This infiltration couldn’t have gone any worse! Not only were these drake-politicians, unlike their fellow kind, surprisingly able to stomach my stun claws quickly, causing all this talking mess. No! Now I have this blasted gag in my throat preventing me from properly interrogating them. Curse you Narxis, and your 'you' related trigger words!

Still distracted by the maw irritation, Trikat nearly missed the sudden snap and following tremors of the two massive drakes freeing themselves and getting ready to fight for their lives. She sighed softly and forced her heartbeat to normalize to trigger the requirements to cancel the gag giving her back her ability to speak. Watching the two giants through the one-sided glass that was the upper half of her mask, a digital and jagged smile appeared on her lower screen face. These councilmen have been training together. They not only appeared to her like a married couple, despite the files telling otherwise, but they also hit the gym as sparring partners. Heat and Ice … That could turn out to be much more of a bother than initially anticipated, Trikat realized. Councilman Jaxton, being able to tank councilwoman Hera‘s ice powers … She could go all out if the assassin wouldn’t silence her immediately. She hissed in amused anger.

“Don’t you think this changes anything?! You are, nonetheless, trapped in here with me! I will just subdue you again, and this time, ohhh. This time I will not be gentle and torture the answers I need out of your sorry cold-blooded bodies!“

They assume fighting positions!? That does it! Stop mocking me, you oversized punching bags! I will enjoy that … if only boss Narxis would be here to allow my suit to metamorph into its fighting form. Fighting them without my sharp opal claws or being able to channel more of my electricity out of my suit. Yep … this will be an interesting challenge I crave to overcome. Bring it!

Standing at attention, Trikat slowly lowered her elegant frame, tail swishing left and right, readying herself to pounce. She assumed that the man would try to shield the woman while she prepared an icy surprise to incapacitate her. Meaning that the assassin had to take the initiative and outspeed the Calormancer to stun the Cryomancer once more. But they seemingly had another idea, as councilman Jaxton, seemingly attempted to reason with her.

“I will save you time and breath, assassin! Neither of us was already an adult when the war began. We have no clue what you even want to accomplish with breaking into my domicile?“

“Don’t play me for an idiot! Your father served the Ivory Jack, councilman Jaxton De‘nox. He was a known non-sympathizer to Jack‘s decree.“

The drake‘s pride was at stake; Trikat could feel it in her bones. Mentioning his treacherous father made him neglect his fighting concentration for more than enough time to evade his claws going for the other politician. Not bothering to wait for his angry retaliation, pounced the assassin past the drake and landed on all four, ready to storm to Hera and ram her shocking rubber claws in her throat. She was about to run at blinding speed towards the female in the back as she finally realized, no, felt their true plan unfolding. The wooden surface below her got covered with ice! She stealthily covered the ground with an invisible layer of slippery glass, well aware that her partner could just heat his feet to melt through it and not slip. But they didn’t anticipate her skills, not even a fraction of them! Even in her neutered state that was her stealth mode, she saw herself in a position where she could take them both out without them even landing a single blow. The cheetah grinned behind the screen mask. She didn’t felt that alive since they began this tiresome operation. And she craved that kick to feel like a living person. And these two … they were providing her with what she craved.

Trikat rammed her rubbery toes into the ice, forcing the metal footbridge on the ground, allowing her to use it to slide without falling. She took the resulting drift to evade the following punch from Hera as she tried to put her down with a fist covered with a boxing glove made of solid ice. She slid through her legs and grabbed the seam of her skirt to propel her drive upwards. Leaping up and behind the massive red drake, she performed an elegant spinning motion directing her legs into a shear position, she then wrapped around the drake‘s wide neck. A sit-up later and her rubbery paws connected with the neck of the unfortunate lizard. A considerably weaker pulse of electricity was forced into her spine, causing Hera‘s eyes to widen as she slowly collapsed.

“W-what the? Jaxton! M-my body-„

“No worries, lady Hera. Just a temporary paraplegic experience. You got too dangerous.~ „

Trikat kept her legs around Hera‘s neck, now holding her head, pulling it back so that she didn’t hit the same when falling. She was an assassin and torturer, and the drake hitting her head like that was not her style. She required her wake and be able to scream in a panic to subdue her lizard friend. Glancing at Jaxton, she shoved one finger against Hera‘s temple, forming her rubbery grey fist into what looked like a gun. She hissed fiercely.

“You! Kneel and place your hands behind your head, or I will force enough electricity in your girlfriend‘s head that she will not survive the night and die slowly in your arms. No wrong move!“

She felt bad relying on such a cheap trick, but Calormancers were known to be unpredictable hand-to-hand fighters. Heat is always up for strange surprises to get pulled out of one‘s ass when one expects it the least. She preferred not to fight against fate tonight. She watched with satisfaction how Jaxton immediately complied, his eyes dimmed down in realization of the described horror scene. But Hera saw it differently and shouted to Jaxton in a growing panic.

“I will be ok! Subdue her! … No, Nonono, don‘t let your feelings guide y-„

Trikat didn’t expect the following situation at all, as Hera stopped her defiance and fell into silent sobbing, realizing why there was no resistance. These feelings between the two she felt before while spying on their dinner date. They were all concealed. They never proposed or even said anything like that, what she just implied with her being Jaxton‘s girlfriend. A forced confession at gunpoint … hilarious. She couldn’t help herself but start to silently cackle at the situation.

“You are hilarious! Finally, some actual entertainment in this depression-inducing country. Now kiss!“, she grins, taunting the azure dragon staring her down, „Don’t look at me like that, you hopeless Romeo. I am joking, my methods are more … pain oriented. Now listen closely, Jaxton!“

She surprised herself with how gently she forced her finger gun closer to Hera‘s temple. Is … is she rooting for them? No! She is the one on the trigger; she is the one pulling the strings. Feasting on the pain in the drake‘s eyes from being made fun of by her, she lets out a satisfied sigh.

“I like that look in your eyes, son of Gix De‘Nox. Now tell me … or show me anything that can save your girlfr-Hera‘s life. I want intel, or you two will experience your next sunrise six feet under in the same coffin. I am no monster, I will let you share your demise. Together at last.“

The assassin focused on Jaxton‘s scaly muscles, each movement was telling if he knew something, was aware of anything or was trying to lie. But all she could read was a state growing deeper than mere shock. He was devastated. He had nothing, she realized. The late Gix didn’t leave any evidence, or the Ivory jack made sure that he didn’t. Eventually, he did speak, but his voice was empty, broken.

“I … I don’t have … father was always … he didn’t tell me anything.“ He looks down, defeated. „Spare Hera. … You can search the house to your heart‘s content, try to find something I missed … take anything you like … but Hera‘s life.“

Trikat hated her current position. She was an assassin of her gods. Her duty was to end the life of the guilty and squeeze out the intel to make the guilty pay. That drake … pushed her into a position she never wanted to end in. Be the villain of the scene. She was the bad girl here now. They had nothing. But she couldn’t stop now; her self-respect was at stake. If she just could stand up, shake both hands and leave the scene she caused, she would be happy. Could keep her face, even if it was hidden away from the world. Hidden away from her people. She would be able to smile after what she had to do now to appease her boss. Get information by any means necessary and dispose of any risk factors for the success of their mission. She looked down to risk factor A, then over to B, staying silent, arm shaking.

“You have nothing … I believe you. But … I have to continue.“

A sudden wave of sympathy hit her, one she didn’t expect from the drake. Then he had to say one word that would cause her blood to boil.

“Or what? … Will these wounds then reach deeper? You are running against a clock, aren't you? You are a Revenant Taken. You … you want to fulfil this job before it might happen?“

And with these words, her sympathy was a goner. Gone were her growing sympathy for the two, her inner struggle and her desire to spare the innocent. He saw! And Hera witnessed him saying it! She hissed as panic consumed her.

“You saw me eating!? That is none of your business! Y-you just sealed your fate! I am gonna torture you till you are nothing more than a tooth and clawless mess! Nobody can see th-"

Jaxton sighed, probably noticing that he indeed stepped into an active volcano here. Trikat was fuming, already imagining 10,000 ways to dispose of these two to protect her identity, to continue what she loved to do. Stay at Narxis' side and hunt those less fortunate Taken with him. And that drake ... he began reading her like an open book, much to her dismay.

"I heard about your guild, Shadow. I know that one of your main goals is to protect your country from Takens. Yet you are here, working for the other side. Are ... are you feeling responsible? You are ... reasonably in control. You, you had it different. I don't know much about T-"

 She was the one in control! She was the one asking the questions here. And this imbecile was reading her motivations while she still held his friend at finger gunpoint? Just how cocky was he? She couldn't help but admire his grasping for straws, Attempts to break her. But she was the one breaking others. She was the torturer!

"Trying to stall time, are you? Thinking that analyzing my past might change your short future? You realized one thing, however. I will be done if my guild finds out about what we are hiding from them. Therefore you clearly understand ... that you just missed the ticket to safety. I-" Trikat breathed heavily, not believing what she said. "I was thinking of letting you off, but then you decided to overstretch your luck. Now give me one good reason why I shouldn't slaughter you?"

Her voice was shaking. She realized that her cold second-life heart melted slowly. Was it the warmth in that councilman's voice? Able to show compassion even in the darkest of moments? No matter. She was Trikat 'Opalclaw' Deseko. She was a compassionate member of the Shadow Conglomerate. And she was in debt to Narxis Crass for giving her second life a purpose. A mere corruptive parasite like her didn't deserve a second chance no matter how much the living Trikat prepared her for this, talking to her very own madness for days, no weeks, months even! Teaching her to use that heart of hers once she is in control. And this drake was maybe the third being in her life that didn't blame her for what she was. Or was she reading too much into his desperate words? Probably ... yet they felt so warm in her tummy. She looked through her one-sided visor at him, hoping he would at least be as reasonable to reignite her anger to finish the job.

"I ... I know I have not much to give for your boss' interest, but maybe I have something for your troubled mind. My family owns a small isle in the far west of Nemthi. A place of retreat. It is yours.", he stops, his eyes lighting up in orange, his body heating up in excitement causing Trikat to press her finger warningly in Hera's temple, causing him to quickly deflate again, "Come to think of it. Father liked that place. Maybe you can find there what you are looking for?"

Hera groaned below Trikat, seemingly unable to believe what was happening.

"She is still our enemy, you ... you." She sighed deeply. "Fine."

And Trikat? She couldn't believe that this worked. Not planned at all, but there was possibly useful intel. A secluded island? A way to keep crucial and possibly incriminating pieces of evidence. She relaxed and lowered the pressure of her magic stun gun until leaving Hera's head for itself. Still at attention, but now much more relaxed as these two both appeared mentally calm. She growled deeply at them.

"I am impressed. If you can now prove the existence of that isle, then we might come to an agreement allowing me to spare your pitiful lives. There is only one issue. You still know that I am a Taken. How do you intend on solving that?"

The assassin felt her heart clutching now. She has grown soft in this infiltration year of not taking a single life. Only stealing and observing. Behind the screen were two pitch black eyes, in these sparking two azure glimmers hoping they had a solution. She madly chuckled to herself, not believing any bit of what happened here.

"Two ways, mysterious assassin. Either you take us by our word, we drakes are known to be able to take secrets to our graves. Or you take one of your fancy Etherian tech plays and make us forget."

Warm, comforting words. Not even the meaning was soothing, but the warmth in each syllable ... the heat of each word was entrancing. Heat!? Weren't his eyes glowing just before? Were they still glowing? Indeed ... so that was why he went by the calling name 'Warmtongue' in the records. She looked at him, tilting her head.

"Don't you think I wouldn't notice your enhanced words! But yeah ... I ... I wanna believe you, that you hold your word. Just know this. I will take you and your girlfriend down with me into the abyss if you even dare to mention a Taken Shadow to anyone, not in this room! Understood?"

"Crystal clear." Then followed Hera. "I promise."

Her heart bumped. So that was what her former host meant with that, that your heart rewards you for a soul-soothing deed. She was getting excited but in a different way. But then an interference occurred, catching her by surprise. Suddenly boss' voice filled her helmet, and she gasped, vizor showing a happy smile. A happy smile that quickly died down for the drakes to see. She looked at them and decided to do something she wouldn't ever do. Reaching under her mask, she first pulls the trigger loosening the screen to her face of hers, then she pushed the vizor up, unveiling her face to the two drakes kneeling and lying on the ground. She sighed, and these empty eyes stared down.

"As you are bound to keep my secret, let me give you a small piece of advice. It would be beneficial if you would seek out that island and search for clues for me. I will follow up shortly. You must go. Now! Pack your stuff and move there for a few days."

"Why?" Jaxton sounded concerned, even more so as she didn't tell them that through the mask. "There must be a reason."

"I ... I would like to know that my act of compassion will not be in vain. Leave to that island. Don't tell anybody that you are away. This is an order! Urgent bidding."

Not giving them a chance to respond, she grabbed the map of the island Jaxton got for her. Putting her mask back on opened a window and jumped out of it, leaving the drakes thunderstruck.

If you want to survive the rising of the crimson sun, follow my bidding. I don't want my spark of true humanity to go up in flames!