Francis Acetur (Solo)

The scratchiness of a bag over Black Shadow’s head was no longer a feeling he was worried about. After all the times he had experienced such a sensation, it has become a normal thing for him. Leaving his letter in a specific spot asking for a new target would bring him to this situation time and time again, and each time he would return with money in his pocket.

The bag was pulled from his head, revealing a small room with dim lighting. There were no decorations upon the walls, the only object being a wooden desk. Sitting in a chair behind the desk was a familiar face to Black Shadow.

“I have a new mission for you,” a familiar voice, raspy with age, spoke from behind a dark wooden desk. “There have been reports of missing women and children. We have a lead for you, it’s up you to find the source of the problem.” The man said, slowly sliding a familiar small beige envelope over the top of the desk.

There was almost no light in the room, only one candle upon the corner of the neat desk. Any other person would have a hard time reading the content held within the file, but to Black Shadow it was no different than any other room. Black Shadow opened the envelope to reveal his new mission. If the target was truly as evil as he has been told, it would not be long before he finds himself lying dead in a grave.

A quick scan over the files revealed very little information. Thirty-five women and twelve children had gone missing within the month. There had been no red flags for the families to point towards running away, no ransom had been proposed to suggest kidnapping, and no bodies found to propose a murder. There was only one thing in common with all the cases; They all started new jobs and had been working for three days.

Black Shadow lowered the files and raised his head towards his informant, his usual look streamed across his face. He wanted to know more information, and his informant always had more than the files. “We don’t know who is doing this, we don’t even know if the jobs have anything to do with the disappearing people. All we know is in that file. I know I always have more, but this time I don’t. You will just have to trust me on this. This issue is a big deal, it will pay high, and you will save lives.” The man said softly, leaning forward in his chair closer to Black Shadow.

Black Shadow nodded waiting to be escorted out of the building. He did not even know where he was, his informant’s whereabouts being held to a top-secret standard. Black Shadow felt the familiar sensation that he felt hundreds of times. A strong smell filled his nose, and a brown bag being wrapped around his head. Within seconds he was unconscious and dragged out of the building.

A quick gasp for breath snapped Black Shadow back into reality. He did not know what was used every time he went in for a new job, but he did know that it always messed with his head. Horrifying dreams would always fill his mind as he slept from the substance that knocked him out, and this time was no exception. The dreams seemed to be reminders of past events, but rather than what happened, they would contain situations that could have happened, alternate endings.

When Black Shadow’s daughter, Espoir, was kidnapped, Black shadow saved her and she was unharmed. This dream was different though. When Black Shadow drew his bow and fired his arrow, hitting the kidnapper between the eyes, killing him instantly, the dream changed this to him hitting Espoir instead. He had to watch his beautiful daughter, the love of his life, fall lifeless to the floor.

Black Shadow show his head quickly, trying to forget what he saw, he knew it was a dream, he went through this every week each time with a different situation. He was used to the dreams, the nightmares by now, but he could never forget any that involved Espoir.

Black Shadow took a look at his surroundings, the familiar sight of a small wooden shack filled his vision. He lay on a makeshift bed constructed from bays or hay with a black cloth on top, and a worn down and bloody pillow under his head. There was a small chest in the corner filled with Black Shadow’s belongings. He was no allowed to take any weapons with him as he received each mission. Black Shadow’s eyes shifted through the room at the bookshelf with three worn down books on it, a small table with one chair, and a countertop. He has spent countless hours in this building waiting to be taken away.

Black Shadow stood, his head still throbbing from being knocked out. He took one step towards the chest and almost fell over. He took a few deep breaths and the stood again. Gathering his composure, Black Shadow walked slowly to the chest, stopping every few steps. This was always the worst part of the job.

He opened the chest and took a look at his belongings. He always enjoyed opening the chest to see his most prized possession. Inside the chest lay his bladesinger bow, shining from the candle above the chest. The beautiful weapon had killed thousands of people by this point, and was a true killer. The power behind every shot was enough to make any archer feel a rush whenever fired. An ordinary steel arrow would shred through targets, leaving a devastating amount of damage to the target.

Black Shadow put on his equipment, his bow on his back and his arrows in his quiver. He then picked up his Demon Lord arrow from the chest, looking at it intently. The arrow was a gift along with the bow, and when paired together, the two are an unstoppable force. The arrow was adamantium, enchanted to return to the user. This weapon would devastate anything that came in its path, and it was Black Shadow’s to use.

Black shadow spent the next few hours clearing his head, cooking himself some venison and making tea. The chemicals the men always used were very strong and left a nasty hangover. He spent most of this time reading the file over and over, gathering as much information as he could from them, which wasn’t much.

The primary location for the people going missing started in Corone, but there were some instances in Raiaera, Alerar, and Eiskalt. Within the file was a list of missing people, the majority being average humans. Along with the list of missing people, there was a list of contacts, family members of those lost. Black Shadow would have to begin there, find one of the families, ask them questions, and move from there.

Before he could ask the families his questions he would have to find one of them, and this was never an easy task. Black Shadow usually kept his business in Raiaera, and this job was no different. Black Shadow though for a few moments on his plans. He would head to the city of Beinost, the most likely city to find the family that lost their twin daughters. Black shadow had an old acquaintance whom would know everyone who would live there. From there he would follow the lead possibly getting the same job offer, and following the trail back to the head of the operation.

Black Shadow then remembered his promise he made to Espoir, his daughter. He would go home and tell her his plan first, because she did not like him leaving her with Maverick or Gavner, Black Shadow’s closest friend, without knowing where he was going. If he did not come back she wants to know why.

Black Shadow stood again, his head finally feeling the relief from the pounding headache from the chemicals used to knock him out, and went for the door, opening it and entering into the darkness of the night. This was the best time for Black Shadow to travel. He was able to move in relative silence while being quick. His improved vision also helped as he could see better in the dark than others.

He began at a slow walk, moving through the forest along the path he started to create as he had bee to this very cabin so many times before. The air was cool yet not uncomfortable, and the ground was slightly wet. The dark archer could tell that it had rained sometime before, more than likely while he was still asleep, and the coolness of the day did not allow the water to be completely dry. He could feel the mud splatter against his legs as he took each step. Water would splash when he stepped into a puddle he did not see, and he continued to trudge his way home.

It took three hours to walk home, the sun beginning to rise. Black Shadow did not want to wake Espoir, and so when he made it to his home, Black Shadow slowly opened the door. As the door slowly crept open, a loud squeak rang through the house.