• Snow fell softly in the port city of Lamplight, covering the landscape in a blanket of white. The city was bathed in the twilight glow of dusk, and merchants were closing their stalls. One such merchant, fat and greedy, stood at his stall counting his profits showing off his wealth. Boots of dark leather crunched in the snow pacing around the shadowy market, blending with the crowd of shoppers. The greedy merchant dropped the last of his coins into a silk pouch and jingled it jovially.
    The merchant made his way through the crowd, shoving other merchants and citizens that couldn’t afford his wares. A figure in dark leathers stalked through the crowd observing the merchant. The merchant waddled into an alley, a shortcut to the crown district; a faint smile appeared on pale lips. The merchant made his way through the alley blissfully unaware until he heard the crunch of snow behind him. He spun around as quickly as his weight would allow only to find the alley empty. The merchant continued, now trembling, until he heard a faint creak from above. He froze, slowly rising his head to look up. He saw a horrible dark figure perched on a window sill. The figure leapt from its perch to land behind the merchant. With fluid movements the figure grabbed the back of the merchant’s head with one hand and used the other to thrust a dagger into his throat. As the assassin pulled the blade across the merchant’s throat warm blood oozed from the wound washing over a dark glove. Blood bubbled in the merchant’s throat as he struggled for his last breath.
    The assassin yanked the blade free, sending an arc of blood splattering into the alley. After gently laying the merchants body in the soft snow, the assassin took the silk coin pouch from his belt. “You have made your last coin, my friend.” The assassin spoke in a dark yet gentle voice before disappearing into the night.