Dusk gathered over the landscape as the group of three made their way back to the camp, and the whole time Ciara was nervously looking over her shoulder, for the first time in a long time afraid of what could be concealed in the darkness. They sat down on logs by the fire, mainly so Toby could dry off after his little 'accident' involving the river. He couldn't help but shift in his seat uneasily as he noticed that her eyes seemed to be shining whiter than before, and he knew there was only one person who's eyes were white, and that was the man in the legend, Herobrine. The leaves around them rustled as a soft breeze brushed through them, blowing her hair across her face for a moment and ominously shadowing her features from the crackling firelight. As the moon peeked above the horizon, leaking a silver glow across the grass, they stood up and went inside. Toby flopped down on his bed, releasing a contented sigh as he did so, letting his worries slip away. Martyn was soon settled too, and Ciara wasn't far off, exhausted from the day's traumatic events. Butterflies flooded her stomach at the thought of Ridge, and she was thankful for the darkness as she knew she was blushing.

"Ciara?" Martyn called drowsily over the steady breathing of his companion, and she replied with a simple 'hm'. "Sorry about Sparks*. He must've been mistaken... but that was the first we've heard about his past, so it must've been important to him. He isn't normally like that, so please don't hold it against him."

"It's fine, I won't. He seems an alright person, and we have our roots in common." She answered truthfully, thankful for him because if that hadn't happened then Ridge would never have followed her and she would never have properly realised she hated being an assassin.

"Thank you for that..." He murmured before he turned over and closed his eyes.

She smiled happily, allowing the boys' relaxed breathing soothe her into sleep. It all seemed perfect now, she would drop the assassin title and live freely in Tekkitopia, with friends that were almost family. Everything would work out.

Ciara soundlessly got out of bed, gliding out the door towards the Jaffa Factory. The monsters didn't acknowledge her presence as she passed, quiet as a barn owl. Her shadow stalked alongside her as she strode up to the building, cloak flowing out behind her like a gentle stream. She swiftly cleared the ladder in a few bounds, arriving at her destination- the top floor, also known as Honeydew's penthouse. The dwarf himself was snoring loudly, sleep-eating the occasional Jaffa Cake in his luxurious car bed, the hot tub bubbling away softly in the background. She took out a bottle of poison, allowing a few deadly drops to splash on one of the snacks which he promptly grabbed and put in his mouth whole. He chewed and swallowed, blissfully unaware as she got out a small dagger and sliced a cut along his arm, coating her hand in blood before pressing it against his cheek. She dropped down through the coloured rings, the sudden rush of air almost forcing her cloak to part with her, but she quickly hit the floor feet-first. After tucking some stray strands of hair behind her ear, she exited the factory and headed towards her next target, Owl Island.

Squid flailed their tentacles above the surface of the water as she sped past on a boat, tiny droplets sparkling in the moonlight as they were sprayed into the air in her wake. As she arrived on the shore, owls flooded on the branches to stare at her, but she sent them to the very top of the trees with a dark glare, where they quivered in terror and didn't dare make a noise. The cats got the message and slunk into the shadows, shivering fearfully, their eyes so wide that the whites were showing. Every animal knew she meant business, and wasn't afraid to kill anything that got in her way as she headed to where they were sleeping. A owl bigger than the others hooted loudly, flapping down to stand on the end of his owner's bed protectively. He gave another call, but it finished in a gurgle as he was stabbed, and neither of them woke, not even Mr. Cat who was curled at the foot of Nilesy's bed. She pricked the tip of Lomadia's finger with the dagger, cutting deep enough for it to bleed, before pouring the same amount of poison into it, hoping it would be successfully circled around her bloodstream. Ciara roughly grabbed Mr. Owl's lifeless corpse, smearing his blood on the palm of her hand before leaving her mark on the blonde's cheek and taking her leave.

Her gaze followed the sinking moon, calculating the time she had left, before figuring that she could easily fit another kill in. The red matter katar was practically begging her to be used, so she smirked and chose a worthy target for her bloodthirsty blade. Rythian was probably the most powerful aside from Ridgedog, able to use advanced magic of all kinds, whether that be healing or for attacking monsters of the night. She approached Blackrock with caution, noting with satisfaction that Teep was dosing in his tower, before stealthily sneaking up into the mage's room. The mask was still hiding his lower face from view, yet he still appeared peaceful as he let out a happy sigh and turned onto his back. She pulled out her katar and brushed her fingertips across the sleek surface, briefly admiring the craftsmanship before gripping it more securely and slicing it across his throat. His purple eyes shot open as blood leaked out of the unsurvivable wound, and he weakly searched around for his own katar, before his fading gaze reached her. Recognition, fear and betrayal flooded his features, but it was too late to do anything. His eyes dulled and he fell still on the bed, appearing asleep at first glance. She left a red handprint on the side of his cooling face, staring uneasily for a moment before turning away. As she made a speedy exit, she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror standing next to the door. Everything was normal except for one distinct detail. Her eyes were pure white and shining with a powerful light. She growled, using the hilt of the bloodied sword to smash the surface, before sprinting off, silent as falling snow.

Toby awoke before both Ciara and Martyn, which was a first for him, and for a moment he debated on rudely awakening both of them, but upon seeing how tired she still looked he decided against it. He got up with a mighty yawn, grabbing a couple of raw porkchops, placing them in the furnace and lighting the coals. Martyn stirred and drowsily mumbled something incomprehensible, before rolling over and promptly falling out the bed with a painful thud.

"Ow. Crap, that hurt..." He muttered as he got up, glazed eyes betraying how asleep he still was.

"Mornin', kid." The brunette teased with a cheeky grin, only managing to earn a smack on the back of the head as his friend lumbered over.

"I'm older than you, and don't you forget it." Martyn said with a smirk, sneakily stealing one of the porkchops without the younger noticing.

"You never let me forget it..." He murmured mutinously, before his brown eyes reached the furnace and noticed the robbery.

"...I'm outta here!" The blond yelled, running up the stairs and out the door, Ciara still somehow sleeping through the racket.

"That was for you anyway, idiot." He called with a chuckle, before picking up his own and devouring it in a few bites, eyes drawn to the girl as a frown creased her features.

"No... oh Notch... please... no... don't..." She was muttering under her breath, before curling up into a ball as she whimpered, arms over her head in a protective way.

He was shocked. She always appeared mostly strong, and he had just assumed she was perfectly fine, even after all that had happened in the past. It had never occurred to him how fragile she must be inside, how many nightmares she must suffer from, haunted by history. He padded over to her, sitting on the edge of her bed and gently rubbing her back, until her breathing steadied and her eyes opened slightly. A faint smile made its way onto her lips as she saw him, before she stiffly sat up and stretched her limbs, seeming more comfortable afterwards.

"Ugh, I feel like I've been running all night." She complained, rubbing her forehead with her fingertips.

"Well, you've been here all night, so you must've just had an exhausting bad dream." He consoled, lying sideways along the bed across her legs.

"How would you know if I've been here the whole time? Were you watching me sleep?!" She exclaimed semi-jokingly, pushing him off her, which just made him shuffle up and sit next to her instead, much to her amused annoyance.

"Uh, nooo?" He replied unconvincingly, before laughing and gently nudging her with his shoulder, which she returned.

"You're creepy." She stated, looking up to the ceiling boredly.

"You say that, yet you're willing to let me be in the same bed as you." He pointed out mischievously, making her groan.

"Oh, shut it you." She said wearily, closing her eyes for a moment.

"You're right, you wouldn't want me to be in the same bed as you as much as you would love having Ridge in with you." He sighed nonchalantly, putting his hands behind his head.

Her head turned so fast that her neck clicked, and she was painfully aware that her face was bright red as Toby smirked without once looking to her. "What made you suggest that?!"

"Hah, called it. Well, I'm off to spread that, have fun." He got up, only making it as far as the entrance to the room before he was pinned to the floor with the point of her diamond sword spiking his neck.

"Rumor spreading, eh? Wanna rethink that whole plan?" She asked, one foot on his back to keep him against the wooden planks.

He hoped against hope she would keep to her pact and not kill him, only then realising how vulnerable all of them really were. "I-uh, um... yeah, I'll just forget I ever guessed correctly." He rasped, taking shallow breaths and only aware of the cool blade at his throat.

As if she sensed his pure terror, she quickly jumped back away from him, sheathing her sword and looking sheepish. "Sorry. But good, no rumors please."

He cautiously climbed back to his feet, still slightly wary of her deadly reaction. "You got it, no rumors."

They both flinched when Martyn stumbled back inside, appearing petrified. "Guys-the-RHM-has-attacked-again-holy-crap-she's-going-to-kill-us-all!"

She coughed suddenly, eyes wide as her hands went to her mouth. "What?! Who was attacked this time? Are they okay?!"

"Rythian is dead! The mirror in his room was smashed, but by the time Zoey went to investigated the RHM was gone, and while she mourned Teep went out to search the grounds. There was no trace, no footprints, not even a scent for him to pick up on. Oh Notch, I feel so bad for Zoey!" He ranted fearfully, tears pooling in his eyes.

"Oh my Notch... oh Notch... no... oh no..." She whispered, shaking her head in disbelief.

"We were told to come back to the Jaffa Factory to report anything unusual to Xeph... I can't believe Rythian is dead... he was so powerful, and he was killed in one slice..." He trailed off, trying to calm his frantic breathing.

"U-uh, well le-let's go then." Toby suggested shakily, keeping his distance from Ciara as she hugged herself in terror.

When they arrived there, everyone was already gathered, bunched tightly together with stressed murmurs rippling among them. Xephos gave a cool nod to them as they joined, before clearing his throat and drawing the tense attention back to him.

"As you are all aware, there has been... another strike, this time more deadly... Rythian was killed by the Red Hand Murderer." There was a choked sob from the crowd, revealed to be from the redhead as she put her face in her hands. "Has anything else happened that we should know about?"

"Uh, Xeph, Lom has the mark too." Nilesy spoke up, and upon the look of horror on the raven-haired man's face he hastened to add, "But she's alive! She's here."

"Oh my Notch, Lom could you come up to the front please?" He whispered, clenching his fists as she unsteadily came to stand next to him, where they hugged.

"Wait, Xeph, have you seen Dew this morning?" Lalna pointed out, glancing around for his short friend.

"...no. But I'm sure he's fine, probably just overslept again." He said as he held his girlfriend closer, worry clear in his voice.

"I'll go fetch him, he shouldn't miss the meeting." The scientist activated his Swiftwolf's Rending Gale and flew into the factory, all the way to the top.

The crowd waited in fearful silence, concerned as to whether they would discover another death of a close friend. Toby glared over at Ciara, after all, she had caused this. She had broken the pact they had made in complete confidence of the other keeping their bargain. But why was she looking so distraught about it all if she knew? He sniffed and looked away, squaring his shoulders and waiting for the bad news to come as the Jaffa Factory door opened. She was probably just a good actor, that's all. Everyone let out a breath as Honeydew walked onto the stage too, appearing strangely pale much like Lomadia, making the red handprint on the side of his face stand out even more.

"Why did I have to come... I feel like s-" He paused for a moment, taking in everyone's depressed expression, before continuing more slowly. "I feel like crap... what happened...?"

"Rythian is dead. You and Lom have been marked." Xephos stated flatly, noticing the tall Ridgedog near the back of the crowd for the first time, seeing that he was pressing the palm of his hand to his own mark.

"Xeph... I don't feel too..." Lomadia began in nothing more than a whisper, and before he could react she slipped from his arms and fell to the hard surface of the stage, eyes closed and face almost pure white.

He instantly dropped to his knees, scooping her into his arms and vainly listening for a heartbeat. "She's... she's dead..." His head drooped as tears flooded down his face, splashing on her still body.

Zoey broke down into hysterics, Nano was sobbing uncontrollably, Minty just appeared frozen, and a crying Kaeyi was pulled into a protective hug by a teary Martyn. The rest of the people were either crying or just blank, not believing the horrific events that had just occurred before their eyes.

"Dew, are you feeling alright?" Lalna whispered as the dwarf leant against the taller man, a wave of dizziness overcoming him.

His vision blurred and swayed, and before he knew it he slammed against the ground, the world fading around him. The scientist worriedly checked his wrist for a pulse, before he slowly drew his hand away and looked at the ground. Ciara buried her face in her hands, tears leaking from between her fingers, and she ignored the tentative hand placed on her shoulder, tuning out everyone's sobbing. She didn't understand how this could've happened, she was asleep the whole night, there was no way she could've killed them. Besides, she had made a pact, and was just looking forward to living in Tekkitopia, why would she want to kill her neighbours? For once she was happy, but this just had to happen to ruin everything. Not just her plans, but everyone's life. It was her fault, somehow, that they were all dead, that everyone was in constant terror and depression. It was all her fault, she should've just left Tekkitopia as soon as she failed to kill Ridge. Maybe she would've died somewhere else. It didn't matter to her, in her mind she deserved it. She had slaughtered so many people, just because she was told to. Her body felt numb and weightless, she didn't feel as if she was there at all. Even though she barely knew them, she still mourned the loss of their lives as strongly as the others. She tensed as she was drawn into an embrace from behind, lifting her head and allowing her eyes to sneak a look at the person's arms. Her stomach flipped. It was Ridge. Ridge was hugging her! For a moment she forgot the horrors that had unfolded, just relaxing into the hug and relishing the moment. Perhaps he liked her too? No, that wasn't possible. He was just comforting her, just like everyone was comforting everyone else. Everyone needed someone to be there in their moment of need. Even Hat Films looked sad, refraining from saying insults, and even half-hugging each other. She didn't understand why he wasn't afraid or disgusted by her, after all, Toby was, and even if she didn't believe she killed them, she must've done.

"Could I have everyone's attention, please?" Lalna spoke up quietly, still staring unmovingly at the ground, all the while Xephos was collapsed on his knees, shoulders slumped with a defeated air about him. "I could do some tests to try and find who's DNA was left on the handprint, so then we could find out who it was."

"P-please do... I need t-to bring the RHM to justice... f-for L-Lom and D-Dew." The raven-haired man said softly, his voice scratchy but a new spark of hope was laced in his tone.

"Very well. I will." His blue eyes roamed the crowd, smiling warmly when he spotted the cute black-haired girl. "Nano? Wanna come back with me to help?"

She shifted on her feet, seeming unwilling to leave the safety of numbers, but upon making eye-contact with the blond man she had a crush on, she gave in. "Yeah, sure. Let's go." She felt safe whenever she was with him, she knew he wouldn't let any harm come to her.

Together they flew off, Nano with her jetpack and Lalna with his flying ring. Just out of sight, the girl reached out and took the scientist's hand, moving a little closer to him in the air. He grinned at the red on her cheeks, well aware that his face was probably pink too, but he didn't care. Right now, Nano was the only thing he cared about.

Ciara stared after the two, slightly envious of how close they were. She was only then aware of shouting nearby, and tuned back in only to find Sparkles* yelling furiously at Ridge, tears pricking his eyes.

"If you don't get rid of her, she's going to kill everyone in Tekkitopia! Do you want that to happen, Ridge? She's the Red Hand Murderer!" He exclaimed angrily, pointing to her, making her look to the ground.

"You have no proof that she's the RHM. Has she tried to harm anyone in Tekkitopia? No. She's innocent." Ridge replied firmly, sounding surprisingly calm.

"How come you're so protective of her, is there something going on between you two? Why can't she speak for herself? And everyone else- don't you find it suspicious that when she arrived these attacks started to happen?" He persisted, a tear slipping down his cheek.

Immediately, the downhearted people listening in began to whisper amongst themselves, glad to have something to take their minds off it. She couldn't help but notice the amount of nodding occurring and glares thrown her way, wanting the ground to swallow her.

"Why does she carry those weapons? They're deadly, the diamond is enchanted with something dangerous, and the katar is the best weapon known to man. I'm willing to bet both are one-hit-kills. Why would she need them by her side all the time?" Sparkles* continued, spurred on by the support.

"Wouldn't you like to feel safe all the time with the constant threat of the RHM hanging over us? Also, there's nothing wrong with helping out a close friend. Why are you so determined to-" Ridge was cut off as she reluctantly pulled away from him, standing in front of the ginger as he took a wary step back.

She fiddled with the clasps attaching the sheaths to her belt, before both swords dropped from her waist to the ground. The crowd's gaze was concentrated on her as she didn't say a word, just kept constant eye-contact with the man rightfully accusing her. Slowly, he bent down and picked them up, keeping his gaze locked on her to make sure she didn't try anything. In her gut, she had a nagging feeling that something bad was going to happen very soon, but she took a long breath and accepted it, closing her eyes weakly.

Ridge eyed her with concern, but proud of her bravery to leave her weapons which he knew were like a part of her. "Ciara, are you sure you- CIARA!"

The bad feeling was quickly replaced with agony as the ginger plunged the diamond sword through her middle and out the other side, twisting it, and all the while she didn't make a noise. He was pulled back, the weapon taken from his grip and drawn out of her as he was restrained by the strong Rail Bros. It felt like fire was crawling under her skin, the blinding pain consuming every sense and dazzling her, so she didn't even feel her legs buckle under her weight. She didn't feel Ridge place his hands over the wound. She didn't feel her heart speeding up to a hyper-beat. She didn't feel her breaths rush into one another and become more shallow with each one. She didn't feel the tears splash on her face as a voice frantically spoke to her. She didn't even feel when Ridge held her close and kissed her forehead, rocking her back and forth in his arms. She did feel the burning regress into a dull tingling, she did feel the hot and sticky blood on her front, she did feel her consciousness waver in and out before fading.

Ridge rarely cried, and he was unsure why he was doing just that now. He had only just met her, and they didn't exactly meet under normal circumstances. Yet, as her life was suspended by a thread before him, he couldn't imagine her not being there. She appeared paralyzed, and didn't give any response whatsoever when he tried to talk to her. He didn't think before gently kissing her forehead and hugging her to him, straining his ears to concentrate on the sound of her shaky breathing. Even Toby, who was giving her the cold-shoulder before, looked crushed, and for a moment the demigod defensively wondered if the brunette had feelings for her, before shaking the thought away. Sparkles* seemed appalled at what he had done, but for the moment Ridge was furiously ignoring him, for he was the reason she might die.

No, she'll be fine, the demigod instantly corrected, she's a strong girl. She can pull through.

"Tom, why did you stab Ciara?" Xephos said cooly, face tear-stained, clearly trying to stay a good leader.

"I...I..." Sparks* stuttered, for once at a loss for words, rarely called by his real name. "She's the RHM. A-and if I didn't kill her here... s-she would k-kill more of u-us..."

"That's no grounds for murder. You have no solid evidence that she is actually the Red Hand Murderer, only loose theories based on scarce speculations. I'm not having any more people die on my watch..." His tone was icy and sharp, and everyone was shocked, never seen this broken side of him before.

"I'm taking Ciara back to my castle. I'll keep her alive." Ridge instantly offered, the usual grin returning to its place.

"Thank you, Ridge... you're a real help. Everyone else, would you mind going back to your homes? Sleep close to each other, no matter what. And those of you who are alone..." His expression turned pained as he looked at Nilesy and Zoey. "...find someone to stay with until this all blows over."

The crowd muttered amongst themselves, people slowly moving off. Area 11 walked behind Sparkles*, keeping a close eye on him as he kept his head down, ashamed of himself. Nilesy joined Zoey, Teep and Ravs, and they all trooped after Panda, seeing as he had offered his home as temporary accommodation. Xephos trudged after Minty, Sips and Sjin, only looking back at the Jaffa Factory once, eyes pooling with tears as he looked up at the giant dwarf face. He was leaving behind all the memories. Hat Films grabbed their poor horses, climbing on and riding off to their far-away marble mansion, and everyone else split off to their own ways. Toby couldn't help but stare guiltily as Ridge lifted off the ground and flew off, most of him feeling awful but a small part telling him that she got what she deserved for murdering his friends and so many other people. Martyn nudged him and forced a smile, Kaeyi standing so close to him that their shoulders brushed, and together they headed off back to Inthelittlecorp.

Ridge gently lay her down on his bed, placing a life-stone on her wound, feeling his throat dry as he saw how pale she had gotten from blood-loss. But no, she wasn't going to die, he was going to make sure of that. She looked in pain even when unconscious, which was the only indication he could get about how bad it was. Really, he needed the sword back, to analyse the enchantment so he'd know what she was suffering from. Right now, though, he needed to stay by her side, to keep her safe. It was bizarrely funny when he thought about it, last time she was here she was trying to kill him, but now the tables have turned and she's the one badly injured. He took out a couple of golden apples from his draw, wondering how he was going to get her to eat them to heal up quicker. The life-stone was only just keeping her alive, healing the same amount as the wound took each minute. She was in a stable condition, but he had no way of telling how long it would last for without the weapon of attack. He sighed, taking her limp hand in his and dipping his head, the smile faltering. He needed her to live. He needed her by his side. He needed her. He loved her.