From the Vaults of The BB - One Person's Loss...

[Kyo]

((Closed.))



...is another person’s gain. That was how the saying went. She had heard it many times in her life. Never had she bothered applying it to any situation she’d ever been in, but never had Kyo truly fancied herself a thief. An assassin yes, a ninja of course, and perhaps sometimes she was a murderer depending on the person’s perspective. But never quite a thief. Yet now she found herself the leader of a small band of them hiding in the swamps of Fiorair and trying to make their way in the world. Perhaps even leave their mark upon it as well. It was not exactly an easy feat to accomplish either considering all the other Clans that were trying to come into power around the same time. It would be a never-ending struggle to stay afloat until they had some kind of backing, until they had once again truly revived the name of The Bandit Brotherhood, something far harder than she had initially thought.

Considering how well known the Clan had been in its high time, Kyosku had assumed that rallying people to join would have been relatively easy. However that did not appear to be the case. Perhaps there were fewer thieves willing to risk their lives and join such a cause nowadays, or perhaps people were just being cautious. They wanted to see the Clan stay alive for a time, they wanted to see it struggle through the beginning and fight tooth and nail to stay alive, to stay afloat. That was fine for her. She was willing to show the world that she was capable of leading this Clan and these people and truly turning The Brotherhood into the most powerful group in Althanas. And one day, she wouldn’t have to listen to the petty orders of Daroch, the Ceann Cath, the leader of the Draconians. She had nothing against the people and the region, just the man at the other end of the strings thinking he had himself a new puppet to play with. There would come a time when their strength would shake the foundation beneath that man.

Right now, in this very instance was a chance for them to begin to amass that strength. As one Empire was beginning to fall and crumble under the weight of something far more powerful, Kyosku Tetsoma, co-leader of The Bandit Brotherhood decided to make her first move. Raiaera was weak and falling apart at the seams. The region was slowly becoming overrun with the undead in the control of some mad magician by the name of Xem’Zund. She knew little of the plight and cared even less to bother helping with it. The only thing she really cared about was what she could gain from it.

The elves were fleeing their previous and beautiful cities. They were taking only what they needed with them to survive and leaving the rest behind, which meant there was potential for many a fine artefact to be found in the most unlikely of places. With that in mind and sadly no clear objective for them to find, the ninja had begun to plan their raid upon the city of Anebrilith, which was still being evacuated while the armies of the undead knocked on their doors. It gave them the perfect opportunity to slip inside with barely a thought given to their presence. After all, who would question a group of helpful warriors coming in as reinforcements?

Apparently no one, for that was how they’d gotten on board this ship. It was bound for Raiaera and hailing from Corone. Thankfully the boat trip from Radasanth to Anebrilith was not very long, just two days. Though Kyo did not have too much of a problem with boats, she did prefer to keep dry land in her line of sight. It always made her feel more comfortable. And being cooped up in small quarters with a simple, uncomfortable bed, a night stand and a wash stand was not exactly her idea of fun. In small areas the ninja felt like a caged animal and she was doing her damndest to hide her irritation and frustration, for it wouldn’t do if she lost her face in front of any of her subordinates. Especially for no discernable reason.

Sighing, Kyo grabbed her rucksack off of her bed. They were supposed to be landing sometime today, or so she had heard, and as such she had packed all of her belongings. There hadn’t been much for her to throw in the bag to begin with, a change of clothes, some rations and a first aid kit. That was it. There was no need to pack more in her mind when they needed to pack light. Not even bothering to take one last look at her cramped quarters, the ninja turned and left the closet of space she had called her room for the past two nights.

The halls along the inside of the ship were narrow and smelled of wood and water, stale air and too many people too close together. Lanterns hung from hooks in the walls, making light spill across the light coloured wood and give the darkened corridors some kind of illumination. Every time someone happened to pass by her, Kyo had to keep close to the wall, dragging her side and shoulder along the rough surface as they walked by each others. Two days and she was sick of this ship already.

Turning right once and then left twice, Kyo made her way down the halls until she came upon a set of stairs. Light poured into the darkened space from above, illuminating the grain in the wood and the knots and imperfections lining it.

Out on dock, Kyo’s senses were immediately bombarded. The bright light of the sun was reflecting off the deep blue ocean and blinding her dark adjusted eyes. She was forced to squint until they were nearly closed as they quickly tried to adjust to the light. Sound and smell hit her next as the wind gently slapped against her face and clothes. It felt cool against her as the rising sun beat on her black clothing, turning them into a furnace. The smell of salt saturated the wind, making the ninja feel thirsty simply for breathing it in and high above the sails of the boat the calls of gulls rang out. They followed the ships. Stalking them from the moment they left port until they moment they made port once more. Their cries a constant call in the wind, the last reminder of dry land when all one was surrounded by was light blue in the sky and deep blue beneath of the sea.

Surprisingly the deck was not very busy. With the white sails, taunt and already flying high against their masts, few people were milling about. As she made her way across the deck she watched the last of the night crew as they tied off ropes and mopped the deck and carried out a variety of other tasks that she knew nothing about. They barely interested her, but when her eyes glanced towards the sea before them they practically disappeared. She could already see it. It was a mass of grey and green and brown that was slowly growing bigger and into greater detail to her eyes. Kyo had been on few ships in her life and wanted to be on even less. And every time she found herself approaching land, something about it just took her breath away as the relief washed through her. A gentle waved that relieved her heart and knocked away the worry from her mind. But she knew that once they landed, things could become far more dangerous than any trip she had experience across the seas.

Resting her forearms against the wooden rail, Kyo drew in a deep breath, filling her lungs with the salty air as she slowly watched the spot of land grow larger. To the right of the ship she could see another of these large sailing vessels only this one seemed to be heading away from the port city of Anebrilith. Beyond that, she could barely make out the spec of another against the horizon, in which direction it travelled she didn’t know. They were the last desperate attempt to save as many lives as possible before the undead overran the city.

[MiaKane]

A soft mew came from Serenity as they both stared up into the morning sky, burning like a thousand fires of war. Then again, for all they knew the sky really was on fire. They were close to the elven home land, closer than she had ever really gotten in all the time she had traveled. Mostly because well, elves are elves, give or take, and thus what was the point of seeing the known?

“You still sure you want to go through with this?” Serenity purred as the little plushie stretched.

“Theres not really much of a choice, is there?” the half lucid ice elf replied.”These people are feeding and housing me, besides, it's not like we are really robbing anyone, just sort of running a scavenger operation.”

“Whatever you have to tell yourself...”

With a gruff puff of accepted sarcasm, Mia proceeded to tickle the little plushie's exposed belly. Ever since leaving port they had more or less laid upon the deck of their transport, watching the clouds and such pass by. They had both pretty much taken one look at their lodgings and decided that the space was a little too limiting.

Not to mention the last hammock she had slept in had given her terrible back pain for almost a week. The gulls above were beginning to chatter as they saw another ship pass by, the pure raw aura being given off by those sad elves was nearly like a dark cloud across the rising sun.

“I need a cig...” Mia muttered as an exclamation of their first glimpse at the truths they were going to be facing very soon. With motions done time and time again she took a long draw, exhaling the rich smoke into the cool morning breeze. Fallien had been bad enough, but how was this going to be? A people so like her, would she falter because of that?

“Kyo's awake,” Serenity said, knowing how the ice elf felt and pushing that a bit.

She nodded in response, turning to gaze at the Akashiman as she emerged into the light of morning, clearly the lodgings proving to be as Mia had expected. Placing the cig between her lips, Serenity hopped up on to her shoulders, sitting with perfection as Mia rose to her feet. Retrieving her back pack her feet quickly carried her to where her leader leaned.

Giving a quick glance over, Mia spoke softly as she leaned her back against the rail.

“I hear they are having biscuits and gravy for breakfast this morning...”

[Saxon]

The hull of the ship began to groan as its crew kept it on due course, governing the quiet, lapping waves as if it were child's play-- at least that was how it appeared. The collapse of Radasanth had steeled the jaw of every sailor who had decided to assist in the evacuation, and it wasn't until they were a few miles from port that Saxon really began to feel the tension setting in. The eldritch had appeared withered and weak for quite some time since he had stepped out of his realm that sat parallel to Althanas, but those who did grow to know of him quickly learned that the weird's appearance was easily overshadowed by the sort of determination and resolve usually held exclusively by sea captains and military leaders.

When Saxon was around, things got done.

The familiar, earthy stench of the galley was what managed to draw the eldritch there, and it seemed that except for meal times he'd often be the only one sitting there and only leaving to either sleep or go up top occasionally for air. Sitting beside some of his cohorts at a thick oaken table in the far corner of the ship, Saxon gazed down at a large piece of wrinkled parchment that he had laid out for weeks on end. Nobody knew where he had gotten it, but the weird had managed to obtain a map of Anebrilith that had been drawn in the aftermath of the invasion. In fact, the ink upon the parchment still wasn't completely dry leading to questions by both his subordinates and his leader that he just wouldn't answer.

Using a brass sextant he had nicked from the navigator and a piece of charcoal, Saxon had quickly made ample use of the long trip to Radasanth and had mapped out a few sweet spots for the thieves to start picking up on. The eldritch believed if he hadn't had access to Tsep in the first place, this map would've been a lot harder to flesh out than most would've thought. In fact, having talked to a lot of those who were on the ship about the city, the weird had been able to actually investigate the rumors for himself and hopped back and forth from the ship to the city at nightfall to see if it could be added onto his route.

However, it wasn't as simple as slipping in and off the ship and into the city to investigate that most of his fellow shipmates didn't realize. Each time the eldritch stepped off the boat and into that icy realm of darkness, Saxon knew there was a minute chance that when he came back he could be stepping back to where the ship was and not where it was presently located. The danger coupled with the complicated mysticism involved when journeying through Tsep had given Saxon reason to believe that eventually he'd gamble and lose. The prospect of being lost at sea would make anybody reconsider their priorities, especially if that person had once served many a year at sea as a sailor.

Slowly the icy grip of fear that had settled in his stomach was long forgotten, and the weird returned to what it was he had done best. Circling a large mansion that sat atop one of the hills that was one of the few left standing to testify to Anebrilith's social elite, Saxon smiled as he drew upon memory and recalled what Kyo had asked him earlier on the trip. It had been a request that had caught the eldritch off guard, but since she was the one in command ever since Molotov disappeared, he had managed to look into it. Scanning the map for the umpteenth time, the weird saw his markings course up and down the map along with bits and pieces of information such as undead hot spots and other obstacles that would make the raid more challenging than he had ever anticipated.

But, that wasn't what had bothered him the most. Slowly running his hand along the charcoal line that marked the rate of destruction since Xem'Zund had invaded he saw that some of the most important and exotic treasures laid in the two-thirds of the city under the necromancer's absolute control. Leaning back against the wall he sat by, Saxon could only wonder as to how much the overlord really knew was almost in his grasp; of the treasures and artifacts he might never have known to have captured.

The suspicion alone was enough to send a chill down the weird's spine and made him begin to reconsider what it was he was about to do.

[Lavinian Ambition]

"Okay, almost got it, if I put the pick here..." The tired voice of the Lavinian filled his room as he muttered to himself. In his hands was a masterfully crafted pick, designed to turn or push latches in locks, allowing them to open for people, who did not have any right of opening them. Still he narrowed his eyes under the candlelight while he held the lock up to have a look. Shaking his head he set it down softly before he heard a pop and the lock opened on the table. Raising an eyebrow at the lock he sighed before he said, "Well now, seems like I have to figure out why the hell that worked..."

Jared sighed as he rubbed his aching grey eyes. He had spent the better part of the morning working on his lock, trying to get the most information he could remember on picking locks from it. Closing the lock with a snap he sighed as he tossed it on the table in defeat. He could only hope that the locks they would encounter would be similarly opened. He could feign understanding in the interim, but it bugged the hell out of him when something happened he couldn't explain.

Get used to it boyo, life's full of them... This voice, didn't belong to the Lavinian, but instead his predecessor. Seth Dahlios, the infamous Lavinian Demon had residence in Jared's body for some gods unknown reason. Still as annoying as it was, especially when it came to matters like this, the thief could help, if he so felt inclined. Not that Jared would ever take that help at face value. The thief was always up to something, and Jared didn't even want to know what in this case.

Looking down at the lock he gave a soft sigh before he rubbed his eyes again. He needed some fresh air; all the preparations for the raid had been exhausting. He hadn't seen Kyo in about a week, what with his push to become a better lock pick. He knew once they ran into a door, he had better be on the quick to open the door, lest they get caught and problems only continue to worsen. Putting the lock pick back in its place amongst the various tools, he placed the small cloth inside a pouch towards the front. In the recent days he had pushed his daggers to the point that he was practically reaching behind him to brandish them, not that he cared much. He wasn't a warrior, and he was more than certain the others would fulfill any task that required brute force. He was the finesse guy, they were the force, at least, that was how he liked to perceive it.

Or you're the guy that does five minutes of work and gets to tag along with the real heroes... Seth's voice taunted.

"Would you fucking stop it!?" Jared spat venomously as he sighed trying to calm his rapidly beating heart.

Fine, delude yourself some more, I'll take a nap...

The sarcasm of that statement was not lost on Jared as he tucked his daggers into their holsters and quickly moved from the cramped room. The stench of sweat and work hung in the air, causing him to open the door to a rush of fresh air. The cool sea breeze went a long way towards brightening his disposition. Moving to the wash basin he quickly washed his face, to get rid of the sweat and grit before he moved out into the sunlight. The gentle rocking of the boat was a bit more soothing on his frazzled nerves. Seth's doom saying of the situation had been rattling to say the least.

Still as he looked out over the balcony he sighed seeing the lands of Raiarae. He could recognize the pattern of destruction that would mark the passing of the Necromancer's army, if only because it reminded him of home. These people were fighting to prevent his homeland's fate, and while he admired their resolve, he couldn't help but feel bitter, there was after all no betrayal. No one destroyed the land simply to prevent any use of it, even after centuries of trying. No, this was simple war, and while the undead would control yet another land, he was more than certain that the other nations wouldn't stand for it. Reven had been betrayed wholly and totally. There would be no cries of outrage as it went another year without food, relying on a paltry trade.

Sighing he leaned against the railing as he muttered, "Should probably knock on wood."

[Papa Dagon]

The smell of brine on the breeze and the coarseness of salt in his crackling dreadlocks. Dagon cursed; yet another trip at sea, yet another slew of questions that gnawed at his brainpan, the first of which being: why again? He wasn’t questioning his involvement in the upcoming forage through drawers full of elven delicates. Other than the fact that he expected to find less valuable loot than he would bunches of frilly underwear – for both genders – he had no qualms pertaining to the thieving enterprise.

No, what he was questioning was Kyo’s unusual fixation with boats, especially boats with a damn irregular crew. First was the boat that carried them to the ruins of Aiserigh, in Dheathain, where they’d set up shop for the Bandit Brotherhood: back then, they were being led around by a squad of Draconians that little to no faith in their capacities. ‘Bet my loincloth that they’d readied pretty little caskets for all eight of our mangled corpses.’

“And this time”, Dagon said out loud, “it’s a crew of madmen.” Cursing again, he leaned over the ledge of the ship, resting his stomach on the railing as he struggled to hoist from the seas an old bucket he’d tied to a rope. It sloshed from side to side, dripping sprays of saltwater left and right. When he’d set the damn thing on the deck, the pail was nearly empty, but it would have to do. “When you’ve nothing to do with a war, you steer clear of it. Hells, there’s a ship in the distance, full of escapees! But nah, these sailors are rushing headfirst into a rotting maw, and they’re eager at that! Bunch of woodland inbreds.” And the spirits be damned, Dagon hated how he was just as insane: he was going to help raid the remains of a city a thousand year old undead necromancer had razed.

He produced a set of vials from his bladder-skin pouch, filled them with the saltwater. He’d seen that wizard, Saxon, vanish from time to time, though he never caught the trickster red-handed. What he’d caught, however, was the ever-growing detail of the man’s map of Anebrilith. Somehow, he was garnering info on the port city, and was perhaps doing so in the flesh. ‘Damn dangerous, damn noble. That’s taking one for the team right there.’ Dagon had no such power, and could do nothing to help, for now at least. He had begun gathering the ingredients for a magical fetish that would facilitate scouting, but it would be days, perhaps even weeks before his project would bear fruits.

The shaman stashed the vials in his pouch, exchanging them with a small, white roll of paper that fit between his fingers. He brought it to his lips, pressing the tip of his fulgurite pendant against the outward end. Sparks flew and it lit up, effusing a wave of smoke. The taste was bitter, acrid, nothing like his special cigarettes. These were the plain ones, packed with mere tobacco. As much as he disliked it, he couldn’t afford to let his mind expand with the other fumes, not on the sea at least, and not when there was still work to be done.

He ambled to the front of the deck, where had amassed Kyo, the thief Jared and the too-free spirit, Mia Kane. She was working her way down her own stick of cigarette, something he’d found interestingly appealing. Then again, he had a knack for finding the alluring qualities of any and all women. “Poor old Sax is still cooped up inside,” he said absently, jade eyes riveted on something far and elusive, a drifting cloud or perhaps a lapping wave. At first, he was going to let them work out the meaning of his statement on their own, but like the object of his attention, the idea had lost its appeal. “Reckon he gets a bigger cut, or at least the right to call dibs?”

[Kyo]

One by one they emerged from the depths of the ship. All of them except Saxon, who was most likely in his small room going over the assignment Kyo had given him. Absently, she wondered how it was coming along. After all, she hadn’t seen very much of the map, not yet anyway. But it grew each time that he went, with each chance that he took to cross the distance and enter the city of Anebrilith. She more than appreciated what he was doing and though she didn’t truly understand the dangers he was partaking in, other than possibly getting caught by the undead, she knew it was no easy task that she had given the man. It did bring one very serious point to the forefront of her mind. Just how was she going to reward him for something like this? Maybe he didn’t expect a reward, maybe he just thought this was his contribution to the group as a whole and she understood that sentiment. But as his leader, Kyo was putting him in unnecessary danger and she wanted to thank him properly for something like that. The problem was she didn’t know the man enough to know of something that would truly interest him, something that she could procure for him or perhaps even do for him. Even so, that was something for her to contemplate after the mission was over and everyone was back in Aisiregh safe and very much alive.

As the elf approached her, Kyo turned her ice blue eyes towards the woman, watching her for a moment as she leaned upon the rail next to her. Though she still had some trepidation towards the woman, Kyo was beginning to think that she could very well become a powerful member of the clan, if she decided to stick with it. The problem was she just didn’t know how long the woman was going to stay.

“I think I’ll pass on this ship’s food...” She said absently to the woman.

When Jared emerged from below deck, Kyo had to fight the urge to walk over to him, just so she could be near him, just so she could feel his warmth. It was hard for her to be trapped on a ship for so long with him so close and yet unable to touch him, by her own words too. She was the one that refused to call this a relationship, she was the one that refused to let the others see what may or may not be growing between the two of them and it had been her idea to have as little contact as possible during this mission. Jared had agreed to it mainly because that thief would agree to almost anything she told him as long as in the end he could touch her and hold her and kiss her. If she told him to go battle a rabid dragon the man just might do so if he knew she’d be waiting on the other side of the dragon.

As Dessalines approached the two of them, Kyo reached out and grabbed the smoke from Kane’s lips and then brought it around to her own. Taking a deep inhale of the substance, she enjoyed the tingling sensation of it filling her lungs to calm her, even as the acrid taste filtered across her tongue. Exhaling the white smoke out into the clean ocean air, she took another drag before she handed it back to the elf. Kyo wasn’t really a smoker, but the substance helped calm her nerves from time to time and right now she knew she couldn’t afford to feel on edge. There were lives depending on her.

The question that Dessalines posed unnerved her a bit. She hadn’t known any of the other members suspected or even knew anything about what Saxon had been doing for the past few days. She wasn’t particularly worried about it either, but the observant man was going to have to learn his place eventually.

Turning her head slightly to the side, she allowed her cold, blue eyes to rest on the man before she addressed him. “Oh, yes, he does. Since you happened to have brought it up,” Just what exactly he happened to have brought up was left to hang between the two of them in those words, “I promised him your part of the cut.”

She had promised him no such thing, but Dessalines didn’t know that and from the way she had worded it and the tone it was spoken in, it might as well be true. The man needed to stop sticking his nose in where it didn’t belong.

As she left those words to hang in the air, Kyo turned back to the ocean and the approaching port city of Anebrilith. The closer they got to it, the more she could feel the tension and the adrenaline begin to thrum through her veins, infesting her with every pump of her fluttering heart. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt like this. Her first mission perhaps; or maybe it was the second or third one, for by now she barely felt the tingles of nerves whenever she left to kill someone. It was just another life, another night and another death. Nothing new to the ninja anymore.

“I hope everyone is ready for what lies ahead...” Kyo said to them, the words coming out rather absently as she kept her eyes upon the approaching mass of land. “This is beyond a simple raid, there is a good chance we’ll be facing a few of the undead from Zum’Xund’s own army. So I can only hope everyone has come prepared. I’m ready to place my life in your hands as you watch my back, I can only hope that I have inspired similar feelings in you all as your leader.”

The words were spoken so easily, flowing from her lips with that slight accent she always carried with her. But, there was also some difficulty there. Kyo was trained as a ninja first and foremost and a leader of The Brotherhood second. Her training made her rely on only person; herself. Expecting and hoping that others would watch her back for her was a new concept that would take some getting used to. But she was willing to put herself out there and show the members of this clan that she could trust them and they in turn could learn to trust her. After all, if they could not form that basic beginning of a relationship than this was already a lost cause.



((Mia, feel free to dock the boat. Saxon, when you post, you should probably come out on deck and meet up with the group. And Pat, you can bunny Kyo to lead the group off the deck and into the busy and crowded port of Anebrilith.)

[MiaKane]

The whole gang had come above decks, which as she learned was always a little shy of their dear Saxon. Mia had to admit she liked him, he was a complete curiosity to which this feline would eventually unravel. Though at the moment it wasn't the time, maybe the place, but definitely not the time.

Not when the owner of the second best butt on the whole ship, Mia's being the owner of the first, had just plucked the cig from her lips. The ice elf blinked as she watched their leader take a few good pulls, finding it both amazing and quizzical at the same time. Most people wouldn't have the gall to do something that fine.

Yet as the cig was replaced to her lips, she could only really dream through the next few exchanged words, the gentle warmth and even just a hint of saliva setting on the end of the cig made her nerves tingle softly.

Damn...been a while since a girl got me this riled up...

A soft smile crested her lips as she came back from her dirty dream land, the “other” shaman of their group had possibly bitten off more than he could chew, which while she hadn't dealt with him all that much, he seemed...rather up tight for a man that smokes as much herb as he does.

It wasn't long, only another half hour at most before the ship pulled into what she would have to call the most active and clearly, even compared to any pirate or goblin held port, thee most dangerous port ever.

It was as if the entire city was crawling in one great pile to get onto what few ships were waiting, even as guards tried to keep them from jumping in and climbing upon their own.

[Saxon]

The crinkle of yellowed parchment met Saxon's ears as he carefully rolled the map up, taking care to see that the drying ink didn't smear into other parts of the map. Giving one last glance at the map, the weird pulled the leather canister that hung at his hip and plucked its cap open, stuffing the map inside. He had made absolutely sure that only he knew the locations of certain, more exotic artifacts in order to keep his cohorts from getting to greedy. After all, the eldritch knew far too well what some of these treasures were capable of from common folklore and research, the last thing he needed was to have accidently led somebody to their death because they couldn't control themselves.

That wouldn't do at all, he thought. There was too much to do already to have to worry about that that was for sure. Closing the leather canister and letting it dangle back at his side, Saxon picked up his omnipresent fedora, Amalarj, and pushed it onto his unkempt locks of ebony hair. Turning to walk across the galley, the weird held out his hand and soon felt the familiar amorphous wooden staff, Syvriak, coil up his leg, down his arm, and into his hand only to straighten out once more. With his mind too focused on the goal ahead, the eldritch missed the resounding thump as the ship landed anchor.

~*~

Pulling down the rim of his hat to shield his eyes from the glare of the morning sun as he made his way onto deck, the eldritch soon found he was far from alone. Seeing his fellow thieves moving around the ship, each preparing themselves for the trip ahead, Saxon grit his teeth as he felt the need to get onto land beginning to ripple in his wiry legs, "I need to get off this boat," he mumbled. Surveying the ship before him, he grinned as the wide cityscape of Anebrilith met his gaze.

Moving steadily towards Kyo, his staff thudding hard against the dense floorboards that made up the deck, the weird drew upon himself a soft smile as she turned and caught his gaze. The eldritch tipped his hat to any who turned to notice he made one of his rare, if not last, appearances upon the top of the ship and Saxon knew that many of his cohorts were waiting to know what their next move would be. Fortunately for him, the weird knew just where to begin once they made it out of the city limits and into the 'Dead Zone', a name many of Anebrilith's refugees had become accustomed to calling Xem'Zund's growing sphere of influence within their hallowed walls.

"Hello, Kyo," Saxon said with a curt nod as he reached her. Looking into her face with those cool, blue eyes of his, the weird's face quickly became serious. "We need to talk."

[Lavinian Ambition]

Jared watched the gangplank hit land, and the sailors begin the procession of carrying supplies, probably to relieve the soldiers that were on the front lines. The thief wasn't much of a warrior, nor did he care to be, except the fact that once again Eluriand was being overrun with the undead. He wondered just what possessed the undead to control the capital city of Raiaera. Still when the gangplank opened up to the general population of the ship, Jared felt his daggers reassuringly clink against the metal of their scabbards with each step. His satchel was slung over a shoulder in a practiced maneuver even while he stepped down the plank. The familiar was all he knew, and to have a bit of it during this raid comforted him.

He was already remembering what Darith told him about raiding. Never make eye contact; people who made eye contact were memorable. Never, look around, looking around looks suspicious, go straight to the goal, and do it with as little fuss as possible. As he kept his head down, he heard Kyo shouting out directions as they headed out. His mind barely processed them as he followed, starting to sink into a groove as his thief senses stretched out. He could feel a few eyes on him, and he accepted that. He was after all a red headed youth heading into the city, that was bound to attract a few gazes.

Just don't do anything stupid, Seth chided as Jared moved through the city, following Kyo as he took Saxon's advice on where to go. Jared wasn't a risk taker, at least he didn't picture himself as a risk taker, and so the advice seemed out of place. However, the more he through about it, the more it made sense. When he was dating Kid and they were on the same raid, they had been assigned to opposite sides. After all emotion was the biggest variable, and not being able to see each other keep heads cool. Here, if something happened to Kyo, he'd be upfront and personal when it happened. All it would take is one blow, one lucky shot and his feelings for Kyo would bubble forth, and probably jeopardize everything they had worked towards.

As he felt fewer eyes on him, he relaxed some of the tension in his body, while his ears did the scouting for him. He wasn't as good at it as some people, but he knew that relying on his hearing rather than sight could help more than usual. His thief instincts had kicked in and he wasn't about to leave them for anything, they had after all kept him alive this long...

...when I remember to trust them. He thought curtly.

My, you are taking this seriously. Chiding yourself and everything...perhaps I should take a back seat on this one? Seth's voice spoke.

"Please..." Jared muttered as he scanned the perimeter. His grey eyes raked the landscape for details, anything out of place. His hands remained casually on the hilt of a dagger just in case, while his footsteps were calm and sure. As jumpy as he was, at least he didn't look green as the trees about him. His steps glided through the area showing a bit of that thief training that set him apart from the group of shamans and miscreants. Not that he would give up where he was for anything else. Sometimes it was nice to be the only thief in a group of misfits.

[Papa Dagon]

Upon hearing the woman’s bitter reply, Dagon slung his head back, jade eyes set in a quiet, gimlet stare. Then, he turned back, elbows still limply resting on the harsh wood of the gunnel. Kyo had misunderstood his comment as a slur against Saxon, when he’d only voiced it out of a sense of altruism and gratitude for the man. Even the elf girl seemed to think he had a stick up his behind. The shaman inwardly snorted, half-amused and half chiding: he was still a stranger to these people, and everything he did, they would consider with a wary eye. “Fair enough,” was his only reply, truthful in the genuine laugh that came along. That old wizard had earned his cut, and Dagon would simply find alternatives to compensate for his thinning share.

Making this more than a brotherhood in name would be a good start.

Planks struck solid earth – Raiaera was finally upon them. Something new assailed his senses, as if a mystic wind had come to greet this motley assortment of thieves. ‘Then we must be the lesser of two Evils, eh?’ The wash of saltwater that had followed all those days at sea was fading behind a wave of fragrances, the spice of neighboring forests. His boots were sinking on the damp and water-lapped soil, a change from the hardwood on the ship, and it welcomed him with its earthy perfume, liked tilled earth after a soft rain. Yet he was not oblivious to what was raging on, farther inland. He could see the thin columns of smoke that lingered still, miles and miles away. Worse, he could see the faint glare of untamed fires, just beyond the nearby docks of Anebrilith. 'Yeah... the lesser indeed.'

Worst, he could hear no cries, no screams. Some would think this a good thing, but not Dagon – he’d known too many massacres for that. “People scream when they’re still alive.” The man was unaware that he had spoken out loud. One of the ship’s crew had nearly fallen off the footbridge, his partner at the other side of the heavy crate having unwillingly slowed his pace, being closest to the shaman at that time. As they resumed their descent, so did he follow his train of thought. Perhaps they were being silent because they had found refuge. Did the port city sit atop a network of underground passageways? The raid of the necromancer’s legion must have, after all, begun a long time ago. Perhaps they had all escaped and were now safe. Or, perhaps…

‘I’ll ask Saxon later.’

Dagon made his way over the sodden shoreline to the greener patches just outside the docks. Jared had already gone ahead and entered the city, scouting ahead as per their leader’s order. Or, at least, that was what the Deru thought. “Leader,” he began, turning to Kyo and the others. “We’re all ears.”

[Kyo]

Every port in every city is always a bustling and jostling place of activity. Languages of all kinds bounded back and forth in the air creating a jargon that made even the most seasoned and well versed travellers scratching their heads in confusion. Crowds often became detrimental in such situations. But here Kyo used it to their advantage. So many people milled around that the eyes barely followed the presence of a few more foreigners. Just soldiers come to help, just sailors here to assist and perhaps maybe adventurers caught in the crossfire. Whatever the reasons their minds gave them she didn’t care. Back straight, eyes ahead, she moved with a purpose in mind.

Few people parted to get out of her way, but even fewer bumped into her. It was the persona she put out. Power and certainty. Weaker wills bowed to it. Single minded people moved away from it and those that sought a leader crowded around it. As the smells of the sea mixed with the smells of lingering smoke, sweat and spoiling food in the high noon sun, the ninja began to slip into the city. High walls of stone met her eyes, beautifully articulate and matched in her mind only by the walls of Donnalaich. Such architecture was never seen in her home. It held a complex and interwoven beauty that she was certain few if any human stone masons had the patience and the fortitude to learn to do.

Moving away from the port lessened the ringing of voices in her ears. The streets nearest the port were a camp for the unlucky, the wounded and the homeless. They waited inside buildings packed to the brim and outside them in tents made of cloth that provided no kind of shelter. The heart of war lay bare. It was never the countries that suffered, never the leaders that started it and proclaimed it, but always the families and the individual. But this was not a fight for her. Kyo was merely here to profit what she could from the situation. She played the role of saviour to no one. Ninjas only dealt in death and thieves in stealing.

Cutting through the streets, their grandeur diminished by the filth that seemed so present now, Kyo took the group into a small alley. No people lined the dark and rank walls here. It stunk too heavily of things better left unidentified.

“Kane, guard the entrance.” Kyo said offhandedly.

The elf did as she was told even though it was apparent to the ninja she would rather be closer to the conversation. If those pointy little ears of hers were any good then Kyo was rather certain she’d be able to catch most of what was said anyway. Saxon had asked to speak to her earlier on the ship, but it had been the wrong time. The ship docked and the time to leave at hand. What he needed to say could now be said in front of the group. A raid was no place to keep secrets.

Her ice blue eyes, met the cool depths of his as she nodded her head to him. “Saxon, show me what you’ve found.”

------------------------------------

Ruin and death, that’s all that lay in The Dead Zone. Homes destroyed, families’ torn apart and charred buildings. Fires still burned, their smoke rising into the distance and clouding what should have been a gloriously bright day. No rain poured down from the heavens to slake the thirst of the flames and no warriors of might and valour seemed capable of defeating the armies of Xum’Zund.

Kyo moved through the desolation. Rot hung in the air like a humid hand ready to choke. She could not tell if it came from the zombies or from the bodies of those who gave their life to protect something. Down streets littered with stones once piled high and columns now nothing more than dust. She did not slither through the shadows like a common criminal here. There was no need. They were the only things living in this place and she had yet to see a single undead. Their forms were either evading her eyes or they had yet to travel deep enough into the remnants of this once great city. To have seen it in the prime of its existence would have been something truly extraordinary for the ninja, yet none of her missions had ever led her here.

She was leading the group towards a western area of The Dead Zone, where Saxon had recommended something to be had. His observations were greatly appreciated and without him, this raid would have been much more difficult. The map he had created for her and updated each night as the dead moved farther into the city was a blessing and a reminder of how dangerous this could be.

“We’ll stick together as a group.” Kyo said to the others following behind her silent steps. “It’s too easy to get lost in this place and it’s too dangerous to separate. If you see something of interest go in pairs to investigate and inform someone else.” The last thing Kyo wanted was to come back with one less thief in her ranks.

[MiaKane]

Hell cast and borne deep into the wreckage that was the elven home land the group marched, well as much of a march as a group this way did walk. There had been a long talk off the bat about where they were headed first, which left the Ice elf with a bit of joy as of all the people, even the old dog of the group, she was chosen to be watch out. Which had been rather easy given all in all.

Hence they had walked into the lion's den in hope of riches. This was not the first time Mia had dealt with those of the dead life. At least this time she wasn't stuck in a barricaded and burning building.

Serenity perched on her shoulder as they moved, some cautious, some like herself, without a real worry in the mix. The undead were actually quite easy to deal with given the circumstances. A quick skull bashing and they were just plain dead once more.

Though one thing that was fun, was that she really had no idea where they were going. Which really made her just giddy with anticipation.