Lore: Assassination

[Soran Nightblade]

Thread started by Eslin on July 14th, 2004

Eslin:

Briena cautiously looked up at the mansion. Its owner should be contently asleep in his bed thinking he was safe behind the dark stone walls. Briena smiled to herself; his guards, sentries, and elaborate locks want help him tonight. Andres Malvant had become an unpopular name, and during his time as a politician, he’s made some powerful enemies. Not only powerful enemies but wealthy too. She wrapped herself in a spell of invisibility and slowly walked toward the entrance of the mansion.

It was night here in the city of Arroes. The guards on duty tonight were uneasy at their post. It would be a challenge: getting into the mansion with out them seeing. But she always loved a good challenge. She cast a spell of illusion over the two large doors that were the entrance to the mansion, and she took a look at the elaborate locks on the doors. They were nothing for her, and in a small amount of time she was pushing the door open on recently oil hinges. Just as she closed the door her illusion spell gave out; she silently cursed. It seemed that lately her spells weren't acting as they should. But the guards never saw the door open, to them it never did.

She was inside now. Briena allowed a wicked smile to slide onto her face. This was too easy for a person with her skills. She checked the duration of her invisibility spell. She still had plenty of time. She reached into her belt pouch and pulled out a small map on a thin piece of paper. She studied markings drawn in a careful, precise hand. She stuffed the map back into her belt pouch and glided down the empty halls. Her footfalls were muffled by the rich carpet. In minutes she was standing in the hall that held her victim’s chambers.

Sentries were posted outside the door. They stood rigidly taking their job seriously. This would take delicate, meticulous skill. She strode forward stopping a little short of the door. She was directly in between the two. They seemed uneasy. With a swift sweep of her arms she reached out and touched them on their shoulders. They jumped, but she whispered the magic word in a soft raspy voice, “Sleep.” The spell took hold and the sentries slumped to the floor. The spell would run it’s duration, and when they woke up they would believe that they had fallen asleep on duty. Their charge would be dead and they would be blamed. Briena chuckled, it was a shame they didn’t hire these brutes for their brains. Although it wouldn’t help them any tonight even if they did have brains.

She approached the door. This one had a lock too. Andres knew he had enemies, but he obviously didn’t expect someone of her skill. She hopped he like surprises. The locks slid to their unlocked positions with a click, and the door opened on silent hinges. She cautiously stepped into the room, there wasn’t a bit of telling if he had any other nasty things in store for an intruder. She was in a large sitting room with plump couches and chairs. At the far end of the room was an opened door, and she could see a large bed with a lump in the center.

She let her invisibility spell go. She pulled her dagger form her sheath and walked to the bedside. She’s left all her other weapons and the inn she was lodging at. They would be useless to her here. She glanced down at her victim. He was lying on his back in a deep sleep. She took her dagger and slit his throat horizontally, end from end. He jerked in his sleep, but he would never wake up. Good riddance she though. She would have no regrets about this later. He was far from innocent, and his hands were stained with the blood of many.

She look at her dagger stained with his blood. This was worth a fortune. She reached in her belt pouch and took out a cloth. She wiped the blood on it and put it into her pouch. She threw open his bedroom window and jumped out of it levitating to the yard below. There were no guards to see her and she slipped away from the mansion anxious to collect her payment.

Eslin:

Briena sat in the dusty chair that was in her room. Her room wasn’t a fancy one; it had been all she could do just to get that fat innkeeper to take a dark elf. He was still a little jumpy when she came into the tavern. She usually used the back door, so she wouldn’t have to wade through the filth in the common room.

She looked out the window. The sun was just peeking above the horizon. Today was the day she was suppose to meet her employer. He told her to meet him at a tavern called Havick’s Tavern for Travelers. To her the name sounded to bouncy, but as long as she got her money she didn't care.

She got up from the chair and walked to the plainly made wardrobe. She opened the doors and buckled on her sword belt and her belt pouch. She took out her newly made cloak. Her old one didn’t suit her anymore, and there was the matter of a large hole that she’d found in it. She had the new one made during her wait for her employer to come a calling. It was a much finer piece of workmanship with a small amount of silver embroidery along the hood and edges.

She left her payment on the wooden table where the maids would find it and walked out of room; it looked as if no one had stayed in it in ages when she left. Not wanting to see the innkeeper’s face once more in this life, she took the back way out of the inn.

She walked out into the busy streets of Arroes. People shielded away from her. She was use to it by now and only pulled her hood up so that everyone wouldn’t take close notice of her.

She already knew where Havick’s Tavern for Travelers was located. She set a fast pace and was standing in front of the inn in no time. She hesitated before going in. Her employer had only said that he’d be there a little after dawn. She wondered what he considers a little after dawn.

Thinking that she couldn’t spend long in this place, she pulled the door opened and walked in. She found a seat at a table in the corner. She left her hood up and began her patient wait. She had patients when she needed them, and with money in the mix, she could wait for a long time.

Emora:

Ora weaved her way through the crowded room of the inn one last time. She planned on quitting after today, weather she owed Havick a debt or not. She had enough of the place with its dirty men and whores and Havick himself. Though he dared not to touch her in his anger after Kezadon had spoken to him...

She carried a plate of food to a table where a lot of the city guards were stationed at a table in the middle of the room. She set the plates down and went back returning with mugs of ale for them.

She was out of customers or so she thought until she spotted a woman sitting in the corner sitting at a table she had just cleaned. She walked up to her and put a rag away in the pocket of her apron. "How may I help you?" she asked, to tired to realize what the woman was.

Eslin:

Briena watched the maid weave her way through the room. She also watched everyone else around her; her employer had only told her she’d know him when she saw him.

She usually didn’t like to be in deals like this, but once again the money was enough to make her not care. She’d been promised a large amount for this kill and she wasn’t about to let it go to waste.

The maid was about to walk away when she noticed Briena sitting in the corner. Briena cursed silently to herself. She hoped this inn was more tolerable for dark elves than the last one had been.

The woman came up to her table and asked, “How may I help you?” Briena though she looked tired. She was glad for her cloak at the moment. Her hood was pulled up enough to where it shadowed her face. Or maybe this inn did tolerate dark elves.

Briena didn’t waste thought on it. She was a little thirsty, and there wasn’t a bit of telling how long the wait could be, so she said in her smooth silky voice, “I’d like a cup of your best wine.”

She hop it wouldn't bring too much attention to her face, but if she didn’t order anything that would make the woman suspicious of why she was just sitting there.

Emora:

Ora walked away and into the back room, coming back with a mug of wine in her hands. She managed to make it across the room with people bumping into her with out spilling a single drop.

She sat the mug on the table and held out her hand for the woman to pay for it. "That'll be to coins, miss," she said hoping the woman planed on paying for it. She wondered why her head was covered up. Did she have something to hide?

She didn't know why, Havick loved any one who came into his tavern with money, he didn't care, race, color, gender... anything that had money was his friend.

Eslin:

Briena stared at the maid’s hand. She wondered what would happen if she refused to pay. She discarded that line of thought; if she did that, it would all in with her bringing unneeded attention to herself.

She looked down to reach into her belt pouch to fish for the necessary coins. When she did a strand of stark white hair fell out of her hood and into the light.

Placing the coins in the maid’s hand, she noticed her small ebony hand; it was almost the same color as her cloak. Once again she cursed and looked up into the maid’s face to see her reaction.

Emora:

Ora took the money, noticing the hand and not even reacting to it at all. They got a lot of dark elves and she had met many of them who had become regular customers. Havick even had a few as "friends."

"If you need anything else," Ora said and pulled out a rag as she was about to go wipe down a table. "Call and I'll get it for you." She then turned away as yet another person came into the tavern.

She began wiping down an empty table.

Eslin:

Briena watched Ora’s reaction to her race, and almost sighed a sigh of relief. She cursed once again, it seemed she’d been doing that a lot lately. She was growing too soft. Why did it matter if the stinky little petty humans accepted her or not. She was the one who deserved they’re unwavering respect.

She leaned back into her chair and picked up the wine that had been brought. She was just about to take a sip when she noticed the person who’d just walked into the door. Reminding herself that she no longer cared about what human’s thought, she causally began to sip her wine and watched the human cross the tavern filled with the filth of the human world and some things worse than human.

It was her boss of course. Who else, beside herself, would come in dressed in a cloak black as the night with the hood pulled so far down to where you can’t see the face it hides. She wondered what he had to hide.

He crossed the floor and took the chair in front of her. His back was facing the rest of the room. He just sat there starting at her. His eyes were like black stones, and they seemed as hard and cold as stones too.

She wanted to shield away form that awful gaze. Had she been a lesser being she would have, instead she stiffed her backbone and met his stare with a cold gaze of her own. There was something that just wasn’t right about this man. Something familiar to her, but she could put her finger on it at the moment.

Emora:

Ora waited a few more tables before noticing the new man in the room and he was seated in front of the Dark Elf. She walked towards them, a strand of black falling for her neat bun. She looked to the female and then to the male. "Can I get you anything sir."

Years, of meeting crime boss people and smuggling criminals had given her insight as to what kind of people did what and this man looked to be trouble and the fact that the female was meating with him only could mean to things. She was whore that he fancied or she was trouble to.

Eslin:

Briena watched as the waitress approached the table. "Can I get you anything sir?” she asked. The man’s eyes shifted, freeing Briena from the momentary trap, to rest on the unlucky waitress.

His eyes held not emotion; they were just blank and vacant, but they were as cold as the iciest winter in the north. Yet, at the same time they burned with the hottest hate.

“No,” he said in a voice that sounded like rocks grinding against each other. The hairs on Briena’s neck stood upright, and her eyes widened a fraction. When the man’s eyes had shifted it was as if a fog had been lifted on her mind. She could think more clearly now. She knew what was so familiar about this man.

His smell; he smelled of chaos. Only someone who had ever been around such a smell would recognize it; others would just think it was a strong stench hanging about the person. Briena knew better, she had only been force to deal with a few of this man’s kind, but every time had it turned out badly for one side or the other(sometimes daedly).

She seriously thought about giving up on her money. This man was inhabbited by a demon; there was no mistaking it. This wasn’t the man who’d issued her mission; this wasn’t her boss. Could it be his representative?

Briena flexed like an alert cat and waited to see what would happen before she took a rash action.

Emora:

Ora nodded and walked to the table behind them that a couple had just left to go up to there room. She began wiping it down listening to there conversation as she did so. She didn't like the man at all... he was too.... evil.

She wanted to know what they were up to, so she listened doing so good of a job not even the trained eye could tell she was spying.

Eslin:

Briena watched the maid walk away from the table. Those dangerous eyes once again turned toward her. She shivered as she felt the demon trying to fog her thoughts again. She resisted with all her will.

The man chuckled. It was a harsh sound. He said in a cold voice, “So, you’ve grasped the truth of my nature. Oh well, it doesn’t matter too much. I have your money with me.” He pulled out a black purse. When he opened it she could see it was filled with gold coins.

He opened his mouth to speak again and said in his scratchy voice, “Do you have the proof?” She nodded and took out a white cloth.

She had it folded to where you couldn’t see the blood stain. He took it and sniffed it. “Ah,” he said, “this is the man.” With a quick gesture he forcefully slid the bag full of coins over the table. It fell into her lap with a clink.

It was obvious he had more to say. Briena was wishing he would leave. He said, “I have a new job for you.” Briena cursed silently and said as forcefully as she dared, “No thank you. I’m not available.” She then started to get up and leave the table.

The man was like quicksilver. He stood up to and got really close to her. To anyone watching they wouldn’t be able to see the jagged knife aimed at her midsection.

“I think you’ll be available,” he said. Briena was stunned. She said in a shaky voice, “Why can’t you just kill them? You suppose to be the all powerful one.”

“Let’s just say I need someone with your special skills.”

Briena shivered and said, “I’ve done told you, I want be available. And I don’t believe a word you say. I think you want me to go because you’re scared.” She tried to push her way around the man while griping his wriest to keep the dagger from going in.

She stopped dead when she felt something trying to grasp her. Only nothing was touching her body. Something was pulling at her very being. She turned to the man. And said, “Please, stop! I’ll accept your proposition.”

“Oh you will. That’s quite a change of spirit you had there.” Briena almost slapped him, but she stopped short. She was beginning to think of ways she could kill this evil being.

“Let’s sit down at the table and discuss your newest job,” he said. She sat down glad to be off her shaky legs.

Emora:

So she's an assassin... Ora thought and noticed clearly that something was not right. The man gave her the utter creeps, but she ignored it as best she could, not wanting to draw attention to the fact that he did. What person does he want her to murder?

Ora grew closer wiping the table eagerly, wanting to know... What if it was some one she knew... what if it was some one Kezadon knew... What if it was the Queen of Ighten herself! Ora had heard so much about the queen there... they said she was beautiful beyond belief. Not like Shea, who was beautiful... but not the kind you would admire... but lust after. She had heard she was just ruler and a kind woman. Oh, no, not her!

Eslin:

The chair Briena was sitting in felt unsteady, or maybe it was just her who felt unsteady. The demon was sitting comfortably; he looked like a regular person. Briena decided that she would kill him when this was all over with. She just had to figure out how to kill him without him trying to posses her soul.

The demon began to tell her about her proposition. “There is a woman I’d like you to kill. She lives in Ongoreth around Riffraff’s resthouse. You don’t need to worry about where. When you get there I have a contact who can tell you.”<br>
Briena sneered, “Why can’t you just go kill her yourself? Are you so weak?”<br>
It seemed for a moment as if the entire world disappeared. The demon’s face filled her vision. The grasping feeling came back worse than ever. Briena began shivering as if she’d spent too much time out in a rainstorm. He said in that awful voice, “You get the job done. If you don’t, I won’t kill you, but I’ll make your life a living hell.”

The spell ended and Briena once again saw the room. She slumped as if she had given up on life. “But if you do get the job done, I’ll make sure your rewarded.” Briena knew she didn’t want any kind of reward from this freak of nature.

He spoke again, “You’ll need to know her name. It’s Shinobu; burn that name into you mind. I want her dead. Don’t fail me; you know what happens if you do, and there is always other people who can replace you.” Briena thought that if she ever met anyone with a scratchy voice like his she’d kill them without asking questions.

The demon slowly got up and walked out of the tavern. Briena sat in her chair wondering what to do. She burned with hate. Who was he to order her about? She sighed. She didn’t have much choice. She got and walked to the door. She really hoped Shinobu deserved death; Briena intended to bring it to her. Shinobu had brought this demon to her doorstep. She would answer for it. She burned that name into her hate filled mind. Shinobu.

She smiled cruelly as she walked. After she killed this Shinobu she’d take that demon out of this world. She flowed down the street, plotting on how to make her plan a reality.


OOC: Briena is going to Riffraff's Resthouse