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Post by Twilight on Feb 21, 2010 1:15:07 GMT -5
It felt like ages since Gavin had last peaked through the window. Zerene and her merry band of soldiers had apparently taken a different route, but he didn’t feel like sticking his head in the potential trajectory of an arrow. So he waited. His eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness of the room, lit only by moonlight leaking through the open window. It was some sort of study, he guessed. Books lined a small shelf near a writing desk. A quill pen rested in an inkwell, as if someone had been interrupted in the middle of writing a letter. Looking more intently at the desk, it seemed that was exactly what had happened.
Gavin crawled over to the desk on his hands and knees, careful not to revel any part of himself to the outside world. His legs grew more stiff with every movement, and he began to wonder if he even could stand after that run. No wonder the officers always made the guards walk off extra energy after a practice. He used a padded chair for leverage to stand and looked at the desktop, squinting. There was definitely something written there, but it was too dark to see. Shame that using a match would be nothing short of a death sentence. He bit his lip, wondering when whoever had written the letter would come back.
A sound like a cat landing came from the direction of the window. Gavin’s stomach dropped to his feet as he jumped in fright. Clutching his spear, he turned around—only to see Zerene. “Gods,” he swore. “Where are the guards?” he added, trying to keep his addled heart from bursting out of his chest.
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Post by Soul Meister on Feb 21, 2010 1:55:15 GMT -5
Once inside the room, Zerene noticed Gavin’s sudden reaction and couldn’t help crack a smile. This guy sure was jumpy. Quickly dismissing the thought, she scowled at the question. Quickly turning out and gazing through the window, there weren’t any signs of life. This was probably going to be the last check over the shoulder for the rest of the mission. “The guys are gone, I managed to ditch them after a few blocks,” she replied, with a matter-a-factly tone. “Actually it was probably much more than just a few blocks,” the last part was only muttered inside her mind, not wanting to cause anymore unexpected events that might hinder the mission at hand. As her eyes quickly adjusted to the dimness, a natural action of scanning one’s environment allowed Zerene to conclude that there was no immediate danger in the situation. It was best to always stay loose for her fighting style anyways. The simplicity of the study and lack of actual interest helped her to casually stroll along the shelves. The room was musty to her liking, after patting one section of the shelf, dust went flying everywhere. It was natural to conclude that things were rarely done in here, except for the desk that Gavin stood beside. There were obvious scratches on the ground below the dust. The area where the chair had been pushed in and out weren’t obstructed by dust. Getting closer to the desk, her observations could conclude that it hadn’t been long since the incomplete letter had been written. For one, the ink still smelled fresh to her senses, though it would hardly seem the same judgment if this mission had taken place during the day. Once upon a time when she had completely avoided the sunlight, she might have noticed that the writing on the page was actually glistening in the darkness. Unfortunately for all the help she had lent to Cain, made her more adaptable in the day, though not nearly as strong as she was now. Seeing as they were at least temporary partners, it was best to help Gavin out, seeing as the poor man can’t read in the dark. Climbing up onto the seat and carefully adjusting to a comfortable arrangement, her eyes glared at the paper for a moment. Quickly scanning through the thing, a menacing and entertained smile ran across the face, but quickly diminished near the end. The situation wasn’t looking well for the two or rather Cain. If the guy wanted some information this man was the one they need, but the problem was getting him alive. As in getting it meant protecting, before the Darth’iar gets their hand on him. Not touching the incomplete letter, she began to read the letter, but barely loud enough for Gavin to hear. It should be safe, even if someone was listening from right outside. Dear sir, I am not in any danger I swear. The rumors about actions imposed upon me by another organization it’s full of completely false information. The community suspects nothing of me, than how would some outsider know? Once again, even if one sought me out, I am safe among my people and guards. There are no better warriors able to be hired in these lands that work for me. In regards to my information, you would understand that I would never betray anyone, especially not the archpriest. There is of no absolute need to take repercussions to defend the classified information. If needed all the letters had been burned, none were saved, so I can easily flee throu-
"Well Gavin, we got our man, but there seems to be a slight change in plans to me, for one, this guy knows some stuff that might be helpful to you people," Zerene stated the obvious before making one last comment. "Just listen to me when I say, I don't really care, someone is going to end up dead."
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Post by Twilight on Feb 21, 2010 2:20:05 GMT -5
A familiar feeling of dread began growing in the pit of Gavin’s soul as Zerene read the letter. She certainly seemed different from the person he knew all those minutes ago, darker almost, filled with determination more than with frivolity. She was more tolerable, yes, but something about her made Gavin uneasy, and Cain’s warnings weren’t making it any easier to cope.
She finished reading. Gavin swallowed in his parched throat, not willing to acknowledge the girl’s last comment. “The archpriest,” he said to himself. “That sounds… familiar.” He couldn’t remember hearing the word from Cain, but it certainly triggered some memory in him, and not an auspicious one. Something to do with the Darthiar, perhaps.
He leaned against the wall, thinking. “Something important obviously happened to drag him away from here. I don’t think it was us. I was almost to the window by the time you alerted the guards, and I didn’t see him leave, Clarence or whatever his name is. Gideon. And that candle is burnt to the brass, lucky he didn’t set the place on fire. He must have been gone for over an hour. So, a meeting maybe? Someone important must be talking we him.” He shook his head and looked at Zerene. “This is too much guessing. We need some sort of plan or we’ll be stuck here until Gideon finds us.”
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Post by Soul Meister on Feb 21, 2010 2:49:56 GMT -5
“For one, we’ll be stuck here regardless, by the looks of it, the guy could be dead right now,” Zerene remarked, jumping off of the chair. A low rumbling came from her stomach, natural seeing as she hadn’t fed for days now. There was nothing more they could do in the room; nothing else appeared of any other significance. Moving over to the window, she gazed out as if checking for more soldiers, but truthfully to find any tracks of the target. The important thing was the sack of meat; there were probably insignificant amount of clues in the house besides the letter.
“Hey Gavin,” she sighed, still struggling to figure out some sort of plan, something did come up. A frantic maid had rushed passed the hallway outside, making quite a bit of frantic distress. Her ears managed to pick up something about getting stuff for the target, and a meeting of some sort? It seemed like lady luck was on their side now, as an ideas began to form. They needed to get the guy out of the house unnoticed. All the jumbled up requirements caused quite a ruckus in her chaotic plan.
“Alright, seems like our man is having some meeting downstairs, probably,” she said, shrugging off the last word. This helped out quite a bit for her, but it was best if Gavin can up with some stuff.
“Ok, I don’t know what you’re good at, but I specialize in silence, don’t you give a comment about that, speed, good eyes in darkness and torture,” she continued, looking over her partner. The guy was pretty fit for his age and should be able to be good at something.
“So one of us could cause a distraction and the other move in for the target,” she continued with the small little plan. Looking at how the desk towers over her, a sweat bead ran from her forehead.
“I vote that you do the capturing and I can handle the distraction…”
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Post by Twilight on Feb 21, 2010 3:04:39 GMT -5
Gavin raised his eyebrows. “I capture him?” With Zerene’s bloodlust, he assumed she would be the one capturing. Easier to torture from there, after all. She didn’t seem as exhausted as him though, so he figured he shouldn’t complain. “Alright, then,” he said, shrugging.
“We need to find out where he is, first of all. I’m guessing he’s in some sort of lounge. Isn’t that where nobles meet? Anyway, it’s not like we can just walk down there; we’re bound to run into one of the servants.” He smiled to himself as a plan leaked itself into his head. It was crazy, but it seemed like their only option. “Here’s what we do: You run out of this room, making as much noise as possible. Get all of the staff to either hide or run after you. I’ll follow you after a few seconds and look for Gideon and whoever he’s with. If there’s a fight… well, I think I can handle it. As long as one of them isn’t a mage or swordmaster, I should be able to win.” He licked his lips. Gods know he’s had enough practice getting out of impossible situations; this should be easy. “After that, well, we’ll figure something out. Just try to keep the staff occupied.” He grinned at the insanity of it all. “How’s it sound?”
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Post by Soul Meister on Feb 21, 2010 18:32:33 GMT -5
"Eh? Alright, I'll agree," Zerene replied, taking a deep long breath. Cracking her knuckles and giving a small stretch, she pulled the door out wide and charged down towards the hall. There was definitely talking coming from down the stair, even though it was impossible for her to make out what was going on. Civilized meetings were oh so boring and difficult to make out in nights.
Once near the stairs, she hopped onto the supports and started to slide downwards. All the while on her descent, she began to yell various curses a little girl shouldn't know and howls like that of a demon, which to say she might already have been.
Upon reaching the end, there was various people beginning to appear from corridors. One thing was true for the situation, all of them were bewildered on seeing a child in the mansion. Some servants were whispering to themselves, perhaps denouncing the pureness of their employer. She took a moment to roll her eyes at the absurdity, before jumping over one of their heads and continuing the wild and delirious crusade, hopefully it was enough to help Gavin nab their man.
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Post by Twilight on Feb 21, 2010 19:14:26 GMT -5
She has quite a mouth on her, Gavin thought as he pressed his back against the door frame. Waiting a few more seconds, he swung out of the room, keeping low out of habit as he ran down the hall, following the sounds of Zerene's distraction. He began to have his doubts once he reached the staircase. She had done her job, but now he had to find where the man was. The manor seemed to have more rooms than was even remotely practical, and Gavin didn't have time to be looking in every single one.
So he didn't.
After considering making a more impressive entrance by leaping from the guardrail, he ran down the staircase, checking the bottom floor for any room which seemed suitably devious. Choosing a hallway at random, Gavin found himself in an unlit section of the mansion. He could still see the light from the foyer, but it was quite obvious the people who lived here didn't want anyone going down this hall. Spiderwebs and cobwebs abruptly began as soon as the light began fading. No portraits or tapestries marked the walls, only cold stone. The light itself seemed weaker, and not just because of the distance. Magic, he thought. Great.
He felt his way along the stone waiting for his eyes to adjust once again. As he grew closer to the end of the hall, the tight feeling of fear and anticipation began growing stronger. For a moment he wished Zerene was with him; he would need backup.
The hallway ended.
He felt a door, wooden, cold.
He pulled.
Gavin stumbled back, almost blinded by the onslaught of light, or dark. It was a round room, domed at the ceiling with a ring of extinguished torches lining the edges. The air itself felt thick and old, as if he were in a cellar. In the center stood two figures, illuminated by a fire with didn't seem so much to produce light as increase the shadows. An eerie blue light was cast upon their clothes; Gavin couldn't see their faces.
There is the source of the commotion, Gideon, a figure said in a thick accent. His voice sounded far away, like an echo through an empty room, but the power in it sent a chill down Gavin's spine.
"I apologize for this, master," the other figure, Gideon, said. "I will dispose of him." He drew a thin blade from his side; it didn't reflect in the bizarre fire.
Gavin clutched his spear, too terrified to say anything. What had he gotten himself into?
No.
Gideon glanced at the other man.
Keep him alive. He is no common thief. He obviously knows about us.
"Yes, master."
The door behind Gavin slammed shut, and what little natural light was left in the room vanished. Only the blue glow was left.
Gavin raised his spear, his heart pounding in his throat.
The servant of the darkness lunged at him.
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Post by Soul Meister on Feb 21, 2010 19:53:00 GMT -5
Zerene had stumbled across the kitchen in her conquest to assist Gavin. Picking up a pot and pan, she began beating the heck out of the kitchen utensils. There were even more staff after her now, but that was the plan! On the run, she found some newly cut meat, perhaps used for an upcoming meal. Her stomach growled some more as fresh blood leaked out of the sides. The metal pots and pans dropped to the floor with a somewhat loud clang, where she quickly grabbed the thing and started to gnaw at it. This caused quite a bit more murmurs among some of the maids and surprise to the rest. One servant recovered quickly enough to lung at her.
Being experienced in the art of fighting, her body naturally reacted with her giving a backward somersault, her feet slamming on the guy’s head. It wasn’t enough to kill the man, but it did knock him out cold. There was a moment of silence from the amazing acrobatic stunt just performed. Still munching on the piece of meat, the action didn’t bother her much at all, but she did begin having this incredibly suspicious feeling.
Shrugging off the feeling, she began to rush out of the kitchen, the bloody piece of flesh held tight by her jaw. It wasn’t until she made it down one hallway did she notice that none of the staff have come any farther. Scratching her head she heard shouts coming out from the room. It didn’t seem like something peaceful as she thought before. With the meat still hanging from her mouth, she began to think up as many ideas possible. It took her awhile longer to realize the area was influenced by magic, but when she did, it became a clear alarm that Gavin could be in for a heck of a lot more than they had bargained for.
As quickly as her vampire speed could take her, she grasped the door and pulled. It wasn’t enough for her current output of strength to open due to the magic. Magic really pissed her off at times, especially now, but the spell was weak compared to other door enchantments. It could hold well enough against most humans, but not her. With one mighty tug on the handle, the… handle broke off and clanged to the floor. Well… this was a change in her expectations. Grabbing the holes where the handle’s had been placed, she pulled again, this time the door ripped open and off the hinges.
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Post by Twilight on Feb 21, 2010 20:26:02 GMT -5
Gavin blocked the attack with a quick swipe of his spear. It was more of a reflex built into him through his years of training than a conscious act, but at least he was still alive. Gideon took a step back, his blade still raised. Though Gavin couldn't see his face, he could tell the man was trying to size him up, planning on how to incapacitate him without killing him. Why isn't he using magic? Gavin thought. Maybe the extent of his abilities are mystical door-closing powers. He glanced at the other man. It seemed like he would be able to kill him with a twitch of a finger, but he was just standing there.
What are you waiting for, Gideon?
He adjusted the sword. "I'm sorry, my lord. It's just... his spear--"
Follow your orders.
"Yes, my--"
Gavin didn't wait to hear the rest of his grovelling. Gritting his teeth, he slashed his spear at the man's midsection and hit flesh. It wasn't a deep wound, but it was enough to shock Gideon. His eyes shot to Gavin's spear tip, filled with fear. It was then Gavin realized he was able to see the man's face at all. He too looked at the blade, only to see a soft glow, barely perceptible but in this dim light.
The door swung off its hinges.
Gavin and Gideon turned away from the light attracting them like moths. Gideon grimaced. Gavin grinned. "Zerene!"
More? Gideon, your home is a circus.
Gavin hit Gideon with the butt of his spear, sending him sprawling on the ground. He groaned as he tried to stand. "Go after the other one," Gavin said. "I have this one covered."
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Post by Soul Meister on Feb 21, 2010 21:10:31 GMT -5
Zerene groaned at Gavin’s order, but knew it was better off if she did as commanded. Stuffing the rest of the meat into her mouth, she approached the other figure. Once close enough a sudden shock rose from her and the man as well. There was a moment of silence as the two fiends stared each other down.
“So it’s you Zerene, well umm long times no see! How long has it been? And uhh… what do you say about my offer?” the man finally broke the silence, his voice quivering a little. This Darth’iar member was nothing for her to worry about or rather his spells were insufficient against her. Perhaps Cain knew of this, yet she quickly dismissed the thought.
“Still a no thanks, you people are a little on the crazy side,” she replied with a casual tone.
“You’re one to say!” the man said, giving a less serious joking voice and a small chuckle at the end. The two of them talked for awhile, as if catching up like old friends. The guy talked about all the “crazy” stuff in the Darth’iar, while Zerene only kept up with replies, but keeping her situation an absolute secret.
“So, uh right, I gotta do this job ya know, so umm can you like go away now? We both know we don’t want to get on each other’s bad sides,” she remarked, finally ending the conversation.
“No can do Z, I have a job to do myself,” he said, waving his hand and engulfing her in bluish flames. It burned to say the least and she knew they couldn’t be extinguished by regular methods. She had to disrupt the contact, like before.
“Hey Gavin, can you get rid of the flame for me here?” She spat out from behind her.
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Post by Twilight on Feb 25, 2010 18:24:15 GMT -5
Gavin barely heard the conversation Zerene and the other man were having. Apparently the two new each other, but in all honesty the girl could turn out to be princess of the Dark World and it wouldn't surprise him any more than he'd already been today. Instead, he turned his attention back to Gideon.
"I have to wonder," he coughed from the floor, "how much you really know."
Gavin held his spear at his throat.
"Sending men at small-time servants like me... what is your commander thinking?" He grinned in the light of the spear. "Don't you ever wonder what exactly it is you're doing? Whether it's for the greater good or just some game your superiors play?" Gideon pushed himself up with his elbow. "Look at that spear. Look at it. You're as surprised as me to see it doing that. You received that from your superiors, didn't you? You're an experiment, lad. Don't you see that?"
"I'm a soldier, not a tactician," Gavin said. "The leaders probably are playing a game, but that doesn't bother me. I just know I'd rather be on the side that doesn't have creeps like you." He smacked the flat of the blade on his head, hard. Gideon hit the floor. "And I got this spear from the mom, stupid."
He pushed his hair out of his eyes; the room was getting hot, maybe from the spreading fire. Gavin blinked. Spreading fire?
"Hey Gavin, can you get rid of the flame for me here?"
She was on fire. Gods. He looked from Zerene to the other man to the fire. Since he had apparently been the one to make Zerene flambe, he quickly decided he didn't want to mess with him. So, putting the fire out...
The other man smiled, the blue light casting a glare on his face. She isn't who you think she is. You would be better off letting her burn to death, trust me.
"What is it with you people and trust?" Gavin spat. What puts out fires, again? Water, dirt, wind. His eyes were drawn to the ceiling again. So many torches, none of them lit. Why is it so dark? Dramatic tension was one explanation, or maybe Gideon was just too lazy to light them. For his superior? Doubtful. He gripped his spear tighter. Fire needs air to burn, and it uses up the air in a room while it's burning. So if a different fire took all the air first, then...
Gavin flinched. This wasn't going to turn out well.
He raised his hand, letting energy gather there as he mentally prepared to cast a spell. He was a crappy mage, and all of his attempts at spellcasting either ended in absolutely nothing or in him going virtually mad.
Better than dying, he thought.
A burst of fire spread around the dome, lighting the torches and scarring the wall. Almost immediately he found it more difficult to breathe, but... the blue flames were vanishing, disappearing into sparks and slowly going out altogether. He ran to Zerene, hoping she would still be able to walk out. Someone would need to carry Gideon, after all.
{{The blue guy is gone too, but I didn't really feel like writing that.}}
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