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I Know My Target {DragonSong}

Started by Lowen Thorn, April 02, 2018, 08:54:19 PM

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Lowen Thorn

His voice became sterner, a rare occurrence from his usual calm demeanor.

"Would you willingly risk the lives of your classmates by doing so? Even one?" he asked, taking one step forward. "I do not fear death, girl. I will take on this entire school if I must in order to get the job done. I am bound by an oath, Aurelia Marigold, and I must obey that oath."

He let out an exasperated sigh and his eyes returned to their steely blue state, grip still firm on his whip's handle. He had yet to attack. He studied her panicked face a bit longer before speaking again.

"Why do you fear death?" he asked sincerely. "I do not understand. Why are humans so attached to one world when they will just be brought to another?"

DragonSong

Tears gathered in her eyes. She shook her head, backing up another step. "Please," she whispered. She didn't care how weak she sounded, how undignified. She could barely comprehend his questions, fear gripping her heart and clouding her mind.

"Please, please don't hurt me," she whimpered, stumbling back again. "Please..."

Lowen Thorn

Fear was something he knew all too well. Most of his victims would break down in utter fear when their final moments were upon them. But, most of his victims were not innocent, confused youth like this one. Their fear was developed from the panic that their past has caught up to them. A murderer. A rapist. Even a lowly thief. They all wronged someone time and time again.

But not Rory. Her fear was different. This was probably not a fate she deserved, and she was understandably confused as to why this was happening.

"Poor creature," he said softly, cupping her cheek with his hand. "Do you know why this is happening?"

DragonSong

"D-Don't touch me." She tried to flinch back from him, but she couldn't get far. Her heel caught in the hem of her robes and she tumbled backward with a sharp cry, just barely managing to twist and brace her palms to break her fall onto the hard stone floor.

Crack.

She winced and glared up at the assassin, still trying to scramble back. "I don't know why you're doing this. What do you want from me?" If he was going to kill her, why didn't he just get it over with?

Lowen Thorn

He was unmoved by her tumble and continued to stare at her blankly.

"Does the name Aaric Rosewood sound familiar to you?" he asked. "He is an acquaintance of your father. He is the one who hired me to do this, though I am failing to understand why. You have not done anything wrong. Why would another human do such a thing without any priors? Is it in the human nature?"

He studied the woman's face almost as if she were some sort of specimen. His eyes flashed a fierce red as he tightened the grip on his whip. "I do not wish to kill you, Aurelia. But I am under oath," he explained, looming over her. "What would you have me do?"

DragonSong

Rory sniffled, trying to shuffle back awkwardly. Silent tears streaked down her face.

Aaric Rosewood? Under oath?

She shook her head. "Why?" she whispered desperately. "Why take such an oath? Please, just...just let me go," she begged quietly, blinking in a futile effort to hold back more tears.

Lowen Thorn

"I was not always like this," he began, attempting to answer her question. "I was banished by my people, given human form and placed on this earth to continue my work on foot. I have always collected lost souls, guiding them from one place to the next, but in this form I have certain... needs. I'm hungry. I need work."

He gave her a sympathetic smile, completely oblivious to the human emotion.

"I accepted the request to end your life," he said. "I did not see anything wrong with the request so I humbly accepted. It was my word, and my word is an oath. The only way to reverse the oath would be for me to kill the one that hired me."

Sighing, he raised his whip, ready to attack.

DragonSong

"B-but there is something wrong with it!" Rory scrambled desperately. "You said it yourself, there's no r-reason to kill me!" She swallowed nervously, eyes darting from side to side as she desperately searched for a way out of the situation.

Lowen Thorn

"Hmph," he sighed wearily. He really didn't want to kill the girl, but she wasn't giving him any sort of counter offer. He could easily turn this around on the man who ordered her assassination if she asked, and for the right price, but he could not allow himself to come out and say that openly. Despite being cursed with this human body, he couldn't give in completely to that of human nature - he needed structure; he needed rules.

He took another step closer, about to lash his weapon upon the woman.

"Hey, stop!" a young man cried out from behind them, others his age in accompaniment. "W-What the hell are you doing?"

DragonSong

Rory nearly cried with relief. "Help!" she shrieked, "Help, please! I-- I'll do anything!"

Her eyes were still locked on her attacker, and for the briefest moment she almost seemed to be pleading with him in her fear.

Lowen Thorn

Epirus shot a red-eyed glare over to the other approaching students, causing them to momentarily stop in their tracks.

"F-Fuck this!" one of the students said, falling back to his rear.

Another girl stepped up, her voice trembling. "B-But we have to do something!"

The young demon continued to stare blankly at them, but his mind was whirling. This was just too much. He had no intention to harm anyone else, but they were leaving him no choice.

Unless.

He had an idea. Turning back around to face Rory, he scooped her off of the ground and began running away with her, her fellow students in cautious pursuit. Hopefully the young girl did not try to resist too much.

"I have a proposition for you," he whispered to her as they turned a corner. "Do not say another word until we are out of sight."

DragonSong

Rory screamed, but she couldn't struggle. She was too scared, too startled. She couldn't even call on her magic.

Calm down, calm down, I need to calm down!

"Why didn't you kill me?" She whispered, staring up at him with wide, terrified eyes.

Lowen Thorn

Epirus didn't answer at first. He continued to carry the girl, making quick strides through the hall and turning different corners until he reached an empty classroom. Upon entering, he locked the door behind him and set the girl down.

He did not want her to try to escape again, so he remained standing in front of the door just in case.

"Your eyes," he replied finally. "They are so innocent. So full of fear. That's not something I particularly enjoy seeing before making a kill. Sure, I've done it many times before but..."

He stopped, contemplating his next answer. "It doesn't make sense to me anymore. I will spare your life, but under certain conditions," he said. "Are you willing to listen?"

DragonSong

Panting, Rory scrambled back the moment he set her down. She almost darted for the door, but then he'd moved to block that escape route.

She stared at him, chest rising and falling rapidly with panicked breath. Behind her back, her fingers began sketching glyphs.

Her eyes? Innocent? What on earth was he talking about?

She swallowed nervously. "I'm listening..."

Lowen Thorn

He held up one hand as to motion her to stop.

"First," he started with a commanding tone. "Stop what you are doing behind your back. It won't help, and will only change my mind."

He waited for a moment, searching her eyes for understanding, before continuing. "As I said before, I am bound by an oath to carry out your assassination. The only way for me to break that oath is to create a new one. Specifically, with you. Your father is rather well-known, and thus has garnered a handful of enemies in his time. These people intend to hurt you - I know this, because I have already been hired to do so by one."

DragonSong

The mage froze, then slowly placed her hands in front of her body, wringing her fingers nervously.

She swallowed, staring at her would-be assassin as he spoke, then ventured carefully, "What-- what kind of deal?" Her eyes kept flicking toward the door. Someone had to be coming, right?

Lowen Thorn

Finally.

She was finally coming around, not that he could blame her for the way she had been acting up to that point. He was trying to kill her. And, of course, the red glow of his eyes and his overall demeanor could be rather... intimidating, to the say the least.

"You have to hire me," the man said. "You have to hire me to kill the man who hired me to kill you. For one life spared, another must be taken. It's as simple as that."

DragonSong

Rory swallowed thickly.

He made it sound so easy...

She shook her head slowly. "I-- I can't," she whispered. "I can't...kill someone. I just can't." She drew in a shaky breath. "Does that have to be the deal? Can't you just-- I don't know, can't it be something else?"

Lowen Thorn

Speaking truthfully, he really didn't know. His oath was more of his word than anything else, though the plains beyond would expect a replacement for the soul he was sparing. Of course, he did not have to tell her that exactly.

If he was hired to kill her, someone else would come after her eventually. That's when he could even the field.

"Sure," he lied. "Hire me to be your guard instead. There will be more people coming after you from now on."

Epirus' lips curled into a soft smile. He wasn't much for lying, but it works.

DragonSong

The mage stared at him a long moment. Then, slowly, she nodded. "Alright," she whispered. "I-- I want to make a deal with you to-- to protect my life rather than take it..."

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