„Celia! What─" Gabriel gasped, but she ignored him, focusing directly on the approaching man in a mouse mask.

When he realised what she was doing, he dropped the tray, which clattered on the stone floor with a loud clang and crash of breaking glass. People around him gasped in outrage as champagne and broken pieces splashed on their expensive dresses. But not many of them noticed the glint of a blade as the man dashed at Celia.

She almost pulled the trigger.

But before she did, the server crushed into a huge mass of muscles. Zed tackled the assailant from the right, breaking his stride and slamming him on the floor so hard Celia was pretty sure she heard a crack of a bone or two. As the man struggled to escape Zed's hold, people finally realised what had transpired, and outraged voices turned into fearful ones. The Governor must have noticed the commotion because he was already standing, motioning to his guards to check the situation.

"Woah, that went better than I expected," Gabriel said, running his hand through his hair. "I'm glad you're so vigilant. I think you can put down your weapons now."

"No," Celia replied curtly, her eyes narrowing as she scanned their surroundings. "It was far too easy. This guy is not a bloodshedder, just a decoy."

"What? You mean─"

Before he finished, the windows around them exploded.

Through the panicked shrieks and mass of people trying to escape the new danger, Celia counted three figures clad in dark armours with narrow blades in their hands.

"Now, these are bloodshedders," Celia pointed out, almost relieved that they finally revealed themselves. Fleeing people left her an opening, and she fired three shots at the closest assassin, but they dodged all bullets with cat-like grace. "Quick, get the people out of here!"

When the bloodshedders came for you, you would recognise them right away. They were all wearing tightly fitted black armours that were not only functional but also beautifully carved in intricate designs. Some said those were ancient runes bound to keep the wearer safe from threats like poison or bullets. Celia was pretty sure it was just another way to show off how well-paid the assassin's cartel was.

No one could see their faces or hair, as their head was covered entirely by the metal helmet with a fitted metal mask. It wasn't designed to resemble humans or animals, like the masquerade masks. It was triangular-shaped with narrow slits for visibility and many runes and spikes. It made them look even less human, which was probably the goal. When you requested their services, you didn't get to choose your assassin; they were all nameless and looked the same.

"Protect the Governor!" the guards roared, and a cordon of soldiers surrounded the most important officials while other guards rushed at the assailants.

As Gabriel was doing his best to herd a hysteric crowd of nobles out of the ballroom, Celia backed to the far end of the room, searching for a better defensive position. Bloodshedders were momentarily busy with the guards rushing at them, but their bloodied blades clearly indicated who had an advantage in this fight.

There was not much she could work with in here. The ballroom was spacious, without many obstructions. A couple of pillars supported the high ceiling, but that was it. Not the best place to hide from the pursuit, and the bloodshedders knew it.

"Hey, Boss!" Zed called her, and she rushed to his side. He already tipped one of the tables, leaving the mess of broken plates and fancy food littering the floor and put the table on its side, forming a barricade, covering one side. It was a flimsy barrier, yes, but it would slow the attackers down a bit. Bloodshedders didn't believe in guns for some reason. They always used good old blades. Celia wasn't sure if it was to respect some tradition or if they just liked getting close and personal with their prey. And nothing got you as close to the victim as getting their warm blood on your hands.

Zed tipped two more tables making their position relatively secure with a wall behind them and a barricade covering each other side. All three bloodshedders were getting closer, but the palace had many guards who were probably convinced the assassins were after the Governor, so they tried their best to keep them away.

"Let's start with the one on the right," Celia said calmly, her eyes trained at the closest bloodshedder, her guns ready, waiting for the opportunity of the clear shot.

"After you, Boss." Zed loaded his shotgun and rested the butt of the rifle on his shoulder.

They didn't have to wait long. The bloodshedders slashed their blade through two guards in front of them, and the bodies fell to the floor, leaving an opening.

"Left," Celia said and fired her revolvers, slightly favouring the right side. The assassin dodged left, but that was where Zed fired his shotgun. The shot took bloodshedder square in the chest, and they were thrown back with the impact.

"One down, two to go," announced Celia reloading her guns.

She turned her attention to the bloodshedder on the opposite side of the room just in time to see them drop a hissing ball on the floor. The ballroom was instantly filled with thick grey smoke.

"Rust and starvation!" Celia cursed and quickly covered her face with her breathing mask tucked into her belt. Even going to the ball on the highest floor, she wouldn't leave the apparatus behind. Having it handy was as natural as breathing itself. If you failed to do that, you wouldn't live long in Iron Shore.

But even though the smoke didn't directly threaten them, it had another function.

It made them blind.

"It's not looking good, Boss," Zad said, his voice muffled by his apparatus. He returned his shotgun to his back, and with a flick of a wrist, he unfurled the shield on his arm. With another snap of his other hand, a bracer extended, covering his hand up to his knuckles, leaving a nasty sharp edge that would aid a painful bite to his punch.

Celia retreated towards the wall, keeping her back safely protected by the stones. A cold sweat ran down her spine, covering her skin in goosebumps. She kept her revolvers ready, trying to look in every direction at once, but all she could see was a coiling dark smoke.

"Focus on sounds," she said quietly. "We can predict where they are coming from by the screams of their victims.

"Unless the guards just fight themselves in the commotion," Zed grumbled.

But hard as they might strain their ears, the sounds coming from the smoke sounded muffled and distorted, not giving as much information as they would expect.

And when the attack finally came, it was silent as death.

One moment they could still hear cries of pain coming from both sides, but still, away from them, and the next, a black shape jumped out of the smoke, over the table and, with a glint of the blade, crashed into Zed.

The big man grunted in pain when the blade pierced his side, but with a low growl, he caught the wrist holding the other weapon and smashed his armoured fist into the assassin's gut. The bloodshedder uttered a muffled, painful sound, but it was not enough to stop them. They wrenched the blade from Zed's side and, faster than a blink of an eye, drove it into his shoulder.

Celia moved away from the wall to position herself to take a clear shot, but it was almost impossible, with two people struggling in close combat. And so she didn't go for a deadly shot but aimed at the assassin's leg. She was rewarded with a painful scream, and the crippling bloodshedder stumbled, letting Zed land another heavy punch straight onto his mask.

But now Celia's back was no longer facing the wall, and only reflex, honed through the life lived on the streets in constant danger, saved her life. She caught a shadow move behind her, so she dodged, and the blade aimed at her back slid harmlessly from her armoured dress. The miraculous leap might save her from the first attack, but Celia knew she was in trouble with Zed still occupied with another assassin. She whirled around, aiming her revolvers at the assailant, but before pulling the triggers, two handles of twin blades hit her wrists, making her hands let go of her guns, which clattered on the stone floor.

She kicked the bloodshedder on their stomach, pushing them back, and giving herself precious seconds to draw her own daggers concealed under the gun holders. It was just enough time to raise her blade to deflect the subsequent furious attacks. Celia gritted her teeth as she backed towards the wall, barely evading the flurry of bloodshedders' attacks.

Celia raised her dagger to intercept another high strike, but the assassin changed the direction slightly at the last second, and their blade slashed her arm, leaving a long gash from the wrist to the elbow. She groaned, her fingers suddenly tingling with numbness, and she barely managed to keep her dagger in hand.

But then her back hit the wall, and she lost her balance for a second. The bloodshedder kicked at her legs and sent her sprawling on the floor, the daggers flying off her numb fingers. Before she reoriented herself, the assassin was on her, their blade raised for the fatal blow.

So that was the end. Celia always imagined it would be more epic. Surely not on some stupid ball, away from Percy. She always imagined herself dying beside her crew, making their last stand against the world.

This was a poor substitution.

But before the blade cut her throat, the bloodshedder was yanked from her and thrown away. Zed was breathing heavily, his shirt covered in blood, most likely his. Yet he still stood over her, his shield and fist raised protectively. Celia knew that even though Zed was like a rock, he was already at the end of his endurance. She scanned the floor in search of her revolvers, and when the bloodshedder jumped at her friend again, she crawled on all fours to reach the closest gun.

The bloodshedder kicked Zed in his injured side, and when the big man doubled in pain, they rammed the hilt of their blade into his nape, sending him to the floor.

The revolver was almost within Celia's reach. In a last desperate dash, she extended her hand, but an armoured boot kicked it away. Before she backtracked, a black metal glove grabbed her neck and rammed her onto the wall.

All breath left her lungs, and she clawed helplessly at the arm holding her, but to no avail.

"You are dead, Celia de Visher," announced the muffled voice from under the mask, and the bloodshedder raised their blade to thrust it into her heart.

The gunshot pierced the air, and Celia's face was splashed with something warm. The hand holding her throat became limp, and the assassin fell on the floor, leaving her to slide to a breathless heap down the wall. She watched dumbfoundedly at the fast-growing pool of blood around bloodshedder's head. Her mind still couldn't comprehend why he was dead instead of her.

The hasty footsteps caught her attention, and she turned just in time to see Gabriel coming out of the grey mist like an angel of salvation, with her revolver still smoking in his hand.

"Celia! Are you alright?"