Chapter One: A Killing Contract (Open/ Potentially Lethal)
May 4, 2017 22:10:44 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on May 4, 2017 22:10:44 GMT -6
They came in the dead of night. Like shadows they moved, evading the light and hiding behind masks of skulls. Why they sought him out, they did not say. What was their business? A contract of the darkest kind. A contract to kill. The target, a woman by the name of Carmen Shade, a Bernese wyvern rider. Lucius had just the weapon to handle the job, true, but it seemed awfully convenient. The prize however? That was the real selling point. Not just funds but contacts. Contacts in the upper echelons of Lycian society. He just had to wear a skull mask for maximum exposure. Whoever these criminals were, they were brazen and bold.
Lucius's hunt for this Carmen lead him to a sleepy town on the Bernese outskirts. It was once known for its high walls and defensive posture but in recent years that was vastly reduced and now few people or forces were kept within. Something about this struck him as far too easy to be a coincidence. Did their scouts wait for this opportune time, or was this perhaps a test to whet his appetite before the greater marks were revealed? Either way, he was loath to fail after that filthy dragon made off with his egg. He would be sure to make someone regret that, and it seemed like today, it was Carmen.
With his great axe over his shoulder he walked into town tall and mean. He looked down at all that passed with a sneer to evoke fear. It worked on most, until a young child returned his look with a sneer of their own. That child would grow up to be a fighter. He smirked to his own thoughts as he searched for the tavern, the best place to find information, and equally, the best place to accidentally kill someone in a fight.
The doors were wide open to allow entry to all that sought company and a good drink, ironically this would include Lucius. Sitting at the bar he set his axe by his side, out into the open to intentionally let all gathered see. A dragon slaying axe was an all too familiar site to the Bernese riders. He watched for those that shared looks of concern, and anger. He grinned again as he did indeed invite hostility in his direction. He ever heard a low key 'Cur' cast in his direction. He would order a drink and stoke the flames for now.
"I will have somethin' hard. The type that'll really f*** you up. Ya know?" He gave a wicked smile to the bartender. The man returned him with a concerned look of his own but set to his business.
"So, uh, what brings you around here stranger?" He began making small talk. "Not many people come around here anymore, ya know... and, well... Sir, I am going to have to ask you to put your weapon somewhere else. While I don't enforce any rules about it your particular breed does not sit well with locals."
"What? This old baby?" He proceeded to slam it down onto the bar in an over dramatized manner.
"Oh dear."
"THIS here axe! This axe has been with me for many years now. It is as a son to me. Moreso than my actual son even! That little S*** tried to gut me in fact!" He began to outline the blade's edge with his forefinger. "If the locals fear it, that is their issue, not mine! Tell them to man up, and be grateful they were the ones skilled enough not to let it feast upon their blood!" He laughed wickedly, bringing the moods of a group of soldiers to their boiling points.
"That is it! I will not let him continue!" One soldier across the bar stood drawing a sword. Another, a woman in a hooded cloak gently grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back to sit. "What!?"
"Do not engage him. Do not let him raise your ire." The woman spoke softly but firmly, clearly in charge as the man obeyed.
Lucius eyed them with a look, a look few can describe accurately, but it was a look of a killer finding their mark. "Bingo."
Lucius's hunt for this Carmen lead him to a sleepy town on the Bernese outskirts. It was once known for its high walls and defensive posture but in recent years that was vastly reduced and now few people or forces were kept within. Something about this struck him as far too easy to be a coincidence. Did their scouts wait for this opportune time, or was this perhaps a test to whet his appetite before the greater marks were revealed? Either way, he was loath to fail after that filthy dragon made off with his egg. He would be sure to make someone regret that, and it seemed like today, it was Carmen.
With his great axe over his shoulder he walked into town tall and mean. He looked down at all that passed with a sneer to evoke fear. It worked on most, until a young child returned his look with a sneer of their own. That child would grow up to be a fighter. He smirked to his own thoughts as he searched for the tavern, the best place to find information, and equally, the best place to accidentally kill someone in a fight.
The doors were wide open to allow entry to all that sought company and a good drink, ironically this would include Lucius. Sitting at the bar he set his axe by his side, out into the open to intentionally let all gathered see. A dragon slaying axe was an all too familiar site to the Bernese riders. He watched for those that shared looks of concern, and anger. He grinned again as he did indeed invite hostility in his direction. He ever heard a low key 'Cur' cast in his direction. He would order a drink and stoke the flames for now.
"I will have somethin' hard. The type that'll really f*** you up. Ya know?" He gave a wicked smile to the bartender. The man returned him with a concerned look of his own but set to his business.
"So, uh, what brings you around here stranger?" He began making small talk. "Not many people come around here anymore, ya know... and, well... Sir, I am going to have to ask you to put your weapon somewhere else. While I don't enforce any rules about it your particular breed does not sit well with locals."
"What? This old baby?" He proceeded to slam it down onto the bar in an over dramatized manner.
"Oh dear."
"THIS here axe! This axe has been with me for many years now. It is as a son to me. Moreso than my actual son even! That little S*** tried to gut me in fact!" He began to outline the blade's edge with his forefinger. "If the locals fear it, that is their issue, not mine! Tell them to man up, and be grateful they were the ones skilled enough not to let it feast upon their blood!" He laughed wickedly, bringing the moods of a group of soldiers to their boiling points.
"That is it! I will not let him continue!" One soldier across the bar stood drawing a sword. Another, a woman in a hooded cloak gently grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back to sit. "What!?"
"Do not engage him. Do not let him raise your ire." The woman spoke softly but firmly, clearly in charge as the man obeyed.
Lucius eyed them with a look, a look few can describe accurately, but it was a look of a killer finding their mark. "Bingo."