The Assassin 1

The Assassin 1 is an encounter in Children of the Dragon-Rider.
==Enemies==
* Royal Hound (1495 Gold, 184 XP, 115 Energy, 7/8/9 HP)
* Royal Houndmaster (1560 Gold, 192 XP, 120 Energy, 7/8/9 HP)
==Transcript==
===Introduction===
Aya jumped up and kicked off against the side of the small outbuilding. She twisted in mid-air, and let the momentum launch her into the wall of the barn. There she repeated the maneuver - kicking off and spinning around to land on top of the outbuilding.
An agile leap threw her back at the barn. This time her fingertips found purchase in the old wood, tiny gaps and protrusions that few others would have noticed in the dead of night, let alone been able to harness. The Kamamura ninja darted up the building and vaulted onto the slanted roof.
It was the tallest of the farm's structures, commanding a pleasing view of the surrounding landscape. Woods and fields formed a black mantle. Starlight painted silver highlights onto the darkness. Like blades hidden amongst the shadows.
"A lovely night," a woman's voice said.
"Yes," Aya replied.
Perhaps the speaker was displeased not to have startled the ninja. It was some moments before spoke again.
"I wanted to know what you were doing out here."
"I'm glad you find me so fascinating. Or perhaps you don't trust me?"
"I don't trust women who hide behind masks. Only murderers hide their faces."
Aya spun round. Her hand darted out, and something glinted as is flew through the night.
"If you're trying to kill me," Clara said, "you'll have to try harder."
She held the ninja's shuriken between here thumb and forefingers.
"I was merely proving my point. Only a trained assassin could have caught that."
"Yes... I used to be an assassin. But I took off my mask."
As though on cue, a beam of faint moonlight slipped through the clouds and shone on a pretty half-elven face.  Then Clara threw her lithe body into a backflip, and disappeared off the edge of the barn.
***
His dogs detected it first. They froze, and stared into the night with bright black eyes. Their noses twitched. So did their ears.
Walthern reached for his sword with a slow, deliberate hand. He felt a rush of comfort once it closed around the weapon's grip. But he winced when he drew it, and the blade screeched against the metal scabbard. The others had told him to use leather... He cursed himself for his stupidity. He cursed his wife even more for choosing such a damned stupid birthday present.
The dogs growled. Their leashes grew taut in his grasp. The hounds' snouts and salivating jaws were aimed across the grass, at the bushes.
He gulped. What if it was a bear? Or something worse? One of the lads said he'd seen a manticore flying overhead last week... But would his dogs be this eager to go after a manticore? Or even a bear? Walthern didn't think so. That bit of logic made him exhale. It was probably just a raccoon of some other furry little animal the hounds wanted to gobble up. Or maybe a damn vagrant napping in the bushes.
The hounds barked, first one and then the rest. Walthern shrugged. If tearing a raccoon open or snacking on a vagrant's hide made them settle down, they were welcome to it. So he let go of the leashes. The dogs ran.
===Conclusion===
"Here, boys!" Walthern said. He added a whistle. "Here!"
But the bushes were still and silent. Not a single leaf rustled in the place where the hounds had vanished.
"They can't hear you," a female voice whispered.
An icy chill crept across Walthern's neck. He turned around slowly, and the strength seemed to drain away from his muscles. A pair of eyes gazed at him from above a dark mask.
He tried to scream, but his throat spurted blood instead.
Category:Children of the Dragon-Rider