[Closed]~A Haidian in Ettermire...~

[Arch_Nemsis]

Another Artifact...The Thayne must really hate me. But, if it's per The Boss's orders I must comply. Nosdyn listened to Storm as the plan was laid out. The Boss initially set him out to find an artifact for him when he'd encountered the bastard Elf named Jake. A cold chill went up Nosdyn's spine a he considered the comedy of it all. Nosdyn was a surprisingly deep thinker despite the fact that he mainly was hired muscle. Nosdyn listened to every bit of information he was allowed. Safe Houses...there is one nearby.

"If we need to lay low for a while, I know of a place in the underground district of Ettermire we can go to." There were safe houses throughout the city of Ettermire, and it's underground portion where few citizens dared to appear in.

The Safe House locations were not known to the damned guards.

The Coronian Embassy... Of course, Nosdyn had minimal dealings with that structure. Embassies always had tight security...but that made the Haidian more than a little uncomfortable.

"The Boss has a deep interest in relics of late." Nosdyn said out loud. The interaction and adventure with Jake had cost Nosdyn a LOT. I'll make that Elf pay one day. Nosdyn considered the mission at hand very carefully. Storm had a good working knowledge of Ettermire's infrastructure which made him a potent ally. He knows about what should be considered highly classified information. I'm certain only a select few individuals would know about the relic. Nosdyn smiled at that point. "I can get one of my contacts in The Safe House to gather information for us while we recuperate and gather resources." Nosdyn considered the mattered at hand and then told Storm exactly where The Safe House was.

"When we head there...I can get us in safely. Though I doubt you have much to worry about Storm." Nosdyn admired Storm's prowess and skill level. The aether is strong with him...I can use an ally with connections outside of The Boss's influence. One day I won't be useful to The Boss anymore...and then what? I have to start planning ahead.

[Storm Veritas]

With a little half smile, Storm listened intently at the robotic prattling of the demonic creature. There was a sort of admirable quality to the strange new companion, a binary honesty that came with a lack of discretion. While the wizard knew he couldn’t rely on the yellow eyed monstrosity to handle nuance, there was likely none more incapable of masking secrets from the adventurer. With his declarative tonality, Nosdyn was undeniably reliable; while he may serve as a pawn, there was simply no questioning such loyalty.

Get the right pieces on the board, this one can be valuable. Can’t win a war without soldiers.

“Lead the way to this safe house, chief.” Storm smiled wryly as the introspective demon appeared visibly rattled. They both rode atop Attila, there was no way for Nosdyn to “lead” from the back of the horse. Further, he was certainly no “chief”, but a powerful, dutiful servant and survivor. Tormenting the demon was a bit of a risky play, but the magician couldn’t help himself.

“Just point the way, show us how to get to the safe house, and we may need you to get through any checkpoints.” The clarification straightened Nosdyn up higher behind the saddle, where he seemed to clench himself and sit taller upon such realization.

The ride through the heart of Ettermire was quiet at night; it was a contrast to the expectation that Veritas had arrived upon given the lethality of the exchange in the bar. Attila stayed in the shadows of gaslights, moving with a smooth, unapologetic grace through the streets. It was illogical of the adventurer to presume the Dark Elves were for some reason nocturnal, however deep preparatory research would never be considered a strength. A silver tongue bought its way out of the stickiest situations; it had spoiled him from such discipline.

Within what felt like thirty minutes, the bizarre demon had led them into an alley. His narrative barking of “port” and “starboard” atop the horse was strange, albeit perhaps the correct choice of words atop the mountainous equine that must have felt like a battleship. Attila obeyed Storm’s command, as the wizard (who had sailed many times) gently tapped the thick muscled neck of the great beast on the appropriate side to mark turns.

In the alley, a flat stoned street was devoid of gaslight, sound, or life altogether.

“Well, I’ll give it to you; your safe house certainly looks secret. Am I supposed to ‘imagine’ myself safe or is this where your airship drops the ladder?”

Storm swore to himself that he heard Nosdyn laugh as the fireblood effortlessly hopped down from atop the tall horse, giving the horse an almost affectionate, at-worst appreciative rub on the meaty cheekbone. Reaching into a small bag which the scoundrel had seen but given no notice to, the demon produced a small metal tool, the details of which were hidden in the darkness. Feeling his way on the smooth, metallic face of an otherwise nondescript building’s side wall, Nosdyn’s glowing eyes tightened to a squint before popping open with discovery. Without explanation, the demon smashed the tool with two thunderous bangs in the dead of night against the metal façade, and then drove the tool into a slot which had not appeared visibly. With a single twist, soft, cold blue light began to bleed out from the tool, scrawling some runic message upon the wall. Nosdyn pressed his face toward the runes, and seemed to whisper quietly at it.

With a cold, lifeless clicking and the sound of light vacuum, green-golden light appeared from a newly formed ramp, leading down from the street into the enclave as a clean stream of green-hued steam poured harmlessly out into the night air. They had arrived at the safe house.

The electromancer was positively stupefied.

“Well, I’ll be gods-damned.”

(Bunnying approved; let me know if you need modifications here)

[Arch_Nemsis]

The familiar steaming hiss of the safe house gate reminded Nosdyn of the old days.

He ran a lot with The Boss's cohorts attempting to complete this or that errand for him. Nosdyn looked at Storm Veritas as he entered that safe house. He keeps himself well composed. I can learn a thing or two about that...but now is not the time. Nosdyn nodded towards Storm Veritas. "Follow me." Nosdyn said calmly and made his way deeper into the safe house. His eyes were narrowed as he made his way forward and into the structure...

He'd been in that particular safe house a few times before in his tenure with The Boss. The hirelings within that place were a fairly skilled lot. Up ahead, Nosdyn saw several individuals talking. Nosdyn nodded politely towards them. Spoke the passcode that The Boss taught him and explained the situation at hand. He was certain that Storm Veritas would follow.

"That is Storm Veritas? I thought he would be taller..." One of the minions was saying as he looked upon Storm. But the general demeanor of the cohorts was respectful and surprisingly well mannered. Nosdyn looked back towards Storm and motioned for the fellow to come forward.

"We are in good hands, Storm." Nosdyn said and then looked at the closest of the minions. 'I'm on one of The Boss's tasks...top secret. Storm is my support." Nosdyn explained the delicate situation at hand.

One of the cohorts raised an eyebrow. "Is it that mission?" Was all that was asked.

Nosdyn nodded carefully. He did not want to reveal too much information that they did or did not already know. Nosdyn continued to explain the situation. Nosdyn refused to ever place one of his own problems on an associate of The Boss. Nosdyn immediately manned up to the minor mistake he'd made. "Left a mess at the meeting spot." Nosdyn said calmly. "Need a place to lay low until it's time to complete the mission." Nosdyn said.

"Depends on how small of a mess was made, Nosdyn. You weren't followed were you?" The cohort asked.

Nosdyn sighed. "Had to take someone out...they made a complicated situation and started asking too many questions. They brought a group of interlopers with them and things were about to get really ugly in there. I only killed one of them though." Nosdyn explained.

"Did you do that in public?" The cohort asked, the questions were becoming quite uncomfortable.

Nosdyn decided that he was not going to play the man's game. He let his controlled rage slip just a little bit and his demeanor partially changed right away. It was terrifying. "Will you help us or not?" His eyes were already twitching with rage...

"You are not the only one with problems, Haidian. Regardless of your connection to The Boss, you got blood on your hands." Suddenly, it went further south.

Nosdyn decided playing their game was going nowhere fast. There was a terrifying sound as his weapon was ignited, and the mystical runic blade appeared. "I...will not ask you again. Will you help us or not?" Nosdyn carefully stated the threat. He looked at Storm at that point and saw that the man was getting ready. "If you do not help us I will have my friend get creative with you lot. Trust me. You will not LIKE creative." Nosdyn grinned.

There was an immediate tension in the air as the small group of cohorts eyed Storm Veritas and Nosdyn.

Two of the cohorts began to prepare their weapons but the main cohort waved his hand for a moment to stop them. "Hold. For a moment." The cohort looked at Nosdyn. "Ask yourself something. Would you really swing that weapon against your own allies?" The cohort thought that Nosdyn was bluffing and was attempting to reason with the psychotic demon.

Nosdyn struck.

Without warning or reason, the Haidian struck. His glowing purple blade impaled the first of the cohorts who died right away. Nosdyn could feel his rage already beginning to swell over the tipping point. He looked at the leader of the cohorts at that point as if daring the man to stop him.

The man that Nosdyn killed had a gaping hole in his chest and died immediately. There were curses and shouts almost immediately...but there was something else.

Fear.

Nosdyn functioned best when his victims were terrified and afraid.

He turned to look at the cohort leader and waited...

"Your move." Nosdyn said calmly, terrifyingly calm.

There was a pause and the cohort looked at his remaining companions. He growled. "Stand down." He told his men. "We will help you if only to get you out of here sooner." The man said.

"If you would have cooperated with us from the beginning this would have been avoided." Nosdyn said. And shut his weapon down. Then, he replaced the handle in its stand by mode attached to his belt. Nosdyn respected The Boss...but he hated how some of the cohorts and minions were...a little fear would keep them controlled. It was at THAT point that Nosdyn really began to question his loyalty to The Boss. He was slowly formulating his own plans to eventually sever ties with The Boss...even if it meant killing him all together. Nosdyn did not have time for the bullshit of lackeys.

He looked at Storm and nodded towards him. "We are clear to use this place and plan our next move Storm. So let's take care of whatever needs to be done." Nosdyn was already extremely irate at the situation at hand. One day...he would have a talk with The Boss. Depending on that...

[Storm Veritas]

So goddamned impulsive. How do I bring on this f*cking psychopath? Half my time will be wasted putting out fires…

The demon was almost impossibly skilled, but the wizard couldn’t shake his binary assessment of life and decision making. Everything was on/off; there was no latitude or room for consideration. Here, in the steel-walled bunker, away from light of day and safe from the prying eyes of law enforcement, Storm, Nosdyn, and Attila had found refuge in this modern domicile. Within moments, Nosdyn had prompted a bloodbath, opting never for the tactful decision, always solving problems with an emotionless efficiency.

He’ll make a hell of an assassin, but not much for babysitting or guarding the schoolhouse, I presume.

Raising his gaze to the glowing amber eyes of the demon, the electromancer ran his fingers swiftly through his hair, sniffing at the stale industrial air as he tapped his great horse, reassuring the steadfast steed. Attila didn’t jump at much, but mass killings had a way of spooking the great beast. It was a welcome relief, if not a dismal sign, that the stallion barely reacted to the killing.

With one tall, dark elf dead, two others tending to the body, a leader-type elf led Storm and Nosdyn forward, assuring them that the heavy horse would be safe behind. The magician glowered at this, making it absolutely clear that if something befell his Attila, no living soul would escape the safehouse with a beating heart or wake-worthy face. For all of Nosdyn’s psychosis, Storm held an allegiance to his mount that allowed him to showcase some of his own dark elements.

The elf ceased walking, motioning to a surprisingly large loft, an apartment style room with multiple beds and in the back and a large table capped with a bowl overflowing with fresh fruits. A heavy cask of what appeared to be mead sat atop the table, the glass container frosted and sweating. Softly, a recording of piano music played in the background.

“Quarters for you both. You shall find everything you need to speak, plan, and work, as well as rest and eat here. Should you need anything, our servants appear at the bell.” With a neat bow, the still angry elf left summarily as Storm dropped heavily into the sturdy oak chair, greedily grabbing at a fistful of crisp blue jangerberries, fresh from the sun-drenched hillsides. A quick sniff, a small taste, and the poison-free berries sprung to life with a vibrant citrus flavor. Ambrosia.

“Clean the blood off, sit down, take a f*cking load off.” The experienced adventurer gestured for the opposite chair. “Do demon-broads… err… demonesses? Do they give blowjobs? I’m telling you, these goddamned jangerberries are better than those.” Storm smiled an embarrassed level of joy as he popped a few more fruits in his mouth, savoring the succulent juices.

The door closed behind the tandem, Veritas kicked his heels up on the table as he stretched his long, lean frame. The gas that began entering the vents below came in silently, with only a faint odor.

[Arch_Nemsis]

Nosdyn listened to Storm's words for a moment. As they arrived at the personal quarters...Nosdyn glared at The Boss's subordinate. The man glared back for a moment but knew to just walk away at that point. Nosdyn sat down in a chair after Storm sat down and he folded his hands together, placing them under his chin in a surprisingly thoughtful position. Nosdyn listened to what Storm was asking and that strangely evoked thought of home...of Haidia. Or the Tular Plains. "They are skilled." Nosdyn said calmly at Storm's question and he took no offense by the vulgar nature of the question. "To claim a Demoness as a mate you would have to be exceptionally strong. I have no doubt you'd have any trouble doing such." It was a compliment. Nosdyn was admittedly not the most social of entities...but he was trying. He wanted to do a good job for both The Boss's sake and for Storm's. Nosdyn's eyes narrowed and he thought vaguely of what he knew about the job at hand. "The Embassy...will be heavily guarded." Nosdyn said calmly. He tried to recollect everything he knew about the building in question.

"Guards have rounds, rotations. A frontal assault may work if we attack at the right time." Nosdyn recalled The Embassy from smaller jobs he'd completed with The Boss long since prior. His memories danced before his eyes and he considered the situation at hand. Another damned artifact... Nosdyn looked at storm. "I went inside The Embassy a few times with The Boss in my time here." He recalled what details he could. "Never for any complex jobs as the one he's put us on this time." Nosdyn continued to explain. "Usually we went to meet with particular representatives, allies in The Boss's network." Then an idea hit him...If The Boss has chosen me for this operation...that could only mean one thing.... Nosdyn opened his eyes from his deep thought and looked at Storm. "I might have a contact on the inside of The Embassy." A plan was forming... "Depending on that contact, if The Boss still favours them, we might have our in secured. There might not have to be a needless bloodbath to secure the artifact." Nosdyn said calmly, though he was not opposed to outright going in there and slaughtering them all.

"What do you think, Storm? Did The Boss give you documents and effects on The Embassy? I was merely told just to meet up with you." Again...a pang of questioning his loyalty to The Boss filled his gut. Though he pushed it aside for now...his loyalties would come into play at a later time. When he'd secured a suitable break away point from The Boss.