The Achievement Junkie 256 Back into Hiding

'Hurry up, and head for the private estate we stayed at. I'll take care of those on your tail," Rydel ordered, getting a nod from the others.

With Keela remaining invisible while she ran alongside Eliza, everyone managed to enter the alley and start their way toward the meeting place.

Only a moment behind, two guards came into view, following the party and entering the same alley. But before Rydel acted against them, he paid close attention to the rooftops, noticing three more guards keeping a close watch from above.

The hunter changed his target and hopped off the manor wall toward the nearest building. Within seconds, Rydel was pulling himself up onto the roof.

Rydel understood that Jack and the others were at least 10 minutes away from the private estate on the outskirts of town at their given pace. With that in mind, he wanted to make sure all eyes were off them within the first three minutes, otherwise hiding would be tricky.

First on his new hitlist was an archer atop the building opposite Rydel's. He moved swiftly and silently, but he was too busy hiding from Jack's line of sight to realize that he was already spotted from behind.

While he hopped over to the next building, Rydel had begun making his move.

The hunter hopped across the small alley and crossed over to the next building, putting him a few meters away. In a few steps, Rydel was almost breathing on the archer's back.

Trying to keep up with the party's pace, the archer prepared to cross to the next building, but the moment he stood up to jump, he a hand cover his mouth and a cold blade slit his throat. In seconds, his muffled cries vanished forever.

Moving on to his next target, Rydel spotted the first of two thieves two buildings ahead of him.

Not wasting any time Rydel made full use of Sterfen's blessing to quietly dash across the rooftops. He reached his target easily, but he took a second to verify that he wasn't noticed by either of the thieves.

Showing no sign of awareness to his presence, the thieves continued to pursue the party on the ground. They each had a contact crystal in hand, possibly speaking to each other.

"Are you sure we can't attack?" asked the thief near Rydel. "If we catch them off guard, we should be able to take out at least one."

"Orders are orders. Just follow closely and relay their position," stated the thief in front, paying attention only to the intricate movements of Jack and the team.

Rydel noticed the crystals and knew that he had to act faster this time.

Armed with a long hunting knife in one hand and a bow in the other, Rydel hurried behind the second thief. Unlike when he killed the archer, Rydel waited for the thief to comfortably land on the next building. But the moment the thief ducked and slowed himself down, Rydel took action.

"Why do I have to be in the second position? How about we…"

"What's wrong?" Suspicious of the second thief's sudden silence, the first thief looked back toward his companion, but what he saw horrified him.

Lying on the ground was his friend with a dagger jutting out of his throat. However, there were no signs of anyone getting close enough to stab the second thief.

"I should…"

Before the first thief had a chance to say anything, an arrow had pierced his skull, killing him instantly.

'All eyes from above have been neutralized,' Rydel filled in the others. 'Now I'll take out the remaining two pairs of eyes.'

'Thanks, Rydel.'

The hunter used his superior vantage point to easily locate the two men chasing his companions. They had taken two routes, one in the alley to Rydel's left and the other was in the alley to Rydel's right. However, if he didn't hurry, the two remaining pursuers would meet back up and make things more difficult.

Since Jack had taken a right at the next turn, Rydel chose to remove the man in the left alley. He didn't want to remove the man to the right only to have the one of the left see his fellow guard dead along the way.

His new target was an assassin, so Rydel rethought his strategy a little.

As the assassin neared the next turn, he spoke into his contact crystal, "I'm heading right. I'll meet up with you shortly."

"Okay," replied the other pursuer.

Suddenly, the assassin heard a whistle in the air, the familiar sound of arrows pursuing him. He saw two arrows from the corner of his eye. One was aimed for just barely in front of him and the other was aimed for another meter further ahead.

The assassin was already in motion forward, so jumping back so suddenly wasn't fast enough to dodge the incoming arrows. Instead, he carefully jumped forward, placing him between the two projectiles and keeping him from harm's way.

Safe at the moment, the assassin was about to warn the other guard but found himself unable. Before he could send his message, a thin, practically invisible wire between the two arrows sliced through the assassin's throat, letting his head topple to the floor. Too busy trying to warn the other guard, that assassin wasn't able to even realize that he had died.

With one remaining target, Rydel honed in on the final pursuer, a hunter, like him.

Rydel ran through a few strategies in his mind, picking one that he felt was most unpredictable to a fellow hunter

"Where are you?" the final guard asked his now deceased comrade. "I've passed the turn, where are you?"

Getting no reply, the hunter raised his guard, preparing himself for the worst. He quickened his pace and double-check each corner and possible hiding place for an attacker.

Suddenly, the whistle of an arrow's fletchings sounded from above, catching the hunter's attention. But when he noticed it, he was confused. The arrow he saw came straight down as if it wasn't even aimed properly at him.

More worried about his safety than the mission, the hunter jumped toward a well-guarded corner among heavy boxes and crates.

Like the others, he readied his contact crystal to relay a message, but this time to his captain back at camp. However, the moment he lifted the crystal, that same hand was severed from his forearm.

"What?! How's this--"

"Sorry, I can't have you interfering." That voice didn't startle the on-guard hunter, but it terrified him. "Now, you can join your comrades."

"Wait! I can be of use…"

As the man pled for his life, his plea fell on deaf ears. Rydel was already slicing through his throat before that last guard could finish his sentence.

'The final man has been neutralized. Head to the estate. I'll see you soon," reported Rydel as he climbed back on top of a building to regain his view and the high ground.

Rydel double-checked the surrounding area to make sure he got rid of all the following eyes and was happy to note that he was successful. Using the high ground again to his advantage, Rydel managed to catch up with Jack and the others but he didn't join them on the ground. The proud hunter stayed up top, ready to act at a moment's notice.

Though he was prepared, Rydel's awareness didn't seem to be necessary. In minutes, the party reached their destination, this time with new disguises and walking casually now that they were out in the open.

By the time the party had reached the front gate of the private estate, Rydel had already picked the locks and allowed them entry. Finally, they could take a breather.

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Chapter end