Rise of the Underground: Part 2

[Rayse Valentino]

Still closed. Sequel of Rise of the Underground (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=9108)
Occurs 20 years after A Winter Long Ago... (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=10052)

These notes are to be used for the identification and discussion of the targets. I can't be trusted to remember all the names of these people, although if Teric knew I kept forgetting who we were after he'd have my head on a platter. I bet when he was my age, he had a shorter temper than me, if that's possible.

List targets here, include relevant details and keep conjecture to a minimum:

1.) Bale Kenrick- The first target. This guy has a serious security loophole we're going to exploit and end the job quick. UPDATE: He's taken care of. His son too. None of these other scumbags better have kids...

2.) Stefan Tyray- This guy crawled out from under the same rock as Kenrick. They had a difference of opinion some time ago and Kenrick may be one of the only people to know what Stefan looks like. He killed all the people who knew what he looked like a decade ago, and now wears some silly mask all the time. Teric outlined a plan to take him out, but it's extremely risky and I'd rather research a bit more on this.

3.) Bishop Draklira- I'm not sure about this guy's origins. Teric had nothing on him. My contacts had very little as well, so I'll save him for later. His followers are more like cultists than thugs, he has his own twisted opinion of The Sway. UPDATE: Kenrick apparently had detailed plans for offing this guy, and we're going to make use of those plans.

4.) The Four Horsemen - One, Two, Three, and Four. I couldn't get anything on their real names, but they have to be out there somewhere. I have various sources of information regarding their 'operations', but since Teric has nothing on them, I'm going to keep researching.

5.) The Magician - Quite possibly the worst nickname I've ever heard. Despite having sleazy beginnings as a drug dealer, he has somehow crafted himself a drug empire. For some reason, he knows a lot of magic and flaunts it. I have no idea how he came into possession of his abilities, but he definitely didn't crack open a book to do it. Teric had some good ideas about him, but I can't yet confirm any of the things Teric remembers. It seems he wasn't even close to being important back then.

Although Fatman says that all of them have Church connections, I can't entirely believe it. I'll have to find out on my own why these targets are so important to him. UPDATE: Kenrick and (obviously) Bishop Draklira have Church connections, so Fatman's claim may have some merit.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

It had been a day since the death of Bale Kenrick and his son, Legaias Kenrick. It was a great day of Mass for the devoted believers of Knife's Edge, a day when high church officials would give their sermons to the desperate people of the city. The morning sun rose over the city as it always has, shining its light down upon the downtrodden streets of the slums. The people of this area have seen better days, and many homeless, junkies, and generally shady people occupied the abandoned shacks and broken-down houses. On one of the streets, there was a courtyard beyond a forgotten home. In this courtyard was a small shrine; a dirty stone monument in this desolate part of the city. Only one man passed through this place to see this shrine: Bishop Draklira.

In the abandoned building before it, Rayse and Teric hid in the blind spots of the room connecting the gaping hole in the back of the building and the front door. The courtyard was just through that hole, and although there was a staircase that lead upstairs, the second floor did not exist. Only the badly damaged ceiling remained, which provided enough shadows to hide the two assassins well. Rayse wasn't wearing his Akashima outfit, because as fun as it was, it really didn't suit him. After all, this was supposed to be a quick job. Even quicker than Kenrick... which is one of the reasons why it bothered him so much. It was too easy...

A tall man, towering at six feet and ten inches, walked through the door that was barely attached at the hinges. He walked through the room gallantly, wearing his white priestly robes with red stripes along the sides and a large emblem of The Sway on the front. This guy made Teric look quite young, as he was 73 years old, almost entirely bald, and wearing a white cap atop his head. He looked quite holy, which was fitting since he was heading towards the St. Denebriel's Cathedral to deliver a sermon. Rayse had no doubt he had several guards waiting outside, scouring the area for anything suspicious, but for Draklira to enter here unguarded meant that he didn't know of Kenrick's research. Draklira walked into the courtyard and stood before the shrine. Rayse didn't know why he did this, or what significance the shrine had, but it was irrelevant to him. This was clearly some sort of habit, just like Kenrick's night-time prowling. The most relevant part of this was that Kenrick's information was correct in the first place. Rayse's guard was down now, as he thought this was in the bag.

As he peered out to the courtyard, he couldn't identify the man who had his back to Rayse. It didn't matter, as all he had to do was take him out and run, no questions asked. He pulled a throwing knife out of his pocket and spun it around with his finger in one of the holes in the handle. He pulled his finger out and started aiming it carefully, for he had only one shot before everyone would be alerted to the attack. While he was doing this, Teric was getting ready to jump out and barricade the door, securing their exit through the courtyard without pursuit. It was highly important that they were not identified here, as killing a Church official will result with their faces plastered all over the city.

As he aimed, his vision became very blurry. He tried to shake it off, but it only got worse. He looked around the room with a heightened sense of suspicion, and found that the room was sort of waving around. Rayse had a bad feeling about this the whole time, and now a chill ran down his spine. He wasn't suddenly tired... this... was....

"Run... !" He tried to speak out, but lost his voice after one word. It seems that Draklira somehow knew about this, because it was a trap.

The song of sleeping had been cast on the area, and both Rayse and Teric had played victim to it. Rayse stumbled and lost consciousness, dropping the dagger on the floor beside him.

[Bloodrose]

Teric felt as if he were awakening from a deep, restful sleep. His eyelids felt so heavy that it was difficult to open them, and his chin rested lazily on his chest. He tried to move his hands, to wipe away the gooey sleepy-seeds that gathered in the corners of his eyes when he slept, but they wouldn't budge. In fact, the warrior's entire body responded weakly and sluggishly to his every command, sending pins and needles skittering across his flesh.

Where am I? Was Teric's first thought as he opened his eyes to darkness. The room was devoid of virtually all light but for a thin, wavering orange line glowing beneath what was probably a door. The rest of the room was black and empty. Underground? Experience, and a sense of familiarity, told the warrior that the stuffy, musty odor in the stale air could likely be attributed to a lack of ventilation in a basement or sublevel. It smelled like a dank, moldy cave - thankfully minus the wretched smell of the furry beasts that usually resided in such caves.

Trying his hands again, Teric found that it wasn't his grogginess keeping his wrists stationary; it was the thick scratchy rope tied tightly around them. He became even more aware of the rope as the tingling sensation shivering up and down his limbs stopped abruptly mid-forearm. Must be I've been here for a little while, he noted for reference, if I can't feel my hands at all...

The sound of footsteps, or more precisely the sound of boots and jingling armor descending nearby stairs, aroused the woozy veteran to a point where he could lift his head to stare dumbly at the orange glow he had identified before as the door. It was all very confusing, however, as the footsteps sounded like they were coming down behind him, through the wall of his cell. Even more disorienting, the sound of a door screeching open on rusty hinges behind his back revealed an open door in front of him and two men bearing torches. Both men promptly stepped through the door and vanished into thin air. It was only when both men reappeared on either side of him, the heat of their torches warming his face and neck, that Teric realized the door actually was behind him and that everything he could see was in a mirror in front of him.

"By the Goddess!" He mumbled to himself as the illumination from the torches allowed him to see his own visage in the mirror. He was tied to a wooden chair bolted to the ground directly in the center of the room, flanked on either side by gruff looking men-at-arms in white tabards. Most disturbing, though, were the fresh bruises below his eyes and under his jaw. "What did you do, work me over while I was out?" Teric queried one of the guards as a third man stepped through the doorway and circled around to stand in front of the mirror.

"We were trying to wake you up." This newcomer replied in a cool, confident tone. As the man came to obstruct Teric's view of himself, the warrior glanced up and cocked his head off to the side as if trying to think. The man was simply huge, towering over Teric in the chair, his white priest's cap leaning forward over his brow.

"Draklira?" Teric asked rather rhetorically. Images of Rayse and himself lurking in wait began to drift back now, cutting through the last of the haze still lingering over the old warrior.

"Hello Teric." Draklira smiled. It was a cold, heartless grin that flashed twin rows of pristine, perfectly aligned teeth. "I have to say, as unfortunate as the circumstances of our meeting are, it is truly incredible to meet you in person."

"You don't even know me." Teric let his head drop. Talking was aggravating the bruises under his jaw, and he was getting a crick in his neck from having to stare up at the unusually tall Bishop. Draklira seemed to sense this, as a third man-at-arms seemed to appear out of nowhere with another chair. Draklira accepted the chair graciously, even though he dwarfed it considerably, and sat himself down opposite the bound mercenary.

"Oh, come now." The Bishop retorted jovially. "Let's not pretend that the reputation of the great Teric Bloodrose does not precede you wherever you go." Draklira folded his hands in his lap and continued to smile. "You know, when a little bird whispered in my ear that you had returned to Knife's Edge after twenty years of self-exile, I didn't quite believe it. Why after twenty years would you return now?"

"Grimm and Sons Bakery on 32nd and Elm." Teric replied casually, not missing a beat. "I missed their seasonal peanut butter fudge."

Draklira laughed. It was a bellowing, unpleasant sound - the man's barrel chest shaking as he expended his breath in short, barking chuckles. Tears welled to the corners of the Bishop's eyes as he gripped his sides and turned red in the face. Maybe he'll die laughing. Teric smiled at the thought. As Draklira laughed, though, Teric started to realize just how young and strong the Bishop seemed for an old man. While he looked like a seventy-three year old man, he didn't laugh like one. Nor did he slouch in his chair, or bend under the weight of his own height. While twenty years younger than Draklira, Teric was by no means a young man himself, but his remarkably good shape and fitness for his age could be explained by a lifetime of intense physical activity. A church Bishop could not boast the same, so Teric was left to ponder how Draklira could explain his incredibly youthful vigor despite his apparent age.

Some of the reasons he came up with while pondering made him very uneasy.

"Ah, such remarkable wit flying in the face of tremendous peril." Draklira sighed as he brought his laughter under control. As the laughter faded, so did the Bishop's smile, and very suddenly the temperature in the room - real or imagined - plummeted. "The stories of your courage and your strength must be true."

"What do you want from me?" Teric asked, cutting towards the chase.

"It's so unfortunate that we meet under such circumstances." Draklira repeated from before, rising from his chair. Teric leaned as far back in his own chair as he could to put some distance between the two of them as the Bishop advanced a step. "It's unfortunate that I have to break you in order to learn what you know."

That said, Draklira's hand snaked forward and grabbed Teric's neck just under the chin. The man's hand was as cold as ice, and his touch seemed to suck the warmth from the warrior's bones like a Salvic winter breeze. Teric tried to gulp for air as Draklira squeezed, cutting off his windpipe and freezing the blood to his head like it was ice. Mind-numbing, blackening pain spread from deep inside Teric's head until he thought his skull might explode.

"Who sent you to kill me?" Draklira pressed, bending down to stare intently into Teric's bloodshot eyes.

When the only sound Teric could manage in response was a barely audible gurgle, Draklira let go of the warrior's throat. Air rushed back into Teric's lungs and his body involuntarily sucked in great gulps of it, flooding his burning veins with relief. The cold in his throat lingered, making it hard to swallow, but warm blood rushed to his head to blunt the horrendous headache throbbing deep inside his skull. For a couple of minutes the warrior could only manage to suck in air and try to compose himself, and Draklira and his men watched on quietly.

"Who sent you?" Draklira asked again.

"I don't know." Teric replied, truthfully. He worked for Rayse, and Rayse was the only one between the two of them who knew the identity of the man pulling the strings on this job. Where the hell is Rayse!? Teric thought, suddenly alarmed. The young contactor certainly wasn't in this room, and Teric had no idea whether or not the man had even been captured or not. Now I remember. More of what had happened earlier came drifting back. He yelled 'Run'...I wonder if he managed to get away.

In any case, 'I don't know' was obviously not the answer Draklira wanted to hear. Smack! went the Bishops hand across Teric's cheek as the man backhanded him. It was a good wallop, with all the backswing a man as large as Draklira could muster. The force of it snapped Teric's head sideways and sent spit and blood flying.

"Holy shit!" Teric exclaimed in surprise, only to receive another slap across the face going the other way. The second blow wasn't nearly as powerful, and whether it was for the original answer to Draklira's question or for the blasphemy was anyone's guess.

"Don't play games with me." Draklira threatened, raising his hand for another strike. "Who sent you?"

"The Ghost of Yuletide Past." Teric drolled, rolling his eyes. The blow fell like a hammer, as though Draklira's hand was made of solid ice. The Bishop even managed to knock loose a tooth this time, which Teric rolled onto his tongue and spit at his captor angrily. The tooth and flecks of bloody spit, hit Draklira in the chest and left little red spots on his white robes. "Women have slapped me harder for grabbing their tits!" Teric shouted up at him, laughing forcibly like a madman.

"The stories certainly do you justice." He could hear Draklira muttering through his cackles. "But every man has his limit..."

[Rayse Valentino]

"...But unfortunately, I don't have time to break you. As you know, today is a great day for the people of Salvar."

Draklira lifted his hand and a towel was placed in it. He stood up and wiped his hands, "I hope your accomplice will be of more use to me than you. I shall visit you again, Teric Bloodrose."

Escorted by his men, Draklira left the room and the door closed, leaving Teric in darkness again.

* * * * * * * * *

A voice called to the boy from beyond the shadows, "You'll never make it to the big leagues, pipsqueak."

"Says who?!" replied the boy adamantly.

"Says us."

Many boys of various ages appeared around him in a circle, their faces obscured by darkness. The boy in the center had a spotlight shined upon him, and he felt cornered. Looking down, he gradually became angrier.

"What do you know... of what I can do...?"

"Wake up," chanted the voices, and the boy in the center became confused, "Wake up. WAKE UP."

BAM! Rayse's eyes opened with a shock, and he found himself lying on the floor in an awkward position. He couldn't move his arms or legs, so he stared up at the figure looming over him. He could only see the man's long, flowing white robes illuminated by the two torches beside him at each side, and everything above his upper body was shrouded in the darkness. Behind him he could see another man, and they were back-to-back. No, wait, that was a reflection. There was a mirror behind him.

"Are you awake now, my child?" asked the looming figure, and his face descended upon Rayse. It was Draklira.

Rayse started coughing, and spit out some blood. Trying to see out of the corner of his eyes, he deduced that he was tied to his chair in the same way Kenrick was tied up. It was a disturbing feeling, to say the last. Two men pulled Rayse's chair back into its upright position, and Rayse had a clear view of the towering individual in front of him, or at least he appeared to be towering from his strained view. Remembering the smell of dried blood from the floor, he figured this was some sort of interrogation room.

"Good. I was just talking with your friend, and--"

"What have you done with Teric?!" Rayse suddenly burst out, followed by another coughing fit. He felt like the spell was still affecting him, but a good dose of youthful adrenaline was making its way through his system.

SMACK! Rayse nearly toppled over again from the blow.

"Hasn't anyone ever taught you never to interrupt? My word, it's no wonder today's youth is turning to violence!"

Rayse couldn't tell if the blow to his face or the irony was making it sting.

"Nonetheless," Draklira continued, "I don't have much time so I'm only going to ask you once: Who sent you?"

"The fucking tooth fairy," Rayse spat at his face.

The world nearly went dark for Rayse as he found himself on the floor again, this time lying on his back.

"Leave him there," Draklira said, addressing the two men with him, "I'll work on him myself after my service to the people."

"Do you have anything you wish to say..." Draklira asked, but he was facing a man that Rayse could now see lying on his back. He was standing behind the chair, towards the door. Rayse instantly recognized the man. Draklira finished, "...Alexander?"

"To think we would meet again..." said the man with a bandage on his arm. It was in the same spot where Rayse injured that guard at Kenrick's place, "...In a place like this."

Rayse was floored. He couldn't believe this, and couldn't find any words to express himself.

"I've been cleared to tell you this. You see, I was working for The Good Bishop, observing Bale Kenrick and his activities while under the guise as one of his guards. If it wasn't for you, I would've been able to complete my mission...!"

"Remember Alexander," warned Draklira, "He's mine."

"Yes," replied Alexander, solemnly disappointed that he couldn't hit Rayse, "Anyway, I also had to deal with that brat, who somehow failed to kill you as well. The thing that tipped me off about all this was the lack of financial documents in the safe, attributed to the fact that the brat had no idea about Kenrick's negotiations with The Good Bishop. Of course, it helped that the Raiaeran Bard could spot you a mile aw---"

"That's enough," announced Draklira, "We have no time for this. You have other matters to take care of."

"Yes, Bishop."

Wiping his face and hands once more with an even fresher towel, Draklira left the room and Rayse found himself in as equally a dark a room as Teric's. Alone, the young contractor reflected on his mistakes. His idea of accumulating more information backfired on him not once-- but twice. Plus, he just left Teric in an equally compromising situation. He tried desperately to wriggle out of the ropes binding his hands. The strongest emotion he felt was guilt; He felt like his dignity had been shattered. He assured Teric over and over again of this plan's success, and instead delivered the worst possible outcome. He cursed himself repeatedly, bruising his hands and legs while he was trying to get out, knowing that this very arrangement was directly influenced by what that Alexander guy saw in Kenrick's office. Although he would usually feel ashamed because of his situation and enraged enough to kill Draklira and Alexander given the chance, he felt shame for a different reason today. He wanted nothing more than to rectify this situation, and salvage what was left of his integrity. If it was just him, he would feel how he normally felt, but he had a partner, someone who did not fail him when he needed him to take out that archer yesterday. Someone who warned him about this plan, but Rayse wouldn't listen. He felt like he committed the cardinal sin of his business by losing Teric's trust.

It took half an hour for Rayse to calm down, but he felt as helpless as he did at that bar before Teric came along. Although, something strange was happening outside. He tilted his head back to see the crack of light under the doorway, for there was some sort of commotion going on out there. He heard many people running, and then it was silent. Did something happen? Wait... did the sentries just leave? There was nobody guarding the room he was in now? In his renewed burst of energy to try to remove the ropes, he flung himself to his right side, and tried to slowly move around. The effort was making him exhausted. Man, I wish I had a smoke...

Wait a minute. He remembered the odd event from yesterday. He went to his pocket... pulled out his pack and lighter... stuck a cigarette in his mouth... and.... lit... it...

Rayse saw the glow coming from behind him, coming from his thumb. It was the fire again! Trying to maneuver his thumb so that it was lighting the rope, he tried to think of his entire hand being on fire. The light in the room grew brighter, and he felt his hands becoming loose. SNAP! The rope came loose, and his hands were free. He reached over to his feet and undid the knot, finally standing up straight again. He stared at his hands, which were both completely on fire but not burning him. Pieces of burned rope lay next to the chair. Almost entranced by the flames, he remembered his priorities and looked toward a table he could now see near the door. It had a couple of his spare throwing knives, his knife, and his necklace. There was another reason to kill those two scumbags: Touching his necklace, and stealing his smokes and lighter. Forgetting that the flames on his hands vanished, he walked over to the table and put on the necklace, arranged the throwing knives back into his inner pockets, and placed the knife back onto his leg sheath.

Putting his ear to the door, he felt the coast was clear and slowly opened it, peering through the crack. Walking outside, he saw that the hallway was indeed vacated. He walked to the closest room and opened the door, finding a Teric who seemed more bruised than he.

Walking inside, he almost didn't find the words to say, but ultimately said, "Sorry I'm late."

It was an awkward thing to say, given the circumstances, but he felt like he had to say something. While closing the door behind him, he couldn't help but notice the items on the table. There was something on the table that just completely caught his eye. He walked over to it, and picked up a necklace. The picture at the end of it looked familiar. Very familiar. Blinking twice, he reached into his shirt and pulled out his own necklace, and found them identical. At first, he was in denial. This wasn't really Teric's, was it? But something hit him. Bloodrose. He hadn't looked at the picture in a long time, and he was sure that it was a rose with a droplet of water about to fall off it, colored red to reflect the color of the rose. It clicked in his head. A rose that was bleeding. A blood rose.

He looked at Teric, his sorry expression turned to one of intimidation and contempt, "If the next words out of your mouth aren't how you got this, I'm leaving you behind."

[Bloodrose]

Now he's started to figure it out too. Teric half stared, half squinted through one eye swollen shut at the young man standing in front of it. Had he been old enough to remember my name, he probably would have figured it out sooner. Why do you think I've stuck with you despite your obvious flaws as a strategist? Teric wanted to shout at the boy, or the man rather. Blood was blood, but it couldn't really be said that the Rayse standing before him was what his mother would have wanted for her son...

"It was my Father's." Teric mumbled through a cut and puffy lip. As he spoke his tongue kept rubbing up against the space where one of his lower molars had been, and he had to pause to spit out more blood. "He gave it to me when I was fifteen, just as my mother gave her necklace to my sister. Victoria wore it proudly until the days he died."

Another pause, another mouthful of blood, and then Teric uttered a statement that would either prove or disprove the notion that Rayse could really be his nephew.

"Now, I suggest you untie me, Trent Loryn Jr., before the Bishop and his guards come back to finish us off."

[Rayse Valentino]

Rayse couldn't believe his ears. His expression turned to surprise, and he felt like he didn't know who the hell the person in that chair was. If what he was saying was true, he was implying that he was his uncle, which was a preposterous notion because he had no uncle! No cousins or aunts, either. Of course, he was unable to contain himself when Teric called him by his original name.

"How the fuck do you know that name?!" Rayse yelled, gripping Teric's necklace tightly. His mind was such a confused mess that he still didn't seem to grasp who Teric was.

Before Teric could reply, Rayse suddenly heard the sound of footsteps behind him and could hear the creak of the door opening. He dropped the necklace on the table and picked up a cane that was next to it, jumping back to the wall adjacent to the door. It opened, and the door obscured Rayse entirely.

The white tabard-wearing sentry stepped into the room with his left hand on the scabbard of the sheathed sword at his side, announcing, "I must regret to inform you that Bishop Draklira shall not be returning you see you again. Thus, I shall now carry out your sentence."

Rayse held the cane with his left hand on top of it and his right hand along its upper shaft. The sentry was wearing some sort of helmet, but some blunt trauma should be able to at least knock him over. As the man pulled out his sword, Rayse was ready to attack, but suddenly the top of the cane turned while he was holding it, and his other hand ended up slowly pulling downwards. The Contractor discovered something very interesting.

The sentry held his sword up high, and was about to strike... but suddenly he was pierced through the chest with a thin rapier-like blade. He dropped his sword and tried to move his hands toward his wound, but Rayse pulled the blade out and the sentry fell over to his left, dead. Rayse held the sword with his right hand and the cane part of it with his left, avoiding eye contact with Teric. He had remembered something from a long time ago:

"Starting tomorrow, you're going to the academy," a young Rayse heard his father say, "No son of mine is going to become like that sword-cane flaunting uncle of his."

Rayse lifted the blade up high, in the same motion as the sentry, and struck down! The ropes around Teric's legs became undone. He stepped over the body on the floor and thrust the blade downward, then pushed it out, cutting the ropes binding Teric's hands. Sheathing the sword-cane, he put it back on the table and walked towards the hallway, looking both ways before stepping out. More would be coming soon. He didn't know which way the guard came from, so one of these directions would lead him to his doom.

He didn't turn around to Teric, but he was clearly addressing him, "For both our sakes, I hope you've been here before, because you're leading the way."

[Bloodrose]

Pain lanced down Teric's arms and set his hands on fire as Rayse cut his bonds and returned circulation to the old warrior's long deprived digits. Ow was the only thought that came to mind as he brought his hands around in front of him and slowly began to massage his wrists where the ropes had cut into his flesh. His grip felt weak, and his fine motor skills were clumsy but slowly returning.

Hands still burning with fresh blood, Teric got up out of his chair and stepped over the corpse laying at his feet as if the man wasn't even there.

That's it? He wanted to ask Rayse as the contractor stepped quietly into the hall. Somehow Teric had expected more of a reaction; an explosion maybe. Yelling, screaming, ranting - all the things that Rayse had seemed so capable of doing when he first picked up the necklace - were instead replaced by an odd sort of disquiet. The man had suddenly become quite pensive and brusque, and Teric could at least be thankful that Rayse's priorities were still to escape alive and not to sit around a dungeon bickering about family trees.

Of course, if someone turned my world upside down, Teric contemplated as he pocketed the necklace and his bag of coins on the table, I'd be pretty put off as well...

Flexing his fingers once more, Teric grabbed up his cane and stepped into the hall behind Rayse. "Everyone in Knife's Edge has been here." He replied half jokingly, trying perhaps to lighten the gloomy mood that seemed to have descended between the two of them. "We're under the Cathedral."

A second taken to gather his bearings, Teric motioned for Rayse to follow him down the hall in the opposite direction of the stairs Draklira and his guards had taken. "If my memory serves me correctly, which I sincerely hope for both our sakes it does..." Teric muttered, "...there should be a staircase at the end of the hall."

"Why would a dungeon have a second exit?" He could almost hear the question from the fuming Rayse behind him...

"It would be most unsightly for the Church to carry its executed prisoners back up through the Cathedral." He explained without need for provocation. "There will be another...less visible...way out."

Without the aid of a torch or lantern, the two mercenaries made slow progress down the gloomy passageway. They passed several cells similar to the ones they had just escaped, each with its door hanging slightly ajar. The prisons it seemed were empty but for the two of them, which helped to explain the distinct lack of any guard presence. The lack of other prisoners, thought, gave Teric the eerie feeling that they weren't in the normal prisons the Church's judicial arm kept reserved for regular criminals and dissidents.

I don't think people are supposed to know this place exists. Teric thought darkly. Citizens and regular comers to Knife's Edge were all familiar with the rumors of secret passages and hidden laboratories secreted away beneath the great Cathedral that always seemed to loom on the horizon. Everything from daemonic Cardinals who held fiery masses below ground to great weather machines that caused the Salvic winters to be so cold was rumored to exist in these passages under the Sway's beacon of power.

Of wondrous and fantastic things Teric saw none, however; just empty corridors that seemed to twist and turn for no good reason. Empty walls, no light, and after a while no doors. To keep moving Teric placed his hand against the wall on his right and just followed the damp stones beneath his fingers wherever they went. How long he and Rayse walked - or at least Teric assumed they were Rayse's footsteps behind him - the old warrior couldn't say. All he knew was that after a while he bumped headlong into an old rusty gate that blocked the passageway.

Squinting through the darkness, Teric could barely make out the bottom rungs of a ladder on the other side of the bars.

"If only I had a light." Teric wished out loud. "This gate is pretty rusty, so we might be able to kick it down. Hard to tell in the dark though."

[Rayse Valentino]

Rayse tried hard not to produce an audible sigh. That's my cue, isn't it?

He knew how to make some light. He also knew that his lighter was stolen, but Teric didn't know that. He formed an idea.

"Stand back," he ordered, waiting until Teric was fully away from the gate before walking up to it.

He pretended to take something out of his pocket with his right hand and covered it with his left hand. With his back safely to Teric, he snapped his fingers and a small fire appeared on his right thumb again. It wasn't exactly the most realistic impersonation of a lighter, but Rayse was willing to believe that Teric would suspend his disbelief. He had a good look at the gate, and then the light went out.

Rayse had a pretty good reason to hide his ability from Teric. He was still pissed that he had tattooed himself with, for all he knew, liquid adamantine. He would never even know how much that black liquid was worth. Every time he used his power, it reminded him of how much of an idiot he was.

"I got this," he announced, taking a few steps to his right.

The gate itself was badly damaged, as if something big was pushing into it, trying to get it open. It must've been a long time ago, because the rust was between the cracks of the damaged bars. He found a weak spot, and was prepared to kick it down. He lifted his right leg up, and SLAM!, a large piece of the gate fell backwards, creaking as it went down and causing a metallic sound as it crashed into the ground. Rayse's foot was almost numb from the blow. He walked through the hole in the gate first, going to what he thought was a ladder, but it was actually some sort of door. There were two horizontal bars on it that protruded a few inches from the stone, and Rayse could feel the crack in the walls that outlined the door. He tried pushing and pulling, but it was no go. This looked like some sort of dead end. Well, there was one more thing he could try. He grabbed the bars and pushed them sideways, and the door slowly slid into the wall. It was pitch black inside.

"Wait out here for a moment," he instructed Teric, so he could conceal his flame again. This would probably be the last time he would trick Teric like this before the man got suspicious.

Inside, the light illuminated the ancient room. Its walls were cracked, and they seemed to be a different color than all the walls he's seen so far. They were lighter, and seemed brittle. There were some bookshelves with old books on them. Rayse suddenly got the distinct feeling that he shouldn't be here, and quickly looked for an alternative way out, but couldn't find one. Great... we have to go back now...

Thinking for a moment that he saw something in the corner of his eye, he looked toward one of the bookshelves. One of the books almost seemed to jump out at him, and he felt compelled to walk up to it and pick it up, being careful not to light it on fire. Once again, a feeling of dread came over him. They were both deep under the Cathedral, in the underground labyrinth that few dared to venture into, behind a damaged gate, and in a secret room guarded by a secret door. This seemed like the remains of some ancient library, perhaps. Rayse ignored these feelings, and opened the book. Surprisingly, it wasn't dusty in the least, although it looked very aged. He flipped through a few pages, and some words jumped out at him. What's a Tap? Who is... Denebriel? Isn't that the name of the place we're under?

A voice screamed into his head, "STOP!"

Rayse dropped the book and clutched his head. He felt a sharp pain in his head that diffused itself quickly, but when he reached down to pick the book back up, it returned until he stood back up again, this time hard enough to make him stumble and crash into the bookshelf, which fell into the cracked wall and fell through it, landing halfway on top of the pile of rubble.

He passed out for a moment, and in that moment he saw a series of images in his mind. He saw the fighting of a war, the passing of some sort of seal from one person to another, and the image of a man he could not recognize.

The voice spoke again in Rayse's mind, but it seems like it was speaking to itself rather than to him, "...The great chaos is coming... my Queen Denebriel will return... I, as her Great Lieutenant will... The Sway and The Throne are her pawns... I am truly free... Revenge..."

Rayse's eyes opened and he propped himself up like a wind-up toy from the floor. Alright, fuck this. He brushed himself off, looking at the hole caused by the bookshelf. It smelled like shit beyond it. Bingo.

"Come on, let's get out of here. I found the exit."

He stepped through the hole and found himself on a small walkway that lead to his right and left through a circular tunnel. There was a similar walkway across from him, and between the walkways flowed the raw sewage of the city. He walked ahead of Teric to conceal the flame, and to find the ladder out of here as fast as possible. Reaching one, he let the flame go out and shook it, confirming its stability.

"I'll go first, I'll tell you when it's clear."

He climbed the ladder, and pushed up at the top, pushing the metal lid out of the way. Climbing out of the manhole, he looked around. It seems he was in the middle of some street, and it was very quiet. There was a huge wall on one side of the street. He assumed it was the wall surrounding the Cathedral.

Right when he was about to signal for Teric to come up, a man startled him from behind, "Rayse? What are you doin' here?"

Rayse nearly choked the man behind him, but stopped short of his throat when he recognized him.

"I'd like to ask you the same question, Dan. You nearly made me shit my pants!"

"Sorry, but it's just odd ta see ya here outside Rath!"

"Rath? Rathaxea Square?"

We got THAT far?!

"No matter," Rayse cleared his throat, "Did you want something?"

"I tried to find ya in your place, but you weren't there. Everything's going crazy! There's been all dese killings!"

Rayse didn't usually find Dan's accent to be so thick. He must be nervous about something.

"Woah woah woah, slow down. What are you talking about?"

"You musta been real busy if you don't know yet. You know that big Church guy, Draklira? It seems like he's been murdered!"

Rayse was speechless.

Dan continued, "Yeah, right there in the middle of his sermon! The people there say they saw some mysterious force lift him right up and choke him to death! Then, it's like they saw some sort of demon fly right outta him for a second! You woulda missed it if you blinked!"

Rayse opened his mouth, but no words would come out.

"Now," said Dan, "All sorts of thugs are trying to claim his empire! The Church is blaming The King for Draklira's death, and there's been all sorta gang violence all over the place! The King has even declared a public decree stating that he'll assemble the army to deal with all the sudden criminal activity!"

Apparently Teric had gotten tired of waiting, because Rayse heard the sound of someone climbing up the ladder.

"That's great Dan, but as you know I'm a very busy man. Can you just get out of here already? If it's that dangerous, go home and stay home for the rest of the day."

"That's where I was goin'," replied Dan solemnly, "Ya don't have ta yell at me!"

With that, he ran off, leaving Rayse to sigh with relief. Teric was going to come up at any minute. Which reminded him: Why was Teric so... normal? The plan failed, and he got the old man badly bruised up. Rayse had some marks on his face, but Teric looked like he just got out of a boxing match. If anything, he expected Teric to have immediately started yelling when he came in to bust him out. But no, it was Rayse who nearly did the yelling. Still, one fact remained: Teric was his uncle; a secret he kept from Rayse for whatever reason. The hypocrisy was evident to Rayse however, as he had been keeping a few secrets from Teric. Some of them almost cost them their lives. Yet, Teric's offense to him came back into his mind. How long did he know? From the start? Was all this his intention in the first place? Why? The second the old man came up, he wanted answers.

[Bloodrose]

As Rayse took over at the gate, illuminating a small portion of the passageway with what Teric could only assume was the man's lighter, the older warrior took the time to step back and give the boy some space. In a way, Teric was just waiting for the deluge of questions to start pouring thick and fast, but Rayse didn't seem quite ready to face those issues yet.

Through the metal gate the two men went, only to find that what Teric had assumed to be a ladder was actually another door; one that took Rayse a moment or two of wrangling to get open. That's odd. The veteran thought as Rayse again utilized his lighter and wandered into the gloom. What could possibly be done here worth hiding?

Like Rayse's mind, Teric's drifted to a dark place, and a sinking feeling pulled down at the old warrior's gut as the dim light in Rayse's hand flickered and sputtered in the black beyond the doorway...

"Rayse?" Teric called through the doorway. No response. Where the hell did he go? Teric took one step into the doorway and tried to peering through the murky darkness. He heard a bumbling and a crashing, like someone knocking over a bookcase, and then Rayse's voice cut through the gloom and encouraged them onwards.

What the hell? Teric wanted to ask as he followed the vague outline of Rayse and his voice through the hidden room and beyond into a circular tunnel that smelled distinctively of the "Knife's Edge Public Works"; a fancy name for a sewer. This time the ladder they came across was indeed what it appeared to be and Rayse again bade Teric wait before mounting the rungs to the surface.

Standing in the sewer, Teric could hear Rayse conversing up above with someone, but it was hard to make out what the two of them were saying. Probably someone wondering why a man like Rayse is climbing out of the city sewers in broad daylight. The old warrior concluded, not giving it much thought. As the two men above continued to converse, however, Teric got tired of standing uncomfortably close to most of the city's dinner from the previous evening.

Pulling himself up the ladder, Teric reached street level just in time to find Rayse standing alone in the street.

"Who were you talking to?" Teric asked off-hand as he lowered the cover back over the sewer entrance.

[Rayse Valentino]

Teric was asking a pointless question. At least, it seemed pointless to Rayse when there were more important things he expected the old man to say. The fact he was still acting so normal was bugging him to no end. That was fine with Rayse, if he was going to be like this, he would go on the offensive.

"It doesn't matter. The important thing is that we're out of harm's way, so now we can talk."

All sorts of questions were burning in Rayse's head. He didn't know what to say first, how to phrase it, or where he was going to go with this. There were just too many mysteries today. What happened to Draklira? Why do those images from downstairs seem so real to him? What is the origin of his ability? Why did he feel as if he knew something he shouldn't? What's going on in the city right now? He felt like he had to tackle the most important issue on his mind right now: Who is Teric? Rayse pulled reached into his shirt and pulled out his necklace, holding it out in the palm of his hand toward Teric.

"When you saw this, you didn't question it. You knew it was my mine, just as I knew yours belonged to you. Yet, you did not need proof. Yours was in your name, where was mine? You knew this was mine before I even pulled it out. How long ago? Since the start? I have always felt, since meeting you, that you were a cautious man. After all, there is no other way you could've lived this long as a mercenary. So, why stay with me? Why take on this job? I want answers Teric, and I want them now."

He wanted to say more, but he figured he'd just let teric talk now. This bombardment of questions wasn't leaving the poor man anything to say in his defense. Rayse wanted to say one more thing.

"Also, why come back now? What happened when you left? Damn it, say something!"

Rayse was starting to lose his cool, but he left Teric some room to actually reply.

[Bloodrose]

Talk. The way Rayse emphasized that word made Teric a little queasy. While talking may have been one of the old warrior's most refined skills, talking and talking were two very different things. Talking usually involved personable, shooting-the-shit types of conversation that experienced mercenaries and spies used to elicit information without making it seem like they were fishing for intelligence. Talking, on the other hand, often involved the divulgence of personal information or history - two things that Teric had made a strict habit of keeping to himself...

Now...

I can't really keep everything from him. Teric was thinking as Rayse kept rambling on. The man had more questions than he could keep straight, by the sounds of it. It's too bad he was so young then, otherwise he could answer most of those questions himself...

"I didn't come back for you." Teric snapped off first. While it may have sounded mean, it was also the truth - and since that was what Rayse was asking for, that's what he was going to get. "I came back for money, pure and simple. A region brewing for civil war is a region teeming with opportunities for men like me."

There was a bit of a pause as Teric tried to formulate an answer to the man's first string of questions.

"I found your necklace when you were in the bathroom, back at your apartment before we even started the first part of the job. It's hard to mistake a necklace like yours, like ours, for something else, but I didn't know how to approach you about it. I've been trying for twenty long years to forget that you even exist - and I was still trying to tell myself you weren't him up until I used your real name down in that fucking cell..."

Teric literally spat the words out as he bit his lower lip and stared daggers right into Rayse's chest. The complete and undeniable truth that connected them now was dredging up memories the old man beneath the warrior-esque exterior had been trying to bury for two decades. They were not fond memories, and the images they brought with them stung more fiercely than any wound of the flesh...

It was a pain Teric didn't want to confront, but he was only fooling himself by thinking Rayse would be to slow to realize that the old warrior had delicately omitted one very important question...

What happened when you left?

[Rayse Valentino]

Rayse was fuming. He couldn't believe Teric was feeding him this bullshit.

"So you claim that it was an accident, huh? Just one big fucking coincidence?"

On second thought, there might be some merit to what Teric was saying. He was pretty close to leaving on several occasions until after the bath that night, and Rayse did vaguely recall leaving his necklace in the open like that. He didn't even think about it when he did it, so he didn't consider that Teric had seen it then until now. Rayse was beginning to understand this man, but there were still too many holes in his story. He came back for money. Why did he leave? He hadn't answered that. He also didn't answer why he was staying with Rayse right now. Although, the answer was slowly working its way to the surface.

After all, what is their only connection? A woman named Victoria. A loving sister, a faithful mother. Rayse was beginning to dread that both of the questions had the same answer. He tried to put it aside. He was not a man of personal investments, his life was devoted to his craft. At least, that's what he kept telling himself. The best way to deal with this... would be to put it behind him, professionally speaking. Teric was free to keep his stupid secrets; They didn't concern Rayse in the least! Rayse calmed down, trying to regain his composure;

"A-Alright, then. Honestly, I don't particularly care for your reasons," he lied, "The important thing is The Job. I intend to complete it, and today I find myself one step closer to that goal."

He figured Teric should know what he does. He told Teric who he was talking to, and everything he heard.

"The point is: Draklira's dead. The procedure didn't go exactly according to plan, and we may have gotten a little roughed up in the process, but the end result is the same. Plus, with the whole city in an uproar like this, the remaining targets are bound to make a mistake or two worth exploiting. Although, I would accelerate the time of the war starting to a few days from now, if even, so time is tight."

Rayse was thinking about his business now. How to complete the tasks ahead of him, and how to do it as fast as possible. He tried to fill his head with plans and plots to deviate from what Teric refused to tell him, or rather from what Rayse refused to listen to.

[Bloodrose]

Unbelievable... was the only thought Teric could muster as Rayse seemingly absorbed the given answers willingly and then almost immediately shifted his focus back to The Job as he had taken to calling it. The old warrior vaguely heard the part where Rayse tried explaining that Draklira was dead (who knows how?), but was more concerned with just how Rayse could keep propelling himself along on his given course so easily. Things keep going from bad to worse, and still he's set on doing this. Teric was still counting his blessings; grateful to be standing bruised and beaten in an alley instead of laying dead or dying in a cell beneath the Cathedral. We escape a situation by the skin of our teeth and he won't even take the time to think about what we're getting into here...

Teric stepped forward and reached out to grab Rayse by the collar, possibly to shake some sense into the young man as he stood there thinking. Already Teric could hear the gears grinding and turning inside the contractor's head as he began fashioning what would become their next step in this wildly unpredictable and now utterly ridiculous plot.

"Rayse!" He practically hissed, bringing his face in close to his nephew's. "I've stuck with you this far just to find out for myself if you really were who I thought you were, but now that I know I can't let you run off and get us killed!" There was a slight, second’s long pause as Teric sucked in breath, his mind scrambling for some solution to the growing problem that was dragging them down into an increasingly sticky situation. "Draklira's dead, all fine and good, but what's important is who killed him and why would they want him dead? This whole mess started out grand enough in scale, and now that it's getting even more convoluted you want to rush off headlong into the next stage?"

Had Teric not let his temper get the better of him, he might have realized that he didn't have any solutions better than what Rayse might come up with. There was a point in any job where a man could say to himself 'this is too much', cut loose, and bail before things got heavy. That point for this job was far behind them, however, and both men had been through enough thus far to make it next to impossible to simply cut their losses and run without any compensation whatsoever. Regardless of whether he liked it or not, Teric was in for the long haul...

[Rayse Valentino]

Teric's outburst halted the gears in Rayse's head. He was right, from an uninformed point of view, but for some reason Rayse felt as though he knew what was going to happen. Teric held Rayse by the collar, who looked upon the aged man with contempt as they were locked face-to-face. This is what Rayse wanted, this anger that had been absent far too long. The Contractor felt his inhibitions falling, his sensibilities lowering, and his fists tightening at his sides.

"Well?" he taunted, "What are you going to do about, Uncle?"

In a rare moment of compassion, Rayse honestly did not want to drag Teric through this anymore. The guilt in that darkness was too much, but he couldn't just tell the man off. In fact, it seemed as if Teric was intent on something else. Did he honestly believe that this incident would cause Rayse to stop this job?

"You know, you can leave anytime you want," Rayse said, with a grin forming on his face, "Or do you intend to stop me?" Now that you know who I am?

If Rayse's authority was to be undermined, this would be the time. He grabbed Teric's hands and threw them off his shirt, jumping back. Teric wasn't sticking around for Rayse, but it didn't seem like he would be satisfied until he was sure The Contractor wasn't walking directly toward oblivion. Rayse was on the alert, but not because he knew Teric's intent, but because he had a premonition. He felt, somehow, that something was going to happen between them. It was also that same premonition that made him believe that this job was still possible. After all, Teric was a dangerous man to Rayse. He knew more about him than anyone should ever know, and that was a liability.

[Bloodrose]

Rayse's taunting words stung Teric to the core, throwing fuel onto the fire raging behind the furnace door Teric always tried to keep shut. The old warrior, it could be said, was easy to bother or goad along once you actually got in under that emotional lid he kept everything packed away behind...

I just want to slug him...knock some sense into that thick skull... Teric was fuming, his fists balling up expectantly. He's just like his arsehole of a father...

"Dammit." Teric heaved a monumental sigh as his shoulders slumped and his hands relaxed back at his sides. He shook his head, dismayed, and chewed lightly on his lower lip as he contemplated the next words out of his mouth. "I'm not going to stop you." He muttered at last. "And I'm not leaving. We've come too far in this for either of us to just call it quits now."

"That said," Teric added, "we don't have to go rushing willy-nilly into another trap, Nephew. Obviously someone is working the same job we are, just from a different angle, so now we not only have to watch out for the men we're after, but the other party as well."

"We can do this." He added, again, half rambling. He said it more for his own benefit than Rayse's, hoping that he could overcome his habitual urge to avoid dangerous things in his old age. All things considered, this job was shaping up to be one of the more dangerous Teric had ever undertaken - old age or otherwise - and self-preservation was only just losing out to the rewards at the glimmering end of this mess...

[Rayse Valentino]

Rayse became slightly less tense at Teric's backing down, but for the most part he was confused. He thought for sure that something was going to happen between him and his uncle. There was such a clear vision in his mind of Rayse tackling him down to the ground, and he... wait a minute, was that vision really his imagination? It seemed so real. Was he about to get into a fight with Teric, or did he simply expect them to have some sort of confrontation? Something was bothering Rayse since he got out of that strange library. Regardless, he had misjudged Teric's character. It was the second time that he expected to part ways with Teric, only to be brought closer together. His uncle's devotion to The Contractor was something that Rayse had never reciprocated before. Is he really doing this for the money? He still had his doubts, but for the moment it seems that this job wasn't quite over yet for their little duo. Maybe he was reviving the fire of Teric's youth.

Ignoring his last comment, Rayse focused on the one before it, "I'm not so sure about that. I have a feeling that he was killed for a different reason, unrelated to what we're doing..."

Rayse had nothing to base this on, but thinking about it lead him to believe that Draklira was killed for the sake of releasing the Great Lieutenant under the command of Denebriel. It was odd how seriously he considered this piece of conjecture, for it seemed like pure fiction to him, and he had no idea where he got that thought in the first place.

"Regardless, I... want to wait as well. I don't know why, but I feel that it would benefit us to watch what happens in this 'gang war'."

Rayse's mind was changed by the thoughts inside his dead. Why do I feel like all of our targets will be dead very soon? I can even predict how they'll die, what's happening to me? What happened to me down there? Rayse felt like something was terribly wrong to him. The kind of things he expected to happen were not conjured from his own thoughts; it's as if some outside influence was putting these thoughts into his head. Although, he couldn't think of what would happen to him after the outbreak of war. It seems that until that after that point, he was drawing a blank.

Looking back at Teric, he decided that it would finally be in his best interests to tell him the truth about the job, "Teric, there's something I need to tell you if we're to continue this job. I think I've dragged you into something that's a lot deeper than you think it is. The truth is: I..."

The ground beneath Rayse started rumbling, and it was at that moment that he saw himself knocking Teric over. Was this his own thought? Was it the one that was 'implanted' into him? It didn't matter right now, he felt like something horrible would happen if he didn't heed this prediction. He suddenly broke out into a sprint towards Teric, and before the man could respond, he knocked him several feet from where he was standing, landing on top of him and quickly rolling off. The ground where Teric was standing had fallen completely through into a dark pit, and there were cracks in the ground leading up to a large man standing in the shadow. Rayse quickly got up and took a few steps toward the man, stopping just short of the small pit that was created.

"Who are you?!" he asked, but he already knew the answer to that.

"Rayse Valentino, eh?!" responded the man in a high-pitched, eccentric voice that was not befitting his monstrous figure.

Rayse couldn't believe it, but it seems that he couldn't make out his features because they were entirely made of stone. He was like some sort of rock-man, a statue wearing clothes. Then, right before his eyes, the man turned back into something resembling a human, and he was only wearing pants. He could see numerous tattoos all over his body, but they were small and had a specific shape. One of them was glowing a dark purple.

"Ya know, I've been looking all day for ya!" spoke the man, cracking his neck several times, "I don't know why ya were in The Cathedral, but I couldn't get at ya then, and suddenly ya completely disappeared! I thought I'd never meet ya but here you are! Lucky for me ya stayed in one place, eh?!"

"The... Magician..." Rayse mumbled.

This was one of their targets. He seems to have known exactly where Rayse and Teric were when they were above ground. What does that mean?

"That's Rob, to ya! Ya know, my good friend Bartholomew told me ya was out to get me! When I heard that, I thought to come and save ya the trouble o' findin' me! How's about some thanks around here?!"

"Teric, stay out of this," Rayse warned, aware that The Magician was trying to pick off the weaker one first, "You're in no condition to fight."

The Magician cracked his knuckles, "I think ya need all the help ya can get, buddy. I wouldn't take a fine man such as myself lightly."

[Bloodrose]

In no condition to fight? Indignantly Teric picked himself up off the ground where Rayse had rudely plowed over him. Maybe if you hadn't knocked the air out of my lungs with that little tackle of yours, or gotten us lured into a trap that ended in the basement of the Cathedral... The old warrior let his rambling comebacks to Rayse's posturing die before they reached his tongue. There was a lot of knuckle cracking and mischievous grinning going on, and it would be improper to dress down the man so close to an obvious fight breaking out. After all, Rayse was likely to need all the confidence in himself he could get from imagining he could take on the tattooed man standing a dozen paces down the street...

...He was also likely to need all the help he could get.

"All right you bastard." The veteran warrior muttered under his breath as he sized up the tattooed stranger for himself. Judging from the dark hole in the ground that had inexplicably opened up beneath Teric's former position, and the resulting cracks leading back to their strange visitor, the man was a magi of some sort. A fact that would also offer up a plausible explanation for the eerily glowing runes the man had inked all over his chest and arms. I hate magi. A voice said in the back of Teric's head. You're always as a disadvantage - unless they are a total novice in their craft... Teric glanced at the hole in the ground once more, but that's unlikely here...

Teric pondered for a moment, as he freed his sword from his belt, who the last magi he had fought was. He supposed that Viral could be considered some sort of magi, but that mimic had insisted on fighting like a man despite his obviously 'special' powers. Truly, in recent memory at least, Teric couldn't remember his last battle against a warrior of the spirit; especially against one who seemed to harness control of the ground itself to work his craft.

Geomancer, probably... Was the conclusion, and as if triggered by Teric's thought, the tattooed stranger transformed with a cloud of purple mist into the thundering behemoth of stone he had been previously.

"Time to die!" Came the tired, overused taunt of a confident attacker. More annoying than the words, though, was the man's nasally, peculiar voice.

In a flurry of dirt and dust, twin furrows in the ground arced out from around the geomancer's feet and came burrowing towards both Rayse and Teric like two giant, fast moles were tunneling directly towards them. Sword in hand, Teric made a run for it, circling around behind Rayse and making as wide an approach towards the earth-mage as he could manage in the narrow street. He was quite utterly dismayed to find that the burrowing lump of earth with his name on it changed directions with him as he moved.

Damn.

"You’re going to have to do better than that!" Came the whiny, nasally voice again.

[Rayse Valentino]

Rayse waited while the burrowing mound of earth raced toward him, and the pit before him resurfaced into the ground to accommodate the oncoming attack. He was still at odds with his thoughts and the thoughts that were alien to him, but he decided to trust in these strange predictions for now. This was going to be the last test for them before he accepts their validity. If this test fails, then-- well, I suppose I've gone insane. The mound of earth approached Rayse, and just before making contract, Rayse jumped forward into it, and right behind him where he stood, the mound rose up and became a rock spike that extended half a story into the sky. Rayse landed on the distilled earth and immediately turned his attentions to Teric with distress in his eyes. The test had succeeded; the mound became a spike and he dodged it the right way, just as he predicted. This means that Teric was in serious danger, as he did not know how to avoid them.

Although, he had little time to help his uncle, as several more mounds made their course toward him. Also, a giant rock wall rose up behind The Magician and turned the dead-end alley into an enclosed space with no escape. With him still cackling like a madman, he guided the mounds vaguely with his arms, and Rayse dodged them all in the same manner, prompting The Magician to become slightly annoyed.

"What's this here, eh? Ya don't feel like playing around? Fine then, try this on for size!"

Rayse couldn't stand his cheesy dialogue. In fact, he couldn't stand anything about him. First of all, how the hell did he find Teric and Rayse? This was the second-- no, the third time Rayse screwed up somehow. He felt like he was in a bad comedy, or perhaps he was haunted.

"How did you find us?!" Rayse demanded, jumping over the latest mound.

"Easy!" answered Rob, his body becoming very watery and bursts of water shooting out towards Rayse and Teric like projectiles moving at arrow-like speeds, "Can't ya see my body? It's covered with my specialty: Magic Runes! One o' 'em's for trackin' your little asses..."

The jet of water caught Rayse off guard, and he was hit head-on by it and propelled backward onto the ground. It seems that it was extremely hard to predict what was going to happen next in the heat of battle, or anytime really. The thoughts just came in randomly. Rayse got up, wet like a cat, and his fury was becoming physically apparent. The water all over him evaporated, with steam rising up from his body, and his right fist was on fire.

Rob's eyes became bloodshot when he saw this phenomenon, "It was YOU! Ya were the one that stole my Essence of Fire!"

"Why the fuck do you talk so much?!" yelled Rayse, angry that he had to deal with this comical excuse of an assassin.

The fact Rob would not shut up and constantly pause to spout his stupid bullshit was driving Rayse insane. He felt like he was fighting a child, and this wasn't even a fight! It felt more like an earthquake, followed by a flood. He hated fighting magic users. His fist flared up and he punched the air at Rob involuntarily. It was another thought that was put into his head, but it seemed to actually have a purpose. He saw a ball of fire erupt from his fist and fly towards Rob, extinguishing itself on his watery chest. Rob took a step back.

"Ow!" he moaned, even though it appeared nothing serious happened to him, "Ya'll pay for that!"

He turned back into his stone form, and spikes and cliffs started forming everywhere in the small alley. Protrusions came from the walls and the floor, and rocks were flung in every which direction. Rayse jumped behind one of the newly-erected pillars. It seems his fist lost its flame when he punched the air at Rob. Did he really throw some sort of... fire ball? The thought made him shudder. Wait... Teric!

"Teric, get over here!" he yelled from behind the pillar, trying to take a look but nearly getting dismembered by a flying stone, "Damn it, I told you to stay back!" At least get back here!

[Bloodrose]

"You want me to come over there? You've got to be kidding..." Teric shouted, as all hell broke loose in the alley. Stone spikes, walls, protrusions, and a host of independent missiles lurches up out of the ground. Their little area of the city was completely blocked off now as well, but despite that, Teric was still surprised that all the commotion wasn't drawing the least attention from the city guard.

Teric pressed his back against one of the numerous pillars of stone and soil rising up from the earth all over the alleyway. The earthen spike that had sprouted from the burrow chasing him originally protruded from the rear wall of the nearest building at an odd angle, thrusting itself into the stone and mortar where Teric had nimbly - albeit briefly - executed a wall-run to evade the underground projectile.

"Quit talking and die!" The squeaky, high-strung voice of their attacker was relatively close now. On the other side of the pillar, perhaps a dozen paces away, the geomancer was standing confidently where he had stood before. "You can't hurt me!" He boasted. "Not even your fire could get through to me!"

Oh yes, fire. A voice inside Teric's head grumbled. Since when can Rayse chuck fire around with his bare hands? Obviously the older of the not-so-dynamic duo hadn't been the only one holding out on the other. If we get out of this alive, I'm going to kill him. Teric decided as he readied his sword. Either that or beat some answers out of him. He's kept far too much from me for far too long, especially since our lives are on the line...

A rivulet of blood ran down the old man's chin and across his lip, causing the warrior to instinctively reach a hand up to his face. He realized quite suddenly that his nose was bleeding - one of the more annoying side effects of having your face busted up before running around and trying to fight. He glared at the sticky crimson mess on his hand through one swollen eye, irritated at the reminder of his ordeal in the dungeon. Wounds heal in time, but I certainly wish they would heal faster...

"Hey!" The shrill voice - so very recognizable and so very wrong for the hulking creature standing twenty-five feet away - interrupted Teric's thoughts.

"Shut your mouth already!" Teric bellowed angrily, his temper rising. Fifty-one, almost fifty-two, years of experience normally allowed the old veteran to enter and exit battles calmly, and evenly. In his youth he had been quite the ruffian - loud and boisterous - but age had a tendency to not only temper those sorts of behaviors, but also to give a man a dislike of them.

Leave your hooliganism at home, and let your skills do the talking. Was an adopted pseudo-mantra Teric had picked up somewhere in Fallien a decade ago. He could remember for the life of him who said it, or why, but the words always stuck with him.

"Can't you do anything but talk, you worm?" It's important to note, however, that when provoked, or when his temper got the better of him, Teric tended to revert to younger behaviors. Namely; taunting. "Why don't you crawl back into whatever hole you came from, eat some more dirt, and leave us with the peace that accompanies not hearing your voice!" As he said that, Teric cautiously glanced down at the dirt beneath his feet like the ground might literally open up and swallow him with a maw filled with stone teeth. I certainly wouldn't put it past him.

"Big words from such an old man!" Rob, that was his name right? shot back angrily. "Maybe you should give your wrinkly old mouth a break before I come over there and bust your hip!"

"Oooh, I'm so scared." Teric jibed right back at the man, half aware of just how silly and immature he sounded, but also half not-caring. Trading words back and forth with the stone-man seemed to have caused a staggering drop-off in the number of projectiles and barriers flying around. In fact, expect for the steady breathing of the three men, nothing in the alley moved at all. Keep him talking, and maybe Rayse can figure out a way out of this mess.

"You know, from back here where I can't see your ugly mug" Teric continued, "it almost sounds like I'm being attacked by some skinny kid with a runny nose!"

"You have no idea how easily I could break you in half!" Rob's voice was literally shrieking now, rising to a pitch that Teric imagined might have broken glass if any had been nearby.

"Whatever you say, Skinny." Teric snapped, again with a cautious glance at the dangerous ground beneath his feet.

"I'll kill you!" Came the barely coherent, shrieking reply. It was accompanied by the thunderous patter of heavy feet charging forward.

Just one more reason to keep a level-head. Teric actually allowed himself a bit of a satisfied smile, even though it hurt his bruised cheek. The fact that the geomancer would allow himself to be goaded into giving up his most potent weapon - the distance between himself, Teric, and Rayse - as well as his ranged attacks only emphasized the fact that they were not fighting a professional killer. Rob was something else entirely: an ego-driven monster who probably thought his rocky exterior rendered him invincible.

Surprise! Teric leapt out from behind the pillar just as Rob went crashing through it an avalanche. The magi's big, rock encrusted arms crashed around the stone obstacle in a bear hug like he was trying to tackle the object into the old warrior who had been waiting patiently behind it.

Safely to the geomancer's right, momentarily, Teric whipped his blade horizontally through the air. His Slash technique, which had proven so valuable in countless battles before, arced through the short span of open air between the two of them.

"We'll see just how strong you are!" He shouted as he attacked, hoping in the back of his mind that Rayse had something - perhaps another fireball - up his sleeve.

[Rayse Valentino]

Rayse wondered what Teric was doing. He lost his cool earlier, but compared to his uncle he was slightly irritated. However, the distraction did give The Contractor some time to think about what to do. He had no doubt that if this lasted long enough, Rob was going to pull a Legaias Kenrick and take out everyone at once, perhaps by dropping the floor beneath the entire alley and burying them all. Although, he had no idea how to end this. As much as he hated to admit its usefulness, the ball of fire he inadvertently launched affected the enemy. He didn't seem to take any physical damage, but he was burned. Was he vulnerable to fire in his transformed state?

As Teric provoked The Magician, who apparently lost his thick accent (was it also fake?) due to Teric's taunts, Rayse began to think that the old man was on to something. He could now afford to peek out from the corner of the pillar and notice that most of the magic was dying down. Why is he doing this? Teric must've been doing this for a reason, for as far as Rayse knew, this was wholly alien to his uncle's character. Further surprise came to Rayse as he saw Rob charging at Teric. The old man had caused their enemy to close the distance between them by himself! Time was running out, so Rayse decided that now was the time to do something. He took off his shirt and rolled it up into a ball, gripping it tightly and thinking about lighting it on fire. The thought turned to reality, as his hand ignited and the shirt being held by it followed suit. The shirt was just a distraction, his real plan was to grab The Magician and do the same thing to him as he was doing to the shirt. Although at the time he did not think too much of it, the shirt actually showed signs of being burned, whereas the clothes he was wearing were not affected by his own fire. It was a trivial fact, nonetheless.

Creeping up closer to Rob along the pillars, he saw the man crash into one, and then get struck by a strange attack by Teric. It looked like Teric cut him, but he was standing quite a few feet away. Rayse really had no time to ponder Teric's technique. Now's my chance! He ran out with shirt in hand, but tripped somehow and fell to the ground.

"Ya idiots think it's that easy?" came a confident statement by Rob, who recovered his accent in his composure, "All that for a sneak attack! It took a good head-butt into that rock to get my head straight again, eh?"

Rayse looked down and noticed that a small piece of earth had clamped onto his ankle and wrapped itself around it. If Rob could control the very soil, then he probably saw Rayse coming from a mile away just by feeling it. Rayse had a different plan, however. Rob had a huge gash across his chest, and he pointed to it defiantly as he stared at Teric, and the gash was covered up by parts of his rock body.

"See? Ya can't harm me," and he turned around to see Rayse covered in flames, "And it looks like ya caught on fire! Serves ya right, looks like I got one to go."

The rock shackle around Rayse's leg melted away as he pretended to lay dead. He really didn't think this stunt would work, as Rob was allegedly aware of the runes and what they do. Maybe he was actually ignorant of how they worked, and got them from somewhere else. Rayse realized that he needed to know where he got them. He also had to make only one movement before Rob would notice that he was moving at all. One jump. Rob turned back to Teric, lifted his arms and was prepared to drop the very earth Teric was standing on, when he felt two arms latch onto him from behind, wrapping themselves just barely around his body.

"What the?!"

Rayse closed his eyes and pictured himself standing in an erupting volcano, the inside of a roaring furnace, and in the middle of a giant bonfire. The flames covering his body erupted and he felt his very life draining away under the intense pressure that even he felt. Rob began screaming as his body burned, quickly turning his body to water.

Rayse now felt his arms were inside some sort of liquid, and he opened his eyes to see a blueish clear liquid with a humanoid form in front of him, with some vaguely discernible human features. Rob's face moved around to the back of his head and echoed a laugh, one that sounded like he was underwater. Rayse smiled. His body continued burning, and he concentrated the bulk of his heat into his arms, which started causing Rob to evaporate. The Magician lost all control of his powers to this unbearable and strange pain, feeling his body disintegrating into the air.

"Where did you get those runes?!" Rayse demanded, his arms still inside this liquid man.

Unfortunately, he received no answer, because within a few moments The Magician was gone. Scattered into the air in innumerable pieces. It was a bittersweet and sudden victory, and Rayse could not get the taste of something awful out of his mouth. The flames around his body died down and The Contractor fell to his knees. The wall enclosing the alley crumbled into pebbles, as well as all the pillars and spikes. While he defeated another target, he had failed again in his planning. Fatman betrayed him! He started to doubt he was even going to have another chance to see him at this point, but the implanted thoughts in his head said otherwise.

His vision was blurry and his arms hit the ground, digging into it while sweat dripped from the tip of his nose and chin. He felt like the flames were pulled from his very life force, and felt exhausted like he hadn't sleep in over a week. His necklace, unharmed, dangled from his neck and touched the ground. What was Teric to him? Just a business associate? A partner? Rayse didn't know, but he trusted the man with his life, and that was a notion that wasn't implanted into his mind. He fell to the ground and lost consciousness. Maybe I was too arrogant after all...

[Bloodrose]

Although it may be clear at this point, but I can't remember if it was explicitly spelled out, all bunnying by either side has been previously ok'ed.

Teric watched on uneasily as the two elemental magi struggled through their craft. Rayse, his entire body aflame, clung to Rob's back as the geomancer's shell melted from stone to water to try and combat the human torch. Fire and water, the two oldest enemies in the world, struggled for supremacy. For a moment it seemed that Rob, with perhaps his more affluent control of his element, was going to win the power struggle. Unfortunately for him, however, Rayse made up for his lack of experience with passion and verve - two things Teric knew played a larger part in any conflict than skill alone...

Confidence is everything in a fight. The veteran vaguely recalled one of his first teachers saying something like that. Skill will get you so far, but generally a battle is won by whoever wants it more. Whoever believes most in their heart that the victory belongs to them. You could cut a man down, but the one with heart will continue to rise and struggle so long as there is breath in his body...

Watching the geomancer dissolve and evaporate along with the water surrounding his body made Teric a little queasy. As a soldier, he preferred to have a body lying at his feet when it was all said and done. Something tangible and real that he could prod with his sword to ensure the foe was dead. Magi, as was typical of the crafty bastards, were always dissolving into something when they died; flames, a murder of crows, water, dust...You never knew if somewhere down the line their bodies would reconstitute and come back to make your life miserable.

Rob's creations crumbled and dissolved with their master, collapsing back to the ground in piles of soil and rubble. With the walls gone, and the very dirt beneath his feet no longer a threat, Teric sighed a small sigh of relief. It was a short lived relief, however, as from beyond where the wall had stood he could hear the faint shouts and the ringing of boots on cobblestones as the city guard - absent during the short conflict - approached.

"Rayse," Teric said hurriedly, turning and preparing to flee in the opposite direction of the approaching guard, "we’ve got to get out of here."

The young contractor didn't move. He was on his knees, his arms flat against the ground as though he was exhausted. While not magic user himself, Teric had fought enough of them to know that look. The energies magi used to ply their craft, unless otherworldly, came from the user himself...and I'm sure that human fireball routine couldn't have been easy.

Rolling his eyes in frustration, Teric hurried over to the now unconscious young man lying in the alley. "Come’ on, we've made it this far." He said, couching down and grabbing Rayse by the arms. In the 'good ol'days' Teric's strength would have allowed him to simply toss a man Rayse's size over his shoulder and bound away with him. More recently though, as age had robbed the veteran of the majority of his brute power, carrying a full grown man was a little more of an endeavor. Slowly, and yet at the same time as quickly as he could muster, Teric hoisted Rayse off the ground and draped the man over his shoulders. His knees creaked and complained painfully, shaking as Teric forced himself to stand upright with Rayse's weight bearing down on him.

"You could stand to lose a few pounds." Teric kidded with his unconscious nephew as he turned and beat as hasty a retreat as he could manage. His short, shuffling steps carried the two of them around the corner and into a side street not a few seconds before the forerunners for the guard entered the alley way to inspect the scene. Had they not stopped to survey the mess of soil and rubble littering the street, they would have easily caught the fleeing veteran and his charge within a moment's time...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~

Standing in the bathroom of Rayse's safe house, Teric stripped to the waist and busied himself splashing cold water over his face. Dried blood, fresh blood, and sweat cascaded off his face in thick rivulets as the cool water refreshed him. The cold was invigorating against his bruised and swollen flesh, dulling the ache in some of the more painful spots. Carrying Rayse all the way back to the safe house had tired the veteran immensely, so he leaned heavily against the table bearing the washbasin as he inspected his face in the mirror.

Broken nose. Teric started listing off the things that were going to last a little longer than a bruise or a welt. In a rather disgusting display that Teric was all too familiar with, he reached up and placed his palms on either side of his swollen, displaced nose. Teeth clenched, and his eyes shut, the old warrior squeezed his palms together and forced the cartilage and bone back into place. He grunted in pain, pulling his hands away and leaning over the basin as a fresh torrent of blood came rushing out his nostrils, running across his lips and into a silvery beard already clumped with dried blood. Broken tooth. Missing tooth. More souvenirs from the Bishop.

You, sir, are an ugly mess. A voice in Teric's head joked. Injury was nothing new to Teric, and he certainly wasn't going to fret over a few more scars or a more disfigured complexion. It's all icing on the cake at this point...

Almost cautiously Teric stood straight up and looked over himself in the mirror. Scars criss-crossed his arms, chest, and abdomen like some hideous roadmap; a chicken scratch history of his life. It wasn't a pretty sight in the least, which was why Teric generally opted for a more conservative outfit, but to deny the scars that marred him was to deny who he had become over the years. What could I have been? was a question he struggled never to answer, for he knew that had his parent's gotten their way he would have never suffered the sensation of edged steel cutting across his flesh...

Snorting derisively, Teric grabbed a small hand towel and held it under nose as he wandered out of the bathroom and through the bedroom. Rayse, still unconscious, lay on his bed where Teric had first dropped him. Were it not for the feverish sweating, and the gently yet rapid rising and falling of the man's chest, Teric might have feared him dead. Hopefully the contractor would awaken soon, because while he had stuck through the thick and the thin of things thus far, Teric had no idea as to what to do next.

Only Rayse had the information he needed to make a decision like that...

[Rayse Valentino]

Rayse saw himself and Teric moving through the dark underground, feeling the walls for direction amid their pitch black surroundings. He saw them pass through a wall they did not see, a wall that was merely an illusion, but in the darkness those illusions could not be seen. Is that how we found the secret area? The thing next Rayse knew, he was observing a large battle in the distant past. He saw Denebriel and her Great Lieutenants, he saw their defeat. This again... His next visions were much closer to home; they were that of the current state of affairs around the city. He saw The Four Horsemen fall one by one to the swords and arrows of rival crime organizations, and he saw the mask of Stefan Tyray as he made arrangements to leave the city. Lastly, he saw Fatman waiting in his office. He seemed worried about something, and Rayse lost sight of him right before the door to his office opened. What is he waiting for? ...Me? The visions troubled Rayse, but the next scene was where this strange phenomena started: The secret remnants of the library. He saw himself reading the book, and in a flash a strange, corporeal being passed through Rayse and caused him to drop the book. It was fast like lightning, but it looked more like a fog of light. He knew that it had to be the source of this fortune telling. More, more, show me more! Yet, he did not see anything but darkness. Most of the images he saw were of the past, and it did not go beyond the immediate future. Rayse could only assume that the effect was wearing off, whatever it was.

He opened his eyes, and found himself damp. Fearing that he did the unquestionable in his sleep, he sat up and was relieved to see that the bed was merely wet from his profuse sweating. Also, his arms were slightly burned all the way to his hands. He thought he was immune to his own fire, but the incredible heat he generated affected even him. This thought brought him to the embarrassing fact that not only did Teric see everything, but he carried Rayse home. He wasn't good with gratitude, and it showed. Teric...

He got up, noticing that Teric was in the room, waiting for him to wake up. He had to thank Teric, even if it was unlike him to thank anyone for anything. For some reason, Rayse wanted Teric's respect, but not because he was his nephew.

"Hey..." Rayse uttered, finding his slick tongue absent for this exchange, "Thanks."

That's all he could find to say. Teric looked annoyed, like it was clear that Rayse had much more to say.

"I guess it's my turn to start talking," he began, not looking directly at Teric, "There's a few things."

Teric's attention was now turned to his rune, apparently the first point of confirmation he wanted. Rayse could tell that his uncle did not like the rune, and he seemed very disapproving of The Magician. Rayse had an inkling of an idea as to why, but he couldn't substantiate it.

"The box we got from Kenrick had some tattooing gear in it. You can probably tell that I'm a fan of tattoos," he stated, aware of the obviousness of it by the sharp, black, symmetrical lines that ran across his upper body, "I thought nothing of it, and added another to my collection. I had no idea that it was some sort of magic ink that granted... power... to the one it was applied to. I have a feeling that the guy I met last night also knew what it was."

Rayse wasn't winning any points with Teric right now, although his honesty was rather forced. He hinted that it had value, but did not attribute it to any monetary gain. He kept talking.

"I didn't know what I had done until last night, and never thought that I would ever need to use it again. Kenrick apparently stole it from our evaporated friend, and the rest is history."

He felt that there wasn't especially more to say on the subject. Teric could guess that Rayse threw away a sizable fortune, but The Contractor wasn't going to say it outright. It wasn't a subject he was comfortable talking about, either. He decided to say what he was about to say before he was interrupted.

"The truth is, this job isn't just about the money for me. It is (or it was) about my future in this city. A fat guy by the name of Bartholomew blackmailed me into this, since apparently I had offed a business partner of his. Now, the guy deserved it, since he busted up one of my supply trains like some sleazy rat!"

Rayse became aware that he was running off topic.

"Anyway, the idea was that he expected me to die doing these jobs, but I had a different plan in mind. I would find some way to do this, and when I go back to the Fatman, he would be right in the palm of my mind. Although, he seems to have changed his mind."

Rayse thought back to what The Magician said.

"Ya know, my good friend Bartholomew told me ya was out to get me!"

"I'm not sure how safe it is to return to Fatman. It might just be another trap at this point, but here's the thing: If I go back there, his men will know why I'm coming there. They'll know that I did the impossible. If I take out Fatman, they'll all follow me! No more taking orders from anyone else, I'd run my own deal the way I want it! I'd be on top."

His fairy tale notion of a happy ending was disturbing even to him, but he honestly believed in it. He would be done working with the worst men on this planet, done with these stupid jobs and lastly, done taking shit from anyone.

"Although, now I'm a little hesitant. What I said earlier... about the thousand easy jobs or the one hard one... Is one job really worth my life? I..." He stuttered. His mind and body were weak right now, and his inhibitions were lowered. He tried to regain his composure, "This may sound crazy, but hear me out. I have a feeling that all of our targets will be gone by tomorrow night. If I'm wrong, and they're still around, I'll stop this nonsense, but I want to wait until then. If I'm right, however... I'll need your help one last time. Forget the bounty I showed you earlier. We'd have an entire empire."

[Bloodrose]

The chair Teric had found was against the wall facing the foot of the bed, and there he sat motionless while Rayse regained consciousness. The wash cloth he'd dampened with cool water was soothing against his swollen face, and Rayse - whether out of courtesy or something else - didn't notice enough to say anything about the old warrior's disfigurements. In fact, the contractor's unexpected expression of gratitude surprised Teric with its sincerity. Maybe he's learning. Teric pondered while the young man launched into another of his trademark rambles. Maybe he's starting to understand that some things aren't worth getting killed for...

"Looks like I'll be helping you one more time then." Teric interjected simply after Rayse had quieted again. It was obvious once Teric took the cloth away from his face that the bruises and cuts on his face had darkened. They were no longer bright red and purple like brand new bruises were, and the welts that had accompanied them had disappeared under the continued application of a cool cloth. "The Four Horsemen are already dead. Two were found holding their own heads in their lap’s yesterday morning, and the other two were shot dead trying to get away from a City Guard patrol this afternoon. The news is spreading across Knife's Edge like wildfire, thanks mostly to the boasting of the city's grand crime stoppers."

Nothing Rayse's confused expression, Teric offered up a little context to help the contractor understand. "You've been unconscious for almost a day a half. I was actually beginning to wonder if you'd ever wake up at all."

Rising out of his chair, Teric disappeared through the bedroom doorway momentarily. In the kitchen he made his way to the stove where some simple spiced potatoes he's cooked up for a meal earlier sat cooling. Rather, they had been cooling, but after sitting out for a while they were almost as cool as the air in the safe house. I don't think his hungry stomach will care. Was Teric's reasoning as he scooped a few spoonfuls of the cut potato cubes onto a plate and carried it back into the bedroom with a fork. Wordlessly he set the plate down on the bedside table where Rayse could get to it if he wanted it.

For a moment there were no words between the two men, leaving each to their thoughts. The words running through Teric's mind were Rayse's - specifically the part about being blackmailed into undertaking the impossible task that had consumed the both of them for the last few days. That certainly answers a lot of questions. The job is impossible because it was designed to get Rayse killed. The only reason Teric was here at all was because Rayse was far too stubborn, and far to unwilling to abandon Knife's Edge to simple walk away in self-imposed exile and survive.

Self-imposed exile was a concept that Teric was far too familiar with. A little over twenty years ago he himself had walked away from a life and a reputation in this very city. You could have survived here. A voice reminded Teric. People only tried to kill you because you left, not the other way around...

"I understand wanting to finish this thing." Teric offered at last, settling back into his chair. "We've come this far, and we're still alive, so we might as well go a little further and get our reward." Another moment of silence, and then...

"Where exactly does this Bartholomew fellow live?"

[Rayse Valentino]

Excerpt from Teric's quest approved by him. It's the one in all italics.

A day and a half... ? Does that mean that those visions already happened? ...Or have some yet to happen? He didn't mention that mask guy. The time lapse bothered him, and he convinced himself never to pull that kind of fire stunt again. There was something very dangerous about the rune, and if The Magician could let himself be victim to his element, there's no reason why Rayse can't fall victim to his own. That aside, Teric once again was behind him in this, and Rayse was eternally grateful. The old man was probably the most reliable man he had ever met. Rayse dwelled again on the point of Teric's original departure from the city. Couldn't he use his temporary fortune telling to find out the reason? After all, it showed him visions from the past as well as the future. He tried to focus on his infancy, forming a reference point for which the vision should unfold. He closed his eyes, and focused on Teric and his relation with him. Show me... what happened...

A winter long ago... Rayse saw the image of Teric in his mind, who was kneeling in front of some kind of stone statue.

"I don't know if you're listening," he whispered, "but I hope you won't hold my misguided steps - and maybe the fact that I often take your name in vain - against me. Regardless of how you feel about me, though, I'm not here for myself. I've come because my sister is heavy with child, and she is due to give birth any day now." Teric paused, kind of tilting his head to one side as he thought. "I ask that you watch over her, and help her to bring a second healthy child into this world. Victoria would come and ask for this herself, I'm sure, but her husband does not allow her out of his sight. So please, watch over my sister and keep her safe..."

He saw two and a half blurry figures walking around in a courtyard. He felt the feeling of desperation as two other figures waited outside a room impatiently, and he could almost taste the bitterness of a cookie gone bad. The memories were vague, unclear, and laced with some odd sorrow that Rayse couldn't decipher. It was beginning to give him a headache.

Then, the seemingly random assortment of words and images passing through Rayse's head came to an abrupt halt when Teric returned with some food. He couldn't clearly conjure the memories of the past and felt that his fortune telling days were perhaps at an end. He looked down at his necklace for a moment, thinking that it may be the last real sign of who he could've been; Of the life both he and Teric could've lead... Had she lived. Nonetheless, he had implanted memories up until a certain point after he met with Fatman, and he wasn't about to veer off course now. How he would lead his life and the future that awaited him was beyond that point.

When Teric asked about Bartholomew, something rather obvious dawned on Rayse. Out of all the places he'd mapped, why not Fatman's place? Sure, he needed to avoid it for secrecy's sake, but he could've easily made up some lie to get Teric to say something about the place. Although, Teric just claimed to not where where Bartholomew was. Which means... does Fatman's HQ have a short history? It dawned on Rayse that his uncle may know something about Fatman's place!

Rayse stood up and started talking in a serious, but intrigued tone, "Teric... have you ever seen that big place at the southern end of the Old City? It has two large statues on either side, you can't miss it. On the outside, it looks pretty decrepit, but inside it looks brand new. If you've ever been in this place before, you may know something that we can exploit."

Rayse explained that he while he walked through the front door of the place, he would need Teric to enter through a different way somehow, and wait until Rayse was inside Fatman's office. Then, he would need to make sure whatever trap was waiting for him outside the office was taken care of, so that when Rayse knocked on the door from the inside, only Teric- and not several armed men- would come in.

"I'll take care of anything inside, but I'll need you on the outside. If you know a way to do this as simply as possible, I'm all ears."

[Bloodrose]

Teric contemplated Rayse's latest plan much like he had most of his others; cautiously. Nephew or no, the young contractors best laid plans still suffered from the short-sightedness that accompanied youth. Half-plans, I guess you could call them. Teric decided. Loose guidelines to try and follow while not getting yourself killed.

There was one other signature mark to Rayse's more recent plans as well, and that mark was the contractor's almost blind optimism that Teric had intimate knowledge of every criminal hideout in Knife's Edge. A large building at the southern end of Old City with two large statues on either side of it sounded familiar, but off the top of his head Teric couldn't remember if he had ever been inside such a building. That of course, was to say nothing of his being intimately involved with such a building enough so to know a hidden way inside.

The general gist of Rayse's plan made perfect sense, but the execution was a little lacking...

"If we want to do this as simply as possible," Teric offered as Rayse finished outlying his plan, "then maybe I should just follow you in?" Noting the skeptical, if not downright disappointed look on Rayse's face, Teric motioned with his hand as if you say 'let me elaborate.'

"You go inside, do what you need to do to get in our employer's office, and proceed as you had planned." Teric cracked a brief smile as he moved on to the rest of the plan. "A few minutes after you go in, I'll come in right behind you. An unwanted guest in their midst should bring the guards outside the office in my direction, so once I have their undivided attention..."

Teric clenched his fist, and then splayed his fingers out wildly while cheaply imitating a small explosion. Rayse wasn't exactly familiar with the Flashbang technique Teric was trying to describe, but he hoped the contractor would get the general idea.

"Once the guards outside are neutralized, we can take out time with the guy who got us into the mess. Sound good?"

[Rayse Valentino]

Teric didn't appear to know anything about the place. It seems the more Rayse asked him about things, the less he actually knew. Just more indications that this train they were on was reaching the end of the line. The Contractor preferred exploitable weaknesses, but maybe after all these failures a direct approach would be best. After all, lately things just weren't working the way they should be. The fact that both of them were still alive at this point was a miracle. Still, there are too many unanswered questions to just pack up and leave. At least, there's one more question that was on Rayse's mind, and he wanted to hear the answer directly from Fatman's mouth. While it lasted, his fortune telling had at least given him the vision that Rayse would live through this plan, which was enough for him to attempt it.

He grabbed the plate that Teric brought over and picked at the now-cold food with a fork. Teric did some sort of motion with his hand to imply that something bad would happen to all those guards, but while the connotation was obvious, he wasn't sure what specifically Teric had in mind. He thought that it was maybe related to that ranged cutting technique he used on The Magician. He didn't particularly care for the details, so he didn't question it.

Rayse grinned and nodded in agreement with Teric's plan, "If you think that's the best way to do it, I'm game."

Waiting would be fruitless, and while Teric came off as a rather cautious man, Rayse felt like Teric wanted to get this over with as fast as possible. In fact, he was like that right from the start, even though he constantly advised patience. Maybe he just knows when to wait and when to not. He didn't know if Stefan Tyray would be gone by now or not, but he had a vision a while ago that would at least give the impression that he was. He has a cross-shaped scar between his eyes. He put on the mask shortly after that. It would be enough, he thought.

"I know how much you hate to wait when it's all said and done, so we'll go in an hour. After all, I got freshening up to do if I want to impress on my first date."

In that hour, Rayse filled his empty stomach, got himself washed up, and put on something he rarely wore: a suit. His one-of-a-kind, specially fit, cashmere, black, 3-button single-breasted suit with matching black slacks. A perfect garment for a man of power or class. Rayse wasn't fond of the latter association, however. he kept a clean black t-shirt underneath and kept the suit unbuttoned with no tie. He definitely wanted to give the impression that he was a somebody, otherwise the guards- who undoubtedly have orders to kill on sight, might just attack him on the spot. He kept his weapons, including his knife, strapped to the inside pockets of the suit this time, keeping only a couple throwing knives in his pockets. He sometimes considered his options when it came to a clean job; what he could've done had he not chosen this lifestyle, but felt assured when he was certain that he would've been bored out of his mind. He thrived in this kind of work, including the danger and the glamor. If you never gamble, you'll never win. About time I get dealt a good hand...

* * * *

Making his way through the city, Rayse had to tread lightly and move quickly. Most of the larger streets had some sort of activity, and the smell of blood permeated the air. Rayse had a really bad feeling about what was happening in the city, but that wasn't his primary concern right now. He soon found himself back where this whole mess originated. The large stone building was just the same as it was three days ago. The statues on each side displayed soldiers with helmet, sword, and shield, holding their swords up and facing the entrance. Long before the monarchy, the culture that constructed the monuments in the Old City was very impressive. Rayse didn't know if they were all gone now, but it certainly seemed that way. Despite what he thought he would see, the place looked deserted. Although, it was like this last time he was here as well. He entered in the same manner he did before, and once again he was alone in the grand room with the two winding staircases that lead to the balcony.

"I know you're all there, so come on out," he demanded.

"My, my, well if it isn't Mr. Valentino!" Came a voice from atop the balcony. A man popped his head out and looked at The Contractor with feigned interest. In truth, he was scared, "W-What brings you here?"

Guards came out with their swords out and had Rayse encircled in a matter of seconds. Rayse wondered how they knew he was coming again. It was possible that they had some sort of scout outside. This could be good for him, as long as Teric waited until Rayse was inside the office before getting seen.

"I finished your job," said Rayse as he pulled out a piece of paper with all the names on it and held it out, "So I want my pay."

The expression on the man on the balcony was one of utter shock. He knew that the targets had been dropping like flies, but to think that it was him was unbelievable. No, he wasn't going to let Rayse off that hook that easy.

"Prove it!" he demanded, "Or consider your life forfeit!"

Rayse didn't have a problem with this request, but he wondered what Fatman could've been thinking right now. After all, he wasn't being attacked right now, so could he have already figured out that Rayse was responsible for all this? Well, at the very least he would suspect him of killing The Magician.

Rayse pointed to a spot between his eyes, "Tyray has a cross-shaped scar right here."

The man atop the balcony drew back, perturbed at how fast Rayse answered. With such accuracy, too! He did not exactly know what Tyray looked like, but he knew that his boss had sent The Magician after Rayse and was no longer anywhere to be found. Not to mention that he was certain that Kenrick was offed by Rayse as well.

The Four Horsemen aside, the last nail on the coffin was The Magician's own words when he was meeting with Fatman, "I'd go after him right now, but my runes are telling me that he's in The Cathedral. Hell if I know why he's there, but not even I can bust into that joint."

It was around that time that Draklira was reported killed by mysterious forces. The Contractor's claim was getting more and more credible. He decided that he would lead Rayse to his boss. There was a new procedure, however: He was patted down and all his weapons were removed. It seems that Fatman was afraid of any visitors he was going to receive. He was brought to the large doors once more, and they opened to reveal the same turned seat of Fatman behind his large desk. Although, there were many other guests with him today. He entered the room, and saw several guards on each side of him, ready to strike at any moment. Rayse wondered why they didn't, however.

"I've done your job, now where's my pay?" Rayse demanded again.

Fatman turned around in his seat, his face red and his sweat accumulating. He knew that Rayse wasn't lying. Stefan Tyray had gone missing very recently, so it was possible that Rayse came directly here after killing him. How he managed to complete this job intrigued Fatman far too much.

"Before I give you anything," he started in his annoying low voice, "I want to know how you did it."

Rayse was not attacked at the entrance. He was not attacked here. Now, he was even being asked a question! Fatman had some nerve, it was as if his massive ego was clouding his judgement. Rayse held all the cards here, since if he had the power to kill high-ranking individuals such as the ones on the list, he had the power to end this little engagement right here and now as well. Perhaps Fatman was unconvinced? Maybe he thought he still had outs with a decent poker hand.

Rayse decided to indulge him, "How? I found them all, and told them to die. Sorry it took so long, I had to look under a lot of rocks."

Fatman was so angry he almost had steam coming out of his ears. Rayse was the same impertinent brat as before! His sole motivation was to determine whether or not Rayse had been a danger to him right now, but that had went out the window with Rayse's words. Fatman's short temper cost him the truth, and in the end, perhaps his life.

"Kill him!" he ordered, and all the guards in the room attacked.

[Bloodrose]

Teric watched from a nearby alleyway as cautious guards ushered Rayse inside. Normal protocol would have dictated that at least one of the guards stay outside to watch the street, but the guards seemed to move inside together like a pack, shutting the front door behind them. One, two, three... The numbers started rattling off in Teric's head as he absently kept time with his fingers...

Twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three... The numbers kept coming, and while Teric didn't know exactly how long he should wait, he had a rough idea. Give the guards time to search him for weapons if they want, and time to get into position. Allow Rayse time to start talking...

The door opened and a single guard came back outside. Not an unexpected move in the least, but Teric had been more than willing to accept the boon granted by all the guards loitering around indoors. Thirty-two. The count stopped there in his head, as dealing with the lone sentry would allow the remaining time to pass without waiting. Teric's shoulder left the cold brick wall of the building he had been leaning against as he peered around the corner, and he walked casually around the corner as he straightened his jacket.

The old warrior made it about a dozen paces before the armed sentry took note of his presence. With practiced ease Teric avoided making eye contact as he walked, feigning interest in the streets on the opposite side of the road from his destination. It wasn't exactly a performance worthy of the stage, but I'm only trying to convince him I'm nobody... When he was almost on top of the guard, Teric turned and flashed the man a disarming smile. Experience played well into not overreacting as the sentry dropped his hand to his sword and eyed him skeptically.

"Excuse me," Teric asked politely, "do you know how I can get to Rathaxea Square from here?"

As the words rolled off his tongue, the expression on the sentry's face relaxed from nervous preparation to relief. The man's grip around his sword relaxed, and he even stood a bit more upright as he squared his shoulders and seemed to take a deep breath. That's right, Teric thought contently, I only want directions. The man's relief allowed the veteran to take few casual steps towards the man as if ready to make conversation...

"Well, if you take this street he-urk!" The guard's sentence was cut off abruptly as Teric slammed his fist into the unsuspecting man's throat. It was rather difficult to summon reinforcements with a collapsed windpipe, and the guard, wheezing for breath, dropped to his knees even as his hands grabbed for his neck. His eyes bulged in surprise and shock, and the choking, gagging noise was uncomfortable to bear.

"Poor bastard." Teric muttered under his breath as he mercifully grabbed the suffocating man by the head and twisted hard enough to break his neck. The gagging noises ceased as the guard went limp in his hands, and Teric eased the body to the ground before wiping his hands on the front of his coat. Sorry about that. He wanted to say. Despite being chillingly comfortable with killing, it would be improper to say that Teric enjoyed inflicting any sort of prolonged suffering on his foes.

One task finished, the veteran stomped up the steps nonchalantly, making his presence known as he launched seamlessly into the second half of his deception. At the top of the steps he pulled the door open and stepped inside casually, just as he might have entered a shop or tavern. The feigned look of surprise on his face was almost as convincing as the shocked looks plastered on the faces of a half a dozen armed men standing about in the open area on the other side of the doorway. A second doorway was visible in the wall on the opposite side of the room, and Teric assumed that was where Rayse had gone.

"Who the fuck are you?" A bearded man said loudly as a half a dozen swords were brandished menacingly in Teric's direction. Still without weapon in hand, and an innocent expression of disbelief plastered across his face, Teric raised his hands as if surrendering.

"I-I-I, this isn't the livestock auction?" Teric stuttered on purpose, adding a little fear to his act. "M-My friend said t-t-this was the place!"

"Where is Duncan?" The bearded man retorted, uninterested in any excuses. Obviously these men weren't convinced that Teric would have wandered into their lair on accident, considering they had placed a guard outside. Bugger. Teric's mind intoned worriedly. At least they haven't skewered me on sight...

Six men with deadly intent closed in around Teric menacingly, approaching slowly as if cautiously trying to scent out a trick. Had they known how spot-on their apparent deduction was, they would have questioned why Teric shut his eyes tightly and flatted the palm of his raised left hand so that the back of his hand was parallel with the floor.

BANG!

The Flashbang technique Teric had learned decades ago from an old street magician went off without a hitch. It was essentially a fireball spell, minus the fireball, and resulted in a blinding flash of light and a banging noise as the vacuum normally meant to condense purposeful fire magic into a projectile rapidly disintegrated and burst. Six men cried out in pain and surprise as they stumbled around blindly, momentarily incapacitated. It was only a moment Teric needed as his own blade flashed out of his belt and he started stabbing wildly. A couple guards went down without a fight, rapier-like puncture wounds in their neck or chest. The next couple managed to brandish their weapons, but were still to blurry eyed to use them as Teric's blade slashed across their face or stuck them in the belly. The last two, the second more so than the first, put up some measure of resistance by falling back to the far wall and swinging wildly at the two identical Teric's likely swimming in front of their vision.

The first managed a glancing blow off Teric's breastplate before the veteran dropped him with a slash across the knee and a swift kick to the face. The second actually managed to make use of his comrade’s demise, cutting Teric across the shoulder with his blade before the old warrior rounded on him and put him in his place. The man's blade cut through the shoulder of Teric's favorite jacket, but the vlince shirt underneath saved him from anything more that a bruise where the sword struck him.

Four men died in a moment, and two others lay cringing on the ground, moaning miserably. Teric moaned in misery as well, his left hand coming up to examine the damage done to the sleeve of his coat. The material was frayed and splayed open, making a narrow hole three inches across just below the shoulder. "Bastard!" Teric spat on the corpse drooling blood in the corner, its eyes still open as if wondering how its throat had been sliced open. "This is my favorite coat."

"What's that? In an instant, his own scuffle now past, Teric realized that the noise was coming from the other side of the door. It sounded like several pairs of boots thumping on wooden floors, and the jingle of steel mixed with a couple half-hearted battle cries.

I guess there are more guards than my plan allowed for! Teric thought excitedly, the adrenaline and blood rush of battle picking right back up. His boot slammed into the doorknob on the wooden barrier separating him and Rayse, and the rectangular obstacle swung inward on its hinges even as the knob broke off and clanged to the floor. There was another cry of surprise, a noise that had been sounding frequently lately, as the door hit an unsuspecting guard, knocking the back a couple paces back. Teric was only halfway through the doorway before he had to stop the door coming back with his free hand, his sword armed and at the ready in his right.

"Rayse!" He shouted, letting the contractor know he was at his back.

[Rayse Valentino]

The Contractor's sadistic grin was sprawled across his face. A group of armed men against little old unarmed Rayse? He couldn't ask for better odds. He waited for each man to make his independent attack, dodged them, and skillfully directed some of their blades away, spinning a couple around and knocking them out with blows to the head. Rayse made a mistake of letting one of the enemies get behind him, and he thought it was going to be a close call until the door suddenly opened and hit the guard, knocking him forward clumsily into Rayse, who stepped in and planted his fist in the man's gut. While still in close vicinity, he grabbed the sword that the man dropped. Sensing the assailants who were going to attack his exposed back, Rayse grabbed the man he hit and switched their positions so that he was impaled by his own men at the last second. Kicking the body forward, Rayse swung his blade at another guard, hitting the man's sword so fiercely that every blow almost made the guard lose his grip. Not only that, but the sword seemed to leave a trail of fire as Rayse swung, which terrified the guard who saw the fire come dangerously close to his face with each swing. Within a moment, however, Rayse had knocked his blade far enough back to go in and slash his throat.

He had no time to think about the fire, as the remaining guards didn't let up on their attack. It was a large enough room, but they were surrounding Rayse like wolves around their prey. The Contractor was having the time of his life, and his speed was evident in that the guards had yet to connect any of their attacks. Fatman sat by in horror. It was like his fears were being confirmed in front of his very eyes. The same cretin he saw just three days ago was somehow capable of toppling empires. Not only that, but all the guards outside had somehow been incapacitated by this new visitor, who appeared to be in league with that cretin! He wanted to get up and make his way to the exit, but he knew it would be futile. None of the other crime bosses got away, how could he?

Rayse was losing himself in the adrenaline. Each clash of metal upon metal, each dodge and each counter-attack, they were fueling his inner fire. He didn't realize that they were also fueling his outer fire. Every sweep he made on the ground had a trail of fire left behind by his foot, every cut left a burn mark, and every dodge left an air of heat. Of course, being outnumbered was no easy business. As he cut down another guard, a larger one took advantage of his fallen comrade and pushed his body into Rayse. Another guard noticed this tactic and tried to lunge at Rayse, who turned around and caught the man's hand as the sword's tip was just inches away from his torso, while his sword-wielding hand was pushing back the body being thrust at him. The man whose hand had been taken couldn't believe it as he felt like his hand was on fire, the unquenchable pain causing him to lose his balance and drop his sword, falling to his knees in agony. Rayse began to lose himself, the fire in his body pouring out naturally and causing his entire body to slowly gain an aura of flames. Although, having both his hands full was dangerous, and two guards charged at him from each side. The last three guards were engaging Teric.

This is it. This is where I saw it. In my second-to-last vision, I saw Fatman's eyes full of fire, blinded by light. It's dangerous, but if this is what I saw... Rayse closed his eyes, and his body caught fire in earnest. After a moment, his opened his eyes and yelled out in ferocity, the fire around his body spreading and engulfing all four guards around him, including the body being pushed against him. The fire around Rayse's body was gone, and the guards were all running around, covered in flames. He dropped his attention on the guards, looked directly into Fatman's eyes, and saw it. The fear and the panic. It was too much to bear! Teric was just finishing up with the three guards who went after him, and Rayse found himself surrounded by several bodies, half of them burning.

"It's over, Fatman," Rayse said, addressing Fatman the way he wanted to from day one, "Your short temper has cost you this exchange. You must've really been wound up to snap so easily. What's wrong? Were you scared of something?"

He took a few steps toward Fatman, dropping the sword in his hand and creating a small flame in its place. While Rayse wasn't a big fan of using his fire ability, he was not in the right frame of mind right now. His vengeance was more important than his caution. It was too irresistible to pass up using his fire as a form of threatening someone. He wanted to, once and for all, make it loud and clear that nobody messes with The Contractor.

"Now, you answer my question. All these men had connections with The Church, but that little detail was a ruse, was it not?"

Fatman was visibly shaken. This was the one thing he didn't want to hear.

"It was actually a very fine point made by my partner," said Rayse with confidence.

In his mind, Rayse recalled what Teric had said, "Obviously someone is working the same job we are, just from a different angle, so now we not only have to watch out for the men we're after, but the other party as well."

Rayse continued, "Mainly, I have to admit that I didn't kill Draklira. Someone else did."

He neglected to mention that The Four Horsemen and Stefan Tyray weren't his doing as well, but the former were bound to die due to their own arrogance and the latter wasn't really dead.

"I'm curious: Who could possibly want to kill Draklira, other than you?"

Fatman opened his mouth, but all that came out was stuttering. It looked like he was choking on his own tongue. Suddenly, he reached for a dagger that was in his desk, and before Rayse could stop him, he slit his own throat. Rayse was over by his desk by the time the damage was done, and within seconds Fatman was lying in his seat, his body tilted to the left with a trail of blood gushing down his neck and onto his fine suit. Rayse's fire disappeared. He was flabbergasted, he felt like this was bigger than just him and Fatman. In fact, he knew it was! Yet, his one source of any information was now dead. He looked around as if there was someone else in the room now besides Teric and himself, but there was no one.

Rayse looked at Teric and shook his head, indicating that Fatman was no more. He looked through the desk and Fatman's clothing and discovered a decent amount of money. He didn't know how much it was or whether it held up to the original promised sum, but he had no time to count it. He shoved it inside his suit and walked back to Teric.

"Good job, Teric," he said, putting a hand on his uncle's shoulder, "Let's go convince whoever's left that I'm the man to follow from now on."

Rayse walked out and collected his weapons, noting that aside from the cluster of guards, the place was oddly quiet. The strange feeling that he felt outside reared its ugly head again. It was like a bitter taste in his mouth. He walked up the winding staircase and passed through an empty corridor. At the end of it were doors larger than those of Fatman's office, and as he opened them he saw a sight that was in his vision. It was a huge, empty room, with a glass dome-shaped ceiling that illuminated the night sky. In the center was a small elevation of steps that supported what looked like a throne. It must've been where Fatman sat when he wasn't in his office, acting like some sort of king. It certainly would be intimidating, at least. He walked up the steps and sat in the seat, finding it ice cold to the touch. Leaning back, he looked up at the night sky. For once in his life, he felt true uncertainty. The limited premonitions granted to him by the passing of the Great Lieutenant were like a drug of assurance. Yet, now that they were fully gone, he had no idea what was to come next.

A chill came down his spine, and not just from the coldness of the seat. The last vision he had was haunting him. He honestly felt that if he didn't repeat the actions of the last vision, they wouldn't come true. Perhaps he could freeze time in this one spot, maybe he could sit like this forever. He could be the one leading the underground empire now that so many people were left without direction. He could band them all together under one flag, starting here. He started laughing to himself at the absurdity of this notion, bringing his hand up to his face. Was this all for nothing? No... He remembered Teric, Neil, Dan, and all the others in his life that helped him. He thought of his necklace and the picture of the bloody rose at the end of it. None of it. None of it was for nothing. His life in this city meant something. There was no reason to think of the past... think of what could've been. All there was left was to look toward the future. To reach up... and grab the stars with his own hand. He lifted his hand higher, as if he really was reaching for something. In his vision, he was reaching up to the ceiling, reaching up to some warmth he couldn't determine. He held his hand up high, until...

BOOM! The entire building rumbled, and cracks between the glass let small shards fall down to the ground all around Rayse. BOOM! The sound of many voices were heard in the distance. Yelling, screaming, roaring, the voices of war. Rayse had denied it until now, but he realized that history wouldn't just stop for one man. The War had began, and its first battleground was Fatman's Headquarters. He knew... this place would be rubble in a matter of minutes. The whole city broke out into violence before his very eyes, and it was too late for the underground to rise up and take control. It was too late for the lower classes of people to choose any choice other than The Church or The Throne. It was too late for everything. Rayse lowered his hand, and looked to the entrance where Teric was catching up to him. It was time for Rayse to listen to someone other than himself for once.

[Bloodrose]

"Rayse!" Teric called from the doorway, bracing himself against the frame as the building shook. "I think it's time we got out of here!" Glass was falling in shards from the ceiling, and the thunderous booms of Aleraran cannon were shaking the wooden building frame right down to the foundation. That Bartholomew's headquarters was under attack, while untimely, was by no means a coincidence. Bartholomew, or the "Fatman" as Rayse seemed to enjoy calling him, had likely made a considerable number of enemies trying to play the dark forces at work in the city against each other.

I wonder if he knew something like this was coming. Teric pondered only briefly as the building continued to shake. "Come on, Rayse!" He prodded, trying to budge the starry-eyed contractor from the throne he had settled himself upon. I wonder if he ever imagined Rayse coming back here to finish him like this?

I wonder if Rayse would have made it back here without my help?

Finally the young man seated on the throne budged, and both men hurried down the stairs and back onto the ground floor. Wreckage and chaos ruled here now, where only a handful of minutes before Bartholomew and his cronies had held sway. There was no need to locate a back door, as the two men simply climbed out one of the holes created by a cannonball crashing straight through the building. Soon the night swallowed up the pair as they vanished back into the streets and into a city coming to life with the sounds of war...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Horse and Tack at ten o'clock. Teric reminded himself as he slunk out of Knife's Edge like a shadow. The skyline behind him was orange with the glow of flames and the air reverberated with the sounds of cannon. Government forces still loyal to the King of Salvar were ransacking the city, burning churches to the ground as the priests and clergy were dragged into the street and beheaded. The worst of the fighting was centralized around the great Cathedral, where the followers of the Sway were staging a hearty defense behind the fortified walls...

The veteran would have preferred that Rayse accompany directly out of the city, but the young man had been loath to leave. For Rayse, the job they had been pursuing for the last couple of days had been less about killing the individual targets, and more about a larger agenda. No one could claim the rising contractor lacked in ambition, and working for "The Fatman" had somehow turned into taking over the man's business.

After all they had been through, and with how much Rayse had wanted to take over the man's business, leaving the city had been the farthest thing from his nephew's mind.

"The whole city is going to devolve into chaos." Teric had argued. "You can't build your empire if everyone is more worried about surviving! You want to build your empire? Wait until the war ends. Wait until things call down and the power vacuum on the streets needs to be filled."

Rayse had at last agreed to leave the city, but had first wanted to visit his safe haven one last time. Teric assumed that the young man had things stashed away that he wanted to retrieve, and possibly a couple of people to say goodbye to. Whatever his reasons, Rayse was to meet him at The Horse and Tack, and if the contractor didn't show up by then?

Teric was on his own.

[Rayse Valentino]

A large, brown traveling bag with various straps and pockets was sitting on the table. Pulling his spare funds out of the area that was covered by the loose floorboard, Rayse noted that there wasn't much in there. He was back in his regular clothes, and the now-bloody suit was spread across the bed. Only the essentials, just like in survival training... Rayse thought back to his military days in officer school. He was just floating by back then, dreaming aimlessly every day. The large sum of money he retrieved from Fatman's place was also in the bag. He decided to take some clean clothes, some of his throwing knives, and a few days worth of rations. He'd been as far as The States before, but always with minimal supplies and a comfortable bed to return to. He still couldn't believe he was leaving everything behind. All the contacts he meticulously acquired, all the friends he's made, and all the jobs he's pulled. Then he thought about the city and how much he truly despised it, and those worries went away. If he didn't get out now, he'd never go. He finished packing and noted the lack of warm clothing. Outside the surrounding lands of the city, the weathermages had limited influence, yet he did not think he needed the warmth.

The thought reminded him of what he did in Fatman's office. I lost control again. Even though he saw it in his vision, it didn't erase the fact that he betrayed his own word in using fire again. In fact, he couldn't help it. It was as if the fire came out completely on its own due to emotional responses. He really wanted to know the origins of the rune, and what it was doing to his body. If The Magician could evaporate, could Rayse burn out? The thought bothered him, but he figured that this was just something he had to accept. Make it into his strength, not his weakness. That was the idea, anyway. After all, fire? He thought of countless uses, but he decided that unless he really needed to, he would use it for utility purposes. No trouble getting campfires going, no trouble keeping warm, having light, lighting his... I nearly forgot! He walked over to a cabinet and opened it, revealing a large box filled with cartons of cigarettes. He just took the box and dumped the contents into the traveling bag. Although, he reached in and pulled a pack out to put into his pocket.

After one final check of various trinkets and things, Rayse decided he was ready, and closed the door of his safe house one last time. The door across from him opened.

"Rayse! I thought you'd come back!"

It was Neil.

He looked worried, "Where's your friend? Did he get caught in that madness out there?"

"No, Neil," Rayse replied, "Listen- I'm getting out of here. For good. I want you to consider doing the same. And when you see Dan or anyone else, tell them as well."

Neil's head hung low. He guessed as much when he saw Rayse's bag slung over his back like that.

"I'll tell them, Rayse, but I'm not leaving. This place is my life, I can't imagine what I would do anywhere else. I'll stick it through."

Rayse understood him more than he knew.

"I got you, Neil. I'll be back someday, so don't you die on me, all right?"

Neil nodded, "Same to you."

With that, Rayse walked upstairs and out the door. While it was relatively quiet in his room, now the uproar was audible even when it was happening at the other end of town for the moment. You better keep my room intact, you bastard.

Despite it being the night, the sky was bright with the fire and smoke of war. He wondered if this all-consuming flame would spread across the entire city. Even the building around him had a deep, dark shadow and reflected the orange of the skyline. He quickly made his way to the meeting place to find Teric there as promised. His uncle... what would he have done without that wily old man? Despite some objections, Teric followed Rayse the whole way. The Contractor decided that he would do some of his own following this time.

"What are you standing around for? Let's get out of here."

There were several small exits to the city that smugglers used to sneak in various things. These exits were completely empty now, as whoever wanted to leave the city before Teric and Rayse were gone already. They got out and started up a hill. The smuggling exit took a pass through the mountain, which was convenient for keeping things hidden, and inconvenient for lazy soldiers. Along the path, Rayse stopped and looked back at the city. It was so vast that he did not see the end of it even from his elevated position. The colors of red and yellow smeared across the canvas of the city. Rayse wondered if Denebriel was the painter.

Rayse asked, "So, what now?"

[Bloodrose]

"I don't know." Teric replied softly as the two of them stared back over the city. It was a strange sensation, standing out on a quiet hilltop and watching a place you know so well burn. From out here the thunder of the cannons was dull and muffled, and the hungry flames only an orange glow. "The job is over, and we're out of the city. That's really about as far as I had thought this part out."

The veteran absently hugged the open front end of his coat closer to his body for warmth. The wilderness of Salvar was much colder than anywhere inside the city limits, but Teric was forced to wonder if that wouldn't soon change. The weathermages and their strange magics that kept the cold at bay would be under attack as well, for they made their home in the great spire atop the Cathedral. If the Cathedral fell, so to would the spire, and the whole of Knife's Edge would be plunged into the bitter cold that the coming Salvic winter would certainly provide.

I wonder if they've planned for that. Teric pondered as they continued to stand there, each with their own thoughts. With no city burning down around his head, and no more crazy criminal under lords trying to kill him, all sense of urgency had left Teric. While a bit chilly, he had no qualms about standing there for as long as it took Rayse to say his goodbyes.

Stamping his feet to keep the blood flowing properly through his limbs, Teric stood quietly and waited. He half wanted to ask the contractor how he could stand to be out in the cold without a jacket on, but realized just before opening his mouth what a stupid question that would be. The fire burning inside his nephew now had so far saved them a couple of times, but the cost was still unclear. Igniting himself had already put the young man down for a day and a half once, so who could say what would happen next time. It's a dangerous power you've got there. He thought, turning slightly so he could glance down the road and make sure no one was coming.

"I suppose we could always make for Corone." Teric offered, perhaps now a little too chilly to stand around waiting. "Radasanth has a lot of opportunities. Scara Brae as well, although on a much smaller scale."

[Rayse Valentino]

A chilly breeze blew through the mountains that night, blowing past Rayse and the jittery Teric. The Contractor couldn't feel the cold, in fact he noticed that the water in the bathroom back in his place was warm to the touch every time. Had he lost the sensation of cold? He reached down to attempt touching the snow but watched it literally melt before he could make contact with it. This power... it was unstable. He tried to think hard about the sensation of cold and darkness, and reached down and managed to touch the snow for a few moments before it melted again. His hand shook, although not from fear. Not from anger, either. He stood back up and thought about Teric's words while pulling out a cigarette.

With a curious look in his eyes he said, "Corone sounds good. I was thinking about what you told me earlier, the thing about building an empire."

It took him a long time, but he had deduced Teric's character. The Contractor's ability to determine the feelings of others had taken a long time on Teric, but now he felt like he had a good grasp of the old man.

"You came back to this city for the same thing that I'm seeking now: A second chance. Well, here's your second chance, a little organization all our own."

Rayse said this with such authority that it surprised even himself. He pulled out a sack filled with money and tossed it over to Teric.

"It's your share. Invested properly, you could do a lot with it."

Teric was the one who always had the good plans. He had the commanding skills, the experience, and the cautiousness that was required of a leader. He was the one that should have the empire, not Rayse. The Contractor's purpose was still the same as before, but now he decided that Teric should be in the limelight. This was perhaps the most selfless thought he had ever conceived. He put the cigarette in his mouth and reached for a lighter, but it was absent. He smiled to himself as he remembered that silly habit, and brought his hand up to his cigarette in front of his face. He snapped his fingers, and his thumb was alight. He decided to use that flame to light the cigarette. Besides that time under The Cathedral, he finally used the fire for a purpose other than hurting someone. It was a sobering thought.

He took out another cigarette and lit it in the same manner, but he didn't put it in his mouth. Turning his back on Teric, he held it out toward the city, as if he was giving it to the city.

"I know I haven't talked you in a long time, but I figure it's best if I say my goodbyes at least. You've always been with me, as far as I can remember. I'm gonna need your necklace a little longer, but just this once: Have a smoke, for your health."

He tossed the cigarette toward the city, the little light disappearing into the darkness and fading through the smoke. The things he held dear in his childhood were too important to be forgotten. The promises that lead him through those days were the same ones that helped him this week. To make something of himself, and to remember that his life meant something. Those dreams weren't nightmares. They were there to remind himself of who he was, and what he was living for.

Teric and Rayse got out of Knife's Edge and made their way to Corone. With their new capital, they founded The Company so they could finally be their own bosses and promote their ideals. Realizing Teric's potential, Rayse easily let him have the top position and tried to start a new network of contacts and clients. Neither of them knew what the future held for them, but as long as they were the masters of their own destinies, they were ready for anything.

* * * *

In a tavern in Corone, a man with a cross-shaped scar between his eyes drank from a tall mug at the bar counter. He had long, brown, curly hair down to the small of his back, and ice blue eyes. He was wearing a long dark coat with a wide collar. The world around him went distorted and went dark. It would've been pitch black were it not for the faint blue outlines over everything. It was as if time had stopped in the tavern.

A voice spoke, "Is this where you were? So far away from home..."

"I had no choice," replied Stefan Tyray, noticing that even the beer in his mug was frozen in time, "Someone was after me."

Anger grew in the voice that seemed to be everywhere at once, "There's still work to be done! For the Great Lady Denebriel! Or have you forgotten who your allegiance was to?!"

"Don't worry," Stefan smiled, "The fun has only just begun. Have patience. You haven't waited countless years just to rush everything, have you? Or were you just as twisted as the man you were trapped inside? And here I thought Draklira's belly was quite comfortable..."

"Mmrgg," the voice stuttered, taken aback by the brashness of this man, "I don't know why The Great Lady puts up with you! You better have something up your sleeve, otherwise I'll personally rip your spine out through your throat!"

The scene in the tavern returned to normal. Stefan could finally enjoy his drink again. Things are going to get interesting from here on out. It looks like he didn't know that those two that were after me know everything. Or at least, one of them does. Heh heh heh...

With the outbreak of war, the entire Salvaran countryside changed. Not only that, but an even greater conflict was already in motion in the region of Raiaera. Rayse Valentino knew the greater truth of the war in Salvar. He knew of the Demon Queen pulling the strings from beyond the shadows. He knew that The Throne, The Church, and everything in between were like lambs to the slaughter.

The End.

For the spoils of both threads, we request the full amount listed in the original bounty: 10,000 gold, split evenly between Teric and myself. I didn't describe exactly how much money Rayse got, so if you feel we shouldn't get the full amount, there's your loophole to exploit, otherwise we'd like all of it or as close to all of it as possible. Thanks for reading, it was a blast making this 71-post quest that I divided into two parts. If you could have it as an official prologue to the FQ, I'd be honored, as I did put that whole lambs to the slaughter bit at the end there, right as the war began. I may be getting ahead of myself, just ignore that last part if I am.

[Call me J]

Well this was a solid thread. I don’t think I enjoyed it as much as the first part, though you did a great thing of bringing things full circle here with Bartholomew. Good work.

Total Score- 77

• STORY ~ 20/30

Continuity (6) ~ When doing a sequel, you do not have to recap the events of the first quest in their entirety, but it is good to jog the reader’s mind of the things that happened earlier. In my case, I often found myself searching to the back of my mind to recall things I had read a week ago, and this was not a good thing. You either need to recap a bit, or write this quest in a way that while reading the first part helps, this story still stands independently.

Setting (7) ~ I really liked the way that you worked the FQ in, and was pleased to see both of your knowledge of Salvar. Things like Bloodrose considering the implications of the weathermages being under attack were nice touches. At the same time, this thread had a lot of the same problems I identified in the first thread.

Pacing (7) ~ There was a lot of information you guys threw at the reader in both of these threads, and sometimes it could come off as a little disorganized. You didn’t have this problem as much in the first thread, but it was a big problem here. A second issue was I felt the action didn’t really rise to anywhere. I always feel a good quest has a climactic moment before the end. This one didn’t.

• CHARACTER ~ 24/30

Dialogue (10) ~ This quest had some real gems of dialogue. I especially liked the part where Rayse told Bartholomew about having to look under rocks to find Stefan Tyray.

Action (7) ~ I really felt that the fight scenes here were just too easy, especially in the climax. Rayse’s ease for dealing with Bartholomew’s men made for somewhat of a disappointing conclusion, even though this lead right into some heavy actions happening in the conclusion.

Persona (7) ~ Both of you guys did a good job in having characters that stayed consistent in their decisions and provided me with reasonable backstory to them, but at the same time, I really felt they came off as a bit too one dimensional in this thread. This was less of a problem for Bloodrose, but Persona is an area both of you can improve in.

• WRITING STYLE ~ 25/30

Mechanics (9) ~ There were a few mechanics issues. Most of them were things that a spell checker wouldn’t catch, but still noticeable. One thing that Rayse might want to note is that if you have a string of dialogue broken by a bit of text, it should be two sentences. For example,


"That's where I was goin'," replied Dan solemnly, "Ya don't have ta yell at me!"

should be,


"That's where I was goin'," replied Dan solemnly. "Ya don't have ta yell at me!"

Technique (8) ~ Good work for the most part. There was nothing particularly memorable in this category which is unfortunate, because strong showings in technique can make many of the story and character parts of the thread.

Clarity (8) ~ There was a slight brevity issue here. Keep in mind, brevity does not mean being short, but making sure that everything in the post is purposeful.

• Wild Card (8) ~ This was a strong conclusion to a strong beginning.

Spoils

Rayse Valentino gains 6152 EXP and 492 GP
Bloodrose gains 5082 EXP and 462 GP
As additional spoils, Rayse Valentino and Bloodrose gain an additional 2000 GP each (as a bonus for both parts of the quest). This increases their total GP sum to 2492 and 2462 respectively. 10K gold is unfortunately, too much of a spoil, even for a strong quest such as this.

[Karuka]

EXP/GP added! Both of you level up!