Pre-PoE

I have been reading Charan's book and it brought me back to a story I worked on before I ever heard of Path of Exile.

Here's the first chapter.

Spoiler
I was watching the assassin stalk his Mark, careful not to be noticed myself. It wasn't hard. I already knew the path, where it would end, as would the assassin's life. It was simple matter to get ahead of him. But I would not interfere today. I had made a promise and I had to keep it. I knew what was coming next and my way to a quiet place to observe the kill.
Silently, I entered the backdoor of the tavern. It was busy, but most were focused on their drinks and never noticed me. I moved swiftly up the back stairway to the roof. I very slowly opened the door and listened. I could hear the people below on the streets, but it was quiet here. I eased through the doorway. No sudden movement to draw the eye.
It was the tallest building in the village and I needed the height. On the roof there was a storage shed that would not only block the sun, but it had crates and such stacked around to help breakup my silhouette. I pressed myself tight up against it. From here I would be able to watch this sad drama play itself out.
I was being careful. I chose this spot because the sun would be behind the shed and I would be lost in the shadows to the causal observer. But it wasn't casual observers I was avoiding. From here it also allowed me to see the wagon off on the hill. I couldn't see inside of it, but I knew it was there for a reason. My rounds before had eliminated the other possible locations important to today.
I kept very still, trying to remain focused, but the memories came flooding back to that day three years ago. I too had been stalking my Mark through these very streets. Following the same winding path. That day I was the assassin and like this one was about to, I died that day.

I had just finished my initial training in the Assassin's Guild Academy and was assigned my first kill as a test of my loyalty to the Guild and to demonstrate my skills in the real world. While I had excelled in the classes, I was at first surprised at first that I drew such an easy assignment. I knew my Instructor disapproved of me. He made no secret of it, but I simply out paced the others and he couldn't find a legitimate excuse to expel me.
The others had drawn merchants, traders or criminals. Assassins were normally hired for revenge. Someone stole from or cheated someone else and the victims were too cowardly to do anything themselves. They would contract with the Guild to do the dirty work and the Guild would assign a trained assasin to the contract.
The merchants could be tougher. Many would have guards and the golden rule of the Guild was that they only kill those they are paid to kill. So the Mark would be the only target. Killing a guard would be considered a failure. It made good business sense too. The guards knew the rule too. Once their ward was dead and the guards didn't have to worry about their own lives, they would be much less inclined to tangle with or pursue an assassin.
But I was assigned an old man living in some dirt poor village out in the backwaters. These types of villages mostly were self contained and seldom had visitors. That would make the stalk harder. As a stranger, I would draw unwanted attention and that would limit my ability to surprise my Mark. Only the man was unguarded and should be easily overcome.
The Guild, when it assigned a Mark, usually gave a time frame of two to three weeks for the job to be done by or the contract would be void and the money returned along with a stiff penalty. The time was for the assassin to locate and stalk his Mark and learn their patterns before going in for the kill. As the Guild was a business, assassins that failed a mission tended not to live long enough to botch another.
But I was given a surprisingly small and specific window. Only I quickly found out that there was a reason for it. The village where the Mark was to be found would be having a harvest festival that would draw traders and people from the surrounding villages. It was the only time I would be able to slip in unnoticed by the locals, but the festival was only for three days. And it was drawing near.
So it wasn't going to be easy as I thought. I was going to have to travel light and fast to make it in time. I wasn't totally on my own. The Guild provided me a horse to ride to the small city closest to the village, before I would have to walk the rest of the way to help blend in.
The Guild had arrangements everywhere and I could ride in and just leave the horse at the local stable. No questions asked. Just flash the Guild's crest on my dagger and the stable would take care of the rest.
West of the city, horses were too valuable to ride and showing up on one would signify me as someone to be watched. But I was used to walking and the Guild's kitchen also had provided a good sized traveling pouch for me. At least I wouldn't starve.

I managed to enter the village just behind a procession of traders and quickly made an assessment of the area and found a spot to set up my camp. It was getting late and normally I would have rented a room in the local tavern, but today it made more sense to camp like so many others were. To rent a room during the festival would mean that you had money. I wanted to blend in, so that was out. No, I chose a spot that overlooked the village on a nearby hill.
The village was actually a good sized one with plenty of houses and a couple of small businesses. I was surprised at the size of it. I've never been out this way as it was a long way from the trader towns that I often ventured through on my wanderings before the Guild took me in.
I allowed myself to relax a little. There were enough other camps nearby that I didn't stick out. From this advantage point I should be able locate my Mark and start my stalk. I needed to do it quick. The longer I stayed, the more people would grow to know my face and that was to be avoided at all costs.
The next morning I was lying on my bed roll trying to look like I was just resting off of a drunk, but I was actually scanning the area for my Mark. Not that my joints weren't aching this morning. And a headache was beginning to pound away in the back of my head.
The Mark would be easy to spot, always wearing the bright robes of a monk, but without the headdress of feathers. While I waited, I took in the vista.
This village had to have been a larger center for something years past. The village was laid out in a pattern unlike the hodge podge most of these little villages were. I thought I could see ruins of what must have been a sizable castle off in the distance. I heard stories about the old Republic and how far it stretched, but I dismissed most of it. But this must have been an important part of it years past.
It was from that direction I first saw him. I watched the old man approaching the village from a path that went through the cemetery. Fitting I thought. I'll wait for him to leave the festival and I'll kill him there and just leave the body.
My only orders were to bring back his weapon if he had one. I thought I could see a freshly dug grave from here, but I was having trouble focusing. My vision was slightly blurry as my headache began to put pressure on my eyes. I could feel a cold or something coming on. Just wonderful. The last thing I wanted now was to fall ill. I would have to move fast before I became too sick to travel.
I watched as he made his way towards the festival and when I judged that he was close enough that I could follow him without having to run to catch up, I began my stalk. The old man was oblivious to me and the dagger I had clasped to my forearm, hidden in my tunic sleeve. The thought of his ignorance of his own death almost made me laugh. But I had to focus. And that was getting harder. I could feel the sweat from my body and I knew it was from the illness not nerves, but it was disconcerting. Time was starting to work against me.
Following my training, I had to make sure that I was never looking directly at him and as he wandered through the village stopping here and there to look at some traders wears or talk to a villager, I was always looking at an item from a trader, but secretly watching him in the reflections of the different metals for sale or a reflection in a window. After an hour or so of moving up this row and down that street, he must have had enough and began to head home back through the cemetery.
As he entered the cemetery, I began to close the distance between us. He was still unaware that I was there. I quickened my pace. As I gained on him the blood was racing through my veins, my first kill was about to happen! Mentally, I retraced all my steps to make sure that no one took notice of me or my path. My path, why was that bothering me?
I had made sure of everything, but I was also trembling slightly now. The illness was gaining power and it was hitting hard. My body was aching all over and worse was the dull throb in my head had become a pounding hammer and making it harder to stay focused, but I had to try and ignore it. Just needed to concentrate on about what it was about the path that bothered me.
It was then my blood froze! The path we took only seemed random! It had actually weaved in such a way that it had given away my stalk! Every turn had eliminated people except for someone intentionally following! Just a few steps away now, I stopped, waited a moment. I saw the open grave just ahead. It would be mine if I didn't get out of here!
I turned quickly to walk away with my life while I could, but right behind me stood a young girl. My heart stopped! How had she got there without my noticing? I tried to mutter something about being lost and tried to excuse myself, but she just stood there glaring at me. Then I heard the voice. I knew who it was. It was the old man and he was right behind me!
“I like this one'” he said and I swear there was mirth in his voice.
“I think he's stupid.” said the little girl which was both unkind and unfortunately true at the moment. I just stood there frozen looking back at the girl. The dagger on my arm might as well been a thousand miles away. To reach for it would be instant death and I knew it.
“ I'm sorry, but I made a mistake and really must be going.” I managed to spit out. I was shocked at the lack of conviction in my own voice and before I could berate myself for it, the old man continued.
“Now dear, noticed how polite he is?” He asked. The girl kept her steelly gaze locked on me, but as I looked her face closer, I was struck by her real age. This was no little girl! And she must of noticed that look of puzzlement and then the recognition.
“He's going to die anyway.” She said keeping her eyes focused on mine.
“By your hand?” inquired the old man.
I was trying to be still, but I was now shaking uncontrollably. Even as they argued about me, around me! I was unable to respond. I was having serious trouble concentrating now. I wanted to turn to face the old man, but my knees wanted to buckle. It took everything I had left just to keep standing upright.
“Fine, its your decision.” she said to him. I thought I could hear that he had turned and started to walk away. I wanted to question the old man and find out what the hell was going on, but my body refused to respond! My sight began to falter and I completely failed to keep myself from falling down. I no longer could control my body. I lay there twitching in a shocking amount of pain, the woman leaned down to me. I was helpless to do anything. She looked into my eyes, but the pain made my vision too blurry for me even make out her face now!
“Time to die assassin.” She whispered in my ear. I felt something start pulling on my body, I wanted to say something, anything!, But another wave of incredible pain was now shooting through my head down my entire body and I was totally at its mercy. Try as I might, the blackness won and as I lost conscientious, my last thought was I hoped the pain wouldn't follow me in death.

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