The Desperate Drow

[Izvilvin]

((Closed to Khal-butt))

Izvilvin's eyes slowly opened. He felt a throbbing in the back of his head that nagged him as he tried to sit up. His hands and feet were bound, and he was lying in the back of a wagon next to a pair of guards that were looking away from him. He remembered that he had been captured by the guards while trying to get away with a caravan, along with Khalxaen. She had escaped, he remembered, and that brought a bit of happiness to him.

"What's a Drow doing in Scara Brae, anyhow? You think it's a ploy from Alerar?" One of the guards asked another, though to Izvilvin it sounded like a garbled mess.

"Could be," the human responded distantly. "Scares the shit out of me if it is. You know how tough those darky elves are."

"Yeah," said the first one, eyeing Izvilvin. "This one here killed a whole bunch of our guys by himself, I think. And look, he's awake!"

The other guard turned slightly to look at Izvilvin, a bound Drow whose eyes met the human's. Maybe it was the purple eyes or the mask he wore, but the guard thought he was the most naturally evil-looking creature he'd ever seen. His fright was held in check by knowing the elf was bound, however. "So knock him out again, his eyes bother me," he said before turning away again.

"No point!" Called the driver from up front. "We're here! Let's bring him in!"

Izvilvin's leg bounds were cut and he was dragged out of the back of the wagon, nearly falling as he was roughly thrown to the ground. The guards were careful to surround the area before they brought the Drow out, preventing any opportunity to run. He quickly scanned the area, a grassy and tree-filled place that surrounded what looked like a small castle. It felt uncomfortable to be in a place he didn't recognize, as it always was these past days since leaving Alerar.

Before he could examine any more, he was prodded along by a guard behind him. Not knowing what they were saying onboard the wagon made the Drow nervous as he walked. Guards outside the castle were watching him and the others carefully, and some of the guards by his side talked, seemingly explaining the situation to their comrades.

Moments later, he was in the basement of the castle, within a damp, cold cell. It felt good to no longer be bound, but his head was still aching. Slowly he made his way to the bars, wrapping his thin fingers around them and trying to see down the corridor.

A loud, sudden clank sent him falling back, as the flat side of a guard's sword slapped the iron bars. "Get back, elf!" the guard ordered, though of course Izvilvin couldn't understand. He got the point, however, and sat himself upon a single wooden chair in the corner of the cell.

He thought he was going to die. He'd killed several men. He had no hope of escaping without a moment alone, or without his weapons. Izvilvin suddenly thought of his mother, who he'd left in Alerar, and Vordutin, who he was desperate to kill. The issue with Vordutin was the only thing he would regret if he died.

[Khalxaen]

It wasn’t very difficult to find out where the guards took Izvilvin, as rumors quickly spread around Scara Brae. The gossip that a Drow was captured because he had attacked Scara Brae guards were the talk in the darkest places, and that he was sent to the castle, imprisoned in the basement. Actually, what proved to be a lot more difficult was getting in, as it was small and secure, and there seemed to be a guard blocking every path to get in.

Khalxaen circled the castle, walking in stealth and in a distance where she could hide behind large trees. There was an occasional round check, but nobody was really expecting any trouble to be in such a distance, so they didn’t take it too seriously.

Yes, the real challenge would actually be getting in. Khalxaen wasn’t very good at strategies, and so she had no idea how she would be able to enter such a guarded place. It would prove useless to charge in, since that would just make the situation worse as she couldn’t handle that much guards; if Izvilvin couldn’t do it, then she was sure that she would have even less chance.

Maybe I should wait until it gets really dark? Khalxaen mused in her head. She still wasn’t sure in how to approach the whole situation. The demon was always used to working in a pair or in a group, and always took the lead of others. In a situation where she was alone, she was completely clueless.

“Man, did you see that dark elf? Scares the shit out of me.” Said a husky voice to another guard. Khalxaen hid behind a tree as the two guards passed.

“Yeah, yeah, you’ve been repeating that so many times now.” Said another voice in exasperation. “Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure he’ll be executed soon.”

Khalxaen’s eyes widened as she waited for their voices to fade away. She was suddenly shocked when a voice suddenly yelled, “Hey!” Turning around abruptly, she saw a guard pointing at her and getting ready to yell. Swiftly, Khalxaen unsheathed her sword and stabbed him in the chest. He spit out blood and was sent kneeling on the ground, coughing for air. Perfect, an amateur; small fry.

There was a sudden rusting in the plants behind her, and she turned around again, holding her sword tightly. “W-who’s there?!” She asked out loud, knowing it was useless to hide when her presence was already known to whoever was close.

[Izvilvin]

"You're the girl, aren't you? Khalxaen?" Asked a man about an inch taller than her. His hair was incredibly dark, but he was human. His deep brown eyes were as calm as they came, almost listless in their relaxed look.

Before she replied, the man produced a paper from within his brown cloak, looked it over, nodded and tucked it back away. "You certainly look like what Khalxaen is described as, so I'll assume you're her. You were with a Drow named Izvilvin, weren't you? And he was captured and put here," he said, lifting his head toward the castle. "I and a friend have been hired to get into the castle and steal some things, not honest work I know, but it keeps the gold flowing. We're thinking about getting your Drow friend out as well, since he did us a favor with the caravan."

Of course, few of these things were true. The man was an agent of Step, the Corone organization Izvilvin was a part of. Typically when an agent is captured he is killed, but the Drow was becoming more and more valuable, so his services were too good to lose. He was becoming better and better at what he did, and since his lifespan was so long, Izvilvin was a prime example of Step's needs.

But the man couldn't let Khalxaen know any of this. Step was a secret, and in order to cover up its existence an agent would kill, lie or steal. If Khal figured anything out about Step, the agent already had an idea of how to kill her. Now, though, she was an asset.

"Getting those wagons out of the way was vital to the Scourge moving their own goods past the checkpoint. They want to repay Izvilvin by helping him out of his situation," the man lied. "You may call me Jowy, but there's no time to talk here. Your kill was quick but sloppy; the guards will find evidence of his death soon. Come with me to town and we'll discuss the details of this plan."

With that, Jowy turned to head deeper into the forest. Going by road was rather dangerous, considering Khalxaen was likely wanted as well. "Our other man is working on part of the plan, so before you ask, don't worry about him."

[Khalxaen]

Khalxaen blinked as she ran to keep up with the man who had started walking before she did. She was surprised, since she had thought another adversary, was going to pop out—he, on the other hand, proclaimed that they were on the same side. Khalxaen was confused on how he would know about her in the first place, and she walked in silence as she tried to keep up with his pace, at the same time thinking of the possible reasons.

If what he said about having connections with the Scourge was true, then that explained everything. Khalxaen didn’t know why, though, but it nagged her that she didn’t think the Scourge would be that nice. She always had the impression that groups like that didn’t really care, but she guessed she was wrong.

As they walked back, Khalxaen was careful to strain her ears as to make sure no other guards were near. They seemed to have gathered at the spot they were just in before, as soon as they heard an amateur guard suddenly keep silent after calling out to someone. There were only a few reasons why that would happen, and one was that he was attacked to the extent of death or unconsciousness. Great, Khalxaen possibly just made the situation more difficult. The guards might be even more careful at the meantime.

Maybe there’s something else here. Besides, maybe it’s a sideline since they’re thinking of stealing stuff from inside. I wonder if there are really valuable things inside? Hey, maybe I could snatch some for myself too…? She smirked as the greedy side of her brain took over again. Wait, no, this isn’t the time to be thinking about something like this.

Before she realized it, they were already back in the town. Khalxaen’s head darted from to left, wondering just how the second man was like. “Hey, Jowy, where now?”

[Izvilvin]

"Now?" Jowy responded, torn from his slow movement through the woods by Khalxaen's question. "Now we pass through this brush," he answered, turning back to the area ahead and pushing his way through a very tall wall of brushes, "and we'll be in Scara Brae City."

Sure enough, Jowy emerged from the woods into a common road at the edge of town. Had they used the road to get back it would have taken twice the time, not to mention the risk Khalxaen posed on the roads. If any of the guards had seen her as she stole the caravan earlier, the method of avoiding the roads was well worth the effort.

"Come with me to the tavern over there," Jowy said, lifting his head to once again indicate their destination, assuming Khalxaen emerged from the woods quickly enough to see it. "And I'll answer any of your questions. I'll also let you know just what we need to do."

[]xxxxxxx[:::::::;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;>
<;;;;;;;;;;;;;;::::::]xxxxxxx[]

Meanwhile, Izvilvin was all too aware of the dampness of his cell as it crept on him. It was even less comfortable that Kachuck's Mines, though he figured prisoners weren't supposed to feel at ease in their cells. Few thoughts passed through his head, he was simply sitting and waiting for something to happen or for some food to be slipped into the cell for him.

What came was a set of words so sweet and welcoming, a phrase that reminded him of his homeland, especially because it was in Drow. "This cell is too small for you, Drow," it said, though Izvilvin recognized from the tone that it was not spoken by another dark elf.

"I know," said Izvilvin as he rose, getting to the bars to press himself against them. Before him was a man shorter but wider than he, with broad shoulders and a thick black mane. His eyes were soft and blue. He was very much human. "Thank you for coming."

"We must talk," the man replied slowly.

[Khalxaen]

“Oh, the sarcasm kills…” Khalxaen mumbled under her breath as she followed the man, passing through the so-called bushes. She followed him towards the tavern and in, grasping the old wooden door with a tight grip. It was just like any other tavern, except this one had less people. Heads turned around as the door creaked with their entrance, as if checking who intruded into their territory. After a while, it seemed like it didn’t even matter, and they went right back to their business.

There was a strong scent of alcohol in the air which made Khalxaen frown. She hated that smell as much as she hated the alcohol itself. She wasn’t sure if Jowy was meeting anyone else in the tavern and there was a particular table they were supposed to sit in, but without asking, Khalxaen sat down by an isolated table. It was quite near the entrance, so Jowy was still in earshot.

“Now can I ask?” Khalxaen idly tapped her fingers on the wooden table, signifying that her impatient nature was again emerging to the surface. “What now? What do we do? And who the hell are you, really?”

[Izvilvin]

Jowy's response was a face full of very convincing confusion, the perfect lie was in his expression, which revealed nothing that would suggest he was lying at all. "What do you mean, 'who are you, really'?" he asked, his voice fluid and his eyes deadlocked with hers. "I told you who I am already, don't play games."

"Now," he began quickly, speaking loudly enough to be heard over the other voices in the dank tavern, but not so loud that those around could also hear. "The Scourge hired your Drow friend to do a job, a job that noone within the Scourge really thought was possible. See, Drow aren't really welcome outside of Alerar, so they thought it'd be a good way to get rid of him without too much hassle. I'm afraid you were simply... Caught in the crossfire."

A waitress came by, but Jowy waved her away before she had an opportunity to ask for an order. She stormed off, but the man wasn't bothered. "But he performed rather well, so the Scourge want to break him out and enlist him. They also happened to have already hired me to get in and steal a thing or two, so it's rather convenient."

"Feels good to get that out," he said with a laugh. A remarkable actor and liar, Jowy was. "What we have to do, for now, is wait until tonight, several hours after sundown. We'll go back to the keep and meet up with my partner, get some info, and then we'll get on to the next phase."

He paused for a while, leaning back in his chair and watching several people. "Any idea of what to do until then?" He asked, before looking back to Khalxaen and throwing her a wink and a grin.

[Khalxaen]

Caught in the crossfire, huh? Well, that sounds like fun. Khalxaen thought in her head as she leaned her chin on her hand, staring at Jowy skeptically through squinted scarlet eyes. For some reason, she felt like she couldn’t trust him, but that didn’t really matter at the moment. It wasn’t as if she was of any valuable asset, so she couldn’t see a reason why he would want her to help out, when she knew she wasn’t the best person for the job.

All she wanted to do at the moment was try what she could to rescue Izvilvin, and that way she could chase away the guilt that was somehow in her. After awhile of staring at Jowy, she looked away after he gave her a wink and a grin, dismissing the action quickly. With amusement, she stared at the waitress who he brushed off. The waitress was pointing at Jowy and talking to the bartender, talking in a fast manner and seeming irritated at the way she was so rudely sent away.

“I think that waitress liked you.” Khalxaen said idly while she slowly stood up. “Maybe you should try hitting on her.”

The demon stayed in place for a moment, not really knowing exactly what she wanted to do until then. A tavern wasn’t exactly her favorite place in the world, and she didn’t see the need to stay around at the time being. Facing the man, she said, “I’ll go sleep on the roof for awhile or something. If you really want me to come along, just wake me up before you go, alright?”

Before turning her back on him, she said, “Hey, thanks for letting me in on this. I want to repay Izvilvin for some stuff.” Then she walked away with a yawn. Come to think of it, she hadn’t gotten some proper rest for a while. The roof sounded nice, even though there were rooms in the place, she didn’t want to spend the money when there was something as comfortable outside. The weather was nice at the moment, after all.

[Izvilvin]

Disappointed in Khalxaen's lack of interest, Jowy frowned just a bit. He was usually a man focused on business before pleasure, but he simply couldn't deny the bit of charm that followed the bitchy types. Khalxaen obviously didn't like or trust him, but something about that made him want her just a bit more. The thrill of the hunt, perhaps.

Not tonight though, as Khal rose to speak a few words before leaving. He said goodbye quickly and rose himself, to take another look at that waitress, who was looking at him quite often. "Maybe I should take her advice," he wondered aloud, before making his way toward her.

++

Izvilvin had spent years of his life living in a hole in a mine, breathing thin air and dirt into his system, rarely seeing light, but sleep in the cell was even more difficult. It was cold and far too damp, plus there was the lingering feeling in the Drow that he would soon be killed.

The Step agent that had come to see him wasn't very straightforward about anything. Izvilvin was told Step was taking measures to make sure he would be alright, but given the nature of the organization, Izvilvin wasn't sure if he could believe it. Then again, why would they send an Agent at all if they had no intention of saving him?

All he was told was to act natural and not worry, but all he could do as he lay there in the darkness was worry. Several hours passed, and still he did not find any rest. Tomorrow, the trial would begin; Izvilvin didn't expect it to take long.

++

"Hey!" Jowy called. It was cool outside in the 'morning' weather, and he wondered just how comfortable a rest up on the roof could be. The bar had closed not long ago, but he let Khalxaen rest a bit longer before he came to the side of the building and called.

"Time to go!" He called again. "You can't sleep that deep!"

[Khalxaen]

Even though Khalxaen had said she was going to get some shut-eye, all she did was lean back on her arms and stare up at the sky. Her scarlet eyes were squinted as she impatiently waited for nothing. It was true that she hadn’t slept for days, but it wasn’t really a burden to her. She hated being alone, but as long as she could hear the footsteps of town’s people on the pavement below, then she knew she was all right.

What the hell am I doing? Khalxaen mused in her mind. She wondered why she was even caught in all this mess. Oh, right. I’m trying to repay Izvilvin.

The stupid roof was so hard anyway; she couldn’t get rest there if she tried. She was so intent in doing practically nothing that she was thought of ignoring Jowy’s call. Sitting up straight, Khalxaen replied in a snap, “I’m coming, I’m coming.”

She climbed down and approached him, frowning. “Let’s go?” Khalxaen asked curiously, her eyes questioning. Even before he could answer, she went ahead anyway, stretching her arms that she had strained from leaning on them as she stayed up on the roof. “Good luck to whatever we’re going to do, I suppose.”

Khalxaen blinked as she glanced at Jowy curiously. I wonder if he really hit on the waitress? She thought randomly. Smirking to herself, she looked ahead of her again to set of for their destination.

[Izvilvin]

"I told you what we're off to do. Don't you listen?" Jowy responded as he began to walk, making his way to the wall of bushes that they needed to pass through. After his evening with the waitress, he had become irritable. "We're going to save Izvilvin and pilfer a few items while we're at it. I guess getting him out is the more important thing, since they're planning on executing him in just a few hours."

Reaching the shrub wall, Jowy reached out and pulled a portion of the greenery back, exposing a small space in the wall. He motioned for her to go in first, and then with a quick look around, he followed and carefully shut the hole off again. The woods were a great deal less comfortable in the night, strange noises seemed to come from everywhere as they made their way through.

Jowy led the way, avoiding certain spots that looked suspicious, or certain areas where animals would make home. The last thing they needed was to draw attention to themselves and make getting into the keep even more difficult.

++

"Wake up," said a familiar voice. It seemed that despite his lack of willingness to sleep, Izvilvin had dozed off anyway. "I need to speak with you."

The Drow was up in an instant. The walls of the cell were not a welcome sight to awake to, they made him feel tight and constricted, like a bonded man on death row. How ironic.

"Is the plan coming along well? Will I be freed? Please don't play games with me, I can face what is coming," he responded, but even as he began the 'guard' was holding up a hand to try and silence him.

"Another agent is on the way, he's bringing your friend Khalxa-"

"What?" he responded, shoving the word out of his mouth. "I did what I did so she could get away. Is she trying to make my sacrifice worthless?"

The agent before him, posed as a guard (and very well looking like one, too) chuckled a bit and mumbled something in common, which Izvilvin of course could not understand. Before the Drow could pounce and demand to know what it was, the human continued. "Don't worry about your friend, she'll be fine. We've got a solid plan to get you out of here safely, just sit tight for now, I'll be back in a little while."

With that, he was off. It was a quick meeting, but it bolstered Izvilvin's resolve. It felt nice to have someone care about his well being, but he was confused about whether what he did was right or wrong. He had killed guards and stolen a wagon, and was sentenced to death... But in doing that, he had apparently made a true friend in Khalxaen, something he hadn't been able to accomplish in 127 years of life.

Life outside of Alerar was confusing and difficult. He didn't understand the laws or the people, the culture or the religions, the currency or the food, the formalities or the hierarchy. In a sense, he was like a man who couldn't swim, thrown into the middle of a lake to thrash helplessly while the water had its way with him.

So he sat and he waited. There was nothing else to do.

++

"Here we are," Jowy whispered as they reached the edge of the forest. The guard's body was gone, but no additional security was provided around the area. The people running the keep probably assumed Khalxaen was just there to steal or cause mischief, and would not come back. Lucky break for the two allies of Izvilvin.

He motioned for her to follow him as he quickly, nimbly danced along the open plain toward the keep's west wall. The closest guard was 50 yards away and looking in the opposite direction, and as Jowy pressed against the wall, the keep's southwest pillar blocked him from view.

"My friend should be here in a mom-" he began, but stopped as the end of a rope dangled in front of his face. Looking up, he spotted his fellow Step agent, who grinned as he tied the other end of the rope around a jutting stone at the top of the wall.

"You head up first. My friend's name is Luca, he's a good guy."

[Khalxaen]

Looking up, Khalxaen saw the guy named Luca. The rope that he sent down looked sturdy as Khalxaen willingly gripped it. With a gulp, she tugged on it for a bit to see if it could really support her. Khalxaen was small compared to others, but she still had doubts in falling a few feet back. Well, she just had to trust these people. Besides, it was no use showing them that she was a bit scared of using a rope, since there were no any other means of getting in.

Oh, whatever… She heaved herself up, gripping the rope tightly and using her feet to push against the wall, and using her hands to climb up the rope. Khalxaen stared up at Luca as she got closer to where he was. At the same time, her ears flinched as she observed some other people moving around at a great distance. They wouldn’t be a bother.

Just a little more and she found herself climbing to the top and holding unto the edge, heaving herself on top and relieved to finally be stepping on something flat. With a sigh, she looked back down to see how Jowy was doing. It was dark, but she could see every detail of the place like normally. Jowy had to get up faster, as some of the guards below were getting closer. He was no idiot, though, he knew his situation, and so she didn’t mention it.

Khalxaen grinned at the one called Luca, and said rather gingerly, “Hey.”

[Izvilvin]

Jowy followed Khalxaen at a distance, using the same method to climb the rope. He reached the top in time to see the look on Luca's face as he returned Khalxaen's greeting, grinning excitedly as he saw her. Jowy delivered a swift punch to his chest and moved between them. "Don't him him," he said softly. "Follow me."

Luca and Jowy moved quickly along the keep's roof, keeping away from the ledges where they could be spotted, and made their way to a large wooden door at the North end of the area. "Here's where we part," Luca said suddenly. "A shame, really, 'cause I wouldn't mind staying around you a while longer," he finished with a grin.

Jowy moved between them again and reached into Luca's pocket, making the man jump. He produced a key and held it out for Khalxaen to take. "This'll open Izvilvin's cell, which is in the basement. We're off to do our own thing, and cause a few distractions to help you out. Good luck, sweetie," he said.

"Maybe I'll see you again sometime?" Luca asked, letting his eyes wander over her.

[Khalxaen]

Khalxaen shrugged as she took the key from Jowy. “Who knows?” She asked simply in retort to Luca’s question. Sometimes Khalxaen could be either too oblivious to other people’s flirting, or maybe just too apathetic to do anything about it—it was difficult to tell. “See you.” Khalxaen said as she opened the door to be met with a dark hallway that led to a spiral staircase. She waved to Jowy and Luca before disappearing further inside.

She had come in from the roof’s entrance, and her destination was the basement. It seemed like a long way, and there were guards rallying around the castle halls. The castle’s interior was fairly dark, lit by torches that were attached to the walls, and also some that the guards carried around. There were also chandeliers on the ceiling in some places, but they didn’t prove too useful because of pillars. Khalxaen crept around by hiding behind the huge pillars that cast stretching dark shadows that were useful for concealment.

The guards sometimes turned around as they heard a faint sound of anything, but they quickly brushed it off as they couldn’t see anybody, assuming that it was just a mouse. It was never a difficult trial to get in anyway, it was always getting out that was the problem. Opening a cell often had ways to alarm the attention of the guards. She remembered Jowy mention that they were going to cause distractions though, which would help.

Khalxaen found a dark entrance that seemed to be leading down. It was the only of its sort around, so she assumed it led to the basement. With a sigh and waiting for a patrolling guard to pass, she crept down to find a room filled with cells. There was a fat guard sleeping by a table, and he didn’t seem to be much of a threat at the moment. Finally… She blinked, seeing only a few cells occupied. Finding one that seemed to have an occupant that resembled Izvilvin, she snapped the lock open with the key and shook the bars a bit to get the attention of the occupant, but not loud enough to awaken the guard.

[Izvilvin]

Khalxaen's weaving and skillful stealth was good enough to bring her to Izvilvin's cell, but meanwhile, Jowy and Luca were at the other end of the keep entirely, in the armory. They were taking a few of the more expensive weapons and armor pieces, and whispering to one another to pass the time. "That Khalxaen... The Drow really knows how to pick his friends," said 'Luca'.

"She's enchanting in some way, I admit," 'Jowy' replied as he took a quick look to the door, thinking he'd heard a noise. "But not my style. She's hardly talkative at all and not too trusting either."

"You think she should have trusted you?" his friend replied, to which Jowy only added more silence. It was a difficult question to answer, because although Jowy had lied about his name and other small details, this really was about Izvilvin.

"I don't know," he replied at length. "But she trusted me enough to head off toward the cells at my word that we'd help her, so we should get to it."

++

Izvilvin hadn't been able to get any more rest, which was understandable given the circumstances. He was a fly at the mercy of a mantis, wings clipped and legs broken, but he had nearby allies working on helping him. His head was hung between his knees as the Drow reflected on his life, which he found to be remarkably empty. A difficult childhood highlighted by the death of his father was what forged him, but the naivety Izvilvin had for the world outside of Alerar had made him almost into a child again.

Perhaps it had been a chance to start over, he reflected, to start life anew with a fresh childhood and build a better future for him. A fine job of ruining that he'd done.

Khalxaen's gentle shacking of his cell door broke him from the trance. Normally the approaching footsteps would have been enough, and if not that, the key's unlocking. He shook off that revelation and smiled genuinely as he made his way to the bars, nodding slowly at Khalxaen as thanks, before pulling the cell door slowly open. Regardless of anything he could have done, the steel made a loud clanking noise as it opened, tearing the guard from his rest.

He screamed something illegible as he got up from his desk and discovered what was happening, but to his horror, at the very second he opened his mouth, a deafening boom broke the night silence. The guard turned for a brief second to peer stupidly up the steps that led from the basement, as if the solution would be right at the peak, but when he looked back, Izvilvin was charging and came upon him, throttling the human with a fierce right hook that sent him sprawling.

The Drow didn't slow for a second, moving past the falling human guard to tear open the desk's drawer, reclaiming his sai and tucking them into his thick fabric belt. He motioned to Khalxaen and ran up the stairs, anxious to both escape and find out what kind of distraction had been provided.

[Khalxaen]

As they got ready to leave, Khalxaen was also curious as to what the distraction was. She followed Izvilvin, pinching her nose. For some reason, she had the urge to sneeze of all moments. Who the hell can be talking about me at a time like this!?

As they ascended the stairs, Khalxaen peered out into the open. Guards were frantically running around and weren’t paying any attention to them. Various men were yelling orders as they ran around with buckets of water. Blinking, Khalxaen looked to the further side of the castle. The temperature had risen, and a fire emitted within the walls.

How’d they do that? Khalxaen tilted her head as she peered at the rather large distraction. The men who introduced themselves as Jowy and Luca weren’t kidding when they said they’d make a distraction. Khalxaen just hoped they were okay.

“The Drow escaped!” A guard yelled, pointing at Izvilvin. His companions didn’t seem to care at the moment, more worried about the castle. Only a couple of guards seemed to care as they yelled at each other and pointed at Izvilvin. Khalxaen tugged on Izvilvin’s arm and gingerly pointed up, towards where she had come in which was from the roof, and to the other side of the castle where the main entrance probably was.

“Pick…” She mumbled, knowing pretty well he couldn’t understand.

[Izvilvin]

Izvilvin could hear the sound of consuming flames even before reaching to top of the stairs. Through a window on the upper floor, he witnessed the orange light of the flames pulsing, but he couldn't deduce where the fire was from the angle. Men were screaming in the night, but the Drow was never sure when someone was screaming in his direction or about the fire. It was all incredibly confusing, almost frightening, to him.

Khalxaen pulled on his arm, and he turned quickly to look at her. Through her motions and the word, Izvilvin got the gist of what she wanted, and actually filed away the strange saying. "Pick," he repeated to himself, learning that it meant to choose, decide or lead (he figured).

He picked the direction that wasn't up, running at half speed, not wanting to run right into a pointed blade or some other trap--he had no idea how these fortresses were designed, after all--ignoring a trio of guards that had decided to chase. Grey stone whizzed by in a blur, and seen the Drow and his friend came to a narrow corridor that led to a familiar (to Izvilvin) wooden door. But between them and the door was a pair of guards.

Looking back to Khalxaen, Izvilvin noted for the first time that they were being followed by the trio of guards, generic warriors in heavy armor and wielding short blades. It was the same setup with the duo near the keep's door, heavy armor and swords. Izvilvin felt confident, but wasn't sure how Khalxaen was going to handle it.

So he looked her in her strange, demonic eyes, and tried his best to reflect his calmness in his own. He turned to the duo in front of them. Pointing to the guards, he took his free hand and drew a sai, then carefully enunciated. "Pick," he said.

There was time to get past the two guards before the ones behind could catch up, and that was sorely what the Drow wanted to do.

[Khalxaen]

Khalxaen’s ears curiously twitched as she blinked and looked back at Izvilvin. Surprised and amused in a childish kind of way, she replied with a huge grin, “Hey, did I teach you that word?” Laughing quietly to herself, she unsheathed her sword and looked ahead. The two guards in front of them were bracing themselves, ready to defend against the two and not letting them get out easily.

Since Izvilvin and her didn’t share the same language, it was quite difficult to communicate in vague one-word sentences and gestures. She simply assumed he meant to pick which one to try to get through while he would go against the other one. Khalxaen could hear the other three guards catching up behind them, meaning they had to hurry up if they wanted to avoid unnecessary fighting.

She charged against the one in the right who was much closer to her. The guard retaliated by slashing his own short sword, which she ducked to avoid. Quickly, her counterattack towards the heart, which was the closest she could get at that distance. Her weapon scratched the rusty armor as she blinked stupidly to herself. Oh, right. Armor.

Khalxaen swiftly backed away as he attacked her again, and she aimed for his bare neck next, against where there was an opening wherein the helmet and his body armor met. He gave a loud yell as blood splattered, and Khalxaen frowned to herself at the all too familiar stench. She was closer to the door now as she uncomfortably opened it and ran outside to the cool atmosphere.

“Izvilvin!” She called out.

[Izvilvin]

Izvilvin merely gave a wide smile in reply to his friend. Despite his mask, she could probably note the grin due to his cheekbones, so he didn't think too much about it. Now wasn't the time to dwell on trivial things anyway, as Khalxaen picked her opponent and began to square off against him.

The Drow came by her side, rapidly attacking with his light, precise weapons. The guard did well to keep up, not bothering to parry attacks that were heading toward his armor, and knocking Izvilvin's attacks aside with his heavier weapon. Izvilvin felt his hands numbing from the impact of the sword, so he backed up and went on the defensive, evading to the left as the guard's sword struck from above.

Khalxaen was outside now, calling his name. The Drow knew the guards behind him would soon catch up and time was short, but to expose his back to the human he was battling would mean certain death. Thankfully, the guard's next swipe was far too wide, and before the weapon could even come to the Drow, he made two quick slashes with his sai, slipping under the man's armor to sting his ribs.

That was enough to give Izvilvin time to dash past, breaking into the night to meet up with Khalxaen outside. Looking back on the keep, he noted that there was not one fire, but several different ones in different areas. The fact that two men could cause such a stir really spoke for the talent of Step's agents; it was something Izvilvin needed to work toward.

From within the keep came the three guards, huffing and puffing as they trudged along in their armor. Izvilvin wasn't worried about them. Unfortunately, a dozen or so mounted cavalry suddenly poured out from the side of the keep. The Drow's spirits dropped like a stone.

He grabbed Khalxaen's arm and pulled her closer to him. He put his eyes into hers and frowned to show his seriousness, then pointed away from the keep, then to her, then away again. He was telling her to go. Izvilvin then let go of her and brought his sai to bear, fully intent on taking on the cavalry alone as Khalxaen went off. He had no problem with sacrificing himself again.

When she didn't immediately run off, Izvilvin looked to her suddenly, and in the angriest tone he had used since they met, demanded of her to "alu! Z'haan!"

[Khalxaen]

“Alu, what?!” Khalxaen shot back in equal annoyance. Judging by his gestures, he was probably thinking of staying behind to ward them off and let her go ahead. Furiously, Khalxaen grabbed his arm and furiously pulled him towards the forest quickly. She had the urge to punch him to bring him back to sanity, but she resolved to yelling at him instead. “I didn’t come all the way here with some chronic liar named Jowy just to have you do the same thing again. Idiot.”

Khalxaen was the kind of person to feel guilty for a person sacrificing for her. But if you did it a second time, right in front of her, after she had just risked her life to free you, then it would surely annoy her. They still had a chance to escape, it would be difficult for the guards to search a thick forest while mounting horses. If the two of them moved around swiftly but quietly and hid in the shadows, then it would be no problem. They just had to move fast, before their chasers caught up with them.

The guards yelled at each other, and Khalxaen gestured Izvilvin to follow, giving him a glare that she wasn’t joking around. She remembered the shortcut that Jowy had showed her—the thick wall of plants that led straight to Scara Brae city. They had to hurry if they wanted to escape the guards who had headed after them. If they were fortunate, the guards wouldn’t know about the shortcut and go towards the main roads instead, or look around the forest more for them.

“Look, your friend showed me this.” Khalxaen grinned as she squirmed herself through the bushes. As soon as she stepped on the ground flatly and comfortably with both her feet, she sighed in relevance to finally see the streets of Scara Brae, free of guards who were chasing after them.

[Izvilvin]

The fury with which Khalxaen grabbed and pulled him was intense, insistent. He nearly dropped his weapons in surprise, but he made no move to resist her pull as they began to run. Her words, though he couldn't understand them, made him feel warm inside. She cared, he realized, and wanted to get away with him, not leave him behind to suffer while she made off. It was a truly wonderful feeling, he realized, but he couldn't quite put a name on the emotion.

They darted through the woods, stumbling upon fallen logs and roots as they journeyed through the darkness. The mounted guards had to descend and chase on foot, but of course in their armor they were nowhere near as fast as the two friends. Izvilvin kept looking back, making sure they weren't being closely followed, looking by the shadowed trees.

Soon they came to a wall of flora, a high green blockade. Initially the Drow was confused, but after some words, Khalxaen found a hole in the vinery and slipped through. Izvilvin gasped a bit at first at the discovery, then grinned as he went toward it and found the same hole, stepping awkwardly through.

And then they were back in Scara Brae. Izvilvin felt relieved, but he knew that their work wasn't over yet. He led the way forward, toward the nearby tavern. He even almost went in, before he realized how stupid an idea that would be. It occurred to him that they were at the spot where they'd first met, and the thought made him smile.

Izvilvin looked at Khalxaen and shrugged, not knowing which way they should head. The guards would search the city when they couldn't find the two companions in the forest, and they needed a place to hide for the night.

[Khalxaen]

Khalxaen tilted her head in question, wondering why Izvilvin didn’t want to enter the tavern. A rest would be great, and it made her think why he didn’t think it was a smart idea to do that. At the same time, she could hear the rushing of guards all over the city, probably after them.

“Oh, I get it.” Khalxaen said to herself, realizing that it wouldn’t be logical to stay in a place where the guards would most likely inquire for them. Looking around, Khalxaen wondered where they could stay to make themselves safe for the meantime. With a bright smile, Khalxaen pointed upwards, towards the tavern’s roof. If you stayed away from the edge, nobody from the ground would see or think anybody was there.

She gingerly climbed, feeling the cold roof under her hands. It was hard as rock, but it was better than anything else, and cool enough for a comfortable sleep. Khalxaen was tired and lost stamina from all her running around, and she yawned to herself as she plopped down on her back.

Glancing over at Izvilvin, she said, “You can find your own place if you want, but I’ll stay here for now.” She turned around and used her thick scarf as a makeshift pillow, and in a while she was off to sleep.

[Izvilvin]

Izvilvin followed the lead of his friend, moving to the back of the building and mounting a large crate by the corner of the rear and side wall. With a jump he grabbed the edge of the roof and gracefully pulled himself up, quite like an elf would. It was indeed cool but hard, and Izvilvin could see most of the city even from this shallow height. He felt excited at being off the ground like this. His life in Alerar hadn't given him many opportunities to climb and explore like he'd been able to lately.

But he remembered the mountains and the caves, and found that he missed them. He missed his mother as well, but thinking of her made him anxious to appease Step enough to lend him the power to kill Vordutin. All the stealth in the world couldn't get him close to the General.

If he'd known Vordutin was dead, Izvilvin would probably be able to live with some sense of peace, perhaps even go back to Alerar to see his mother. But also, he could not leave Step. He knew that fact when he joined them, and had to live with it. A century or three more of servitude wasn't something he looked forward to, but at least he'd never be bored. Althanas was filled with regions he'd never seen and longed to explore.

Life wasn't all that bad, he felt, as he watched Khalxaen sleep. He had friends, and people who were willing to break him out of a castle before he could be executed. He smiled just a bit as he lay some feet away from Khal, repeating the new word over and over, "pick, pick."

++

"So nice of the Scourge to lend us their gunpowder," remarked Jowy as he bolted through the forest.

By his side was Luca, running just as fast but huffing a whole lot more. "Yeah, huff, real nice," he acknowledged.

"Do you think Izvilvin and his cute little friend made it back alright?" Asked Jowy, looking back through the darkness of the trees to check for pursuit.

"Sure," Luca replied, not anxious to waste valuable air on speech. They could speak when they were away from the area, maybe after eight or nine hours of sleep, he thought.

Jowy grinned in response and kept on running. His life span wasn't anywhere near Izvilvin's was, but he intended on having just as much excitement in his life before he died. He looked to his companion and wondered, carefully, just who the man had been before Step had absorbed him.

++

The morning came some time later, and the two friends were within the tavern with plates of food in front of them. Izvilvin wore a hooded cloak to hide his more prominent features, but was enjoying the meal of cooked Brae beans and berry juice just the same. His mask was pulled just below his chin so he could eat.

The two couldn't communicate very well, but the Drow believed that they both knew the morning meal was a celebration of their friendship and experiences together. He kept his eyes on her as they ate, and when the time had come to part, he put 4 gold pieces on the table to pay for both of their meals.

Outside he stretched and put his face to the sun, letting the rays of light warm his face and remind him of what freedom was like. In retrospect, his decision to sacrifice himself for Khalxaen was one he would make again, but didn't think he'd ever have to.

He turned to her and smiled, before pulling his mask back up over the bottom half of his face. Tentatively he made a move to give her a hug, a sign of his thanks and appreciation for her.

Regardless of how she seemed about the gesture, Izvilvin next pulled a piece of thick paper from the inside of his shirt. Crouching by the tavern door he uprooted a blade of grass and spat into the dirt. Mixing it with a stabalizing agent from a bottle in his shirt (a gift from Step for such instances), he created ink and scribbled a phrase onto the paper.


Usstan kestal ulu kyorl dos 'sohna. Bel'la dos whol dosst xxizz lu' folggash.

When he was done he handed it to Khalxaen and pointed East, where he would catch a boat to Radasanth. He'd never had to handle a goodbye before, but did it well, cutting the event short and leaving toward where he knew the docks to be.

Scara Brae would need to be avoided for some time, he knew, until the notoriety of his appearance could fade. Perhaps he would meet his friend again in the future, in a safer place, where they could get another meal and enjoy each other's company again.

((Spoilz plz: Gold. Not too much that it'll hurt my EXP total though >.<))

[Khalxaen]

It was the first time Khalxaen saw Izvilvin with his mask down, but she didn’t pay much attention as she stuffed herself with food. Even though it was just a simple tavern, the food was amazing. Khalxaen was surprised as he moved to hug her, as she wasn’t very used to affection of any sort. Blinking, she hugged him back anyway, happy that she made a friend. She didn’t say anything, but the grin on her face explained it anyway.

She watched curiously as he gave her a piece of paper. “Bye!” Khalxaen said brightly, waving her hand. “I hope you know what thatmeans.” She got ready to go off on her way when she remembered the piece of paper he had given her. Bringing her hand up, she stared at the letters written on it, and what she assumed was correct: It was written in Drow.

Khalxaen made a distressed whine as she continued staring at it. She wanted to know what was written on it. “Great…” She mumbled. “Maybe I need a dictionary or something. But then again…” Gingerly, she re-entered the tavern and looked around. Taverns were usually filled with all kinds of people, and most of the time, there was at least one person who could understand a different language.

“Old man, can you understand Drow?” Khalxaen impulsively asked someone from a corner. The old man looked up at her crossly.

“A bit.” He replied, bringing a bright smile on Khalxaen’s face. She had dubbed him someone who looked like a scholar, who could probably understand a bit of every language, and she was right. The demon handed him the piece of paper.

“Please translate!” She said with a huge grin.

He took it and looked at it sternly. “I hope… wait, is that right? I hope to see you again. Thank you for your aid… or help, or support… and friendship. I hope to see you again. Thank you for your help and friendship.” The old man gave it back to her, raising an eyebrow as she blinked and took it back.

“I see. Thanks.” She stood up, the old man staring at her weirdly from behind. Wish I could’ve thanked him too. Izvilvin seemed like a great friend, and it was too bad she didn't find out much about him. It would have been difficult through the language barrier, anyway. Well, there's always next time.

[INDK]

I’m not going to be too detailed in the comments here, because for the most part the thread is very similar to your previous thread together. Most of my comments are going to be in relation to that thread.

Total Score= 56.5 Same as last time, but I felt this thread was a bit finer in many of the technical aspects though. Way to bring it up a notch.

Introduction – 5.5 My big problem with this was that had someone not read the first thread, they wouldn’t have understood the depth of the relationship. The big thing the intro should have told me was why Khalaxaen wanted to help Izvilvin. Getting into the action quickly is great, but you need to put a bit of context none the less. A couple lines that said “after their previous adventure” or something like that. The fact that Izvilvin’s next post wrapped up some of the missing stuff from the intro makes me penalize you less, but this should have been stronger.

Setting – 6 I noticed a bit of improvement from Izvilvin, but it still could be better. You can have immersion without being wordy. Just try using little touches, smells, background noises, etc. They go a long way.

Strategy – 5 I would have liked there to be harder challenges.

Dialogue – 7 A bit weaker than your previous thread. That one just about had everything. The language barrier aspect of this thread was still good, you just didn’t use it as well.

Character – 6 I really would have liked to know more about the friendship from Khalxaen’s perspective.

Rising Action – 5 Though this thread started off from where the last one did, I thought it particularly suffered from momentum. I was really surprised by this, because the intro you guys used was the kind that particularly facilitates a quick start.

Climax – 3 A good climax comes like a spike in a thread. This thread kept rising right up to the conclusion, but there was no real “spike” in the action at any point.

Conclusion – 6 Izvilvin’s conclusion was really good, especially the last few touches. Khalaxaen’s reaction really wrapped up the thread well.

Writing Style – 6 A bit of improvement here from Izvilvin brings you up half a point of what you got in the previous thread. Khalaxaen stayed about the same, but there was some marginal improvement there too.

Wild Card – 7 I’m pleased to see you guys have read my comments and tried to improve yourselves. That’s why you get a bonus point here. Keep working at it. There is no reason why either of you can’t get the scores you desire.

Spoils=

Izvilvin gets 700 EXP and 100 GP
Khalxaen gets 700 EXP and 100 GP

[Thoracis]

Rewards Added!

Izvilvin levels up!