Azith

Everyone stared at him as he entered the tavern, but he didn’t pay any mind. Eyes tend to follow him wherever he went, so of course this place wouldn’t be any different. The stench of alcohol hit him as he weaved in between the tables, getting stronger as he reached the counter.

The bartender looked him over, trying to hide a grimace. Wasn’t a fan of battle-worn faces, evidently.

“What’ll it be?”

“Information,” he said, dropping a bag of coins on the counter.

The bartender stared at the bag. She slowly moved her hand towards it, but the man picked it up again. “I’m looking for someone.”

The bartender scoffed. “Course you are. Haven’t ya considered normal folks don’t want anythin’ to do with you assassins?”

The assassin gave her a smile so revolting she had to turn away. To look at anything but him. She grabbed a glass that was in the sink and poured whatever was in the bottle closest to her.

“Sweetheart,” he drawled out as she set the glass in front of him, “haven’t you considered we don’t care?” She tried to put on the meanest face she could muster, but his cackle proved it didn’t work. The hood of the cloak with the added effect of the dim lighting made it so his face wasn’t clear, but she could make out the part where the skin was torn away, leaving nothing but bone. She could feel his eyes even if they were covered, and she was sure they were cold and terrifying.

And his hand…

She really wished the king would stop reanimating corpses to be his dogs. It made her job so unbearable.

Especially when there was barely any skin left on them.

“Hand over the money. Then we’ll talk.”

He was still for a moment, then pulled out the bag. Grabbing a fistful of coins, he put them on the table. “The rest for after you talk.”

She sighed and put the coins in her dress pocket. “Who’re ya looking for?”

“Someone called Azith. Powerful sorcerer. Some say he lives in the forest around these parts, but you can’t really trust the words of peasants, now can you? Ever heard of him?”

The bartender ran her hands through her hair. “Yeah, I know who you’re speaking of. Don’t see ‘em around too often. Not sure exactly where they live, but I know it’s somewhere deep in the woods. To the east, I think. Well, that’s the direction they always walk off, anyways.”

The man tilted his head. “You’ve actually seen him.”

The bartender nodded.

“How long ago was that?”

She shrugged. “Don’t really remember. A little over a month ago, I think.”

He smiled at her again, soaking up the satisfaction he got when she shuddered. “You’ve been very helpful. Thank you, darling.” He put the bag on the counter and stood up. “Also, you might want to actually wash the cup you give to your guests. Seems like bad business otherwise.” He walked away without another word, ignoring all the stares following as he passed.

The bartender looked at the bag of coins and couldn’t help but smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The job wasn’t easy: he knew that, of course. You can’t be working as long as him and expect the target to come to you on a silver platter.

But who the hell wants to trudge through the woods for three hours when it’s cold enough outside to turn your fingers blue?

He tightened his cloak, wishing being undead meant being immune to weather. Nope, apparently not. He could still shiver, but his body wouldn’t shut down.

“If only I had a horse,” he mumbled to himself. His appearance was too ghastly--scared them all away. So, he didn’t have a choice. At least he couldn’t die of exhaustion.

Though sometimes he wished he could.

Pausing, he noticed a faint light between the trees up ahead. Must be getting close.

Eventually, he reached a cabin that radiated soft yellow light. This was where Azith resided, no question about it. The magical energy was almost overpowering. A strong sorcerer was here in deed.

This would be no ordinary kill. He would have to be quiet.

And quick.

It didn’t seem like anyone was inside when he peered through the windows. Waiting in a tree would be the best course of action. He’d have the element of surprise that way.

He wasn’t sure how long he’d been up there. He was getting weary from his watch. As he was struggling to keep his eyes open, he noticed a small white rabbit by the cabin. There was something strange about it, but he couldn’t place his finger on it. He watched as it hopped to his tree.

Its screech was unworldly.

The shock itself was almost enough to knock him to the ground, but he managed to catch himself.

“What’s wrong, Moonlight? Did you see something?”

A figure appeared next to the rabbit. The hood of her lavender cloak was up, so he couldn’t see the face. The voice was high though--definitely a woman. Couldn’t be Azith. A lover of his maybe? And what was with the rabbit? No one told him there was going to be a screaming rabbit.

The figure stared at it for a moment. “An intruder? Where?” He could feel his heart pounding. The figure waved her hand.

And just like that, he was inexplicably on the ground. So much for being stealthy.

He was able to get a better look at her now. She was rather young--early twenties probably. Her skin was a warm umber, her hair long with dark curls, her eyes as dark as the night. She was wearing a simple black dress underneath her cloak that was slightly muddy and torn at the hem.

Azith’s lover for sure. She was too pretty to be anything else.

Pity. He didn’t like killing beautiful girls.

He jumped to his feet and raced at her, unsheathing his sword.

Something slammed into him and sent him flying, hitting a tree on impact. Standing in front of him was a giant white rabbit-like creature. Its fangs were jet black, and its red eyes pierced into him. His gaze fell to the claws dripping scarlet, and his hand shot to his side. There was a new, deep gash.

His eyes were struggling to stay open. He watched the girl put herself between him and the rabbit. It sounded like she was screaming something, but he wasn’t completely sure. Staying conscious was becoming so strenuous.

He felt a hand gently tilt his face up. The girl was there. It seemed like she was saying something, but the blood loss was making it hard to process. He just needed to rest for a moment. Only for a moment…

Healing wounds was tiring work, after all, and he couldn’t let his target get away.

He opened his eyes again, far more focused than he was before. He grabbed her hand and pushed her to the ground. She looked up at him in shock.

“Now,” he began, grabbing her shoulder and holding his sword to her neck. He glanced at the rabbit, but it didn’t seem to move. “I’m looking for Azith. Got a feeling you know him.”

The girl looked confused. “Him?”

Of course. She was daft, too. “Yes. Where is he? You know where he is, don’t you?”

“I mean, I suppose,” she giggled, only irritating him further. “My name is Azith, but I’m certainly not a ‘him’.”

He hadn’t realised how quiet the forest was until that moment. “But… you can’t be Azith. You’re just a girl!”

She huffed. “Well, I detest being called ‘just a girl’. I am a nonbinary woman, though.”

A nonbinary… no, that’s not what he was told. He was told the target was a… powerful sorcerer…

Of course, she could be lying.

“Prove it.”

“Prove it? How?”

“If you’re really Azith, do a spell.”

The girl shrugged. Closing her eyes, she began whispering something under her breath.

When she opened them again, they were completely lavender. She touched his head, and his body tensed up. His chest began to feel heavy. It was a long time since he felt genuine fear. It was not something he missed. He couldn’t even ask what was happening.

“I’m purifying you. You’re one of the king’s assassins, aren’t you?” Tears were rolling down her cheeks as she sat up. “What he does to you is cruel. He shouldn’t be tampering with the dead like that.”

His skin was beginning to flake away. Self healing was not working. He longed for death ever since he was reanimated, but now he so desperately wanted to cling to his mediocre life.

He remembered his first life. He was a baker in a small village at the edge of the kingdom. He remembered his friends, his family, his dog.

The knights that raided his village.

All these years he was using his past to fuel his spite, but now he felt… free.

He smiled. He had a good life, didn’t he?

He could rest now.

Azith flopped to the ground and let out a sob. Something fluffy rubbed against her arm, and she reached out to pet the now normal sized rabbit. “I absolutely hate doing that, Moonlight.” She sat up and placed the rabbit in her lap. “He looked happy at the end, though. So, that’s good. He’s in a better place. That’s all that matters.”

She stood up and walked back to her cabin.