Chapter 194: Another target to be hunted

"The two have already gone." Yennifer said, appearing next to Cristine. "How was it?" she asked, but Cristine remained silent... "Sister?..."

"I don't feel anything... It's killing me..." she commented while looking at the next target. They had ended up together to deal with Selene, the last of the truly important targets before the leaders...

"What do you mean you don't feel anything?" Yennifer asked, curious, but she knew what it was about... She also didn't feel anything with the deaths of those men who set everything against their mother...

"You know very well... this revenge isn't worth anything." She commented without taking her eyes off the heavily guarded building.

"At least you won't be alone at this moment." Yennifer said while crouching and watching the entrance and exit of guards from the heavily guarded mansion.

"What do you mean by that?" Cristine questioned, and Yennifer mimicked her. "You know very well..." she said, and the man appeared behind them. "Looks like it's not just Cristine who's out of it." Strax said, "How are we?" he asked next while surveying the environment with his dragon eyes, camouflaged behind a mask.

"Nothing unusual, as we expected... It's a backup escort... The real ones stayed at the main lair..." Yennifer said, glancing at the side entrances with six guards on each side, and the balconies with guards moving back and forth.

"So, the army must really be involved." Strax commented while thinking... 'So suddenly... whatever they want, I can't let the Dragon Heart fall into their hands...' He thought as he watched the entire location unfold in a tense night gloom.

"Do you think we can kill them all? Or better focus on just her?" Cristine asked Strax. Yennifer frowned and questioned, "All? That's impossible." She commented.

"If I told you what I saw, you wouldn't believe it anyway." Cristine let out a faint laugh recalling what happened with her target and their escort...

Strax devastating all those enemies without making a single sound...

"Let's focus on the objective," Strax said calmly, as if massacring dozens of men were nothing extraordinary. "Killing Selene is the priority. If the guards are an obstacle, we'll eliminate as many as necessary, but without alarms."

Yennifer nodded, her thoughts already racing, calculating the routes, distractions, and the most silent methods of elimination. The guards on the balconies were first. "Twelve guards on the sides, plus the two at the main entrance. We can start with the balconies. A coordinated, silent attack. Cristine and I will handle the balconies.

You, Strax, can take care of the sides?"

Strax tilted his head, as if already plotting his own plan. "I can do that. Just make sure no sound comes from those balconies."

Cristine, still silent and somewhat distant, tightened her grip on her blades. "Let's end this quickly."

Yennifer looked at her for a moment, realizing how strange her sister was. Even if they completed the mission, something in her was slowly breaking. But this wasn't the time for emotional distractions. They had a job to do.

With one last glance among the three, they silently spread through the darkness, moving like shadows between the trees and bushes surrounding the mansion.

"Two down..."

The next guards were in a group of three, whispering near one of the side entrances. Strax knew he would need a different approach here. He crouched down, moving through the tall grass around the mansion's side courtyard. He waited patiently until one of the guards moved slightly away from the others, going to investigate something he thought he heard.

Strax saw his opportunity. He advanced forward, his figure cloaked in darkness. In a quick, silent motion, he slit the throat of the furthest guard, pulling him into the shadows before the other two could notice. The next move was calculated with millimeter precision—he threw one of his curved blades directly into the chest of the second guard, hitting the exact point to kill without making a sound.

"Cristine's training was worth it... it was basic but... it helped a lot..." he murmured, thinking that if he hadn't known the basics... "I'd be all clumsy without her guidance in..."

The last of the three finally realized what was happening, but before he could even scream for help, Strax was on him. With a quick, precise strike, he crushed the man's trachea, preventing him from making any sound. The guard fell to the ground, struggling to breathe as Strax held him tightly until life faded from his eyes.

All six guards were dead in minutes, and no sound had been made. Strax looked at the bodies for a moment, his eyes shining slightly behind the mask. The job had been clean, but he knew this was just the beginning. Selene was well protected inside, and they still needed to be quick.

He returned to the meeting point, where Yennifer and Cristine were waiting. The two had already cleared the balconies and were ready for the next step.

"The sides are clear," he murmured, his voice firm and controlled. "No alarms."

Cristine shot him a look. "As always, you make it look easy."

Strax didn't respond, but she clearly saw him smiling at her even with the mask on his face.

"Selene is on the second floor, in the room at the back," Yennifer informed, turning to him. "We need to enter from above, using the west windows. The main entrance is a trap."

Strax nodded, fully trusting her analysis. "Then let's finish this quickly."

When they reached the top, he was the first to enter, his steps so light that even the creak of the wooden floor was inaudible. He signaled for the two to follow him. The corridor was lit by torches on the walls, and the atmosphere was tense. There was something dark in the air, something Strax felt but could not see.

They moved silently to Selene's room door. Strax paused for a moment, his sharp senses detecting subtle movement. Guards were positioned inside the room as well.

"We have company in there," he whispered, his voice low. "Five guards besides her. They're armed and ready."

Cristine tightened her grip on her sword, her eyes fixed on the door. "This will be quick."

Strax looked at Yennifer, who nodded in understanding. "Let's take out the guards first. I'll handle the right side, you take the left. Cristine, you go straight for Selene."

[Extra Mission: Negotiate with Selene.]