Episode 8 – Betrayal
| The Assassins |
Craven - Fighter / Rogue 1st/1st LE (PC) Keldirk - Rogue 1st level NE (PC) |
| Locale | Just outside the home of Saradock, the Vesper. After having been given their first assignment. To kill their comrade, Argos! |
| B>Date | 25th Fireseek 582 CY (Common Year) |
| Time | Mid-Morning. |
As they journeyed back to the Foreign Quarter and their taverns, Craven said nothing. He was shaken by what he was expected to do; kill the man who had saved his life and become his only ever true friend. The man who had been like a brother to him. He felt the onset of despair and struggled vainly to suppress it.
Keldirk, however, was a changed man. He had been given his first mission and was eager to get his hands dirty. It made no difference that the man scheduled for death was, but hours ago, a fellow assassin and trusted member of the Family.
| Keldirk | Well, that was a surprise. How are we going to plant the scroll? |
| Craven | (silence... struggling with deep, personal emotions) |
| Keldirk | Craven?? |
| Craven | (breaking out of his reverie) Huh? What? |
| Keldirk | I said, how are we going to deliver the black scroll? |
| Craven | I have no idea. But... there's been a huge mistake. Someone has really stuffed up; Argos is one of us. (shakes his head in disbelief) I can't believe it. |
| Keldirk | Well, get over it. He's somehow managed to get his name on a black scroll and we have a duty to fulfil the terms of the contract. Look on the bright side; at least we're getting some action. |
| Craven | You are an arsehole. Keldirk is actually enjoying this. He is genuinely happy about this. What a bastard |
| Keldirk | (in mock indignation) Me? What did I do? (smiles as Craven's cheeks begin to flare red) How do you want to do it? Stab him while he sleeps? Poison? Nah, too impersonal. How about strangulation? You hold one side of his neck, I'll get the other... |
| Craven | Keep going Keldirk, please, keep going. Give me a reason... |
| Keldirk | (laughs, turns his back on Craven and begins to walk away) A reason to what, Craven? To kill me? (laughs as he walks into the distance) |
| Craven | (grasps the hilt of his rapier; his knuckles turning white and watches as Keldirk continues down the street towards the Foreign Quarter) He's right. We have to kill Argos. We've been friends for years and I'm just going to have to put my feelings aside... somehow. (Craven turns down a side street; not yet ready to return to The Warhorse and face Argos.) I need time to think. |
As Craven wandered the streets of Del Mord, Keldirk began the long walk back to the Silver Gauntlet. He didn't recognise any of the buildings around him and decided to spend some time exploring the area.
| Keldirk | (approaches a lady washing clothes in the street) Hey, what area of the city is this? |
| Washer Lady | Eeek. (fearfully) The Artisans Quarter. |
| Keldirk | Well, while I'm here I may as well take a look around |
Keldirk walked the streets and alleyways of the Artisans Quarter, taking in the atmosphere and committing as much of the streets and shops as he could to his considerable memory. He purchased some meat-on-a-stick from a street vendor, not daring to ask what animal it came from, and continued on his way. It wasn't long before the young assassin found himself in a narrow cul-de-sac, the end of a long, twisting alleyway.
| Keldirk | (looking around and finding himself cornered) Damn. This would be a good place for... |
| Man | Hello there. You look lost. Can I be of assistance? |
| Keldirk | (draws two throwing knives and looks to the rooftops, searching for the source of the voice.) |
| Man | (emerging from behind a chimney, waving his hands) Here I am, boy. Put down your toys; we have you covered. |
| Keldirk | (getting worried, he scans the area again, keeping an eye on the middle aged man on the roof) I was just leaving... |
| Man | That's what you think. You see, you've stumbled into my territory. Me and my boys don't get many visitors but, when we do, we like to make them feel welcome. (reaches behind the chimney and slowly, deliberately produces a crossbow) |
| Keldirk | (acting fast) I hope you're hungry! (Throws his two knives at the man on the roof, striking twice) |
| Man | (looks surprised at the two daggers now embedded in his stomach) Erghhhh... (tumbles off the roof and into the cul-de-sac, at Keldirk's feet.) |
| Keldirk | (Reaches down and picks up the man's body, one arm around the corpses' throat. He steps back against the wall and uses the dead man as a shield. Holding the body with one arm he recovers his two knives and searches for signs of other antagonists) |
| Man#1 | (on a roof, directly above Keldirk, deftly lowers a noose around the assassin's neck - lifting him off his feet) |
| Man#2 | (emerges from a doorway, thirty feet ahead of Keldirk, a loaded crossbow in his hands) |
| Keldirk |
Shit! If I drop the body I may get shot; if I don't drop it I'll choke
to death (drops the body)
|
| Man#2 | (smiles and fires his crossbow hitting Keldirk in the stomach) That's for Drew! (hoists his club and runs in to finish the job) |
| Man#1 | (continues choking Keldirk) |
| Keldirk | (now in serious pain and losing blood fast, he reaches above his head and tries to sever the cord with his knife - struggling to remain conscious) Erghhhh... (succeeds in cutting the deadly cord, he slumps to the ground and rolls the side, somehow managing not to drive the crossbow bolt further into his body) |
| Man#2 | (swings at Keldirk's head, but misses - the club crashing into the wall) |
| Man#1 |
(discarding the now useless cord, he draws two dagger and leaps into the alley) Geronimo!
|
| Man#1 | (sees Keldirk fleeing down the alley and strikes with both his daggers - managing to embed one in a door frame and the other in Keldirk's shoulder) |
| Man#2 | (begins to chase) |
| Keldirk |
(realises that he is not going to outrun the attackers with nine inches of
steel in his gut - leaps shoulder-first through a window landing painfully on someone's
kitchen table.) Ooomph.
|
| Woman | (sitting at the now demolished table - screams) |
| Man#2 | (kicks open the door and enters the kitchen, shoving the woman aside with his club) |
| Man#1 | (enters behind Man#2, looking menacing) |
| Keldirk |
(looking frantically around the room he spies a boiling kettle. He grabs
the handle and sprays the contents at his opponents)
|
| Woman | (scalded by boiling water... faints) |
| Man#1 | (winces in pain) There's nowhere to run now! |
| Man#2 |
(blinded by the scolding water - he collapses disorientated to the floor)
|
| Keldirk | (lashes out with his knives, opening a viscous wound on Man#1's forearm) These odds are more to my liking. |
| Man#1 | I'll rip your head off and piss in your neck! (lunges forward but misses) Then I'll rip your arms off, shove 'em in yer ears and ride you like a horse!! (scores a shallow cut across Keldirk's chest) |
| Keldirk | (laughs) You talk a lot. I like that. (hooks his foot under a chair leg and flicks it at Man#1's face then closes quickly - striking twice with his knives) |
| Man#1 | (reeling) Aargh. (flicks his wrist sending a knife hurtling towards Keldirk's head, narrowly missing) I'm gonna gut you like a fish and feed your gizzards to my horse!! |
| Keldirk | Ha! (sends his own knife across the room and strikes his attacker in the stomach) |
| Man#1 | (doubles over in pain) |
| Keldirk | (leaps forward, plunging his twin knives in the man's kidneys.) |
| Man#1 | (dies) |
| Keldirk | (dispatches Man#2 from the world of the living, then tends to his wounds) Ah, that feels better. Oh well, now I'm here I may as well make the best of a bad situation... (ignoring the helpless woman he searches the bodies of the three men and gives the house a cursory search. He finds some small coinage and trinkets) |
Meanwhile, Craven was wandering the streets of Del Mord. He hadn't been paying any attention to where he was going and, in his present state of mind, he didn't care. He wandered into a small park and sat beneath a tree, remembering...
The twelve students practised tumbling in the sands of Kalmaird Beach under the watchful gaze of their tutor, Ailmar Kren.
| Ailmar | Keep up the good work, Xavier. Craven, tuck your shoulder in or you'll end up breaking your neck! |
| Craven | (rolls his eyes to the raven haired boy - Argos was his name - who smiles in response) |
| Argos | (to Ailmar) If Craven dies during training, sir, can I keep his stuff? |
| Craven | (looks accusingly to Argos, sees the smile on the young man's lips and returns the smile) Heh! I haven't got any stuff worth keeping - so you're welcome to it! |
| Argos | (laughs and tumbles away) |
The class continued to practice well into the afternoon until Ailmar yelled a warning.
| Ailmar | Get your weapons!! We're being attacked! (turns to Xavier) Quick boy, go get help. |
| Xavier | (nods - sprints into the forest) |
Craven scanned the beach and saw two groups of armed men emerging from the thick forest to either side of their training area. He reached for his daggers and looked nervously to Ailmar for instruction. Things didn't look good but he had confidence that Ailmar would see them through.
| Ailmar | The pirates have spears - watch out! |
The twenty or so pirates closed on the small group without hurling their spears - it seemed to Craven as though they were being herded like cattle. Four pirates broke rank and targeted Ailmar. The others seemed intent on containing the boys rather than inflict serious damage. In the confusion that followed Argos and Craven ended up back to back, fending off the prods of their attackers.
| Argos | (shouting to Craven) These guys are slavers - I've seen their kind before! |
| Craven | Shit!! (knocks aside a spear and steps forward, attempting to stab his opponent) |
| Slaver#1 | (easily dodges the young assassin's clumsy strike and whacks him over the head with the butt of his spear) |
| Craven | (falls to the sand - rapidly losing consciousness) |
| Argos | (steps over his fallen comrade) Don't worry, I won't let them touch you! |
Craven didn't remember much after being hit in the head, but he learnt afterwards that Xavier had managed to return with help thus preventing the Slavers from taking all the students off the island. Ailmar Kren had been killed and Argos gravely injured - stabbed through his side. Craven waited by Argos' bed until he was fully recovered. In time they became fast friends.
| Craven | and now I'm expected to kill him! Where's the justice? |
As the sun disappeared below Del Mord's city walls, Craven walked back to the Silver Gauntlet to find Keldirk. He had come to terms with what he must do and wanted to get it over with. He found Keldirk alone, eating dinner at a table downstairs.
| Craven | (pulls up a chair and sits down. He notices the glass cuts on Keldirk's face and a bandage around his shoulder ) What happened to you? No! Don't answer that - I don't care. Listen, I'll take Argos out on the town tonight and, while we're gone, you break into our room and leave the scroll on the pallet nearest the window. Understand? |
| Keldirk | (mouth full of food - nods) |
| Craven | I won't be staying there tonight. Organise for someone to watch the tavern and see if he makes a break. We need to stay close to him in case he does a runner. We don't need to spend the next few weeks chasing him around Almor. |
| Keldirk | (nods) |
| Craven | I'll meet you here at midday tomorrow. Oh, it's room number eight at The Warhorse. |
| Keldirk | (nods) |
Craven left Keldirk to finish his meal and returned to The Warhorse where he found Argos asleep in his bed.
| Craven | Wake up! We're going out. (shakes the sleeping assassin roughly) |
| Argos | (still sleepy) Wha... huh? |
| Craven | I'm in the mood to get seriously pissed and so are you! |
| Argos | (smiling and yawning at the same time, a difficult task at best) I am? |
| Craven | Too right. Come on, get dressed. We'll head on down to that place Keldirk mentioned; The Strip. Tonight's my shout. |
| Argos | (dressing) Your shout!? (eyes narrowing questioningly) Who are you and what have you done with Craven? (draws his dagger - then smiles) |
| Craven | Shutup you idiot. Can't a fella buy his best mate a drink? |
| Argos | Of course, who am I to argue. |
| Craven | Well hurry up then or I'll change my mind. |
| Argos | I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying. |
The two assassins spent the majority of the night wandering (then crawling) from tavern to tavern in the River Quarter. By an hour past midnight the two were exceedingly intoxicated. They had just been kicked out of a tavern called Barge End; a place that seemed, to the drunken assassins, to have way too many dwarves.
| Craven | 'Twas a bloody plague of the buggers... I've never seen so many in one place. |
| Argos | (laughs) D'yasee th' look on th' lil' fella's face when I spilt th' beer in his hair? |
| Craven | (laughs) That was a female, you idiot! |
| Argos | (eyes narrowing, body swaying) No way!?? |
| Craven | (burps) Yup, 'fraid so. |
| Argos | Shit! What'lltheythink of next. (looks up and down the street blearily) Wheretonow? |
| Craven | I'm going to that brothel ... the Angel's Something-or-other... for a good time. |
| Argos | You, myfriend, have th' stamina of an ox. |
| Craven | (burp) And proud of it. What're you gonna do? |
| Argos | Ergh..(burp)..go home, go to bed and throw up. |
| Craven | In that order? |
| Argos | Huh? |
| Craven | Nevermind... see ya Argos. You're the best and, no matter what, I'll always love you. (closes to give Argos a hug) |
| Argos | (backs away quickly, trips over his heels and falls on his rear) Get away from me! (smiles) I'm not one of your harlots! |
| Craven | (smiles) Farewell, my friend. (stumbles away, not looking back) |
Craven walked the streets of Del Mord for about an hour, sobering up. He knew that would be the last time he'd ever see Argos alive.
Craven hadn't drunk as much as Argos; he wanted to enjoy the remainder of his night and if he was too inebriated he knew he wouldn't be able to "perform". In time he found himself outside a gaudily decorated building known as The Angel's Junction. Hanging from the windows were long sheets of red velvet tied up with golden cord, the columns that supported the twin balconies were carved in bass-relief and depicted buxom women whose clothing left little to the imagination. As he approached the stairs several women on the balconies called to him, inviting him to enter and promising him pleasures beyond his imagination. Craven smiled - his imagination had always been "healthy".
Once inside the building he was met by two towering, heavily armed and armoured men. They took his weapons and gave him a run down on the establishment's rules and regulations.
| Man#1 | ... and, most importantly, if you harm any of the women you'll have us to answer to! |
| Craven | Have no fear. There will be no injuries caused tonight save. perhaps, a few broken hearts. |
| Man#1 | I'm glad to hear that. Go through that curtain and all will be taken care of. |
Craven did as he was instructed and found himself in a smoky lounge. There were several women sitting here - some with clients and others by themselves or talking in small groups. Craven walked to the bar, ordered a drink and surveyed the surroundings. He had only taken two sips when a tall, exotic-looking woman approached him. She was wearing a tiny negligee that did little to hide her ample bosom and had a circlet of silver that tied back her long, raven hair. She sat down beside Craven and placed a perfectly manicured hand on his thigh.
| Tall woman | Greetings and welcome. My name is Madam Fifi. I am your hostess for this evening and owner of this fine establishment. I haven't seen your handsome face around here before; is this your first time? |
| Craven | It's my first time here but it sure as hell isn't my "first time", if you know what I mean? |
| Madam Fifi | (laughs politely) Of course. I already have someone in mind for you, a very well trained lady who knows her way around a gentleman's physique. |
| Craven | Excellent. (thinks for a minute, rubbing his figures over his stubble) May I ask how much it would be if I were to - um - share the evening with you. You have to be the most beautiful creature I've ever seen. You must stand - what - almost seven feet? |
| Madam Fifi | (laughs again) Six foot six, seven in these heels. I get my height from my father who was a very tall man. As for sharing the evening with me, I'm afraid that would be impossible. For one I only allow myself to get involved with proven, experienced lovers and secondly, no disrespect intended, I doubt you could pay the price. (rubbing Craven's thigh expertly) But enough small talk. If I'm any judge, and I am, it's about time for you to begin your evening. Let me introduce you to Kazza, one of my most proficient workers. (points to a smallish blonde who was playing pool near the window) |
| Craven | (watches as the young lady pockets the black) Yes, let's meet Kazza. |
After introductions were made, Craven and the fiery Kazza proceeded upstairs. Kazza was barely five feet tall but what she lacked in height she made up for in passion. That night Craven learnt a great many things, and he knew that he would soon return.
Earlier that evening, Keldirk left his room in the Silver Gauntlet and went to look for Slick. The wound in his stomach still ached and he made a pact that he would endeavour to avoid combat for the next few days. The streets in the Foreign Quarter were unusually quiet, probably due to the cool wind, Keldirk mused. In time he came across Slick, standing alone, a thin cigar in his mouth.
| Keldirk | Slick, are you busy? |
| Slick | (exhales) Gods, this stuff stinks. I don't know why I smoke, it's a disgusting habit. (rubs his temples) Still, it looks cool. Don't you think? |
| Keldirk | Whatever you say. Listen, I have got some work for you... if you want it. (displays 2 golden orbs to the wily informer) |
| Slick | What can I do for you, Valrorn? |
| Keldirk | It's simple. I need you to keep an eye on The Warhorse. If Argos, my colleague, leaves the building I want you to follow him - or have him followed - I don't care which. As long as you don't lose him. |
| Slick | Is that all? |
| Keldirk | That and keep your eyes and ears open, yes - that is all. |
| Slick | (takes the money from Keldirk's hand and hides the coins inside his jacket) And you'll pay the other half tomorrow? |
| Keldirk | What other half!!? That was payment in full. (Thinks for a moment) If you have anything useful to tell me tomorrow morning then I'll double your fee. |
| Slick | (bows low, his fetid breath steaming in the air) I am at your command, Master Valrorn. |
| Normal Text | Character's words or descriptive text if part of a paragraph |
| Italic Text | Character's thoughts or actions if surrounded by parenthesis |
| Bold Text | Character is shouting. |