Assassins, Agents, Defection! Oh My!

[ice2k4]

Poverty's Pub had been quite quiet for some time. Ever since Ice randomly disappeared, the number of regulars at the pub gradually decreased. If it wasn't for a select few drunks, the place would be run out of business.

Just as the lot were about to call it a night and lock up the old worn down place, a man stepped in.

Seidrik was the first to spot him, however, all he could see was a silhouette standing in the doorway. He began to squint and dutchfire turned to see what he was looking at. The figure at the door took one step into the light and...

"No! It can't be!" whispered Seidrik, and with that the figure at the door collapsed, driving face first into the floor. Dutchfire and Seidrik quickly ran over to help the man, and quickly found a dagger in his side and an arrow protruding through the back of his shoulder, exiting through the front.

What was more remarkable, however, was how speechless both the men were. For this was the first time they had seen Ice in a very long time...

OOC: To be continued...
Feedback appreciated.

 

[Joe Harker]

Just as the figure staggered into the pub, Joe was blabbering on about people taking his land and his favourite team getting knockout of the cup early on in the local football game, much to the boredom of dutchfire, Sederik and the barmen, who had resorted to cleaning the toliet, when the door opened he didn't realise and contiue on as dutchfire and Sederik help the fail figure, then as they bought up to the bar Joe looked stunned, looked down into his half empty cup as if the brew was stronger than he had thought, he then still silent pointed to the barman who fetched him a large ale, which Joe presented to dutchfire, and spoke quietly, still shocked "he might need that"

OT You just can't get away from here can you? Good to see you back!

 

[ice2k4]

By now rumors had been running around time. One stated that he was an assassin of the dark order, a government agency that was not acknowledged by the government itself. The Dark Order was believed to be the most strictly kept clandestine service of the intelligence office.

Another rumor stated he was an assassin working for the black hand. A secret organized crime family that vowed to protect the interests of the people from the government.

The third rumor was the most ominous, however. It stated that Ice had defected to the Babylonians and now had returned after disobeying direct orders to have the leader of our great nation assassinated.

All of the rumors had some bit of imagination an insanity to them, however, they all could not ignore the fact that Ice had returned to his Pub, hanging on the cliff of death. Even though Ice was stable now, no one had the courage to visit and ask about the recent happenings.

Soon enough, one man did muster up the courage. Ice's only answer to him was "Non so nient", which in one foreign language or another meant "I know nothing."

The most chilling piece found in every rumor was pure fact. On Ice's body, shortly before he passed out in the pub, a piece of crumpled parchment was found in the grip of his hand.

 

[Cyc]

Cyc' eyes widened, which was a good thing, as he'd already had his share of ale. Straining, he looked to the hand of ice to get a better idea of what the comotion was about. He sprung from his chair, inadvertantly dumping he fiesty little barmaid on the floor. Cyc glanced back at the barmaid momentarily, "Oh, sorry sweetheart."

Then it was right back to ice's hand. Pointing, with an almost wild stare, he yelled, "Look! That parchment almost looks like paper! I think we're onto something here."

Finishing his ale, he then moved closer. "And it's got writing on it! Quick, someone go get Diamondeye. He'd..." And before he could finish, the fiesty barmaid planted her foot square in his arse, "Shut up!"

 

[Diamondeye]

OOC: Proper paper is not yet discovered. I'll let it slide this time for the sake of gameplay.

Sindar had been sitting in a corner under the whole scene. He had returned to the city after Aretania had become a Monarchy to hail Seidrik, his old friend, as king, only to find out that Seidrik was no longer king, but had abdicated. He sat with a mug with strong ale and thought, more and more dizzily, about what had happened to him since he had been home last. And what had happened to his home.

As the man entered, Sindars trained eye spotted the arrow from his shoulder immidiately. The mead had, however, slowed his reflexes and he was slower than Seidrik and the others to assist the man. Sindar did not hear Ice talk, so he eagerly asks:
"What language did he speak? I know Babylonian almost fluently, and some Kassite aswell. Even a bit of Spanish."

Sindars eyes then fall on the paper, which Cyc tried to hold on to while getting kicked by a barmaid. He snaps it out of Cycs hands to look at it.

"It says... "Seidrik", and then, below, it looks like the top of some letters as well. I need more light to see clearly, but I believe it starts with a capital P."

Sindar then realizes that Ice is seriously wounded and forgets about the paper as he helps Seidrik and Dutchfire to clean Ice's wounds. He hears Cyc mention his brother, Diamondeye, and urges someone to go get him.

"My brother has just arrived from his trip from Edorai. Someone get him, he might be able to assist us in the reading of this... letter. And bring some light, some torches, as well."

 

[dutchfire]

A piece of parchement, an arrow, an assasination? I'll ponder that while enjoying a classic Ice drink...

Good to see you back Ice!

 

[ice2k4]

What did this piece of parchment mean? Besides being written on an advanced piece of technology that only a handful of Aretans have ever seen, why was Seidrik's name on it? By now the citizens of Arete had decided Ice's tale. He was a freelance assassin working for the government who had defected to another country, and was then sent back to not only kill the king, but a list of other citizens as well (surely including Seidrik.) For what basis these people had for the accusations, no one was sure of.

While Ice fully recovered, Seidrik dared not go near Ice, for fear that the rumors were true. How could a life long friend seek to kill him. Impossible. Plus they were just rumors anyway, right?

----
The night had been a stormy one. Windows were blowing in and small trees looked like they were on the verge of being uprooted. This was the perfect time for Ice to leave the bedroom he had occupied and recovered in for the last two weeks (unconsciously for almost ten days.) His wounds were not fully healed, but that did not matter. Work had to be done. The Spaniards were on the move.

As he slipped through the alleyways and paths of the village, he encountered no one. That was why he stopped immediately when he saw someone with the stealth of his own creeping around the village. With one wrong turn, the man revealed his face for a split second, but that is all it took for Ice to know.

The man was one he had seen during his captivity in Spain. Without a weapon, Ice tailed the man through the dark, soaked streets. Although he had never seen Ice, the man was rather fast and agile, and immediately turned a corner. When Ice made the same turn, he saw the man jump into a window in Vandal's house. Ice immediately picked up a piece of wood on the ground, and went to follow, but heard Vandal take care of the man in record speed. He then climbed the nearest tree, which barely allowed one to see him, and watched the fate of the Spaniard through Vandal's window.....

 

[Vandal Warlord]

OOC: I live in a swamp, not a city, but I'm fine with that story.

 

[ice2k4]

Once the storm had calmed, Ice made his way to the Pub. It was no longer safe for him to venture back to the city of Madrid. By now his face had to be posted on almost every road. Seville was probably a far shot too, as he'd done some work there. He could go back to his handler here in Arete, but that wouldn't be too helpful. After what he had pulled, he may not have been welcome back into the office. At least at the Pub he could gather his thoughts in peace, until dawn of course, when he would be on the run again.

 

[Diamondeye]

Ice is surprised as he nears the pub. He can hear voices inside. The voice of a woman, or perhaps an old girl, rings in his ears.
"Why are you just sitting there drinking yourself apart? You're not the way I remember you, Sindar, not at all!" The voice cracks at the end and turns into a wail of tears. Ice needs to listen closely to hear Sindar reply.
"There, there, Mei. Don't you understand? While I travelled far and wide in the service of Aretania, the land itself changed. I don't feel at home here. I don't know this king, Dutchfire, any better than I knew my mother." His voice is sad, as he goes on.
"I returned because I thought I could be assistance of Seidrik, only to find out, just before i got here, that he had abdicated. Add to that my bloody meeting with Vandal in Spain, and the fact that I now carry around a sword that has taken more lifes than I have seen years, the husband of the queen of Spain hates me for talking to his father, who seems to be a murdering madman who I have to speak to yet cannot come near."
There is silence for some time, until Mei's voice speaks in a low voice:
"Then why don't you run away to Babylon?"
Sindar let out a high sigh.
"Mei, believe me, that would hurt you even more. I don't think you would ever forgive me if I returned to Babylon."
Silence again. Furious silence from Mei's side.
"What? Don't say you found someone else! Not a dark, babylonian wrench!"
The sound of Mei slapping Sindar. And again. Then a sound of something breaking, and a dump sound.
Mei storms out of the pub, looking like a thundergodess, red with rage. She quickly disappears into the night without seeing Ice.
As Ice peeks inside the pub, he sees what must be Sindar, laying on the floor. It looks as if Mei has broken one of the chairs on Sindar. He sighs with a painful sound. His eyes are wide open, and focused right at where Ice is standing.

"Why don't you come inside? She is not coming back, and I am in no condition to fight you, if I wanted to." Ice suddenly spots the mugs on the table. The young man had had quite a drink. "Please, Ice, come inside and tell me whether there is hold in any of those rumours. As you might have heard, my life can hardly get any worse. Tell me what the other name was. Seidrik and who? Provolion? Dutchfire? Me? Blastoid? Gaiyut? Prochon?"

The young man tries to stand up with a painful grimace, but ends on his knees in the heap of broken chair. He lifts his arms at Ice.
"I am unarmed," he says. "Come on in."

 

[ice2k4]

Ice wasn't sure if he could trust a drunken man, but he did need someone's help, and it seemed as if the God's had placed Sindar there for a reason. Without replying to Sindar's requests, he closed all the shutters and locked up the doors. What he was about to discuss was such a matter that only a handful of other people new about it in the world.

After locking every bolt and jimmy, he turn to Sindar and said in a low voice "I will tell you what you seek to know if you swear to join me. If you break such a swear, I will kill you." He then waited in silence for a reply.

 

[Diamondeye]

Sindar sat as paralyzed, suddenly at least partially sober. He knew this mattered a lot to Ice. The once so happy, bright man had just promised to kill him if he broke his word. Sindar could tell that Ice meant it. Sindar staggered to his feet, and replied:

"Join you, hmm? Very well. I don't suspect a man like you to go out of your way like this for mere details, swearing to kill me and all. I need to know one thing before I swear upon accepting your proposition..." Sindar lowers his voice so he is sure nobody outside hears him.

OOC: This part of the dialogue is continued in PM.

 

[Vandal Warlord]

Vandal stood atop the roof of the Pub. He walked across when he then heard two men left in the pub after it had closed early. He put his ear to the roof to hear them faintly talking. He then jumped up. He unsheathed his new sword to barge in. But then stopped. He looked across the cityscape, with the bustling people of Arete. He Thought about all the lives he had slain, the families he had broken, and the chaos that he had created. He sat the sword in hand. He starred at blade. He looked at his reflection. His long white hair, and his eyes now bright yellow. He then stood pulled his hair and cut with his blade until his hair was short. He then jumped off the roof to grab a tourch. He then took the hardened wax and rubbed it between his hands untill it became some what of a gel. He mixed the gel in his hair untill it was spiked. He then lifted the balde to his shoulder and walked. He had a facton to run, and like it or not, he would lead them.

 

[Diamondeye]

Not knowing how close Vandal is, Sindar looks shocked at a small rustle from the roof. He silences for several moments, before continuing whispering to Ice again. He looks around to make sure the pub is locked properly.

OOC:
@Vandal: We did not leave the pub, but locked us inside it. You might want to edit your post.
@Everyone in the thread: I need a PM from Ice, perhaps even a PM dialogue, before we can seriously continue, sorry for the inconvinience.

 

[Vandal Warlord]

@Vandal: We did not leave the pub, but locked us inside it. You might want to edit your post.

I never said you left.

 

[Diamondeye]

I never said you left.

...he then heard a two men left in the pub after it had closed early....

I assumed you meant us and hastened to correct you. But you are right, you don't mention who the persons are. My bad

 

[ice2k4]

As Isabel walked down the winded road, she stopped by the pub to see if it was open. After all, it had been a while since she enjoyed the company of a male companion. Upon seeing the bar locked, she turned to continue her trip back home. Just then she heard two serious sounding voices. Upon putting her head next to the door, she listened to what she could barely hear:

After lowering his voice, one of the men said "Will you try to force me to hurt my brother or father, or my love in Babylon, Ymira, or hurt them yourself? I cannot accept your proposition unless I rest assured that they are safe."

"I will do none stated." said the second man. Then after a long, almost eternal pause, he continued "You will now be working for the black hand. I'm sure you've heard the whispers around the city of such a group. Inside our circle though..." A pig began squealing outside, as it was caught trying to get under a fence.

Isabel unable to hear anything put her head back against the door, to continue her eavesdropping. The second man was still talking. "By a spot of luck, I was able to escape and badly injure my captor. I also ripped part of a piece of paper out of his ledger in doing so. On it were the names of Seidrik and Provolution. On my way back to Arete, I was ambushed by an archer and an assassin wielding a dagger. I was able to kill the assassin, but the archer struck me in the shoulder with an arrow and fled. I'm assuming these names weren't supposed to get back to Arete, and they were targets for assassination. After all, they both had great involvement in government at the time."

The first man than spoke again "Ah. So I was right that the name below Seidrik had something to do with Provolion. Okay. So. I need to help you with something - if I am guessing right, protecting you, Seidrik and Provolion. I know you may not know or be able to reveal this, but is Vandal part of this? I met him on my way from Spain and he, well, seems like the kind of guy that could be in this. And if he is not with us, who is he with?"

While waiting for the answer, the first man comes up with another idea. "I am a close friend of Seidrik, and since he does not really dare to come near you after your dramatic entry, I might be suited to protect him. I will only give him information you have deemed safe."

Just then Isabel's hand fell slightly and hit the lock. Afraid she had made herself noticeable, she ran back to her house as quickly as possible, not only to protect herself, but to begin telling her friends what she had heard.

 

[Vandal Warlord]

Vandal watched the girl run by him. He stopped and turned back to the Pub. He then whistled and his falcon, Ursus, flew to him, it landed on his arm and he tied a note, which he hasily wrote down, to his falcon's foot. He whispered,"Give this to Duke." And the Bird flew off. He would let his seccond in command work whe he had business to attend to. He turned to chase the girl. She may have heard something Vandal hadn't.

 

[Vandal Warlord]

Vandal eventually saw the girl run into her home. He ran to the door. He knocked to find a very old woman answer.

"Yes?"She croaked. Vandal unsheathed his blade and held it to her neck.
"A girl ran into your home, and she may have valuable information." He hissed. The woman allowed him to enter as she hid behind the door. Vandal walked through the house finding nothing but an emty house. He then heard a bustle upstairs. He ran up to find a girl under a table. She screamed and ran. Vandal grabbed the girl by her hair and then threw her down. He yelled.

"You may have valuable information. What did you hear at the pub!?!?"He stared the girl down untill she spoke.
" They were taliking about a man named Provolution, and how there was an archer and an assassin-" Vandal cut her off.
"Damn! No wonder Jin and Nijingik never came back!"Vandal had tried to detain Ice after he he snooped to close to.... well, that all the information he could give(). This was becoming to difficult. He left. He would find Ice, and confront him once and for all. Along with Sindar, who was also becoming a nusience. He ran for the pub. He then felt a sudden pain in his soulder as he collapsed. He saw a man run up to him, dressed in Arete guard.

"Hah! I've finally caught the Famous Vandal the Rebel, breaking and entering!" The guardsmen yelled. Vandal tripped the man and he got up. He unshethed his blade. The guarsman hopped up and spun his own blade. Vandal al owered his sword to the man's leg. He flipped the man. And stared the man down he raised his blade above his head and brought the blade down on the guard's chest. He died there and then, the blood dripping from Vandal's blade. He grinned, he was going to find Ice and Sindar.

 

[Diamondeye]

"What was that?" Sindar turns quickly around when he hears a sound at the door. He quickly reaches in beneath his shirt on the back to unwrap a large pale sword, orignally a gift from Vandal himself.

"I know it must be safer for you to stay here, but I need to confront Vandal. I have something I need to ask him."

Sindar unlocks the door, quickly vanishes outside and leave Ice to block the door again. He runs down the street, chasing what seems to be Vandal, as silently as possible. As Vandal enters the house with the old lady, Sindar hides outside the house and hears yells from within. He waits and sees Vandal emerge, sword in hand. He then spots the naive guard trying to take on Vandal by himself, and, as Sindar knew he would, fails.

Sindar took control of his breathing and stepped out in the open, about a dozen feet from Vandal.

"Vandal. Nice to see you again. I need to talk to you. Put away your sword."