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Monsters and Shadows [M]

Started by DragonSong, July 15, 2017, 07:47:38 PM

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DragonSong

@Skwint

[Just FYI, I foresee the possibility of this thread maybe getting pretty dark, so I figured I'd throw and "M" up to be safe]




He was surprised no one had realized it yet, that there was a monster living under the roof of such a quaint, lovely family. He'd suspected for some time, but after that last "fainting spell"- now he was sure.

And he knew he had to do something about it. She had to be stopped. She didn't even realize what she was, which almost made it worse. It certainly made things more difficult. She just couldn't control it, one day it would consume her.

He had to end her.

Well, not him personally. It shouldn't be too difficult to find someone to get the job done.




Lily winced as the steps creaked beneath her bare feet and glanced back up the stairwell. It seemed no one had heard the noise, so she gave a soft breath of relief and continued tiptoeing down the stairs.

Another nightmare had woken her, and she couldn't go back to sleep. She'd decided some tea might help soothe her, but she didn't want to bother any of the kitchen staff so late- well, early now, she supposed.

She made her way into the kitchens and set a pot over the stove. Her eyes flickered to the window and she sighed. It looked like a storm had passed by while she slept; the gardens glistened with fresh droplets of water in the moonlight.

While she waited for her water to boil, she slipped to the door that led from the kitchen out into the manor's gardens and leaned against the frame, breathing deep to soak in the fresh scent of the newly watered land.

Skwint

Black Skull looked upon the house of his target. Judging by its size and opulence, this target was undoubtedly of at least minor noble blood. Actually, most likely minor noble, because he had seen other nobles with houses larger than even this one.

Absolutely none of that mattered, however. Black Skull had been hired by an employer who had put way too much effort into anonymity. There was a young woman who lived in this house that he had said was a menace and needed to be dealt with. The man hadn't given specifics, but no one hardly ever did.

After having to begrudgingly sit through a sudden and unexpected storm, Black Skull experienced a stroke of luck. A young woman matching the description of his target had simply wandered outside into the garden. Well, this would be easy.

Black Skull slipped silently into the garden, a throwing spike poised between his fingers. As fate would have it, however,  Black Skull wasn't entitled to streaks of food fortune. A stray cat emerged from the garden and brushed up against Liliy's leg. If she turned to look at the cat he would undoubtedly be noticed.

DragonSong

"Oh." Lily started slightly, then glanced down at the cat with a small smile. "Hello there." She bent to stroke the animal, who purred and rubbed back and forth, shifting the skirt of her nightdress. "I'm afraid we don't have any scraps for you at the moment," she murmured, lifting her head to glance back over her shoulder into the kitchen.

As she did, she caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye. Her attention snapped to the shadowy figure and an instinctive thrill of fear ran up her spine. "Who's there?" she demanded, snapping upright. Her breath caught in her throat and her heart skipped a beat as she took a step back.

"Reveal yourself, or I'll call for the guards!"

Skwint

Well shit. The threat of calling guards definitely confirmed the she was nobility. They always called their guards, but it never helped. Still, the were always extremely bothersome. More of a nuisance than anything. As long as they weren't professionally trained anyway.

"They would only add to the body count," Black Skull said stepping out into the moonlight. "Besides, I'm not here for them."

DragonSong

The cat at her feet hissed, back arched, then streaked away into the darkness.

Lily took another step back into the kitchen, groping behind her for the door so she could slam it.

Body count did not bode well.

An assassin then, but here for who? Her father? Carlton had been careful not to anger anyone too important for the last thirty years. Jorris, maybe? Her brother had been so secretive lately...

She had to do something. In a lightning quick movement, she grabbed for the now almost boiling kettle- crying out as the metal burned her hand- and flung it wildly out into the garden as she tried to slam the door.

"Father! Guard! Intruder, someone help!"

Skwint

Black Skull sighed. Nothing could ever be easy. Deciding that confrontation would be unwise, Black Skull vanished into the darkness. Help would come, but they wouldn't see him and hopefully just dismiss it as paranoia. As soon as everything calmed down he would make another approach. Any precautionary guards could be dealt with swiftly and silently.

DragonSong

Two guards came running at Lily's call, and soon enough the entire household was roused. It took some few hours before the grounds had been properly checked, but no one found so much as a trace of the young lady's "intruder". No matter what she said, gradually her family decided she must have had some sort f walking nightmare.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright?" her mother murmured as she ushered her back to bed while the house settled down. "Perhaps this is a new symptom of your ailment."

"It's not- I don't have any ailments, Mother!" Lily protested. "I'm telling you, there was a man in the garden, and I think he was sent to- to kill someone. Please, you have to tell father to double the guards-"

"Lily, you must rest, my dear." Lydia shook her head as she shook the younger woman back into her room.

"You have to believe me!"

"Mother." Jorris was suddenly at their mother's side, laying a hand on her arm. "Let me," he murmured. Lydia sighed and nodded, casting a last worried glance at her daughter before turning to make her way back to her chambers.

Lily whirled on her brother, grabbing his arms. He flinched slightly, blinking down at her. "Jorris, please listen, we're in danger, you have to-"

"Lily." He pulled her into his chest, stroking her hair gently. "Shh, sister. I believe you, I do." He kissed the top of her head and sheperded her to the bed. "I'll talk to them, but you must rest."

Slowly, she nodded, climbing into bed and pulling the blankets up to her head.

It took a while, but finally she managed to slip into sleep.

Skwint

Well that was a huge waste of time. There wasn't much night left. He would have to get this done. This time he would have to sneak up to the house and try to fins her bedroom which was undoubtedly on the second floor.

After a bit of searching he finally found it. He slipped through her window as best as he could manage with only one arm. It was time to just get this over with.

DragonSong

Already restless from her earlier nightmare, and now thoroughly on edge from the scare she'd received in the garden, Lily jolted awake at every slight sound in her room.

The fourth time this happened, she felt an odd procklenat the back of her neck, as though she was being watched. She sat up slowly in bed, holding her breath. Her fingers curled tightly into the sheets, small shivers wracking her slight frame.

Skwint

Black Skull froze when she sat up. She was awake. It didn't seem like she had noticed him yet though. He crept silently across the room. Once he reached her bed he extended his armblade and raised his arm. From what he had been told about this woman, this seemed a bit too easy.

DragonSong

The shift in the shadows caught her attention and she snapped around, but too late.

Lily had trained in militant skills nearly as much as her brothers, but she was by no means a fighter. She was defenseless as the shadowy figure extended a blade toward her, the aunt starlight the glinted off the metal unmistakeable..

She opened her mouth to scream, to call for help, do something, futile as it may be, but before she could her eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed back into the bed.

There was a beat of perfect stillness, then a pulse in the air around her. Suddenly, the wind around her began to whip into a miniature cyclone, lifting her from the bed and wrapping her in a protective barrier of wind. Hair and nightgown billowing around her, her eyes snapped open, changed from a cloudy gray to glowing silver.

Skwint

Black Skull paused. Did she really just faint? Did he have the wrong room? This woman was nothing like what his employer had described.

Then he felt a breeze. He looked at the window behind him and saw that the curtains weren't billowing. How are the curtains not being affected? The breeze then escalated almost immediately to a cyclone surrounding the young woman. Well, this seemed a bit more accurate.

Black Skull retracted his armblade and hurled a throwing spike. The projectile was merely caught the high winds and flung aside, burying itself into the wall. Okay then. There was no way he would be getting close to her now. Oddly enough, she wasn't attacking him. What she was doing seemed purely defensive in nature.

"Aren't you going to do anything," Black Skull asked.

DragonSong

Lily's gaze had been fixed vacantly over the assassin's shoulder, but when he spoke her eyes suddenly snapped to his.

She didn't speak, but her magic gave a little pulse as though warning him back. Her eyes narrowed. For a moment the wind grew stronger, and outside a distant rumble of thunder could be heard.

Then, all of the sudden, it stopped. The cyclone vanished as though it had never been and Lilly collapsed back into her mattress. She took a deep breath, then another, eyes closed.

Without conscious control of her magic, it was all too easy for the power to exhaust her.

By the third breath, her eyes opened again. She suddenly bolted upright as scrambled away from the masked figure, nearly falling off the bed in her haste. How was she not dead? Had she fainted? Why hadn't he taken the opportunity to just end her then?

"Don't- don't hurt me," she gasped, eyes wide and frightened and once again misty gray. "Please, whatever you think I or my family have done, I promise it doesn't call for this. Please don't hurt them, please..."

Her eyes flickered wildly around the room, searching for her practice blade.

Skwint

Now Black Skull was confused. What was going on? Was she toying with him? Did she not know what just happened? None of this was adding up.

Black Skull approached Lily and then simply just lookes down at her. This was the monster? She was the threat to public safety?

Black Skull jerked his head toward the throwing spike embedded in the wall.

"Do you recall me throwing that at you?"

DragonSong

Her eyes followed the movement of his head and her already fair skin paled another shade. He'd attacked with that? She shook her head quickly, mute, and her eyes flickered to the door.

If she yelled for help, he would cut her down before anyone could arrive. And then she'd just be putting more people in danger.

Swallowing thickly, she looked up at his face again- mask, she realized, as her eyes finally began to properly adjust to the darkness. "Please, what do you want with us? If- if you spare my family, I'll do anything you want, I promise. I won't fight you, just please, please leave them be."

Skwint

"You were just floating in the air surrounded by a barrier of wind," Black Skull told her. "You remember none of that?"

This was a joke. This had to be a joke.

"Is you're name not Lily? Are you the only one in this house with that name?"

DragonSong

...What?

"I- I am Lily." She backed up another few steps. Why wasn't he attacking? Not that she wanted him to- but at least an attack she could understand! Sort of. His questions just...confused her. "Lily Hartnet. I'm the first of my name, there are no others- please, just tell me what you want!"

She couldn't process what he said about her floating above her bed. She just didn't have the capacity, as frightened and desperate as she was.

Skwint

There was no mistaking it now. This young woman was indeed his intended target. But why? It made no sense. Then again, she was a mage and this was Connlaoth.

"You've never hurt anyone, have you," Black Skull asked.

Well, she might have seeing as it didn't seem she bad any control over her abilities. They only triggered when she felt threatened, however, so if she did hurt someone they probably had it coming.

DragonSong

Now completely and utterly lost, Lily shook her head quickly for a moment before she remembered how to make words. "No. I haven't, truly I haven't, I swear it."

She thought that was true- perhaps she had inadvertently disrespected some noblewoman or another at a small party, or wounded a suitor's pride when she proved to be a stronger rider than he, but she'd never intentionally harmed someone. Which was what she thought he was asking.

"My lady?" The knock at the door made her start and snap almost rigidly straight. Her eyes flicked from the masked man to the door, panicked. "I thought I heard a sound, are you alright?"

Her mother must have put an extra guard on watch after all. Relief swamped through her, followed quickly by another rush of fear. The guard probably thought she'd fainted again, that the noise he'd heard was just her coming to or perhaps falling from the bed- if the intruder moved now, she'd be dead before he got the door open.

Skwint

Black Skull sighed. Of course she hadn't. She wasn't even aware of what she was capable of. It seemed that her abilities only triggered when threatened, so if she had hurt anyone they were probably asking for it.

When the guard came to the door Black Skull cursed under his breath. Black Skull turned and made for the window. He and his employer had designated a location at which to meet when the job was done. Black Skull was going to get some answers. 

He climbed out the window and disappeared into the night. The throwing spike was still stuck in the wall, intentionally left behind so that the young woman's story would now be believed.

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