Speech = ``…..….. ´´
Thoughts = …..
Inner voices "…..."
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Kingdom of Quelthalas: City of Silvermoon.
Valeera point of view:
``I see...´´ She said softly while she nodded at him, offering a shy smile in hopes to diminish his attention on her though it was for naught as he had already started walking away before, quickly disappearing from sight as he ventured deeper through the crowd.
She waited a second, then another...
She did not know when she had started holding her breath but by the time she left a sigh leave her lips she felt her shoulders shrivelled.
Oh Beloree….I never thought he would never leave me… She thought with apprehension as she remembered how she had found herself into such position. Since the very first second that creepy jerk had butted his nose into her face she had known he was bad business, a matter that only grown worse as time went by as his stubbornest only brought more and more attention towards them.
Towards her...
Gods, she had hated it, the way the people around them observed them with barely contained amusement as they dissected their words, their actions….all that while that idiot loomed around her like a damn bedbug. His head to thick to even realize that he was not wanted nor needed.
If the plan was for her to get inside without bringing attention to herself she was going for a good start…., gods if any of the cretins of the gang heard of this she would not heard the end of it. And so, with resignation she surrendered herself to the fate of been prodded endlessly by the hat wearing cretin. The fact that he was the damn host of the whole circus did not made things any better…, but at least it explained why it had brought so much attention to themselves.
He may have thought he was subtle but she could tell what thoughts lay behind those eyes every time they wandered for far too long in her body.
It was then that fate, for once in that bloody night had decided to shine upon her and give her wide berth. The sudden apparition of the old man, pulling the idiot from her ass just in the nick of time, there were no words to describe the relief that had washed over her when she saw the annoyed look on his eyes.
What was that he wanted from her again? Sit tight and wait for him? Ha! Fat chance…., if there was a moment to get out was now. One never knew when she would be given another chance like that, and so she made haste to slip out of the room. The lack of the host around her diminishing greatly the amount of eyes that dared follow her, and those that still do? Well, they too were lost track of her in time as the lighting of the room dimmed as well as the tune in the air changed into another pace.
It was a brief distraction if it could even be considered one, though it was far more than she needed.
Soon her surroundings changed as she now moved through the empty corridors as fast as her shoes would allow her, always close to the wall so she could hide in one of the multiple nooks and crannies between galleries of paintings and statues in the event that a servant or guard should cross her path. Trying to answer her wandering about instead of staying with the whole group would be more of a hazel that it was worth it.
Fortunately, that had not been the case…., she could only pray it would remain that case.
She soon reached a section cut off from the general public as he noted the lack of decorations or level of cleanliness that the previous sections had proudly shown. The workers' section of the Spire perhaps? If so then it would be mostly empty at this point as they tried to appease the myriad of guests…
Soon a door that clearly led to the cleaning service appeared before her, yet as her hand surged forward the grab the handle it hesitated.
A brief look of apprehension passing over her eyes before she cocked her head to the left, then the right, holding her breath as she tried to catch even the smallest glimpse of sound echoing through the hallways that could warn her of the presence of anyone closing in. Her eyes glowing a little brighter….
The faint tap of shoes over the immaculate floors over her head..
The haggard sound of a shallow breath through walls...
The drowned howling of the wind brushing against the Spire walls….
It was nothing but a few seconds, yet it felt like an eternity as her hand remained firmly attached to the handle, sweat starting to fall down her forehead as the beating of her heart threatened to burst through her ribcage, but she did not stop….
The only thing accompanying her been the constant, sickly ticking of a clock hanging from one of the walls to her left. Perhaps had she not been focused on
In the end, she breathed in relief. There was none…, none at least near enough to be a problem. She quickly made her way inside, the door leading to that led to the outer fringes of the spire walls as she could feel the humid wind brush against her face from a lone open window at the very end of the room.
Her nose wriggle slightly as she pick on a strong scent of cleaning material from the different objects and buckets placed on shelves on both sides of the room, a copious amount of dust flying around…
``Well...this has to be the right place´´ Or at least she hoped so, if she was forced to wander through the entire spire it would surely throw a wrench in her plans.
Softly she closed the door behind her before she approached the window, discarding the dove mask onto the floor. Slowly and careful not to stumble over the things that had been left unattended on the ground while her eyes tried to peer through the dark room for anything that could shed any light of the whereabouts of what had they left for her.
Her search would be put to an end when they landed on a small bag pocketed between a pair of unopened boxes at the far end of the shelves. The tattered cloth with a few patches here and there t keep it from spilling its contents really did not resemble the grey aesthetic of the room.
But soon enough the satisfaction of would turn sour as she started searching through it.
A bottle with some ooze that appeared to be tar…, a rope, a bunch of marbles as well as a strange round metallic contraction that was steaming with raw arcane power. It was hard not to look away from it...
And yet….
Where was the rest!? Those were hanging over the corner of her, echoing deeply as they told her, no...commanded her to find what was possible lost. Did they really expect her to carry a volatile death ball who knows it was made of in her back? Where were her gauntlets so useful for climbing?
She regarded the bag once more, as if hoping to find something else to add to the mediocre list of tools at her disposal that she may have disregarded previously. There were none….
This time she did not hide away the groan of disappointment from escaping her lips as she pinched the bridge of her nose. A rogue in a dress, hiding in a service room with a bunch of straps, rope in hand.…
This clearly was the start of a bad joke…, she grimaced at the thought. She once looked back at the slim rope she held under her grasp, a deep frown forming around her features while her lips quivered with barely contained frustration.
``Striker…., if I come out of this one I am gonna kill you´´
Valeera was dangling from the stone wall, her legs trembling momentarily as she threaded her tar-stained fingers and toes into tiny cracks in the massive stone blocks that made up the spire's smooth wall.
As she ascended he could hear the murmur of the guests getting louder with each passing minute, without a doubt more than one of them would have already been intoxicated with the ample pantry of drinks, but at a height of about thirty meters the words were lost, carried out by the wind.
She gritted her teeth, raising her hand slowly as she moved her other foot up.
Six meters above resided the main office of the target, and in it the object that she was to obtain. A book of sorts was all that she had been told, which wasn't exactly much. It would be a problem if there was some soft of mini library within the room and she had to search through every last one of them.
A sigh left her lips as her minded pondered about such eventuality, slowly prying off distant memories she thought long forgotten, a warmth of a time now long pass.
Books were fine, the hours she had spent hidden in her parents library reading when they were back home busy in their petty squabbling. It had been quite a while since she had last held a book, but time was of essence and she could not wasted it like that, the sooner she got it the sooner she could leave this place.
She surprisingly hadn't fallen over yet, even though the path hadn't been especially smooth. With the party going in full swing it was clear that the balconies, sills and backrests that covered almost the entire central space of the spire would be a no go with the amount of people moving close or standing over them, which forced her to go to one of its ends, where the surface of the stone was smoother and more slippery to the touch
Luckily all things were not that bad….
Though for a rogue the shadows were their friend, it was this time the bright light of the torches all around that shielded her from harm, blinding whoever stood in the outside from her whereabouts. For them she would be nothing but a large black spot and nothing else, a fleeting mirage in their night of debauchery.
She climbed a few more feet, her hair brushing the cold surface of the balcony of the room she was headed for, her fingers aching all the way. Looking down was always a bad idea, even though Striker had forced him to stand on the edge of a building in the moonlight to get used to it.
Gasping for breath she managed to hold on to the sill, a few seconds later and she managed to climb it up, it was deep enough to be able to squat down in and now fall down to her doom. In fact, with the way her body was angle she spent a few seconds contemplating the city in all its splendour under the moonlight from there.
For a moment she stood still. There were no words to describe the sight that laid before her, her eyes refusing to back away from such sight where not even the constant buffeting of the wind pushing her hair over her eyes could hide the towering silhouettes of the entire city, a myriad of lights coming from all directions from every street and building where people lived. Everything seemed so different up there...so small
Sometimes even a hellish task had its perks…
With her thoughts put to rest for the moment she decided continued her task, finally jumping inside the balcony she had set her eyes for so long, almost failing to grasp the slippery marble railing in the process, cursing out her the way her heart had almost burst through her rib cage.
The door leading to the inner room was closed of course, she did not need to look to notice that the safe was on from the inside as her eyes peered through the glass that was part of the obstacle, though perhaps a small part of her had at least wanted him to be at least more careless.
Even if the wards around them Spire were down that did not meant that the target would lay the centre of his power completely unguarded. He at least had the common sense to shut everything down that he did not want others to snoop in.
She pulled out a wire from the bag that she was hanging around her neck and quickly closed the distance between her and the door, starting to interact with the door. Her ears perking at the sound of each gear moving softly, the way the lessened with each rotation of her hand
Before long she was in, the sound of the doors gears creaking as she softly pushed the wooden frame away from her path following through before she closed it carefully behind her. The last thing she needed was for the damn wind to slam the door in the loudest way possible.
With that out of the way she started exploring her new whereabouts…
There was a lot to see….
The room was large as it was dark, with dozens of different types of furniture decorating every spot that her eyes could land, each one far more stranger than the last, their names unknown to her though she could guess. Her footsteps were barely audible as she stepped over the carpet bearing the royals colours in al its splendour. The room was all completely bereft of any light source of light with the only exception of a single candlelight that remained over a large oak table, its small form speaking that it had been lit for quite a while, and yet the amount of wax at the base did not seem large enough.
How strange….
She shook her head, it was nothing probably. Leaning softly against one of the walls and with great care not to drop one of the paintings hanging from it she decided to focus on the task at hand
``Ok…, this was the easy part, now where is the-oh...Oh! you have to be kidding me….seriously!?´´ She exclaimed with barely contained annoyance as she noticed the large amount of bookshelves that covered an entire wall of the room. Each one of them filled to the brim with all sorts of books and notebooks.
Was she supposed to look through all of that? By herself? Fat chance!
She started pacing back and forth through the room, trying to come up with a way to sort it out this unexpected turn of events. Calm down Valeera, perhaps is inside the shelves of that marvellous desk over there? So no need to inspect every book and cranny in that shelve? She tried to convince herself, anything was fine as long as she did not had to go through them.
With four long strides she reached the desk in question but just as she was about to pull out one of the shelves her hand retracted, her nose wriggled as a potent smell reached her nostrils, one that she was very strangely familiar.
Magic.
She eyed the shelve with renew respect as she started searching her bag. Of course, a sorcerer had to enchant his secrets with all sorts of shit, and by the looks of it this so called Darkham had left quite a few spells over it. It was more than probable that had she pull it out some sort of alarm would have sprang out on the spot. Alerting every soul in the near vicinity of her presence and with it a swift end of her tale.
Defensive spells were the bane of thieves, especially when so many of them were not versed in the arcane arts. It would have been rather taxing to deal with such event. A grin started warping around her lips
Too bad that she had just the thing to deal with that….
From the bag she pulled out a series of marbles, their small forms shining softly by the wayward beams of light coming through the window. By their looks alone one would have thought they were just like the ones the poorest children used to play with in their down time, but this ones carried a particular scent as she pulled them over the desk.
They had an unlocking spell engraved on them.
By themselves they would not do much, but when carrying a bunch of them together and then...
Crack…
The sound of the marbles shattering as she smashed them into little shards against the desk was not as loud as she thought it would. Soon enough she could smell the that specific scent of burning silver that characterized arcane spells as they were liberated into the air.
She observed with interest the fickle light show that soon enough started to take place as the two spells started to fight for dominance over the desk. She waited for a minute, then another..., and before she knew it it stopped. The fickle lights vanishing from her sights.
No sound of the locks been opened.
No alarm going off
No signal of which spell had triumphed over the other.
It was not what she had been expecting so far, but she could work with that, though some sense of precaution remained within her for only when she was sure that there was not going to be a spell going to blow in her face did she dared open the shelve to reveal its interior.
A look of disappointment quickly drawn out in her features.
Nothing, it was completely empty with the exception of a well crafted dagger though she doubted it had seem much use. Not with its killing edge been bathed with a slim bath of gold that made it glow under the constant stream of the moonlight that managed to peer through the windows.
Strange true, though she had seem stranger. She shiver ran through her back as a few memories flashed before her. Yes, it was better not to bring those up...
``What kind of sorcerer uses a dagger with ruby's on the handle?´´ Truly, she would never decipher the strange thoughts crossing the mind of the wealthy. Anyway it was something that she was not being paid to do, she then grabbed it and held it tightly. She would probably be able to sell it for a good prize somewhere.
It was not like he would miss it or anything…
With her first choice been not what she expected she continued her search, it had to be somewhere in the room, she just knew it. Or at least that was what she told herself, a belief that started to crack once she inspected for a fourth time the last shelve, even as going as far as to pock it with the knife in case there was a hidden false bottom.
A grimace formed around her lips….
Nothing. It was just more of the same; letters, envelopes and sheets with multiple orders from different noble houses if the wax symbols were something to say
What she was task to find out was not in his desk, which only left her with the bookshelves. A groan of annoyance leaving her lips as she realized that there was nothing else she could do to avoid it.
``Don't tell me I am going to have to have to read over all of those things...´´ She muttered with a prehension in her voice as she stumble forward. The bookshelves were full to the brim with all sorts of things, her eyes swiftly switched from book to book, taking on their different titles as she tried to find anything useful.
It was fanciful thinking to believe that he would have left it there among the rest, but she would have to check it anyway.
Lazily, her eyes roamed the shelves again, from top to bottom in search of anything out of the ordinary. The difference of dust on the surface of the different reading elements, some book out of position from the rest, or some trace of fingerprints…
Her eyes narrowed for a second as she took a step forward,
``Could it be...?´´
Her fingers slowly trailed down over a particular book placed on the centre of the shelve, a common shade of black leather warping around it, slight rough around the edges unlike the rest. It was too the only one that lacked the golden printed words on the sides.
How curious…
In any other situation she would have paid no much heed, but these been the personal collection of such a megalomanic who seemed pendant in the extravagance and order, it was rare for one of his belongings to be not as great to the eyes as the rest.
With renew resolution brimming inside her she placed her hands carefully around it, and pulled. The fact that the book barely moved a few inches to herself did not surprised her as much as the sound of gears creaking behind the wall.
She quickly found the need to take a few steps back as the entire shelve started rotating to the left, leaving way for a hidden
So that is where you leave your things, eh? ``Crafty little bastard…..´´ Was all that she could muttered as she slowly approached the now revealed safe, kneeling to get a better look at it and eyes widening as they got sight of the form of the lock. It was wide to the sides, yet incredibly thin in its height. Too wide for any sort of conventional key and she doubted that her wire would get it done this time. There was magic too in the lock and she doubted she had enough marbles to wash them off by the looks of it…
Now this was a serious conundrum, what to do? Without a way to force the safe her efforts would have been for naught. She grinded her teeth, no...she could not allow that, anything but running with her tail between her legs.
She was the best at this, a fucking safe was not going to be the end of her, it could not.
And so she glanced back to the obstacle of her path, burning into her retina the form of the lock.
Wide to the sides yet thin in its height?
The thoughtful expression in her face was quickly warped in one of realization as an idea dawned in her mind, quickly bringing forth the blade she had and placed it before her eyes. The blade glowing in its golden shade as it reflect some of the moonlight...
What if the key did not had to look like a key?
Decided to put her theory to the test she plucked the weapon into the thin opening, eyes widening slightly as she felt the way it run deeper than it should. Once she realized that no alarm had flared out by her actions she then started twisting it to the sides for a while with much vigour. Her ears listening carefully for any sounds that might come out from the mechanism.
Slowly memorizing the pattern...
Before long the lock was opened and she roamed happily over the things left inside. And though much what she seemed was rather appealing her sights were locked with the object of her goal.
It was just as plain looking as any book she had seem in a public library, it was somehow surprising how important it really was to the point that she almost doubted she had found the real one. But it had to be what she had been looking for, no point in wasting all these effort in hiding it for it to be just another distraction.
``So this is my haul? I have to admit that I would have preferred a bunch of jewels than a meagre notebook…, but beggars cant be choosers´´ She said to herself before she put the book in the bag along side the blade from the lock.
It wasn't much, not by a long shot but the idea of getting some sort of souvenir did entice her in some way. Something to remind her of a job well done, now the only thing she needed to do was go down the stairs, join the celebration and quickly leave without anyone taking notice.
And hoping not to find that walking cockroach in her way too, though something told her that it would be easier said than done...
``Well, this is over...I will now be able to leave and left this den of snakes an-´´ Her words died out in her tongue as her ears perked at the sound of a door opening, quick steps making their way towards her.
Shit!
The world seemed to slow down while her mind raced with countless thoughts and warnings crossing her mind at neck breaking speeds, interloping over one another to the point she could barely hear herself over the tempest that was her mind
Was this a set up?
Did someone saw her climb up?
Did the alarm go off anyway?
Immediately, her eyes searched through the room of anything that could be used to hide her, thick curtains, a wardrobe or anything closely resembling a large piece of furniture…., but much to her disgrace there was nothing remotely close to her urgent needs, and she could not go back to the window since she had closed behind her back.
Sweat started falling down her back as the thought that she was trapped started to settled.
It may have been that which kept her feet grounded on the floor as she watched with apprehension the shadow looming the corridor became a tall, slender girl. A servant of the spire if the clothes she wore were anything to go by.
A loud gasp echoed in the room, finally breaking her out of her stupor as the servant finally realizes her presence in the room.
``W-Who the hell are you!? She exclaimed, pointing a wavering hand at her as panic started to spread in her voice.
``Just a guest….´´ She said, trying to sound as confident as she could, hiding the dagger behind her back. The situation was already bad as it was.
``A-a guest?´´
``Yes, it seems that I got lost on the way to the bathroom...´´
``And you entered the masters own room at the highest point at the spire, avoiding and then closed the door and decided to stay inside?´´ With the way the girl phrased it made her know that she was not buying it. She would not blame her, neither did she….
She rubbed the back of her head. ``Well, if you say it that way…..´´
That seemed the wrong thing to say as the girl turned around and started walking towards the exit.
``Wait here, master Dharkam will probably want to know of this…..´´
She silently cursed at her lack of luck as she sprinted towards the girl as fast as she could. Time slowing down as moved through the dark corridor, her eyes locked behind the servants back that was growing closer.
If she got out it was game over.…, forget taking the hazel of getting the damn book if she was gonna get caught just as she went down by the armed guards at the first two floors anyway. By the time she turned around the corner she could hear with great clarity that particular scratching sound of the gears of a door open.
She would not make it, not unless...
``Stop right there´´ She exclaimed, as loudly as she could, her voice drowning the sound of her hand picking up a silver candlestick from one of the tables before she threw it off at the escaping form of the servant. A grimace appeared in her mind, even though for just a moment as she felt the force behind the throw been far more than it should have been necessary nor it was as coordinated as she had expected.
Probably a result of the way the dress clung tightly to her body that ended up mitigating her movement by a large margin. Still, she could fin some sort of satisfaction as she noticed that she would still hit the mark…., and that was what all that mattered.
Years of training working with knifes making a difference as she saw the silver plated object fly throw the air, spinning almost flawlessly towards the back of the brunettes skull. She felt no satisfaction on having to literally carve the girls skull with such haste, but at least she would still be alive once the ordeal was done.
Though it was gonna be the mother of all headaches when she woke up as she awaited for the object to connect….
Or that should have been what should have happened have the girl not torn through her expectations like a wet sack of paper in the few seconds that remained. The girl, who was but one foot outside the room immediately took a step back, her body spinning on its own with far more grace and speed than should have been possible for someone with that many layers of cloth around them.
Her delicate small hands searching forward, not to brace for the imminent impact or toss it a side with a swipe…., but rather to grasp the candlestick in mid air before she threw it again to where it came from in a direct straight line.
Whether it was because of the shock still lingering in her veins by what had not should have happened in the spam of those seconds or because she was unable to change the course of her path at her chosen speed by the time she realized what was happening it was already too late as the object crashed against her forehead, sending her tumbling on her back with a loud thud.
Her head had already started ringing loudly before she had even hit the ground, it only grew worse when her head collided with it. It was like a wild storm, though switching the soft yet cold touch of the droplets of water with the heavy sluggish feeling of hammers clubbing her mind to the point of numbness.
She tried to groan as one of her hands rose to rub her sore head, yet she could barely even hear it. It was only when she noticed the servant closing the door behind her back that a feeling of wrongness started swelling inside her. The girl was muttering something if the way her lips were moving were anything to go by, and though most was lost to her as she tried to stand up, the fog in her mind started dissipating.
Allowing for her to get the end of the girls tirade…..
And what she heard was a far from what she would have expected in
``Stupid damn whore….´´ The words were uttered with a frigid tone that did not match the shocked and even fearful expression that the girl had shown a few moments prior, nor the way she was gifting her with a glare of pure spite.
It was as if she was looking at a completely different person.
``Oh please, don't give me that look..., it was you who did this to yourself´´
``Who the hell are you?´´ She growled more than said as she finally stood up, the ringing in her skull had dimmed enough for her to not stumble forward, though it was still there.
``My name doesn't matter to the likes of you, nor that you will have the tome to ponder about it´´
``My luck...to stumble in such a humble bitch...´´ She muttered as she hissed in pain when she rubbed a bit to hard the forming bruises over her skin.
``You don't know half of it´´ Sneered the woman, offering her a small smile in return though it lacked any warmth. ``I was planning on ratting you out to the master of the spire, but now...? Now I cant do that...and I have you to thank for that´´ A bitter laugher, devoid of any warmth quickly followed through
``How funny is it that I almost screw myself in doing the most sensible thing as a servant... if my presence had been required up here´´ She uttered those last words with a scathing tone, but surprisingly it was direct at herself rather than her...
At a first glance, she would have been curious at what she had said, but it was only when delving deeper into the words that something far darker started to stir within her. A sickening, cold wave washing over mind, bringing the chaos in her mind to a momentary stop.
Enough time for whatever her bruised head could conjure with enough clarity to finally take roots..
Shit! She cursed internally as a grim realization started to take shape between the walls of her mind, slowly…., but one that grew by the moment as she saw the now not so fragile servant approach her, one of her hands disappearing behind her back in the search of something.
Her eyes narrowing slightly as they visualized the familiar sight of the silvery like shade of a blade been released from its sheath while the poor beams of light of the moon barely washed over the killing tool..
Her realization had not gone unnoticed as she offered her a wicked grin…relishing in the unchecked emotions flashing through her eyes.
``You came looking for the damn book..´´
The woman gave her a weak nod. ``Indeed little girl…, my master expected you to recover it from its safe location.
The servant took a set forward, bringing forth the blade ``Its nothing personal kid, but You. Must. Go..´´
She had seen the attack coming even before it had started taking place, that did not prepare her for the confrontation. As her found to be killer was far faster than she had thought, shortening the distance between the two swiftly through the narrow corridor before the blade in her hand surged through the air. Aiming to slash her from left to right, just right below her chest into her belly.
Trying to cut her guts open…
She ducked away, forcing her body to move the side as far away as she could from the encroaching weapon yet much to her disappointment because of the numbness in her skull her movements were not as coordinated as they should have.
So instead of easily dodging it she barely avoided been gutted out by it….
The tip of the blade cut through the cloth with relatively ease.., but luckily not deep enough to draw blood. Still…., she could feel the skin below ache by the burns probably left by the scratch left by the steel cold kiss...
The lack of blood spilling out was seem with a look of disappointment by her assailant but this did no deter her from trying as the blade once again searched for the weak, tender flesh….
She would not give her the satisfaction.
Grinding her teeth, she ignored the pain flaring through her body that sought to debilitated her as she swiped to the left and right, yet each failed strike that made the air brush against her skin sent a small feeling of glee. She knew of course, that she could not keep this forever….
But she only needed to resist until she reached the ample space that the main office provided. A thankless task..., but a task she would succeed nonetheless as she sidestepped backward three steps.
``Everything would have been so easy, all those fools down below…, the prize rip for the taken and y-Stay still you little rat!´´ The woman had started to speak, only for roar of frustration to cut it short.
The bitterness in her voice only adding a more explosive determination to the already present resolve to see her dead as her slashes became more wild in their performance, yet more open and less focused...
Perhaps it would have mattered something had the two reached the openness of the main office for her to fight back, grab the weapon wielding one and elbow her ribs as hard as she could.
There could still be some time….
But such thoughts would be put to rest as just as she was about to take another step back, her shoulder bumped with the wooden edges of a wardrobe she had not taken into account, forcing out a pained gasp to leave through her lips. Yet it would not last long, eyes which had unconsciously landed on the object of her pain had barely half a second to dart to the left as they met the cruel of the impersonator.
She would not be able to avoid this one she grimaced before her hands surged forward instead ob backwards, not to shield her…..
She had never been gone and playing defensive anyway.
Moving forward, she felt her heart launch itself to her throat as her hands passed through the blade unharmed into the clothed arms of the assailant, grasping them tightly. That would not stop it on its tracks immediately though and she knew it, readying herself for the certain sting of pain that would lit up from her chest...
But it never came….
Though that could change in any second….
The knife had failed to sunk into her chest as she had previously expected, but it had neither disappeared nor stopped on accomplishing its devious task. The strength of her arms been the only thing keeping it at bay…, but the grade of her success was up for debate.
The way it sometimes oscillated closer was worrisome…., but for now it would still remained stuck in place.
``Months of planing…, I am not gonna get a one trick brat steal my prize before my very noses. Now give the me the damn book and I will make it quick!´´
``Sheesh…, you speak...like it would be the end...of the world´´ She muttered through clenched teeth, eyeing the woman with the smugness look she could do, yet internally searching for different avenues of action from her peril.
She knew that she could not keep her forever with her back against the wall in this narrow hallway, there were not much things to use at her disposal either. The furniture around her were too big or to far away for her to get a hold, and though the memory of the dagger she held in the bag she was not sure she would have either the ability or the speed to reach it and make use of it without risking all to chance...
She was once again slammed against the wardrobe that had kept her stuck in place, shelves creaking under the pressure while some books started falling around them...
Wait, could it be….?
``Why don't you stop your futile…..defiance and just...lay dead!?´´
She ignored the ache coursing through her arms as she fought back a renew wave of killing intent as strong as she could. Yet that did not stop her from feeling the tip of the blade scratch her skin over her chest, its frozen touch scratching all that it could reach under her shaky hands…, but not delving deeper than a superficial cut.
Still she could feel the warm, sticky liquid start sliding down from it like crimson tears...
It was clear that the woman before her did not had that much stamina either, yet her arms would tire eventually, probably far sooner than hers. Climbing up the spire had taken some toll in them….
``Already nagging when things don't go your way? I did not thought...you were of those kind of women...t-truly shameful´´
Eyes open wide and her mouth left in a brief star horror took rot in the attackers features but not for far too long as shock gave way to rage and anger. Her lips growing into a feral scowl that was far more appropriate in a wild animal than a sentient being.
``Why y-´´ Her voice echoed strongly inside the room, yet it was cut short with a barely audible gasp as Valeera kneaded her crotch. She did not stop to wait for the shade to return to the girls skin as she decked her with a right hook to the side and fist right in her gullet, a grunt of pain coming out from her lips before she ultimately grabbed her by the shoulder with her remaining free hand and slam her against the wardrobe behind her back with all the force she could gather.
The wooden shelves finally breaking down under the constant pressure, their prized content falling down over the attackers unsuspecting head before the rest of the furniture followed through by example. A muffled cry been the only thing that the girl managed to say before it crashed over her.
It was not much, but it would by her some time, a few seconds at least..
Or that was what she hoped. Without turning around to see whether what kind of toll the accidental debris had taken over the servant she turned around and sprinted as fast as she could towards the main room as the slippery ground and the presence of rugs slowed down her pace...
Quickly cutting down the distance that separated her from certain doom and her escape through the balcony, but knowing that she had not enough time to interact with the door she had previously closed once she had come through she decided to crash through it.
The door could offer little resistance as her body torn through it, hinges almost bursting from their positions by the strange angle they had been forced to as her body came through the other side. Yet not unscathed as shards of glass bite her flesh, blood slowly falling down a myriad of cuts around her exposed arms and shoulders into the polished floor.
She did not care as she approached the railings of the balcony, eyes searching for the sill she had made used before…, knowing full well that she would not be able to slip down without it while trying to avoid stepping over the sharp shards now spread all over the ground with her naked feet.
She would be screwed if she did...
Sadly, by the time she had one of her legs dangling loose over the other end of the balcony something gripped her by the ponytail and tug back hard, earning a muffled yelp of pain as she felt over her back onto the floor.
``You are not getting away so easily!´´
As if to reinforce that statement she was quickly pulled back into the room, uncaring of her groans and attempts to pry off her fingers off her cranium, a task that seem doom to fail under the iron grasp her hair was subjected. She tried to get a good grasp over anything in her path, but the mixed tar and sweat in her hands had left them rather slippery to the touch.
Not long after she was rose into the air, right in front of a very familiar face though now it was a bit different than before; her once collected appearance had given way to a completely dishevelled state, the bruises forming around her face spoke where some of the heavier books had left their mark in their fall and a small spot of her raven black hair had turned crimson, though she was far more focused on the look of madness glowing from her eyes.
Why could not the maddened killer have waited on the floor for just five more seconds? She would have been out of her hair by then…
``You dropped a wardrobe on me…, look at what you have done!´´
``There was not much to look at anyway…´´
The assassin reeled back in shock for a moment before anger started seething from every pore of her body, yep...she was pissed. Good work Valeera, is not like you are about to die or something…. She berated herself.
What else could she accomplish in the next five minutes? She almost dreaded the answer.
``That's what they will say once they take a look at you…´´ She then rose her free hand before her, not closed tightly into a fist like she had expected but clearly open. That managed to rise an eyebrow from her.
``What? Planing to slap me to death? Is that your master plan?´´
``Something far better..´´ And it was then that she started to comprehend, her suspicions proven right as she saw her body, no.., her hand cackling with mana. That familiar scent of burnt out silver growing in intensity as more and more energy was pour into it, almost forcing her to cough...
She recognised the glyphs and arcane symbols forming around the charging limb, a life of memories of her failed attempts on trying to carry on the same act under the disappointed sight of her parents flashing before her eyes in an instant.
And she was going to kill her with it….? She would have scoffed at the notion had she not been barely keeping out the bitterness to tramp over her from the sheer irony. What the hell was this? Some sort of karmic justice in the making for fifteen years?
She did not know, the room around her started to blur as the light of the spell grew in intensity…..
``Are you crazy!? You are going to burn the whole place down with us still inside!´´ She taunted, a defiant look in her eyes that bared down over the other woman. One that hide away the cold shrouding feeling of fear of certain death that seemed to approach..
``Don't worry, I will not as long as you don't squirm too much….´´
``….[Flare]….´´
Just as the last word of the incantation was uttered, a ball of fire the size of a fist erupted from her palms, the sudden heat and brightness from it forced her to close her eyes and look away. But just as it was about to fried her face into a well done steak she swung her left arm at her, colliding with it just as the ball was about to set forth into the air. The result was the fire ball been redirected towards the ceiling, blasting away a small chunk of it while charring a large spot around the edges of the blast zone.
Dust and small specks of smoke falling all around them like a thick curtain, obscuring their vision completely for a few seconds…, it would not last though as a brushed the fog aside. By the time it went away a small fire had erupted at one of the far corners of the room from some of the still burning embers floating around.
But it was not the inferno in the making that had drawn her attention, nor the thought of their quarrel been noticed by either the people within the spire or those outside of it.
She was expecting another wave of hot steaming spite, another surge of energy of another incoming spell to finish what the first had failed or just a scathing remark about her loosing her time.
What she was not expecting was the look of utter shock in the woman's eyes.…, her body slowly shaking as if caught by a terrible cold, her mouth hanging open…, yet no words came out. Only a haggard, pained whimper.
Like struggling to breath….
Her eyes then roamed down, finding a sticky scarlet liquid slowly wash over her hands before falling softly into the ground and becoming nothing more than red stars…., her hands still holding tightly what little she could see of the handle as the rest remained stuck inside the woman's chest
She did not know when she had pulled it from the bag….
The assassin tried to speak, yet nothing but a weak gurgle came out from her lips. Eyes that had shine with great fury and pettiness were no longer glaring at her, but something beyond as a hungering darkness started to overcome her. Her legs quivered slightly as they desperately tried to keep her standing up before they finally gave out.
She merely stood still as this went on, her mind still unable to realize what had taken place before and after the explosion as the woman fell limp against her, though more out of inertia than real thought behind it before she started sliding down to the ground..
Staining her dress in her blood….
It was only when her body had fallen to the ground like a puppets which strings had been cut, the slow yet methodically breath ceased for eternity and the soft sound of drops sliding down the crimson soaked knife that she looked down at her blood stained hands…
Her body started to shake at the notion, her breath now shallow had grown haggard and heavy, as if her throat had started to close on its own, strangling her at a painful slow pace. A deep, burning ache started tearing its way through her throbbing heart, sweat copiously falling down her forehead into the floor below, mixing with the blood stained floor as if it was molten lava that was going through her veins instead of blood.
She tried to rose her eyes, to break her sight from the bloodied remains in her hands, but she could not...
Soon, the world around her started to shake, blurring around the edges before crumbling down in bright flashes of light, yet instead of been embraced by the nothingness she expected she was met with a grass field, the stench of death and smoke clogging her throat as the homes of her neighbours burned.
The limp forms of the few people she had known littered the ground, the shadowy forms of their killers standing over them in silence, their eyes glowing in the distance with a cold light. With only the crackle of flames to make her realize she had not grown deaf she remained on the blood soaked ground.
She tried to shriek yet nothing but a wordless gasp left her lips as her eyes landed on the mauled form of her mother that stood just next to her, blood dripping down a dozen different wounds over the tattered rags that had once been clothes that barely covered her once proud body.
Abandoned on the ground like worthless trash once they took what they wanted….
She almost throw up when the pale limp body of her deceased mother started to stand up, standing over her with those lifeless eyes glancing down on her.
"Did you really thought you could forget…?"
Her mother then disappeared, replaced by a young human, barely half a head taller than her. That sorry excuse of a beard was stained with specks of dried blood, yet nothing like the massive blood stain surrounding a knife lodge between his guts…
He had been there, he had been the only one to see her….
"You did it…., you did this…."
``It-it was not-...´´
"Not your fault?" She flinched as the scathing tone reached her ears, not believing a word she said. She had trouble too...
She closed her eyes, hoping to escape from the broken fragments of her memories turned now reality, yet even then the horrors followed her.
Tireless…
Hungering….
Only one damming thought running through her mind as she fell to her knees, trying to taught herself how to breath again as her thoughts started to get shuddered in darkness.
What had she done….?
/A few minutes later/
His footsteps echoed along the corridors with a steady tinkle, the humid air seeping through the windows like a muffled shriek echoing through the night, softly brushing against his cloak as he stepped deeper into the spire. Men and women alike having to move away from hi chosen path for neither did he pause or care at the moment.
His mind was nowhere near where it should have been as he darted through rooms and hallways, the sight of exotic paintings or the gold bathed statues that he had taken a like for so long not managing to draw his attention for a second from the turmoil of his own mind. Eyes flinching for a moment as memories of what had transpired not so long ago flashed before him whether he wanted it or not. His hands started to clench into fists….
Everything had been going so well, his surroundings started to blur as he started recollecting what had taken place.
It had pained him to have to postpone his half interrogation half conversation with the dame, especially when such chance would be squandered by the incessant yapping of two of the most talkative yet boring men he had the misfortune yet need to align himself to.
A grimace formed around his features. It wasn't like was with ample of options anyway…, nor he was picky back then when it was that or nothing.
Much to his surprise the conversation had been as interesting as it had been tedious, a constant tide of annoying, if not down right petulant questions about matters that did not belong in such a festive mood, though it had allowed him to get quite a good grasp of how the gears of power were slowly turning towards a certain direction.
Not much if he was honest with himself, especially when he could have go with out having to hear about those pesky humans. Why was everyone so obsessed about them? He could not phantom the idea.
In was only through out the conversation that he had managed to create the opportunity to return to her side to continue albeit, in a far more interesting manner what he had started. Managing to switch the attention and distrust the drinks had not yet robbed them off towards a far more appealing sight than himself would have done wonders in his plan…and perhaps even more. A plan that he had concocted in a few minutes into their conversation that by all means had no cracks.
He could almost see the spoils of his plan come to fruition before his eyes as the men offered him their honed words of congrats.
Yet his body seethed with rage….
It was easy to know why though.
There was no trace of her, no sign of that dazzling woman who had captivated him so much since she made her presence known and now had disappeared in a puff of smoke from not only the room, but even the building.
Like a mirage that had vanished when no one was looking.
That had not been the end of his grievances, if only. No one had even the slightest clue of her whereabouts, nor why was he so keen on finding her before they departed towards far more interesting matters than to aid their dear host. His teeth began to grind against each other, the last defence to keep her from screaming his lungs out in frustration.
Useless! The lot of them! Had they no mind of their own at the sight of irregularities or had it been long knock away in their life's of luxury? He fumed in frustration. Still, most of his anger was directed somewhere else, his eyes narrowed into two thin slits as if he could conjure the image of the stranger before him.
How dare she defy him? How dare she throw his plans into disarray? He had made a complete fool of himself when he had tried to seek her out to introduce her to his fellow councillors as his mistress, a bold strategy that would not only improve his standing in the eyes of those around him, but would have forced the mysterious woman to reveal more of herself to them.
Even if they had not been convinced by the stratagem, it would have succeeded in revealing the puzzle that was the young lady. Who was she, and most importantly...what was her role in here. But none of that had succeeded because she was not where she was supposed to be anyway. Like he had so graciously advised her to...
He could still hear the laughter of his companions and the incessant whispering of those wretches who thought they were far enough away that he couldn't hear them. As their faces, even hidden from his sight could not hide the concendence with which they regarded him.
``Fuck!´´ He screamed, his resolve finally giving out against the everlasting tide of steaming fury burning his veins. Slamming his left hand against the closest wall leaving a small cracks form around its surface as if it could give some sort of relief to his soul.
They would pay, all of them would pay for this outrage once he had the power to make them cower in fear. That he swore on his name.
He brought back his fist from the wall, a scowl warping around his face as he saw the way some shards had gotten stuck in his gloved hand, blood staining the once pristine cloth in a small yet continue red tide before it started falling down his wrist into the floor below.
And yet to make matters worse he had in what little time he had interrogated the guards outside, much to his surprise he had not learn of her whereabouts but instead of the time she had arrived. no one was meant to come that late and the fact that that she did meant that she was not one of the guests he had invited…
A complete unknown had stood just a feet away from him and he did not have the smallest clue of what was her goal, how terrifying. He needed to find out, he needed-
Even with the amount of adrenaline pumping through his veins he could still feel the pain, dulled…, but still there. He shook his head before he pulled away from his sight the bloodied hand, This pain was nothing compared with what he had awaiting for those cretins once his ascension was complete, how they would prostrate before him and beg for their unruly behaviours. It was a gratifying vision, but one that could do little to.
Rubbing the back of his head he then admonished himself for lashing out like a child, his anger would not solve anything, especially hitting his own propriety at that. He would have to pay to fix it...
No, what he needed was time…., time to think with clarity his next move and be as far away from petty distractions to carry it away. Only then he would find a way to make this turn of events be of use to him still, yes...like he always did. The fact that none of the guards had come to seek him out spoke that no one had left the spire, whatever her true machinations were he would find them out.
It would be just a matter of time….
A smile started warped around the edges of his lips, he could hardly wait to get a grasp on this so called ghost., a punishment was in order for her blatant disrespect but some arrangements could be work out here and there. After all, though passionate as he was, he too could be forgiving….
So sure was he of his own delusion that his mind could not cope with the possibility that the woman could or even consider deny him.
If only he knew….
For a moment he stopped before one of the open windows, allowing himself to take a few, slow deep breaths as he reconsidered his chances, his mind trying to put together some sort of order in the incessant chaos that ailed him, yet failing miserably at it...
It did not help that for some reason he could still hear the music from the main room, something that would have been impossible thanks to the thick walls of the structure had it in fact, been growing in intensity.
Could it be that in his haste he had been walking on circles, his footsteps leading him back to the ballroom that he so wished to move away? Preposterous, inconceivable even...had he something else to explain it. Without any delay a tired sigh left his lips as he leaned against one of the still open windows….
For once he was grateful that no one was there to realize how stupid he looked right now.
``So there you are…..´´ Spoke a strong, yet distinctive voice through the once empty space that had started to settle around him, breaking down any illusions that he was for once truly alone to his thoughts.
A curse came out from his lips, though nothing more than a mumble as he turned around. The deep scowl that had appeared on his face vanished…, replaced by a soft mask of politeness as his eyes did recognise the one standing before him. He reset his stance, ready to greet the individual who so casually came to greet him as if he was an equal.
He was tall, barely a head taller than him even with his hat on and yet his presence shadowed him like a hero of a fairytale would do to a child, only one that he detested. His face, uncached by the flames of war as well a set of broad shoulders that could not be hidden away by the complex ornaments he wore, each one carrying a meaning of their own yet satisfactorily would have turn many heads around.
And yet, no matter how he would never be able to pass as one of their own.
``Of all the people I have seem tonight, you were not the one I was expecting to approach through the shadows, Ranger Lord...´´ His words were soft, yet he could not fight off the frigid tone coming out of them.
It seemed that his anger had worn out his self control, though he would not blame himself for it. Especially knowing who was standing before him with that damned smile and the fortitude his every pore exuded.
No, right now he did not needed more distractions.
Lorthemar raised his eyebrows at that, a gesture that he was only able to infer from the movements of his cheeks, the upper half of his face still wreathed in shadows by the poor illumination of their surroundings. His eyes dimming as they lock sights with his, though the blue light there never vanished.
``Should I have sprang from one of the many windows around you, or carry a torch to light my way?´´ He said kiddingly, waving his arms to the sides as if it would make matters more clearly. If it was meant to make him feel better then the humour was lost to him.
``Enough, what are you doing here..?´´
The question rang through the corridor
``I merely came to say goodbye…, nothing else´´
For a moment he stood still, not knowing whether he had truly understood before his lips parted, asking for a clarification. He could not be implying what he thought, right?.
``What?´´
``Is just that you had left in such a hurry after your debacle at the hall…., I had little hope of finding you´´
``Well, now you did´´
``Aye, now I did...´´ He replied dryly, his eyes narrowing.
For a moment the two remained silent, allowing only the soft echo of their breaths to settle between the two, the words hanging in the air stew in their minds, their eyes locked into a silence combat.
In the end it would be Lorthemar who would put a pause to it as he closed his eyes with some level of apprehension, walking away past him soon after. Yet before he would disappear through the corridor to the left he was able to pick up the last words his friend uttered.
``Careful Darkham...I don't know what games you are playing this time, but looking at you I don't need words to tell me that something is about to go awry. I only hope you see reason before its too late...´´
For anyone else the words would have been a reminder that he should not get overboard with everything around him, that his game was not at his best if the likes of Lorthemar could notice his discomfort…., but he did caught it.
In fact he could only grew peeved at it.
Clenching his jaw to the point he could taste the bitter iron taste of blood he fought back the sudden urge to run after the daring fool and teach him a lesson or two. Something that he knew would end up pretty badly giving that the Ranger Lord outmatched him in close combat and the corridors were far and wide for him to make use of his training.
And so he was left to grumble as he stumbled towards the second floor of the Atrium, mumbling curses along the way. That arrogant bastard, thinking himself my better… On the way up his office he got a brief glance of the people on the ballroom through the floor made of glass.
The music had finally slowed down to a crawl as servants started swarming once again the room with a new series of plates for the guests. A look of frustration warped around his features while his eyes narrowed ever so slightly as they took notice of something.
There were less than before….
Perhaps that was the reason why he barely managed to realize the door that opened up on his face just two feet away.
With a quick yelp he managed to sidestep to the left, avoiding crushing his nose against the sturdy door frame just in the nick of time, yet before he could consider himself safe, he caught a glimpse of a red cloth out of the corner of his eyes before the one coming through it bumped into him.
Curiously, though he felt some pain...he was the only one not to fall onto the floor.
``W-who comes-!´´ He exclaimed with a mix of bitterness, annoyance and shock at this new found obstacle, yet before he could finish the sentence his words die up in his throat as his eyes land over the one that had bumped with him, a rather familiar figure at that.
She may have lacked the dove mask that had adorned her face the first time she had seem her, yet there was no way he would confuse her with anyone else. It was her…
A wave of bitter satisfaction washed over him as it seemed that fate had thrown at his lap the one person that was the cause of both his frustration and interest that night. Because of her small stature and the fact that she had her head hanging low he had yet to notice the specks of blood adorning her hands….
He dusted the dust from his clothes before he finally turned around to regard her, tipping his hat to the side before he offered her a glacial smile. No matter the hot furnace burning within him…, appearances were always needed to be upheld.
This time would not be any different….
``I would laugh if only not to cry, my lady. One would even say that it was fate that we would meet again, yet I fear that this time...things have change´´ He said calmly, even if did not match his eyes, shadows lurking behind them as he imagined what she would have to do as compensation...
He received no answer whatsoever, a frown formed over his face but he did not pay it much heed, not yet anyway….
`` All this time, all this effort…. wasted looking for you in my domain, in hopes to get "better" acquainted with you, to show you the world of opportunities that lays behind a few good words and the light of the spotlight along side my fellow guests…, and yet, what do I get for my troubles? Nothing, nothing but disrespect…., and you my dear...had a hand on that´´ He paused, a tired sigh coming out from him as he placed a hand over his chest. His eyes steeling themselves...and then he turned around, with awaited breath of what sort of horror would flash before her eyes once she realized what her folly had led way to….
He was for a disappointment though. She was still on the ground, her hanging low..as if deeply asleep had he not hear the incomprehensible mumbling that came from her lips. As if in trance...
Already peeved by what had happened earlier and his usual reasoning clouded by either delusions or rage one of his eyes started twitching, a loathing thought settling in his mind as it tried to appease the hungering need for explanation. His breathing started to grow faster, skin slowly taking a red hue while sparks of power started to come out from his clenched fist as one damn thought shone bright within his mind.
She was ignoring him…
``Y-you dare ignore me!? You!?´´ He growled, teeth grinding against one another as he approached the still fallen girl with two long strides yet not even that managed to break the trance she appeared to be.
That only seemed to infuriate him even further...
``Are you deaf Look at me!´´ He snapped at her, long forgotten was the mask of civility and patience he usually wore, grabbing her tightly by the arm and pulling her up hard towards him. This finally seemed to break her from her stupor as her eyes finally landed on him, widening a bit for a second before they narrowed in frustration.
He had almost expected for the mysterious woman to say something, yet much to his consternation and growing frustration nothing but a weak inaudible gasp left her lips before she started to pry his hand off her arm.
Did she really considered him so low to not speak? His grasp only grew tighter, earning a pained look from her.
``You are not getting away, not this time. If you think the utter humiliation you made go through can not go unanswered then you have another thing coming...´´
``Stop...now...´´ She muttered weakly, each word dragged through the air as if they weighed her down while her lips quivered with each passing second. And yet, with the helplessness of her position her eyes started to shone with hidden promise of pain. If looks could kill she would have killed him a dozen times, but he ignored it, whatever wrath filled her would pale in comparison with his.
In fact, he could only snort at her petty attempts to intimidate him. She who was at his complete mercy with no way out. Where is? How did he fall for her spell anyway?
Perhaps she was only that, a pretty face….
He extended his free hand, caressing with great care the soft red hued skin of her cheeks as if it would shatter under his ministrations, ignoring the girls attempt to pull away from him yet his grasp remained steadfast.
`` Don't think for a second that I did not noticed that you trespassed my home without permission, impersonating a noble and doing knows what. Oh dear, those are serious crimes that could have you hang, but you need not fret if you become my toy... ´´ A rush of glee run through his spine as he caught the faintest traces of horror draw themselves in her eyes.
``You are sick...´´ She muttered scathingly, eyeing him like his very touch was foul.
``Sick with power you mean...´´ After a brief decision he then started moving upwards, his fingers grabbing a fistful of her golden mane, smelling the sweet aroma it held before he was forced to back away from been hit by her left arm.
Fresh like roses….
A grin warped around his lips as he grasped her other arm, pulling it away so that she would not scratch his face. He was going to enjoy making her his...until he found a better spouse of course.
``I said..stop´´ She growled more than said this time, eyes glowing far stronger than they should, her strength growing...
``Stop? My dear, this is my home, I am the bloody Darkhan Drathir and I can do whatever the fuck I want´´ He whispered to her ear before he gave her neck a lick. He could feel her body shiver in anticipation…
``And now is time-´´
``Shut the fuck up…!´´
For a moment he stood dumbfounded, eyes blinking as the gears of his head started rotating to comprehend her sheer audacity before the world started to turn red around him.
``What did you just say?´´ He fumed, taking a step closer, towering over her... ``Do you even have the smallest idea of who you are referring to?´´
``You are nothing but a little bitch, wining about how unfair is everything when your only purpose is to leech.
His hand could have not move faster than if he had wished for, leaving their grasp over her arms before striking her face as hard as he could to the point that her face was forced to look to the other way by the sheer motion.
``You are nothing! You hear me you little twat!? Nothing!´´
``And then what that makes you? Lower that shit!? ´´ She started laughing then, a bitter, cold laugher that lacked any warmth as if she stated a terrible true, it would not last long though as before she could take a breath he hit her again, this time blood falling down from a pair of broken lips onto the floor.
And yet that did not shattered the girls resolve, in fact it seemed that each strike seemed to enbold her even further, brushing the blood aside which only end up smearing it all over her face she spatted at him.
A gobbled of blood mixed with spit landed on his chest, staining forever his once immaculate shirt.
She offered him a wicked grin, one that only turn even more monstrous as the blood from her lips started to stain her teeth with the same shade.
``You hit like a child! No wonder no one has tag along you, you are a complete pussy...´´
It only took a split second before the very room they stood shook in a explosion of brutal, unfiltered rage, roaring into the air like a beast before throwing himself for the kill. A wave of magic wildly swirling through the air, leaving scorch marks all where the raw essence of arcane touched. The very floor they stood, cracking under this new found
He rose his fist into the air, purple energy crackling loudly around it. Ready to put an end to the little pest standing on his way as he brought it down with all the strength he could muster against the defiant glare that even now she stubbornly maintained.
But it would never reach her...
Much to his surprise he did not hear the sound of bones cracking under an abominable pressure of his strike, nor he felt his fist meet the soft, squashy flesh of the woman before him, but rather the fierce grip of a pairs bloodstained hands, barely keeping him at bay yet that could not compared with the utterly terrifying, unhinged look in her glowing eyes.
What the hell was her?
``Now, let me teach you...´´
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This one was even larger than the other, with a bit more things going on through pages and giving out a clear picture of what took place in the prior chapter and what led to her state. Valeera may be a bit rough around the edges in this state as a rogue/thief or that her resolve or mental fortitude are not as great as they should be, but she is still rather young at this point in time (not and adult yet), as well as she is carrying a baggage on her own. The act of taking a life is no laughing matter, and its even worse when it takes place during the mental growth of an individual. Such things are prone to leave scars...