7/28/09

A/N: Ok I know that it's mean to gloat but, you weren't expecting that were you? You thought that it would be Artemis. That's ok, I did too before I changed my mind to a more ironic idea. Let us continue on then because things are going to get slightly more interesting.

Disclaimer: Drizzt and Co belong to R.A. Salvatore and not me. I have no intentions of stealing them and also no real means to do so. All of my characters have been previously claimed.

Warning: This story includes- violent ideas, violence, religion bashing, inappropriate ideas/situations and most likely inappropriate ideas/situations. If you don't like any of these I can't understand why you are still reading this and advise you to stop right now before you get offended.

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Chapter Ten: Vengeance

More and more flashes of memories raced through Kitana's mind. Each one became more short and more blurred than the last. As much as she tried to hold onto these she could not and knew vaguely that she was going to wake up. At last another clear one, she saw herself falling to the ground as she was looking out onto one of the nicer streets of Calimport. She saw Artemis running down it in a disguise, he was worried and she tried to call out to him but her voice was pitiful and he never heard. Then she could see no more.

Instead the dim light of a few candles washed over her closed eyes, Kitana did not feel like getting up but she knew she had to. The party was tonight. Slowly Kitana sat up on her couch pulling her blanket up to cover her slender, naked form. For a moment she panicked, why was she naked? Then she remembered that she had given up on modesty for the sake of some comfort. Next to her a pile of her usual clothing sat neatly folded and waiting for her if she wanted to get dressed. She saw that Artemis was lying on the floor next to the couch, sleeping for the first time in days. Drizzt sat across from her awake and with an inquisitive look on his face. Jarlaxle was most likely downstairs helping with the last minute finishing touches. Kimmuriel had probably been dragged along with him. Perhaps in an uncanny response, the mercenary leader silently stepped into the room. Upon sensing his entry Artemis woke and sat up glaring. Jarlaxle ignored the look and immediately started speaking to Kitana.

"I have something for you," he said as he pulled something out of his pack. "It is from Hitori, he said it was yours and asked me to give it back to you." He handed her the bundle and watched her unravel it curiously. It was a dress, much like the one Entreri had bought for her. The only difference was that the torso of the dress was complete and carried a few flower ornements. The black material stretched easily without losing its shape. The skirt of the dresss was scarlet and layered with black at the bottom fringe. Clearly it was designed to have something worn under it. The torso could also be taken off and the ornaments removed to be put on as something else. A cape perhaps.

Kitana stared at the dress vaguely recognized it but knew that it was hers. "Will you hand me my armor please?" she asked Jarlaxle. He turned and walked over to the closet where she had left the armor. Gingerly he removed it from its hangings and brought it to her along with the pair of boots that were also in the closet. Kitana stood and pulled on her undergarments not really caring if the others saw her so exposed. The armor was in separate pieces that zipped together at the waist, the zipper would be covered by her belt and pouches. She pulled the tight pants on and then the corset like top. Whoever had removed her armor had tangled the laces horribly and they needed to be reset. Kitana went about this task silently, with each lace she fixed she felt more like herself. She pulled the top on like a vest and laced and tied the front; between the leather cords hints of her torso were teasingly revealed. The belt and boots went on without any hassle, her long slivery-blonde hair was rebraided.

Entreri stared at her in blank wonder. They were told that she was an assassin, now she looked the part. The tight black leather suited her looks well, complimenting her form. He watched her remove the flowers from the dress and pull it over her head. She pulled on the skirt to fit comfortably over her armor and attached the flowers to their rightful places. Now she looked like a Calishite noble woman. Her last touch was a clear gloss she found in one of her pouches, she applied it with a brush to her lips then replaced it as though she had never had it. Kitana turned to them gracefully and told them that they should go down to the party now. The guests were here and her grandmother was going to start screaming if they didn't appear soon. They all filed out of the room and descended the stairs into the ballroom.

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Kitana could feel that something was amiss. It felt wrong and she felt as though she was in some kind of unseen danger. Her blood began to pulse again. Something told her to shift her gaze to the other side of the ballroom as she was walking down the stairs. What was it, she wondered. The people in the ballroom talked, ate and danced happily. There was no reason to be uneasy. She hated these people, yes, but there was nothing to fear from them.

Her grandmother met them at the bottom of the stairs, her gown was meant to be a billowing display but this was sadly not the case. It rumpled badly around her, once again to Kitana she looked like a pig, painted and dressed for a circus. The woman was frivolous in her belief that she looked good. "Ah, gentlemen," she said as she looked over Kitana. Though unable to hide her jealousy and disgust with the young woman, she could not hide the fact that she was impressed with her appearance either. "You have done a marvelous job with her tonight. Wherever did you find that dress? She actually looks somewhat respectable." She smiled acidly as she spoke, there would never be any hiding her hatred. It was inevitable that she would loathe the fact that wherever Kitana went she turned heads causing men and women alike to take their attention away from her. She dismissed Kitana and her watchdogs without another word. As she walked away she said loudly, "Where is dear Father Macon?" One of her friends turned to her and replied that he had not been seen for at least a week. That conversation was quickly cut off by other, seemingly more pleasant things like the party favors. "If Kitana could cook like this," one person said, "you would never have anything to worry about. Which Waterdhavian chef did you hire?"

Her grandmother went on to describe that she had hired only the finest one and that he had tried to give Kitana lessons but she had completely refused and had to be sent out of the kitchen. The grotesque woman seemed to bloat even more with all of the received attention. She soon forgot that most of the party was not looking at her, but the one they had all deemed a monster.

Kitana and her watchdogs chose to sit inconspicuously at one of the corner tables. When more of the young men from before approached them, they were rebutted with an even more intense anger than before. While she did not yell, the look in her eyes was no less fear inducing. Kitana herself gazed idly over the party. There was still something wrong here. She felt a sudden urge to look for her grandmother and when her eyes found her they also found something literally from her nightmares. They stood proudly, though they were nervous, next to her grandmother speaking in a clearly business like manner. The men in the robes. The wizards. How had she not seen them before? Kitana's head swam with the sudden urge to be gone from the ballroom. But she could not, she had to stay. Her blood was boiling again, they were the ones who had put her here. This was their fault. It was their fault that she had been stuck here for the better part of six months as a disgusting woman's slave, humiliated endlessly by the stupid people of the town. And it was the peoples' fault too. They had enjoyed every moment of her misery. Her head spun faster. These people were vile, all of them. She hated them more than anyone else could possibly imagine. She had been here far too long as a prisoner of these fools who had no idea who they were dealing with. They needed to pay.

Kitana's breathing became noticeably labored. The companions watched anxiously not taking their eyes away. She was changing now and they knew it. Her hands gripped the table so tightly they were white knuckled and small dents were slowly forming in the wood. She sat up perfectly straight, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Kitana exhaled and looked directly at the wizards. Her jaw clenched. Her hands released the table and she stood bringing her hands to her waist and to the handle of the whip she had hidden in the skirt of her gown. Her eyes held a deep red tinge. Her hand trembled slightly as though she was fighting with herself. The companions looked to each other wearily knowing that they could not stop anything that was about to happen.

It was their fault...Their fault that she was here. Their fault that she had been made a slave to someone so revolting. It was all their fault...They deserved this. They deserved to die. They needed to. Kitana let out a feral growl alerting a few people near her that she was no longer fit to be around them. But it didn't matter, they were going to get what they deserved. Kitana's grip tightened on the whip's handle willing it to action, it lashed out violently and hit the townsperson standing nearest her. The man fell helplessly to the floor clutching his throat futilely trying to hold in his lifeblood. She killed five more before the people finally realized what was going on. The ballroom was soon filled with a cacophony of screams and the sound of gurgling blood. A few people thought they were lucky to have reached the door but it slammed in their faces by some unseen power, they were trapped like the rats they truly were. Kitana's face was blank as her hands found them, the people saw only the hatred in her eyes and their deaths as she stalked in on each of them. A few were foolish enough to believe they could restrain her, her claws ripped through them easily. The last town person fell to the floor having had his throat torn out.

"You monster!" her grandmother screamed. "I knew you were a filthy beast!" She turned to the companions. "Don't just stand there, kill h-" The attempted command was cut off by a silver dagger pointed at her throat. One of the wizards stood close by and tried to cast a spell, Kitana's whip took out his tongue and half of his head. The grandmother screamed as the body slumped to the floor and the top half of the head landed at her feet. The other wizard fell to the marble floor with a wide gash across his middle. "Please-please don't kill me!" her grandmother stammered. "I give you whatever you want!" she shrieked. "Anything!"

Kitana turned to face the woman slowly, her eyes reverted to their normal color. "I'm through with you." she answered calmly. "You cannot give me anything, there is nothing you have here that isn't mine. You have done far too much to ever be forgiven by any means."

"No!" the noblewoman tried again. "You can't kill me. They made me do it." She tried to look innocent.

Kitana cocked her head to the side. "I don't doubt that." she said flatly. "But you are wrong, I can kill you." She emphasized this point by slamming the dagger through the woman's fatty throat and giving it a sharp twist. She died instantly, even though a slow death would have been far more satisfying. Kitana would have drawn it out like she wanted to but for the images once more flashing through her mind. Without realizing what she was doing she ran to the stairs and to her room. The barrier was no longer their with the death of the wizard. Her claws found her notebooks. Truth? Lies? Did it even matter? She was free wasn't she? But there was more. She had seen much more. There were more than the two wizards. There was Calimport. What happened in Calimport? Her mind was racing, what happened? What the hell happened? Kitana screamed in some emotion she could not tell. Everything in the house was an enemy. It mocked her. It had to be destroyed. Bits of paper and wood flew wildly around the room as she tore apart the desk. The sound of ripping cloth sounded loudly in her ears, the frame of the couch was crushed to splinters under the weight of her rage. Doors were blown out of their frames and shattered like the glass of the windows.

The room was in complete tatters but Kitana could no longer see it. Before her was the same guild house as from her dreams. She had seen it so many times without fully knowing why. But she knew now that this was where it started. She was standing completely still when her watchdogs found her, she did not react to their presence.

Kitana was in the guild house again. She passed the house wizard as she was leaving, cautiously watching the leering look her gave her. The door to the guildmaster's room closed loudly behind her and she could hear the muted whispers of the two men inside. Her sensitive ears only picked up the single word 'attack' and nothing else. She did not think anything of it. Guildmasters were always planning to attack people. The left the guild house and fought off the fool sent to kill her as she had before. She was in the tavern of the halflings again. The messenger flashed by as did her passing by Artemis on the way out. She was back at the guild house though it was much later in the day.

The main door thundered shut behind her. No one walked through the halls and she was put immediately on her guard. She walked to the guildmaster's chamber carefully and opened the door. Inside the guildmaster sat slumped over in his chair, obviously dead.

"You see what I have done here?" the cold, drawling voice came from the other side of the room. "A pity my soldier did not kill you, and you know of course that I cannot let you leave here. However, I also know that you will not join me. I have sources that know all about you." The cold laugh came as always. The poison burned. The wizard lifted her and threw her out the window and she crashed to the street below barely hanging onto her life. She saw Artemis as he ran away in his disguise. She stuttered the first syllable of his name a few times before getting out completely and fell into darkness.

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Kitana regained her vision and stared into her bedroom that had been turned into shambles. Her watchdogs stood uneasily behind her.

"Are you alright now?" Artemis asked softly. He still found it hard to believe that she had created the carnage in the ballroom. She wouldn't hurt him too, would she?

Kitana turned to him gracefully and brought her hand up to caress his cheek. "I'll be alright." she whispered. "I saw everything." Her hand slid from his face and she started to walk away from him and the others. "We're not done here, the other wizard is still alive and now we need information." For the second time that night she descended the staircase and stepped into the ballroom. The wizard was trying pitifully to stand so he could escape. Kitana roughly pulled him up from the floor and threw him against a wall.

"Tell me what you are doing here." She demanded. The wizard refused to speak and she picked him up and threw him again.

"We were watching you!" he gasped at last. "The head wizard told us to take you away and watch you and the half drow!"

"What head wizard?" Kitana squeezed his throat to further intimidate him then let go for him to speak.

"The house wizard of House Del'amure. Now the guildmaster of the same. He killed the other, weak master and replaced him. We all bow to him now." He tried to struggle out of her grasp.

"Why did he poison me?"

"You will fall, foul demon. You are no match for my master. He will simply poison you again and this time you will die." He attempted to spit in her face but missed sorely. He would say no more, not that Kitana really cared. She knew who had poisoned her now, she didn't need this wizard. He tried again to spit at her and she slashed his throat with her claws.

Kitana left the body there and turned to leave the house. At first it looked like her watchdogs were about to ask why she had killed the wizard but they gave up on the idea if that was the case. They followed her without a word out the door and down the street. The town was empty now except for one place. They noticed now for the first time that there were no children here. In the darkness the church took on a haunting look. It looked hellish and loomed with a heavy blackness that radiated a sickening feeling.

"There's one more thing I have to do here." Kitana stated and she pushed through the heavy double doors.

The church was dark all but for a few candles near the alter. She broke that in half first. Hearing the noise a few acolytes raced out into the grand hall. They saw nothing and only heard the crack of Kitana's whip as their throats were slashed evenly and they fell. She stepped silently into the farthest back room of the church; she could smell now that her suspicions were correct. The scent of stale sex and male arousal polluted the air filling her lungs. A deep, masculine moan reached her ears and so too did the cry of a small child. She opened the door, the boy was eight perhaps. The priest was just pulling on his clothing while he left the boy on the floor bleeding. Kitana recognized this child, he was one of the church boys sent in from Waterdeep to learn to be a priest. He wept into the blanket that was barely enough to cover his small, emaciated body. He did not see her, nor did the other three priests in the room who cheered on the one who had just taken the boy. Kitana stepped out of the shadows making a noise to alert them to her presence. One of them demanded to know what she was doing here. Her answer was a dagger in his chest. The others tried to attack and were all killed exactly the same way. She castrated their corpses in a final act of vengeance against them.

The boy cowered under the covers unsure of what to think or do. Kitana gently handed him some clothing, it wasn't much but it would be enough for him. The boy put them on gratefully then looked up at her in question.

"Go to the merchants at the edge of town." She told him. "They go to Waterdeep in the morning. Go home and do not return here, there will be nothing left. They cannot harm you anymore."

The boy nodded obediantly and ran to the merchants as Kitana had ordered. Upon seeing the boy they chose to leave that instant, taking him along with them in one of their loaded wagons. When she was sure they were gone Kitana threw the lit candles into the fragile curtains of the church. They were instantly set aflame and fell to the floor and the benches. Kitana walked out calmly and nodded to the companions who had seen the boy leave. Kitana touched a small stone on her armor and her hand glowed and soon held a small fire, she unleashed it on the entire town. Kitana and the companions left the place running south. The fire would last far into the night and well into the morning. She was free now, but there was still much she had to do. The wizards here had not been the ones in control, she had to take out their leader.