Chapter 187: Knife Fight
The streets emptied the further Lucia fled from the mercantile district. Those that remained on the darkening roads gave her a wide berth or otherwise ignored her completely. She darted into side alleys, backtracking and obfuscating her path as best she could. The longer the shadows grew the more effective [Fade] became, and Lucia flitted between buildings and cover, all but invisible during the brief moments her pursuer may have been able to spot her.
She ran along a wall, only for the man to emerge from an alley several metres in front of her. Lucia cursed and sprinted in the other direction, juking around carts and between barrels. She vanished into the shadows, then pivoted, dashing to break line of sight, then altering her path to stay unpredictable.
Lucia ducked into a doorway, sweat beading on her forehead as she fought to regain her breath. Her shoulders and back ached from carrying her burden, and if it wasn’t for her [Light Footwork] skill her legs would be trembling. Her racing heart slowed as she recovered, and she strained her ears to pick up any sound. The street seemed to be silent, but Lucia knew better than to believe she was safe. She didn’t think her pursuit had any stealth skills, but she also hadn’t expected him to keep up.
She carefully peered around the wall, only to curse under her breath as she saw a figure walking down the street towards her. It was hard to make out their appearance, and what evening light filtered down into the city between the terraced buildings wasn’t enough to make it any easier. Her hand tightened on the hilt of her sword, and her body tensed, ready to make the first strike.
Footsteps echoed on cobbled stones as she shifted her packs off her shoulder. They were close, ten metres, then five. Their approach slowed, then stopped, and it took every ounce of self control she had not to burst out of cover and attack right then and there. Something rattled, then light bloomed just out of sight, followed by the sound of a metallic latch shutting. The footsteps trailed away moments later, and Lucia let out the breath she hadn’t realised she had been holding.
A lamp lighter, of course, that made sense. She glanced out of cover briefly, but didn’t spot anyone else. Re-gathering her newly purchased belongings, Lucia left her hiding spot and made for where Leif would hopefully be waiting for her. If she was too late, he might come looking for her, but that would only increase the odds of them passing like ships in the night. Lucia half jogged, half walked, her head on a constant swivel as she approached the rendezvous. The side street in question came into view a minute later, and Lucia picked up the pace, using [Fade] once again to flitter across the street, though the sharp stab of pain in her soul made her wince.
“Leif? Are you-” Lucia said as she rounded the final corner, only for a hand to smother her words as a figure lunged forwards with alarming speed. She tried to tug away but her attacker grabbed her by the arm with an iron grip.
“Shhhh! Don’t yell, I’m sorry, but both of our safety relies on this. Please don’t fight.” The man hissed, pulling Lucia into the side-street. “Where’s the masked man you were travelling with? Wait, don't answer… I mean, you can’t… Stop struggling! Hey, cut that out!”
Lucia twisted and threw herself out of his grasp, and the man cursed, grabbing for her but missing. She hopped back, both packs falling to the ground, then she kicked her foot under the strap of one of them and flicked it into the man’s chest.