Ok people, this is the last chapter! Thank all the gods I have finally written it! I'm not sure what I will do next... any suggestions?
*~*~*~*
Chapter 10: Never Underestimate Anyone
Suddenly a frantic knock came at the door, and the knob started to turn. Mischa and Ryne broke their kiss hurriedly and jumped apart as Julia breezed through the doorway. She took one look at their guilty faces and smiled, one of the rare times Ryne had ever seen her do that. She felt special.
"Did I interrupt anything?" She asked innocently. Mischa scowled and crossed his arms.
"Yes." There was no point in denying it.
"Well, I'll get straight to the point, then. Things have come to a head up at the School, and we need every man and woman present to help fight. I've already sent the bunch of lazy bastards moving from downstairs,"
Ryne smiled to herself as she imagined Julia doing that. The homeless assassins wouldn't have known what hit them.
"Ryne, get a move on," Julia barked, and threw the girl her cloak. The young woman scrambled into it and the three set off at a run, head for the School, where blasts of mage-fire and shouts were already arising. The townspeople of Corus hung out of their windows and doors, mouths gaping, but not doing anything. Ryne knew it was only a matter of time before the City Guards came in their units to disperse the violence, and when that happened they had to hide their skilled assassin training and pretend to be mere cityfolk in a brawl.
They had to kill Larynxa before the Guards came. They had ten minutes, max.
She followed Julia up staircases, hearing Mischa behind her. They pushed passed various one-on-one fights and larger clumps of people joined to take on someone more advanced. But the three ran on, making a beeline for the Grand Chamber, for Larynxa. As they entered the Chamber, it was like entering the realms of Chaos. Fires from mages were everywhere, and the room was lined with bodies, both dead and alive. The live ones were fighting, of course. At the Grand Table Larynxa was holding off various Masters with skill and apparent ease.
Mischa quickly waded into a fight near the doorway, rescuing some half-dead friend of his. Julia leant close to Ryne, eyes always on Larynxa, and pointed.
"Her left arm is weak. She dislocated her shoulder on a mission when she was young, but no-one knows. You attack from that line and distract her, and give me an opening. I'll take it from there," Julia broke away suddenly at a run, and Ryne sprinted to catch up. She came up on the Head Master's left, carefully timing her attack, until she saw the older woman duck to miss a sword-swing from an opponent. Ryne hit hard and fast, jamming her entire weight against Larynxa's left side to catch her off-balance. The tyrant snarled and stumbled, swinging wildly with her blade and catching Ryne in a lucky blow to the temple.
The last thing the young woman saw was Mischa and Julia, working together, and Mischa yanking back Larynxa's head exposing the neck for Julia to slash with her dagger and a wolf-like howl.
They had won.
*~*~*~*
Ryne awoke to find Mischa's lips on her own, and smiled. The man felt it and leant back with a grin of his own.
"The city story-tellers tell a tale of a prince waking his beautiful princess with a kiss, and I though I might try it out," he shrugged, smiling playfully. Ryne reached up and brushed a lock of hair from his cheek with a bigger smile, and he leant forward to kiss her again.
"I always seem to interrupt these things, don't I?" A voice sounded from the doorway. They broke apart quickly, to see Julia leaning against the frame, smirking. Mischa sighed.
"You do, don't you," he laughed suddenly.
"I was just checking to see if the girl was up. And you are," the older woman nodded to Ryne, who smiled and nodded back.
"Good morning, Master," she greeted.
"And what a fine morning it is. Mischa, why don't you tell your lady friend what she slept through?" Julia left after smiling again - twice, in as many days! Ryne felt special again, until she remembered the event she had been involved in while earning the sore lump on her forehead.
"Yes, tell me," she struggled to sit up eagerly. Capable hands helped her, lingering a little more than necessary. Mischa sat next to her and she leaned into him as he spoke.
"Well, did you see Julia kill Larynxa? You did. Okay, well, not much happened after that, but the Guards came and broke it all up. We dispersed for a few hours, as the code in that situation instructs, and when we assembled again we found that many of Larynxa's allies had been humbled somewhat by her death and decided to repent and join us again. Those who didn't were taken care of," Mischa's tone made Ryne shiver; she knew in what way he meant.
"Our School is now somewhat smaller. Oh, and I suppose I forgot to mention, we elected a new Head Master," he smiled knowingly at her. Ryne punched him lightly and he pretended cutely to be hurt.
"Are you going to tell me who it is?" She said playfully.
"No. Ha, yes of course! It's Julia," he grinned. Ryne's eyes opened wide and she laughed.
"But she never mentioned it just before!"
"She wouldn't. Julia Stonecold is surprisingly modest when she comes into power,"
"Well, I guess she would be." Ryne relaxed back into his embrace. Mischa leant down to kiss her again, and the young woman knew her new life would be different. Different in a good kind of way. Extremely pleasant. She felt like the princess from the story-teller's tale, and Mischa was her prince.
Then again, what kind of royal couple occupied their time mercilessly creating bloody deaths and getting paid for them?
She reminded herself never to tell Julia about her fairytale day-dreams; it wasn't nice being laughed at.
*~*~*~*
All finished! Yay! Would someone PLEASE suggest something new for me to write about? Hmm, maybe I can make Alanna a psychiatrist... who likes it?
~ Rebel Hawk
*~*~*~*
Chapter 10: Never Underestimate Anyone
Suddenly a frantic knock came at the door, and the knob started to turn. Mischa and Ryne broke their kiss hurriedly and jumped apart as Julia breezed through the doorway. She took one look at their guilty faces and smiled, one of the rare times Ryne had ever seen her do that. She felt special.
"Did I interrupt anything?" She asked innocently. Mischa scowled and crossed his arms.
"Yes." There was no point in denying it.
"Well, I'll get straight to the point, then. Things have come to a head up at the School, and we need every man and woman present to help fight. I've already sent the bunch of lazy bastards moving from downstairs,"
Ryne smiled to herself as she imagined Julia doing that. The homeless assassins wouldn't have known what hit them.
"Ryne, get a move on," Julia barked, and threw the girl her cloak. The young woman scrambled into it and the three set off at a run, head for the School, where blasts of mage-fire and shouts were already arising. The townspeople of Corus hung out of their windows and doors, mouths gaping, but not doing anything. Ryne knew it was only a matter of time before the City Guards came in their units to disperse the violence, and when that happened they had to hide their skilled assassin training and pretend to be mere cityfolk in a brawl.
They had to kill Larynxa before the Guards came. They had ten minutes, max.
She followed Julia up staircases, hearing Mischa behind her. They pushed passed various one-on-one fights and larger clumps of people joined to take on someone more advanced. But the three ran on, making a beeline for the Grand Chamber, for Larynxa. As they entered the Chamber, it was like entering the realms of Chaos. Fires from mages were everywhere, and the room was lined with bodies, both dead and alive. The live ones were fighting, of course. At the Grand Table Larynxa was holding off various Masters with skill and apparent ease.
Mischa quickly waded into a fight near the doorway, rescuing some half-dead friend of his. Julia leant close to Ryne, eyes always on Larynxa, and pointed.
"Her left arm is weak. She dislocated her shoulder on a mission when she was young, but no-one knows. You attack from that line and distract her, and give me an opening. I'll take it from there," Julia broke away suddenly at a run, and Ryne sprinted to catch up. She came up on the Head Master's left, carefully timing her attack, until she saw the older woman duck to miss a sword-swing from an opponent. Ryne hit hard and fast, jamming her entire weight against Larynxa's left side to catch her off-balance. The tyrant snarled and stumbled, swinging wildly with her blade and catching Ryne in a lucky blow to the temple.
The last thing the young woman saw was Mischa and Julia, working together, and Mischa yanking back Larynxa's head exposing the neck for Julia to slash with her dagger and a wolf-like howl.
They had won.
*~*~*~*
Ryne awoke to find Mischa's lips on her own, and smiled. The man felt it and leant back with a grin of his own.
"The city story-tellers tell a tale of a prince waking his beautiful princess with a kiss, and I though I might try it out," he shrugged, smiling playfully. Ryne reached up and brushed a lock of hair from his cheek with a bigger smile, and he leant forward to kiss her again.
"I always seem to interrupt these things, don't I?" A voice sounded from the doorway. They broke apart quickly, to see Julia leaning against the frame, smirking. Mischa sighed.
"You do, don't you," he laughed suddenly.
"I was just checking to see if the girl was up. And you are," the older woman nodded to Ryne, who smiled and nodded back.
"Good morning, Master," she greeted.
"And what a fine morning it is. Mischa, why don't you tell your lady friend what she slept through?" Julia left after smiling again - twice, in as many days! Ryne felt special again, until she remembered the event she had been involved in while earning the sore lump on her forehead.
"Yes, tell me," she struggled to sit up eagerly. Capable hands helped her, lingering a little more than necessary. Mischa sat next to her and she leaned into him as he spoke.
"Well, did you see Julia kill Larynxa? You did. Okay, well, not much happened after that, but the Guards came and broke it all up. We dispersed for a few hours, as the code in that situation instructs, and when we assembled again we found that many of Larynxa's allies had been humbled somewhat by her death and decided to repent and join us again. Those who didn't were taken care of," Mischa's tone made Ryne shiver; she knew in what way he meant.
"Our School is now somewhat smaller. Oh, and I suppose I forgot to mention, we elected a new Head Master," he smiled knowingly at her. Ryne punched him lightly and he pretended cutely to be hurt.
"Are you going to tell me who it is?" She said playfully.
"No. Ha, yes of course! It's Julia," he grinned. Ryne's eyes opened wide and she laughed.
"But she never mentioned it just before!"
"She wouldn't. Julia Stonecold is surprisingly modest when she comes into power,"
"Well, I guess she would be." Ryne relaxed back into his embrace. Mischa leant down to kiss her again, and the young woman knew her new life would be different. Different in a good kind of way. Extremely pleasant. She felt like the princess from the story-teller's tale, and Mischa was her prince.
Then again, what kind of royal couple occupied their time mercilessly creating bloody deaths and getting paid for them?
She reminded herself never to tell Julia about her fairytale day-dreams; it wasn't nice being laughed at.
*~*~*~*
All finished! Yay! Would someone PLEASE suggest something new for me to write about? Hmm, maybe I can make Alanna a psychiatrist... who likes it?
~ Rebel Hawk