Red Six Initiation: Hysteria vs Chelley

[Hysteria]

http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2013/242/2/0/red_six_by_harlequinhues-d6kesp7.gif

Talen stood in front of the large wooden door leading to a Citadel room. The youth stood about six feet in height but the doors loomed high above him. His face was passive, eyes still. This battle was not going to be like the others he had fought in. This one was to recruit someone to his clan. The red six symbol stood on his cloak for all to see, a mark of prestige. The next contender to join the ranks was not a standard brawler. Although thugs were close to Talen's heart, those that could kill without being seen were something else altogether.

Talen place his hand against the door and entered. The room was pitch black, a small silhouette through the door fell onto cold stone ground. He feet clicked as he walked out into the darkness. The door closed and he was swallowed up.

Ok... I should think of something good.

A single spot light illuminated the dark youth. Talen squinted slightly under its gaze. The youth focused again. The light expanded rapidly revealing the inside of a huge tavern. There were rows of seats and tables, a large bar stocked with barrels of beer and some stronger liqueur. A roaring fire was in the middle of the room near Talen, creating both heat and light for those inside. Talen chuckled to himself, he had forgotten people. Nearly a two hundred people sprang into life in an instant. There were men, woman and all manner of creatures filling the room. The youth walked through the throng and pushed himself between two men at one of the tables and sat down.

This was going to be a battle unlike others. The youth was not trying to kill, but rather survive. Talen grabbed a mug of beer from a passing bar maid and relaxed his posture. As he sipped his drink he waited for his opponent to arrive, and the chaos that could follow.

[Poison]

((Apologies for the huge opener, but I wanted to properly write out her acquirement of the poison she's going to use on her weapons for this. Also, in case it wasn't obvious, Chelley is my OOC account, Poison is the character this is intended for. Purchase of specialty poison in thread was okayed by Hysteria :) ))

As the sun dropped low on the horizon, a hooded figure made it's way to the darker side of the Radasanth bazaar. The shadows had now grown long enough to make travel possible as sunlight burned horribly, even through the thick cloth of the deeply hooded cloak and thick gloves the individual wore. Most of the shops were closed or starting to close, but the things this person sought could not be so easily purchased in a respectable establishment without raising suspicions.

Now that the sun was a safe distance below the city skyline, a single gloved hand pushed the hood back to reveal a woman's face. Her eyes shone like polished silver and her silvery hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She pulled the gloves off and tucked them into her belt. She hated that so much protective gear was necessary for her to move about before it was fully night, but she could not wait that long to make her purchases.

As she walked along the back alley, she searched for a particular sign. A small smirk pulled up one corner of her mouth as she spotted the unassuming shop. The tingling sound of a small bell echoed around the small shop as she let the door shut firmly behind her.

“Oren! Oren, I need a few things!”

She called out loudly for the owner of the establishment. A very few items sat on small shelves against the walls. Oren was not one to put many things on display. According to him, that was what attracted thieves: easy access. From the back room she could hear things being moved around and a muffled voice shouting back to her.

“All right! All right, I'm coming! Don't you realize what time it is?”

“Ah, there you are. Yes, I'm very much aware of the time, but there isn't much I can do about it. I can't move around during the day, remember?”

Oren was one of the very people she had told about being a vampire. When he finally looked up and recognized her, his demeanor changed immediately.

“Ahh, Miss Poison. I'm sorry, I didn't recognize your voice. What can I do for you this time?”

“I have received a letter inviting me to join a new mercenary group. I'm to face one of the members at the Citadel in a few days time. I was hoping to get a few things that act quite a bit quicker than my usual repertoire. Do you have any suggestions?”

Oren stroked his thin, black goatee as he thought about what he had in stock. The short man was balding on top, but despite his looks, he was a very proficient potions master.

“I think I may have something for you. Give me a moment to check my stock.”

The older man disappeared into the back room. Once again the sounds of things being moved drifted out to the store front. Poison waited, trying to be patient as she glanced around the room. There truly wasn't much to look at. The walls were plain, wooden walls with no paint on them. A few shelves were set against the walls, but they seemed to only hold a few items for apothecary work. Just as she was about to call out to him that she was in a little bit of a hurry, Oren returned carrying a small glass vial.

“Here it is,” he said as he set the vial down on the counter. “This is a vial of the venom from a Blue Ringed octopus. It is extremely lethal. You only need a couple of drops. This one vial should last you for quite some time.”

Poison carefully picked up the vial of clear liquid and swirled it around gently, watching as a tiny whirlpool formed in the glass, then quickly dissipated when she stopped moving the vial. She set it gingerly back on the counter so as not to accidentally drop it.

“What makes it so lethal?”

Oren grinned sadistically, “I take it you've never heard of the Blue-Ringed octopus?” The vampiress shook her head and he continued, “It is a very small octopus. It likes warm, tropical climates and lives in tidepools or something like that. Within a couple of minutes your victim will suddenly feel nauseous and their eyesight will start to fail. At the same time that is happening, they will become completely paralyzed to the point that even their lungs won't move. I'm told that while all this is happening, they're completely aware of what is happening to their body and that they can't do anything about it. Eventually, their lungs collapse or their brain shuts down from lack of oxygen and the whole time they're fully aware that they're dieing. I'm sure it's quite terrifying, but I have yet to hear of someone that survived being dosed with this stuff. There is no cure.”

Poison thought for a moment. This was precisely what she was searching for. However, she was certain it would cost a lot of money. Unknowingly, she pursed her lips as she debated with herself what she was willing to do to get this venom.

“How much?”

“For such a lovely and regular customer as yourself, 700 gold pieces.”

“700!? For such a small amount? I'll give you 300.”

Oren smiled nodded, “Indeed, it is a small amount, but remember how strong it is.” He paused for a moment then added, “but, you are a loyal customer so I'll bring it down to.... 650.”

“That's still too much. I'll pay you 400, plus some of my own stock. I have a small vial of Black Death. Surely, it's worth at least 200.”

“Black Death you say?” The old man's hazel eyes lit up with interest. “That's not so easily made. Let me have a look at it.”

Silently, Poison pulled a small glass vial from a pocket on her belt. It appeared to be filled with black ink, but this liquid was not for writing. Oren picked it up and held it close to his face, scrutinizing the way the liquid moved when he made it swirl in the vial. He pulled the stopper out and set it on the counter. Using his now free hand, he gently wafted the aroma of the poison toward his face. Setting the vial down on the counter, he reached into a drawer and pulled out a dropper and a small slab of marble. Using the dropper, he pulled out a miniscule amount of the poison and let it drop carefully onto the marble. The liquid pooled perfectly into a single drop. The old man nodded to himself as he fetched a small glass of water from the back. Using the dropper once more, he deposited three drops into the glass and watched with a trained eye how the poison quickly spread, then went clear. That was the final thing he needed to see. Part of what made Black Death so useful was that once it was placed in a drinking beverage, it turned clear. It was nearly impossible to detect.

“You've done quite well, my dear. Who taught this to you?” he asked as he replaced the stopper and cleaned off his counter.

“No one. My former mentor gave me his recipe book. I just followed what was in there.”

“I see. I will give you 150 for this bottle. That brings your total down to...” he paused as he mentally calculated the cost, “500 gold pieces. Do we have a deal?”

Poison bit her lip. That was still more than she wanted to spend. She only had a little over 500 as it was. Spending that much would nearly impoverish her until she could get another job.

“That's still too much. Things have been more than a little tight lately. I have one more thing to add to my offer. Make it 200, the vial of Black Death, and half of my earnings from the next three jobs.”

Oren stroked his chin in thoughtful silence. He didn't normally take IOU’s. Too often the person never returned. On the other hand, Poison was a good and loyal customer. The floorboards beneath his feet creaked as he shifted his weight from leaning on the counter to standing up properly.

“I like you, Poison. You're a good, loyal customer and I do like to help a pretty girl. So, I'll take your offer, but be warned, I will get my money one way or another. I may like you, but I like my money more.”

Gingerly he slid the vial of blue-Ringed octopus venom across the counter. Poison snatched it up and tucked it away into her belt before Oren could change his mind.

“Of course, I wouldn't expect anything less. You will have your money. In fact, I will deliver it personally. Thank you, Oren.”

Without another word, the vampiress slipped back out into the night. Tomorrow she would see about this “Red Six” group she'd received and invitation from. If nothing else, perhaps being a part of the group would give her more and better leads for jobs.

As she passed the Citadel it occurred to her that getting to the doors during the day would be rather painful for her. She disliked the idea of giving up a night's meal and bedroom romp, but she disliked the idea of trying to get safely through the streets and up the stairs to the entrance during the day even less. Cursing her luck to have ever been sired, she scurried up the stairs. In a few moments, she melded into the shadows and slipped into the Citadel through the walls.


~*~*~*~

Poison pushed on the old wooden door the monk had led her too. During the night, she had taken the time to carefully dip her needle-knife in the new poison as well as coat the blades on her two sais. She was very careful not to get any of it on herself. Though she wasn't sure what kind of an effect it would have on the undead, she did not want to find out for herself.

The sounds and smells of a very busy tavern greeted her as she entered the arena. The entry vanished behind her as she stepped fully into the room. The 'people' in the room didn't seem to notice her sudden appearance and continued to move around. She was quite impressed. Even though it was a Citadel arena, the people still drank, ate, and joked with each other. The tantalizing smells of roast beef filled the air, but did nothing to whet her appetite. Such things never did anymore.

So, I have to find this Talen, hmm? All right...

She took careful note of the fire burning merrily and made sure to avoid it. Her skin burned far to easily to risk the dancing orange flames coming anywhere near her fair skin. Smiling to herself, she rested her hands on the hilts of her sai, ready to draw them at a moment's notice.

“Let the hunt begin...” she murmured to herself.

[Hysteria]

Talen sipped the mug, the bitter taste was far from what he would normally drink, but appearances were important. The shadow warrior looked around the tavern for a second, before quickly returning his gaze to the others on his table. His face remained relaxed, a slight smile and a look of vacant interest. Talen thought over what he had seen as he glanced around. He hadn't allowed his eyes to dwell, rather he soaked everything up and then, back looking to the others in the table as if he was apart of their conversation he let himself review. He had seen a rather fetching red head at the bar, several men who looked as if they were about to get into a fight, and a woman looking at the fire. The last one caused Talen a moment to pause on. She was showing a distinct amount of emotion that seemed less plastic than the others in the room. The youth figured it was worth testing to see if she was indeed his tracker or just a fluke of the illusion.

The youth had decided that he would not directly lift a hand against his attacker. That did not mean that he wouldn't put obstacles in her way. It took a second, then a loud crack lifted through the Tavern followed by a cheer. Talen, as did everyone else turned to look as a man slumped to the ground with bits of a broken mug tangled in his hair. Less than a second later more punches were thrown and the whole table near Poison erupted into a brawl. Fists thumped against flesh. Cloths were grabbed and torn as people attempted to fling each other into various things. A few bar stools became impromptu weapons and cracked and splintered against body parts. The Tavern patrons roared and howled as the fighting spread, taking over two tables and fifteen people.

While everyone's eyes was on the brawl, Talen's were searching for the woman he had glimpsed. He knew that she would most likely be looking for him, but he hoped she would be caught in the brawl, or at the very least react and reveal herself.