Darkness Skies RP

[Akira Avelon]

Waking up to the face of a young man waiting impatiently for her to awaken. Akira stirs feeling very weird. "Ugh, Where am I? and who are you?" Akira says as she looks around the area. Suddenly she feels something move on her neck. Instinctively Akira grabs her throat and feels something that shouldn't be there. "Wha-what is this?" Akira thought aloud. "Ugh, My head!" feeling woozy.

She braces herself and looks down at her hand trying to get her thoughts back from before Akira awoke. Looking then at the man who seemed a bit different than any one Akira has ever seen. But she couldn't tell because the lighting was bad. Since it was night.

Akira asks."Umm... Please tell me kind sir. How long have I been out? Where are the goblins that were chasing me?... ow my head." As soon as Akira had becomes flustered her body and mind began to scream. As if something was moving within. It may have hurt but it felt as if it was trying to protect her. Akira then tried to get up but stagered as she tried to stand. Feeling weak in the knees. Akira falls back down with a thud.

[The Dude]

General Alberts finally decided it was time to take a break. He and two of his soldiers had been walking along the road through the great forest for most of the day now and it was nearing dusk. The sky now was a bright mix of oranges. They decided they would break camp near the small stream that was next to the road. While the other two were pitching tents, Alberts sat on a rock by the stream and filled his now empty water pouch. He took a swig and pondered about the recent events. How the night before he had been given a sealed envelope and told not to open it but to deliver it personally to general at Garis Keep, and the journey through the great forest that would take them a good two days just to get to the keep and another two back to the city.

Yet he smiled feeling lucky, the trip itself was pretty uneventful, which is a rare occurence given the nature of the forest they were traveling through. He felt a soft breeze pass through that was coming down from the mountain side. He heard one soldier, Serus, shout to the other, "Hey Horam. Go get some firewood." To which the other nodded in reply. It was indeed strange though. Though they were fortunate that they managed to avoid the more wild beasts and other inhabitants of the forest. They didn't hear any of its peaceful residents aswell. No birds, no squirrels. It was odd. Aside from the noise of the stream. it was dead silent.

Yet the silence was misleading. Though they heard no other noises. They were not alone...

On a branch high above them; the sunlight refracted and showed a barely visible outline of a person, crouched on the branch, watching them. If it hadn't been for the rays of the sun, it would have been completely transparent. The figure then lept as quietly as the wind from the tree branch and landed as softly as he jumped onto another to get a better view. He watched the one guard, Horam, who had removed his armor that was covering a now sweat stained cloth tunic leave the encampment for firewood. He lept again to another tree branch as the guard left the encampment.

Horam had traveled about 30 feet from the encampment to where he found some suitable firewood. He took a quick look back and was glad he could still see the encampment. yet he did not see the figure looming 30 feet above him nearly 15 feet away. The almost translucent figure then reached for what appeared to be a bow with his left hand and with his right hand an invisible arrow. Horams own noise of him chopping wood blocked out the sound of the arrow being pulled back.

Once the arrow was released, it became solid and clear as day and so was the figure who fired it. He wore a shrouded armor that was sanguine colored, his bow had been laqured to an obsidian black. His quiver was a mix of ebon with crimson lines. On the right side of his waist was a dagger, on the left side, a short sword. He wore a small hood that matched his armor that covered his head but left his face viewable. He was lean, as if built for acrobatics but was strong. Strong enough to use his bow with deadly precision without much effort. It didn't matter for Horam though. His back had been turned and now it was too late. He wasn't even able to let out a scream. He was dead the moment the arrow struck his back and punctured his heart. He fell to the ground; axe in hand.

Gareth grinned at his latest kill. It wasn't much but he had done a good job. The other two hadn't noticed.

"Two left." he reminded himself.

He closed his quiver and raised his right hand into the air and a soft green light eminated from his hand and he was back to being transparent again.

Serus stopped suddenly from his work and looked up. Alberts looked at him from where he was sitting and was confused.

"What is the matter Serus?" Alberts had asked.

Serus didn't answer. He was too busy trying to listen. He didn't notice the repetetive sounds of Horam's chopping but now that it was absent, it unnerved him. He hoped he would hear the sounds of Horam coming back but to no avail.

"We may not be alone my lord." was all he could say. He quickly went to his tent and pulled out a clamor. He went out to the area where Horam was and found his comrade lying on the forest floor, with an arrow protruding for his back.

He ran back to the encapment. shouting "Arm yourself my lord!" He reached for his clamor and went towards his general to ready himself to defend against whatever was out there. He wondered if there had been bandits. It was not uncommon for them to make camp in the forest but they didn't see any signs of other travelers.

Gareth watched from above as the two men now were armed and ready. He lept to another branch that was closer to them, this time however when his landing knocked free a loose pinecone which fell to the ground. The two below saw this and quickly readied themselves. Gareth knew that now play time was over. He lept to a lower branch and one with a quick drop landed to the ground below. Serus heard the thud of his landed and quickly searched for what had fallen, his eyes darting back and forth. He swore he could hear footsteps of their unseen attacker.

Gareth krept closer and closer. He knew that a conventional attack would be useless. Serus was well armored but there was one weak spot. Serus was holding his claymore in guard position but it revealed his unprotected armpit. Gareth jumped back and landed on a rock. Again he got out his bow, opened his quiver with a quick motion and pulled out an arrow and fired, sending an arrow right through serus' armpit.

Serus let out a cry of pain as he fell to the forest floor and Albert looked to where the arrow originated from. He saw the man on crouched on the rock holding his bow. There was no point in becoming invisible again. Gareth knew this would end here. He lept to where Serus was moaning in pain. He put aside his bow and took out his dagger. It glowed a soft red from all the enchantments placed upon it. With one fluid motion Gareth slashed at Serus' neck and Serus' moaning stopped.

Alberts was too terrified to charge, he had spent years in the service but he couldn't charge his enemy. He could only drop his sword and run.

He ran down the road, he could hear the footsteps of his persuer behind him. He was tired but his legs still carried him. He thought about the keep. How he could find safety there. Yet the keep was a day's walk away and the sun was setting. He soon realized that he would never see the keep, and he would never see home again. He felt a pain burst from his back and he stopped cold. Was it an arrow? No, whatever it was though, it was freezing, the sharp pain of cold took over him. His body went numb. He couldn't move; the only heat he felt was from his head. He felt something grab his head, he saw the blade of a dagger near his neck.
"Who are you?" Alberts barely made out. He heard his attacker reply with only one word. "Silence."

With one more quick motion he felt the warmth of his life esecape through the new hole in his jugular and the cold blackness of death taking him.

Gareth began ruffling in the now dead general's pockets looking for what the general was supposed to deliver. Success. He had found his orders. The general had been told to give them to the master of the keep but in truth he would never complete that mission. The keep had been cleared out some time ago. What the general had been given were Gareths dead drop orders. His master was clever. He guessed that the client of this contract had been given the orders and was told to give them to the general. He wondered who the client was this time. Maybe someone the general had arrested or a rival looking to replace him.

It didn't matter though. In the past three years of working for the Brotherhood, he had only met a few of the clients for the contracts and he really didn't care who had made contact with his master. The only important thing was that his master would be impressed and he would be paid. He opened the sealed letter and read it. "Congratulations Silencer." was the opening statement.

"Silencer." he thought. It was a title rather than a name; given to the personal assassins of the Brotherhood's ruling body, the Black Hand . Five silencers there were total. Four for the speakers and the Listener's personal Silencer. The speakers and the listener made up the black hand and the silencers were the hand's nails.

It was strange, all his life rarely anyone ever called him by his actual name. When he lived on the streets as a boy, people called him beggar, vermin and street rat. When he entered the Brotherhood three years ago, they called him brother. Now his brothers and sisters now call him by his new name; Silencer. Truth was he didn't care much about his real name. He was proud of his new title and name and he would wear it with honor.

He pulled back his hood and wiped his now sweaty forehead and strolled around the area where the bodies lied. He had spent the whole day from sunrise tracking him. Had it not been for the Ring of the Gray he wore, he wouldn't have been so lucky and would have had to hunt them in the abandoned keep. Looking at his handy work reminded him of the first time he killed. The thrill, the exiliration, the adrenaline rush. The thrill of the hunt was still there but everything else had become second nature when it came to assassinations. He knew that he wasn't the best. The Listener's Silencer proved that. But he was good. He wouldn't have made it to Silencer if he wasn't. Now came the boring part of the contract.

The contract called for that the hit look like a simple attack by marauders or beasts of the forest. It was easy enough to pull off. The forest was huge, full of bandits and beasts. Those that didn't know the way around could easily get lost. Some times people entered the forest and simply disappeared...

Yet these were legion troopers and a general no less. Luckily the general himself was dressed only in a travelers cloak to look inconspicuous but the other two soldiers had been wearing their legion armor. No way it would be believable that they were brought down by forest bandits. Gareth knew that to make it a little more believable, he would have to dress them down a little. He bagan to remove Serus' armor and weapons along with gathering Horam's equipment and Alberst legion short sword. There was a drop off onto the mountain side a couple of yards away, he could dump the equipment there. He made sure to take any valuables the legion soldiers had to make it look more believable that they were attacked by bandits.

As he began to finish his work, he heard a scream that came from a few yards away along with several screaches. "Goblins." he thought. He looked first to his ring and saw a light begin to appear and looked out into the forest. sure enough the purple foglight, the sign of life was seen but it was distant and fading. He saw the group of light coming from the goblins but there was something else. That scream that came before certainly didn't come from the goblins and the group was moving fast as if it was chasing something.

Had he been seen? If the bodies were spotted now then his plan would be ruined. He pulled his hood back over his head. Night was beginning to fall and the fog light was beginning to fade as the goblins and whatever they were chasing left the area. He raised his hand again and a blue light came forth and his eyes were now a total deep blue. He needed to know what the goblins were doing what they were chasing. It didn't matter much to him if someone had spotted him or the bodies. After all it was a big forest full of nasty things and sometimes, people just disappear...

[Akira Avelon]

Waking once again, Akira saw the man flee. Something in the forrest had stirred and the smell of blood was think in the air... wait? How could she smell blood? Akira was stuned the feel this way, but the fact of the matter was that something had happened and she was still amongst the area where it began... Perhaps something could be found to tell her what happened? Or she could at least find a weapon to defend herself with. She was raised by an elven tribe. taught how to use a bow and to use the forrest to her advantage.

Akira stood and looked around, shocked to see the amount of damage. She couldn't believe that she had survived at all. 'But, why did he leave?' Akira wondered. She didn't know that the passing man that had helped her was a marked man, who would be soon dead.

Akira trudged through the rubble, looking for any type of bow with guiver. She could hear the restless beasts starting to come out for the night's hunt. She stumbled on a small bow, but it was slightly damaged. It could be used... but for how long? was the question.

Placing the bow and quiver over her shoulder, Akira started to walk towards wherd she some how smelt blood. SHe never knew she'd be, soon enough, watched.

[The Dude]

"Just a girl..." Gareth whispered to himself as kneeled on another branch and watched as the man ran off into the forest. The winds were coming down from the eastern mountains and the branch swayed slightly under his feet. He readied another arrow and let it soar. The wind picked up and the arrow went off course slightly and struck the man in the shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain.

Gareth's heart stopped and his breath froze as the man sceamed in agony. He turned and shure enough, the girl had heard the screamed and turned. He didn't care about the man. The arrows he used were laquered with a special poision that would spread through the man's body, eventually causing his heart to fail. But that didn't matter. He was supposed to make it look like simple murder. The poision was a specialty of The Dark Brotherhood. It was practically their calling card that most town guards knew too well when identifying cause of death among murder victims.

Gareth quickly regained his senses. He wasn't sure if the girl saw him and if that was the case, he could just make his escape and leave her here for some forest resident to claim her. He held his arm and the soft green light eminated from his hand. As he was finishing his spell, the wind picked up again, this time swaying the branch harder, causing it to crack. He lost concentration of the spell as now things from bad to worse. The branch broke and Gareth found himself falling to the forest floor; landing with a hard thud.

He quickly regained his senses and stood crouched down. His eyes glared. Sure enough, he had been seen. He landed back first in plain view of the girl. Any hope of leaving quietly with the girl alive had been dashed. He had been seen.

"She's just a kid!" He thought as he realized what he must do to insure the completion of the mission. He had performed contracts on children before. But they were the targets. It was unavoidable. She wasn't a target. She could have avoided it. "She's just some stupid kid in the forest!" He yelled in his mind. But the arguments died as quickly as they came. He breathed a heavy sigh and reached for his dagger and short sword. He knew what he had to do.

[Akira Avelon]

Akira looked over and didn't know if she should go help him up or run.. But she knew that she was in trouble when the man reached for his weapons...

Akira stepped back a few paces, while her white hair moved in the wind. She was a bit scared, but her attention was taken away by the sound of something comming their way...

Akira moved to the side just before an arrow nearly hit her She could smell more blood... Then, with out warning, another set of arrows flew in and five club wielding goblins rushed into the clearing. They went for Akira and the man, two to three... the man getting the most. An Orc sniper following slowly into the clearing.. aiming for another shot.

"Umm.. I don't know about you... But I think our introduction will have to wait until our prior engagement is finished.. I hope you're good with slaying Goblins.." Akira said as she unshouldered her bow.. aiming towards the nearest goblin. Stopping her aim as she had to jump away from another set of arrows... She couldn't aim for the goblins while the Orc was still there... a slight pain in her throat now surfacing. Making her feel like her neck was on fire.

[The Dude]

Gareth's eyes darted back and forth. "Goblins and Orcs? Working together?" He thought. It didn't make sense but it didn't matter. "First things first." He placed closed his eyes and placed his index and middle finger to his eyelids and a blue light quickly flashed from the ends of the fingers. When his eyes opened they were covered by a blue tint. The night vision spell allowed him to see the three goblins each weilding hatchets quickly closing in. They were too close for him to get out of the way and get his bow. Instead he went for Goldbrand, his short sword. It was shaped like a short katana with a straight edge and a gold tint. evidence of the fire enchantment that it was given when it was forged long ago. He didn't like melee combat but when he was forced into them, Goldbrad always showed how it earned its place among his favored weapons.

The first goblin made the mistake of rushing in, Gareth side stepped it and with a quick move, slashed at its back, the fire magic burned the goblins wound with an orange light. The other two then tried to take him on at once. Though he had fallen earlier, he was still able to jump over both of them, and reaching for his dagger, plugged one with in its stomach with Goldbrand and cut the jugular of the other with his dagger. the blood of the previous soldier now on the goblins neck.

He then placed Goldbrand back in it's scabbard and cleaned his dagger with one of the goblins fur shirts before sheathing it. Now it was just him and the girl again. But then he looked down at his ring, which was starting to glow. Glancing around he saw a mass of purple foglight enclosing around them. The light came off the bodies from a small army of orcs and goblins. Too many for either him or the girl to take on. He only brought enough arrows for the contract plus a few for hunting and he didn't know how many she had left. As they enclosed around them both he started to back towards the girl.

"Just run. Leave her here, they don't know you." Was all his common sense could say. He knew he should follow his common sense. His heart was racing but he knew he could escape. "Just Run." He glanced down at the silver haired girl. "Hold your breath." was all he said.

He then placed one arm around her waist and they both crouched down. With his other hand, he reached for a smoke ball in one of his pockets. A last resort escape measure. He threw the ball to the ground and as it exploded with a cloud of smoke, he held his free hand in the air again, concentrating hard. He only knew four spells, one to heal small wounds, one to give him night vision, one to freeze targets for a few seconds and one for invisibility. Yet while other members of the brotherhood were good with many other spells they knew. He mastered the ones he had.

Through the smoke a soft green flash appeared and the two were invisible. with his arm around her, he lept up to the nearest tree branch and lept upwards into the forest canopy. He found a large sturdy branch and stopped, in time for the invisibilty spell was about to wear off. He watched the ground below as the band of goblins and orcs quickly marched through the area.

He then turned to the girl. "I do not know why I just risked everything I lived for in saving you. I hope you have a good reason for me risking everything in doing so. But be warned. If you ever tell anyone about what happened here or earlier. I will end you." He then sighed. "You may refer to me only as Silencer."

[darkeclipse21]

-darkeclipse awoke. all he could feel was a blanket of darkness surrounding him.- a demon is nearby. -he muttered to himself. he broke through the clearing of trees and saw a group of goblins and orcs. he pulled out his sword of retribution and started slashing at their numbers.- too easy.

[Akira Avelon]

Akira felt herself being grabed around the waist. She was then in the air and was on a sturdy tree branch. She looked over at the man and saw them both reapear. His words were unnerving, but she decided to tell him the truth. "I don't really know what is going on. But I was being chased by goblins earlier. I am from an elven village that was a fifteen min run from here..." was was being the main word. "We were attacked by those fiends down there... I do not know if anyone else is still alive..." Akira stopped and looked up.. She was puzzled to why this man went by the name silencer. But She guessed best time to was now instead of later.

"I don't really know what is going on, or what any of this has to do with you. Aren't you just a hunter? Why would anyone call you Silencer? It is a bit of a strange name. But if you wish it. I'll call you that since you did save me..." Akira said as she set her footing on the tree branch well enough so that he didn't need to hold her. She was taught how to climb and jump trees by elves. She just couldn't do it as fast as them.

Realising that he had said that he had risked all... Akira wondered. "How did I make you risk everything? I don't really understand..." Akira couldn't finish. Her neck felt like it was on fire and there was now a slight red glow comming from underneath her collar. A sharp pain went through her body as her footing on the branch wavered, Slipping as she grabed out to him. She didn't know if he would grab her hand or not. But she hoped so.. the feeling in her neck intencifying as she went backwards.

[The Dude]

Gareth didn't even think has he reached for the girl. He caugher her by the hand but noticed the glow coming from her neck. He didn't know what to make of it. Perhaps one of his Brothers would. They weren't far from a city with one of the hidden sanctuaries of the brotherhood. Only a couple of hours away.

One thing that he took more notice to was that the girl didn't know about The Dark Brotherhood. "She must have led a sheltered life." He thought to himself. The armor he wore was standard issue, the shoulder plate he wore on his right shoulder blade even had The Black Hand mark, a dead give away on it. He smiled, as if fortune had rewarded his rare act of charity.

He snicked a little. "Yes... I am a hunter of sorts. And yes Silencer is a strange name. But we don't get to choose our names and it is better than some others that people get called..." He remarked rather grimly as the voices of the past called out to him, calling him beggar and street rat. "But in any case that's not important. Orcs usually are enemies of goblins. Luckily there's a town not too far from here. Some guilds and such, maybe you can find your elven friends there. We will leave once the moon rises bast the western mountains."

He looked below and sighed, the area was clear except for bodies of the fallen. "If you'll excuse me, I have some things to tend to. Goblin meat isn't edible for humans but other creatures take delight in it and it's best to get rid of it quickly. You'll be safe up here." He then made his way quickly down to the forest floor. He didn't really care about the goblins, he just needed to quickly rectify a situation.

Sure enough the man was dead thanks to the poison of the arrow. But the man's demise wasn't what concerned him, it was the poison's after effect. The man's face had been pulled back which made the muscles and bones easy to make out, making his face a grissly visage showing his final moments.

He gathered the dead goblins and orcs and put them in a pile ontop of the human and set the bodies aflame. He smiled as his cover up would prove successfull. If it wasn't for the smell of burning goblin flesh, the bonfire would have been enjoyable. He then ran to the clearing where the other three soldiers were. The army of goblins and orcs had been here and they seemed to have done him a favor. His night vision showed him their tracks in the ground and best of all, they had taken the armor he had removed from them and had planned to toss over the cliff side.

He made his way back up to the canopy, offering a hand to the girl. "It is time to go, the moon is out and it will provide us the light we need to get to town. I should let you know. I'm in a guild; a "hunters" guild. I will need to speak with them while we're in town but after that, we can find you whatever help you may need. Also, the town guard doesn't like people going out into the great forest, even members of the hunters guild, so it would be best if you didn't tell anyone that we were here or what happened here..."

[Akira Avelon]

Akira took his hand and followed him. They were both fast on their feet. Surprisingly enough. She was actually having a hard time keeping up.. He was a tad faster than the elves that she had trained with. That was a lot to say in the least.. but never tell an elf that.

Akira paced herself and kept a stable distance to Silencer. She still couldn't get the hang of calling him that. But she then realised... She had been impolite not to give her name. "Sorry, I forgot to tell you my name. It wasn't polite of me not to. But My name is Akira. Pleasure to meet you and thanks for all the help you are providing. I hope I am not a burden?" Akira said as she ran up to his pace. She felt like she could go this fast. But hopefully they would be close to their destination. She could somehow hear rustling of the bushes nearby. But it was mainly wolves and raccoons. She wouldn't be surprised if an Owl or hawk flew by as well. All the night creatures were out and Akira hoped that she'd be at least able to get a new bow.. the one she had now was on it's last leg. She knew she'd need a new one before another confrontation would occur.

The moon was now up high and Akira could now see very clearly. Her eyesight had fully adjusted and she didn't need to rely on Silencer's movements to know where to go. She even started to jump like an elf when she felt changes in the dirt. Jumping cleanly over traps that the local hunters set for wild beasts.

"So. May I ask what your guild's name is? OR where you're originally from? I was found by my village and don't know whom my real parents were. I guess being an orphan is pretty hard. But the ones that took care of me treated my like their own..." Akira trailed off. Remembering her family and friends that she saw being slaughtered. She knew no one was left. There had been a meeting prior to the assult. It came on suddenly. She was the only one to get away. and even she was nearly killed... "If only for that light... What was that anyways...' Akira thought as she ran. The light that had engulfed her had saved her from becomming goblin fodder. HSe never would think for a second right now that the light was tied to why her neck right now hurt and burned in pain with an unearthly power....

[darkeclipse21]

-darkeclipse was running through the forest. he caught scent of people on the move. he noticed the moonlight. it was the same as when he was left unconscience in the patch of bloody trees. burning with the pain of trying to remember he followed the two scents he found. the trees surrounded him as he followed and he guessed they had gotten there by a different path.-
i should be able to catch up. providing no one attacks me i should be able to ask them where the nearest town is.
-when he got to a clearing he noticed a huge hole. the clearing reaked of goblin blood.-
they must have been attacked too. -he thought going faster.-
-after running through strange kinds of trees he knew he was catching up.-
i'll catch up soon. and i'll finally be out of this forest.-he thought remembering he's been here for hundreds- thousands? he really didn't know.-

[The Dude]

Gareth had stopped running to catch his breat in the middle of a clearing. The moonlight was bright in the small clearing. He could see the lights coming off the watch towers surounding the town. He glanced back at the forest. Something wasn't right, but he didn't care to stick around too much longer either.

He turned to Akira, "I'm not originally from the area. I grew up in the city but I've made this place my home. I have a small house in town, it's not much but it'll keep you warm. As for my guild... We're nothing special... Just a hunter's guild that goes out from time to time to earn a living and keep the roads cleared for travelers. Now let's get going."

They arrived at the town gate and slipped in quietly. There weren't any guards out patrolling, which signaled a change in guard shifts. He led her to the east side where several expensive looking and well kept houses stood. All except for one, which looked like it was in serious need of renevations.

"Told you it wasn't much." He chuckled. He unlocked the door and allowed her to enter. It was darker in the house then it was outside and it had a stale air about it. "I must remember to talk to the count about those renervations." He remarked. He led her upstairs to a single room. It was the only room that was lit in the whole house. It had a large bed and a full book shelf. "You can rest here. I'll find a mat to crash on down stairs. Have a good rest." As she went to the bed, he closed the door and stood infront of the door for a minute. Then calmly walked down stairs.

He opened the door to the basement. Though the house was darker than it was outside; it had some light. The basement was completely pitch black. He cast the night vision spell again and made his way down into the darkness.

Moving through the basement. He stood infront of an empty bookshelf on the wall. Grabbing one side of the shelf, he slid it from where it stood with ease, as if it was a door. As it slid on its invisble track, light shot out of the makeshift doorway. It was a crimson ray that barely lit the room, but it showed the path down. He made his way down the bath to a door where the light originated from. He placed his hand on the solid metal door and a voice called out to him. "Welcome, Brother." and the door opened.

Though he called the house his home, it rather was a cover for his real home under the house. Underneath the dilapidated building was the sanctuary for The Dark Brotherhood. The sanctuary was well lit, along with candles, an eerie crimson light spread lightly on the walls. There were decorative wall hangings and bookshelves filled with old books covered the west wall, along with chairs and tables for comfort.

As he walked through the sanctuary, another member walked by and greeted him, "Welcome home, Brother." He nodded and the assassin then walked towards the training room. There were other members of the brotherhood as well. One was sitting down on a soft chair and reading, two were discussing their latest contracst and one was studying a scroll, most likely their next contract.

He made his way to the living quarters of the sanctuary. There were few private rooms in the sanctuary and most of the assassins slept in a common room. The only private rooms available were for the Speaker, who was master of the sanctuary and one for the Speaker's Silencer. He opened a large wooden door and smiled, this was his real home it was a much larger room then the one he called his bedroom upstairs. Inside was a table he used for eating and where he studied. his own private bed, a large cabinet with some extra clothes and where he kept his bow and quiver along with his short sword.

After a few moments of lying in his bed, he made his way down the quarters to the Speakers room. He was afraid of the news he would have to give his master, as he had pledged never to lie to his master.

"Enter." a voice called from the opposite side of two large double doors. They opened quietly and with ease as he pushed them. Inside the room, the speaker sat behind a large furnished desk stacked with books and papers. He was righting on a parchment. Another assassin stood there. Gareth looked at the assassin. An elven woman who appeared to a new recruit; he had heard that someone had joined a week ago. She must be recieving her first contract. The speaker having finished writing the contract, handed it to the elf who nervously took it from the speaker, she slightly tripped as she realised that the Silencer was in the room. She smiled, and bowed to him. "Greet... Greetings Silencer." she bowed. Gareth said nothing but just smiled and nodded. She clumsily made for the door and ran off.

After the commotion, Gareth made his way up to the desk. It was his turn now.

"You wouldn't believe where I found her." The speaker casualy said while writing on another parchment, not even bothering to look up. "Well?"

Gareth said nothing, his hand went into a pocket and he dropped a ring onto the desk. It was General Albert's ring with his family crest on it. The proof of General Albert's untimely end. The speaker merely glanced at it. "And?"

"There was a group of orcs and goblins. They made tracks around the area and took the gaurds' armor. Any search party will think it was a marauding party that got them." The speaker still writing, went for one of the drawers in his desk and pulled out a small sack filled with gold. "Well done."

"There... There was one problem." Gareth said trying to keep his focus. "There was a girl... In the forest. She saw me."

The speaker stopped writing, his hand was still in place where he was finishing the sentence. He put the pen down and looked up. "And what did you do with her body?"

"I... I..." Gareth couldn't finish. He could only look away.

The speaker stood up. and moved from his desk to stand only a few inches infront of Gareth. "Where is she?" He demanded.

"She is here. In the house." Gareth mustered up to say.

"Kill her." The Speaker commanded. "I don't care how. Just do it before she tells anyone of who you are."

"But master... She doesn't know of us. She thinks I'm a hunter. She doesn't even know of our order."

"Are you disobeying a direct order?!" The speaker shouted, a few of the assassins outside the door jumped from hearing the speaker's voice.

"No, master, you know I would never betray you." The speaker knew this. Half a year ago, he had ordered Gareth to perform the Rite of Purification on the sanctuary which involved killing multiple members of the brotherhood, some who were had been Gareth's most closest friends and Gareth performed the Purification without question. It was this act that showed the speaker how loyal his assassin was and it was the reason why he promoted Gareth to Silencer.

The speaker sighed heavily and placed his hand on Gareth's shoulder. "So my brother, how do you plan on making sure she doesn't become aware of what you are if you plan on letting her live."

Gareth, feeling his confidence return. "I saw your orders; that my next target will be in the city, traveling on business. I thought I would take her with me and leave her in the city where she will be safe and after I complete my mission, I would just leave her there."

The Speaker smiled and nodded. "Make sure she doesn't come to learn about what you really hunt. Go forth Silencer. May you walk in shadow guided by Sithis."

Gareth sighed in relief and bowed. "Thank you my master." He then walked out of the room where several puzzled assassins stood. He changed his expression from relieved to serious and they all scuttled off to their duties. He went to his room and took forth from his cabinet a collapsable bow, his short sword, a small pouch for arrows and a finely woven suit and cloak along with a spare tunic and smaller cloak. He changed from his armor into the suit and placed his armor into a rough sack that he kept the collapsed bow and pouch in. It took a few minutes to unlock all the couplings the armor had but it was these couplings which allowed the armor to fit firmly on his body and provide maximum movement. Finally grabbing his regular bow and a regular quiver of arrows, he locked the door to his room and made his way out of the Sanctuary.

Sliding the bookshelf back into position, he made his way back into the house and sat down on the sofa. As he drifted off to sleep, he wondered if the girl would ever find out about what he really was. Though guards in various cities have never been able to find the Sanctuaries of the Assassin's Guild. The guild's existence wasn't exactly a secret...

[Akira Avelon]

Akira went into the room and looked around. Silencer was right, this place wasn't used that much. There were alot of spider webs and dust floating everywhere. But it would do, Akira was very tired adn knew that she'd fall asleep any minute. SHe just wished she could have cleaned up a bit. She was still covered in goblin blood and smelt like ****. She didn't like it and her hair was very tangled. She'd have to ask Silencer if she could use the bath here tomorrow morning. She knew that she'd get stared at while walking if someone saw her the way she was.

Akira undressed and hung her clothing to air out. SHe was only wearing the small cloth slip that was under her tunic and robe. Akira looked around and saw an old brush. She took out the ribbons that held her hair back and brushed out as much of the blood and leaves as she could before noticing that her neck had strange markings. It was strange but when she tried to touch them, Something under the skin moved. Akria was taken aback adn decided it was from the stress from th night's events and that she was tired. She quickly dissmissed it for nothing and went to the bed. Taking the blankets and shaking them, there were other creatures under the bed and she nearly screamed that a rat had ran past her feet.

Hitting the bed and getting out all the dust as well as hitting the pillows. Akira laid the blankets back down and got under them. She quickly fell asleep and wondered what would happen tomorrow. She was glad that she had met someone as kind as Silencer... but there was a mistery to him that she wanted to figure out.

While sleeping, Akira rustled in the bed. She was having a most vivid dream and it happened to be about what had happened during the comottion that had made her black out and fell this strange feeling in her body, mainly her neck.

**************

She was in the forrest, running for her life as the goblins took chase. The growling and cursing of the horde made her flee even faster.

Running into a small glade, she tripped and lost her footing, Turning to find that they had caught up.

Yelling for help, a brieght light came towards her. Almost like it was called to her. They met eachother and collided. A mass of light and fire consumed the area, incinerating that horde and all laife around the impact. A small crater was left behind and she felt strange...

***************

While her dreams were filled with the memories of what had happened during the short time of the incident, Akira's neck was changing.. massive tenrils moving from beneth her skin to the surface. Wrapping thier way around and forming what was like a collar.

Akira felt hot, Moving the blankets away from her body as she still slept. As a mass of flesh began to form at the center of her throat, over the tendrils that were already covering most of her neck. It also felt like a wave of energy was swelling up inside her, like something was awakening.

And indeed there was, The mass of flesh now in the center of her neck moved, it opened to reveal an eye... a demonic eye, glowing red and looking about it's surroundings.

The eye sized up the entire room and decided to connect a set of tendrils to Akira's mind, Making easy access to be able to telepathicly speak to her. She was already asking in her dreams what was going on.. But the demon knew that questions like this were better off being answered by ones who knew than people who believed what they were saying was true.

The eye closed as a strange glow permiated the room. A jolt came from Akira's body as the connection between the two had been made and the glow dissapeared. But not the energy that was being used.

the eye began to penetrate Akira's dream as a dark shadow enveloped her... Akira tried to scream but felt like her body had just became numb. Akira tried to struggle to stop the numbing process but the shadow merely placed a hand up. "Don't. I'm not going to hurt you. You and I are now linked. My name is Kai. I am here for you if you need me. For your body is mine and my powers are yours. I will assist you when the time comes. Just like when I will need to use your body to fight. Bear with me for we will be together for a long while. We have the same enemies and you will find out who soon enough." The being known to Akira now as Kai said. But the place dulled and went black. Almost as if soemthing else was working against them.

A pain hit Akira in the neck and head as she woke up and she tried to scream before grasping the reality of what had just happened. She looked into the mirror and saw the build up of flesh and tendrils. What happened next made her scream for sure as she fell out of the bed. The eye had opened and a wave of energy had burst forth. Consuming Akira and her entire being. She quickly got up and struggled to stand as the energy dissapated. Akira quickly grasped her neck, hard. She didn't know whether the dream was true or not... or for that matter... was she still dreaming?

[The Dude]

Gareth had fallen asleep sitting up on the sofa. Yet the scream the sound of something hitting the floor abovehim sent him sprawling to the ground. It was loud enough to wake up his neighbors and the residents below. He panicked at what the possibilities of why the girl. He dreaded the most likely that one of his Brothers had snuck through the basement and found her. He checked the basement door first, no light came from the hidden door. He checked the front door, also locked.

He ran up the stairs, Goldbrand in hand and busted through the bedroom door. No one was around, nothing. Just the girl on the floor with her hands around her neck. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you ok?" He asked not really listening to her answer. He went to the window and tugged on it to make sure it was locked aswell. He saw that there were two candles still lit in the room and blew them out. "We leave for the city in the morning." He said before walking out the door and closing it shut behind him.

He sat back on the couch again. Whatever sleep he was going that night was over. Rifling through his rough sack, he found the orders he picked up from the now late General Alberts and decided to read over them in more detail.

When the Dark Brotherhood recieves contracts, they are usually from outside the guild and the clients are people with money who have heard about the guild from rumor and heresay. Someone with gold performs a ritual to make contact. A speaker then goes to the location where the individual is, gold is exchanged and the speaker then sends out an assassin to take care of whoever is targeted by the client. However, from time to time, a contract will come directly from the Black Hand, the ruling body of the guild comprised of the four Speakers and One Listener. When such contracts occur, usually one of the five Silencers are chosen to carry out the contract due to it's importance. This was one such contract.

The details of the contract and the target were clear. A merchant had become a witness to a recent high profile murder carried out by the Brotherhood and was on his way to the city to testify to the courts. Legions and soldiers were constantly looking for the hidden sanctuaries to put a stop to the guild but this one was special. The murder had taken place too close to home. If the merchant testified then entire legions of soldiers would be called to the town and it would be harder if not impossible to carry out contracts.

Gareth read over the orders of the contract with exquisite detail. Making sure not to miss anything. The orders were clear on everything. The hotel where the merchant was staying at would be guarded, and that there are to be no witnesses. If best, make it look like simple murder. The contract also gave information on the guard schedules and specified that the hotel probably wouldn't be the best place to make the hit. It noted that the merchant also was a drug addict and that he would probably try to make it to one of the 'dens' in the city and that would be a better place to get him there.

After reading the contract, he then went to his rough sack and made sure he had the necessary provisions. A special collapsable bow, a small pouch filled with special arrows that were detachable and could be put together on moments notice, his regular bow along with a full quiver, Goldbrand, and his dagger. Yet he felt some things were missing, so he made his way back into the sanctuary.

In his real room, he rifled through a chest and found what he felt was missing, a pouch of throwing knives. Closing the chest, he went to his cabinet and pulled out an overcoat that was alligned with special pockets on the inside that would allow him to keep his valuable possessions hidden from bandits and guards.

Making his way back up, he saw the elven woman stand at the other entrance to the sanctuary. The only two ways into the sanctuary were through the basement and a ladder up to a well that required a key to open. The well entrance provided immediate access to the sanctuary. She was wearing a quiver and carried an elven bow along with wearing the shrouded armor. She smiled and made her way up to the top. He remembered his first contract and smiled at the excitement that he saw in her face. He quietly wished her luck and made his way upstairs.

As he exited the basement, he saw sunlight creeping through the holes in the house. It was time to go. He knocked on the bedroom door and told the girl it was time to go. They made their way downstairs and outside where he gave her a travelers cloak to where over herself in the cold. As they made their way through town, they saw people coming out of their houses and setting off to do their daily chores.

One man came up to him and handed him what appeared to be a news paper. The man had stacks of them and was passing them out to everyone. Gareth took a quick look at the head line, his eyes quickly widened and he quickly crumbled up the paper into a ball and tossed it to the ground. "Nothing important." he remarked. He didn't need to read the paper. He didn't even need to read the whole headline. He only needed to see two words in the head line to know that the article had to dol with what happened last week. Murder and Assassins...

[Akira Avelon]

Akira had gotten everything she needed and changed back into her clothing. She followed the man and took the traveler's cloak, following Silencer as she watched everyone come out. SHe wasn't used to town life.. as a matter of fact... this was her first time in a town durring daylight hours. Last night being the very first for being in a town.

While looking around, Akira was handed a papper... She looked it over. the words on the parchment puzzled her. Since she knew not what an assassin was. Let alone she was traveling with one.

Akira quickly walked up to be walking side by side Silencer... She was worried about the being on her neck. But made sure that her collar band kept it from view. "I'm sorry I woke you up this morning. I didn't mean to scream." Akira spoke softly. She had noticed that a few men had noticed her and were now walking behind her. Akira knew about how some human men stalked women and was told by her surrigate parents that if she was ever followed.. she should get quickly away. Or...

Akira took the other word of advice from them. 'Grab the nearest man and pretend you were with them.' Akira thought as she grabbed onto Silencer and hgeld tightly. She murmered something like. "I'm being... Group of men... with big nasty grins... followed..." Before holding him like she wasn't trying to make a fuss. She hoped that Silencer would catch on... In the end... Akira really didn't want to be caught by any rapists. Let alone, possible murderers.

[darkeclipse21]

-darkeclipse finally was out of the forest. there had been a barrier that prevented him from getting out of the forest and it took him all night to get rid of. he noticed the scent of the two he was following the night before. he followed the scent to a small building.- they came in here? there must be more to it than i thought. -corrupted memories that wern't easy to see flooded into his head.- why would i know this place? i know i've been here before. -he went up to the door and knocked. he didn't feel it was safe to try but he had nothing to lose.-

-as he knocked he was prepared to summon his sword. my claws would be good enough he decided.even though he was out of the forest he couldn't hide his fox demon's ears so everyone would know he's a demon anyway. this made him a bit more confident with opening the door.-

[The Dude]

Gareth was caught off guard by what the recent turn of event. Never the less, he played on. He placed one hand on Aki's shoulder and on stopped to turn and scratch the back of his head, revealing the scabbard of his short sword to the two strangers behind him. Seeing the sword, they walked off.

"If she keeps doing this through the trip I may just dump her off by the side of the road." He thought to himself. After that ordeal, he took his hand off her shoulder and walked towards the town gate where a single guard stood before them. The guard stood before them unmoving, but Gareth wasn't worried.

Though the guard's face was stern, it was a familiar face to Gareth. It was the same face of the assassin who had greeted him when he entered the sanctuary. Though the assassins left the sanctuary at night to perform missions, it was necessary one act as if they lived in the house and have a cover job during the day light hours in order to get supplies and to make sure people stay away from the area of the sanctuary as people would ask questions if the town lord would allow an empty house to remain in such a state.

Gareth said nothing but nodded as he walked past the guard who returned the favor. Dawn had passed as the sun now was over the eastern mountains. With any luck they would be in the city by dusk.

The walk to the city was relatively quiet. Here and there soldiers on horseback trotted past them. It was at this time Gareth decided it was time to prepare. As he walked, he undid the belt strapping to his dagger and put it into one of the hidden inner pockets of the overcoat.

It was dusk when they reached the gate to the city. A guard had stepped out from the barracks to greet them.

"Welcome. Unfortunately the gate to the city is closed to those armed such as yourselves. I'll need your bows and any other weapons you may have on you. Gareth looked to Aki and nodded as he proceeded to hand over his hunting bow and Goldbrand. The guard took a look at him and nodded. The gate to the city opened and the guard took the weapons and placed them into a chest and handed Gareth a Key. "You can reclaim them after you leave the city gates. Enjoy your stay."

Though it was dusk, the city was bustling with activity. People came and went and guards patrolled the interior.

"Alright, the hotel shouldn't be too far from here. Once we check in we'll-"

Gareth felt a hand clutch his shoulder and pulled him into a back alley and pushed him into a wall. He saw two soldiers wearing heavy armor standing infront of him.

"Sorry sir but unfortunately we've been having problems with the tourists, so we're going to have to search you." one said as the other smirked. Gareth hesitated but then complied. He placed his hands on the wall as one guard searched. Though he kept a calm exterior, he was panicking. If the guard felt the dagger in his hidden pocket it was over.

Hundreds of ideas started swimming in Gareths head. Suddenly, the guard's hand stopped just above where the dagger was. "Wait a second. I know you." the guard said. "Hey Sanders. Remember this fellow?" The second guard walked up to where the first one was. "Well I'll be. If it isn't the street rat."

Gareth's mind froze as he heard those words. The guards began to laugh at the realization and the first one continued. "Well well well. The street rat returns to its hole. Those are some nicely tailored clothes you've got there. Think you're too good for the rags you were in the last time you were here?" The second one started up. "He must have begged for gold at every town in order to afford that. Or some noble must've tossed it at him to cover up that horrible mug of his."

"Now see here!" Gareth stepped up but his sentenced was cut off by the first guard's fist that went straight into his abdomen. "Well look here sanders. I think this vermin just tried to assualt us. I believe that's reason enough to toss him in the prison with the rest of the vermin."

"What and give him a place to sleep and keep him warm?" The second one answered. "Why don't we just give him the usual treatment that we give to the rest of the unruly beggars."

"Indeed." the first guard said in agreement who then held Gareth down by the shoulders and the second guard moved in and swung in hard on the right side of Gareth's face, knocking a tooth loose, followed by second to the left side of his chin."

"Hold him up some Tarrance, I haven't worked out in a while." The first one laughed as he held Gareth up and the second one then started his work out on Gareth's stomach, already sore from the first blow.

What remained of Gareth's calm exterior had been beaten out. He knew even now that all he had to do was slip free and he could kill them both. He felt the anger rising with each blow. "No." he thougt to himself. "The mission is most important."

After the second guard was done, the first one tossed Gareth to the ground. He lay there face down, trying to pick himself up as the guards were having the time of their life. The guard who had performed a work out on Gareth's body walked up to him. "The first time we met, you asked me if I could spare a single coin. Well here." the guard said as he threw several gold pieces at Gareth.

The first one then walked up to him, knelt down and pulled Gareth's head up by the hair so their eyes met. He grinned wide and spoke. "You may look different; dress in nice clothes, talk with confidence; but remember, once a street rat, always a street rat. You were born a street rat, you will die a street rat. The guard then let him go and spat right next to where he lay and then they walked off laughing.

Gareth managed to pick himself up. His face was red and had streaks of blood. His stomach and abdomen were tender. His pride was broken. "picked up a single coin from the ground and clenched it in his fist. "The mission comes first." he thought to himself. He could resalvage his pride later. "The mission comes first."

[Akira Avelon]

Akira heard him stop. She looked around and didn't see Sliencer. She went looking for him, she finally found him kneeling on the ground battered and bruised. She instantly went over and wanted to help him out. SHe was at least good at one thing. She knew how to cast healing magic. She looked over Silencer and started to chant. A light glow emenating from her hands as she placed her hands on Silencer's Stomach and forehead. She had her eyes closed but smiled sweetly. After about 5 mins of chanting. All the scrapes were gone and he should have felt much better. She would have to do a second application of healing to fully heal the more bruised areas. But Akira knew that Silencer would probally let her later, unless it was a problem.

Akira got up and looked around at the new town. She saw alot of things and wished she had money to buy some rations. She had utterly nothing on her and she did wish she could clean or for that matter get new clothes. She never knew how much Goblin blood stunk.

Akira looked around the alleyway before offering her hand to Silencer. She was happy to be there with him, since he was the only one she knew outside the forrest. If he left her now.. she'd surely become lost and helpless.

[darkeclipse21]

-darkeclipse became agitated that no one had answered the door. he followed the earlier scent to the city. he smelled the scent of blood and followed it until he came to an alley. two people ran past him fresh with the scent of blood. he knew it wasn't their own, so he stopped them and threw them back.- why do you reek of blood? -he asked them. the scent he followed had led him to this city so maybe they could lead him somewhere else if he followed them again.-

[The Dude]

Gareth ignored Aki's hand and pushed himself off the ground. He placed the gold piece he held into a pocket and kicked furiously at the others and watched as they scattered to the street. He breathed heavily and as he stretched to get a feel for the wounds, two of his ribs had been cracked and his stomach was on fire. A sure sign that putting on his armor would be tough. He placed his right and on the wound on his stomach and began to push. He concentrated and breathed deep as the pain rushed to his head. He pushed harder on his wound his wound, biting his lip and gritting his teeth to avoid yelling.. He did this for several minutes then took his hand of the tender spot. It was a technique he learned from one of the Brothers to concentrate through the pain if one becomes injured through the mission in order to see the mission through. It hurt like hell but it didn't leave any permanent damage. He would need to see a healer about the ribs but those could wait.

It was a few hours before night fall when the reached the inn. "Wait here." He told the girl at the parlor and proceeded to the front desk. "I need two rooms." He told the inkeeper.

"Ok." The inkeeper responded. "And how long would you like them for?"

"One for two nights." Gareth said, taking a few gold coins out of a small sac, then he took out a sac of coins; a combined payment for the last contract plus a few others. "And the other one for however long this can afford."

The inkeepers eyes widened and he simply gulped and nodded and handed him two keys. Gareth then motioned toward Aki and gave her her room key. "We're heading out now." He told her.

He took her through the waterfront of the city. Most of the houses were nothing but ramshackle huts filled with beggars and the city poor. A single shack stood at the end of the small houses, long abandoned. Gareth tried the door handle. It wasn't locked but the hinges on the door had been rusted for so long that he had to force it open. "Thought I saw something." He remarked and smiled at the confused girl who looked. "Perfect." He thought to himself as he looked in.

They ended up in the bazaar section of the city. While Aki looked at the booths and stalls, Gareth walked several paces ahead looking for a different kind of market. In a back alleyway, he saw what he was looking for, a dealer, in the skooma trade to be precise. He had saved enough coins to afford two vials to which he handed to the dealer who handed him two glass vials full of the drug. The dealer smelled horrible, an addict of his own brew. Gareth remarked at the stench of the skooma coming from the man, a sure sign that he was an addict along with the fact that the man's brain was fried. He only charged for one vial but handed two. Gareth smirked at the discount he had gotten and walked back to the market square.

He kept an eye on the girl and handed her a what remained of the coins he had and allowed her to wander the market and buy whatever caught her eye so long as she didn't wander too far. This was just a cover, for he was actually setting the stage. Sure enough, the merchant appeared in the market section along with four escorts. "Legionaire guards. Great." He thought to himself, though he admitted he liked a challenge.

The merchant walked nervously through the market district followed by his escort, but it was something else that caught Gareth's eye. The way the merchant's eyes darted back and forward, the way he moved his hands. "He wasn't nervous." Gareth thought and smiled. "He's looking for a fix." Gareth made sure that he was going to be the fix that the merchant was looking for. The guards stopped infront of one of the booths. "We're going to need some supplies." He told the others. "Best we get them here. You," He looked down at the merchant. "Stay put." The merchant merely nodded.

Gareth, spotting his moment of opportunity, grabbed a small pebble and tossed it at the merchant's head. He turned to see what struck him and saw Gareth, standing casually on a wall, showing two bottles of skooma from his overcoat. His eyes widened. Gareth, seeing this then walked into a back alley beside him, smiling as he heard the merchants footsteps not too far behind.

Once away from prying eyes, he showed the merchant the two bottles. The merchant immediately reached for them but was stopped by Gareth's free hand. "Not here." Gareth stated. "I don't think your friends over there would like to see you juicing." He looked over at the guards who were still at the stall. "I know where then!" the merchant popped up. "There's a shack at the waterfront. Hasn't been used in ages. We can go right now and be back in-"

"Later." Gareth interupted. "During the shift change of the guards. Come then. Also, I don't think it would be in your best interest if your friends knew." The merchant smiled and nodded. "Alright then." The merchant said and ran back to where the guards were. Gareth walked away unnoticed and heard one of the guards asked the merchant where he was and the merchant answering about thinking he saw an old friend.

He then went to one of the stalls and found Aki, not really bothering to pay attention to whatever she had purchased; they made their way back to the inn. "The stage had been set." He thought to himself. "Soon the curtains will fall."