With a sigh, the man rolled up the scroll and tossed it into the fire before him. Resting in his room, the elf knew that he had a long day ahead of him.
First, there was getting into the guild. Second, he had to befriend the leader. All of these tasks would take months, but he had to start today.
He ran his hand through his spiky black and red hair, grumbling to himself.
These sort of things were life-consumers. The took years sometimes.
Shadow narrowed his brown eyes and glared at the fireplace. At least he had time. Elves didn't suffer from aging effects, and were known to live for thousands of years. Shadow himself was over eighty years old, though he still looked to be in his twenties.
The perfect age for befriending the new guild leader.
Getting out of his comfortable chair, the elf stood to his 7 foot height. Much taller than the average human (or elf, for that matter), he was unaccustomed to the atmosphere that didn't fit him properly. This inn wasn't the most comfortable area, and most certainly wasn't cut out for people taller than the shortest of humans. Leaving his room consisted of ducking awkwardly beneath the doorframe.
Shadow gathered his things: a set of extra clothes, his canteen and bits of food, as well as his weapons. Twin daggers were sheathed at his belt, his red dyed leather armor strapped about his chest and arms. Gauntlets were straightened, and boots were adjusted.
When he finally did lower himself to get out into the inn's common room, Shadow looked like a traveling warrior. How accurate the description was . . . but he was far worse than a mere fighter. Deception was far more dangerous than an outright attack.
Stepping up to the innkeeper, the deciever passed over a small sack of coins. "Enough for the night," he said in a low voice, nodding. Without waiting for the fat man to count the coins, Shadow slipped into the streets with his bag hefted over one shoulder. He directed his silent steps toward the hideout - he had been alerted to its presence earlier that week. Even now he could trace the streets in his mind.
Stepping up to the seemingly abandoned building, Shadow's brown eyes followed the worn stone and rotten doorframe. His tall form allowed him to come nearly eye-level with the top of the door, but he was used to such things.
His knock echoed about the inside of the darkened building, and the assassin stood his ground waiting for entry to the guild; into the home of his enemy.

((Here's a picture of what I based him off of . . . please ignore the fact that this is a character based off of Sonic the Hedgehog. :XD And I imagine him looking a tad bit older, if you know what I mean. LOL))

It had been almost a year since the rebels started to pick them off one by one. It was nothing at first, just an inconvienence. But as time wore on, she began to notice that there were more and more of them disappearing each night. Now, there was only roughly a handful of the loyal soldiers left alive. It started to scare them, that they just vanished into the night like nothing more than a shadow. They started travelling in groups of three or four during the night in the hopes of not getting taken next. But the rebels were intelligent. They learned that if they waited, one would fall back out of exhaustion, or stop to tie his shoe, or to sneeze even. It was then that they grabbed them, covering their mouth with a chloroform filled scrap of cloth. They dragged them off once they passed out so that no sound was ever made.

Of course, there were the rebels that waited too long before attempting to drag the soldiers off. The key word is attempting. See, they never acheived that because every so often, the soldiers would notice their comrade falling behind and would wait for them. Once they noticed what was going on, by the end of the fight there were usually a few soldiers bruised, and at least one rebel killed. The only downside for the soldiers though, was that they were killing off the lesser of the intelligent of the groups. For a while they were killing rebels as regularly as the rebels were killing them. But that was until the rebels got cunning. Now they hide, and wait, and use the most sly and silent means of killing them. That was how it became known as Vanishing Soldiers. Because it happened so quickly, and so silently that it was as if they became shadow.

All of this Ehlle watched from both sides. She would always snicker each time someone died. But now, she was given a task. A most involved, and intricate task at that. She was told that she was the only one that could do it right, the only person that could pull this plan off. After hearing that for a couple weeks, she finally gave in to doing it. Now, because she had to listen, she was stuck here in this guild. The one place where all those soldiers were kept during the night. She had joined them in the promises that she knew things that the rebels were doing. She usually pulled some kind of bull from thin air, somehow having it always end up happening. So far she was safe, undetected, invisible. That was a good thing. As long as she remained out of the leaders' corrupt eye.

Ehlle sighed, running a small, calloused hand through her short, spiky brown hair. Her emerald green eyes scanned the room as she sat in the corner, out of everyone's way. She was wondering when someone would dare say something to her when the Next In Line came over to her, picking her up by her collar. "You need to go on watch tonight, rat. Just cause you're a girl don't mean that we ain't gonna send you out there." His gruff, scratchy voice sounded to her like she was listening to a cat lick sandpaper. Forcing herself not to make a face, she nodded her understanding.

She learned her first day in this place what happened when you spoke to the Next In Line. The guy that did that ended up with his head rolling across the floor. She learned real quick not to say anything at all. After that first day, she decided to just nod and smile. So when he came up to her and told her that, she just nodded in a way of saying that she would do it. After she nodded, he threw her towards the door and pointed outside. With a sigh, she scrambled back to her feet and dusted herself off. Turning away from the building, she shook her head, and headed off towards where she was supposed to go that night.

Shadow had to duck into the doorway when the guild portal opened. His brown eyes scanned the empty room in confusion. No one had opened the door; it had swung open when he knocked.
"Hello?" His deep voice echoed about the dust and darkness. Waiting for a response, the tall man looked around again. Nothing moved - it looked as though the building hadn't been lived in for years.
Stepping over some rubble, the assassin frowned in confusion. Hadn't this been the location of the guild? Shadow had been told that this was the right place. Was he lied to? Was it a trap?
He crouched lower to the ground as a small sound echoed from the darkness. Shadow flicked his wrist to loosen the blade that was sheathed near his hand. His dark crimson armor helped him blend into the dim light, but he knew that he was out in the open. What had possessed him to do such a foolish thing? Silently, the deceiver awaited the bearer of the noise, be it friend or foe.

((I'ma talk to Marsyas and a few others and see if they want to join us. :D))

(( Okay, let me know if anyone else wants to join or not. I will wait on posting. ))

Cloaked as a shadow in the still of the night crimson eyed assassin watched from the corner eagerly as the giant stood ready to pounce at the door. His long black hair concealed in the hood of his cloak as well as his black leather armor. He had pulled out a throwing knife. He intended on testing the man at the door just for kicks, he understood that he had been summoned here by the guildmaster but if he could be killed easily the man will have proven himself worthless. As the being named Xion crouched in the darkest of corners he slowly pulled his the left twin dagger from its sheath making no sound in the process. He then readied three throwing knives in the cusps between his fingers and assumed a stance that would allow him to attack most fluently.

Within that next second Xion launched the throwing knives all towards the back of the man's right shoulder. Then he instantly reached into his cloak and unsheathed his second dagger and made haste to latch onto the giant dark haired man. He took three step with his blinding speed and launched himself into the air with his daggers above his head aiming for the shoulderblades of his target. If the attack connected it would prove that the man was inworthy of stepping foot into the guild and he would be killed on the spot afterwards, most likely with a slit throat.

Shadow heard the rush of blades flying through the air, and was barely able to pinpoint where they were coming from before rolling to the side to avoid them. The form that flew at him mere moments later caught him off guard, but ready for action.
The tall man wasn't all that thick, but still broad enough to be sliced by one of his enemy's blades. Flicking his other wrist, Shadow felt his second wrist blade slide into place. With an intake of breath, the assassin evaded a few blows from his attacker, returning them tenfold. Dust stirred through the darkness, a few drops of blood splattered across the floor as the newcomer was able to strike the enemy. Shadow glanced down at his blades in satisfaction to see that he had struck the man.
"I was told to come here," he rasped, crouching low during a lull in the battle. His brown eyes narrowed as he regarded the cloaked figure warily, ready for any signs of attack.

((Three cheers for Marsyas! *cheer* Welcome, my friend. :D))

((Yay! -thinks- Now to think of what to post, IF I should yet. xD ))

The cloaked figure had launched a barrage of attacks after the assassin's small test that had confirmed the man's merit. He had a light cut on his arm from the a strike that had almost hit a vital point but he dodged it and threw his arm in the way and a cut on his cheek that kind of pissed him off. Xion stood there as a hooded figure and he had a quite upset look on his face. "You passed the test tall one." his tone was that of an irratated one, "We will need to fight again sometime since you happened to strike my face but that will come another time. Follow me to guild and I'll escort you to the guildmaster." He walked over to the wall and did a series of short knocks that revealed a secret doorway. Xion looked at the figure that had to be at least seven feet tall and was shocked at how fast the figure moved for his size. Xion was a hard man to impress and he had been thoroughly impressed with the figure's performance. To strike him was no easy feat and to hit him several times was even harder.

Shadow stood to his full height, keeping a watchful eye on the man before him. In standing tall, he was surprised to find that a loose beam was just low enough for him to hit. "Ouch," he grumbled, rubbing the back of his head where the wood had struck.
He silently followed the fighter into the guild, his brown eyes full of anxiety. This was it. Shadow was gaining entry to the enemy complex, and even then, it wasn't his enemy, just the enemy of the people he was working for. Shadow had nothing against either of the teams he was working for, which made him more of a mercenary than a loyal team player. The assassin didn't work for money - but he did work for excitement; for chaos. He loved to have his hand in both sides, being able to turn the tables against one guild or the other with a mere decision to turn ranks.
Turning his attention to their surroundings as the two of them walked through the seemingly abandoned building, Shadow began to catch signs of life. A flicker of movement here, a cloud of dust there, and even the occassional pile of blankets that the deciever pinned as beds.
"Does it always look like this here?" he asked, ducking under a low board. His slender form was agile, but he was always being reminded of his height.

Xion gave the man no emotion in his response to the question he had asked, "Yes it is like this most of the time. We prefer to give the appearence that this place is abandoned and the lead be false. I doubt you noticed the blood stains on the floor in the entrance area but there were many men killed there simply because of lack of awareness. I applaud you for your skill sir, not many have made it through our doors." The human's dark skin made his whole figure look as though he was one shadow and with only torches lighting the way ahead the hallway was very dim. The extremely tall figure behind him was in for a suprise once they reached the guild's main hall, he had no idea that there was one more test he would need to pass before he was taken to the guild master.

Ignoring his instincts as they thrashed about, Shadow kept his eyes on his guide's back. Following closely, the tall man stayed silent. He suspected something was going to happen, but didn't quite know what to expect. Rarely did hard-to-find guild's let members in without some sort of trial or test.
Steeling himself for whatever lay ahead, the assassin kept his hands ready to fight. With his red leather armor helping hide Shadow in the darkness, he had no doubts that they were being watched closely. Ever step they took put a bit more anxiety in his heart, and he fought to keep it out of his eyes.
Shadow devoted his steps to following Xion, making sure that the cloaked man didn't slip into the shadows without him knowing.

When the men reached the door that lead to the main hall fof the guild Xion made another series of knocks and then opened the door to a room that was pitch black. He stepped into the room and dissappeared like a ghost in the night. When the lights turned on only the tall elven figure was left in the room. The room was an octangular space with inelegant designs and pillars that gave the room a colluseum type feel. There were bloodstains all over the walls and floors and signs of battles that had been held in there. This was the room for Shadow's final test. Then a voice came in over an intercom, "This room will be where your final test of worth shall be held. You will face three opponents one stronger than the next but you do have a choice as to how you fight them. Either you can fight them at once or you can fight them sepertely. The choice is yours and know this, once you have made your choice the battle begins so take your time..."

Shadow had heard of such tests, but had never experienced one himself. Surveying the blank room, the assassin took a deep breath. "Give me your best shot," he said loudly, opening his arms in an inviting gesture. "All of them."
May as well see what they were made of. If he died, then Shadow figured he had no business trying to get into the guild alone. He had to be dedicated to joining; to have no care if he lived or died for the team.
Flicking his wrists, the twin blades slid into place near his hands. Crouching near the middle of the room, Shadow tossed his crimson-streaked hair out of his eyes and prepared for the coming battle. We'll see how the guild welcomes newcomers.

The things I do to keep my job. *sigh*

Then suddenly all the lights cut out again and then only eight lights flickered on and off. Three men appeared in front of Shadow, one with a katana another with a chain and sickle and the last was Xion with his twin daggers. The men disappeared into the darkness making only minimal sounds to taunt their prey as they prepared to pounce on him. The first to attack was the man with the sickle as he attempted to latch on to Shadow's leg and drag him to the ground and immediately following the attack the assassin with the katana launched himself in the air with his blade facing down hoping to impale his opponent.

The first attack had been successful - Shadow wasn't quite fast enough to catch the sickle before it struck. He rolled while on the ground, though, dodging the second attack from the katana. Kicking out, he was able to strike his first opponent, thus freeing his leg from the sickle and chain . . . and allowing him to regain his footing. The tall assassin then put in his own attacks into the battle.
It seemed as though Shadow would come in low, but at the last possible second, he went high, his wrist-blade puncturing his first attacker's ribs. Without checking to see if he was dead (for he assumed he was either critically wounding or killing the men he was fighting), the tall man spun to avoid a second slash from the katana-wielding enemy.
The scary thing was the fact that these men, all three of them, could have mauled Shadow . . . had they been able to hit him successfully. Shoving that thought out of his mind (ever the pessimist), the dark-haired fighter focused on any further attacks, trying to keep an eye on the darkness around him. You never know when someone, or something, would slip out and gut you.

The with the katana who had been injured tried to retreat from the room but was cut down before he could escape by Xion; there was no place in the guild for cowards who could not die to complete their missions. The man with the sickle attached to Shadow's leg pulled with all his might and whipped the elf into the air were Xion came plunging down on him with a flurry of kicks to the face and abdomen areas. When they hit the ground the assassin immediately vanished back into the shadows to keep his prey on its toes and to force it to focus on him. After the impact the chain and sickle slithered from the giant's lower leg and the killer stalked his prey awaiting him to arise to go in for the death blow.

Shadow fought to catch his breath when he landed on his back, defending as best he could against the barrage of attacks. When one of the attackers slipped back into the shadows, the tall assassin drew himself back to his feet.
Realizing he was down to two enemies, the man from earlier and the one with the sickle, Shadow rolled deeper into the darkness for a bit more cover. Trying to slow his breathing, the elf glanced about him, ready for another battle.
Seeking the first attacker, the man with the sickle, Shadow stalked about the room slowly, keeping his eyes scanning all about him. If he could take down one more, then the assassin could focus solely on the toughest of the group.
Sneaking around until he found his target, Shadow lunged at the man, knocking into him from the side. His wrist blades slid into the man's ribs, and the deciever held back a satisfied smile when his enemy sank to the ground.

Realizing that he was finally alone which he had wanted all along, Xion could now really fight unhindered by any distractions. His eyes were so well tuned to the darkness that it didn't matter where his opponent went he would always know where he was. He was an expert assassin who took pride in being able to fight in any situation and with that being said he noticed that his opponent had been only using some blades that were hidden within his sleeves to kill his stalkers. With that being the case the assassin with the sickle was a very valuable lost ally in this battle.

The killer flashed over to where his prey was and began swinging his blades with a fury reserved usually only for a real target. All of his attacks were aimed for vital points or areas that were close to them. He didn't really want to kill the man since he had made it this far and he did kill two of the three but he would make him work for the remainder of his time period of the test.

His brown eyes widened as the elf stumbled back to avoid the sudden rush of attacks. Shadow was surprized, and was able to deflect or dodge most of the blows - or at least lessen the effect of such hits. Small gashes and many bruises ended up peppering his tall form, but Shadow kept up with his attacker. Most of his movements were oriented around being defensive, but one or two twisted into an attack.
His dark armor was suddenly hindering, or so it felt. It was far warmer now that he was moving so quickly, and so much. Shadow grit his teeth and persisted, knowing that if one of them did not die, then he would need to hold out until the battle was over.
With his energy supplies lessening, the assassin strove to keep his speed and strength up to Xion's, but was obviously beginning to tire after many minutes of continuous battle. He wasn't used to constant fighting - most of the enemies Shadow faced died fairly quickly.
Nearly gasping for breath, Shadow was shoved off of his feet, knocking what breath he had out of him. The slender man hissed in pain, trembling wearily as he forced himself back to his feet.

I did not come this far to die now.

After forcing his prey to the ground during the relentless onslaught, Xion was very impressed at how the elf had managed to dodge completely or partially every attack. The tall elven man even managed to throw a few of his own attacks into the heat of the struggle. He was truly impressive. Knowing there was only a few seconds left in the test Xion crept slowly over to his weary opponent with a killer intent in his eyes though he was not going to kill the man at this point since he had clearly proven his worth to the organization.

He walked through one of the lights and into the shadows and disappeared. When he reappeared he was behind the giant elven figure with one of his knives at his throat. Then he pressed the knife to Shadow's neck as if he was threatening to make the final kill and whispered in his ear, "You pass." He released the steel like grip on the man and clapped twice then the lights flashed on.

Shadow's breathing had halted when he felt the cold steel against his throat. When he heard the man's whispered words, he let out his heart begin to beat again.
He sheathed his blades, sliding them back into his black sleeves. The tall man surveyed the room, his brown eyes stopping on Xion.
"What happens now?" he said slowly, controlling his breath. Even the elf knew that his endurance wasn't at it's height - Shadow hadn't worked on how long he could fight, only on how fast he could be.
The crimson armored elf stood tall, straightening his shoulders as he regarded Xion. This man was certainly an enemy to be wary of - he would have killed Shadow had he felt like it. Silently, the infiltrator pondered if there were any others like this man. If so, then he would have a hard time completing his mission.

Xion looked up at the giant man who towered over him. Xion himself was not a short man being as he is about 6' 1'' but the elf had to at least be 7' easy. His gaze was stoic and he replied to the battle tested being, "Since your test is finally over I shall take you to the guildmaster and you have your audience with him which is what you wanted correct? Also since you have passed your entrance exam I think it is time for a proper introduction. My name is Xion I am the top assassin at this guild second to only the guildmaster. I am a daywalking type of vampire or more politically correct term would be Krusnik. I am but I am not a vampire. My race is not a common one but we are often confused for our cousins even though we are stronger and we more often than not kill them on sight."

Taking a deep bow as a show of respect, Xion's vibrant ruby red eyes peered at the figure standing before him as he extended his arm in the direction they were now headed in order to reach the guildmaster. He turned to lead the new initiate down the new hallway that well illuminated to show off the simplicity of the structure of the guild. They passed many door on the way to the guildmaster's study yet it was complete and utter silence in the building as if there were no one there.

Shadow stayed silent as he followed Xion, his brown eyes trailing in the open rooms and suffocating darkness. Things were different here than they were in his guild - darker, and perhaps a bit more intimidating. Keeping his long stride short enough to match the man he was following, the pale elf started slightly when a figure appeared out of a doorway.



Sheyva sighed as she leaned against the guild leader's doorway, crossing her thick arms over her chest. The woman was known for her strength, thus making her a chosen guardian over the head honcho's door. Yippie.
With her dreadlocks falling in front of her dark face, the large woman sighed again - loudly. Tugging on the large hoop hanging from her ear, Sheyva tilted her head. Looking down the hallway, the dark-skinned woman grinned. Ah, another new recruit. And Xion was bringing him in.
Stepping out in front of them, she nodded to Xion and let her brown eyes scan over Shadow. "I am guessing you wish to so the leader?" she said, glancing back over to Xion.

Ignoring the fact that Sheyva was being herself as usual Xion nodded back at her when they got to the door, "Yeah, he's here to see the leader." He stared at the brawny woman with no emotion apparent and waited for her to give the go ahead then he looked back over at Shadow's tall lanky figure wondering why he hadn't just killed him anyway but decided that he might turn out to be useful. Then turning back to Sheyva the Krusnik folded his arms across his chest eyeing the dreaded woman.

((Sorry I had no idea it was my turn until I went looking through my threads haha :sweat:))

((I don't mind. :P The pause was welcome; I had a ton of other posts going. :XD I'm sorry to say it, but I'll start slowing down soon due to classes starting up. *sigh*))

Sheyva shrugged before turning around. Knocking in a strange pattern, the woman cast her eyes back to the others. "He's in a foul mood, so I'd be on best behavior." Her voice dropped to a whisper, and she leaned toward them. "Something really upset him the other night, and he's gone a bit psycho in the head." Tapping a finger to her temple, the dark-skinned woman smiled. "I wouldn't be surprised if he's taping rabbits to the wall or something."
Just then, she moved away from the door, and it was yanked open to reveal an average-sized man wearing an odd assortment of trinkets and necklaces. Rings and bracelets covered his arms, fingerless gloves his hands, and an open-fronted vest the only shirt he wore. The guild leader looked young, far too young, to be leading an assortment of killers . . . yet those he accepted into the ranks knew he led well - into chaos and destruction.
Raising a pierced brow, the man looked from Xion to Shadow, motioning them inside impatiently. One of his blue eyes was covered by a patch, though it seemed to do nothing for his depth perception - he could still snag a dagger out of mid-air effortlessly.
"What," he said in a light voice, "do you want?"
Sweeping his wide-brimmed hat off of his head, the guild leader sighed and ran a hand through his long black hair. The room was just as cluttered and chaotic as it's master - books, orbs, loose scrolls, and many once-lit candles were scattered everywere, interruped by the occassional weapon or odd object.
Shadow narrowed his eyes, but said nothing. Was this the enemy? This . . . youth was what troubled his other contact?
"Come now, Xion," Jarl raised a gloved hand and motioned for his assassin to speak. "What is your reason for coming to my door?"