Creed of Greed (Thieves, PM for entry)

[Charlotte]

Charlotte nearly collided with Far as she was sprinting away from the bandits, the box flying out of her arms but her dagger still gripped tightly in her hand. Despite the dark, Charlotte recognized Far - hell, she could have known it was him from the way he addressed her - so while she wanted to punch him, she simply rolled her eyes. “Oh how chivalrous of you, Far,” she said, taking his hand and allowing him to pull her behind him.While she was capable in combat, Charlotte didn’t mind letting others weaken up the assailants up first. Besides, this was a new dress, and she’d already gotten dirt on it - blood would be impossible to get out of this fabric.

Moments later Charlotte heard Ryuzaki reveal himself to the men that had been chasing her, and was he having fun with it! He easily disposed of one of the three, able to catch him by surprise with the dual curved blades he wielded. The other two were startled, but with weapons still drawn, one swung the broadside of his sword towards the cloaked man. The other lunged forward, blade pointed and stabbing towards where Far and Charlotte stood. If Far dodged away from the stab, the second bandit would raise his blade and take another swipe at him as well.

[Rogus]

Rogus saw the man's attack coming, after all he had put himself in the position to be stabbed. With a flick of his wrist Rogus held his dagger by the blade and instantly threw it for the man's chest. Just in case he'd miss, which was unlikely due to the distance, Rogus side stepped to his right. He'd done this more times than he could count, and was confident the dagger would hit. Even if he missed his mark Myscha was far enough behind him to be safe from a follow through, and he was sure the man would be too slow on recovering to attempt another attack. But there was one thing his dullled senses forgot to tell him; there were two men left. While he'd focused entirely on the man who'd attacked him first, he missed the slash coming from the man's companion until it was a tad too late.

Rogus was surprised when the other man popped into view, already swinging down for the kill, but Rogus was fast, really fast and reacted without even registering danger. The thief crouched, nearly dodging the slash entirely, but it tore through the fabric of his tunic on the shoulder, as well as the skin beneath it. Rogus had hardly felt the pain before he lost his cool. Why did he always get hurt? Sure, he was drunk but Rogus wasn't exactly looking for a fight at all times. He had taken a blast of wooden shrapnel from the priests in Caelin, nearly got killed when a bandit pulled his own dagger from his own chest and threw it at the thief's neck, that giant Orland threw him forty feet out of a cave and he slammed against a rock, and he didn't even want to think about what happened in Ilia. Rogus had enough of taking medicine and throwing gold away at for a healer, and this man had placed the final straw on the thief's back. Rogus, throwing away all regard for safety and class screamed curses too inappropriate to mention as he attacked the man with his bare hands and knees. He would throw himself forward, aiming a knee to the chest, and a vicious punch toward the ruffian's temple. This was enough to knock the man over and when he knew he shoould have stopped, Rogus didn't. He leapt onto the man's chest, placing his rear end, and all his weight down to keep the man from moving, and kept punching the ugly man's face until his knuckles bled. Rogus wasn't the strongest arm in the world but he certainly got the job done. The attack was truly vicious, and would certainly surprise Near if not all other onlookers. Rogus simply never let his anger out beyond witty comments and insults.

The thief was panting heavily as he stood, gripping his injured shoulder and making sure his hand was covering the brand of shame that he always tried a bit too hard to hide. It was the tell tale symbol of the Lycian League, meant to remind the branded person of their treachery to their own kin. Rogus looked down at his handiwork with a sickeningly blank face, and silently went to recover his dagger from the other bandit's chest and his cloak from the ground. He needed to cool off, and anything he said wouldn't be important anyhow. Whats done was done, and he grimly realized he'd found a part of him he didn't particularly like.

[Burgid]

Burgid watched as the fight unfolded from her perch in the tree. While she could only see parts of it due to the branches, she was quite impressed, if not a little frightened by the lethal skills the brothers had. She could only see bits and pieces but she could see the fighting skills plain enough. She herself was not that deadly. She was more likely to kill you by making you bleed out than kill you more directly. Fitting.

She lost sight of them again as the wind shifted but she heard clearly the sound of Far using strong language. A sound the sounded like meat being tenderized reached her and shiver went down her spine. She made a mental note to not get on his bad side, or angry. She climbed down to bet below the canopy so she could get a better look.

[Ryuzaki]

Ryuzaki smiled, watching the battle unfold favorably. He didn't even need to move as he watched Rogus snap. Ah, well, it was bound to happen eventually. At least it was a good snap... Not like he shattered his own resolve or hurt one of the teammates. It was a favorable snap.

Stepping forward, Ryu hooked his scythes back on his back and looked around, his eyes well adjusted to the darkness. "Very good. Now that that's taken care of... I do believe that we have some explaining to do to you, Charlotte." Suddenly, he heard a branch snap and saw a figure move near a tree. Faster than you could say 'danger,' Ryu had his Killing Edge out, its razor edge pressed lightly against the intruder's chest covering, and his Iron sword in his right hand, ready for action. "Who are you, hmm?"

[Charlotte]

Brute force had never been Charlotte’s forte. She preferred a more subtle approach, so she supposed it was a good thing when the boys were largely able to handle the dirty work. So while Charlotte stood with her blade ready, she kept back, ready to jump in if she absolutely had to. Ryu had quickly and cleanly disposed of one of the three, and Far seemed collected and focused, his thrown blade meeting the second of the three directly in the chest, causing the man to stumble about for a moment before collapsing to the ground.

But Far had forgotten about the third and final ruffian, and while he dodged the death blow Far’s shoulder couldn’t escape the sharp steel of the man’s blade. A loud cry – mixed in with a string of curses that would make any normal human being blush – spurred Far to spring to the man and throw him to the ground. Of course it was expected that the thief would finish the assailant off, so Charlotte wasn’t surprised to see Far drop to the ground as well.

What Charlotte hadn’t expected, however, was the ferocity the seemingly cheeky man had just erupted into. She didn’t know the man that well, but his personality turned on its head as he absolutely wailed on the bandit, showing no sign of stopping. Charlotte had seen pretty unsettling things, but this was now near the top of even her list. While she wasn’t sure the man would even hear her, Charlotte couldn’t stand by and simply watch as Far kept at his attack.

“He’s had enough!” Charlotte’s voice cracked as she yelled at Far, the first sound to break the sickening noises coming from Far’s fists meeting the man’s face. She wasn’t sure if her call had snapped him out of it or if he came out of it on his own, but the man stood, shoulder covered by his hand as he moved to get his dagger from the other man. For once it seemed Charlotte didn’t know what to say, so she was relieved when Ryu broke the eerie silence.

“I’d say so,” Charlotte replied, pulling her skirt up high on her thigh to sheath her blade. Before she could get a response, though, a rustling caught the small group’s attention, and Charlotte’s hand was on her blade yet again, her eyes over to where Ryu had moved. Could more have followed them?

[Rogus]

Rogus ignored much of what happened after his episode. He was more interested in how his wound looked. He walked some distance away and peaked under his hand to see the damage. It stung horribly, and he'd need a new tunic, but the wound overall was not the worst he'd taken recently. Through the torn shirt, however, his brand was clearly visible, and while he knew the others might not care, he did. Although he was still infuriated, he knew he had to regain his poise and continue through the plan. He still ruminated over the blatant brand of shame until Ryuzaki moved to a certain tree and had another held captive. Rogus sighed with frustration and went back over to see who it was. He nticed the tell tale blue hair and guard uniform, and used his free arm (leaving his brand exposed) to signal for his friend to lower his blade.

Thats Juniper, she's with us. He stated cooly. He turned to Myscha and pointed to the box that lay behind her, Your purse is in there, along with a formal invitation if you can get it open. He clicked his teeth together and with a wave of his hand he signaled the others to follow him. Rogus's left arm hung limp at his side as he again gripped the injury with his right. He'd walk over the three bodies and toward the clearing in which he left his stash. The two women would need a stipulation to go along with the plan, he wagered, and he was prepared to part with some of the gold for the promise of greater wealth in the future.

Rogus sat on the fallen trunk with a sigh, waiting for the others to join him in the clearing. He had to earn the newcomers' trust, gold and information were likely the two things that would earn it. When they had all gathered near enough to him, he'd begin to speak with a rather haggard voice.

Myscha, Juniper, you two know me as far. Near, you know me as Gus. My real name is Rogus Nerethi. I'm telling you this because if the outcome of our meeting is to succeed we must trust each other with information most will never know. Like many nobles, Rogus had a way with words, and though his voice sounded pained, he spoke with enough charisma to gather the attention of most, My friend and I have decided to make a guild. A thieves guild to be precise, and you two have passed the little test we had set up. Juniper, you know this already, Myscha I don't know if Near told you, but let me dispell any doubts and say it is indeed true. A thieves guild, an criminal organization we could easily form without the hassle of making a charter for a true guild, but as we all know, its difficult to operate without scrutiny unless you work under a legitimate front. He paused to silence any questions, he'd allow those when he was finished, I had the notion that creating a mercantile guild would allow us to have some organization as well as creating a front for our operations. Of course, we cannot sell the items we have stolen openly as our wares, but all the details can be worked out later after I'm sure i have the support of my fellow pick-pockets and rogues. Thats why I'm here saying all this, its an invitation to you all; Help me create this most ambitious of goals, and we all prosper together, or get incarcerated trying. Or, walk away and continue working alone for petty amounts of coin.

Rogus looked the three of them in the eye individually, the moonlight illuminating his sharp, grey eyes as he seemed to gauge the individuals heart. For the first time since his outburst he genuinely sounded cheerful and even grinned despite the pain of his shoulder.

What do you say, knaives? Wanna get rich?

[Burgid]

Burgid was working her way down the tree while trying to see the others and in her distraction she missed noticing a dead branch which she dropped onto. The branch broke with a snap and fell to the ground, with Burgid on it. She feel to the ground and did a backwards roll, leaving her almost unscathed from the fall. She was recovering when a rather sharp blade came held against her chest. The owner inquired her.

<font color="4682b4">"Who are you, hmm?"</font>

"That is a good question."

She recognized him as Far's brother but the tension kept her mouth shut past her remark. So they had a silent stand off for what seemed to be a hour until Far waved him off, and Burgid's eye caught something, a brand perhaps, through his torn torn shirt. She did not show any sign of noticing and slid away from the brother's weapon. She followed Far to the clearing and placed herself near Myscha as she listened to Far, or actually Rogus. He spoke quite charismatic and she noted that, it was hard to picture this smooth talker as the same one beating the life out of those other people she saw. She nodded as he spoke, sort of entranced of his way of speech. He finished with a very easy question.

<font color="ff0000">"What do you say, knaives? Wanna get rich?"</font>

Burgid was mostly convinced he was serious by his wiliness to give up information. But she had one last test before she agreed completely. Burgid stepped and gave a small twirl and responded in a semi-charming voice. "Well then; I am Burgid. If your willing to compensate me for today, You can count me in. I have to eat too you know." If he was willing to part some coin, then the devotion was there. Then she had her own protectors, if they knew it or not.

[Charlotte]

The blonde’s eyes flitted to the small box for just a moment before she smiled. Charlotte had never been one for formalities, so she didn’t feel the need to see whatever grody parchment the brothers had scrounged up. Following slowly paling man, Charlotte wondered what he would say to get her and the blue haired woman to join their cause. The sultry woman had been the subject of one other invitation like this, and when she had been traveling with the band of smugglers she was a low member of their guild, so she was curious to see how Rogus – as he had revealed his real name to be – would utilize his words.

So when Rogus began describing the test he and his friend had set for them, Charlotte wasn’t all that surprised that they had passed. While she’d taken a few minutes to find the “true” prize (if there was a prize at all), it wasn’t most difficult hiding place she’d had to unearth. Clearly it was open tryouts; if the three guys that had chased Charlotte had any skill whatsoever, they’d have probably garnered an invite too. Then again, their lack thereof was most definitely the reason their cooling bodies were on the ground rather than standing in the small group of four.

Charlotte had to admit, though, she was slightly impressed by the thought Rogus and Ryu seemed to have put into all of this. They didn’t have all of the pieces to put the puzzle together yet – but Charlotte and Burgid – the woman dressed as one of the town guard – would certainly do to start. Charlotte didn’t know what the other woman’s skills were, but Charlotte knew she had a fairly extensive ledger of business. She’d start small with sharing, of course, as she couldn’t leave her entire book of business open to a new endeavor on her part. Still, she smiled when he mentioned the inability to openly sell their stolen wares. That wouldn’t be a problem the group would think of for much longer.

Though that relied on Charlotte accepting the invitation, and that warranted a single question: did Charlotte want to take this kind of risk? She was comfortable right now, and she had enough money to last her for a small while. But was it enough?

Arms crossed and hip popped, Charlotte looked around the group, the blonde still mulling over her response as Burgid essentially accepted the offer. Once she finished her bit, Charlotte knew eyes would be on her for her response. So she rolled her head to one side, chuckling as her silky hair slipped from her shoulder to hang behind her back as her eyes focused on the ground. “A merchant’s guild as a cover...That’s pretty smart.” Charlotte shifted her weight to her other side. “We’ll have a lot of work to do if we want to be even remotely respected enough to use that as an effective cover.” She paused, mulling over everything she’d considered before finally giving her answer.

“But why not? Throw me a bit of coin for today and I’m in too.” Charlotte would have been kidding herself if she had actually would have walked away from an opportunity like this. She loved something fresh, something new, and this seemed to be just the thing to break up the monotony of selling in the markets on her own for the past few weeks.

[Ryuzaki]

Ryuzaki smiled. Finally, their work had paid off... The guild was ready, its members primed and flaring like pitch torches. THey were the creme-de-la-creme, the finest of the fine... And their love of adventure, risk, and money would get them far. Very far. This was ideal. A group small enough so as to be lucrative with spoils and strong in trust, but large enough to enable heists. Very good. He would'nt have asked for any fewer takers, and any more would be a liability. He was glad to have them on the team.

"Well... I'm sure we've got enough to give you a little to whet your appetite. Great, then, it's settled." Reaching in his cloak, Ryu produced a crinking, battered document and a small candle of tallow wax, with flint and steel. Lighting the candle, he looked over his handiwork, which he and Rogus had dictated and he had written. Smiling, he used his Killing Edge to slice a small but deep gash in his left ring finger, and, using the oozing blood, wrote in sharp, angular script, signing his name to bind himself to their family.

Ryuzaki, the Blue

"Now, my friends, please, sign your names and enter the family. Afterward, I think we can then go back to Rogus's and my haunt, and give you two a little gold for your efforts. And then, we can work logistics. It just seems a bit illogical to stand out here and discuss, when we could be in the warmth, with some fine wine and food. Anyway, sign, please."

[Rogus]

Myscha, i'm hurt you don't think my blood is worth more than my coin! He jibed. He was entirely joking, but the injury he sustained protecting her still hurt very much, and so did the lack of thanks. Rogus didn't dwell on it for long, or much at all really. He had his "guild", and he focused on ways the thieves could make enough for a charter and a guild hall. An idea formed in his head, and despite himself he chuckled. This would be a brilliant success, or a horrible failure; the future remained to be seen of course, and in this endeavor there would be no grey area. His train of thought broke as Ryuzaki brought out a quill and piece of paper, his intent very clearly being to create a contract between the four-- a blood pact to be exact.

Well, Near, I have plenty of my own paint to add to the picture, unfortunately I fear this place isn't appropriate for such a ceremony. Rogus added after Ryuzaki finished his offer to them. In truth, Rogus wouldn't have cared if he wasn't growing colder and colder with each passing minute. It was no secret he was in pain, and the ex-noble could almost feel his tan skin growing paler and paler. While he was touched by the lack of concern his friend and new companions showed, he would rather have himself tended to by a healer or at least take swig of a vulnerary than remain in the forest with his fellow thieves for longer than needed. Rogus slid off the tree trunk and looked for the nob in the tree within which he had hidden his treasure.

It was a sizablle sum, not nearly enough to buy the charter for a guild, but it was his take from Caelin and a small amount of savings from other adventures. While normally Rogus would never freely part with it, this occasion demanded sacrifice-- a fact Rogus was reminded of by the pain shooting from his shoulder. He found the circular "door" he'd made, and released his grip on his shoulder for a grip on his knife. He quickly used the instrument to pry the thin piece of dead wood out, he didn't want to waste any time in doing so for two reasons. The first being the unrestricted blood flow from his shoulder, which was moving slower than it had been when he recieved the wound, but that only mean't his blood pressure was becoming low. Rogus had been schooled as a physician while he was still considered the heir to his father's throne, and unlike the knight training he'd suffered through, his schooling actually proved useful every now and then. The second being the brand on his shoulder being visible, although possibly semi-disguised by blood, it wouldn't take too much effort to see what it was.

Burgid, Myscha, Ryuzaki will give you your sum of gold for your troubles, I'm going back to the city... His voice was beginning to sound more and more weak. Rogus had been putting off using his cloak as a bind for the wound, it was his prized posession under his lock-pick, but he'd pass out if he let the wound bleed. He took his cloak, the last remnant of his old noble attire, and tore a rather large bit of it with his knife, and began wrapping the thick red material tightly around his shoulder and armpit. Rogus held one end in his teeth as he tied the makeshift bandage down.

Ryu, After you're done here come find me in the morning, you know where I'll be. Our girls can follow you there or meet me later, but do me a favor and bring the statue and the rest of the gold with you. We can talk about this more there. Rogus rather too eagerly left after finishing his instructions, and made his way back to the city.

[OOC: I'll end the thread here if there's nothing else to add for everyone else.]