Hunter slipped down the side of the building like a falling shadow. His footfalls were soft, but his skills didn't let even that errant whisper escape. He prowled to the corner of the structure where it met the main thoroughfare and checked both ways. Both parties of tieflings were facing away from him, but they were making progress to the nearest side street.

After Hunter's assassination spree, he was well acquainted with the layout of the outpost. The gate that led down the mountain was to the south, while the northern gate led to the top of the mountain. In between the two, a wide road ran between them. If Hunter were traveling from South to North, the path would be broken about three-quarters of the way up by the mayor's residence. On either side of the path were branching streets that led to shops, homes, and crafting buildings. All told, there were only six of these streets with three on either side.

Hunter was located on the center of the three side streets on the eastern side of the town. His grandparents were traveling to the western side of the Outpost one street down from his own. Meanwhile, the Mayor and his merry band were sticking to the east side. That was good for Hunter. There was only a single row of houses between him and his prey.

Hunter slunk across the small side street and used Wind Walk to propel him up to the roof of the adjoining home. He crept over its length like a spider. He wanted to keep his profile low. Silhouetting himself against the moonlight was a surefire way of revealing himself to the enemy. That kind of motion where it didn't belong, elevated or not, would capture the tiefling's attention.

As Hunter caught sight of the Mayor banging his fist against the door of a nearby residence, he found himself wishing that he had his trusty throwing knives. He didn't have any ranged options besides throwing his staff like a spear. The posture required for such a throw would be noticed, and it might even bring his grandparents running to assist the mayor. That was a conflict Hunter wanted to avoid.

The teenager was distracted from his maudlin thoughts by shouting and screaming from the street below. It seemed that James had grown tired of pounding on the door, and he instructed his peons to bust it down. Hunter didn't know why the tiefling bothered. All of the doors were unlocked. Hunter had used his skills to unlock them on his first pass through the Outpost.

What an idiot.

Hunter heard an eagle cry from above him, so he turned his gaze skyward. His companion sounded worried.

Manling, the other party is turning around. They found the corpses of your prey, and they're rushing to find the rest of the black-hearts.

Damn, I'll take care of it.

Hunter slid off of the roof just as the mayor and his companions busted through the wooden door. The teenager hit the ground softly and rushed toward his departing foes. He wanted to finish them and exfiltrate before his grandparents arrived. Time was not on his side.

Hunter had just reached the threshold of the domicile when he heard surprised gasps coming from the mayor and his cronies. Hunter didn't wait for an introduction, as soon as he passed through the doorway and launched his wind-tipped spear.

Unfortunately, Hunter's aim was poor. Instead of goring the mayor and taking out the biggest threat as he had hoped, his staff felled one of his underlings. On top of that, it was the spellcaster that went down. It was the worst possible kill. Inside the interior of the home, the spell caster was the one that was the most restricted.

Sorry, Don. Bad luck for both of us.

The other two men reacted surprisingly quickly. They were quick enough. One tiefling used a spear while the mayor wielded a sword. Both weapons required space, and they were too close to effectively use their weapons without hampering the other. Hunter took advantage of that fact. He was already within their ranks with talons at the ready.

Hunter's plan to take out the mayor first had already been altered, so he decided to separate the wheat from the chaff instead. He targeted the tiefling with the spear first. His first strikes went through the man's spear and lopped its head from the shaft. It was nothing more than a staff. While the staff was an excellent weapon for Hunter, it was a nightmare for the tiefling.

The demon stared down at his mutilated weapon in a mix of shock and horror. Shock that the enemy was already among them and horror at the fact that he could only face Hunter with a broken weapon.

Hunter shared no such feelings. He punched his talons into the tieflings chest and pulled out the man's beating heart. It was gory and primal, but it served the effect that Hunter wanted. The mayor backed away in fear as Hunter through the vital organ to the wooden floorboards.

The teenager sneered.

"You barely defeated me last time, James. I've come back for revenge. It seems your 'Great One' doesn't give a shit about you."

"T-that's not possible, boy. You're meant to be a sacrifice."

Hunter sneered. "It's comforting that you already knew my fate. I guess this is what happens when you get too greedy, mayor."

Rage crossed the tiefling's face, and he brandished his sword more confidently than before. It didn't matter to Hunter. His attributes were far higher than they were last time. The teenager was confident he could get the killing blow in before the mayor had time to realize his fate was already sealed. Hunter felt bloodlust rising in his chest. The mayor had embarrassed him, insulted him at every turn, and was willing to betray him for a master that didn't give a single shit for the mayor's existence. Hunter was angry. Even better, he felt that he had a right to be angry.

Hunter crossed the distance between him and the mayor in a blink of an eye. The mayor awkwardly tried to bring his blade downward, but Hunter was already moving out of the way. They exchanged a series of strikes and dodges. Not a single attack from the mayor landed, but Hunter slashed bloody gouges from the man's flesh.

Hunter started with non-lethal places. He hit the mayor's right shoulder, then the outside of his left thigh, then a glancing strike against the forearm of the demon's sword arm. Each successful hit was painful and distracting. The wounds slowed the mayor even further, but he wasn't in danger of bleeding out anytime soon.

The tiefling struck with a horizontal slash that would have separated Hunter's head from his body if he hadn't been paying attention. As it was, the strike looked like it was traveling through the air in slow motion to Hunter's enhanced attributes. All the teenager had to do was gracefully duck under the arc and clap his hands together to turn them into a single blade rushing for the mayor's gut.

His claws pierced into the demon's soft belly before Hunter reversed his hands and spread them apart like he was performing a breaststroke. Metal protested at Hunter's talons shredded the mayor's armor and the skin beneath it.

Hunter was already stepping back before the tiefling's sword had made its full journey through the air. Gray intestines spilled from the mayor's gut with a flood of tar-colored blood. The effect on the demon was immediate.

James' sword tumbled from his grasp and dully clanged against the wooden floors. The mayor tried to pick up his own falling organs and stuff them back into his belly. Hunter watched on with a satisfied smirk on his face. He knew it was wrong, but Hunter couldn't help the delight he felt at repaying the mayor's betrayal with a betrayal of his own.

If Hunter had any doubts about killing the tieflings in the Outpost, they were swept away by the fury he felt at being captured in the first place. He still hadn't escaped. A pilfer waited for him outside the village. This little excursion was still all part of the Rift Keeper's plan. Hunter had a little hope that he'd be able to escape the Great One's clutches, but all he had to go on was a half-baked plan from the Sentinel and his own burning desire to survive.

If I want to live, I need to live like an eagle—and an eagle hunts its prey.

Hunter launched his finishing attack while the mayor was still distracted by his grievous wound. Hunter held out his claws like he was making an underhand toss. He flexed his knees and brought his talons skyward like he was trying to grip the moon.

His wind enhanced strikes sliced through the mayor's jaw and face like a knife through butter. They didn't stop until the mayor's nose was a ruined mess, and his eyes were little more than miniature popped balloons. Black blood sprayed across Hunter's hand, arm, and face, but the teenager didn't care. He had experienced much worse up to this point.

The sheer force of the blow rocked the mayor's head backward, and he was propelled from his feet before crashing to the ground. Hunter strode over to him like a hunting cat on the prowl. He plucked his staff from the cooling corpse of the spell caster and positioned himself over the mewling demon.

Hunter cracked the butt of his staff against the already weakened skull of the demon, and it sank into the flesh with a sickening squelch. Hunter could've ended it quickly by using wind to turn his staff into a spear, but he didn't bother. Instead, he activated Tempest Strikes and pummeled the face of the mayor repeatedly. He kept going until the demon's skull was nothing but black, gray, and white paste on the ground.

Hunter was breathing heavily by the end of his furious assault. Some of the rage had faded from his heart and had been replaced by a smoldering anger. He straightened and stepped away from the body of the mayor to consider his next moves. The entire battle had taken only minutes.

He stretched his senses until he heard the sound of his grandparents calling the mayor's name. He could detect their footfalls as they slapped against the dirt road. He didn't have any more time. With a sigh, he located the nearest primitive window furthest away from the door. It was basically a hole in the structure covered by some wooden shutters. Hunter summoned a Black Tornado and tossed it at the window. The shuttered were blown away, and then Hunter was following them.

He jumped through the window and broke into a sprint on the other side. He made sure to activate his Shadow of the Black Wind as he threw one last glance at the wreckage behind him. Hopefully, he could escape the Outpost with his grandparents none the wiser. It was better for everyone if they believed that he was dead or soon to be sacrificed to the Keeper.

When he left the palisades that separated the Outpost from the rest of the mountain, he withdrew the token used to summon the pilfer. He could feel Aquila circling in the sky above him, and it gave the teenager a measure of comfort.

It's now or never.