The man strode rapidly down the hallway, his mind awhirl. His stride was smooth and sure, despite his lack of concentration on the task. The preoccupation with his thoughts was apparent in his eyes and the set of his face.
Hidden eyes regarded the man from a shadowed corridor. A feeling of vicious anticipation seemed to radiate from them as they noticed his lack of attention. The hard gaze followed the man as he walked towards the passageway.
The silken rasp of the throwing knife leaving its sheath was almost inaudible. A split second later, it was whistling through the air towards the man, who watched the weapon spinning towards him with a serene acceptance. This appearance of calm did not even flicker as he tilted his head and pivoted to the side, the dagger missing its mark in his forehead by a hair’s breadth.
His assailant moved forward, somehow stepping out from the embrace of the shadows that should not have been sufficient to hide him. A wide grin was on his face as he drew his sword.
"I heard that you were good, but that was masterful. You detected the attack and executed a flawless dodge through the Flow. Tell me though, can you move as quickly as you can think?"
The man shifted his stance slightly, and the assassin instantly brought his sword into a guard posture. To his utter astonishment, his opponent was suddenly standing behind him with an unsheathed blade. He immediately tried to turn and face his opponent, but could only fall forward to the cold stone tiles. As blackness overwhelmed his vision, he heard a voice reply coldly, “Yes.”