Home, sweet home (Discontinued)

[Icepop213]

Revan Durras looked at the town in the distance. "Ah, home sweet home." He started walking in the direction of the town, only known as Ketra. He looked around, trying to find his parents old house. He spotted the tiny shack sitting right outside the town. He entered using a key and inspected the inside of the house. He dropped his bag and walked inside his old room. "Wow. Still the same as it used to be." He smiled. He sat on his bed and closed his eyes. 'Man...' He opened them when he heard a noise. He looked out a window and saw a bush rustle in the distance. He jumped out the window and looked around. He heard something behind him. He slowly turned around and saw a cloaked figure standing there, with a sword in his hand. "Who are you?" Revan shouted. The man smiled and took off his hood. "Tarlock? What do you want? I told you, I quit." The man frowned. "I'm not here to ask you to rejoin, you idiot. Ever since you left, you were our prime target. And now I've found you!" He laughed hysterically. Revan frowned. "I warned you all not to mess with me." Revan reached for his swords. "If is a fight you want, us a fight you'll get!" Tarlock swung his sword at Revan. He dodged each slash with ease. He then took his turn. He continuously slashed at the man with both swords, hitting him almost every time. Tarlock stood there weakly.

[Arclightning]

Kenalt stalked through the woods. He had been tracking the assassin Tarlock for almost a month now. And he seemed to be looking for someone as well, because who would visit five different cities in just under four weeks? Kenalt shook his head. His client had hired him to find this assassin after he had killed his son. Who does that? Who kills the son of a dragon rider just for money? Kenalt shook his head. Now the assassin was circling a house. Was this who he was looking for? Kenalt watched until Tarlock moved and rustled the bush he was hiding in.

The rest happened in a blur. A man burst from the house and after a couple of interchanged words came to blows with Tarlock. It was over almost instantly. As Tarlock fell face-first in a pool of his own blood Kenalt screamed.
"NO!" The bounty was dead or alive, but it always paid to bring criminals back to serve real justice. But nothing can help old Tarlock now. He would have been executed anyway. He was an assassin after all. But it cant be helped now. Kenalt ran up to the man who just killed Tarlock. Kenalt looked over the mans blond hair and mismatched eyes. They were hard, like the eyes off his uncle. Kenalt knew that this man was a killer.

Warily Kenalt knelt down and cut off Tarlocks head with his long, single edged sword. After he was done he shoved the grisly thing into a sack and stood up. He waited for the younger man to say something and give him an idea of what made him commit this crime.

[Icepop213]

Revan watched as a man almost his own height stepped out of the bushes, walked up to Tarlock's body and cut his head off. "What the-" Revan pulled a sword and immediately had it against the man's throat. 'Could this be another assassin? Sure doesn't look like one. But, you can never be too careful, can you?' "And who are you? Another assassin? I told you, I quit." Revan looked into the man's eyes. 'These aren't the eyes of a killer, much less an assassin.' Revan started to lower the sword. He inspected the man from head to toe. He sheathed the sword and stood upright.

[Arclightning]

Kenalt stood motionless as the man put his blade against his throat, then took it away. Kenalt absentmindedly rubbed where the sword had touched him. Then he said to the man
"I ain't no assassin, but I am a bounty hunter. And this man" Kenalt nudged Tarlocks body. "Was my quarry. And see'n as hes dead now, might as well get paid for doing nothing." Kenalt shrugged and looked the man up and down one last time before turning around and walking away. But after a few steps Kenalt turned back around and said "By the way, what did you meean when you said 'I quit'?"
He cocked an eyebrow.

[Icepop213]

"What? Oh, I..." Revan hesitated. He didn't know whether to tell the man or not. "Nothing, I - nothing. It's nothing." Knowing that wasn't going to be enough, Revan turned back to the house. He stopped midway. He stood absolutely still. He had heard something. He reached a hand back to one of the long, sharp blades strapped to his back. Revan looked around and shouted back at the man. "Run!" Before he could do anything, smoke covered the whole vicinity. Revan struggled to see in the thick wall of smoke. He started walking in a random direction. He heard footsteps behind him and quickly pulled out his dagger to block a long sword from slicing his head in half. He took out a sword and sliced at the man's arm, just hard enough to make a cut, but not enough to cut it off. The man fell down, clutching his wound. Revan hesitated, then he ran. He had to find the man before it was too late.

[Arclightning]

Yeah. Sure. Kenalt knew there was more to the story but before he could pry more smoke filled the area and he heard a shout from the man. Kenalt started walking in the direction he thought the sound came from when he saw three figures sneaking through the smoke. He unhitched his chain off his belt, the one he was carrying now  had a weighted ball on one end, and a curved blade on the other. He swung it above his head once, then launched the ball at the figures head. It hit, and he dropped like a stone. Then the other figures noticed him and charged. he threw his chain and like a bola and tripped one of them and ducked the others swing. He pulled a knife out of his boot, ducked one more swing, then shoved the knife under the mans chin. After he dispatched the last figure he found the blond man with two swords and screamed
" We need to get out of here before this damn smoke kills us!" Then turned and  saw four more figures coming at them.

[Icepop213]

Revan ran for two of the figures. He mostly dodged their strikes, taking only two scratches. He pulled out his other sword. And stabbed both of their chests. The other two were harder to hit. They were extremely fast and dodged every swing at him. Revan was getting tired. He went back to the man with the chain and started to yell, "Let's go" before getting a long cut down his back. He fell down, gasping for breath. He looked up at the man. "Run! It's me they want!" He couldn't let someone else die for his own sake. He started to get lightheaded and dizzy. He looked back up at the man one more time before blacking out.

[Arclightning]

Oh for the love of- Kenalts thought was cut short as one of the assassins kicked him in the groin. Kenalt rolled away to dodge the other strike and barely found time to draw his sword. He feinted striking one of the men's heads, then dropped the sword and threw his shoulder into the mans stomach. Kenalt then stood up with the man over his shoulder and threw him at the last assassin. As they went down in heap he picked up the elf and ran. HE barely made it out before doubling over with a violent coughing fit. He sank to the ground next to the elf and said

"We'rre safe, for now."

[Icepop213]

Revan opened his eyes. He looked up at the man's face and tried to get up. He looked around to make sure there weren't any more assassins. He tried to stand up, but fell back when a sharp pain ran through his back. "Argh..." He tried one more time to get up, and was finally able to prop himself up on a tree. He looked back to the man that saved him. "Thanks," He said. "By the way, I never got your name." Revan knew that he would ask the same thing. "Oh yeah, and I'm Revan." He smiled weakly

[Arclightning]

Kenalt's lungs were on fire. He knew the feeling would go away in about a day but damn it hurt now. Breathing smoke was not one of his favorite activities. When the man asked his name hebarely managed to croak out a response.
"Kenalt." He then held out his hand to Revan to help him up.

[Icepop213]

"So, Kenalt," Revan started weakly, "mind helping me over to the  brothel down the street? Could use a nice bandaging up, and maybe a drink or two." Revan smiled. He looked around and started speaking again, "Was wondering. I got a bone to pick with the assassins. You seem like a guy who can get things done. You mind helpin' me?" He knew the bounty hunter would ask for a price, and Kenalt had very little money on him. He hesitated, then added, "they got a huge chest full of coins and jewels. You'll get 50 percent of the loot." He hoped that would be enough for Kenalt. He needed the money. His family needed the money.

[Arclightning]

Kenalt paused. He was jobless right now and needed  the money, but taking down an entire organization of assassins? Thats a horse of another color. After a second he nodded.
"Ill take you to the brothel, I could use a drink as well. Maybe it'll help me make up my mind." And then he took hold of  Revans arm and started helping him to the brothel.

[Icepop213]

"Thanks, mate." Revan smiled and let Kenalt help him io the brothel. 'Can't believe the assassins are after me now. Gotta stay sharp.' As they walked inside the brothel, a shady character in a dark cloak walked out, bumping shoulders with Revan. He looked back at the cloaked figure and frowned. The man looked back at him and smiled. 'I recognize that smile...' The man hurried out before Revancould say a word.

[Arclightning]

Kenalt saw the figure brush by Revan and smile and was immediately suspicious. That smile was off, wrong. It was too wide, too forced. Kenalt turned to Revan and asked
"Is he someone I should go chase and bring back here?" Kenalt thought he might be and assassin and could have valuable information for them to pry out.

[Icepop213]

"No, not yet." Revan didn't want to get into another fight, and decided it would be best if they didn't get involved. "Let's just get a drink. I'm terribly thirsty." Revan could still see the odd smile of the figure as it walked out of the brothel. He tried to remember whose smile it was, but couldn't come to a conclusion. He shook away the thought for now.

[Arclightning]

Kenalt shrugged. They were wasting a possibly valuable opportunity, but if Revan wanted to get drunk instead Kenalt was all for it. He helped Revan down into a chair next to a table close to the bar, then sat down in the chair across from him before shouting for drinks. After a minute or two two mugs of ale were set on the table.

[Icepop213]

Revan grabbed his mug and started to gulp down his ale. "So," he started before taking another long sip. "You said you was a bounty hunter." Revan had had several encounters with bounty hunters, and none of them were pleasant. That was back when he was an assassin. "How's that workin' for you? Part of any groups or anything?" He sipped down the rest of his booze before ordering another. Revan could drink and drink and drink without much more than a stomach ache.

[Arclightning]

Kenalt sipped his drink. He needed to be sober for this conversation. If it ends well then he could drink.
"No, I work alone. But lately I haven't been working at all." It was truer than Kenalt cared to admit, he was nearly through the gold from his last job, not that it had been substantial. "However," Kenalt said as he leaned forward over his mug of ale. "Judging from what just happened you seem to have a problem. One that I might be able to fix." Kenalt left the offer hanging in the air as he took another sip of ale.

[Icepop213]

Revan listened intently to Kenalt, then took another sip. He felt in his pocket and felt only a few small coins. "Listen. I'm kind of short on money right now. Wouldn't be able to pay you much." Revan stared at his hands. He barely had enough to pay taxes. How could he pay this man? And he couldn't take on the whole guild by himself. He was a dead man. They would keep sending assassins after him, each stronger than the last.

[Arclightning]

Kenalt knew how the man felt, he had been poor off and on for most of his life, making some money then spending it all, ending up back in the gutter. He smiled and leaned forward.
"That's not a problem. I just get half of the guilds gold." He wanted to keep Revan in the dark about how much he knew about the guild, after all, what if Revan was still secretly a member?