The little valley was secluded, hidden in the hills
between the forest and the mountains that bordered the
land. A small pond, shaped by boulders and a bit of
man-made effort, was set off to one side, while soft
green grasses carpeted the ground. A few trees grew in
the sunlight, providing a measure of shade in the
summer and cover during the winter time.
She rose from the pool smoothly, her furred body
shedding water as she strode out onto the grass,
shaking her long, lean brown and white body dry. Using
her three fingered hands she drew the leather
arm-guards on then the ankle guards onto her feet,
looking behind to see that the long, silken tail that
reached the ground was clean. Her triangular face most
resembled that of a fox, but it was expressive none
the less, bearing eyes that were both deep and
perceptive.
"I'm ready," Renamon said to herself softly.
Without a sign of regret Renamon left her sanctuary,
bounding down the rocky hillside while being careful
to leave no trace of her passage to lead anyone back
there. Reaching the forest she barely disturbed a
single branch as she leapt from tree to tree, making
remarkably good time as she journeyed towards her
destination. The huts were artfully concealed,
constructed to blend into their surroundings, much
like the caves beyond had been hidden.
Renamon dropped down from the treetops, landing
smoothly in a clearing nearby, feeling many unseen
eyes resting on her. She knew of the traps that
guarded all the obvious approaches, an unwary traveler
would either be dead or dying long before they reached
this place, only those allowed could come here.
Renamon strode forward confidently, the slightest of
smiles on her face as she saw the inhabitants of this
place emerged from the shadows.
"I almost thought you would be late, little fox, "
the tall blonde woman murmured mockingly, her white
garb striking in the dimness created by the branches
overhead. Angel was a bit flamboyant, but her skill
with the sword she wore at her side was legendary.
Renamon didn't even crack a smile as she strode by,
"I'm never late."
Lingering before the entrance to the caves that
snaked beneath the little village the black clad
figure smiled as Renamon neared. Her lovely face was
concealed by a simple black mask while a dangerous
looking steel brace of claws gleamed on her one hand,
her shapely body tightly sheathed in her simple
looking battle garb.
"Lady Devimon," Renamon's voice was just a bit
gentler as she stopped by her side. Quietly she said
to her, "I had hoped you'd be here."
"I gave you my word," Lady Devimon answered as she
rested her unarmored hand on Renamon's shoulder, "I
know you'll do well, lover." She smiled at her
wickedly, "I was hoping we could do that again,
earlier today."
Renamon gave a slightly regretful smile, "I need to
be focused on what's coming."
Lady Devimon nodded, "I understand." She let Renamon
go even as she stepped aside and said, "Good luck."
"Luck is for amateurs," Renamon said confidently.
The cave Renamon entered sloped downward, the
sunlight fading as she walked on. Her eyes easily
pierced the shadows, taking the tiny light released by
moss and veins of quartz and illuminating the path
ahead of her. The air grew cold, if she didn't have
fur she might be chilled as she turned, careful to
avoid the traps that lined this most hidden of places.
The flicker of burning torches ahead drew Renamon
onward, eventually bringing her into a larger room.
Myotismon, one of the guild's leaders, stood to one
side while others were gathered in a circle around the
chamber. Two bulky guards held on to a wildly
struggling figure, a fellow student that Renamon
instantly recognized as Impmon.
"Welcome, Renamon," the voice came from the shadows
beyond the torches and Renamon tensed. The master of
the guild, Devimon, rarely showed himself, indeed it
was thought that if you saw him you were already
marked for death, but she knew that voice.
"M'lord," Renamon bowed, wondering why one as
powerful as he would be at a ceremony like this, her
full admittance to the assassin's guild.
"You have done well in your training," Devimon said
to her softly from the darkness, "not to mention your
final test."
Renamon didn't let herself react to that, though in
truth she wanted to. As a final test of her skills she
had been sent out on a killing assignment, seeking out
a corrupt merchant whom was secretly running a slavery
ring. Well aware that he had made many enemies he had
hired on the best bodyguards he could, but that didn't
save him.
Sneaking into his home hadn't been easy, of course.
Renamon had to bribe a servant to look the other way,
but once she was in the kill itself had been almost
disturbingly easy. She had made it as quick and clean
as possible, but she still found herself remembering
the fear on his face for that moment he had realized
his life was over.
"Thank you, sir," Renamon half bowed.
Myotismon grinned, his long front teeth gleaming like
fangs in his pale face. His cloak swirled around him,
dark garb combined with his talents to make him almost
invisible, when he chose to be. The only flaw that
Renamon saw in him was his ego, the honest belief he
had that he was the best.
"There is only one thing remaining before you can be
officially be admitted to the guild," Myotismon
purred, his voice like dark honey.
Renamon waited a moment, then finally, "Yes?"
"You know of Impmon?" Devimon's voice asked.
Renamon nodded grimly. The young man was a foundling
just like her, raised by the guild and trained like
her to become a member. Growing up she had found him
to be the type of boy who would pull the wings of
flies or worse, always with a angelic smile on his
face. He had tried to play his sadistic games with
her, too, but had quickly discovered that Renamon was
not an easy target.
"The boy was sent out on an training assignment, much
like you," Myotismon sneered, "but he didn't do nearly
as well."
There was regret and a bit of anger in Devimon's
voice as he said, "Impmon not only missed his target,
but in the process killed several innocents in the
process."
Renamon winced. There were certain unwritten laws in
the assassin guild, strictly enforced to preserve
their organization. Failure was punishable by death,
all of them knew it, but more importantly the slaying
of innocent bystanders was strictly forbidden. The
rulers of the local kingdoms barely tolerated the
existence of their guild even as they hired them, and
the wanton slaughter of innocents might well push
those rulers to act against them.
"Why is he here?" Renamon asked, though she suspected
she knew.
"If we had been lucky the guards would have caught
him and that would be that," Myotismon growled, "but
instead it falls to us to deal with him."
"Consider this a final test," Devimon's voice was
like velvet in the darkness, "kill him."
Renamon looked at Impmon, the black haired boy
looking at her with desperation, and remembered the
kind of person he had been, who he was. 'And am I any
better?" she wondered before quickly coming to a
decision. Looking towards where Devimon stood in the
shadows she said, "Let him go and give him a knife."
"And why should we do that?" Myotismon demanded.
"There is no challenge in killing an unarmed, bound
opponent," Renamon answered dryly, "there has to be
something to keep it interesting." She paused a moment
before adding, "Unless you're worried about what he
might do with that knife?"
A moment of silence then Devimon laughed softly.
"Very true, Renamon," he finally agreed, "you will
have your challenge."
As one the two guards let Impmon go, then one tossed
the young man the knife from his belt. Impmon looked
around him wildly, focusing his eyes on Renamon once
he realized the masters of the guild were serious
about it. He brought the blade up, torch light dancing
off the blade as he purred out, "You'll regret giving
me this, bitch."
Renamon took up her fighting stance, apparently
entirely unarmed. She was calm, seemingly ready for
whatever would come as she answered, "Shut up and
fight."
With a snarl of rage Impmon charged, knowing that his
only chance was to quickly slay Renamon then run for
the surface. He went for her face, trying to cut her
eyes but Renamon simply seemed to disappear, she was
that fast.
"You'll have to be faster than that," Impmon nearly
jumped as Renamon said from directly behind him, "if
you want to live."
Impmon whirled, lunging forward but Renamon simply
leapt away. She seemed to hover above him a moment and
Impmon suddenly remembered she favorite attack,
groaning "Oh no...."
Twin waves of throwing blades slashed down at the
badly off balance Impmon like a storm of diamonds,
striking home with deadly precision. With a strangled
cry the boy dropped, and soon blood began to pool
around his fallen form. Retrieving her blades Renamon
cleaned them on his clothes before slipping them away
into her arm-guards.
"It's done," Renamon looked up at the masters,
feeling a moment of sorrow for the loss of a life,
even one such as Impmon's.
"Poetry," Myotismon was clapping quietly as he said,
"as good as your teachers said."
"Indeed," Devimon agreed, his eyes gleaming a moment
in the light. Calmly he continued. "Are you ready for
your first official assignment?"
Keeping any trace of fear or nervousness out of her
voice Renamon answered, "Of course."
To be continued....
Author's Note: I had originally planned a longer
'Renamon the assassin' series but decided just to keep
it a one shot, covering her first two kills, more or
less, and giving a feel for her character.
Back to Dark Guardian: A Tale of Rika and Renamon Index - Back to Digimon Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction