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Their clandestine meeting kept short and to the point, a certain sneaky hyena gal and rather reserved knight wheel and deal to further their own goals; much to the detriment of the surrounding guilds in the area.
Icon is © to
Radku
FIRST, PREVIOUS, NEXT
Chapter 36
Her footfalls soft and deliberate, the hyena ventured noiselessly along the beaten path leading out of the village. Twin trails of mist puffed from her nostrils intermittently, drifting up and disappearing into the chilly night air. Following the bird’s lead she strayed off the road into the tall grass. The frost caked greenery sparkling in the moonlight crunched loudly beneath her feet. In time she found herself dipping down into a valley, the faint sound of running water and the gentle whistling of the wind greeted her upon approach. Flicking her ears, she listened intently and hesitantly made her way towards the perceived direction of the noise’s source. A couple hundred paces later a partially frozen creek came into view. Sheets of ice spread out from along the creek bed towards the flowing water, the moon’s shimmering reflection waving back and forth on the water’s dark surface. Standing along the creek bed with his back facing her, cracks splintering and spreading in the ice resting beneath his metal boots, was one of her most frequent customers.
“Don’t you ever get cold in all that armor?” Shoving her hands into her pockets, she picked up the pace and approached him without trepidation.
The jutting spikes and armored plating upon his shoulders clanked loudly as he shrugged. “You get used to it.” Subtly, he crushed the black bird within his armored palm, reducing it to a pool of dark energy sloshing in his grip. It trickled down his wrist and sank between the links of the chainmail covering his arm. Turning to face her, Argost peered out from the cracks in his visor. “Intercept anything of interest?” His pumpkin colored pupils nearly faded into the orange irises surrounding them. They contrasted strongly against the unnatural yellow hue the rest of his eyes had taken on.
“Nothing particularly earth shattering or revealing.” Scratching at her chin, the hyena flattened her brows. “Seemed to be little more than the Yash guild master checking up on the one in Tedrah, mixed in with some gossip.”
“Such as?”
“There was mention of a guild member from Tedrah stopping by to visit and the unwanted guest that followed him there. Apparently he and a couple of the locals duked it out with a demon that had been hounding him and came out on top. Didn’t quite finish it off but that panther from Yash currently has that monster tucked away somewhere for some sort of research.”
“They captured it alive?”
“The panther was pretty upfront about it in the letter,” she replied truthfully.
His eyes dipping down and to the side, the armored knight considered the possibilities that had presented themselves. “…And the visiting member. Were any names dropped?”
“Russo.”
Tapping an armored finger against his thigh, he drew in a deep breath and quickly exhaled. “Anything else?”
“Only other thing of note was some talk of a local temple. I’m not exactly sure why, but the Yash guild master found a compelling reason to declare it off limits and cordon it off.”
“That’ll be something to look into, I suppose. No indications of a second message hidden within her letter?”
Stifling a yawn, she clenched her teeth together and squinted her eyes. “Unless they’re using something pretty damn sophisticated, like text that becomes visible only when certain magics are cast upon the parchment, then no. At least so far as I could tell.”
“Dammit.” Tapping a heavy boot against the ground, the chainmail and plating upon his leg rattled softly. “If there was anything else she wanted to say, it’s likely she probably just sent that mage back with whatever it was. Especially if she didn’t want anyone else laying eyes on it.” Shaking his head, the knight let out a sigh. “Though this isn’t all that unexpected given how we’ve been handling them in the past. They were bound to suspect something eventually but still…” Sliding his foot along the ground, his boots took on a dull sepia glow. Tapping his boot once more against the ground, a grimy and dusty sack rose out of the ground, a pillar of earth gently pushing it up. “Anyway, as per your agreed upon rate, and your presumed commitment to leaving no bodies nor witnesses…”
Kneeling down besides it, the hyena chuckled upon pulling the drawstrings open. Digging her hand inside, she relished the feeling of those frigid gold coins running through her fingers. “I still can’t get over the fact you’ve been offering me a bonus to not kill anyone these past few jobs. I’m in the business of ending lives, not leaving them be.”
“Warm or cold, bodies leave a trail.” That and the guild masters of the area were already on high alert. Any and all targets he wouldn’t mind snuffing out were off limits, for the time being anyway.
“Says the one who is frighteningly experienced at making them disappear.” Satisfied with her haul, the hyena pulled the drawstrings on the sack shut and hoisted it over her shoulder.
“If I make some people disappear, the guilds are going to notice their absence and start sticking their noses where they don’t belong. They’ll be especially all the more adamant about getting their answers and closure if I don’t give them a body to bury at the very least. It’s better to not give them a reason to sniff about in the first place.”
Curling her lips into a half smile, the assassin couldn’t decide whether she should be impressed or terrified. The man had an insane eye for details. “Need anything else from me?”
Wrapping his arms across his chest, the knight pondered briefly. “…Nothing for now. You can expect something to come your way in the following months though. I have some loose ends to tie up before then.”
“Sure about that? With how much money you’ve tossed my way, I might as well toss you a freebie so as to reward your continued patronage.”
“Buy six hits and the seventh one’s free? Some quality customer service right there.” Laughing wryly, Argost relaxed his posture and let his hands drape to his sides. “Thanks but no thanks, Kovania. That’ll be all for now.”
“Heh, I’ll keep an ear to the ground. If that’s all you needed, I’ll be on my way then. Oh I do appreciate the aged and grimy look you gave this thing.” Patting her hand against her unwieldy new purse, it had the appearance of something that was better used to transport garbage than gold. “It’s a nice touch. Makes it all the less appealing for someone else to snag.”
“Hmmph, thought you might like that.”
“As always, it’s been a pleasure doing business.” With a quick wave, Kovania trod off upstream, the soft jingle of coin echoing across the valley. Remaining at his position along the creek bed long after she had disappeared from sight, the knight’s gaze remained transfixed on the full moon gracing the cloudless sky. Dipping his head, his helmet shook to and fro. Slamming a foot into the ground, small flat crags shot up into the heels of his boots, launching him clear across the creek. Bending at the knees upon landing, he rose to his feet. Upon impact, a large piece of plating rattled loose upon his chest, one that had been banged up badly in his latest tussle with that German Shepherd giantess. Brushing a hand against it, he cringed when it bowed forward, revealing a devastating blow hidden beneath it from a foe he’d… hnnrrrrrrg. Some day… one of these days he would cut that bastard down to size. He grunted when looking at that pattern carved into his chest. Felt like he had been god damned branded by it. Digging his armored fingers into the plating he shoved it back into position. Creaking loudly, the metal plates groaned and complained as the knight forcefully bent and curled them into their intended place.
Crags of jutted earth violently burst forth behind him as he climbed up out of the valley, all while he tried stifling his anger. “Stop… just… stop. It does no good getting angry about that now. I’ve got enough on my hands as it is.” Drawing in deep breaths, he forced his thoughts onto other matters. First off there was the matter of what the guilds were planning. Back when he was still second in command, he had had severe reservations about the timing of the Peccamen business. Yes, it was an ideal distraction to throw them off, and yes the guilds were sure to realize that, but leaving absolutely nothing behind for the guilds to find was only going to spike their curiosity and paranoia. Would have been better to leave some clues and inklings of projects that were going nowhere so they’d have something to chew on. The organization’s forays into necromancy, for example, had stopped being useful ages ago.
Oh sure there were some lunatics who were all about getting off on their power fantasies of raising an army of the dead, but Argost couldn’t be bothered to give a shit. They had found a way to reanimate the dead, force their soul back into their decrepit decaying bodies, and then coerce them into revealing the knowledge they had acquired during their time on this earth. With that, Argost had found a way to rip magics and spells that had long been lost right out of history’s grasp. Anything else was unnecessary and wasteful in his eyes. He could see it now, the knight could simply let himself become a little lax about reeling in the bums who headed those projects and eliminate any and all traces of contact with them. Those rats in charge would let the autonomy and lack of oversight go to their heads and would make far more noise than they needed to. The guilds would perk up and take action, being lead on to believe the dead walking the countryside was far more disastrous than it actually was. They’d defeat some monsters, stop some crisis, kill whatever fiend was behind it and go home satisfied, all while the organization’s more pressing pet projects could continue on without interruption.
“But no…” the knight sighed. In the interests of hoarding and acquiring a mastery and knowledge of all things, it had been decided that the guilds could know of nothing. It wasn’t like he could toss them some bread crumbs now; they had grown far too savvy after being starved of information this long. The guild masters would know something was amiss if a lead were to just fall into their laps, they’d know it would be little more than another distraction and they’d only want to dig deeper. Figuring out how to deal with them was going to be troublesome.
Closing his eyes, he continued walking forward. Tall blades of grass poked into the links in his chainmail coating his legs, leaving streaks of frost and slicks of dew upon them. *Sigh* Secondly, there was the matter of monitoring them. Letters sent freely back and forth via courier couldn’t be counted upon to divulge much now. If the guild masters took to communicating solely through members travelling from one town to the next, even the most minor incident to befall them would be viciously scrutinized. “Kovania might be up to the task but… hmmm.” If there were multiple members making their trips simultaneously, keeping tabs on them would become all but impossible. Even with his magic, a man can only be in so many places at once. “Might be worth considering infiltrating the guilds themselves,” Argost mused aloud. Ever moving forward, his armor clanked with every step he took as he continued traversing the moonlit hills.
Lastly, there was that Russo character. Surviving an assassination attempt and then going on to defeat a demon? That mage could prove to be particularly troublesome if the guild masters pointed him in the right direction. And that collie companion of his… it remained to be determined what he truly was. “Mulling over them won’t do me any good now though,” the knight noted to himself. “Shit, what else is there?” Squinting his eyes, he wracked his brain as he moseyed back onto the beaten path. “There’s the matter of Ignavus’ research, probably going to have to needle him about it soon. The lack of updates from up north is disconcerting… but it’s not really my problem anymore, is it? I was appointed this position with the sole intent of expanding into this territory, nothing more nothing less.” The knight’s out loud thinking was interrupted by a guttural roar reverberating through the frigid air. Argost turned to look over his shoulder for the source of the noise. The empty road behind was the only thing to greet him. Unfazed, he merely shrugged and continued trudging forward. Whatever it was would reveal itself soon enough. A heavy panting rumbled in his ears as he advanced further and further along the path. “Any time now,” he impatiently thought.
A monstrous looking couerl slunk out from the grass besides him, answering his call as soon as it was uttered. Coming up to his waist, the feral feline’s fur was patchy and shedding off in chunks. Eyes completely bloodshot and red, glistening accumulations of pus could be seen along its eyelids. They twitched constantly, as were the two long fleshy whiskers arcing with energy that trailed back to its rear. Stretching its neck forward, the feline let out a mindless roar and slapped its whiskers against the knight, sending a couple hundred volts conducting through his armor.
“…Here’s hoping you weren’t skulking around and giving Kovania any trouble earlier.” Grabbing hold of one of the offending appendages as it still cracked and arced with electricity, Argost ripped a whisker clean off the cat’s face. Reeling back in pain, blood trickled down from the freshly created stump of flesh along its muzzle. Clacking its teeth together, it reared back and lunged awkwardly at its aggressor. It wasn’t used to its prey remaining standing after a zap like that. Not quite sidestepping out of the way in time, the couerl managed to sink its jaws into his arm. Clawing at the knight’s arm furiously, the creature became more and more desperate.
Whipping his arm down, Argost slammed the creature into the ground, causing it to release its vicegrip. With a flip of his fingers a small clay bulge pushed up from the earth, lifting up the monstrous thing’s neck. Stomping a boot against its neck, Argost flattened it against the small earthen protrusion pushing up on it from below. A shuddering mixture of what sounded like a gasp and gurgle slipped forth from its throat. Rubbing a hand along his arm, a number of links in his chainmail had bent and broken in that monster’s teeth. “And that’s yet another thing on my to do list,” he mentally noted. With a flick of his finger the bulge of earth retreated back into the ground. Turning his back on the felled creature, he went right back to checking off his mental list. “So there’s the matter of Ignavus, getting my chainmail repaired, and that demon. Hmm… would it be better to swoop in now or wait until the Yash guild master completes her studies? Decisions, decisions…”
FIRST, PREVIOUS, NEXT
Icon is © to
RadkuFIRST, PREVIOUS, NEXT
Chapter 36
Her footfalls soft and deliberate, the hyena ventured noiselessly along the beaten path leading out of the village. Twin trails of mist puffed from her nostrils intermittently, drifting up and disappearing into the chilly night air. Following the bird’s lead she strayed off the road into the tall grass. The frost caked greenery sparkling in the moonlight crunched loudly beneath her feet. In time she found herself dipping down into a valley, the faint sound of running water and the gentle whistling of the wind greeted her upon approach. Flicking her ears, she listened intently and hesitantly made her way towards the perceived direction of the noise’s source. A couple hundred paces later a partially frozen creek came into view. Sheets of ice spread out from along the creek bed towards the flowing water, the moon’s shimmering reflection waving back and forth on the water’s dark surface. Standing along the creek bed with his back facing her, cracks splintering and spreading in the ice resting beneath his metal boots, was one of her most frequent customers.
“Don’t you ever get cold in all that armor?” Shoving her hands into her pockets, she picked up the pace and approached him without trepidation.
The jutting spikes and armored plating upon his shoulders clanked loudly as he shrugged. “You get used to it.” Subtly, he crushed the black bird within his armored palm, reducing it to a pool of dark energy sloshing in his grip. It trickled down his wrist and sank between the links of the chainmail covering his arm. Turning to face her, Argost peered out from the cracks in his visor. “Intercept anything of interest?” His pumpkin colored pupils nearly faded into the orange irises surrounding them. They contrasted strongly against the unnatural yellow hue the rest of his eyes had taken on.
“Nothing particularly earth shattering or revealing.” Scratching at her chin, the hyena flattened her brows. “Seemed to be little more than the Yash guild master checking up on the one in Tedrah, mixed in with some gossip.”
“Such as?”
“There was mention of a guild member from Tedrah stopping by to visit and the unwanted guest that followed him there. Apparently he and a couple of the locals duked it out with a demon that had been hounding him and came out on top. Didn’t quite finish it off but that panther from Yash currently has that monster tucked away somewhere for some sort of research.”
“They captured it alive?”
“The panther was pretty upfront about it in the letter,” she replied truthfully.
His eyes dipping down and to the side, the armored knight considered the possibilities that had presented themselves. “…And the visiting member. Were any names dropped?”
“Russo.”
Tapping an armored finger against his thigh, he drew in a deep breath and quickly exhaled. “Anything else?”
“Only other thing of note was some talk of a local temple. I’m not exactly sure why, but the Yash guild master found a compelling reason to declare it off limits and cordon it off.”
“That’ll be something to look into, I suppose. No indications of a second message hidden within her letter?”
Stifling a yawn, she clenched her teeth together and squinted her eyes. “Unless they’re using something pretty damn sophisticated, like text that becomes visible only when certain magics are cast upon the parchment, then no. At least so far as I could tell.”
“Dammit.” Tapping a heavy boot against the ground, the chainmail and plating upon his leg rattled softly. “If there was anything else she wanted to say, it’s likely she probably just sent that mage back with whatever it was. Especially if she didn’t want anyone else laying eyes on it.” Shaking his head, the knight let out a sigh. “Though this isn’t all that unexpected given how we’ve been handling them in the past. They were bound to suspect something eventually but still…” Sliding his foot along the ground, his boots took on a dull sepia glow. Tapping his boot once more against the ground, a grimy and dusty sack rose out of the ground, a pillar of earth gently pushing it up. “Anyway, as per your agreed upon rate, and your presumed commitment to leaving no bodies nor witnesses…”
Kneeling down besides it, the hyena chuckled upon pulling the drawstrings open. Digging her hand inside, she relished the feeling of those frigid gold coins running through her fingers. “I still can’t get over the fact you’ve been offering me a bonus to not kill anyone these past few jobs. I’m in the business of ending lives, not leaving them be.”
“Warm or cold, bodies leave a trail.” That and the guild masters of the area were already on high alert. Any and all targets he wouldn’t mind snuffing out were off limits, for the time being anyway.
“Says the one who is frighteningly experienced at making them disappear.” Satisfied with her haul, the hyena pulled the drawstrings on the sack shut and hoisted it over her shoulder.
“If I make some people disappear, the guilds are going to notice their absence and start sticking their noses where they don’t belong. They’ll be especially all the more adamant about getting their answers and closure if I don’t give them a body to bury at the very least. It’s better to not give them a reason to sniff about in the first place.”
Curling her lips into a half smile, the assassin couldn’t decide whether she should be impressed or terrified. The man had an insane eye for details. “Need anything else from me?”
Wrapping his arms across his chest, the knight pondered briefly. “…Nothing for now. You can expect something to come your way in the following months though. I have some loose ends to tie up before then.”
“Sure about that? With how much money you’ve tossed my way, I might as well toss you a freebie so as to reward your continued patronage.”
“Buy six hits and the seventh one’s free? Some quality customer service right there.” Laughing wryly, Argost relaxed his posture and let his hands drape to his sides. “Thanks but no thanks, Kovania. That’ll be all for now.”
“Heh, I’ll keep an ear to the ground. If that’s all you needed, I’ll be on my way then. Oh I do appreciate the aged and grimy look you gave this thing.” Patting her hand against her unwieldy new purse, it had the appearance of something that was better used to transport garbage than gold. “It’s a nice touch. Makes it all the less appealing for someone else to snag.”
“Hmmph, thought you might like that.”
“As always, it’s been a pleasure doing business.” With a quick wave, Kovania trod off upstream, the soft jingle of coin echoing across the valley. Remaining at his position along the creek bed long after she had disappeared from sight, the knight’s gaze remained transfixed on the full moon gracing the cloudless sky. Dipping his head, his helmet shook to and fro. Slamming a foot into the ground, small flat crags shot up into the heels of his boots, launching him clear across the creek. Bending at the knees upon landing, he rose to his feet. Upon impact, a large piece of plating rattled loose upon his chest, one that had been banged up badly in his latest tussle with that German Shepherd giantess. Brushing a hand against it, he cringed when it bowed forward, revealing a devastating blow hidden beneath it from a foe he’d… hnnrrrrrrg. Some day… one of these days he would cut that bastard down to size. He grunted when looking at that pattern carved into his chest. Felt like he had been god damned branded by it. Digging his armored fingers into the plating he shoved it back into position. Creaking loudly, the metal plates groaned and complained as the knight forcefully bent and curled them into their intended place.
Crags of jutted earth violently burst forth behind him as he climbed up out of the valley, all while he tried stifling his anger. “Stop… just… stop. It does no good getting angry about that now. I’ve got enough on my hands as it is.” Drawing in deep breaths, he forced his thoughts onto other matters. First off there was the matter of what the guilds were planning. Back when he was still second in command, he had had severe reservations about the timing of the Peccamen business. Yes, it was an ideal distraction to throw them off, and yes the guilds were sure to realize that, but leaving absolutely nothing behind for the guilds to find was only going to spike their curiosity and paranoia. Would have been better to leave some clues and inklings of projects that were going nowhere so they’d have something to chew on. The organization’s forays into necromancy, for example, had stopped being useful ages ago.
Oh sure there were some lunatics who were all about getting off on their power fantasies of raising an army of the dead, but Argost couldn’t be bothered to give a shit. They had found a way to reanimate the dead, force their soul back into their decrepit decaying bodies, and then coerce them into revealing the knowledge they had acquired during their time on this earth. With that, Argost had found a way to rip magics and spells that had long been lost right out of history’s grasp. Anything else was unnecessary and wasteful in his eyes. He could see it now, the knight could simply let himself become a little lax about reeling in the bums who headed those projects and eliminate any and all traces of contact with them. Those rats in charge would let the autonomy and lack of oversight go to their heads and would make far more noise than they needed to. The guilds would perk up and take action, being lead on to believe the dead walking the countryside was far more disastrous than it actually was. They’d defeat some monsters, stop some crisis, kill whatever fiend was behind it and go home satisfied, all while the organization’s more pressing pet projects could continue on without interruption.
“But no…” the knight sighed. In the interests of hoarding and acquiring a mastery and knowledge of all things, it had been decided that the guilds could know of nothing. It wasn’t like he could toss them some bread crumbs now; they had grown far too savvy after being starved of information this long. The guild masters would know something was amiss if a lead were to just fall into their laps, they’d know it would be little more than another distraction and they’d only want to dig deeper. Figuring out how to deal with them was going to be troublesome.
Closing his eyes, he continued walking forward. Tall blades of grass poked into the links in his chainmail coating his legs, leaving streaks of frost and slicks of dew upon them. *Sigh* Secondly, there was the matter of monitoring them. Letters sent freely back and forth via courier couldn’t be counted upon to divulge much now. If the guild masters took to communicating solely through members travelling from one town to the next, even the most minor incident to befall them would be viciously scrutinized. “Kovania might be up to the task but… hmmm.” If there were multiple members making their trips simultaneously, keeping tabs on them would become all but impossible. Even with his magic, a man can only be in so many places at once. “Might be worth considering infiltrating the guilds themselves,” Argost mused aloud. Ever moving forward, his armor clanked with every step he took as he continued traversing the moonlit hills.
Lastly, there was that Russo character. Surviving an assassination attempt and then going on to defeat a demon? That mage could prove to be particularly troublesome if the guild masters pointed him in the right direction. And that collie companion of his… it remained to be determined what he truly was. “Mulling over them won’t do me any good now though,” the knight noted to himself. “Shit, what else is there?” Squinting his eyes, he wracked his brain as he moseyed back onto the beaten path. “There’s the matter of Ignavus’ research, probably going to have to needle him about it soon. The lack of updates from up north is disconcerting… but it’s not really my problem anymore, is it? I was appointed this position with the sole intent of expanding into this territory, nothing more nothing less.” The knight’s out loud thinking was interrupted by a guttural roar reverberating through the frigid air. Argost turned to look over his shoulder for the source of the noise. The empty road behind was the only thing to greet him. Unfazed, he merely shrugged and continued trudging forward. Whatever it was would reveal itself soon enough. A heavy panting rumbled in his ears as he advanced further and further along the path. “Any time now,” he impatiently thought.
A monstrous looking couerl slunk out from the grass besides him, answering his call as soon as it was uttered. Coming up to his waist, the feral feline’s fur was patchy and shedding off in chunks. Eyes completely bloodshot and red, glistening accumulations of pus could be seen along its eyelids. They twitched constantly, as were the two long fleshy whiskers arcing with energy that trailed back to its rear. Stretching its neck forward, the feline let out a mindless roar and slapped its whiskers against the knight, sending a couple hundred volts conducting through his armor.
“…Here’s hoping you weren’t skulking around and giving Kovania any trouble earlier.” Grabbing hold of one of the offending appendages as it still cracked and arced with electricity, Argost ripped a whisker clean off the cat’s face. Reeling back in pain, blood trickled down from the freshly created stump of flesh along its muzzle. Clacking its teeth together, it reared back and lunged awkwardly at its aggressor. It wasn’t used to its prey remaining standing after a zap like that. Not quite sidestepping out of the way in time, the couerl managed to sink its jaws into his arm. Clawing at the knight’s arm furiously, the creature became more and more desperate.
Whipping his arm down, Argost slammed the creature into the ground, causing it to release its vicegrip. With a flip of his fingers a small clay bulge pushed up from the earth, lifting up the monstrous thing’s neck. Stomping a boot against its neck, Argost flattened it against the small earthen protrusion pushing up on it from below. A shuddering mixture of what sounded like a gasp and gurgle slipped forth from its throat. Rubbing a hand along his arm, a number of links in his chainmail had bent and broken in that monster’s teeth. “And that’s yet another thing on my to do list,” he mentally noted. With a flick of his finger the bulge of earth retreated back into the ground. Turning his back on the felled creature, he went right back to checking off his mental list. “So there’s the matter of Ignavus, getting my chainmail repaired, and that demon. Hmm… would it be better to swoop in now or wait until the Yash guild master completes her studies? Decisions, decisions…”
FIRST, PREVIOUS, NEXT
Category Story / Fantasy
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 120 x 95px
File Size 21 kB
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