Viviana was amused. Perhaps a little too much for someone who had just been attacked on neutral ground.
"An attack here? Really?" She sighed theatrically as her fingers slid playfully over the black velvet back of the sofa.
Corin, on the other hand, was tense. Not out of fear, but because he could already feel it.
Nine.
Nine attackers, spread around the room. They moved skillfully, muffled steps, precise breaths, no ordinary assassins.
Path Rank 2, maybe 3. It was weird. Everyone should know that Ambassadors would stand no chance against Viviana.
They were in a different league to Aldric Vealmont. But that was to be expected.
He loosened the grip of his fingers around the spear, letting the dark raven feathers of his blade gleam in the twilight. This was a dance and he already knew who would lead.
The first movement came from the left.
"Three from the front. Two to the side. Four in the shadows."
His voice was calm, almost casual, but Viviana reacted immediately.
The first assassin rushed forward. A long dagger, the blade as thin as a needle, aimed directly at Corin's chest. Too slowly.
His spear jerked forward, two quick movements.
The first blocked the dagger, the second shattered the attacker's wrist with a dull crack.
Before the man could even scream, Viviana came into play.
Black thorns erupted from her arm, shot through the air and pierced him in mid-motion.
The body twitched one last time. Then silence.
"One down."
"That leaves eight."
The air changed. Corin sensed movement behind him, a silent attack, blades from the shadows.
Two from behind. One from the ceiling.
His body reacted faster than his mind could process. He turned, dodging to the side, letting the first two blades whiz past his coat.
Then, a kick. With enough force to hurl the next attacker across the room.
Viviana laughed. "Does it have to be that rough?"
But she paid no further attention to his reply.
With a single, elegant movement, she let two more black thorns shoot out of her wrist.
With pinpoint accuracy.
The attackers raised their swords, but too late. One was nailed through the shoulder, the other was pinned directly through the thigh onto the marble floor.
But that was not all.
A metallic whirring, an assassin jumped from the ceiling, two curved sickles in his hands.
He was fast. Faster than the others.
But Corin saw him coming. Even before the man landed on the ground, his spear shot upwards, like a bolt of lightning.
A clean stab to the stomach. Blood dripped onto the marble tiles.
"Six." he muttered.
His gaze wandered around the room. Three more to go. Viviana suddenly moved.
A single step and she was already behind one of the assassins. Her grip, cold as iron.
"Are you scared?" she breathed into his ear.
Before the man could react, a long thorn pierced his chest. One movement and his body fell lifeless to the ground.
The last two hesitated.
Path rank 3 or not - they had no chance. They had been hunters. Now they were prey.
Corin lowered his spear. "If I were you... I would run."
But they did not. Perhaps they were too proud. Maybe they knew there was no way out.
The final attack came as expected. Desperate, angry and completely useless.
Corin ducked under the blade, dodged effortlessly and then Viviana finished it off.
Two thorns. Two dead men. Silence.
Viviana stepped over the corpses, took a black strand of hair from her face and sighed.
"Really, Corin... You could have at least made it a little more exciting."
He twirled his spear in his hand, eyeing his fallen opponents.
"That wasn't a test, was it?"
A smile.
"Not for me."
Her pink crystal eyes flashed.
"But I wanted to see how you moved in my world."