The dark fortress (Open by request)

[SapphireIceDragon]

Cia grit her teeth and frowned, her blue eyes narrowing at the man. He expected her to betray her clients, steal the reward, and kill them? What sort of assassin would do such a thing? Sure, the work isn't exactly an honest profession, but she still didn't think it was the right thing to do. All she wanted was to find her brother.

"No," she stated simply. "I will not murder those who sought after my help." She paused for a moment, then finally asked what she had been wondering. "And...what are you doing to that vampire?"

[Arthuriel]

Arthuriel turned to the blonde. "Oh, he isn't a vampire. He's a rare thing, the stuff of angels and demons, very adept at magic. Dark and light." As he spoke, he swung his cloak off, then threw it on to the boy. The vampires released the captive at once, who fixed the cloak around him, putting the hood over his handsome face. The vampire that was once Arthuriel had returned to his vegetable state, seeming no more alive than a stone.
"What do you want, assassin? All mortals have a price, what is yours?" He said again, returned to his former, better body.

[SapphireIceDragon]

Cia hesitated before answering, her vision placed on the edge of the man's face, not daring to look into his eyes. She swallowed. Hard.

"My price..." She took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a single moment. She opened them again. "I...All I want is to find my brother," And with that, she realized that she was vulnerable in that moment. He knew what she wanted, and could now do whatever he wished with her. When you know someone's desires, you can manipulate them to do practically anything.

[Arthuriel]

Arthuriel chuckled darkly, as if reading her thoughts. "Come," He beckoned, gesturing to a tall obsidian tower that wasn't visible a moment before. "We will discuss how we will find him in my tower, yes?" In truth, Arthuriel had no intention of finding this bitch's brother, but if she could be of use to him, he would consider finding him. Though whatever fate befell him afterwards... Well, that was hardly the necromancer's concern.

[SapphireIceDragon]

"How do I know you're not going to just kill me off in the tower?" Cia asked, raising her eyebrows. However, she took a small step forward. She didn't have much of a choice. Now that her assassination plan had essentially failed-

Wait. Maybe it hadn't. Cia had to suppress a smirk, thinking of how she could trick him. Make him believe that she was on his side, and when he turned his back, he would be in for a rude awakening. Her plan was almost perfect. "But I will consider working with you,"

[Arthuriel]

"I am a man of my word, I would not offer to help you if I did not intend to do so." He dismissed the vampires with a silent, telepathic commanded. They bowed their heads in unison, then crawled their way back into the soft dirt. "I find it better to help those sent to kill me with their own desires than to kill them. Allows for better partnerships in the future, yes?" Arthuriel was beginning to admire the assassin, as much as a man cursed to be a sentient cloak could admire a mortal. She was clever, he could tell by the look in her eyes she had something planned.
The only question was, what was the plan?
"I could have summoned a legion of creatures from the hells to devour your flesh, leaving only gnarled bones to show you were ever here," The weight of his words carried on the wind. "But I didn't. I truly wish to find your brother for you."

[SapphireIceDragon]

"Alright," Cia finally gave in, crossing her arms over her chest. "But while I'm here, I will warn you: I do not trust you." It was the truth, and it was almost an understatement. She never trusted anyone, so why should this man be an exception? She walked up as close to him as she dared. "Let's go inside, shall we?"

[Arthuriel]

She will kill you. That same voice rang in Arthuriel's mind as the assassin approached. As he always had, he ignored it pointedly. Waving his arms about, a swirling vortex appeared in front of the pair, a portal of purple and black smoke.
"Do not fear," He said, gesturing to the portal. "It is a long while to the tower, this will have us there in seconds."
Do not assist the wretch. The voice commanded fiercely, causing Arthuriel to twitch. How dare  he command the Demon's Merchant? How dare the long-forgotten king, that vile consciousness presume to order him! Snarling audibly, Arthuriel forced the voice away, willed it to go far back into the depth's of his mind.
No god, no demon, no angel, and certainly not the voice of a mad king would control him!

[SapphireIceDragon]

Cia furrowed her eyebrows when the man suddenly growled. Did she do something wrong, or was he angry for a different reason? She inwardly shrugged, reasoning with herself that she should not care how he was feeling. He wanted her to kill the people who trusted her. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but be curious.

"Is something...wrong?" She asked hesitantly. She didn't want to appear weak by the question, keeping a calm, indifferent composure. But what if he saw her as nosy? That might put a risk on her plan, if he thought she got into people's business.

[Arthuriel]

Arthuriel snapped his head towards, Cia, remembering she was there. She couldn't see his face under the magical shadow, but he frowned deeply. He inwardly cursed himself for giving into what the voice wanted, for giving it any attention. He could feel the smug satisfaction deep inside his mind.

"No, not at all." He said, forcing himself to calm. His voice wasn't so grave now, one might not go as far to call it soothing, but it was certainly less horrible to hear. Gesturing towards the portal, Arthuriel asked. "Shall we?"

[SapphireIceDragon]

Cia nodded, wanting him to go through it first. Her nerves were on edge. She took a tentative step towards the portal. Then another. She glanced at him, silently asking him to demonstrate. The only kind of magic that she had ever really worked with was elemental. This was on a whole different level, although she would never willingly admit it. She swallowed nervously.

"You should go first," she said, only an inch away from the edge.

[Arthuriel]

Arthuriel nodded, then placed a hand on her back, as if to reassure her. This wasn't what he had in mind, however, and he wasn't about to take chances with an assassin. With a strong shove, the necromancer sent her tumbling head first through the vortex. He followed soon after.

He stepped calmly out of the portal, though she seemed rather shaken by the whole experience. Glancing about, Arthuriel noticed he was in the old throne room. It was a lavish area at some point, with red and black tapestries depicting a necromancer's rise to the throne, now torn and burnt and simply faded from years of collecting dust. The throne itself was made of bones, and Arthuriel found he never had been in a more comfortable seat. There was an eery calmness to the obsidian fortress, Arthuriel was almost happy whenever he was in it. It seemed to him he wasn't alone, as if some unseen presence was always there, by his side, watching over his shoulder.

With a contented sigh, he turned to the assassin and asked. "What do you think of it?"

[SapphireIceDragon]

Cia took a shaky breath and looked around, feeling scared and slightly irritated. It was as if an unknown force was lurking around, threatening to suffocate her. It sent an unpleasant chill down her spine. What was this place? She glanced at the man and sighed inwardly.

"It's..." She bit her lip, at a loss for words. She didn't despise it, but the place held an eerie feel to it. "It's...different," That was all she could say.

[Arthuriel]

Arthuriel said nothing, merely strolled forward to sit on the bone chair. The chair seemed to mold itself to fit his body, shift and contort itself.

"Tell me about your brother," Arthuriel spoke, his voice once again grave and terrible, though he didn't know. It was almost as if sitting in the vile seat made him more horrible to behold and hear.

[SapphireIceDragon]

"My brother is tall and intimidating to strangers," Cia replied, tapping her bottom lip with her index finger. She hadn't seen her brother in almost a year. It pained her to think that she couldn't remember a few aspects of her own brother. "Although...he's kind, really. He just doesn't show it too often. I've been told that he looks a lot like me, as we have similar features." She stopped to think why she was telling him everything. But then again, if it helped her find her brother, she'd do almost anything. That included giving him information. However, she wouldn't admit that to the man in front of her.

[Arthuriel]

"Do you have something of his?" Arthuriel asked simply.
Kill her! She is vulnerable now, she is weak. That voice screamed in the necromancer's mind. Sell her to the lower plains, assassins always fetch a good price.

Arthuriel twitched his head in confusion, growling loudly. How could he have come back so fast? He had never returned so quickly.

[SapphireIceDragon]

Cia was reaching into the pocket of her cloak when the man growled again. He says that he's alright, but...what is he really thinking? She glanced at him before returning to her pocket, figuring that he wouldn't want to be questioned. She pulled out a small pendant, something he gave to her so she wouldn't miss him. He was only supposed to be gone for a month. Now he's been missing for almost a year.

"Will this work?" she asked quietly.

[Arthuriel]

Arthuriel looked to the Assassin, and stood from the throne, though rather reluctantly. Walking over to her, he took the pendant, observing it.

"Yes, this will do fine. Though it won't give you the exact location." He said as he placed the object inside his cloak. "Now, what shall you do for me in return?"

[SapphireIceDragon]

"I will offer my services," Cia replied before she could even think. As an assassin, she was used to saying that phrase. She had required favors from many people, and had worked for them in return. However, in this case, that simple statement could be extremely dangerous. "But...only if you tell me what I am truly getting into." She never wished to work for someone blindly.

[Arthuriel]

Arthuriel chuckled darkly, that sound seeming more horrid inside this cursed place. "I sell souls to demons in exchange for tomes, spells and whatever else I need. I will ask you bring me those who hired you, by whatever means."