Snippet #2007009

Traveling at great speed Shadow ran over boulders, through the tress, and even swam under water on his journey to Shielg. The city was small, barely four thousand people, but none the less a haven for those who didn't want to be found. The surrounding countryside was littered with dense woodlands and jagged mountains just to the east at the edge of the Great Mountain Range which split the continent in half down the middle. Shadow found his destination within twenty hours of traveling from the moment he left the young woman behind to find it on her own using the route he gave her.

Deliberately giving her the long route enabled Shadow to find the best possible location to train her without interference from the outside world, and also gave him time to scout the area to ensure that it was safe beyond the shadow of a doubt. Though nowhere was truly 100% safe from Te'i Sai, anything was better than being out in the open.

Shadow walked the entire perimeter of the small city in less than two hours and scouted for several more as the sun began to set on the end of this day. His eyes adjusted to the lowered light levels and his vision began to increase in efficiency. Truly, it was one of the few true gifts which Te'i Sai had given him. His glowing red eyes took in ambient light on a level only accessible to cats and other nocturnal animals. While he saw perfectly during the day, his vision was even better at night.

He found the location about two miles to the southwest of the city's Southern Gate and set up a marker for himself by sticking one of his poison tip needles into the bark of a tree. From tip to tip, the needle was covered in a concentrated hemotoxin which targeted the blood of its victims and could also melt flesh if external exposure were to go untreated for more than about half an hour. Shadow's gloves defended his skin from the effects, but never the less he was already on his way to the river to wash them.

After rinsing his gloves and returning to the desired location, Shadow began to look around and saw several unique and well developed opportunities for pushing the girl to her absolute limits. The mountain trails were her morning jog, the forest her jungle gym, the rocks were weights, and the ground her bed for the next full month once she arrived. Shadow used the entirety of the night to set up specific areas for use and then sat down as the dawn approached on the final day before her expected arrival. Shadow sat down in the center of his training ground and crossed his legs as he closed his eyes and prepared to meditate. His own training would be slowed by teaching this young would-be Assassin, but never the less he would bear with it and train on his own when her time was done.

"I hope you're ready..." He said quietly before beginning his meditation.