If Abelain had been his former self he would have cursed inwardly at the sound. Situated as he was near the periphery of the walled grounds surruonding the mansion of one 'Prince Filardo' it was highly unlikely that anyone else had perceived the sound of the watchmans untimely demise, especially not with the sounds of revelry emerging from the mansion at the center of the grounds. Never the less had he but allowed himself to reflect he would have rued the slight imperfection in his form that had caused the noise - ninjas were supposed to be totally silent. However as he lowered the limp guard to the ground no such thought entered his mind - he was already updating a mental count on the number of guards he had left to dispose. The old Abelain had been more than a perfectionist... but the old Abelain had died more than three years ago and the new one had little use for self - criticism.

Eleven down, one more to go.

According to his mental map the last guard was currently making his rounds near the eastern wall.  Rising to his feet Abelain quietly unrolled a length of  fiber from around his arm. The fiber was made from treated human hair and was thus more resistant to strain. The fiber was around 3 meters long and ended in a three pronged, hooked instrument. The ninja counted 8 seconds until he estimated the last guard was as far away from his position as he was going to get before swinging the hook around and casting it upward into the night.

THUNK! Abelains long ears - one healthy and the other charred and shriveled - confirmed the sound of the grappling hook catching on the outer wall.He gave the grappling hook a few tugs to test the strength before quickly ascending to the top of the wall. The wall was a good 3 meters above the ground - enough to keep out most wild animals and casual bandits. The top of the wall was barely a foot wide and was scattered with imbedded shards of broken glass yet Abelain had little trouble traversing it. He was an elf after all and ninja trained to boot... balance and agility were second nature to him.

Moving quickly along the top of the wall the elven ninja skirted the edge of the mansion grounds in search of the final guard. He glanced up at the crescent moon and figured he had only a few minutes left to complete his task. As his gaze searched the opulent grounds below him his mind registered the wealth it must have taken to produce such verdant greens in the midst of the semi - barren ground around Rockland. Filardo was not really a 'prince' but his wealth enabled him to sustain that illusion. As his eyes searched the ground so did his mind... not even Abelain himself fully understood the mental abilities he had been born with but he knew he could somehow use it to feel the location of another person nearby. The elf had wondered about the origin of his abilities before... now he merely used them.

After he reached the corner where the east wall met the north wall he sensed his target. The last guard seemed more competent than his brethren, and his emotions indicated a subtle tension. Perhaps this one was intuititive enough to sense the wrongness in the night air. No matter, what was more in need of Abelains attention was the area the guard was patroling. As soon as Abelains eyes caught sight of the man he saw it was a part of the grounds filled with flower beds and grasses, no bushes or trees to offer cover. It would be unwise then to attempt to get close enough to this one to use his garotte - another approach was necessary.

The elf slowly untied a small horn bow from his back and in the next motion withdrew an arrow from his quiver. The arrow was painted black all the way to the iron - nothing gave away a kill more than the glint of steel. Still he was careful not to expose the arrowhead to the moonlight as he nocked it to the bow and waited for the guard to approach. The guard was wearing a conical helmet with a metal nose guard between the eyes that partially shielded them.The old Abelain would consider this shot to be difficult. The new  Abelain merely closed  his left eye... ever since the fire he not trusted its vision, even though the Lord assured him it had been fully healed, unlike the rest of his face. With his right eye focused on the guards own orb he waited for the guard to move closer...

One step. Breathe.

Two steps. Draw.

Three steps. Hold.

Four steps. Release.

Five ste - THWUNK!

The last watchman made a gugling sound as he stopped,the black fletching of the arrow protruding from his left socket like the branches of a dead tree. He was frozen in midstep for a moment, then he slowly toppled to the ground. Before he hit though the ninja was there, easing him to the floor to avoid the tell tale clatter of armor.

The elf looked up at the moons position. All twelve down and just in time. Abelain allowed himself a satisfied nod before sprinting silently towards the front gate. The Lord should be arriving soon.

Abelain reached the gate, barely noticing the sprawled corpses of the first two guards he had killed. He arrived at the gate just in time to see the air shimmer not two meters from the gate to slowly coalesce into two figures - one a boy who seemed to lack his lower body and the other a severe looking man in an overcoat. The boy had a smug expression on his face and whispered something to the man who absently patted his head. The boy beamed, then flew himself towards Abelain.

"Hiya Lain! Didja see that? I'm getting good at teleporting am I not?"

The ninja nodded his head then turned to look at the other man as he approached. Abelain got down on one knee, his head bowed.

"Milord, all is prepared for your arrival," the elf intoned in a uninflected voice. He did not rise until he heard the deep, rough voice of his lord.

The voice of Leon Silverburg.

"Rise Abelain," said Leon Silverburg and the ninja did. "Once more you justify my faith in you. I trust it is safe to open the gates?"

   "They were oiled but this morning and make no untoward noises. The guardsmen have been felled as you commanded," the elf said, swinging the gates open with minimal screeching from the hinges as if to prove his point.

Leon nodded at Abelain as Batin flew inside, the legless boy eager to explore the grounds.  He had expected no less of the elf. Ever since he had 'rescued' him more than three years ago the elf had proved to be an able operative and right hand man. His natural elven abilities coupled with his ninja training made him an almost undetectable instrument of death as well and various circumstances made him unwaveringly loyal to Leon. Perfection and Obedience - that was really all that Leon asked from his people...

As he entered the green gardens of the merchant 'Prince' named Filardo, Abelain fell into his customary position three steps behind his lord, his eyes searching for threats though the elf had taken care of all the guards already. Beneath Leons feet the rocky gravel of the path crunched under his boots. Abelain moved without a sound. As they walked they began to hear the sounds of revelry which grew louder as they approached teh center of the grounds.

Soon he was near the entrance of a big three story house, its facade formed from the creamy marble found every now and then in the quarries of Rockland. It was an impressive structure, meant to have just enough richness to show opulent wealth , and just enough restraint to show good taste. The guests to tonights 'party' must have been impressed. Lights, voices and music emerged from the open windows underscoring the gaiety of the occassion. Three polished steps led up to the wide oak doors, beside which were slumped two more guards, one of which was still breathing. The other had been gutted open like a fish.

At the threshold, Leon paused a moment to consider his strategy. Satisfied, he signaled to the boy magician toward the breathing guard.

"Awaken him. I want him alert and willing to aid us."

Abelain looked at the guard and seemed to focus his attention on the prone form. Leon knew that his ninja was using his unique mental abilities to plumb the depths of the mans mind. After a few moments of intense concentration Abelain spoke.

"He is afraid of heights."

The boy smiled mischievously. "Awake eh?" With that Batin floated forward and grabbed hold of the guards cloak. The two became transprent for a moment before disappearing.  Leon glanced upward to see the guard shiver in the chill air and awaken - in time to see that he was suspended in the air ten meters above the ground. Before he could scream Batin jammed his small fist into the mans mouth and whispered something in his ear. In seconds the guard was nodding hysterically and Batin floated slowly to the ground, a grin on his face.

"He says he'll help us out."

Leon stared at the man who was busy gaping at his dead companion. Without a word Abelain pulled back on the mans hair and leveled his katana at the exposed throat. He turned the guard to face Leon.

"You will enter the house and summon your employer. You will tell him that Leon Silverburg is here to see him with the elf Abelain and a young girl. You will make no mention of the boy or of your dead comrade or of anything else. Then you will return here to recieve us and I will let you leave this place as fast as your feet will take you. You understand the price of your life?"

The guard could not nod because of Abelains grip on his head, but Leon heard his whispered assent. Leon looked into the mans terrified eyes then nodded at the elf to release him. The man would do as he was told.

"Go," Leon instructed and the guard hurried inside, the sounds from within swelling for a moment as he opened the door, then quieting again as it closed behind him.

As soon as the man left Leon turned to Batin. "Fetch the girl," he ordered, and with a nod Batin teleported away. In the interval as he waited for Batin to return, he focused his gaze on the light passing through a nearby window, trying to accustom his pupils to the light that would assail him when he entered the mansion. In a few minutes Batin returned his left hand clutched in a white knuckled grip by the larger hand of his female companion. Isabel Darayin may have been sleepy moments before but she was certainly wide awake now.

Leon had to give her credit though, as soon as the girl saw Leon looking at her she forced down her fear with an effort and turned to nod at Batin politely.

"Thank you Batin," Sassy began with a level tone that revealed nothing of the terror she had felt during her first teleporting experience, "that was certainly a quick ride."

The boy blushed for some unknown reason but before he could reply she was moving towards Leon. She stopped an armslength away from him and looked askance at Abelain for a second before seemingly dismissing the elf. She focused her glittering brown eyes at Leons and held his gaze.

"So what am I supposed to call you? 'Lord Silverburg' I suppose?" she asked, her tone berieft of the sarcasm of her words. Leon almost allowed himself a smile of pleasure. She would do well indeed. He turned to Batin first and gave a nod and watched the boy vanish before looking at Sassy.

"Call me 'Master Leon' for I will be your teacher from now on," he answered then deliberately turned his back on her as he heard the door opening. "From this point on you watch everything, remember everything, notice everything and you do not speak unless I tell you to. You are about to have your first lesson."

As the nervous guard motioned them forward Sassy spoke, "Forgive me Master but may I at least know what the lesson will be about?"

He ignored her as he ascended the steps with Abelain at his side. In a moment he heard Sassy's footfalls as she rushed to follow them.
The guard gave Sassy a strange look but refrained from asking the obvious question. As he hurriedly turned to leave however Abelains hand shot out and caught his arm. The guard looked at Leon with panic on his face.

Silverburg allowed himself a small smile. "Don't forget to announce us."

WIth a gulp the guard nodded and once more threw the oak doors open.  A spacious foyer stood revealed, with a high ceiling encircled by a balcony at the second story which looked in upon the room like a courtyard. with couches resembling divans arranged in a circular formation around a huge table laden with food of all kinds tossed around without order or care. If one did not count the servants, retainers and 'entertainers' there were only four people in the room, each lounging on his own divan with platters of food before him and at least two serving girls proffering food or fanning their bodies. Leon let his eyes register each face in turn. The bald Nalid who monopolized the spice trade between Toran and the Island Nations, the foppish Eraldique who controlled the rune merchants in Milich Oppenheimers realm,  the skeletal Valon who was the primary antique trader to the Highland nation...

And rising to his feet with two huge guards behind him, an oily smile plastered to his round face, the obese merchant prince Filardo who was master of  anything that involved potch.

"The General Leon Silverburg," the guard intoned as Leon and his two companions stepped forward, " the Elf Abelain and, uhm..." the man paused as he looked at Sassy.

"Sassy," the girl offered in a whisper with a challenging glare at Leon.

The guard swallowed once more. "And the uhm, Lady Sassy to see the Prince Filardo." With that the guard bowed once more and beat a hasty retreat.

Silence fell upon the assembled guests as the door closed behind the guard. Silverburg could see that though Filardo tried to put on a good face he was struggling to figure out how to handle the situation. With a smile Leon stepped forward and took the initiative.

"No need to stop because of me my friends. Eat, drink, be merry... I merely passed by to discuss with the good prince a bargain we agreed to a while back. I'm sure we'll take no more than a minute will we your highness?"

The other three looked at each other nervously as Filardo hauled himself from the divan and waddled towards Leon, the oily smile still in place. "Ah Leon my good friend, so good of you to come," he wiped sweat from his brow. "Please come in... and you brought guests! Come, come, there is more than enough for all of us."

Leon shook his head. "I'm afraid we cannot stay long... I just came by to retrieve the payment we agreed upon in return for your use of Abelains services. The Iridisia gem."

Filardo began sweating some more and his nervousness increased. His fleshy jowls quivered as he stammered an explanation. "Oh the gem... yes of course. I have it right here but it turns out that I have something much more valuable in my posession... surely you'd prefer this diamond statue that recently came into my posession or this run eengraved Celadon Urn or..."

Leon was tempted to let the man ramble on but instead he interrupted him. "You never were a good actor Filardo. You don't want to give me the gem do you? You want to sell it to one of these esteemed merchants present." Ignoring Filardo's exclamations he adressed the other three. "Are you sure you want to do this gentlemen? As you can see Prince Filardo is not one to adhere to deals. Well, what can you expect from a man with delusions of grandeur? Prince indeed!" Silverburg let out a sharp laugh.

He heard a stirring from the servants, a commotion as guards readied for battle. Only the thin Valon would meet Leons gaze as he looked at the three guests. The emanciated merchants eyes clearly had a question in them. It was well known that Filardo was a man easily angered and Leon seemed to be digging his own grave. Silverburg nodded one towads Valon in acknowledgement before delivering the final blow.

"Then again, I suppose being delusional is only one of the traits you inherit from being the obese bastard son of a Grasslands whore!"

In the dead silence that met his statement he paused to look at his companions. Abelain was stoic as usual but Sassy's eyes were wide as saucers. She obviously though he was insane or suicidal. His student had a lot to learn.

"ENOUGH!" screamed Filardo and with a clap of his hands his two bodyguards drew their weapons. Another clap and the balcony above them was suddenly filled with archers, all with bows aimed at Leon and his companions. Servants screamed and scurried for the kitchens while the three guests stood and cried out in protest.

"Dear Filardo! Must you be so hasty?" whined Eraldique, while Nalid shouted "Just give him the damned gemstone Filardo! Its not worth this fuss." Valon however merely shook his head and scurried to the exit. A moment later the two others followed along with their retinues.

"You have some arrogance Silverburg," hissed Filardo, ignoring his fleeing guests as he ranted at Leon, "to come into my house, my PALACE, and insult me! I don't care how good a general you think you are, not even your burnt elf can defend you from two dozen bowmen! You will apologize to me now, ON YOUR KNEES or you, the elf and your little girl will die where you stand!"

Silverburg looked at the wheezing merchant, his face wearing its usual expressionless mask once more. "No Filardo. You will give me the gemstone as we agreed. Whether you do so willingly or not is the only choice left to you."

The merchant exploded. "You arrogant BASTARD! I will see you dead right now! I-" he broke off as he heard a clatter behind him. He turned to look and saw an arrow lying on the marble floor.

"What...?" Filardo began before looking up. Then his jaw dropped in shock as he saw almost half of his archers slumped on the ground or over the balcony railing. The other half were clearly struggling to stay upright. Not many were succeeding.

In the meantime, Leon Silverburg had strolled over to the banquet table and leisurely taken an apple from one of the numerous plates. He bit into it with an audible crunch then turned to the merchant with a smile of satisfaction.

"You have good food here your highness... it is really too bad you don't feed your soldiers as well. Abelain has sampled some of their rations and he found them extremely distasteful - you know how finicky elves are." The strategists smile grew wider. "So Abelain took the liberty of adding a few choice 'ingredients' to your mens lunch this morning in the interest of spicing up their meals... "

Only two archers remained standing by now, one of whom was currently occupied throwing up over the railing. Leon eyed the man then turned abck to a sweating Filardo.

"I fear he may have added a tad too much don't you think?"

Leons grin grew positively vicious.

"Grargh! Kill him! Kill him NOW!!" Filardo screamed at his two bodyguards, his fat arms gesticulating wildly. "Bring me the smug bastards head!"

The two guards rushed towards Leon but before they could reach him, Abelain placed himself between them and their target. At first glance it seemed a horrible mis match. The two men each stood almost two heads taller than the elf, and each weighed probably three times as much. They looked like hardened warriors as well, scarred veterans of many battles. Still the two seemed to know better than to underestimate the ninja. They exchanged a glance, then leaped at him as one.

Leon began counting off the seconds.

The first brute faked a right punch, then jabbed his left fist forward at the elfs face. Abelain made no attempt to dodge but before the big man could connect the ninjas right hand flashed forward and grabbed the mans wrist and pulled, causing the brute to stumble forward. Then Abelain twisted the arm so that the mans elbow was facing the floor, then -with his right hand still holding the mans wrist -in one fluid motion  rammed his left palm into the elbow of the extended arm and pushed upwards. The bones seperated with a loud snap and the mans eyes twisted in horror as he saw his shattered elbow joint protruding from his flesh before he fainted from the pain. But before the first man had time to hit the floor Abelain was already turning - and when he had completed a full circle the second bodyguard lurched onto the body of the first, a shuriken imbedded in his left eye. Abelain straightened and brushed an errant stand of orange - blond hair from his face.

Leon stopped his mental count. 5 seconds, plus one more to brush his hair - he doubted even Kage would believe how much his pupil had progressed. Silverburg smiled. Then he turned to look for Filardo.

The merchant was already running for the doorway, his heavy breathing audible even at this distance. Silverburg fancied he could hear the mans piggy little heart as well. Let him run.

The strategist gestured, and Abelain bolted to a dor in the north wall. Soon Leon and a still disbelieving Sassy unhurriedly followed the fat merchant outside. The nights darkness had a diferent hue now, the black tinged by orange and red.

Sassy halted as soon as she stepped out of the doors. "Gods..." she whispered in mixed awe and horror.

As far as the eye could see there were flames. Orange and red tongues devoured the lush greenery of Filardos proud garden rendering to ashes in a few minutes what had taken the riches of a life time to create. Suspended in the air in front of the house were the corpses of the eleven guards that Abelain had killed, in various states of rigor mortis. Batin flew circles around them, cackling in glee, pausing now and then to send another blazing fireball into the conflagaration that the garden had become. The three guests of Filardo stood trembling against the wall to the house staring at the hungry flames... and at the man who had brought them down upon his head.

Filardo was on hands and knees on the blackened ground, as close to the fires as possible, his fat quivering as he sobbed inconsolably. He looked up in time to see Leon approaching him. The merchant cringed away then blubbering for mercy. Leon sensed more than saw Sassy turning away in disgust.

   Abelain approached soon after carrying with him a liquid green gem the size of a childs fist. Leon took it from the elf and thrust it forward at the cowering merchant. In the light of the flames the green gem seemed to dance.

"Take a good look at this gem merchant. You gave up everything you own just to keep it with you... was it truly worth that much?"

The fat man stuttered out an answer "You... you knew where it was?" He looked from Leon to Abelain then back again in anguish. "You could have just stolen it from me anytime... you could have just taken... you didn't have to..."

"Oh but I did," Leon interrupted. "We had a bargain and you broke it. You needed to be taught a lesson." He looked up and gave a meaningful glare at the other three merchants and he raised his voice so that they could hear. "A new order comes. Whether you wish to profit from it or be crushed by it I do not pretend to care. But whether you are my ally or my enemy - let it not be said that anyone may double cross Leon Silverburg with impunity."

The three merchants looked at each other annd then turned and bowed as one towards Leon.

"We acknowledge our mistake great General, and from here on swear to be your humble servants.Anything you ask we shall provide within our means," so spoke the one named Valon.

Leon gave the man an emotionless stare."Be sure I will hold you to your oath. You have seen what will happen to those who delude themselves into thinking they can outsmart me."

Leon turned then to Filardo who tried to crawl away.
"Don't... don't kill me!"

Leon stared at the man and gave a small smile that actually carried a hint of pity. "Why? You're nothing anymore. Nothing but another littleman crushed beneath the avalanche of human destiny."

With that Leon turned from him and stepped towards the fire not slackening his pace as he neared it. On cue Batin raised his arms, and the flames parted before Leon Silverburg, and though the flames licked his arms and made his overcoat unbearably warm, Leon made sure he gave no outward signs of his discomfort. Without being asked, Abelain herded Sassy in front of him and used his body to shield her against the heat. Batin followed soon after and when he had passed the gate of the inner wall as well, the flames closed behind them and began to die down.

Leon found the path and began walking away from the ruins of the estate. He hardly noticed when Sassy ran up beside him shivering with repressed emotion.

After a while Leon spoke. "So my inquisitive student, can you guess which lesson I taught to you today?"

After a minute of pointed silence Leon answered his own question.

"That was your introduction into the art of getting what you want - otherwise known as the art of persuasion. A rather crude example of it - but as you'll later learn, force is the only language many people know. The key to persuading people like them is to be more eloquent in the language than they are." He stopped the and turned to her. She was staring down at the road.

"I hope you took notes," he smiled, teeth gleaming in the darkeness.

She turned then, teary eyes glaring at him through brows thicker than usual on a girls face.

"I hate you," she said simply, then turned around.

Leon heard Batin gasp at the insult, but Silverburg himself let out a long laugh, a sound noticeably free of mirth. He gestured for Batin to teleport them away.

Hate me child? You do not yet know how to hate... but you will learn that lesson soon... sooner than you think...

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"Leon" is (C) Konami. This chapter was posted on February, 2000 This author no longer writes for Leon