Ch 292: Converging toward the capital.

Akame exchanged a nod of encouragement with Tsukushi. They had less than five minutes left before it would be their turn to perform.

She glanced for an instant at her reflection in a small mirror. Her long, straight black hair, reaching down her back and only stopping mid-thighs, were free of any dandruff. The light makeup, something she didn't normally use, did a perfect job at hiding the slight signs of tiredness around her large red eyes. Her tunic, white with red trims, was equally spotless. Her four juggling knives were present and accounted for, sheathed on the left side of her belt.

"Always the perfectionist, Akame." grinned Tsukushi. "I would have told you if there was anything wrong with your appearance."

Akame smiled at her, checking Tsukushi's own appearance as well. Her large brown eyes, her bob of light brown hair with a rebellious bang stubbornly curving upward, and her brown and white dress leaving most of her creamy white legs exposed.

Then her smile faded.

"It's been almost a month." said Akame with a low voice.

"Yes." nodded Tsukushi, her eyes darting around for an instant, but they were alone in the large tent.

Almost a month, since they had joined the Sabatini Acrobatic Troupe. They had arrived possessing talent for acrobatics, but little practical experience, and the members of the Troupe had taken them in, treated them well, and helped them create their own entertainment show. One that would culminate with Tsukushi walking on a tightrope, with Akame standing over her shoulders while she juggled with her four knives.

"Almost a month. I'm hoping the intel was wrong. I've grown fond of them." sighed Tsukushi.

Akame nodded, as she, too, felt the same. They weren't some obvious robbers or murderers on the loose this time. She wouldn't be able to cut them down without feeling anything.

Akame shook her head to chase away the dark thoughts. She needed to focus on their performance for now, and…

Akame blinked as someone pushed open the tent's flap and Poney entered, an unusually serious expression on her face.

"Father is reassigning us. An urgent mission has come up, and we need to return to the capital. Another spark of war appeared."

"What about the Troupe? We haven't gotten confirmation yet." asked Tsukushi.

"Don't know. I think another group will deal with them."

Poney walked out, and Akame and Tsukushi hurriedly followed, secretly feeling relieved.

"What's happening in the capital?" frowned Tsukushi.

"We don't know for sure." replied Poney, her long brown tied in a ponytail swaying behind her. "It's either Night Raid or another group of assassins, but nobles and other important people are dying left and right all over the capital. Over two dozen already."

"What's the plan?" asked Akame.

"We have a few physical descriptions from witnesses." shrugged Poney. "One guard patrol caught one of them as she was leaving the scene, but they were all mercilessly cut down. Whoever they are, they aren't people average guards can deal with."

In the distance, Akame and Tsukushi could hear Sabatini announcing their names, expecting the girls to walk on stage. The two girls exchanged a glance and sighed, but didn't turn away.

Poney led them to a room at the town's inn where Gozuki and the four other members of the Elite Seven were already waiting. Cornelia was near the window, peering outside through a crack of the curtains for any suspect activity. Gai, Green and Najasho were sitting on the bed or standing, their backs against the walls of the small room.

"Welcome back, Akame, Tsukushi."

"Thank you, Father." smiled Akame.

"Father, what will happen to our current mission?" frowned Tsukushi.

"Another team will take over and determine their culpability. We still do not know if there's only one informant, and who, or if they all are." sighed Gozuki, pointing at the colored drawings of two women. "Something much more urgent came up. Tsukushi, Akame, memorize those drawings."

Akame nodded and paid close attention to the two wanted posters on the table.

"Darkness and Miwa?" are those really their names?" asked Tsukushi with a raised eyebrow.

"That is what the few witnesses heard them call each other, and this is all we have about their identities. We know their group has more members, but we didn't find anyone able to tell us about them."

"They won't be easy to find." said Akame.

"They won't, and we won't be the ones searching, since we don't have a lead about their current location. But when we do get one, my children will be there to pounce on them."

"Yes, Father!" exclaimed Akame and the others.

"I will count on you, my reliable children." smiled Gozuki. "For the sake of the people, let's extinguish another spark of war."

…

Najenda left the cover of the trees and sighed as she glanced at the sky, the morning sun hidden behind the cloud cover. The phantom pain from her missing right eye and right arm tended to be more insistent in this kind of weather.

Ignoring the throbbing, she surveyed her surroundings, listening to her instincts. Once she felt confident no one was spying on her, the former general of the Empire, now leader of one of the most notorious groups of assassins, took a white, frayed cape from the bag slung over her shoulder and pulled its hood over her head, hiding her identity and her mechanical right arm.

Now looking like just another tired traveler, too poor to sleep in the nearby town and having slept in the forest, she reached the road and mingled with the traffic. A lot of people, mostly pedestrians, were using the road as the town was relatively close to the capital.

Najenda entered the town without attracting any undue attention, as far as she could tell. She paid particular attention to her posture and mannerisms, hiding the little telltale signs of someone used to living in the shadows.

She finally reached her destination, an inn secretly managed by an informant of the Revolutionary Army. After exchanging the coded greeting, the innkeeper led her to a private dining room near the back of the building.

Najenda didn't quite manage to keep the surprise from her face as she recognized one of the three women sitting around the table.

"Babara, you old hag." nodded Najenda after the innkeeper left. "The Revolutionary Army must have emptied its coffers to hire you."

"They know to invest in quality when they need it." grinned Babara, not offended in the least.

While Babara Oarburgh was an old woman with long gray hair, her purple eyes were still full of vitality, and Najenda knew she still was one of the most skilled assassins currently alive.

In this particular field of work, one did not live to become old unless they were very good indeed.

The whole Oarburgh group, named after the mythological death god, was one of the most feared known assassination groups, as notorious amongst those who lived in the shadows for their proficiency, as well as for the exorbitant price they commanded. Najenda couldn't think of anyone who had been targeted by them and was still alive.

Najenda and Babara had crossed paths twice before, when the former was still working for the Empire. Once as colleagues, and once as enemies, when Najenda failed to protect a VIP Babara had been paid to kill. But they both knew to keep things professional, and there had been no bad blood between them.

"Najenda, let me introduce to you my two disciples." smiled Barara pointing first at a beautiful young woman with long dark-gray hair tied in a ponytail and lime-colored eyes, dressed in a light mauve martial artist's tunic that exposed her midriff. One peculiar feature of the woman's physique was a long purple bang that curved in front of her face and seemed unwilling to acknowledge that gravity was a thing. "This is Taeko, my strongest disciple."

Taeko bowed her head in a polite greeting, and Najenda nodded with a small smile.

"And this is Chelsea, who specializes in reconnaissance and infiltration." continued Babara as she gestured toward the other girls, one with long light red hair and cherry red eyes. She wore a butterfly-themed headphone accessory over her head, a white shirt under a black sleeveless vest, a checkered red miniskirt, and black leather knee-high boots.

"A pleasure to meet you." smiled Chelsea, taking her lollipop from her mouth.

"Likewise." nodded Najenda, taking a seat at the table. "Are we waiting for someone from the Revolutionary Army?"

"No." replied Babara. "They already briefed me. The Revolutionary Army wants both of our groups to work together and take out a group of imperial assassins. We do not have their identities or location, but we know their next targets are those making a ruckus at the capital."

"I heard things, about a few nobles dying every night for the last week. They blamed my own Night Raid for it." smiled Najenda. "I'm taking this as a compliment. People you know?"

"No. They are newcomers, as far as I can tell, and I don't recognize their style. They are brazen and use no poison, do not much care about silencing witnesses, and kill only using blades." replied Babara, reaching under the frayed clothes she wore and taking out a pair of wanted posters.

"Those have been plastered all over the capital after the third night, but that doesn't seem to deter them. The Revolutionary Army learned that the Empire is recalling its best assassination group, called the Elite Seven, to deal with them."

"And that's a golden opportunity for us to get rid of those Elite Seven." nodded Najenda after studying the posters. She didn't know the name previously, but when she had been on the imperial side, she had heard about several ongoing counter-insurgency secret projects, so it didn't surprise her.

"It is. The Revolutionary Army also wants to learn more about those women, to see if they are worth recruiting, assuming their goals are aligned." shrugged Babara. Then she smiled slyly. "And if they are good enough, I might consider taking them for myself."

"What? Wouldn't that count as betraying your client?" asked Najenda, shocked.

"Not our fault if they didn't formulate their request clearly enough. Their speculation about potentially recruiting them wasn't part of the contract we agreed upon."  smugly replied Babara.

"I see… Don't mind if I try to do the same, then. How much are we being paid for this particular mission? The risk is much higher than usual."

"Well enough for Oarburgh. The compensation for Night Raid wasn't mentioned, but they will surely make it worth your while."

Najenda nodded, not really worried. Night Raid supported the Revolutionary Army to put a stop to the Empire's oppression and casual brutality, not to enrich themselves, and their sponsors knew better than to try to scam assassination groups who had proved themselves.

"…I can't show my face in the capital. I am too well known over there." sighed Najenda. "But I will send my subordinates. Will you assume overall command, Babara?"

"If you do not mind, yes."

"Treat them well, and do not try to poach them. Or I'll go after you." smiled Najenda.

"It would be very rude of me." grinned Babara. "Do not worry, I won't put them at any more risk than I would with Taeko and Chelsea. Your own kids are too skilled to be used as cannon fodder."

"Very well. Where do they meet with you?"

Najenda didn't want to reveal the location of her own hideout, so she wouldn't bring the Oarburgh members to her base.

"If we stay in this inn, how fast can they reach us?" asked Babara.

"About two days."

"That's what we'll do, then. Now let's order some drinks!" grinned Babara. I want to hear about some of the jobs you did. The Valence noble last month was Night Raid's doing, right? How did you bypass his security?"

"Oh, that one? We waited until he went on a hunt and ambushed him and his escort in the woods. We…"

As she talked, still being careful not to give too many details about her subordinates' fighting styles or equipment, Najenda relaxed. Others might have worried that Babara and her disciples was really paid to ambush Night Raid at the worst time, but assassin groups, especially the mercenary ones who worked for money, followed an ironclad code of honor. They might ambush and kill in the dark, but they didn't misrepresent their employers if they chose to mention them.

…

Two days later, in the darkest hour before dawn, five figures approached the city's wall, away from the guarded gates.

Lubbock, walking in front of the group, lifted both hands toward the parapet, and thin wires sprung from the fingers of the gauntlets her wore. Responding to his will, the wires looped around the top stones, then formed a ladder.

Nodding to Bullock, Bulat was the first to climb, using steel-reinforced boots and gloves to avoid injuring himself on the thin wires. Leone and Sheele followed without a word.

"Don't use this opportunity to peek, or I'll make you full of holes." warned Mine when her turn came.

"Like you have anything worth peeking on." grumbled Lubbock in a low voice. Not low enough, apparently, as Mine flinched, turned, and punched him. Lubbock, his hands bound to the wire ladder, couldn't evade and endured in silence.

"Mph!" snorted Mine before quickly climbing the ladder.

Lubbock didn't taste blood in his mouth. Mine had gone easy on him out of habit, as Lubbock teased her almost every day about her flat chest. And also because they were on a mission against pros, and even the faint smell of blood following them might jeopardize it.

He undid the wire ladder, and used the wires to propel himself upward, deftly landing on the wall around the others. Seconds later, they were down on the streets, and headed toward the inn where they would meet the assassins from the Oarburgh.

…

"That will be three bronze coins." nodded the middle-aged man.

"Isn't that four bronze coins for four loaves of bread?" asked Luna.

"A free one for the pretty ladies." smiled the baker.

"Thank you very much, Mister!" grinned Fal, followed by Luna.

"I haven't seen you before. Which lord do you work for?" asked the baker, glancing down at the maid outfits they wore. The black and white outfits and black leather boots were pristine, giving off an impression of cuteness, and thin ribbons around the dress's collar and on the sides of the headbands were of the same color as their eyes.

"He's a Lord from the province. He has business in the capital, and he took us with him." smoothly replied Fal.

"Oh, I see. How do you like the capital so far?"

"It's huge and bustling and impressive!" nodded Fal. "But I heard rumors that the streets aren't very safe."

"Those rumors are true, unfortunately…" nodded the baker. "Really, you two shouldn't be walking around without a guard, even in broad daylight. Be careful on your way back, and ask your lord to assign you a guard or hire one, you hear?"

"Yes, thank you for your advice, mister." smiled Luna before the two girls walked away.

Luna glanced at a signboard near the bakery, where seven wanted posters were pinned. Two of those depicted two of the women who had saved her, but they didn't feel worried. Miwa-sama and Darkness-sama could easily fend off the attacks of anyone targeting them.

And as long as Air, Fal and Luna followed the four Agents of the Gods, they, too, would be safe.

"You're being followed. Take the next side street." whispered Nero-sama's voice near them, and both girls stiffened, then nodded with determination, not looking back.

They both took the narrower street on their right, then a back alley. They could now make out the sounds of several footsteps from the city's background noise, but they weren't really worried. They turned a corner and found themselves staring at a dead end.

Fal and Luna turned, still holding their groceries, and waited. Three large men turned the corner, wearing clothes that could identify them as either adventurers or street thugs.

"So ya knew ya were followed and tried to lose us, eh?" said the leader, a bald man with a scar running down the right side of his face, leering at them. "But you shouldn't try that unless you know the city like the back of yar hand. This is going to cost ya."

"What do you want with us?" asked Fal in a tight voice.

"We wanted to let you lead us to your house. Your master must have loads of money, to doll you up like this. But he must be naïve to let you walk around without guards." said another of the thugs. "Oh well, you will lead us there anyway, after we've had a bit of fun with you girls."

"We're going to gag ya now. Even if ya scream, no help will come. We bribed the guards. If they come, they'll just take their turns with ya!" grinned the bald one. "Don't resist, and we'll go easy on ya."

He made a step forward, wondering why the girls were now both looking away, then gasped, looking down incredulously at the jagged red blade protruding from his sternum. The other two were both beheaded by the time the bald man fell down, none having the time to scream.

"All done." said Nero.

"I'm not sure I can get used to the smell, Nero-sama." said Luna as Nero took her in her arms, carrying her across the bloody scene.

"It is fine if you wish to remain home, Luna." smiled Nero as she set her back on her feet. Fal had already joined them, careful not to let any blood on her clothes and shoes.

"No. We contribute to making the streets safer. Even if we are weak right now, even if I feel queasy looking at the blood, this is worth doing. I wish to keep going, Nero-sama."

"Yes, for the sake of every woman in the future who will not have someone ready to save them." nodded Fal.

"Umu! You are brave girls, Luna, Fal." grinned Nero, becoming invisible once again. "We'll make this country a better place for the people, one kill at a time!"

Luna and Fal nodded to each other, and walked out of the back alley, going for the next item on their grocery list. They had fish to buy next.