Move. Always moving. The more you look like you belong, the longer it will take them to realize that you don't. The tall man dressed in the garb of a Captain repeated those words in his mind like a mantra, calming himself down. It was an odd sensation. It wasn't his first walk in this particular park, figuratively and literally, but much had changed. He had never infiltrated a castle that was built to avoid infiltration in such an efficient manner. And he had been to the palace before but that had been a very, very long time ago.

He passed by a few of the guard, chatting while on duty and they immediately quieted themselves as he passed. They all avoided his gaze like it bore a plague and as soon as they thought he was out of earshot, he heard one of them grumble," Thank Gods. He must be new to his position, or we would have been flogged." The words sent a chill down the spine of the Man dressed as a guard. He was noticed, and while it would take them a while to realize that he might just not be a captain, it would be too soon. He was supposed to be in and out without being seen at all.

Keep moving, he told himself. He was on a clock, after all. The great Leader had closed all portal openings for the next few hours for some holiday or another, and thus he wasn't going to be leaving for a while.

He wondered what the man looked like, after all this time. Had he changed, as Noe had himself, or had he remained young and handsome like he had been when they first met?

His blood would still flow red, his eyes would still go dark as his life was drained from him, Noe disciplined his mind, hardening himself against the fact that he was here to visit an old friend, and that one of them would be dead within the space of two hours. If Noe died, it would matter little. If the Leader died, Noe would put ancient prophecies behind him for good, a pox on them.

"Hey, Argurios," He heard a voice behind him, snapping him out of his reverie as he refused to spin around and kept on moving. Please don't run over to me and think I didn't hear you the first time, Noe begged, but as all such wishes, it came to pass. He heard the man jog up behind him and place a hand on his shoulder, spinning him around," Argurios, are you deaf..." He didn't finish his question as his eyes locked on Noe's and a look of suspicion crossed him face," I do believe you put on the wrong armor, fr..." He was cut off as a flicker of movement was barely registered before he felt his throat crushed in a violent blow. Noe moved faster than any man alive, give or take a few, gripping the helmet and the man's chin and twisted savagely. A crack was heard and the man dropped, his head twisted at an unnatural angle.

Bad to worse. He didn't have the time to hide the body. He pushed it into a corner and broke out at a jog. The great leader would be in the higher levels, and Noe was only halfway there.