Drydan Tentor slowly snuck into the camp, the half-giant having nodded off
by the camp fire nearly an hour before. As he tiptoed his way across the
dry dust of the mountains, he noted the three companions, and tried to
discern which one was the leader. After a few moments, his eyes came to
rest upon the old man. "Ahh, Manset!" He whispered to himself in glee, "It
is a crime to use the mines without the council's approval...this could yield
very dire results indeed." The man looked over the form of the Gem Knight
and quickly found what he was looking for; the pouch hanging from Manset's
hip.
Wasting no time, he drew a slender stiletto dagger from his belt, and cut
the strings attaching the pouch to the man's belt. Then, pocketing the
hefty pouch, he silently withdrew from the ring around the fire. When he
was out of viewing distance of the companions, he invoked the power of his
ring, which was mounted with a powerful emerald. Rings of light suddenly
surrounded him, and within mere seconds, they dispersed, leaving no sign of
him ever having been there.
As he traveled through the astral planes, he eventually found the gateway
he was looking for. Slowing his lightning speed – at which things moved,
when traveling the astral planes – Drydan ducked into the portal, and
emerged from it on the opposite end, to find himself face to face with
Terranill Lafrant. He put on a mask of confidence, and looked the Te'Vearn
– the High Mage – straight in the eyes. "Te'Vearn, as you suspected, it
was Manset who used the stones. He's at the southern Keldon Range mine
right this moment. I saw him not but five minutes past dozing by a
campfire, with a Geltor for a pet by all appearances. Not to mention, the
Geltor carries two Geltor scimitars. We could send the lot of them to the
dungeons for only that." He finished, looking for some hint of approval on
his employer's face.
The mage scowled, "What proof do you have that this is indeed Manset, and
not some merchant looking to mine a few gems before winter sets in?" He
said, with an intimidating edge to his voice.
Drydan managed a genuine smile then, grabbing the pouch from one of his
pockets, and showing it to the Te'Vearn. "I took it off of him while he
was sleeping, he slept right through it, didn't even move. Wouldn't move
forever if you had permitted me to dispose of him and his companions.
Never have killed a Geltor y'know...Oh, that would be a fine fight indeed..."
He said, trailing off to stare wistfully towards the ceiling.
Terranill reached for the bag eagerly, while the man stared off into space.
"Yes, yes, you have done well Drydan, you will soon be compensated. Go
over to the treasury, and tell the guards that you are to have your pick of
however many items you can walk away with. Your services as a Kolynian
Brother of Justice have been terminated. I shall truly miss you, my dear
assassin." He finished, analyzing the contents of the sack.
Drydan happily pulled a small patch from his tabard, and threw it onto the floor, before exiting the room by an entrance guarded by two high- ranking officers. Risking a glance backwards, he saw Terranill nod to the two of them, before one ran off, taking a different hallway, and the other started following him. A couple moments later, he reached the treasury, to find the guard that had run off down the other hallway whispering something into the ears of the guards who were protecting the treasury. Upon seeing him approach, the guards halted their whispered conversations, and bowed respectfully towards the assassin, before unbolting the doors, and admitting him entry. When one of the guards was about to follow him into the room, he politely spoke up, "Excuse me captain..."
"Drern, Captain Drern." The guard said, puffing out his chest proudly.
"Well, Captain Drern..." Drydan replied, "I can handle picking out loot by myself, if there's one thing I'm good at, that's it. Now, if you don't mind, out, now." Before the guard could protest, the assassin forcefully shoved the man outside the door, before closing it, and setting the crossbar down.
"Sir Drydan Tentor, open the door immediately, else I will be forced to take drastic measures against you!" The captain replied in a quavering voice.
"Nonsense!" Drydan exclaimed, "I'll be out in just a moment! Just hold your bloody horses!" The assassin finished, pulling a circular piece of black silky cloth from his pocket, before surveying the treasure surrounding him. What met his eyes was incredible, a stock of treasure, both magical and conventional strewn across a room of gold. He may have been shocked, if he had not been expecting such treasures from the store of the government's most powerful branch – the magical. Not one to dally around, he hastily placed the black circular cloth on the ground, before going about the room, and finding the most valuable items. When he found an item of real value, he would throw it into the black cloth, which quickly absorbed it into the depths of the hole. It being a magical trinket from Vhareun – the god of shadow – it had the capability of turning its contents into shadow, until taken out. A truly efficient way to store things, the assassin mused to himself. When he had stored most of the items of real value into the hole, he took it, and folded it up, placing it in his pocket. After securing those valuables, he picked up a beautiful, and magically reinforced rapier, and an enchanted crossbow, that should reload itself automatically, if he hadn't missed his guess. Those weapons in hand, he unbarred the door, and opened it wide, letting the guards see that he had only taken the two weapons in his hands. "Come boys, I'm not a greedy man, this is all I need, now, if you'll kindly let me through, I have to be leaving." He said, with a kindly, but somewhat agitated grin on his face. The captain timidly drew his sword, "You will do no such thing Tentor. The Te'Vearn wishes to inform you, that, since you are no longer of use to him, you may not leave the keep alive." The guard said, drawing confidence while speaking for his powerful leader. "You may either give up your weapons, and be escorted to the dungeons, or be killed, here and now." He finished, barking out an order for the other three guards to surround Drydan. A deadly gleam suddenly entered the assassins eye, a gleam that caused the guards to all take a step back, "Very well, here are my weapons..." He said, holding them out to the guard captain. The captain visibly sighed with relief, along with the other three, all of which lowered their weapons. As the captain stepped forward to take the weapons from the assassin, he grabbed the crossbow from the man's hands. Before anyone could react, Drydan brought the sturdy rapier blade down on the hand holding the crossbow, severing it completely. As the other guards brought up their weapons to react, the assassin had already wrested the small hand crossbow from severed hand, and fired it into one of the guards' chest, which – to his delight promptly turned the blood a blackish color. "Poison!" he exalted, the weapon of which his god, Vhareun preferred above all. Before the guards could even comprehend what he had just meant, he had buried his rapier point in one's heart, and shot off the crossbow again into another. The only one left alive then, being the captain, Drydan bowed respectfully to the man, before running done the hall, and around the corner. The guard captain, despite his severed hand, ran after, but after turning the corner, all he saw before him, was emptiness...
Drydan ran through the shadow plane, angered by the Gem Mage's betrayal. He would have taken the faster astral plane, but the gem mages would have been capable of following. So, running through the shadows, he looked for the portal to the southern Keldon Range. If he could make things harder for that bastard Terranill Lafrant, then it would make things all the sweeter, when he killed him...
Drydan happily pulled a small patch from his tabard, and threw it onto the floor, before exiting the room by an entrance guarded by two high- ranking officers. Risking a glance backwards, he saw Terranill nod to the two of them, before one ran off, taking a different hallway, and the other started following him. A couple moments later, he reached the treasury, to find the guard that had run off down the other hallway whispering something into the ears of the guards who were protecting the treasury. Upon seeing him approach, the guards halted their whispered conversations, and bowed respectfully towards the assassin, before unbolting the doors, and admitting him entry. When one of the guards was about to follow him into the room, he politely spoke up, "Excuse me captain..."
"Drern, Captain Drern." The guard said, puffing out his chest proudly.
"Well, Captain Drern..." Drydan replied, "I can handle picking out loot by myself, if there's one thing I'm good at, that's it. Now, if you don't mind, out, now." Before the guard could protest, the assassin forcefully shoved the man outside the door, before closing it, and setting the crossbar down.
"Sir Drydan Tentor, open the door immediately, else I will be forced to take drastic measures against you!" The captain replied in a quavering voice.
"Nonsense!" Drydan exclaimed, "I'll be out in just a moment! Just hold your bloody horses!" The assassin finished, pulling a circular piece of black silky cloth from his pocket, before surveying the treasure surrounding him. What met his eyes was incredible, a stock of treasure, both magical and conventional strewn across a room of gold. He may have been shocked, if he had not been expecting such treasures from the store of the government's most powerful branch – the magical. Not one to dally around, he hastily placed the black circular cloth on the ground, before going about the room, and finding the most valuable items. When he found an item of real value, he would throw it into the black cloth, which quickly absorbed it into the depths of the hole. It being a magical trinket from Vhareun – the god of shadow – it had the capability of turning its contents into shadow, until taken out. A truly efficient way to store things, the assassin mused to himself. When he had stored most of the items of real value into the hole, he took it, and folded it up, placing it in his pocket. After securing those valuables, he picked up a beautiful, and magically reinforced rapier, and an enchanted crossbow, that should reload itself automatically, if he hadn't missed his guess. Those weapons in hand, he unbarred the door, and opened it wide, letting the guards see that he had only taken the two weapons in his hands. "Come boys, I'm not a greedy man, this is all I need, now, if you'll kindly let me through, I have to be leaving." He said, with a kindly, but somewhat agitated grin on his face. The captain timidly drew his sword, "You will do no such thing Tentor. The Te'Vearn wishes to inform you, that, since you are no longer of use to him, you may not leave the keep alive." The guard said, drawing confidence while speaking for his powerful leader. "You may either give up your weapons, and be escorted to the dungeons, or be killed, here and now." He finished, barking out an order for the other three guards to surround Drydan. A deadly gleam suddenly entered the assassins eye, a gleam that caused the guards to all take a step back, "Very well, here are my weapons..." He said, holding them out to the guard captain. The captain visibly sighed with relief, along with the other three, all of which lowered their weapons. As the captain stepped forward to take the weapons from the assassin, he grabbed the crossbow from the man's hands. Before anyone could react, Drydan brought the sturdy rapier blade down on the hand holding the crossbow, severing it completely. As the other guards brought up their weapons to react, the assassin had already wrested the small hand crossbow from severed hand, and fired it into one of the guards' chest, which – to his delight promptly turned the blood a blackish color. "Poison!" he exalted, the weapon of which his god, Vhareun preferred above all. Before the guards could even comprehend what he had just meant, he had buried his rapier point in one's heart, and shot off the crossbow again into another. The only one left alive then, being the captain, Drydan bowed respectfully to the man, before running done the hall, and around the corner. The guard captain, despite his severed hand, ran after, but after turning the corner, all he saw before him, was emptiness...
Drydan ran through the shadow plane, angered by the Gem Mage's betrayal. He would have taken the faster astral plane, but the gem mages would have been capable of following. So, running through the shadows, he looked for the portal to the southern Keldon Range. If he could make things harder for that bastard Terranill Lafrant, then it would make things all the sweeter, when he killed him...