Picture above is an example of what the city looks like. However, the U-shaped extensions on the walls are not what I was picturing. Hope you like the chapter!

Omega took a total of three days to explore and pinpoint certain locations to either stay away from or use as an escape route. There weren't as many guards as there was in the lower district which Omega assumed was because of the low crime rate. However, he talked to many people while exploring and learned a fair amount of things about the gang. It really helped that his assassin garb made people a little nervous which resulted in them willingly giving all the information they knew the first time Omega asked. It didn't even matter if he was in a public location with many witnesses.

During a late summer night, he was mapping out another possible shortcut he could take to weave his way through the city when he heard some quiet yelling coming from an alley followed by the slight tang of metal getting drawn out of its holster. He slowly made his way over to the alley and looked along the street to see if anybody was walking around the street or peeping out of their window. Omega wasn't too surprised to see the street deserted since most of the people probably heard the scuffle and just turned the opposite direction.

Omega stuck his head around the bend and saw three men blocking the exit that the one guy in the corner was probably wanting to leave. Admirably, the one guy had a confident stance even though he was outnumbered. However, Omega had become pretty skilled at reading people over the years and he could tell that the guy didn't believe he was going to make it out alive. The eyes are a gateway to the soul as they say ... Omega remembered hearing that from somewhere and he pretty much agreed with it, and it also made him sound philosophical.

The guy only had a knife to defend himself with while the three men had incomplete sets of armor that looked to be lightweight armor that usually is worn when dealing with a quick skirmish and a smooth getaway. They also had short swords and knives unsheathed and pointed at the lone man. Omega honestly thought they were assassins judging by the outfits but the three looked to be lazy assassins judging by their size and stature. The middle one was on the skinny side and looked to have very little muscle mass. Even though Omega couldn't see his face, he would say he had pinched features that would not go on Omega's good looking list. The two guys on his side were a little on the chubby side of the spectrum and probably didn't have much stamina. All in all, he would just barely qualify them as assassins. However, they held there weapons with a practiced hand that showed around a year's worth of experience.

After assessing the situation, he focused on the actual conversation to glean some information from them. The skinny man said, "I can't believe you thought you could avoid us. You know that we always catch deserters like you within the day no matter how skilled at stealth you are, Darek." Darek rolled his eyes and said in a confident tone, "It doesn't matter if you caught me or not. I could easily escape from a couple of low lives like you." Omega smirked agreeing with Darek but Omega could detect a hint of worry in Darek's voice.

"Whatever you say, newbie. You shouldn't have joined if you couldn't handle it." With that, the three men pointed their weapons at Darek and were about to charge before Omega decided to intervene. Omega stepped into the alley, scuffing his feet to make sure he was heard. Darek's and the three guards' eyes instantly locked onto Omega. Darek had a look of surprise and confusion at the unknown player and the three guards just sneered at him. "Leave now if you know what's good for you, short stuff." Omega rose an eyebrow at the nickname and chuckled a little.

"Short stuff ... don't think I've been called that before. Anyway, I think the odds are a little unfair so I decided to make sure one side wins." Even though they couldn't see it, they knew the masked man had a smirk under his mask and were surprised to feel a chill run up their spines. However, the skinny guard decided to ignore his instincts and antagonized the deadly looking guy even if he was short. "We don't need your help to win this and even if you helped the swine over there it wouldn't make a difference. It's obvious that you dress up to look tough and spew a few intimidating words to get what you want. I bet you couldn't even face the lowest of scum in the lower district."

Omega's features grew cold at the mention of the 'scum' in the lower district, leaving the group in utter silence that made the two bigger guards take an involuntary step back. The middle guard looked at his support and rolled his eyes. "You two attack him at once while I kill the other one. Like I said, he is all talk so hurry up. When you're done you can help me torture little ole Darek over there." The two guards smirked in the anticipation of torture and Omega decided he would make them suffer a little before he dispatched them. Omega took out his silver sword and got into a lazy ready stance. He didn't even need to move his body to take care of them.

Omega watched as the skinny guard charged Darek. He knew Darek had enough skill to beat him so he focused on the two other guards who charged him. Right before they reached him, he pulled the moisture out of their mouths and throat to prevent any loud sounds escaping their mouths to alert the other guard. He wanted to watch and see Darek fight to get a better representation of him. At once, both guards faltered at the lack of moisture in their mouths and Omega capitalized.

He lunged in between them and cut one of the guard's Achilles tendon and spun around to open up a gash across the other's thigh. They both went down with quiet shouts of pain but Omega wasn't quite done with them. He froze ice over their sword handles and pushed them to the side so they lost all hope of winning the fight. Omega walked in between the guards and just shook his head at how pathetic they were. They were still lying on the ground moaning over their injury that honestly wasn't that bad. He hated people that them who used their authority or numbers to do whatever they wanted to the defenseless.

Omega drew his other sword and stabbed both of them in the stomach. He waited a couple seconds for them to have a taste at what they most likely have done to many others before he stepped forward and slit their throats. He paused for a second watching as the life drained out of the two men. He really wished there weren't people like them. While it makes Omega's blood boil to torture for pleasure, it irks him even more when people let other people detain someone and only participate in the 'fun' part. They don't work to train their skills and just get by with the skills they got.

Omega just shook his head and was brought out of his thoughts at the clang of metal. He turned around to see the two battling it out and Omega could instantly tell the skinny guy was out of his league and it even looked like Darek was humoring him a little. Omega smirked at how much the guy's attitude changed when he wasn't facing three of them and also knowing that he could beat the one guy.

Omega watched as Darek blocked an incoming strike and returned with an upward slash that opened up a deep gash across his opponent's thigh. He fell to one knee in pain but soon felt no pain when Darek beheaded him with the guys own sword. It was silent for a moment before Darek looked hesitantly at Omega who was just leaning against the wall watching. Darek fidgeted a little before saying, "Umm, thanks for helping me." He looked to the side nervously and Omega could tell that he had no clue what he was supposed to do next since Omega was standing at the exit.

Omega was at least glad that he didn't start fighting him or trying to run away. That would have caused problems and Omega would prefer not to tie him up. Omega nodded his head and said, "You're welcome." Omega just stared at Darek wondering what he would say next. He looked to be around 25 years old but Omega knew you couldn't judge age by appearance. Heck, he was over 100 years old but only looked 18! He continued to study Darek's features. He had silky brown, shoulder length hair that was tied back into a braided ponytail. His eyes were a molten silver color that really were exquisite. He had some sharp facial features mixed with rounded cheeks. He had a lean body like Omega which was lightly muscled. All in all, Darek looked like a much better assassin than those three guards. He also observed how Darek's sword was still out and pointed towards his direction in a non-threatening manner, but easily accessible should he need it.

Omega decided to give him a break and asked, "You want to tell me what that was all about?" While he did ask a question, he asked it in a tone that basically said Darek better answer it. He watched as Darek fidgeted a little and Omega just sighed. "I have no intention to hurt you. What it sounded like was you left their gang, which they didn't appreciate. Now, I would be most delighted if you would explain what gang." Omega changed his strategy to make Darek answer simple answers.

It still took Darek a few seconds to answer but he finally spoke up after letting lose a deep breath. "It ... really isn't a gang. It is more like ... um ... a guild really." Omega could tell he didn't want to associate himself with the guild and Omega was almost positive he knew why. Going by what he heard from Jeruk, the government was run by a gang, or guild now, that had a no leaving policy which sounded very similar to what he just witnessed with Darek. So Darek would answer his questions, Omega decided he would alleviate his fears by telling him he already knew about the guild.

"If the guild you left is the one that practically runs the government then I already know about it and strongly dislike it. So, if you left I would like to know the reason why. Who knows? Maybe we could work together to take it down." Omega paused after he made that offer. It had been a long time since he hadn't done a mission solo and he wondered why he would change that now with someone he didn't even know.

Omega just shrugged it off and, now that he thought about it, was looking forward to it. Working alone had its advantages but a partner adds a new element to the fight. Having a partner provides a dependable ally when one's skills weren't enough, and they are a constant motivation to work harder. If alone, one only has to worry about oneself. All in all, Omega was glad he made the offer. It was about time he worked on a team.

Omega watched as Darek relaxed somewhat and was hoping that he would be a little more open. "Yeah. I left those monsters. I joined thinking they were a group who helped the poorer people of the city but I was mistaken. I trained with them for a year before they sent me on my first mission. It started out in the middle district. I was assigned to steal from the wealthy upper classmen and give the money to the leader. He made me believe he would distribute the money to the public. You see, every person I stole from was a part of the corrupt government. So, I thought I was helping the city by taking away from rich and giving to the poor. However, there were a few inconsistences that I found suspicious so I decided to investigate. It didn't take any time at all to find out the gold was just circulating within the group.

"However, someone must have saw me snooping and gave me away. The very next day, I fled from headquarters when I overheard a plan to kill me. I lasted several weeks on the run but there are too many of them to escape forever. I was lucky you came along or else I would have been mincemeat." Darek said with a worried smirk like he was trying to make himself laugh. Omega could understand his situation. He thought he was being Robin Hood instead of a common thief.

Omega nodded and said, "Well then, I don't blame you for your deeds. You didn't know what you were doing and you left right when you did figure it out. So, you know where their headquarters is right?" Omega stopped for a second and thought about how easy it was going to be to figure out where the supposed elusive headquarters are. He guessed he just got lucky running into Darek.

Darek looked at him a little funnily and said, "Yeah but I'm not going back without an army. That is what it would take to bring them down." Omega just smirked under his mask thinking it would take armies to bring him down. But, alas, Omega didn't relay that major bit of information and just said, "You'd be surprised to see what some people are capable of. Do you have somewhere that we could talk? I believe we could figure something out."

Darek looked at him warily but apparently must have decided he was trustworthy when he nodded ... or was just too scared to deny. Omega stepped aside and swept his hand in a 'lead the way gesture' before following Darek down the road.

As Omega and Darek walked down the street in comfortable silence, both thought over their different finds. Omega was pleasantly surprised to find someone who escaped the guild's clutches and knew where their base was when it was supposed to be impossible to find. As he looked at Darek, he noticed that he had a smooth walk but saw through his calm facade to see his slight nervousness. Who wouldn't be nervous of a man in a mask and cloak who said lead the way even if he was walking beside him. Omega was also glad that it was dark out so people wouldn't see him with the 'escapee.'

Darek, on the other hand, thought this Omega character was crazy to want to take down the entire guild with just the two of them. He wouldn't say it was impossible since he didn't know the skill sets of Omega but he imagined there was a .000001% chance. Pretty much, no chance. However, he would at least hear him out, and if they couldn't do it by themselves, there were a few groups out there that would be willing to join them in taking down the guild.

First, he would have to assess Omega and ask for a demonstration of his skills and would most likely have to reciprocate the request to show Omega what he could do. Second, they could start planning on what they wanted to do. If Omega was willing to watch his back, he could start to copy down the layout of the sections of the base he was allowed entry. He could also add in details such as preferable points of entry and an estimate of guards around certain areas. Third ... well, he would just have to wait and see what they came up with to create a third point.

As to not gather any extra attention, it took around an hour of leisurely walking to make it to his very small home base. It was a small wooden building against the wall between the lower and middle district. On the south east side of the wall, it was common to see these types of houses since most people who came up from the lower district find their way to the corners of the middle district. Anyway, most people avoid these parts of town since the poorer residents resided there and it suited an escapee like him just fine.

As Darek and Omega entered the nondescript building, a few small torches instantly lit and Omega was surprised to see something like that in these houses. However, of course, he didn't show any of his surprise, at least, not in his body manner for people to pick up on. There was a bed in one corner with a table and chairs in another. A small campfire had a few red coals in the middle indicating that it was still cooling. He wondered where the smoke went but as he looked at the ceiling the answer revealed itself. The roof was slightly raised towards the center with a 2 inch hole that would allow the smoke to escape.

There really wasn't anything else in the room since he assumed most of Darek's stuff was in his pack. Omega walked over to the chair and sat down waiting to see what Darek would do or ask first since Omega was technically in his home. Darek put his bag down beside the table and sat down across from Omega and began explaining his plan.

"So, I don't know how you plan to infiltrate the base and take down the guild so you'll have to show me something that could convince me it is possible. If not, we could probably gather enough support to strike at the guild. However, there is a reason that it has stayed strong for so long. There are many people loyal to the guild and are extremely talented. The only way I can see taking down the guild would be to take down their supporting beam, Leader Dranogod, which I would say is impossible since you would have to find your way through the base while fighting skilled guild members the entire way. Also, disturbing their nest would most likely cause other side effects that could potentially hurt the entire city. So, if we do this I need to make sure that we can do it or it wouldn't be worth it."

Darek looked straight into Omega's eyes to see if he could tell what the guy was thinking but got lost in their depth. There was no fear in his eyes or even the slightest bit of nervousness. There wasn't even confidence in there. It was like he knew the outcome before the battle even started. Darek had always prided himself on being able to read people but he must be wrong on this Omega character because who wouldn't be nervous about taking down an entire guild almost entirely by yourself. However, as he looked into his eyes, it was like he started to believe that they could do this even if there was only two of them. A hope that the city could finally be disposed of those criminals and become one of the best out there entered him and he suddenly believed that they could do it. They could be the ones to liberate the city.

Omega patiently waited as Darek studied him after his little spiel and watched as he apparently found something in Omega that gave him the confidence that they could pull this heist off. He didn't know what look he had in his eyes that lead to that belief but, hey, he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Darek nodded his head and continued with his plan with a new excitement. "Alright, I have to go get some parchment so I can start to map out the base to the best of my knowledge. Of course, as we search for Dranogod we will have to find a way around the guards because we simply can't just kill them since we don't have a way to hide the bodies even if we can kill them." He paused for a second to think things over and take a breath. He locked eyes again with Omega and once again saw the same look in his eyes that he was unconcerned about it. He was about to ask why he still seemed unconcerned but Omega beat him to it.

"I have ways to get around that if we can figure out their shifts. Keep going with your plan." Darek almost sputtered but he just decided to roll with it. "Okay, so if we can find a way around the guards then it is simply just finding the leader. They don't have any traps that I am aware of so I don't think we need to worry about that. If we can get around the guards then I think all we need is time." Omega nodded his head and both descended into silence.

Darek was still wondering what Omega meant about getting around the guards just by knowing their shifts. That may work on the outside where they could slip by them but there were many guards inside the base that would have to be disposed of without raising the alarm. That seemed pretty much impossible so Darek was waiting on Omega to elaborate.

Omega was wondering how he could prove that they could do this just with the two of them without revealing too much. He knew for sure he would have to reveal his water and fire manipulation with Darek with his idea about the bodies. However, he would make sure Darek assumed he had limited control over those abilities. He had to keep some secrets to himself; he just met the man.

Darek started to grow impatient and interrupted the silence, "So are you going to explain your ideas about the bodies?" Omega smirked under his mask and stood up. Darek straightened his posture and warily watched Omega to see what he would do. He would prefer not to be the example of what he would do with the bodies.

Omega said in a teaching tone, "I have a couple of abilities that would prove very useful in this circumstance. So, I'm going to tell you what they are and I want you to try and figure out what we could do, got it?" Darek just nodded but couldn't hide his curiosity of the upcoming show. Omega jus smirked and said, "First, I have the ability to manipulate water." To prove it, he put a finger on the desk and froze an inch ice circle. Darek stared in awe at the small amount of power Omega showed. "Now, let's say I walk up to a guard we just killed. What could we do to make it look like he was never killed?"

Darek rubbed his chin trying to think. "Could we freeze water around him to make him stay straight?" Omega nodded and said, "That's the right train of thought but wouldn't people passing by see ice around the person?" Darek nodded his head and said, "What about freezing the water under his clothes?" Darek was sure he got the right answer this time but Omega just slightly nodded his head like he did the first time. "That would work, but think deeper. Here's a hint. When you kill someone, they usually bleed correct? So what would we do about the blood?" Darek just stared at Omega with confusion. "But blood isn't water so you couldn't manipulate it, right?"

Omega just chuckled and said, "Blood has water molecules in it even if it is diluted. So, as long as I focus, I can manipulate blood." Darek nodded thinking that was very cool until the idea fully settled itself into his brain ... Omega could virtually control him since he had blood running through his veins. Omega pretended not to notice the new wariness with his partner and continued on while trying to relieve his worries. "So, as long as I make contact with the body, I can freeze the blood in him to make him stand like he was alive."

Omega watched as some of the wariness left Darek when he said he had to make contact but, of course, some of it was still there. Satisfied for now, Omega said, "The other ability that will come into play is fire manipulation." With that, he opened his palm and created a small fire that was slightly bigger than a candle flame. "Now, say we froze the body in a standing position. What else would we have to do to make it look like nothing was wrong?"

Darek, though still wary, got back into his contemplative mode. He tried to think about what he would see if he walked pass a guard frozen standing up. "We could probably leave his arm joints unfrozen in case someone bumps into him." Omega nodded and said, "True, true." Darek tried to think of more things knowing Omega was waiting for him. He visualized the scene in front of him and looked right into the eyes of the guard to see if he could glean any hints. "OH! The eyes! If you look a dead person in the eyes then you would know they were dead." Omega nodded and said, "What do you think we could do with both my abilities to hide that fact."

Well, Darek was stumped there. Omega couldn't manipulate the eyes directly and couldn't just cover them up ... or could you? The tunnels would be dark but some of the guards still wore glasses ... which ... hid their eyes. Now focusing on that train of thought, he tried to put together the pieces. Omega could probably fashion some ice glasses but they would be clear or at the best murky. However, Darek knew that the fire manipulation played some part in the equation. He tried to think of what factor it could possibly be but for the life of him he couldn't figure it out. "Alright, I give up."

Omega chuckled a little. "Well, I would use my water manipulation to freeze the water into glasses." He waited a second already knowing Darek came up with that part and enjoyed watching the man's ire rise. Omega inwardly chuckled again before continuing. "I would use my fire manipulation to burn some of his garments to ashes. Then, I would mix the ashes with the water to create black glasses that would resemble sun glasses." Omega was actually pretty proud of that idea. It just came to him before he started quizzing Darek.

Darek, for the most part, had a look that basically said, 'Oh.' To keep the ball rolling Omega asked if there was anything else he could think of. Darek couldn't really think of anything else so he just shrugged. Omega inwardly sighed knowing his fun was over so he just told Darek. "Another small factor to be aware of is that the mouth would hang open since the guards muscles wouldn't work. Even if it was closed when we look at him, it could still be a delayed release because he clenched his jaw before he died thus keeping the muscles taut. So simply freezing the teeth together would solve that problem. I liked your idea of the joints. I didn't think of that." Omega also privately thought it would be easier to control the person too if he needed him to move.

Darek nodded his thanks. He was really warming up to Omega and, so far, would say that they may become friends sometime in the future. Just like him, Darek could tell that Omega had both a friendly and serious side. Darek wondered what Omega would act like in a battle to the death because that was when real character shines. Hopefully, neither of them would find out anytime soon because Darek would not like to be trapped between armed guards in the guild.

Coming out of his musings, Darek stood up and said, "Well, I'm going to get some paper and writing utensils from a shop. I should be gone for a couple of hours so you can stay here or wonder around if you want even if I wouldn't recommend it since it's dark out." With that, he turned around to walk out but Omega said, "Wait a second. I have something for you." Darek watched as Omega carried his backpack on one shoulder before slinging it near an empty corner. Darek was surprised to see a tent pop into view but wasn't really that surprised knowing Omega. As Omega got into his tent, he wondered what he was about to be given. They just met so it wouldn't be anything special or expensive and he couldn't think of anything really.

Omega walked out of the tent with two throwing knives that could also be used as dagger if need be. Darek was also impressed with the quality of the blades. They were sharp with dark green, threaded fabric across the handle with a circle at the end. He imaged spinning it on his finger like people do with canes and wondered what people would think about that while in public. They would probably be afraid he was about to kill them and guards would come and confiscate them ... he decided he wouldn't try it out.

He was once again brought out of his daydreams when Omega pushed the knives into his hands. He felt a slight tingle run up his arms and knew magic was at play and it made him wary again. He shot Omega a questioning glance and was glad Omega gave him a straight answer. "I had extra knives enchanted to return to the caster when they lose their kinetic energy. So, if you throw the knife, once it embeds into a target, it will come back to you since its momentum stopped." Darek stared at Omega surprised that he was given such an expensive gift. The knives themselves would be a decent price but the magic applied to it would have probably cost a small fortune.

Darek looked back at Omega and once again looked into his eyes. Now they were filled with warmth that really affected Darek. He had never really been given gifts like this before and for a complete stranger to come around and give him something like this, it really meant a lot to him. He decided from that moment onward he would trust Omega and repay him for his kindness. If Omega was willing to invest his time and money with him then he would make sure it was worth it. He wouldn't fail Omega. He now had a reason to fight and he wanted to make Omega proud to be his friend.

Darek smiled and said, "Thank you. You have no idea how much this gift means to me. I will make sure to take good care of them." Omega laughed to Darek's confusion and said, "You could probably throw them at rocks and they wouldn't even get a scratch. There are impervious to blunt force damage, rust, stains, and pretty much anything else that could affect the knife." Darek was once again left dumbfounded at the gift. It was worth even more than he thought it was before that bit of information.

Darek gave another warm smile and said, "Well I'll always have it on me. Thanks again. I should probably go get the parchment before dawn breaks. I bet there are a couple of guards who are looking for me along with the guild members." Omega nodded and wished him luck. Darek quietly walked out of the house into the brisk night air. He stealthily made his way through the district jumping from shadow to shadow to his destination. All the while thinking of the great adventure Omega and him were about to partake.

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A Chapter! A Chapter! XD Hey guys! I know I have been slacking lately so I would like to apologize for the extremely slow update. Lately I have lost the inspiration for writing this adventure and it just wouldn't come back to me. I can't believe it took sitting in class for inspiration to hit me. Well, anyway, here is another chapter and I hope you enjoy! I would also like to thank the people who have stuck with me so far and hope you stay. I don't plan to give up this story anytime soon so I can guarantee there will be more updates to come.