The cover of night made movement akin to skimming over water thanks to my close tie to the plane of shadows. Like swimming - come up for air, claim a life, go back under, rinse, and repeat. With the enchantment on my steel honed with blood, each entry into flesh took less and less resistance. Skin and muscle felt like water on its edge and bone no more than warm butter. One by one, I visited the watchtowers. Despite the rush of adrenaline I get from drawing out a kill, I kept my movements efficient, fast, and precise. Just below the atlas, the first vertebrae of the spine, is the sweet spot; just between the second and third. The second is usually what breaks at the noose, sheers between the third and that's it. A blade, however is a little more reliable than hoping the bones break and give enough force to damage the central nervous system. Just a little in and out at an upward angle and you have a carcass. The beauty of it all is the immediate result. No "augh you bastard!", no "what the?!", no screams, no retaliation, and if I'm lucky, I'll hear that slight intake of breath before the diaphragm goes slack.

Killing is easy. Too easy. Find a few key points, put something there that doesn't belong, and it's done. The moral consequence is the biggest hurdle for most and I'll admit the first few lives taken were out of necessity. Who was that person? Were they missed? What would they have accomplished? After a while, it's no different than livestock or hunting for sport. Just meat. Something to test my skills. Something to prove I'm superior. After that comes the hardest part: getting away with it. One? That's easy, hit and run. Several, well, that's why positioning is key. One, I propped up with his arm around a post as if he was using it for support. Another, make it look like he's sitting. Had to hold up a few with possession magic because if one of the goons on the ground takes a look up and his two brain cells work together, he might realize there are no guards in the watchtowers. I need to ensure suspicions are not raised until I'm nearly done.

And that's why the dozen who were put on watch are already gone from this world with a few set to fall from their watchtowers once I release them from my shadowy grip. That's also why the two posted at the gate need not be dealt with. In fact, they'll ensure a clean get away. Diversion, a very important trick I learned early on.

With the eyes in the sky blinded, I turned my attention inward. My first target would be somewhere I can maximize damage with the least amount of movement - somewhere target rich. Which, at night, is simple: the barracks. Always an easy place for a kill. They're either asleep or as vulnerable as they can be aside from taking a shit. Another easy ,albeit less enjoyable, place to snuff out a life.