Lightening Darkness
 

PM me if you want to join! I don't have many rules, other than: KEEP IT STRAIGHT, keep it clean, and keep it without angels/demons. With that said, have at it! LOL

Atticus stared at the ceiling blankly. His grey eyes were dull with pain, and his muscled form was marred by scars and fresh wounds. It always ended like this. Every mission he was given, every time he was sent out, he returned more bruised and bloodied than before.
The assassin lay on his back, the wood floor cold against his bare back. A needle and thread lay nearby, but he didn't have the will to pick them up and stitch himself back up. It was futile anyway. Though he worked for the guild master, there was no way that the man would take pity on his favored pet. Cain was a cruel man; he forced Atticus to do what he wanted by way of pain. Is it so bad to defy him? What would happen if I actually did for once? Atticus closed his eyes and frowned. Would it get worse? Or would I free myself from his rule?
It was then that his sensitive hearing caught the sounds of footfalls outside his door, which swung open slowly. The assassin didn't move as he heard the figure enter his room.

((Alright, friend or foe, peeps? :O))

(This looks fun! LOL but I have so many Rp's going on! Aggg, if you need any help or want me to join let me know. Good luck.)

((*Chuckle* thank you kindly. ^_^ If I ever need any help with my threads, you're the one I'd turn to. After all, you're the first person EVAH to enter any of my threads. So, you're my first friend. :D But yes, this is an interesting one. I'm eager to get it started.))

(Yay!Really I was the first? Your threads are always so great!. I'll keep an eye on this and see where it goes. Ok people join! Join! My idea was a girl to help him with his wounds... someone run with it!)

((LOL! Go Marquisse! ^_^ Yes, I do agree though: JOIN people! Join! LOLOL))

The rider, Darius, let the door hang open behind him as he dropped his small bag to bend over Atticus. He silently looked over his friend before reaching out for the discarded needle and thread. He whistled, "Atticus, eyes on me. You know I hate doing this... I'll get sick.". The hazel eyed Darius pushed the instruments into Atticus' hands for him to use "It's gross, and I don't want to mess you up anymore than you are."

Darius hadn't seen the inside of the guild house for several months now, having only arrived from a trip that alone lasted several months. He wasn't pleased to come back to see a friend in such a state.

"Where were you?" Atticus asked, his voice hoarse. The assassin eyed the thread and needle before taking it from the man. "It's been almost a year."
The half-elf threaded the needle, his grey eyes full of disdain. This part was the worst. Slowly sitting up, he grimaced. Beginning to sew the first gash along his arm, he gritted his teeth. As he worked, his waist-length brown hair drifted about his elven features, giving him an intense look. His finely-toned form tensed as the needle pierced his skin, but he was silent through the stitching.
((Welcome. ^_^ :heart:))

"To the north for a bit... There are things happening there which are hard to explain. Dark things, Atticus." Darius shook his head, which made his blond hair toss, revealing a number of small braids. He had turned it away as soon as the half-elf's needle turned inward and would not turn back until he knew it was 'safe'. Darius had no stomach for wounds such as these, and made that fact plain to everyone who knew him well. "It... looks like there are some dark things happening here as well... looking at you."

Lifting open a flap on his pack, the human pulled out a handful of various bones. "We found remains... the remains of people have been buried, but in one of the leveled villages they were able to take something down. I don't know what it is but I figure someone like you might know someone who would." Darius shuddered, "Just hurry up with what you're doing, and don't get done up like that again."

"It's a daily occurance," Atticus grunted, slowly getting up to stretch. The half-elf gritted his teeth, his grey eyes full of pain. "This place isn't what it used to be, Darius." His expression closed suddenly; shutting everything out except a cold look. "After Cain took over, we've all been changed. We all changed after you left." Shaking his head, his long brown hair forming a curtain around his pale face. He shouldn't be blaming Darius - it wasn't his fault. But the assassin couldn't help but feel bitter - toward everything. Nothing was worth doing anymore unless it was done to fend off pain and death.
"I have another job to finish," the half-elf muttered, stepping over to slip his shirt over his head. Grabbing his thick grey cloak and belt of twin daggers, the assassin stopped by the door. "It was nice of you to check in for once." Bitterness coated his acidic tone, and Atticus slipped out into the hallway.
It was time to kill off another target before Cain got mad again. Even if he completed his mission quickly, Atticus knew that he would pay for delaying as long as he had. The assassin faded into the shadows of the night, flipping his hood up around his face.

((Mind if I join in as a Dark Elf? Silver-haired, one red and one golden eye? I can be good or bad it doesn't really matter...))

((Go on ahead. :) As long as you can fit into the guild-life of things. ^_^ Not too picky. But to let everyone know, this guild is a bit corrupt. "Cain" is the evil badguy that forces his people to obey him (as seen through Atticus). Welcome. ^_^))

Darius sighed as his old friend left him, still stung by the words he had not been anticipating on his long journey back. "It's not my fault." he told himself, finally rising to his feet and grabbing his bag. Darius made his way out, taking care to leave a note with his lodging information in case Atticus wanted to find him later, though with the cold reply he was given the rider wasn't certain he would be up to it.

Wandering out of the guild-house and into the forest which separated it from the larger village, he found himself moving slower. The world was becoming darker, he could feel there was something to come, but he had no magic. He had no elven blood or any exotic heritage.

His helplessness to determine what was to come left the man distracted, where it is best never to have a low guard.

Areyse was not a fan of waiting. His partner was late and the time to take the target was beginning to present itself. If Atticus didn't arrive soon he would kill the target himself and leave. The hooded figure sat at the predetermined meeting spot and had been there for a few hours. He was fidgeting with his twin daggers waiting on his other hooded accomplice to perform their mission. 'I'm not in the business of getting in trouble because of time issues. This man is just waiting to be killed. Although I'll admit he has a few more guards than I expected but they pose no real threat.' he thought to himself silently. The dark elf's frustration was beginning to show in his features as he sat in the shadows waiting.

((Areyse is pronounced Aries just to clear that up beforehand))

The half elf flitted through the shadows, silently approaching his partner. Without an explaination as to why he was late, Atticus adjusted his ashen hood. Stepping past his cloaked companion, he headed toward the designated building. Let's get this over with. His thoughts were riddled with his returned friend, Darius. The man knew so little about how much things had changed. The world was a darker place than it had been before.
His grey eyes sought an open window and found one on the second story of the tall house. The half elf noticed how rough the stone walls were, how low the wind was blowing. They could scale the house without falling if they were careful - and that wouldn't be a problem.
Hefting himself up to the first handhold, Atticus swiftly began to climb to the open glass.
All that the two assassins had to do was get past the guards and kill off the noble inside. If only it was that simple.

"Where is my father?" The way she spoke made the word sound more like fah-theh, and the young woman's voice was well rounded. Sighing loudly, she crossed her legs and set her green eyes on one of the guards. "He's late!"
"Lord Marcus is always tardy," the armored soldier said, shifting his gaze to the red-haired maiden. "You know this."
"I'm tired of waiting ahround awl my life," Selene whined, her curly red hair blazing in the candle's light. "I'm not getting any younger!" Glancing over toward the window, the noble shivered. "Why do we haff to leave thaht dahrned window open? It's letting in a drahft." She tugged her fur-lined cloak closer to her face, bringing the hood up to shield herself from the cold. "I don't care if it's a signal or not, I want it closed."
The guard shook his head, shrugging. "I'm sorry, but Lord Marcus wants the window open to let him know we're still waiting for him."
"Well thaht's just dahft." She sniffed in disdain. "My fahther makes us wait here for hours on end, ahnd then expects us to freeze to death!"
Raising his hands in a helpless shrug, the armored soldier fixed his eyes back on the door. "I'm sorry, Lady Selene, but it must stay open until your father returns."
"Oh, riff rahff," the fiery-haired woman grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest and slumping into her cushioned chair.

((Alright, question: have Atticus and the drow been working together before this? If they have (and even if they haven't), does Atticus know that he's a dark elf?))

((Yes they've worked together before and I don't know... that last one is up to you lol))

The dark elf watched as his partner walked past him and could tell instantly that he was ready to get this mission over with. This worked out fine for Areyse since he had been waiting for some time but he still wondered what took him so long. The young elf watched as his partner scaled the wall towards an open window he headed for window next to it reaching it within a few seconds with ease. He waited on Atticus to give the signal for the assault and then the fun would begin. Areyse looked at his partner then began to think 'He looks a tad bit tired. Maybe the other mission took a toll on him.' He grinned to himself silently as the thought crossed his mind. It didn't matter so long as Atticus didn't slow him down.

"Did you hear thaht?" Selene's green eyes flickered to the window as the sound of a scraping stone caught her attention.
The guard that stood near her hesitated before stepping over to the window, looking out at the ground below. It was a mistake that cost him his life.

Atticus flinched as his boot scraped against a loose stone, breaking it free from the wall. Glancing over at Areyse, the assassin flattened himself against the wall as best he could. After waiting a few seconds, Atticus continued to climb, stopping directly beside the open window. It was then that the guard peeked over the window sill, signalling that the mission had truly begun. A blade flashed from the half-elf's sheath, jabbing up under the man's chin. Using the momentum, Atticus tumbled into the room, finishing off his victim.
When Areyse finally came through the window, the assassin motioned toward the two guards that stood by the door. The soldiers began to react, drawing weapons and preparing to attack.
Atticus rolled to the side, dodging a blow, and kicked the feet out from under one attacker. It was then that his grey eyes spotted the cloaked noble, who had just risen from a chair. The half-elf lunged at the figure, knocking them to the wall and stabbing his dagger into the slender shoulder, bringing a cry of pain from his prey. Atticus hesitated upon the woman's yelp, but had already pinned her to the wooden surface behind her. His entire attention was focused on the noble as she squirmed, yelling for help.

The assassin pulled his twin daggers out of their sheaths then launched himself on the soldier that was nearest to him driving both the daggers into the middle of the man's chest. The soldier screamed in agony for a second then his body fell limp. The other man was horrified at how fast the attack had happened then he steeled himself and charged at the hooded figure who had pounced on his friend. The dark elf dug the daggers out of the man's chest then flipped acrobatically over his next attacker and then cut the guards achilles tendon and watched him fall to the ground wailing in pain. He walked over to his victim and looked down upon him and smiled then slit the soldier's throat. They were easy pickings for him.

After he dispatched the soldiers he looked at his partner who had pinned a woman noble to the wall. Areyse threw a small throwing knife that landed right next to the woman's left ear to get Atticus' attention and told him, "We don't have time to entertain ourselves too much, hurry up and kill her so we can move on. Plus all that screaming is getting on my nerves I'll kill her myself if you take too long now get rid of her and lets move."

Atticus heard the drow's words, and believed every one of them. Dark Elves were not known for their mercy or tolerance. Tearing his grey eyes away from the woman, the half-elf yanked his blade free, bringing a soft squeal from the woman.
"You're here for my fahther, ahn't you?" she whispered, her green eyes wide as she stared at the two assassins. Her tiny hand flitted up to cover her wound as it bled, dripping to the floor.
Atticus flipped his blade around in his hand, ready to slit her throat. The way she stood defiantly, even in the face of death, stayed his dagger.
"Well he isn't here!" the noble shouted, backing away only to run into the wall.
The guards had fallen, but no doubt others were on their way. Too much noise had been made for this ordeal to go unnoticed. Atticus hesitated on the edge of decision - kill the woman, or let her live. An assassin shouldn't even think this way.
Instead of choosing one path or the other, the assassin grasped the front of her furred cloak, pulling her to him. Spinning her around, he held her to him with a blade at her throat.
"My fahther will never let you both get ahway with this," she rasped, wincing as Atticus grasped her hair. He had a clear shot at her neck, and there was nothing that could deflect the killing blow. But he wouldn't do it.

Areyse watched as his brother in arms was hesitating to kill the woman. He turned his blades around in his long skinny hands as he prepared to kill the woman then suddenly more guards came rushing up the stairs. The drow turned around and launched a throwing knife into the first guards neck with a deadly velocity that caused the other guards to pause and think about their assailants. Areyse didn't give them much time to think as he rushed down the stairs cutting down all the guards efficiently. He called back up to Attcus, "We need to leave now!" as he cut down the last guard and raised out the front door into the shadows awaiting his hesitant partner. He was now officially enraged. Not only had his partner forced him to wait he had allowed their mission to stall because he couldn't kill some noble woman. This was unacceptable. The drow's eyes were flashing with anger as he awaited his partner in the alley.

Atticus gritted his teeth. What he had done in hesitating would cost him.
Hitting a nerve cluster on the woman's neck, the assassin watched as she fell to the floor. The half-elf was disgusted with himself. He had endangered the mission, and it would now be even more difficult to find the noble they were after - Lord Marcus.
He flung himself out the window, landing in the street below. Rolling to soften his fall, Atticus glanced toward the alleyway that he knew Areyse had slipped in to. He waited for things to calm down a bit before slipping up onto the roof and dropping next to his drow partner. Words did nothing for him now. Not that they ever had before.

"Fahther!" Selene rushed forward and began blabbering about the failed assassination, her bright green eyes wild. "There were two of them!"
Lord Marcus hushed his daughter, anger making his face harden. "Hush, girl. Your mouth needs to slow in order for me to understand a word you're saying."
Slowly, taking deep breaths to calm herself, Selene related what had happened. It was many minutes after she finished when her father spoke.
"They have learned of my being here sooner than I expected," he sighed, "and we must take every precaution as I wait for my contact. I cannot leave this city until I meet up with him."
His words infuriated Selene. No matter how many times she asked, the man wouldn't give her details on the entire ordeal.
"Until we leave, I want you to stay inside."
Selene's shoulders sagged, and her red hair fell about her face carelessly. "What?!"
Lord Marcus held up a hand to halt her protests. "You will stay inside."
Stay inside my arse, Selene thought, pouting. I am a woman! What right does father have to say what I can and cannot do?

Trying to fight back the intense urge to slay his partner right here on sight Areyse held his frustrations back long enough to speak to him. "Why don't you explain what happened in there so I can see if I have a logical reason to slit your throat right now. Why did you hesitate and leave a witness alive a that! What are we going to tell the boss, huh? I'm trying my very best not to dismember your body and take it back with me as a souvenir! Tell me what happened... NOW!" at this point the drow was beyond furious. His his red and gold eyes held nothing less than the intent to kill within them and his body was beginning to prepare itself for an assault. Whatever had happened, it had better be good, or this night was going to get far worse than ever for Atticus.

((That was a darn good post right there lol))

((Aw, fudge. >_<' LOL, death is on it's way? *sheepish chuckle* WHY'D YOU HESITATE, YOU FOOL! - is basically what's being said. Ouch. :P And yes, that was a freaking awesome post. :D))

Atticus took a step back. Not out of fear, but only to prepare himself lest the drow charge him. They had fought before to the same outcome - a draw. Neither had won, yet neither had lost.
"Don't be reckless," the half-elf hissed, fingering his sheathed blades. "If you kill me now, he will be furious." The assassin cast his grey eyes up to meet his companion's eyes. Where Areyse's orbs were full of rage and the urge to kill, Atticus's were cold and threatening.
"I will get the girl," he said in a low voice, "tonight. The guild master doesn't have to know of this."

((Unfortunately I couldn't yell since we are in a dark alley :) plus it gave me a chance to show a little emotion but yeah what you said basically summed it up lol))

The drow relaxed his stance when he heard that Atticus would take care of this "minor" issue. Even though he relaxed his stance Areyse' eyes still held the same intensity as before but he was not willing to start a fight here, at least not right now. "You had better fix the mistake you made or we will have problems. This I promise you friend." His words carried a sharp tone to them as well as a hint of negative sarcasm. This night was going to end with either a noble or his partner dead one way or another. This was the way it was going to be.

Atticus snarled under his breath, spitting a few curses at Areyse. Adjusting his grey hood and cloak, the assassin nodded once and stepped out of the alley. "I'll take care of the girl," he hissed to himself, glancing up at the no longer opened window. If he couldn't enter through the same opening, the half-elf would find another way in - before Areyse could talk with the guild master.


Selene sighed dramatically. "You haff to guard my room?"
The guard nodded slowly. They had been talking about this for many minutes, only to go in one big social circle. "Yes, M'Lady."
"What if I must change? You won't stay in here with me, will you?"
He sighed. "I will look away, M'Lady."
"I don't trust you!"
"I'm sorry, my lady." The armored man shrugged and leaned against the door.
Selene grumbled in complaint, raking her curly red hair out of her pale face. "I cahn't believe my fahther ordered this."
A soft knock on the door silenced both of them. The guard slowly turned around and cracked the door, demanding to know who was in the hallway.
His sought reply was a blade to the gut, and the door was shoved open to knock the guardian away. A cloaked figure tackled the guard to the ground, swiftly dealing the last blow.
"Oh . . ." Selene's green eyes widened as she saw the flash of grey cloak, the twin daggers as they flashed into their prey. The woman opened her mouth to scream, taking a deep breath.
She never had the chance to utter a sound.
The assassin dashed forward, and her world went black as she was knocked to the floor. The last thing she felt was her head cracking against the wooden floor.

Atticus slammed the door open, drawing the interest of a few nearby guild-mates. The half-elf had a noble tossed over one shoulder, and his grey eyes burned with defiance as he stormed into the guild's building.
Glaring at Areyse, he headed down one of the hallways. When he reached his door, he kicked it open, and dumped Selene in the middle of the floor.
It was there that the assassin awaited his comrade to come. The drow wouldn't delay long - it wasn't something that dark elves did.

Areyse saw Atticus storm into the guild carrying the young noble woman from earlier and he was confused as to what had happened. 'That woman had better be a corpse' he thought to himself. He walked into the room where his partner had been awaiting him and looked at the woman as he entered. "That girl doesn't look dead to me Atticus." the drow said with a hint of frustration in his voice. "So being as you didn't kill the thing I take it you have something better planned such as ransom or torture and eventual death because I am truly at a loss right now if you don't." The elf's face held a look of utter confusion and anger started to build on it as he shuffled the thoughts in his head. "I'll be patient enough to listen to you because you are a skilled assassin and it would be a shame to have to kill a person of your caliber. There aren't many really skilled killer's such as ourselves left anymore. Start talking and do try to be as persuasive as possible because my patience has hit rock bottom." Areyse' voice hinted at deadly sarcasm. He was tired of playing games.