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In For The Kill And Out For The Betrayal

Started by Anadwen, February 17, 2014, 04:00:19 AM

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Anadwen

It was almost dusk. The sun has set somewhere far behind clouds, beyond the western horizon, and it was quickly getting colder. The brisk wind blew leaves, yellow, orange, crimson and brown with the oncoming autumn, tumbling down a backstreet. They got caught in piles of rubbish, and rustled loudly as another gust of wind violently shook them, yanking them from the places where they were stuck. The dark clouds, foreshadowing the coming of rain, had a blue tint of the early evening.

It was suspiciously quiet for a Friday evening, but at this time of the year, few people wandered through the street instead of hiding from the wind, cold and rain in the shelter of taverns, shops and houses. From those, loud and lively noise was escaping into the empty streets, the noise of laughter, speech, music and thudding dishes, noise of steps and moves, noise which definitely belonged to people. Smoke was rising from chimneys and tight gaps in the doors and windows, starting to light up with the shine of candles.

With a despising look, Aldanith walked around one of the taverns. He was tired of them - if he wanted wine, he could just as well get it himself without bothering with the filth that so proudly called themselves humanity. Just dirt on his shoes... They were only a waste of his time, that's something he was convinced about. Not worth his concern with their petty, shallow troubles, the fights they caused and the concerns they moaned about. He was above that... He didn't need them. He didn't need anybody but himself.

His steps were as silent as the wind, despite the hard steel that the tips of his boots were hiding, and the number of chains and reins, securing the plates of iron and hardened leather on his lean body. He walked forth with long, confident and proud steps, carrying his head high, but still wary, hiding in the shadows and passing unnoticed around the occasional person in the doorway, or rushing to escape the night.

He didn't try to run away from the dark. Darkness his home, shielding him from the curious eyes of those that may despise his actions. Darkness was his lover, welcoming him in its embrace after every fall, and let him rise again. And darkness was his weapon, a deadly tool of destruction in his hands, ready to be used by him when he'd call.

Turning into a backstreet, he passed piles of dirt, scattered on the tiles. He scowled at a child, peering out of the window, which immediately hid after his ice-cold eyes pierced it, and continued walking in a steady pace. He was grateful for the coming of the night. The day was unnecessarily bright, attracting eyes and ears which would be better off not poking their noses into his affairs, if they prize their petty lives - because he doesn't. And to him, one or five dead bodies made no difference.

The path was getting narrower and narrower, until it led him to a shabby house, leaning into the street. A dirty staircase led to a door below the street level. The sound of metal, clinking on metal, reached his keen ears as he laid his right hand on the rail that lined the stairs. As he pressed his hands onto the door, it creaked silently, and opened to a tight gap through which he squeezed into the chamber beneath.

It was as majestic as the entrance was poor and filthy. It was a lobby, covered in thick rugs and tapestries, hanging from the walls, and by the sides was exquisite furniture. His expression, gloomy even before, became even more grim as he remembered his own chambers, so similar to this. The wealth was far too visible, and his attitude about it wasn't too good. Gold was just another concern of mortal fools that he despised. He felt no hunger for it any longer. It was just more dirt. He wasn't in for the gold... He was in for the blood. For the thrill of killing. Off course, it helped him survive, but many other things would.

He wanted to see death.

As he straightened his back in the middle of the room, the black hood sled off his white hair, revealing the numerous braids and chains he had in it, falling into his face. Now, he had to wait. He wasn't alone in this job - his companion was supposed to come soon, and only then their employer would give them details about their jobs. Aldanith wasn't looking forwards to the idea of working with someone else, but the situation required it, and he kept his calm, collected face despite that.

He was in only for the kill, nothing else was his concern...

Lion

He was cloaked in darkness, sitting on the nearest roof that overlooked the shack where the shadowed figure walked.  The streets were not as brightly lit, for it was only just now turning evening.  But the cross between daylight and darkness didn't hinder his vision as it honed in on his target below.  It sauntered confidently, almost boastingly and his eyes narrowed at the sight of it.  So this was the one, huh?

The one he was to work with.  Aldanith by the information he was given, though very little else was known.  There was reputation of course, but Vandryn knew better than to put more stock than he had to in anything passed on by word of mouth.  His lips turned wicked and the shadowed image within his mind grinned along with him though for reasons one could never be sure. 

But the grin quickly faded when he watched the figure move into the entrance below, the metal scraping echoing loudly through the air.  His breath came in a soft cloud that dissipated with the cold air after forming.  The anticipation had gone on long enough.  He supposed he shouldn't be one to make them wait much longer.

Their employer didn't say much about himself.  That was all well and good.  Vandryn didn't need to know more than he had to, to complete a task.  And the fact that this job in particular would need more than one 'agent' was the only thing that struck him as strange.  Of course, he worked alone, and he assumed just as much about that Aldanith character, save for a few unsavory parts about him.  He didn't reveal much more about himself, save that he called himself Victor Krieger, identified as a minor lord in the south of Ravensway, and sought the help of the best in retrieving a rather dangerous item from a group of even more dangerous cultists, their name so far unmentioned.

Vandryn slipped down from the roof and leapt across with ease to the top of the shack, finding the smoke slate open in that area and slipping through the rafter, leaving no sign of his passing.  Soon he was sitting above the revealed shape of Aldanith on ground level.  Vandryn's eyes narrowed further, observing the white hair of a drow.  A small throwing knife played between his fingers as he dangled his legs over the edge of the rafter and ran a nail along the edge of it, a sharp – zhiing – ringing in the air.

"Took you long enough," he said at last, peering down at him.




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"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Anadwen

"You were up there all along, weren't you?" Aldanith said silently, peering at the other dark elf behind him with his cold eyes. His voice was very quiet, but as sharp as the tip of the knife in Vandryn's hands.

His eyes crossed the figure that appeared before him. He was scarred, very scarred, but Aldanith didn't ask any questions - he himself, missing almost all of his left arm and half of right hand, wasn't one to judge. Appearances were so shallow after all.

He softly laid his hands down onto the mask that covered all of the upper half of his face, revealing only his thin lips, the tip of his straight nose, and his bright eyes, and gracefully took it off. The features beneath were fair, elegant, so unfitting for the cold, cruel personality of their owner. He bowed his head in a greeting, but it was a proud gesture, showing very little but cold respect.

He wasn't told much about Vandryn, and that was alright. Too much information would only bore him, anyway... He wasn't one for idle talk. He was there for blood.

The coming of their employer pulled him from his thoughts, but he masked surprise with the same elegance and cold grace as he showed before. The man was remarkably shorter than himself, garbed in a dark blue robe, his head framed in a circle of loose black curls, and a slightly unkempt stubble on his pale skin stood out. He had pale eyes, not too striking, or unusual.

Aldanith gave him a similar bow of his head, holding the mask by his chest. Candlelight glinted dimly on his armour and two last fingers of his right hand.

Lion

Vandryn rolled backwards off the rafter and sheathed the knife back into his belt.  It seemed they were all here for the arrangement.  So far so smooth, as was to be expected.  It wasn't the matter of starting a job that turned bumpy, it was usually the object of finishing it.  But Vandryn always saw it through, he hadn't had a failure yet, and he wasn't about to start now.

Despite his cool exterior, his body language showed that Aldanith had a habit for surprise, even if they were subtle ones.  All was well, that that wouldn't be factored in his favor.  Then again, nobody could be prepared for everything.  No matter how hard they tried.  His eyes lingered on the man as he entered, and he said nothing as he closed the door behind him. 

"I am glad you all found this place in one piece.  I was beginning to worry," Victor greeted them and bowed his head to the pair of elves before him.  "Victor Krieger," he said, introducing himself to Aldanith, though he didn't extend his hand.  "If you both received my notes, then you both know why I'm here.  The Raven's Eye.  That is what I've hired both of you to retrieve.  Perhaps the less you know about it the better, this is more than dangerous, not only for me but.  Let's just say, I'm not hiring the best to invite you both to tea.  The cult you are facing are not known for their friendliness toward outsiders, particularly those that are trying to steal one of their most sacred relics.  But...if you succeed, you both will be paid handsomely for it."




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Anadwen

Aldanith accepted his greeting coldly, without moving a finger, as he was already aware of the man's name. He even took the time to find some things about him... Though he didn't seem to be known in the underground and dark circles, he found out that he was a merchant and minor noble. At least something useful...

And he also knew of the relic. It would send a chill down the spine of his younger self, but now, he didn't flicker at all the myths and rumors about the Raven's Eye. He was confident in his ability to take good care of things such as that, and to keep everything at the highest safety. He knew more than it would seem, and was aware of the dangers of the relic.

At the word 'pay', he winged off. It was a hardly visible move, only a mere moment between returning to his usual cool and collected expression, but it showed his disgust at something as lowly as gold. He didn't need it. He would take it, but he didn't need it. He didn't hunger for it any longer, and it was only a reminder of his younger, foolish self. Not something he would be too proud of - he used to hoard it, like a dragon, risk his life and sanity for a pile of precious metals and gems. How worthless!

He didn't ask further about the pay, but the man answered the untold question. "Three hundreds of gold for each one of you, three hundred and fifty if you manage to complete the job in perfect security and safety."

It seemed that he finished talking, but Aldanith stopped him before he would turn around and leave. It appeared odd that he didn't tell them any closer information on the cults - even though he was aware of their nature, he asked nonetheless. "And what about the cultist? You didn't say anything about them." he questioned.

Krieger raised a brow in surprise. It was obviously not a question he would have expected, and Aldanith was beginning to get slightly suspicious about that. With what he knew of the cult, it would be more than natural to explain those circumstances to employed rogues.

Lion

Aldanith seemed to be paying attention to the fact of the cultists when Vandryn was still stuck on the offered payment.  "Wait a minute," he said, looking Krieger over with looks that could kill.  "Three hundred?  Is that all?  Regardless of what dungeon delving you would have me do, I never work for such a pittance.  If that is all you're prepared to lose, then you obviously don't want that relic as much as you claim."

Something seemed to snap in Krieger and his eyes turned wide at the sudden dissent in those he intended to employ.  "Did I fail that you are free to keep whatever you loot, and trust me the treasure you'll be sure to find within the confines of the temple grounds of Nuada-Renim," he said in a low voice and viewed the scarred Umbraeon with a look of disgust and contempt.  "And if that is still not enough, then consider your payments tripled.  I'm looking to hire the best, so I came to you.  If I was wrong, then you're free to walk away at any time."




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Anadwen

Aldanith's face twisted with disgust as he watched the small man. He barred his teeth, and all of a sudden, he reached out for Krieger. His fingers clenched around the collar of his robe, and picked him up, his feet dangling in the air. Aldanith's wild eyes pierced him, and the noble returned him a look of utter terror and disgust.

"I don't care about the money, but if you are trying to pull something at us, be prepared to cry your sorry ass off. If this is a trap, and I ever get to your neck again, be ready to have it twisted." he snarled, the tip of his tongue flashing behind his sharp teeth dangerously close from Krieger's face. The man gave him a faint nod, pulling his head away from the dark elf as far as he could, and he was dropped onto the ground again.

"We aren't fools, or the filth you can find elsewhere. Think about what you say." he growled, shooting a disdainful glance at the man, covering on the floor. "The pay will be triple."

Lion

Vandryn hid his smirk at Krieger's terror, but the man quickly masked it with haughty arrogance and he fixed his collar, straightening his posture and eying them with fiery eyes.  "Very well," he said with a nod.  "The instructions to reaching the nearest temple of the Nuada-Renim reside in the drawer of that desk, as well as all the information you will need on them.  I'm afraid I've spent enough time here as it is."

Vandryn glanced over to Adlanith and scowled a bit, though he said nothing to the other elf as their employer made his exit.  "You head the man," Vandryn said, gesturing to the table.  "Start reading."




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Anadwen

Aldanith came over to the table and opened the drawer. Inside was a roll of parchment, apparently the map Krieger spoke about, and a few other scraps of paper. He pulled it all out onto the desk, and unraveled a few.

"I take the map, you read the instructions. Then we switch places." he growled, and unfurled the long scroll. The map, drawn with black and red ink, was covered with various runes around the picture of the temple and surrounding lands. It was fairly easy to understand, though the runes around were strange. As Aldanith bent above the map, one of his hands reached into his hair, pinned atop his head except for a few wisps, falling around his face onto his shoulders, and slowly pulled out the small knife in it, resembling a needle rather than a blade. Eventually, he pinned the map to the table with it, as the tip of the knife followed the road they were to find, and reached the temple.

Lion

Vandryn read the other notes on the cult, scanning them quickly and pouring over them with intensity.  "The Nuada-Renim are a primitive cult, dating back to at least the last two thousand years or so," Vandryn remarked, switching the papers within his hands.  "They worship what they call the One-With-Three-Faces, but not much on him.  They use the Raven's Eye for a great many number of things, from divination, astrolocation, and ...when combined with it's missing pieces, and ultimate source of power.  It is said to be a...conduit to allow communication with one Mr. Three-Faces.  Doesn't sound promising."




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Anadwen

"I've heard of the Raven's Eye." Aldanith nodded, still studying the map. "It's said to be possessed, trapping a demon's soul, or something like that. I don't know how much of that is true, though... Seems just like myths." He pulled the knife out, and returned it to his hair.

"We will have to go southwest. There is a path leading through a cave complex in the forests, and that's where the entrance lies... It should eventually lead back to the surface, straight into the temple. There is said to be a shortcut, which would end right in the middle of it, but that part is full of riddles and it appears there is something blocking it. I wouldn't follow it." He tapped the place where the shortcut was pictured with his finger, and pointed back at the cave. "It's somewhere by some river, which parts and flows through the cave for a short while. We may have to swim."

Lion

Vandryn looked at Aldanith speculatively as he looked over the map and he described the path of their journey to the center of this cult.  He rolled up the notes on the Nuada-Renim and stuck them in a leather wrap before placing them on the inside of his robes and he leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest.  "You," he said laconically.  "What are you doing here?  Why would Krieger want to hire you?"




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Anadwen

Aldanith gave him a slow shrug. "Does it really matter? I'm doing my business here. My reasons for doing it are my own." he replied coldly. "And he'd want to hire me for a single reason: I know how to do this business."

He didn't like nosy people, and this guy was asking too much. He rolled the map back and folded it into a small square before hiding it underneath his armour.

Lion

"And what business is that?" Vandryn inquired unmovingly.  His eyes were dull, bored and they didn't see much in Aldanith, save that he was likely just another straggler crawling up from the darkness.  Most drow were that way and he smelled of blood dirt and idiocy.  Of course, Vandryn wasn't just going to assume the worst now, but if they were going to work with each other, he had to know at least a basic sum of his partner before moving on.

"Where do you come from, drow?" he said.




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Anadwen

"I come from the dark, and the darkness is my home." Aldanith replied eerily, piercing the other one with his bright eyes. They appeared almost like colorless glass, set amid the rings of dark kohl and ash around, tracing in lines across his cheekbones and disappearing in his hair. He wasn't an ordinary assassin, and he was nowhere near being stupid. His mind was sharpened into brilliancy by centuries of seeking blood and death in which he saw easy gain.

"My business isn't yours to care for, and I believe you wouldn't like it even if I told you. I come from the dark, and the darkness is my home." he repeated.

Lion

"Right," Vandryn replied, again in a dull tone, unimpressed and he certainly knew Aldanith wasn't here to impress him.  He straightened nonetheless and looked at him from the side.  "Your business is my business if we are to work together in this, I'm afraid.  I would need to know your skill set, your specializations and just how you could possibly be of any use."




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Anadwen

"Assassinations, thievery, combat in general." Aldanith replied sternly. "Martial arts, blades of various kinds, explosives, dark magic." His hands reached up for the hilts of Bloodstorm and Frostdeath, unraveling their long blades for a moment, then hiding them again.

"About yourself?" he asked, raised a brow in faked interest.

Lion

"Thank you, that is all," Vandryn said with a faint smirk and headed for the door that Krieger had made exit from.  He entered the night and turned his hood up, marching out into the darkness, heading out of the city.




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

Anadwen

Aldanith returned the mask to his face, hiding the dark ornaments on his skin, paled by shunning sunlight and dark ceremonies that he performed in secret. "You still didn't give me an answer." he hissed as he noiselessly appeared beside Vandryn. The black hood hid his white hair except for the few wisps in his face again.

Lion

"It's probably best that you don't know," Vandryn replied simply and disappeared in the nearest alleyway.  He ran up the nearest wall and climbed onto the roof, running along the edge of it, his cloak flowing behind him.  The city wall was near and the guards were changing posts this time of night, and would make an exit easier than ever.




Like to kill mages?  Join the Order!
The Order of St. Agratha

Help Rebuild Connlaoth from the ashes of war!
The Red Legion

Jump in the water's fine!
Desert Valley Nights
Wrong Turn

"Go into battle determined to die and you will survive.  Go into battle hoping to live and surely you shall not." -Bushido proverb
"Life is a series of dogs." -George Carlin
"We must view with profound respect the infinite capacity of the human mind to resist the introduction of useful knowledge." -Thomas R. Lounsbury
"If a cosmic tree falls in the universal forest and nobody is evolved enough to hear it, does it make a sound?" -Unknown

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