Perched high on the steeples of the temple dedicated to Errix, watched the vigilant Elucard and Cade. Together they scanned across the vast desert city. Their eyes sharply trained to pick out their target, even within the crowded streets of a bustling marketplace.

“The god of wayward travelers; perhaps we need a god of luck.” mused Cade half to himself, but loud enough for Elucard pick up the comment.

Elucard’s eyes slid to Cade. “Errix is a perfect deity for our journey, but I suspect a certain blue angel of magic is with the Spellbreakers this day.”

Cade gave Elucard a short chuckle and hopped carefully to the temple’s ledge.

“You are fluent in Draak’Terran mythology? You are a well read man, Cade,” complemented Elucard with a smile. He paused for a brief moment before speaking again. “Krem shev alv Salrothian?”

“Los. Merv yolmo Salrothian.” Cade laughed out his response.

Elucard nodded. “I would agree that you are very adept at the language. I haven’t practiced much with it other than my master, but I had a close friend that might have been as good as you.” Elucard hid his frown at his reference to Jetta and turned his head back to the search.

“A close friend, perhaps a girl in your life?” Cade asked, attempting to pry more into Elucard’s private life.

Elucard gave a long sigh. “A section of my life I try to forget. It pains me even to this day despite it being at least a decade ago.”

“It has been that long, hasn’t it?” Cade whispered underneath his breath, but it passed through Elucard unnoticed.

“I—” Elucard’s eyes widened. He thrusted his finger to an alleyway that ran along the west end of the temple. “There. There is our Spellbreaker.”

Cade leaned over Elucard’s shoulder to get a good look. His firm chest rubbed against Elucard’s back and the elf couldn’t help but blush.

“Yes, I see him. Cade pushed off of his partner back to his feet. “So what’s the plan? We rough him up so that he crawls back to his rock and then we follow him?”

Elucard rose and pulled a dagger to his hand. “Exactly.”

Cade cracked his knuckles and dropped to the street below. Elucard grinned and raised his mask to the bridge of his nose. The business of a scoundrel is what he excelled at most and it was time to be a scoundrel once again.

***

The helpless Spellbreaker slammed against the stone wall with a shuddering thud. Elucard brought his thin blade close to his victim’s throat, lifting his Adam's apple with the edge of his dagger. “Now where are you off to in such a hurry?” Elucard said with a slithering hiss.

“N-none of you b-business!” stammered the Spellbreaker.

Cade slapped the Spellbreaker across the face. The strike jostled the small man’s wooden mask. “We’re making it our business!” growled Cade.

“You’ll get n-nothing out of me!” screamed the Spellbreaker.

“Well then,” Elucard glanced at Cade. “He’s got a strong will on him, don’t you think Cade.”

Cade yanked the tuft of the man’s scalp. “Oh yes, Elucard. We won’t be breaking this one. Just let him go.” Cade’s face morphed into an exaggerated frown. “Let’s find someone weaker than this one.”

Elucard sheathed his dagger and threw the Spellbreaker to the ground. “Get out of here!”

The shrouds narrowed their eyes as their target scurried off.

“Alright, we’ll give him some distance, but stay hidden. Let’s see if this little rat brings us to his hole,” whispered Elucard.

***

Elucard and Cade spied on their prey, watching as he dashed through the crowd, only looking back to see if he was followed several times in his path back to his hideout. Elucard hid within the crowd, leaning behind corners, and staying within the shadows of archways, letting his Black Rabbit instincts take over. His mind wandered over the concern of Cade. An elemental shroud, surely, he didn’t have the same skill set of a trained assassin. They were just glorified bodyguards, right? However, to Elucard’s pleasant surprise, Cade stuck to the darkness of alleys and stalked within the crowds as skilled as a lurking wolf.

Cade did mention his master was a Rabbit, like myself. Perhaps he was taught more than his share of needed techniques. Elucard said to himself. The magic of a shroud, the skills of a killer. Cade is far more dangerous than I give him credit for…handsome too.

Elucard shut his eyes and shook his head. “Focus, Elucard.”

Cade snuck his way beside Elucard and gestured to an opium lounge. “Our target has gone in there.”

Elucard looked to a second floor balcony. “We’ll enter through there. Come on.”

With the nimble reflexes and agile movements of a squirrel, Elucard leaped up the wall and pulled himself over the balcony. He wedged his dagger into the window and pried it open. In a matter of moments they were inside.

The arid layer of smoke scratched Elucard’s throat and dried his elven eyes as Cade and himself crept stealthily down the hallways of the maze-like lounge. Carefully they creaked open doors and peered inside the foggy rooms, searching for their Spellbreaker friend.

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A familiar voice broke through the stillness of passed out, broken men. Elucard placed hand on Cade’s shoulder and raised a finger to his lips. The two shrouds crouched on either side of a doorway veiled only by a long curtain of seashells.

“The same two shrouds from the other day, my lord,” said the squiremy voice of the Spellbreaker

Elucard silent whispered to Cade. “This is our man.” Elucard was unsure if Cade knew how to hear a silent whisper. How much did Cade’s Black Rabbit master teach him? However, Cade nodded and responded back with the silent tongue. “Yes, but who is he talking to?”

They continued to listen in.

“Were you followed, Keras?” Unlike the first voice, this new voice had a deeper edge. Commanding. Confident. Powerful. Yes, he was the Spellbreaker leader. Elucard was sure of it.

“No, my lord.”

“The rally continues tonight, then. Azeva’s student will be sacrificed as an example to the mages of this city.”

“Yes my lord.”

“They will learn the meaning of respect and fear of Erzathen, heir to Urd’Draak. I shall see to that myself.

“Lord, Raze, what of the shrouds?”

Raze. So he leads the Spellbreakers. Elucard thought.

“Do we make our move, Elucard?” asked Cade.

“No, we need to find out where they have Nia. Her safety is our number one priority,” said Elucard.”

Cade nodded and together they continued to listen to Raze’s conversation for any clues to their mission.

“They are of no concern to me. If they try to rescue Azeva’s brat, they will learn why we are called the Spellbreakers!”

The slimy man snickered.

“Prepare the prisoner for the ritual,” ordered Raze. “Make sure her Magi is drained before she is sacrificed tonight.”

Elucard gave Cade a puzzled look. “They can take away Magi? Elucard flexed his left arm.

“Hide!” hissed Cade as the rattling of the beads and shells jiggled.

The two Spellbreakers walked out of the meeting room and Elucard gestured to Keras as he headed down a set of stairs.

Sure to sneak past Raze unnoticed, Elucard and Cade followed the Spellbreaker as he made his way to the cellar of the lounge. There, a frightened desert elf maiden huddled, chained in the corner.

“Please let me go,” her meek voice came out with a gentle sob.

“You will be set free all in good time, child. Set free for all the city to see,” Keras said with a sinister smile. He took out a small dish of red powder and dabbed it on the elf’s face.

“What is this? What are you doing?”

“Your use of the Magi is an abominable act against our dragon gods. You will be relinquished of your magic.”

Nia’s eyes widened with fear. “My-my magic?”

Keras stood and lit three sandalwood incense and wafted their thin trails of smoke around his prison. He muttered a prayer in the draconian tongue. With the final word the red powder began to glow.

“Please! Please let me go!” Nia shouted with a shrill plea.

Keras chuckled. He lifted a smooth pink orb and rubbed it. “Not a cha—gaak!”

A long emerald lit blade emerged from Keras’s chest and sunk back in. Keras dropped like a sack of potatoes. Dead.

Elucard sheathed his sword and Cade slid to Nia’s side, swift to wipe the markings from her face.

“Elucard, look for a key to her cuffs,” said Cade.

Elucard rummaged through Keras’s robes before finding a small iron key and unlocked Nia’s shackles. The young mage rubbed her chaffed, irritated wrists.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“Friends,” Cade said with a small grin. He searched around the room. looking for a window or grate to escape to safety. He pushed aside shelving and rolled away barrels. Finally, behind a tattered drape, he found his way out.

The window was too small for a human to pass through, but a good size for an elf. “Come here, Nia.”

The dune elf complied and nervously shuffled to the hydro shroud.

“You needn't be frightened of me. Elucard and myself are here to help you,” Cade cooed with a kind voice.

Elucard placed a set of firm hands on her waist and lifted her up to the window. “Hurry, crawl to the street, we’ll be right behind you.”

Heavy footsteps approached down the stairwell.

“Quickly, quickly, Nia,” Cade said, pushing the mage through the window.

“You next, Cade.” Elucard assisted his partner’s foot with his palm and lifted him up to the window.

“You!” A threatening voice broke across the cellar. Raze had arrived.

Elucard drew his ninjato and flared a surge of vernal magic through it.

“So you are the shroud thorns in my side?” Raze curled his fists until they cracked. His voice hissed through his vented mask. His golden eyes beaded into Elucard’s own.

A long, cold silence shifted between the two deadly men.

Elucard attempted to take a step forward, but then Raze pulled out a short, blue, steel cylinder from his belt. Taking it in both hands it extended into a staff, crackling with electricity on either end.

“Witness Erzathen’s chosen one, Shroud!” Raze spat before dashing forward.

Elucard lowered his form into a defensive stance, preparing for the incoming attack. However, no matter how intune his own reflexes were, Raze’s were faster. His staff whacked across Elucard’s chin. The elf nearly bowled over from the impact. Before Elucard could recover, Raze landed another blow to Elucard’s gut.

Elucard fell to his knees sucking in any air that he could. His body felt numb with each sparking hit. He grit his teeth and tightened his grip on his hilt. With a blood-boiling glare to Raze, Elucard made his move.

The forest elf whipped a vine at Raze’s staff to disarm him, but to Elucard’s surprise the vine shattered into thousands of tiny green specks of glass as soon as it made contact with the staff.

What!? How!? Elucard’s mind echoed. No Matter. If magic won’t work, raw talent will!

Elucard leaped in the air, twisted his body, and lashed out a set of kicks. The first struck the Spellbreaker’s jaw, but Raze was quick to catch Elucard’s foot on the second attack. With a sundering slam, Elucard was thrown to the ground.

Raising his staff in the air, Elucard’s opponent thrust downward.

An explosion of pain erupted from Elucard’s chest. He summoned all his might to endure the agony. He grasped the staff and thrashed at Raze’s legs. It did the trick, releasing Elucard so that he could roll to the wall. Elucard steadied himself as he climbed to his feet.

He’s tough. Fast too. Ever since my fight with the yikahti in Scorch, I’ve been off my game. I need to get back to training and shake off this rust. If I keep fighting like some Black Rabbit recruit, I’ll get myself killed.

Raze slowly approached Elucard, twirling his staff. With each rotation, the bo hummed like a hive of wasps. “You fight well, Shroud, but you are no match for Erzathen’s paladin.”

“Who are you, what’s your motive here?” asked Elucard between labored breaths.

“I am the Spellbreaker, Raze, and I will take back the Magi,” snapped Raze

Elucard gave him a tired nod. The lightning from the staff paused his flow of magic. He needed to overclock his left arm to keep it from stiffening up. As deadly as he thought his new arm was, it was nothing but an unnecessary added challenge to his fight with Raze.

“Enough stalling, Shroud. It is time that you die.”

Suddenly, a hand snatched Elucard by the collar and dragged him through the window.

“We must leave, now!” Cade whispered frantically.

Raze screamed in frustration. His rage bounced off the alley walls.

“Agreed,” Elucard sighed in relief.