As soon as I opened the door, I didn't hear the squeaking of the hinges. Thanks to this small detail, I realized there was definitely something wrong. I might not have known the exact source of the problem but like any person, I wanted to keep living. The moment I didn't hear the squeaking of the hinges, I instinctively pushed myself backward and fell onto my back.
If I had hesitated even for a second longer, hundreds of tiny spikes embedded in the door of the opposing room would have pierced my body and shredded me to pieces.
"Shit! This is a trap!"
I said that but I couldn't hear my voice. Just like I didn't hear the hinges squeak, my voice was also suppressed. No matter how loud I tried to be, it wouldn't come out. No one could sense what I was experiencing right now. It was the perfect way to silently kill someone.
There was only one meaning to this. I thought, 'Nox assassin? But why? Wasn't it target Mater?' I wanted to think more but as soon as I saw a shadow fall over me, I rolled to the side immediately.
At least, apart from my hearing, there was no problem with my other senses. As soon as I got up, I quickly turned back to the spot I had just been in. I had seen movement there but the assassin was no longer there. Right where my head had been, there was a scar from a sword strike. As soon as I saw that, I drew my axe. Inside, I was thinking, 'I don't understand. I really don't understand. Why me? Why did you go after my damn life?!?' I was struggling to hold back curses, trying not to panic. I had to stay calm right now. I couldn't hear anything anymore and if I panicked, the assassin would have achieved it goal. I could never allow something like that.
I had no choice but to trust my instincts.
I had to focus on my eyes, my nose and whether or not something was touching me and compensate for my lack of hearing with my other senses. These dark corridors had never looked so terrifying. I didn't know where the assassin was, nor how he would strike in his next attack.
Suddenly, I felt a shiver at my back and I quickly turned around. The attacker, dressed in blackish, was swinging his sword at me. Even though I leapt backward, I couldn't react fast enough and he made a shallow but painful cut across my stomach.
"Hyaaah!!!"
It was a strange feeling not to hear my screams but I didn't care. Even if my flesh was burning, I swung my tomahawk forward in a diagonal slash. The assassin easily evaded my attack as if it was nothing, then punched my chest to knock me off balance and expose my body.
My balance was lost, and I started to stumble backward. It was clear I would fall and I would die before I managed to stand up again. To avoid that, I rolled backward as I fell to the ground and quickly got back to my feet. The assassin was no longer around.
A few seconds later, he appeared on my left side. This time, it swung it sword from above downward and I narrowly dodged that attack. Before I could fully understand what was happening, it appeared behind me and injured my leg to prevent me from moving further. The assassin sliced through my upper right thigh like butter and the pain was intense. Not hearing my scream didn't mean I couldn't feel this pain. Still, I couldn't give up. Anticipating my movement, I foolishly tried to kick with my injured leg. This move was definitely not rational but it was more sensible than trying to kick with my healthy leg. If I tried to put all my weight on the injured leg, I would never be able to deliver that kick.
Even though the assassin couldn't predict my move, it rolled quickly to avoid my kick. If that wasn't enough, the roll increased momentum and it lunged at me.
This time, the sword caused a deeper wound in my body and it had pierced into the area near my stomach by a few centimeters. I could taste the metallic flavor of blood in my mouth. Ignoring it, I grabbed the sword with my hand, preventing the assassin from pulling it out. My palm was cut but the assassin was momentarily stunned and hesitated, unsure of what to do next.
That was enough for me.
My axe might not have been highly throwable but from such a close distance, there was no way I could have missed a throw. I threw the axe with all my strength. I hoped the axe, spinning in the air, would find its target. I was aiming exactly at his head.
But the assassin did something beyond my expectations; it lowered head and prevented the axe from piercing it. I didn't hear the sound of the axe hitting the ground or any noise from the assassin in response. My move wasn't entirely a failure. I saw blood in the part of his head where it ear was. My axe had found its target.
Still, the assassin was alive and quickly retreated, disappearing from sight.
It was definitely much more skilled, faster and more experienced than I was. Moreover, it could stay calm even in the most unexpected moments.
That's what a Nox assassin was like and it was clear I couldn't defeat that assassin alone. Sooner or later, I would die. I hated it but someone needed to help me. Even if I couldn't make my voice heard, I had to ask for help.
While the assassin was not in sight, I started running around the area and during this chaos, I didn't forget to grab my axe. Even though I shouted frequently to be heard, I couldn't hear anything. No one in these corridors could hear what was happening. I knocked on the doors and tried to open them. The sounds did not reach the other students in the rooms and all the doors were locked. I could break one door to wake the student inside but I didn't know how they would react when I did. They might think I was a crazy murderer and because I couldn't make any noise, I wouldn't be able to tell them the truth.
I was stuck in an endless dilemma.
As I went up to the second floor, I thought about all these events. Why was an assassination plot being carried out against me? Was I really the target? If I was, then why was an attack being made on Mater? Was that attack fake? Moreover, I had no idea who the assassin's employer was. Did I accidentally give an opening to the cultists? Or did he intentionally attack Mater just so I would think wrongly? These questions made no sense. If the assassin had no connection with the cultists, who could his employer be, and why would they see fit to involve me? Questions, questions, and more questions...
While trying to go up to the third floor, I felt an arrow pass by me. The assassin had reached there ahead of me and taking advantage of the height difference, started shooting arrows at me. To avoid these arrows, I headed toward the corridors on the second floor. Again, I knocked on the doors. Again, no sound. Again, I tried to open them but the doors were still locked. I hit one door with my shoulder to break it open. It hurt because the door was very sturdy and I was so panicked that I didn't see the assassin getting closer to me.
Without even bothering to draw his sword, he grabbed my shoulder and punched me in the face. He was so strong that I collapsed to the ground and I was quite sure that at least two of my teeth had been knocked out. Being able to still maintain consciousness was nothing short of a miracle. I had to quickly get back on my feet. I couldn't give up. I couldn't die so miserably.
But the assassin was faster than me. Before I could stand up, it came at me and started choking me.