Snow covered the French Countryside outside the chateau of Les Assassins Silencieux. Like a rock, the fortress of the Crimson Thorn stood. Although the facility possessed some of the most advanced technology on the planet, the shrewd Esther Cottilard Lebeau knew never to rely solely upon technology. After all, nothing could match a true assassin's intuition. Therefore, groups of highly-trained assassins patrolled the grounds of the mansion on a regular basis. That night, like most nights, patrols were sent out like clockwork. However, that night would not be like the nights before it.
Around the eastern wall of the facility, there was a dense cluster of trees. Although it provided a nice privacy barrier, the trees required the assassins to patrol that area extra thoroughly. This meant leaving the confines of the chateau and venturing into the trees. A set routine was established in conducting this patrol: Two guards would stand watch, ready to summon reinforcements if necessary; and the rest would go into the trees silently and search for any hidden threats which may be lurking about. It was an extraordinarily precise system which they had.
That night, a detachment of eight guards assigned to the eastern wall were conducting a thorough check in the trees. As usual, two guards held their position while the remaining six headed into the forest. To these men, that chateau was their home. When at the mansion, they were always in their element. Nothing could catch them off-guard. The two remaining guards stood there scanning the treeline with their eyes, apparently ready for anything. Through the silence of the night, something could be heard in the trees which lasted for only a split second. It was the sound of a light whistle.
Suddenly, an arrow shot out of the trees and struck one of the guards directly in the torso. As the arrow impaled its target, the force sent the assassin's body flying like a rag doll. When the second guard touched his communicator to raise the alarm, another arrow shot out of the trees and struck him directly in the skull. The force of the arrow literally took the guard's head off, leaving him grotesquely decapitated. Over the next few minutes, barely a sound came out of the trees. Above the wind, very little was heard save for the occasional sound of metal slicing through flesh.
A few minutes later, a tall dark figure quietly appeared out of the treeline. He wore a long coat with a hood over his head, hiding his face. With a sword hanging from his belt, a quiver of arrows on his back, and a bow held firmly in his left hand, the stranger looked like a ranger of old. His whole life, he had stayed in the shadows. Though his real name (William Greystoke) was unknown, to many he was simply referred to as "the Hunter." Walking over to the two fallen bodies, he picked them up and went back into the forest with them. Emerging once more, he bent over, picked up the severed head, and looked at it briefly. He then threw it into the forest and turned his attention upon the magnificent chateau of Les Assassins Silencieux.
Silently, the stranger sprinted across the snow, being sure to only step in the tracks which the guards had made. As he neared the eastern wall, the Hunter gathered his strength and leaped upwards. His right hand caught the top of the stone wall and he vaulted over, landing on the other side without a sound. He was in. However, getting into the LAS chateau would be much easier than getting out. Les Assassins Silencieux had been known throughout the ages as a feared organization. Now, with Esther Cottilard Lebeau as the matriarch, the organization had grown much deadlier than ever.
The Hunter had not gone two steps before his heightened senses came into play. Immediately, his ears picked up the sounds of approaching footsteps. He then hid behind a stone column just in time to see a group of patrolling assassins go by. No matter what kind of training was given on stealth, the ears of the Hunter would hear regardless. When they were gone, he resumed moving in the shadows. For many hours, Greystoke had been out in the winter weather. His body temperature had fallen. However, his maintained his sharpness nonetheless. If anything, his decrease in body temperature served to his advantage. It would hopefully cause thermal sensors to miss his biological signature.
Les Assassins Silencieux was a deadly organization. Many highly trained killers resided there. Being a skilled warrior, Greystoke was not there to merely slaughter simple foot soldiers. In truth, another force had sent him to the chateau of the Crimson Rose. Truth be told, the foot soldiers and other high-ranking assassins would meet their end; but it would have to wait for another time. For now, the Hunter was after one group specifically: the chair holders. Those members presented the highest threat at the time. It was they who were now the Hunter's prey.
Just then, an idea dawned upon the Hunter. Unnerving his targets would give him a psychological advantage. With the conditions, every possible advantage would be most useful. He would see how these assassins would handle death when it had come upon some of their own. Another group of five guards were coming around the corner. Apparently, they were on their way back from their patrol duty. Remaining absolutely still, Greystoke waited for them all to walk by. Then, the Hunter used animal-like stealth and crept slowly behind the guards.
Drawing his dagger in his left hand, Greystoke slashed the calf of the rear guard, covered the mouth, then slit the man's throat. Immediately, the remaining four turned and faced him. He had no choice but to engage them in direct combat. With his right hand, he drew his sword and engaged the deadly foot soldiers in combat. In less than ten seconds, the remaining four guards lay dead on the ground. The piece of body armor under the Hunter's cloak had protected his torso. As for the wounds received on his arms and face, they healed themselves in a matter of seconds.
Cleaning both of his sword, he sheathed it but kept out his knife. It was time for him to go to work. Rolling up his sleeves, he stuck his adamantium blade into a corpse and gutted the body like a fish. Reaching inside, he grabbed the intestines. "Time to see how strong this fellow's stomach really was..." he thought to himself. As he pulled out the guard's small intestine, he wrapped it around the neck and hoisted the body up off the ground. The Hunter then repeated the process with the another as well. For the remaining three, he had something special in mind. He first severed each of their heads. Then, he lined the dead bodies up side-by-side. In a sick and twisted form of mockery, he rearranged the heads, placing a head next to a body that it did not belong to. To finish, he took each guard's sword and stuck the blade into each guard's mouth.
It was a sick message which was portrayed. However, he was not done yet. Cleaning up, he made his way around the corner. On the side of the building, he took hydrogen and prepared to write out a message on the wall with it. It would only be a matter of time before the bodies were discovered by someone. As Greystoke was writing out the message, his hears picked up footsteps. Then, came the voices. When he peered around the corner, the Hunter immediately noticed the chair holder known as Sebastian, or Platinum Warrior, make his stumble upon the bodies. Sebastian had a flashlight to see in the dark. However, the Hunter did not need a flashlight. Like an animal, Greystoke could naturally see quite well in the dark. Indeed, it would make things somewhat easier.
Just then, Platinum Warrior called for aid. In a few moment's the cyborg known as Egan appeared on the scene. Due to the cold weather, the Hunter's body temperature was still under control, even after he had engaged in combat. Therefore, it was a work of divine Providence that Greystoke's position had not been given away. An amazing opportunity had come about. Right before him were two chair holders of the legendary Les Assassins Silencieux.
In order to further the psychological warfare, Greystoke quickly took the liquid and finished his message. When he was finished, he ran back a safe distance. Reaching back, the Hunter drew a special arrow which would produce flame when it struck its target. Carefully taking aim, Greystoke shot the arrow into the side of the building. Immediately, the message was spelled out in flame bright and clear saying "YOU SHALL BE NEXT..." The burning hydrogen created a large flame, but gave off no smoke whatsoever. In addition, the large concentration of heat would make Greystoke's body temperature fade even more into obscurity. With that, the Hunter took off into the shadows to create more unnerving events. In due time, he would strike. When the time was right, he would make the kill....
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