, Cervantes." Accused Aric whilst reclining in his seat. "How so?" The bat asked. "You embarrassed me." He retorted calmly. "It wasn't that bad, many people around here don't speak my native tongue, it must happen many times." Cervantes countered. "Still, it was mean." Aric finished. Cervantes was about to stage another rebuttal, but then the server came back.
The ocelot happily gave them their food and then departed to let them eat in peace. Cervantes was in the process of cutting the cow tongue into bite sized peaces when he heard Aric let a suppressed moan of pain. The bat looked up at the lion and saw that he had his open and trying to fan it with his hands. Naturally, this caused Cervantes to laugh hysterically. Aric quickly reached for his glass of water and drank half of its contents in one gulp. This didn't cause the pain to go away, but it did lessen it.
"Why was my mouth on fire?" Aric asked angrily. "Did I not warn you that my native cuisine is quite spicy to outsiders?" Cervantes asked, trying to hide a grin. "No, no you didn't." The lion complained. "Oh, well it is." The trickster stated, "Eat some bread or drink some milk, it lessens the effects of the spices." He went on to advised. "Sure, knowing you, they probably make it worse." Argued Aric. Cervantes then continued to eat his food whilst proclaiming that he wasn't lying. Amidst their little squabble, they failed to notice three strangers enter the restaurant.
The figures all wore dark crimson cloaks and moved in formation. The figure I front stopped a nearby waiter and asked if he'd seen a bat stop by, to which the waiter then pointed towards Cervantes. While that was occurring, Cervantes and Aric had taken a quick respite from their argument. Cervantes, with his acute hearing had heard the mysterious figure question about him. He looked towards the three of them and cursed under his breath. He immediately identified the lead figure as a bull due to the horns that jutting out of the hood. The one behind the bull and to the left was a serpent, this was obvious because of the forked tongue that would flick in and out of his mouth every now. The last one of the trio was a hyena. Anyone could tell that because he was the only one with his hood down. _Amateur._Cervantes thought. He noticed that the waiter had pointed to him and that the trio was now staring intently at him, then proceeded to head towards him. Thankfully, Cervantes was never looking at them directly, he didn't need to because he had echo-location.
"Aric, keep your head down." The bat warned. "Why?" Aric questioned skeptically. "You'll see." Cervantes warned, just as the trio walked by their table. Once close enough, the bull attempted to grab Cevantes' neck, but wasn't expecting Cervantes to grab his wrist, slam his hand against the table, palm upwards, and stab it with his eating knife. The bull merely hissed out in annoyance, until Cervantes spun ninety degrees in his booth and kicked out with both of his legs, thus breaking the bull's knees. This caused a more audible bellow of anguish. Cervantes then assumed a crouching position, reached forward and snapped the bull's neck before leaping over the fresh corpse and landed behind the hyena. The serpent acted quickly and grabbed for Cervantes. Cervantes, however, dropped to all fours, still facing the hyena, which by now had turned to face him, and rolled to the side before standing up. The bat was now facing the two assailants and thinking of a way to end this fight. His foes both drew their weapons, the hyena wielded a one-handed axe while the serpent held two short swords. The hyena attacked first. He charged and swung overhand. Cervantes stepped forward and caught his wrist, stopping the attack, then used his free hand to punch him in the neck, collapsing his wind pipe, then punched again, open palm, the hyena's chin, snapping his neck since the blow lurched the hyena's head backwards. Before the canid's body could reach the ground, the serpent lunged forward, attempting to stab Cervantes with the blade held in his left hand. He missed. Cervantes had swiveled his body to the left so that the blade barely missed. The bat then grasped his opponent's wrist with his left hand and then grabbed the serpent's elbow with his right. Cervantes the exerted enough force to snap his opponent's arm. The serpent promptly let go of the blade and hissed sharply at the bat. Cervantes grabbed the falling the blade and thrusted it down the reptile's throat.
The victor began to inspect himself to see if any blood had landed on him, fortunately, none had. "By the gods, what've you done?" Screamed Aric, staring at the corpses appallingly. "I just killed three asesinos." Cervantes explained calmly, "We should leave before the authorities arrive." He went on to say. Aric just stared at him and asked, "What are you?" To which Cervantes replied, "Come with me and find out, or stay and wait for the authorities to interrogate you over these murders, your choice." He then started to leave the restaurant. Aric, still sitting, ran over the events that had just transpired in his head again and again. He looked at the bodies, then at the restaurant door. I'm going to regret this. He thought for a second before hurrying after Cervantes.