The Laughing Swordsman

A group of five guards charged towards the sound they heard, only to see nothing.

Willow had casted some sort of spell, obscuring all of their figures. She put a finger to her lips, gesturing for them to stay quiet.

Layla looked at that gesture, then tilted her head to the side.

"What are you doing?"

Hex rubbed the top of his head with his sleeve.

"Me think Willow wants quiet."

Apollo rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger.

"I don't think we are being that quiet."

Willow's eyelid twitched.

Was it really that hard to just stay silent?

The guards obviously heard them. However, they still couldn't see them. The five guards kept spinning their heads around, like if they kept looking back and forth they would eventually see these people.

The guards were holding onto spears. Both of their hands had a tight grip.

"Show yourself, intruder! Have you no shame?"

One of the guards gestured towards another. Just a second later, a guard bolted away.

They were getting reinforcements.

Willow sighed.

"I suppose there is little point in hiding further. We need to get rid of them quietly."

Layla whispered with a smile on her face.

"Ok, quietly!"

Layla pulled back her hand, tensing the muscles at the back of her shoulder. Then, it slowly accelerated forward.

Willow had a bad feeling. She reached out her hand.

"Wait, stop!"

Layla continued with an oblivious smile on her face, like she couldn't hear what Willow just said. Her claw snapped forward.

A thunderclap reverberated through the walls, waking up nearly every nearby guard.

The guards in front of us were obliterated into tiny pieces and a bloody mist. The walls themselves shook, and cracks appeared across them. Part of the floor had collapsed, revealing a hallway that was underneath them.

Hex covered his mouth with his sleeve.

"Me think that is not quiet."

Apollo scratched the side of his head.

"I think it's a little loud..."

Willow sighed, holding her forehead with her hand.

"If we kill all the guards and hide the bodies, the empire won't go into a full blown panic as fast."

She turned to Layla.

"And do so quietly!"

Layla giggled. Her tail swayed.

"Sorry! I didn't say anything, so I thought it would be quiet."

The corner of Willow's lip twitched.

"...Alright. We should split up to maximize our efficiency."

Willow hopped down the hole Layla created, scanning the area for the other guards. She dashed off in one direction. The other three looked at each other for a moment before breaking off into a sprint as well.

Layla and Hex each picked one direction to go from the top of the walls while Apollo and Willow split off from the hallway underneath the top of the walls.

A squadron of ten guards charged forward while Willow was running towards them. The guards continued forward as though they couldn't see Willow.

They didn't even react to her presence.

Willow's black sword glinted with an ominous light and emitted a faint black mist. She swung the sword slowly, tracing a horizontal arc in the air.

The guards split in half by their torsos, but didn't bleed a single drop of blood. They died immediately, unable to even scream. Willow's hand flashed, dropping black mist on top of their bodies.

Then, the corpses vanished without a trace, almost like it was just an illusion.

Willow continued down the hallway, searching for more guards.

Hex ran across the top of the wall with his arms spread out. His sleeves fluttered in the wind, and his dark purple eyes narrowed.

"Get rid... of guards."

Coincidentally enough, fifteen guards appeared in front of him. The guards pointed their spears towards Hex. One of the guards had a blue sash wrapped around his body, probably the leader of the group.

The leader frowned.

"Stop! What are you doing here, kid?"

Hex let out a low hum.

"Me... get rid of guards."

The leader furrowed his brows. The night was too dark, so he didn't notice the strange color of Hex's hair and eyes.

He simply thought he was a normal kid that somehow snuck his way up here. Probably the child of some irresponsible guard.

"Stop fooling around! This is a dangerous area, so if you want to live, get out of here!"

Hex scratched his cheek with his sleeve.

"Ok... Me will leave after me get rid of you."

The faint shadows under the guards began to twist, forming one large shadow with a faint blue glowing smile on its face.

The leader was oblivious to this, as were the rest of the guards.

"Who do you think you are, kid? Stop playing around in your fantasies and listen to the adults!"

A guard beside the leader sighed.

"We have to check on the disturbance first. There is no time to waste on some kid."

The leader clenched his fist. He took a deep breath before shaking his head.

"Yes, you are right. We must go."

The guards ran forward with the intention of passing by Hex. They went along by on his left and right.

Hex began to tremble. He didn't like having so many people around him. Once the guards surrounded him, a dark green mist gathered around him.

Hex let out a roar.

"Stay away!"

The dark green mist exploded into a shockwave.

Every guard, without exception, fell to their knees. Their armor cracked while blood seeped out of their orifices.

The leader was the only one that didn't blank out.

He grit his teeth with disbelief.

Did some little kid just do that?

The smiling shadow rose from the ground, taking a corporeal form. Two curled horns rested on top of the shadow's head. It had thin shadowy arms, but incredibly large hands that resembled a children's drawing of monster claws.

The shadow let out an ethereal giggle.

The leader turned to look at Hex, who was looking at him with a cold expression.

The leader saw Hex's dark green hair and purple eyes.

"You.... aren't human."

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