Following someone who felt as safe as possible proved to be an easy task. That didn’t mean it was easy to claim the artifact, though. Its owner walked around in streets with numerous people. I basically had no chance to catch him somewhere alone. Sure, I could have tried to take him by surprise but if anything went wrong, some innocent people may be drawn in. Even worse, I could get caught without reaching the ring, and I preferred not to risk that possibility. 

The most horrible part of waiting was in the club he visited in the early evening. I never saw a person more openly staring at the dancing women on the floor. Honestly, I was surprised no one tripped on the giant poodle of drool that came from his mouth. 

The world had gone dark as he finally left the club – following a woman he had eyed for hours. I had a bad feeling about this. Someone who couldn’t be recognized by anyone, and he decided to follow a lonely lady into the dark? What was he trying to do?

Do you really have to ask this? Isn’t it obvious, pitiful thing? He considers himself to be a hunter, while she’s the prey. A prey that will be claimed if you don’t hurry. 

I sped up my steps until I ran after him, following him into the dark alleyways. If Tarask was right, I couldn’t let this happen! 

A muffled scream reached my ear. As I reached them, he already pressed the poor woman to the wall. She tried to resist, tried to brush his hand from her mouth. But as soon as she saw the knife he held to her throat, her eyes widened in fear. 

“Just shut up, you dirty slut. We both know, the only reason you wear this short skirt is that you really want me to rip down your underwear! I’ll gladly do you the honors here and now.” He licked his own lips as if he was talking about a delicious main course. My stomach revolted on the sight alone.

Suddenly, my gaze shifted to his neck. How easy it were to break him. I just had to grip him with my hands and twist it fast. Wait. Since when did I know how to break a human neck? I’d never done so before, I had no idea how much strength I needed nor how I had to do it! 

But the urge was there. It was so intensive as if it was the only acceptable solution to the situation at hand. And it wasn’t the only urge that took a hold of my conscience. My eyes moved further, monitoring the neck and the blood vessel that caught my attention. I swear I could see his life force rushing through it.

Someone like him doesn’t deserve to live.

The thought echoed through my head. I could no longer tell if it was mine or his. Was this Tarask’s feeling? Was he longing to extinguish this man’s live? I never had felt like killing another human being before. It felt so acceptable in this second, that I repulsed myself. 

All I could think about was how easy it would be. How justified it were to clean away the filth that wanted to hurt another being without blinking an eye. The thought became so omnipresent that I feared my body would spring into motion any second. I only knew one way out of this situation.

“Let go of her right now!” I raised my voice, shifting his attention right towards me. 

You fool. You could have killed him without him noticing. He was so focused on his prey, it couldn’t have been easier! 

Maybe that was the truth. But murder? I came here to steal an artifact, yes. But I never had planned to kill its owner. Even now as ugly as that scum seemed to be, murder couldn’t be the answer. 

“You’re dead.” He didn’t hesitate as he turned to me. Unlike me, the bastard jumped forward, trying to plunge his knife into my side. He knew where to aim for. In most cases, people simple try to reach an enemies stomach with a knife. As fatal as that can be, it’s not always effective because a lot of muscle and fat tissue are between the knife and important organs. The side, however, gives you easy access to someone's kidneys. 

I jumped back, evading the knife that clearly aimed for my vitals. Damn it, this man was dangerous! He either killed humans before or knew where to create a lot of damage. I mustn’t give him a single opportunity. 

You wouldn’t be in danger if you simply dealt with him right away, pitiful thing.

Yes, sure, complaining about my course of action was the most effective help in this situation! If he didn’t wish to help me, he should shut up. I had to focus on the bastard’s movement as he tried to shove me towards the wall to limit my movements. 

The girl he had trapped used her chance to get away. She screamed for help as she tried to find the fastest way back to the main street. 

He turned, ran after her and closed in on her. Her high heels were tricky to run in, and she wasn’t prepared for a situation like that. 

I growled, threw myself at him and carried him off his feet. As his body collided with the ground, he stabbed the knife behind. The metal stuck into my shoulder, but at least the girl managed to get away. 

He threw me off, trying to reclaim his weapon. I bashed my forehead against his. The pain was intense, but it gave me a chance to reach for the knife instead. Surely, it wasn’t the best idea to pull a knife from a wound. As long as the knife remains in place, it’s like a cork, limiting the bleeding. Once release it, you can experience serious bleeding if you’re unlucky. But in this minute, I couldn’t care less. I needed a weapon. Even more importantly, I mustn’t let him regain the blade. 

My hand gripped the blade’s hilt and pulled it with all the strength I could muster. I gritted my teeth as I lunged forward, wielding the knife as if I had been possessed by something else. Maybe that was reality? 

I couldn’t feel the pain in my shoulder any longer. The adrenaline had kicked in, allowing me to ignore the wound to keep me alive. I saw the fear take over his face. He never expected me to shift the situation around, nor did I. My body moved on instinct. Was I even moving it? The thought rushing to my head couldn’t come from me alone. 

I knew a few bits about anatomy and wounds. I had to, to be a most efficient healer for me and my team. But I never trained my eyes to follow movements like this. I never tried to plunge a knife into a human body. Now, this movement felt so natural, that I just had to wonder. How was this possible?

Focus. 

A simple order, that I didn’t argue with. Not here, not now. I had to get this bastard before he got myself. I mustn’t let him escape. The knife went hurtling towards his left side, forcing him to retreat to the right, as I had anticipated. There was no more space for him to back out. The wall was behind him. So, he only could escape the knife to meet my fist, that flew right into his face. 

His head hit the wall behind him. I don’t know if it was the impact with the stone or the force of my adrenaline amplified hit, but his lights went out. I breathed heavily as I waited for him to move again. Was he simply playing unconscious? I had to be certain. But no matter how long I monitored him, he didn’t flinch. 

My hand was shaking thanks to the adrenaline rush as I gripped his hand and yanked the ring off his finger. As fast as I could, I put it on my own left hand. I felt a strange sensation tingling through my fingers, telling me I hadn’t claimed an ordinary accessory. I had the artifact I wanted, so he wouldn’t be able to recognize me. 

But as soon as the ring had left his finger, I recognized him. It had been two years since his face went through the papers. A man who deserted a rifter corps unit and couldn’t be found anywhere. All this time I wondered how he managed to escape without a trace. Now I had the answer. He never escaped at all. 

Kill him.