The Robbery. [Closed]

[Mutant_Lorenor]

(Closed to Megan)

Lorenor was pacing back and forth.

How does it feel to be at the buttom rung once more? Lorenor thought to himself. It was a simple den, he preferred finer things, but the recruit training centers were always basic spider dens. He knew where many of them were, and where he could get work. Work befitting a fallen king. The powers that be sought fit to strip Lorenor of his former might. I was so close damn it. To finding a perfect union with N'Jal. Now... He was frustrated those days. He KNEW the motion, he KNEW the training. Yet, protocol dictated he had to go through it one more. The captain of the Spider Magi was a Radasanth Undead. Lorenor didn't bother learning their names at that point. It wouldn't matter long term. He had tasted power, been robbed from it. Now he wanted something else...

"Ah if it isn't the mighty king himself?" There were chuckles in the dark from the gathered spider magi. "What is it YOU want your highness?"

"Spare the pleasantries." Lorenor threatened. "I am here to work just like everybody else."

"It won't be that easy for you, Fallen One." The recruiter said carefully. He looked at Lorenor. "You don't even want to be here."

"I've been here before and bled for the machine, even died. More times than I can remember. Now, I have to start again. So be it." Lorenor knew what eternity meant. It meant having to do the same bullshit over and over until it became second nature. "Funny thing is...I remember your training well." Lorenor's eyes narrowed. "I progressed and you are still here. So what does THAT say?" Lorenor was getting angry.

The Spider Magi looked at Lorenor very carefully. "Only reason you're still alive is because of your insight into N'Jal." The Captain continued to speak. "Listen well, you're gonna go..."

"Shut the fuck up." Lorenor had lost it. He took his elegant steel sword, and pointed it at The Captain's throat. They all drew their weapons. "I am nobody now. I got nothing to lose and I have no loyalty to you." Lorenor felt disgust at what was happening. "Either help me, or fall."

"You no longer have power..." The Captain said very carefully.

Lorenor started to glow with arcane power, dark energies swelled about his body. "I don't think you get the severity of this situation, Captain." Lorenor continued. "I am not bluffing here, you either help me, or I kill all of you and go my own way."

"You..." The Captain looked clearly afraid for a moment. "...I will not help you."

"So be it." Lorenor was prepared to kill the Captain. He pulled his sword backwards. The other Spider Magi simply watched. A moment or two later, it was over. Lorenor had easily removed the Captain's head. Nobody else attempted to attack Lorenor, they knew that the strongest of their ilk had just fallen. Lorenor saw the body of the Captain and began to loot him. One of the Captain's subordinates approached Lorenor, but Lorenor drew his weapon and pointed it at him. "Do not approach without permission." Lorenor said. "Make no mistake, I have no intent of helping any of you."

"No...I am aware." It was a female Spider Magi. "Before you arrived we were given a job. It is a bit risky for us neophytes, we could use your help. Some of us remember what you were and still hold allegiance to you."

Lorenor considered what was being said. "I will need your support then." He made an elegant gesture to all of the Undead gathered. "I will need ALL of your support."

"You have it, Grand Primus. Though the title was stolen, some of us have not forgotten what you did for us." She continued. "There are those of us who will always acknowledge you as our Leader." She smiled gently, it was sincere.

Lorenor nodded. They all knelt before the Fallen One. "What was it that you all were to do?" He felt a pang of regret for killing their trainer, but he knew it was a small step forward. He now had a small squad once more.

"There was a group of wagons spotted up on the eastern area." She continued. "One of the wagons contained an object of importance to the priesthood. We need that object."

"I will assist you." Lorenor said. "Together, if we all combine our might, we will inspire great fear."

"There was an outsider meant to help us. A Thief." She said. "She will meet us on site."

"What is her payment for the job?" Lorenor asked.

"Standard fee, plus one of the objects the caravan is carrying." She responded.

"I will take care of her pay." Lorenor said. "We will see this done, together." The Spider Magi gathered around Lorenor. "We shall be on our way now."

***

The Spider Magi were two fold. There were those capable of assuming Arachnid state and those who were not yet able to transform. Lorenor was a part of the second lot. Only one or two of the Spider Magi with him were capable of transforming, even if temporarily. They stood on a hill that was expressly stated would be the contact point with the thief. The caravan lurked a few yards ahead making steady progress through Ruild. They were heading towards Gisela, a supply carrier. They would be rich with spoil.

"How long was the outsider given?" Lorenor asked. He wanted to know all the details of the contract.

"A few hours. She has good repute, a skilled thief." The same woman said. "Give her time, if her reputation is as important as he contacts claim, she will be here."

"I will pay her a small upfront out of pocket. If you guys will take care of the rest..." Lorenor said.

"It will be done." She saluted and the small outfit, consisting of five well trained Spider Magi surrounded the Fallen One.

A serious expression fell across his face once more. I was at the top, more than once. I no longer want that. I just want my own purpose...

[Reine]

Reine looked down from her vantage point to the caravan and group perched not too far from it. The caravan was slow moving, waggons loaded with provisions and various items, large wooden trunks, barrels and covered backs that kept her eyes from peering inquisitively inside. There were three carts in total, all of which were pulled by two horses. The animals looked tired and old and laboured under the weight of their goods. Each cart had a driver and another person sitting next to them and the caravan itself had eight men at arms surrounding them. She could not discern gender from this distance, though she could tell the majority of them carried sword a couple appeared to have bows, which would be a serious problem for her.

Her eyes then travelled from her target to the group on the hill, the contact point. She was told only one man would be meeting her and yet she found six. Her green and gold eyes narrowed in suspicion as she watched them. Their movements strangely seemed like one around the middle man; if he could be called a man. They were closer to her than a caravan and she could see details. Sunken glowing eyes and pale, lifeless looking flesh with blotches of darker colour, stains almost, that she didn't want to examine too closely. He wore black, everything on him was black and the robes disguised much of his person from her. Pieces of jewellery seemed to cover his body, necklaces, bracelets, rings; everything. They glinted in the light of the autumn sun, slowly descending towards the horizon.

Fear blossomed in her chest as she stared down at them.

Reine squashed it under her heel like an annoying bug.

Hired to do a job, the thief had to do it whether she wanted to or not, or her reputation would begin to crumble. It had taken her a long time to build her repute in both Corone and Fallien. She would not risk losing it simply because they gave her the heebie jeebies.

Pushing back her wayward brown hair from her face, Reine drew in a deep breath and moved from her perch towards the ground. She walked down the grassy hill, the hard soles of her boots, The Iron Shackles, digging in to soft, rain soaked ground and trampling the long grass and wild flowers that bloomed up in every direction. This would be a good advantage to her. The wheels of that caravan could easily become entangled in a struggle, creating panic among the drivers and the horses and allowing them to make off with the good with no bloodshed on either side.

Subconsciously, she ran her hands across her clothes. The deep green and brown jackets a new addition she had purchased especially for this job. It fit tightly around her slim frame, but had trails of rough looking material that flowed off her sleeves and hem. It honestly looked rather silly out of context, but she knew it would help her blend in with the forest and the grass.

Her normal pair of shorts were replaced with pants that hugged her every curve, though subtle they may be. The material of them the same forest green and brown of her shirt. They tucked into the top of her boots, which came up to her knees and were the only item of clothing she could not change the colour of. The Iron Shackles were and always would be black.

Amalia rested on her back, the spear folded up to it's resting state of three feet and snugly slung diagonally across her, from shoulder to hip. Over top of that she had on her never-ending rucksack.

Like always, she painted her face to hide her identity as Faelynn Thiadore. This was Corone she was stealing in, after all, and her home of Underwood was not too far from here. Keeping her family safe was always of top priority to the thief. This time though, the wings that decorated her face were not purple and black. They were those same shifting greens and browns that covered the rest of her body.

The closer she got to the group, the more detail she could pick out and the more Reine's stomach revolted. Instinct told her to turn tail and run for cover and she knew she should probably listen to it too.

As she came around to the back of the group, Reine made as much noise as she possibly could under the circumstances. Being grass and dirt, it didn't exactly go bang, crash, smash too well, but she made do and appeared to get the attention of some of those...undead looking things that surrounded the central man.

Stopping a good ten feet away from them, the thief inclined her head politely and let one of her famous, flirty smiles touch her lips and hide the discomfort she was feeling. This was the first time she'd ever done a robbery with her client and met them under these kind of circumstances, but her time with the Lavinian Thieves had taught Reine many things; one of which being that she needed to diversify.

“Reine, at your service.” She said, her voice light and just beginning that change from girl to womanhood. “I do hope I did not keep you waiting.”

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Lorenor, as attentive as he was, caught it first. His eyes narrowed, thin glowing slits for a moment. He raised his hands, and the group of five neophytes turned to face the approaching thief.

"Hold." Lorenor said plainly. He then turned around and gathered the pouch with one thousand gold pieces. He wasn't certain exactly how much the late captain was going to pay Raine. He was certain not nearly as much as she was worth. Lorenor kept his eyes narrowed, hidden by a shadow from beneath the cowl he wore. He observed the woman very carefully.

"You carry interesting marks." Lorenor said to the woman, referring to her mask. "They are quite detailed." Removing the pouch with the money from his person, the high priest tossed it to the thief's feet. "One grand gold pieces. Plus anything of value to you that does not interfere with our mission." Lorenor was building a bridge, a bridge that he did not intend to burn down any time soon. "We have a request of you, Master Shadow." Shadow was the forsaken word for Thief. One of Lorenor's personal aides looked at the high priest for a moment.

"She may not know what that means..." The woman whispered.

"Forgive me. Master Shadow is how we refer to people of our disposition. You may gather your prizes first. Go in first, and use this." Lorenor walked very close, his walk appeared very troubled. He had a visible limp as he walked probably due to his status as undead. The item was a firework shooter, shipped from Alerar more than likely. It bore Alerar symbols. They were elegant, and the mechanism was a simple switch. "You aim it at the area in front of the wagons. My group and I will take care of the rest. If you play your cards right, you should not bloody your hands. Leave that to me and my group." It was a simple plan, one forged by Spider Magi high command. "Your fireworks will be our signal to go. Launch them when you are ready and we will meet up back here once the deed is done." Lorenor was carefully watching her reactions to his being so close to her. She was nervous. Good, she is not a fool. Lorenor admired her intelligence at using masks, instead of revealing her true identity.

Lorenor's own face was partially hidden beneath a cowled hood he always wore. His cloak was wrapped about his person, dancing in the wind. Trees cast shadows to the east, and several overhanging branches were visible nearby. The tree leaves danced in the wind with the breeze making an endless symphony that Lorenor hated with every fiber of his being. He kept his arms folded across his chest.

As a shorter member of the undead race, he was no titan. He was not built like the Radasanth gladiators of old. He was dense, and had muscle mass, but the baggy clothing he wore hid that. He wore simple priest's attire, completely black. Much of the jewelry he wore was gold, and had simple chains, but what was immediately visible was the symbol's of N'Jal. Any idiot who paid attention during the teachings of the local religions would know the whispers of N'Jal. The forgotten Thayne. The Thayne codex was a popular religion, and rapidly gaining grounds with people who were desperate for change. N'Jal was spoken of with great fear and great respect.

And Lorenor? One of her most devoted priests and followers.

He spoke in a raspy voice, but it was also quite audible. It was not hard to hear. It was more of a presence than a spoken voice. Lorenor gave off a terribly dark energy, one that subtly affected the air around him. He had no control over that yet, but eventually he would. Lorenor commanded respect of all he dealt with. He didn't know how the master shadow would act, but he hoped she had enough intelligence to act with a little respect at least. Lorenor had worked to earn that much at least. He wore the markings of a high priest, but he doubted she would know Spider Magi symbols.

Lorenor noticed that some of his cohorts looked at the hireling with hungry stares. "Behave." He commanded, looking to them. "There will be plenty of meals, she is not to be harmed." Lorenor said. Promising the young thief safety.

[Reine]

Meals? Bloodshed?

Reine stared at the man—no the thing—before her with a growing sense of unease and discomfort. He wasn't human, at least not any more. And he operated in a different world than she was used to. The feeling of dread and the aura of dark that leached off his person was suffocating; choking even. She had to be careful how deeply she breathed, and somewhere in the back of her mind, wondered if it could effect her in any kind of negative way.

Carefully, slowly, the thief knelt and picked up the sack of coins laying forgotten at her feet. The brown leather pouch felt heavy to her, ridiculously heavy. She'd never been paid this much for a job. One thousand gold pieces could sustain her for months. She could take Jared and go on a small vacation with her lover and fellow thief and enjoy some time with just the two of them.

But the thought of them killing all those people down there sobered her.

She'd never killed before in her life.

Never been apart of anything where any one had died.

The idea of it happening here, right now, in front of her, while she could do something to prevent it sickened her. Examining the covered man more closely, she picked out familiar symbols upon his person and felt her stomach rile, the dinner she had eaten hours ago threatening to come back up and make a not so pretty mess all over her boots.

N'jal.

Get a grip, girl. You worked for The Cult of Mitra and they aren't exactly your friendly, neighbourhood do-gooders. They killed people with the items you stole and through that your hands aren't exactly clean.

She didn't like the picture her own brain painted for her.

Bloodshed was and always would be the one thing Reine attempted to avoid at all costs. She could fight with the spear upon her back and due to recent training with the Lavinian's fight quite well with it, not to mention the twin daggers she had within her never-ending rucksack. That did not mean, however, that she wanted to unsheathe it.

Looking at the covered man before her, Reine slipped the money in to her never-ending rucksack and clarified her part in this robbery.

“You wish for me to steal my own item first and create a distraction for you?”

He nodded, black robes rustling along his lean body as his head shifted up and down. “Yes.” His voice a papery whisper of a thing that seemed to snake out all around her.

She shivered.

“Very well...” She said as she took the firecracker from the man in front of her, more than careful to not actually touch him.

That's a lot of money for a distraction.

That suspicion crept back into her mind, but she squashed it. If he betrayed her, he'd be more than surprised at the tricks she possessed. Tricks that she employed to get her out of tough situations scratch free.

Inclining her head to the man—she really did not want to piss him off and end of cursed by any one associated with N'jal—Reine took two steps back and away from him before she turned and headed towards the caravan and the woods surrounding it.



Thirty minutes later, the thief crouched low in the underbrush. The smell of damp earth permeated her senses and tickled her nose. Rotting sticks dug into her stomach, ribs an one even pressed against that junction between her thighs in a rather unpleasant way. But every time she shifted to try and get more comfortable, the bush above her shifted and rustled and created too much noise Logically, she knew that even if they heard her, which they shouldn't over the creaking of their carts wheels or the snickers of their horses; not to mention their casual banter, they'd think it was nothing but the wind. Still, logic did not always have a lot to do with it when your heart thundered in your ears and adrenaline pumped through your every vein and fibre, creating pleasurable shivers throughout your entire body.

Looking through the tapestry of leaves, glinting in the dying light of the sun, Reine watched as the first of the carts trundled by her. Her price lay in the third cart. Having contacts in the world of shipping and trading, Reine knew that several enchanted items were being shipped. They lay within a locked trunk made of red wood, cursed wood fro the rest forest. She honestly had no idea what items were inside, her contacts could not be clear of that, but enchanted anything sold for major money and she'd recently begun to start a nice collection of enchanted items. This job gave her a chance to expand that.

The booted feet of several men-at-arms walked by her, caked in mud, their hems worn and torn and trailing stray threads from weeks of travel and not enough pay. Then the second cart trundled by.

She took a deep breath.

She always did. That last one to steady the shake in her hands and calm her heart. It never completely worked.

Horse hooves trampled the sodden ground. Then the first set of cart wheels. She took her chance, now or never. Tucking her arms in tight against her sides, Reine rolled out onto the road only two feet away from her and right underneath the cart. She stopped on her back and hard only a couple seconds to reach up and grab the support on the underside, pulling herself up off the mud as the cart continued to roll by.

She held her breath and waited.

No one gave a cry of alarm.

No one saw her.

Lowering herself only a couple inches off the ground, she looked and counted the feet. Three guards were surrounding the cart she hung from, one on the right, one of the left and one at the back.

Damn.

Picking a side at random, she shifted over to the left and carefully looked. The guard behind the cart stood more in the middle, he could not see her from here and she could not see him. But the other guy, tall and burly and carrying a rather long and deadly looking sword across his back, stood right in the middle. She moved back farther and then carefully climbed out, his back to her, and slipped under the tent covering the caravan and into the back.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she took a couple seconds to get her bearings, eyes quickly assessing everything around her. Barrels of cloth, several chests, bags of grain and weapons. Lots of weapons. The metal clanged and rang in the air as the cart bumped along the uneven road.

She ignored the weapons, she had Amalia, Styxx and Acheron, she could ask for no more than that. The truck she spotted quickly, the red wood bright against all the others. Smiling, Reine picked her way quietly through the debris and knelt down next to it, running her fingers across the smooth and cold wood, revelling in the feel of it. Slipping her pack off, the thief reached within and concentrated on her lock picks, well, actually they were Jared's lock picks and she had merely borrowed them from him. And by borrowed, she meant that in the most lawful way possible, he'd given them to her for practice purposes. She had not 'borrowed' them with intent to give back before he noticed them missing. That would be wrong and wholly unnecessary.

Examining the lock, a rather good one, but old and slightly rusting, she selected which picks would work best and set to work.

It took her ten minutes to crack it.

Longer than she anticipated, but she'd never picked a lock fuelled by this much adrenaline, knowing that if anyone peeked into the back of the cart they'd see her. It caused her hands to shake, sweat to break out down her back and begin soaking into her mud splattered clothing. When that last tumbler clicked into place and the lock fell open, Reine felt all the tension melt out of her body in an almost orgasmic sensation.

She threw the lid open on her high, eyes tearing through the contents. A colour piece of cloth that shimmered, though she had no idea what she'd do with it. A couple weapons lay within, small ones. A dagger, jewel encrusted sheathe catching her eye, a stick of some kind, a pair of greaves, but her eyes eventually fell upon a pair of gloves. Just ordinary, brown leather gloves. She didn't know why, but every time she looked away, her green gold eyes eventually wandered back that way.

Gently, she reached inside and ran her fingers over them.

A pulse raced up her fingers and arm, all the way to her stomach where it settled into a comfortable warmth.

Smiling, the thief snatched them up and slid them into her rucksack, knowing that she had lingered long enough and needed to get out of here before someone got curious. She closed the lid and slid the lock back into place to cover her tracks. Lifting the flap and peeking outside, Reine waited for a clear moment then slid out of the caravan and disappeared into the brush surrounding it on either side, the encroaching forest having grown dark and ominous as the set had nearly set while she'd been inside.

With hurried steps she raced through the forest. Branches whipped at her face and body, pulling her hair from it's braid and tugging at her clothes. She felt a sting against her cheek and felt a warmth trickle down. One of the branches had broken skin, but she didn't care. The adrenaline still within her numbed the slight pain.

Every now and again, her head whipped to the side as she checked the progress of the caravan. Once she was twenty feet in front of it, she veered back towards the path and pulled the firework from her pocket. Stepping out from the forest only a bit, hoping her clothes would help her blend in with her surroundings, Reine pushed the switched as he had showed her; eyes widening in surprise as the firecracker let off.

Sparks of various colours shot forth from the item in her hand, travelling at rapid speed and distance towards the caravan. The horses reared, their eyes rolling with fear, drivers shouting as they attempted to control the panicking animals as they attempted to escape the bright colours that sparked and danced and blinded even her eyes in the twilight. She turned her head away and continued to hold the item as more shot out, wondering just what the man who hired her had planned next.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

When the sparks of light flared off in front of the caravan, Lorenor smiled. She got the job done. He raised his fist, closed for troops to steady themselves. There was shouts as the men of the caravan attempted to hold the horses steady. It was already too late. Once the horses were calmed after the impressive fireworks display, Lorenor gave the signal. He pointed in the general direction of the caravan, and like locusts, the spider magi neophytes descended upon the group of wagons.

They were skilled you see, those spider magi, for neophytes were going through brutal training. Lorenor knew the truth. There was one particular member of the wagon they were after. That man held Lornor's prize. The hand of N'Jal was never forced without precise reason, an endlessly spreading web. Lorenor's glowing eyes stared towards the caravan even as he walked.

"Checkmate." Lorenor whispered quietly and began to walk down towards the group of wagons.

Lorenor heard the sounds of combat as the guards were initiated directly by his neophytes. Lorenor drew his magnificent weapon, a steel masterwork sword. It glowed with a terrible darkness that matched it's evil master. Lorenor covered the distance between the wagon. He started to recite text in the language of N'Jal, an unsettling tongue that the priesthood was well skilled in. Lorenor walked very slowly as he observed the chaos that unfolded. It took only five minutes for the passenger of the decorated wagon to show himself. Five minutes. Two men fell in that time. His neophytes knew what to expect, what they were about to face.

The priest stepped outside of the wagon, heavy boots crunching the sodden earth below. It was early evening by that point, and the stars were twinkling overhead as the sun set. The priest had a mask too, it was decorated in the markings of Lord Draconus's priesthood. He wore a green colored cloak that was wrapped around his person, and when he landed he spreads both arms quickly. His cloak flew open like a pair of wings.

"What is the meaning of this!?" The priest asked. He wore decorative clothing, the markings of advanced priesthood. He was no neophyte.

Lorenor sensed it as he drew closer to the wagon.

Fear.

The short spider magi made his way towards the priest of Draconus. His neophyte warriors engaging the guards and taking them down at will. Lorenor would not stop them. The horses were set free quickly to prevent an escape route. Lorenor continued to recite the words of N'Jal. Too hideous for mortal tongues to comprehend. Lorenor wanted his enemy to be terrified. Lorenor saw that the Draconus priest drew a weapon, it was a plynt greatsword. But furthermore, the masked maniac held a glowing object on his person. A glow that spider magi were trained to see. He carries the key! Lorenor thought to himself. A perfect sort of guard, well played. Lorenor had to focus on the task at hand.

"The Scourge are attacking!" Scourge was another term for undead. It was one of the guards who yelled that, attempting to fend off the neophyte spider magi.

"More than Scourge." The Draconus priest spotted the markings of N'Jal on the shorter creature's clothing and jewelry. His eyes narrowed behind his mask. "They are Spider Magi! Men, to arms!" But the order was given too late. The men who were capable of fighting already were. There were only six spider magi, SIX, compared to a much larger force of the wagoneers.

"You there." Lorenor called to the brutish giant of a man. Draconus priests were incredibly strong and powerful. "You carry what I am after. Give it up and your people will be spared."

"I carry...?" The Draconus priest asked. Then he suddenly realized what this was all about. "You cannot be seriously after The Key!?" The priest called back to the spider magi.

"You know of what I speak. Give it up, and I will call my men off. I am only after the key." Lorenor was being truthful. He hated needless bloodshed, for Undead envied the living. He killed when he had to, never for sport.

The Draconus priest looked about the field and saw the carnage that was taking place. "Stop them!" He called out to Lorenor. The priest removed the key from his person, it was attached to a silver chain that glowed with tremendous power. Though Draconus favored power, it was never at the loss of his servants and followers.

Lorenor spotted the key and noticed it was a quadratic device. A very rare type of relic predating the Demon's War. Lorenor pointed his weapon towards the priest of Draconus. "Toss it my way. I will call my men off at that point only." Lorenor said.

They had reached a juncture. The Draconus priesthood, no, the priesthood of the Thayne in general, had an honor code. They had allegiances and other means to attempt to protect their followers and allies. The Draconus priest looked at the quadratic key for a moment, a long moment. Then looked at Lorenor.

"I am afraid I cannot let you have this." The Draonus priest suddenly said. "You will have to snatch it from my deathgrip!" The priest replaced the chain around his neck. Then he took his greatsword and started to dash in a mad rush towards Lorenor.

It had begun.

Lorenor simply smiled as he waited for the mad priest.

[Reine]

Reine stared in horror. In shock and revulsion. In disbelief and confusion. She couldn't find just one emotion that fit the carnage going on around her. And it was carnage. No battle, no war, nothing so honourable as that. What she saw was slaughter and death and beings that possessed not an ounce of mercy within them.

After she set off the firecracker, everything happened so fast. Those black clad things, long passed being human, descended from their perch and like a swarm of locusts cut through the caravan. They sliced the reins of the horses clean through with deadly looking claws. Screaming in terror, those freed animals took off in every direction they possibly could, bent on freedom. One even trampled a guard, his screams of pain silenced by a sickening crunch as a hoof drove itself into his skull.

Blood flew through the air, and a fleshy looking pink mass Reine could only assume to be his brain squeezed out the cracks and corners of what used to be his face.

She felt her stomach revolt.

Biting down on her bottom lip so hard she tasted blood, the thief forced the contents back down even as she tasted that bile in the back of her throat.

The drivers were pulled from their seats next, their passengers screaming in abject terror and scrambling for something, anything[/I[ to help them fend off the creatures as they practically ripped them apart.

Standing there, watching everything unfold, she felt strangely detached from the situation; like she was there but not really. Like she was part of it and yet wholly separate.

[I]I caused this.

One of the guards spotted her. A man perhaps only a couple years older than she, eyes wide with fear and anger as he watched his fellow men-at-arms fall to the vicious hands on those clad in black. Sword clutched in a grip gone white, face ashen and pale, he advanced towards her; his brown hair sweat sodden and soaked against his forehead.

He never made it.

One of those things, that man's followers, grabbed him first. He yelled a cry of alarm, sword arm reacting beyond the fear from years of training. Reine watched the short battle as he attempted to cut down the woman. She dodged each swing, quick as a snake, and showed no signs of slowing while he breath grew laborious and heavy.

He brought his arm up and swung down, heavily. Booted foot slipping on the mud, over reaching his target. The woman pounced on him in an instance. She went right for the throat, her mouth open wide and Reine let out a strangled cry of protest as she watched her rip into the side of his neck.

A large chunk of flesh came away in her mouth. The look on her face akin to pleasure as she swallowed it. Half his neck missing, she watched in horror as his gloved hand clutched at it, blood spurting out in streams to the rapid beat of his heart, eyes rolling everywhere before resting on her.

Reine threw up just as his body hit the ground.

The acid burned all up her throat. The taste vile as it invaded her mouth; smell filling her nostrils and overriding the stench of fear and blood that permeated the area. She retched again, body doubled over, stomach contracting and contorting and threatening to slide up her throat as well.

Shaking, sucking in shallow gasps of filthy air, Reine slowly straightened just in time to see a man close distance on her. Sword shining in the twilight. Instinct alone saved her.

She threw herself to the side as the weapon whistled by where her neck used to be. It cut cleanly through the air and decapitated several wild flowers that had been at her feet.

Landing on the hard ground only gave her a second of reprieve. He came at her again, she rolled and scrambled to her feet. Her left hand reached behind her, shaking fingers wrapping around the cool metal of her spear; Amalia. Feeling it in her hand brought her a small feeling of calm, but not much. Not when she could still hear the screams of dying men.

She ripped the spear from her sheath and crossed it in front of her chest just as he came at her again. The sound of ringing, resounding metal filled the air, her hands vibrated from the impact. The amount of force he put behind his swing caused her to arch back slightly.

Using the length of her weapon to her advantage, even in it's smaller three-foot state, Reine forced the sword down along the length, unbalancing him and finally sending him flying away from her. He stumbled only a couple steps. It gave her the moment she needed to twist the rings in the centre of the spear and twirl the weapon about in her hands, unfolding it to it's full five foot length.

Standing at the ready, Reine saw another of the guards begin to approach her from the right and cursed her rotten luck.

She never should have taken this job.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Lorenor spotted it first.

The Draconus priest readied his attack and bent his knees in a leaping charge. He held his weapon at the ready, and swung towards the follower of N'Jal. Lorenor moved to the side at best speed, the world slowing down as he moved. He could hear the sounds of carnage, blood and devastation all around. It was a wonderful symphony of destruction that gave the mutant high priest a purpose. Violence. The follower of N'Jal raised his mighty steel sword and intercepted the plynt greatsword. There was a spark of light, as the two weapons were momentarily one object. Metal grinded on metal making an annoying screeching sound that was amplified by all the screaming of dying folk.

Two guards approached the thief, weapons at the ready. But they made a serious mistake. Tactical errors that were easily exploited by the followers of N'Jal, undead horrid and repulsive creatures. The black clad figure of the girl Reine had spotted earlier inadvertently acted to save the thief. She caught wind of the thief and saw that the lady was in trouble. The scourged woman suddenly stood up from her body and jumped through the air using her body as a weapon. Her hood moved to reveal the undead features of the woman. Sunken in flesh, and pale skin. Her glowing eyes were pale blue, but had a fierce hunger and intellect in them. The knowledge needed to KILL.

She jumped through the air and was almost as a blur. Using impossible mobility and reflexes, she landed on top of the back one of Reine's pursuers.

"You have bigger problems than a thief my friend." Came the scourged woman's raspy voice. She proceeded to tear through the armour of the guard like it was little more than burnt leaves. The guard reacted too late as he attempted to shift his body weight to strike at the horrid creature attacking him. She was already upon him, and causing mounting damage. With deliberate precision, she used claws and teeth to tear the man apart right before Reine.

The other guard, momentarily in a state of shock, decided which of the evils was more important to dispatch. The guard kept his weapon at the ready, and yelled a rallying battle cry. He slashed at the scourged woman, who simply laughed at the attack as she consumed the first guard slowly. VERY slowly. The second guard was attempting to attack the undead woman, she was skillfully evading his attacks. Dancing about, the undead creature moved with tremendous skill around the armed man, she was almost playfully cutting the guard with each pass she attempted. Literally, she was playing with her food.

Undead tactics did not hold honor, or standard military tactics.

It was a brutal method of warfare.

The scourged woman looked at Reine periodically as if checking on her well being. "You should escape!" The woman yelled at Reine. "You have immunity in this operation."

***

Dancing about the priest of Draconus, Lorenor moved with increasing skill.

He kept blocking or evading the man's attacks outright.

"You're holding back!" The Draconus follower yelled angrily. "If you want the key why not take it from me!?" The man yelled.

"I am waiting for something." The mutant high priest dodged another incoming attack. This one was an overhead chop.

"What would that be!?" The agent of Draconus asked.

"That." Lorenor suddenly said. It had taken approximately twenty minutes, but that taint of the scourge was in effect. Lorenor's eyes narrowed as N'Jal's worked the mighty well that she weaved across all things. The once living, now little more than infected, began to slowly rise and listen to the call of N'Jal. Whatever injuries they held were healed by the tent of the Scourge, even as they rotted. Lorenor had gained three new allies. Two of the enemy units were eaten too completely to reanimate as scourge. Those simply were dead. Lorenor made a circle motion with one hand, pointing his finger to the sky. One of the nearby fellows wearing black saw it, and relayed the order to the rest.

In a matter of moments the agent of Draconus was surrounded.

Lorenor became very serious and lowered his hood to amplify the severity of the situation. "Give me the key." Lorenor commanded. "I will spare you if you surrender the key now."

"My friends..." The Draconus priest said carefully, and became overwhelmed by psychotic emotion. He looked at Lorenor for a moment, and then sheathed his weapon. The priest walked over towards Lorenor and handed over the quadratic key.

"You are very wise." Lorenor said carefully. "Had you surrendered this sooner, your friends would not be Scourge."

"Why have you done this?" The agent of Draconus asked. "Don't you know what The Gate is locking?"

"Precisely the reason I hunt the keys." Lorenor sheathed his weapon. "Tell your superiors what has happened here." Lorenor said calmly. "I am coming for The Gates of Sensibility."

"Why...?" The priest asked, as he looked at Lorenor.

"I am after the resources in a land called Ayenee. Beyond The Gates of Sensibility. But you will not be told anymore than that. Go now, and return to your superiors!"

The Draconus priest seemed to consider what he had just found out. But soon realized the seriousness of the matter, the priest fled in the direction of the nearest town.

Lorenor held the chain in his hand as he stared at the enticing power of the quadratic key. "Only one ingredient is missing."

One of the men wearing black approached Lorenor. "The quadratic key..." He said carefully. "There are actually TWO keys that combine into one unit."

"I know where the other one is..." Lorenor said with a smile on his face. He walked towards where he smelled the thief, one of his scourged agents had not seen the signal and was fending off a last remaining guard. "Interesting." Lorenor said as he observed the unfolding events. "Do not approach the situation, I want to see how good the woman really is. If she needs help we will intervene then." Lorenor said carefully. He watched both the scourged woman, and Reine as they maneuvered to...

[Reine]

A large part of her, a very, very large and wise and smart and intelligent part of her, knew that she should heed the words of the undead woman and escape. She had no part in this battle and wanted nothing to do with it. All she wanted was to scrape the memories of this theft--no this massacre--from her mind. But she couldn't. There was still one guard left, one man she could attempt to save if only her legs would obey her, if only her hands weren't wrapped so tightly around Amalia that her knuckles turned white and fingers lost feeling in them.

The site, the image if this woman before her eating that man, slowly, and enjoying every piece of his flesh she could stuff into her mouth would haunt her for the rest of her life. The blood dripping down her chin and splattering across her face as teeth tore apart flesh and muscle, broke through veins and arteries and turned that guard--that man--into nothing more than a meal would forever more live in her nightmares.

The bile rose to the back of her throat. Reine forced it down. She tried to forced her hands and arms to stop shaking too, but couldn't. The tip of Amalia wobbled in the twilight.

Helplessly, she watched the undead follower of N'jal toy with the last guard, a young man perhaps only a few years older than she. His frantic, fear filled eyes dancing about for some way to escape. His face a contorted mask of every emotion she currently felt warring inside of her. Another swipe of his sword, easily dodged by that woman and her lightning fast reflexes, and like that she lashed out again. Claws striking out, finite droplets of blood flying through the air. The gasp and sudden intake of shallow breath as he wheeled away too late. More blood flowed across the already soaked road, the puddles turning red from it.

Do something!

He didn't recover as fast this time. Adrenaline could only take you so far when your body was covered in wounds, when you could see the inevitable.

The sleeves of his tunic were shredded and left hanging from his arms, which ran red with sweat and blood. The studded leather armour he wore should have provided some protection, but that woman's claws cut through it like butter, making it look like nothing more than flimsy cloth.

Help him!

Reine took a step forward, mud and blood squishing up the sides of her boots. Everything that happened next felt so slow, but went by so fast.

The guard lunged in desperation, his sword glinting in the last light of the sun. The undead woman, the scourge of N'jal, parried the jab aimed at her torso. Reine tried to force her feet to move, but they felt trapped by the mud and she only managed a few steps. Her mouth opened and she yelled something, she didn't know what, but she yelled it. The follower of N'jal ignored her. She lept, pounced on the young man and brought him to the ground. Her teeth tore into his neck and his shrieks and screams filled the air before turning into a gurgle. His hands clawed her shoulders and back, pulling at her face and head, feet kicking wildly beneath her body before one final, desperate choking sound escaped him and he went still.

She could have saved him, but hadn't. She could have stopped that woman, but she'd hesitated.

Green-gold eyes wide with fear, Reine backed away from the woman as she continued to feast on his still form. Her breathing turned rapid and shallow, chest rising and falling in desperation to draw in more air.

She turned, looking for an escape, but stopped dead in her tracks. The rest of them stood behind her. That man, the one who hired her and paid her to help in this, this (I)destruction(I), stood looking at her. She couldn't see his eyes but she could feel his gaze. The rest huddled around him, like ants, and several more were now added to their ranks. She recognized them as the drivers and the guards, those that were not completely consumed by the rest of them.

"D-don't! Don't come near me!" Her voice quivered as she spoke.

She brandished her spear in front of her as she walked back. Her breathing growing ragged, her eyes looking everywhere and nowhere. A tightness began to form in her chest, like her lungs were being squeezed.
They were gonna kill her. Just like the rest. They'd kill her and eat her and she'd become one of them.

the edges of her vision began to turn black. Her legs felt like pudding. No matter how much air she sucked in, it wasn't enough. She needed more.

"Stay...away...I can't breathe...why can't I breathe?"

What did he do to her? Why couldn't she breathe!?

She took another step back and felt her leg give out. A jolt rushed through her body as her knees slammed into the mud and water and blood. She could feel it soaking into her pants, coating her skin. Amalia slipped from her limp fingers.

The dark tunnel of her vision narrowed further until all she could see was that man, her contractor, as he stepped towards her. Then she felt the sensation of falling and everything went black.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Fear. Fear is my weapon. Lorenor recited the precepts of N'Jal as he observed everything unfolding before him. The female scourge, simply named Lauren, walked towards him after she had feasted. He looked at her very carefully and nodded with respect.

"You have done well neophyte." Lorenor said. He looked at his growing companions and nodded to them. "She is not to be touched. Like the Draconus priest, she will live to spread fear. Fear of what is coming." Lorenor walked over to the passed out thief and picked her up with his undead strength. He held her close to him, she protested in her sleep, but the high priest cared little. "We take her back with us and will let her go when she awakens." Lorenor promised. "We cannot leave her here by herself after she has helped us get the key." Lorenor said. The other scourged members of the fold listened to the older Spider Magi and would respect his word.

The mutant held Reine against him like he would a small child. Precious. Important. She is the key to what is coming. Lorenor thought to himself, and literally left the rest of the items to his companions. All he cared about was the key. The wagons were thoroughly looted. Once everything usable was salvaged, the small group of Scourge made their way back home. Back to the den.

The journey was a simple walk through the darker part of the wilderness, trees leaning down attempting to scrape the undead for even a single scratch of damage. The scourge were the bane of life. Glowing eyes pierced the dark from some twisted nether realm. They arrived upon the den a short time later, and went down into the earth. As promised, Lorenor would keep Reine safe from harm. He placed her down atop a marble coffin. Looking at her the entire time she slept.

There were matters that needed discussing. Lorenor would allow the girl to sleep as long as she needed until she regained her strength. Two guards were hidden in the room, observing the mutant and his guest. Lorenor sat on a simple chair, a would be throne. His glowing purple eyes contained the nether storms within his very dark soul. He wore his hood up and simply sat there, smoking cannibus herb out of habit. It was a particularly potent variety of the herb and it filled the chamber with it's smoke. He was hoping the strong scent would wake her up.

As he waited, Lorenor wrote a letter to her. A letter that he knew would contain a request. A very special request. The mutant was gifted with leadership qualities, but it seemed to not work as well on the living. Lorenor wrote the letter for her with a fancy fountain pen. Ink was stationed in a simple container next to him and he periodically dipped it as he wrote. In that fashion, Lorenor wrote and smoke the entire time the masked thief slept. Many thoughts passed through his mind. The main one being how quickly she would get put to work for the scourge...

[Reine]

Reine could smell something.

She didn't know what it was, but it was strong and cloying. She breathed in deeply and felt her lungs constrict from it, tightening, instinctively she coughed, trying to rid herself of the foreign substance. But every time she pulled air in, she just breathed more of it. Her head began to swim, thoughts turning fuzzy, body heavy. She wanted to just roll back over and sleep again, but a nagging feeling told her to open her eyes.

And she was cold.

Where was Jared to keep her warm?

Shifting, Reine reached to her right, hand hitting nothing but air before falling against a hard, cold surface.

"Hmm...Jared?"

She opened her eyes and found herself staring up at a stone ceiling through a veil of smoke. Orange flickered off the walls and reflected off the grey mist, but she could not see the source of the light. At first she thought she was in the Thieves Guild in Lavinya, but as her cloudy mind began to take stock of her surroundings she realized this was not her room, nor Jared's. This didn't even seem like the Thieves Guild at all.

She was lying on stone, the cold from the large slab radiated up into her body. Her fingers were beginning to turn numb and goosebumps were breaking out all across her skin; shivers racking her body.

Turning her head, she found herself staring across a small, round chamber. Towards the back wall, a man cloaked in black sat upon a chair, pen scratching away on a piece of paper, cowl covering his face.

The smoke came from him, a hand rolled cigarette of some kind glowed a red ember from the shadow of his face.

It took her befuddled mind a moment to catch up, to remember who he was.

Her contractor.

The man who hired her to help rob a caravan. Only he hadn't used her as a thief, he'd used her as a pawn, a distraction, while his undead creatures killed every single one of them. And for what?

That fear she felt before began to well up inside her heart. Her heartbeat increased and the sudden flood of adrenaline helped to clear away the film that covered her thoughts, most likely caused by the lazy tendrils of smoke that hung everywhere.

Slowly, Reine pulled herself up from the stone slab. Muscles in her back, neck and shoulders protested from laying prone on such an uncomfortable surface, but the thief had other things to worry about. Mainly her life and just what this man had planned for her. She wouldn't still be alive if he didn't have something in mind. He could have turned her at any point, just like all those new additions he'd made out of the poor people guarding that caravan. He could have left her in that hell hole, or he could have simply killed her. Instead, she found herself safe (or so it seemed at the moment) and wholly untouched.

"W-where am I?" Her voice sounded so loud in the silence of the chamber and she cringed as it bounced around the stone walls. "Why did you bring me here?"

[Mutant_Lorenor]

"My people call these places Dens." Lorenor began to explain once he sensed her stir.

Senses for the undead functioned differently and he could see with hits ethereal eyes closed. He did not look up from the letter he was writing, he simply wrote until his pen hand decided to stop. Lorenor placed the letter on a simple oak desk that was next to his person. He looked at the girl for a long moment, his expression was very calm and still. He kept his hood up out of habit, he did not want to frighten the girl. The story began as most stories begin: with a question. Lorenor listened to the girl for a long moment. After that moment passed, he folded his hand across his lap.

"You were brought here because you passed out during the battle." Lorenor said. "It would not do to have someone of your beauty be slain over such a trivial matter." Lorenor kept his glowing eyes locked upon Reine's person. "You have a talent." Lorenor said. "You moved through the wagons with great skill, I admired that." Lorenor continued. "I have use for someone of your skill on a more permanent basis if you're willing to look past the nature of my people. Otherwise, the story ends and you can go back to your regular life believing whatever you want about what happened."
Lorenor felt that he owed her an apology. "It must have been quite a shock to see how my people fight." His eyes narrowed. "I must ask for your forgiveness, but there was no way to warn you ahead of time. We needed an outsider to pull this heist off."

Lorenor paused for a moment, he was clearly deep in thought. "You should know. You were not turned at my request." He was being sincere, the girl was skilled and he wanted to make full use of her skills. His mind was calculating matters, other jobs, future profits if the girl was willing to accept him as a more permanent contractor. His people could do well with the presence of someone more alive. "I have written you a letter." Lorenor stood up and moved to hand her the parchment. "It contains the nature of the business contract I would like to share with you. You are good at what you do, Reine." He nodded. "I have use for someone with your particular talents. You helped me obtained the item I was after." Lorenor pulled the chained item from out of a pack near his chair and held it for her to see. "This is a key known as a quadratic key. It serves one purpose..." Lorenor felt he owed her an explanation. "It will open The Gates of Sensibility." He paused for a moment. "At least that is what I believe is the case." He added in a careful way.

He held his smoking pipe with one hand, as it burnt the embers of the cannibus herb. The light from the embers cast eerie shadows upon the crypt's walls. "You are not a prisoner here, you are free to go when you wish to. But I would advise you recover your strength for, you seemed quite ill for a while there." The high priest said. He kept his eyes locked on Reine's person, studying her to see what she would do next.

[Reine]

He wanted to hire her for more jobs?

Reine's stomach tightened in protest. Did that mean more death? More people turned into those zombie like things that she could only guess were spider magi now that she could think a little clearer. She'd never seen a spider magi before, so she couldn't be sure, but she did have some knowledge of the Thayne religion. In all honesty though, it was a speck of knowledge in the vast desert of Fallien. And the Gates of Sensibility, she had no idea what those were but they sounded pretty serious. Did he want her help opening it? D

If she refused him, would he curse her? Kill her and eat her like the other humans? No, he said she had not been turned by his word. If he wanted to force her to work for him, he could have done so. Instead he was asking. Perhaps there was still a little humanity left inside of him, or perhaps it was just wishful thinking on her part. She didn't know and the thief felt like she was floundering amidst a heavy storm with no land in sight.

She rarely refused a job. In fact, now that she thought about it, she'd only ever refused one before. Would she make it two?

The one thing Reine did know, she could not make this decision lightly.

She looked up from the swirling patterns of marble, eyes drawn to something other than his oppressive, dark form as she thought.

"I need time to think about it." She told him with honesty. Hopefully he'd give her that time.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Lorenor listened to the dark for a moment. Once, the voice of N'Jal came so clear to him. He was the predator of predators, and worked to achieve what no other living Spider Magi had achieved. Perfect unity with the spider matron. And that was all robbed from him, further, a different desire had taken root in his heart. I no longer want the unity with N'Jal. He was there at the top of all things, and that great achievement was taken from him. Discarded. They discarded me like the rest of the trash. Lorenor was angry for a brief moment, but he had heard her request. She needs time, I probably scared her more than I meant to. Lorenor let the silence linger for a full five minutes. Then he looked up at Reine.

"You may take all the time you need. Come back to me when you are ready." Lorenor stood up. "You have been through a tremendous amount all at once. I could have warned you but you might not have taken the job." Lorenor shook his head. "My people are changing." He said. "Not just them, but I am as well." He hesitated. Why am I telling her this? He took the letter he was writing her and handed it to her. "This. Contains instructions of how we may meet in the future if you ever decide to help me again." Lorenor admired the thief. "You have great skill, I wish upon you great success in all of your endeavors." Then he said one more thing which he hoped she would always remember. "I can no longer feel N'Jal." For Lorenor, having his connection severed was the same as true death. He was lost without the commanding purpose of N'Jal.

He was desperate and looking for a new purpose. "But that is not a concern for you. Go back to the world of the living, and tell them the story of what has happened here. What you have seen. I just want to be remembered." Lorenor said. As he handed her the letter, there was almost an air of desperation. "I want a purpose again. They have robbed me of my purpose." The high priest was lost and confused. He had not felt so lost in many ages. He looked down to the ground. "You are free to go." Then Lorenor moved to sit back down on his empty throne. Devoid. Empty. Lacking that which mattered the most.

Purpose.

[Reine]

I just want to be remembered.

Those words felt haunting to the thief. Everyone wanted to be remembered. No one wished to fade into obscurity. But it was the way he said it, the catch in his voice as he stretched out his arm and offered her that folded piece of paper. She didn't know why, but she felt something for him at that moment. It wasn't pity, no, Reine always tried her best not to pity anyone, perhaps it just was. Something she couldn't describe. But either way, she felt it.

Reaching out tentatively, Reine took the letter from him outstretched hand and watched him return to his throne.

I can no longer feel N'Jal.

Her eyes lingered on his dark form for a time. Then with careful movements she eased herself off the marble slab--oh God, it was actually a coffin. Reine closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. The image of him sleeping in this thing immediately sprang to the forefront of her mind and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't squash it. Darkness just rolled off him and to her, it seemed fitting, even if highly improbable and inaccurate. The imagination did not always work logically.

Seeing her things on the floor, Reine quickly gathered her spear and rucksack. She folded Amalia into it's smaller form and sheathed it on her back, then slipped the straps of her rucksack over top, after carefully placing the letter inside. Absently she wondered if she'd ever open it.

Looking one last time at her contractor, Reine slipped out of the room and found herself in a tunnel of sorts. The walls were built of stone, but water leaked through and created a strange, reflective dance in the torch light. It ascended up slightly and the thief could only assume that following it would lead her to freedom.

As she walked, she found herself in another chamber of sorts, round in design and with several other tunnels branching off from it. She didn't know which way to turn. One of them had to lead out, didn't it?

"Couldn't have given me directions, huh?" Reine mumbled aloud.

The hair on the back of her neck stood on end.

"The exit is the middle tunnel."

Reine practically jumped out of her skin as the familiar voice snaked through the chamber. Looking for a source, she watched as the woman from earlier detached herself from the shadows and moved forward.

"Oh...uh...thanks." Reine said as she turned towards the middle tunnel. She couldn't see any light, but the sun had been setting during the raid. It was most likely night now.

Turning her back on the spider magi made her exceedingly uncomfortable, but the thief disliked the idea of spending any more time in this suffocating environment even more, so she walked passed the woman, every nerve in her body tingling and ready to take action at the slightest movement.

"You live only because he allowed it."

The words echoed in the dark and caused her blood to run cold. Reine didn't know what to say to that, she merely paused and looked behind her at the dark robed stranger, before turning and walking away.
Outside, the sun had set, perhaps hours ago. She had no way of knowing how long she had been unconscious or even where she was right now. The latter definitely being the more important.

Well, actually, she did kind of know where she was and it made her feel queasy.

As she walked out of a small stone structure and pushed open a wrought iron gate, Reine found herself standing in a graveyard. Moonlight glinted off the crypts and tombstones, creating a disturbing display of light and dark on her night adjusted eyes. Tall grass grew everywhere, covering most of the stones nearly to the top and half the trees appeared to be dead. Apparently, this place had been abandoned long ago.

"Well, this is just lovely..." She muttered.

Reine took two steps onto the soft, green grass then felt something slam itself against the side of her skull. Her vision blackened. She fought tooth and nail and clawed herself back to some form of consciousness.

Not again...

Blinking rapidly to clear the spots and darkness from her eyes, the thief found herself on the ground. Blades of grass tickled her face and a deep throbbing started at her temple and spread. Knowing she didn't hit herself in the head, Reine tried to move. Her assailant couldn't have gone far. Rolling to her hands to knees, she heard shuffling along the ground and turned in time to see a large boot coming straight towards her face.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Having stalked Lorenor and Reine the entire time after his mates were killed, Hektor Kruz was a man on a mission. As a servant of The Thayne, Lord Draconus, Kruz needed to redeem himself in the eyes of the lord. Having served Draconus most of his life, he knew what the children of the spider magi were, The Scourge. Kruz was attempting to knock Reine out as she left one of the crypts and vaguely wondered why she had been spared. No matter. Kruz thought to himself as he saw her struggling in the dirt. Kruz wanted the damned key back, he couldn't report back to the high temple in failure. He would barter with the girl if need be. Kruz hated having to resort to such tactics, but there was a higher threat involved there.

Lorenor represented some sort of a leadership caste in the spider magi society, and Kruz needed to extinguish that flame. He wore an elegant mask stylized in the image of Lord Draconus. The mask appeared to be comprised of some sort of a scale material. Also, the man wore a cowl around his head to hide any discernable features and his entire body was covered. He wore the robes of a high priest, and several pieces of intricate jewelry. He did not speak as he assaulted Reine, he simply acted. He used the leather gloves wrapped around his hands as blunt weapons meant to knock Reine out. Somehow, she was not unconscious yet. What the fuck...!? That was a clean strike... Kruz wondered if she had some sort of supernatural resilience. He shrugged the thought aside, he had to complete the delivery of the quadratic key. It was one part of a machine like device, the other half was lost long ago...

Kruz circled around Reine and kept his fists balled up. Then, he lashed out at her with a quick boot to the back of her head. It would not be a crippling blow, it was merely meant to knock her out fully.

***

Lorenor sat in contemplation of everything that had just transpired. The letter he'd given that girl went completely against Spider Magi teachings, but, at that point Lorenor no longer cared. He knew he was an outcast and would never again return to the power he once held. It was all or nothing. Standing up from his makeshift throne, the mutant seemed intent to continue with business as usual. When suddenly,

"Sire!" It was one of the scouts.

Lorenor turned his attention directly to the freshly turned Scourge member. "Come quickly! There is a problem."

Lorenor frowned. "What kind of a problem?" Lorenor asked.

The scout handed Lorenor the ransom letter. Lorenor immediately read the loosely scribbled note in common tongue. "What the fuck is this!?" Lorenor suddenly yelled. "He's demanding the life of some thief for a quadratic key?"

"What would you have us do?" The scout asked.

"Listen to me very carefully." Lorenor commanded, stating each of those words very slowly. "I want you to withdraw the troops to a safer location."

"Withdraw, we're not going to fight?" The scout asked.

"Not you, no. I have another use for you all." Lorenor felt a psychotic rage beginning to build up in his body. His undead blood was becoming super heated with the rage, and his eyes glowed with the fury he felt. "Relay this order. Fallback immediately and remove all traces of our presence here. We are to meet up at the emergency rendezvous point. I am going to deal with this myself." Lorenor said, and he walked towards one of the torches that were lit. He removed the torch and used the ransom note to make the torch's fire burn brighter. Fragments of the paper's fabric fell to the ground harmless and burnt out. Lorenor was pissed. No. He was beyond pissed. He had seldom felt such an anger that he felt at that exact moment.

The scout moved on ahead to relay the orders that Lorenor had given.

Some would obey, some wouldn't.

It would not matter in the long run.

As Lorenor stepped out of the den and into the cool evening outside, someone caught his attention. It was the girl, Molly. Molly had been the one to also take an interest in Reine and worked to save her from the mad priest of Draconus. "Molly." Lorenor said. "I trust your being here means that you will not be with the rest of the crew?" Lorenor asked.

"No. My place is by your side." Molly said. "Where you go, I shall follow."

"Fair enough." Lorenor said in response. "Just remember, this could be the end of all things."

"I am aware." She said as they walked towards the drop off point. "She is rather cute is she not?" Molly jokingly asked.

"Now is not the time." Lorenor responded. "Now we prepare for vengeance and I will need you to flank him. Strike only when I give the order to." Lorenor said. The time for negotiation was over, the time for vengeance had arrived. Narrowing his eyes, he made it to the ruined temple of Draconus. Such shrines existed all over Althanas, and still held power. Lorenor kept his eyes narrowed as he walked swiftly towards the Draconus Priest. The girl, Reine, laid on the ground by his side. Lorenor noticed a welt at the side of her head. Molly moved off to one side swiftly to flank the priest well before Lorenor had arrived. The trap was set. His quiet boot falls touched the cobblestone of the shrine as he arrived. The small building was decorated with the symbols and alphabet of Lord Draconus. An enemy that Lorenor respected. Lorenor looked at the masked madman quite carefully.

"I didn't think you'd arrive." Kruz said carefully. He held a fancy dagger to Reine's throat. "Don't come any closer." Kruz ordered.

Lorenor made an elegant gesture with his arms and removed the quadratic key from it's place on his person. "I am a monster, but I still have my honor." Lorenor said in response. "The girl helped me out, so I owe her one that is the reason I am here."

"Very well, let's get on with this shit." Kruz said. "The key for the girl."

Lorenor looked at the quadratic key for a long moment. "How do I know you simply won't just kill her? Do I have your word?"

"Look man. I have to finish this job with the key, after that I'm through with this crap. Just give me the key back and you'll get your whore back." Kruz said.

Lorenor was in a state of rage, but the rage made him cold and logical. For a brief moment, he pondered physically letting her die. But that moment passed quickly, he could recover the key from whoever it went to at a later date. Lorenor was patient. Plus, he was weary of the games that mortals played with one another. "You win." Lorenor said, and tossed the quadratic key, on it's chain, towards Kruz.

It flew through the air and Kruz easily caught it. He breathed a sincere sigh of relief. "More trouble than you're worth." Kruz said out loud. "You can have her, I have no more use for her anyway." Kruz pocketed the quadratic key and simply walked away without any grandiose words or flowery speeches. Lorenor quickly dashed towards Reine and knelt down towards her.

"Kid." Lorenor whispered. "Are you well?" He waited for her response and didn't even bother watching Kruz walk away.

That was the job for...

And Lorenor raised one hand mightily into the air. He rotated his fist once around, as the signal that Molly needed.

Vengeance would be his that night.

[Reine]

Her head hurt.

No, saying her head hurt would be putting it mildly. Her head felt like the drum someone beat the crap out of the night before and then left in the hot Fallien sun to dry out and bake. Maybe they tossed in a couple scorpions for good measure too and the annoying, poisonous things were slithering around in her brain, creating the myriad of pin pricks of agony that stabbed at her.

Groaning, Reine tried to go back to sleep, but a persistent, and familiar, voice kept urging her to wake up.

She grumbled something incoherent, wondering if this was how Jared felt every time she woke him up. If so, maybe she'd be a little nicer from now on.

...

Probably not.

Slowly, the thief opened her eyes and looked up into a face of darkness, two purple glowing orbs staring back down at her. Her heart skipped a beat and the taste of fear filled her mouth a second before her logical responses kicked in and told her who it was. Her contractor. She never had gotten his name. Maybe she should. Right now she didn't care though. Right now, she just wanted to know why she was waking up with her over him like this and whether she should be reaching for a weapon or not.

Playing back through her mind, Reine recalled the conversation that took place in the crypt an her leaving the catacombs, but then nothing. When she tried to focus her thoughts, all she got were vague shapes and blurs, impressions really, of her outside in a graveyard.

"Ugh...what happened?" She mumbled, her tongue feeling thick in her mouth. "Where am I?"

Green-gold eyes glanced around and saw nothing but the dark shapes of trees and what looked like an old, ruined stone building.

Slowly, she pulled herself into a sitting position. Her contractor did not help her, he never reached to touched her, which was probably a good thing considering the oppressive feeling of dark energy that swirled off the man. Half way up, the world swam, the pain in her head suddenly tripled and her stomach revolted.

Falling to her side, she threw up on the worn stone, the disgusting liquid seeping into the cracks and pooling in the sprigs of grass that had found purchase.

The smell of it sickened her and made the pounding of her head even worse.

A small sound that may have been a whimper, not that she wanted to admit to it, escaped her lips. By the Gods she just felt like shit.

Carefully, slowly, she pushed herself up onto her hands and knees. The world still swayed and shifted, like she were in a boat during a raging storm, but she kept the nausea at bay this time. Standing became a whole other problem. The sudden movement up left her reeling and her vision darkening, when it cleared, she found herself pressed up against something soft, something with a strong grip across her back.

Blinking several times to clear the fog from her brain, Reine realized she was being held up by someone. Getting her feet under her, she shifted, felt the arms loosen and moved away from her contractor. A slight blush of embarrassment crept up her cheeks, staining the skin underneath the now smudged wings that covered her face.

"T-thanks..." She mumbled and put a little more distance between them. Being so close to him was slightly disconcerting.

Reaching up, Reine found two large bumps on her head, one at the back and one just above her hairline. When she touched the second one, it felt sticky and her hand came away slick with blood.

"Someone must have really done a number on my head." Realizing something, Reine looked over at the dark man next to her, shock colouring her face. "Did you...rescue me?"

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Lorenor looked off to the distance, and his face became far away. For a long moment, he simply pondered why he felt compelled to help that girl. He doubted Reine was her real name, he simply felt obligated to help her. Like he somehow OWED her. Lorenor sat down on the ground for a moment. "It has been a long time since I have felt so compelled." Lorenor explained. "Saving you just seemed like something I was meant to be doing. It felt natural, GOOD almost. I haven't felt that way in a long, long time." Lorenor explained. He kept looking at her as she recovered her faculties for a few moments. The quadratic key no longer mattered. He could recover it another time after it switched ownership. What DID matter was the girl before him. For the first time in ages, he felt like the girl before him could provide him what he longed for. Purpose.

Lorenor stood up after a minute passed. "For what it's worth. I am truly sorry for what has happened to you. The priest we came across earlier followed you to the den and made short work of a few of us. Then, he took you. I called my people off because you have seen enough destruction for one day." Lorenor said casually. He reached towards her. "So you can stand up easier." Lorenor explained. "Once, I was like you. Vibrant and full of life. Then I awakened to what you see now before you." Lorenor said. "I still don't know if the life I had before was the dream, or if I am the dream. Or someone's nightmare maybe. I don't quite know anymore." Lorenor helped her stand up straight. There seemed a mysterious patience about the mutant at that point that wasn't there before, or perhaps, it was only now notable. "I meant what I said earlier." Lorenor reminded her. "They have robbed me of my purpose. Now I am reduced to robbing graves in pursuit of...I don't know what."

He sighed. "This is just the musings of an old man. Please forgive me." Lorenor waited to see what she would say.

[Reine]

Reine found herself speechless. The man before her laid out his feelings bare to her, for a reason she did not know. He saved her, while he slaughtered others, and he helped her when he could have walked away and left her to die. How easy would it be for him to simply shrug his shoulders and turn a blind eye to her plight as the man who had taken her murdered her out of frustration and anger? But he hadn't. Like when she had passed out in the field earlier, shocked and panicked by what she'd seen, he had helped her instead of leaving her to the wolves. Why?

His words were slightly confusing to the thief. He seemed like a man lost, if he even was a man at all anymore. Was he trying to tell her something? Was he looking for some kind of hope or some meaning from her? She couldn't give it to him, she didn't know how. Reine was only a girl of eighteen. She'd seen only a few places of Althanas, only experienced a fraction of what this man had in his life. How could he expect anything from her? How could he hope for anything from her?

“You have nothing you need to apologize about.” Reine said to him. She settled onto the ground more comfortably. “I just...don't know what I can say to you. You helped me when you didn't have to. You just saved me because your gut told you to. You hardly seem like the kind of man to allow something to beat you down. If someone takes something from you, you stand back up and find something new to fight for, something they can never take from you again!”

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Lucy stalked after Kruz. Her eyes were narrowed and she wore the cloak of darkness with tremendous natural aptitude. Without hesitation, she'd thrown herself into the line of fire for her leader. However, even those like Lucy knew their own limits. Once she was within striking distance, she hesitated. Sounds. Kruz was speaking to something or someone nearby. Lucy hid behind a tree, and felt the life blood of the powerful old oak sustaining itself and it's surroundings. Lucy looked at Kruz and saw several people she had never seen before. ALL dressed like Kruz and wearing masks. I can't do this... Lucy knew the mission was a failure for now. She gathered what information she could and would return to Lorenor with the information needed to defeat their enemies. Lucy counted at least three visible men, all of them wearing the Draconus masks. She saw Kruz handing someone the quadratic key...

***

"I appreciate where you are coming from..." Lorenor said casually. "You have given me much to think about." A few moments later, Lucy detached herself from the shadows with a look of growing concern. Lorenor turned to look at Lucy very carefully for a few moments. "Do you have the key?"

"I could not approach Kruz." Lucy admitted, it was rare for her to report a failure.

She was one of Lorenor's best.

"What did you see?" Lorenor asked in exchange.

"We are not safe here." Lucy said. "The followers of Draconus were nearby...I could see at least three. There were probably more if I am not mistaken."

Lorenor clenched his fists. "A coven...fuck..." He looked down to the thief girl for a moment. "Kid, I'm gonna have to allow you to accompany us a while longer. I can't let you wander off on your own with those maniacs out there." Funny coming from a member of The Scourge. Lorenor thought quickly. "I can escort you near to Radasanth's boarders. Me and Lucy can. We're not terribly far from it." Lorenor kept his eyes on the thief. "If you're willing to humor me a little while longer, I can protect you until you are home..." Lorenor said honestly. And for the first time in what seemed like ages, he felt ALIVE again.

Lucy looked at Lorenor and noticed his altered demeanor. "My lord, Sei's Tomb is near here..."

And that's how it all began.

[Reine]

Reine felt a knot in her stomach at the mention of even more of those crazed priests. The throbbing and pounding on the side of her head reminded her of what just one of those men were capable of, she couldn't imagine what a coven could do to her. Even though her employer and this Lucy were not the safest people to be with, she'd rather stick with the monster she knew then the monster she didn't.

Nodding her, Reine slowly and carefully pulled her up from the ground. The time her employer had spent chatting with her gave her brain the much needed minutes to recover from it's ordeal. She felt more stable on her feet and not like she was about to throw up and pass out all over again.

“I would highly appreciate the escort.” She said to him. “If you can get me near Radasanth that would be perfect, I have many friends in the city who can cover me from there in.”

*~*

It was full night by the time they reached the borders of Radasanth. Most of the hours long walk there had been in silence, or as silent as the woods of Concordia could possibly be at night. Branches creaked and moaned, animals shifted around int he dry leaves, scuttling through the underbrush. In the beginning, those noises had tensed every muscle in her body until they ached to be released. But as the hours had dragged on and no priests had descended upon her from the darkness, she had slowly relaxed. Or relaxed as much as she possibly could when her escort was a member of The Scourge.

When the looming buildings of Radasanth began to shifted out of the darkness, Reine paused. She knew this was as far as her employer could go without endangering his own safety.

“Thank you for escorting me and good luck on your quest to discover a new path.”

She inclined her head to him and then slipped into the night and headed towards the city and home, where she could hopefully rest and try not to think too hard on the events of the day.


Spoils: Faelynn receives the money at Lorenor paid her out of his own pocket. Don't worry about the gloves, she dropped them when she was kidnapped by the crazed Priest.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Lorenor observed Reine for a long moment.

He felt like he should say something, anything, but the words would not come. Perhaps it's better this way. That I am a forgotten old man...a relic of the past. A ghost...yes. That's probably more like it. Lorenor turned towards his solitary companion. She strangely smiled at him. "I thank you for your company. I am not one to throw away precious lives any longer." Lorenor said.

"She will remember you." Lucy said suddenly. "You have that effect on people."

"Sei's tomb is nearby you said?" Lorenor watched her nod in the positive. "Very well." He said carefully. "Perhaps it's time to draw the attention of an old friend."

"You mean Clan Orlouge?" Lucy asked. "That may not be wise in our current state." Lucy said.

"I am aware." They both walked back towards where the undead from earlier awaited. Some had scattered off, but a few did wait near Sei's Tomb. Lorenor saw a familiar looking big Jadet man. That particular undead was a commander of Lorenor's unit. One of his most skilled Scourge warriors. Lorenor greeted his companions. Lucy came in at his side. "It will be sun up soon." Lorenor explained. "We'd better seek refuge inside of the tomb."

The Jadet man looked at Lorenor. "What of the quadratic key?" He asked.

"It can wait. There was a complication." Lorenor said. "There was a group of the Draconus bastards waiting for us. Had to make our ways back here." Lorenor lied a little, but it didn't really matter. The mission was a failure.

"What kind of complication?" The Jadet man tried to insist.

Lucy removed a mask from her packs and tossed it towards the Jadet man's feet. "Look. It was a group of them. Order of Draconus, very powerful. I had to carefully cut one of them and make my way back to Lorenor to report the artifact was lost."

"That's..." The Jadet man looked at the Draconus mask. A relic in and of itself, a relic of the enemy. "Tch...very well." The Jadet man finally gave in to the situation at hand. "So what would his majesty have us do?"

"We have to hide for now, hide in the tombs. Gather which ever survivors you can, there is much to discuss. I will once again try to convene with Lady N'Jal to see if we can discover our next step." Lorenor was lying again, N'Jal no longer responded to him. This was a suicide mission, he knew, but the others didn't. He knew he was going to the great beyond in due order. But the others would have to stick the ramblings of an old relic once more. Lorenor sighed. Lucy inquisitively stared at him, but the old High Priest simply nodded to her. "For those of us not busy with this or that task, let's find safety in the tomb."

"Sei's Tomb." Lucy added so they could all hear.

There whispers amongst the gathered undead. Lorenor grinned at the concern in their voices. Sei could become a boon if he played his cards right. He could find the purpose he sought. He no longer cared for his current situation, N'Jal had severed all ties with him. He just needed time to be certain and a neutral force like Sei Orlouge could provide the salvation he desperately searched for. The strength to find a new purpose. That was all that the old man cared for those days, he wanted to find his purpose again. Lorenor descended into Sei's Tomb and for the first time in a long time, dared to believe. Dared to believe that for even someone like he, change was possible. A purpose could be attained, and perhaps, something more. Something far more important. Lorenor looked at Lucy as they ventured into Sei's Tomb, and held her hand. The two had become companions through it all, and such matters were important even to the undead. Even to someone like Lorenor. Lorenor took point despite the fact that there were stronger soldiers around him. Lorenor was a LEADER, and as a leader he naturally guided those around him to their fates. For ill or good. Lorenor thought about Sei Orlouge and the last time the two met. His memories of that time were fragmented, but he did recalled meeting the mute. The mute would become the key to his salvation.

Perhaps...

FIN.

[Lye]

Thread Title: The Robbery. (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?25828)
Judgment Type: No Judgement
Participants: Mutant_Lorenor, Reine

Mutant_Lorenor (http://www.althanas.com/world/member.php?3023) Receives:


1,155 EXP!
157 GP!


Reine (http://www.althanas.com/world/member.php?13863) Receives:


1,525 EXP!
140 GP!


Spoils Requested of "The Quadratic Key" is currently pending.

[Lye]

EXP & GP Added!

Pending adjustment per requested spoils.

Mutant Lorenor makes Level 2!

Reine makes Level 7!

[Lye]

Only Reine's payment currently awarded per this thread.

Please request me for judgement on any future threads regarding "The Quadratic Key".

Thank you.