Hooded medieval assassin ambushes a shocked armored guard — AI art by @jacksonjack

An Unwilling Witness Using the cover of the cold, falling rain and the flickering shadows, Kaelen moved like a ghost. He slipped down from the wet rooftops, merging with the darkness of a cramped, dimly lit alleyway just beside the main entrance. When one of the heavily armored guards stepped away from his post to patrol the edge of the courtyard, Kaelen struck with lethal, silent speed. In a heartbeat, Kaelen lunged from the shadows, wrapping a powerful, armored arm around the guard’s neck to muffle any scream, while pressing him hard against the damp stone wall. With his other hand, he drew a cold, razor-sharp blade, holding it glinting inches from the man’s throat. The guard’s eyes dilated with sheer terror, his breath hitching under the sudden, ironclad grip. "Silence, if you want to keep breathing," Kaelen’s voice was a low, freezing whisper, barely audible over the patter of the rain. "Tell me how many men are inside, and where your master sleeps. Now." Terified by the predator clutching him from the dark, the guard trembled, the illusion of his heavy armor vanishing in the face of a true assassin. He began to whisper, desperately spilling the fortress's secrets into the night, unaware that he was holding the key to his master’s impending doom.