Open Chronicles An Unexciting Day

[Maecey]

Maecey let out a breath, scrunching her fingers and shaking her head. "They'll have wanted posters by the end of the night."

She appreciated the Witches magic though.

It was nice not to have to run through the entire city before she made her way into the sewers, now she could just disappear without much of an effort at all. Of course it would make her job this evening a bit harder, but Maecey wasn't worried.

The Halfling knew her way around Alliria well enough that it wouldn't be an issue to get around undetected.

"You should probably leave town." She offered the Witch. "I doubt they'll let you run around unmolested."

Maecey had been the one to stab the guard, but Zafira had been with her.

 

[ZafiraJade]

Zafira closed her eyes as the Halfling stated the obvious. She felt drained. The combination of the iron against her skin, and pulling an enchantment for two people with her own life thread was tiresome

Zafira slid her hand in her cloak, and pulled a small, blue vial out. Quickly, she downed the contents of it, settling her gaze on the Halfling. "You haven't been to Alliria for a while if you think you can just skip town so easily," she muttered.

She pulled herself away from the bark of the tree. "We never did properly introduce ourselves. I'm Zafira," Zafira felt a trickle of something wet run down her nose. She lifted her hand up to it to see a trace of dark blood. Quickly, Zafira wiped at it.

"The soldiers have been more careful since the threat to war. Whoever comes in and out is observed and searched thoroughly," Zafira explained.

"Plus, this isn't my first time in Allria's cell," Zafira said with a mischievous smile. "They have much more important tasks than to deal with a street brawl,"

"What exactly did you do?" Zafira asked curiously, stretching her hands over her head.

 

[Maecey]

"I killed a man in a tavern who attacked me." The complete and total truth.

She had done so in self defense. Sure there had been a bit of provocation from her, a few hurled insults and the like, but Maecey hadn't escalated it to violence. That wasn't exactly her style.

Throwing a punch was stupid.

At least if it was the first one thrown in any situation. "Guards didn't believe me."

A shrug rolled over her shoulders and for a moment she gave Zafira's words a thought. A part of her wanted to keep the obvious way out of the city to herself, but...well the Witch had helped her and once again the code clung to her mind.

"My name is Maecey." She offered, then added. "If you want to get out of the City there's a route through the sewers."

They didn't check those.

 

[ZafiraJade]

Zafira's eyes which were relaxed and smiling switched into one of alarm. "You did what?"

Something dropped in Zafira's chest, and she pulled back, suddenly on guard. It was one thing to be thrown in jail for a fight, but a completely different thing to murder someone. She looked at Maecey, feeling a shiver run down her spine.

Of course, she knew that Maecey had a temper and that she was strong. That much was evident since the start of their meeting, but Zafira didn't know that she was a murderer.

Zafira's mind tumbled back to Maecey's urgency, and her need to leave so fast. Back straight, Zafira turned her narrowed eyes to the woman. "Did you kill a soldier?" Zafira asked quietly. If she did....

Zafira really would have to skip town. She swallowed hard, feeling her stomach lurch.

 

[Maecey]

"What?" She shook her head. "No, he was just some drunk that couldn't handle getting beat by a Halfling."

It happened more than she would have liked.

People didn't respect little folk like her, and burly sailors often thought themselves better than her just because they were bigger. Often times she had to prove them wrong with a beating or two, but when someone came at her with a knife...there wasn't much of a choice.

At least not in her mind. "It was self defense."

Oddly, it really had been. She'd killed before when it wasn't, hell that was her whole job, but that didn't get her caught.

"There were witnesses and everything." If she had time to wait for a trial she probably would have gotten off on the charged, but unfortunately there was just no time for that.

 

[ZafiraJade]

The uncomfortable feeling only intensified at the Halfing's comment. Did she really just kill some drunk for insulting her? Zafira's eyes closed as she felt the beginnings of a headache start to form.

The amount of people that would be dead if Zafira reacted to every hurling insult in her direction....

At the self-defense comment, Zafira let out a breath of relief. Self-defense was fine. Self-defense made sense.

Zafira knew she was being ridiculous. More than half of the people in Alliria had killed someone at some point in their lives. It was just the way their world was. Still, it was hard for Zafira to stomach it.

"Dama," Zafira murmured in her native language.

"Alright, so we really do have to skip town for a bit. The soldier wasn't dead though, yes?" Zafira asked in confirmation. It was one thing to kill some drunk in self-defense. Killing an Allirian soldier would call for the execution of both their heads. In a few months though, the entire escaping thing would blow over.

 

[Maecey]

Maecey rolled her eyes slightly at the Witch. It was like the woman thought she had a death wish or something. If she'd really wanted to the Halfling probably could have slaughtered every guard keeping them in that jail.

Well, perhaps that was a bit of self overestimation. "He'll be fine."

The Halfling said with a wave of her hand.

"He'll walk in a day or two." She had aimed the knife well enough, no arteries or anything should have been hit. "I'm sure they have doctors."

It was Alliria after all. "Come on."

No use standing around here all day and talking. That was how you got caught.

 

[ZafiraJade]

Zafira ran a hand through her hair. Her own fault for helping someone and accepting help without knowing the full story. Stupid, stupid, girl.

Zafira stopped berating herself. They were running out of time, and Maecey hadn't tried to kill her yet so they were fine. If she knew a way through the sewers system, Zafira wasn't going to refuse the offer, especially if her picture was going to be in the city for a few weeks.

Zafira nodded, putting up her cloak and following the Halfling. As the journey prolonged and Zafira walked next to Maecey, thoughts filled her head.

"Would you teach me how to use a knife like that?" Zafira asked curiously.

 

[Maecey]

She glanced back at the Witch. "Throwing?"

A shrug rolled over Maecey's shoulders. It wasn't exactly some great trade craft secret. Throwing a knife was something she'd known long before the guild have ever snatched her up on the road.

Back home in Allerton throwing competitions were part of the annual harvest fest. She had always managed to come in first, though the boys had teased her because of it. Jealousy, her mother had always called it.

"Sure." The Halfling offered as she cut into and alleyway off the main street. "It's mostly about practice though."

As was any skill really. Twenty percent was the right technique, and eighty was making sure to do it over and over until you could do it with your eyes closed.

 

[ZafiraJade]

"Yeah," Zafira confirmed. She was about to explain herself until she decided against it. What good would it have done?

"I can teach you something in exchange," Zafira said as they continued walking. The twigs bit crisply against her heavy boot, trees rustling with the wind. The air smelled sweet - of fresh flowers and herbs that Zafira would have to search for to name.

It only filled Zafira with more of a sense of regret. She should have just stayed for the night. There were certain herbs and plants in Alliria that Elbion didn't have - at least not at the great quality that Alliria carried with.

And to think she wanted an unexciting day.

Zafira shrugged. Oh well. This was far more interesting. "So what were you doing in Alliria?"

 

[Maecey]

"I have a job to do." Maecey said as they cut through the small bit of growth that had been left in the center of Alliria.

She had not been planning on leaving just yet, only leading Zafira to the edge of town where she would be able to enter the sewer and escape. The Witch had been helpful, even kind, and Maecey would be loath to see her in prison again.

"Nothing too bad." She said quickly. "I'll take care of it and then leave tonight."

Just in time for the Guards not to catch her.

She wondered briefly if they would be on alert because of the prison, but she thought it unlikely.

 

[ZafiraJade]

Zafira stopped dead in tracks.

"Woah, you're going back?" Zafira asked with a huff of laughter. It was one thing for her to be going. Zafira hadn't assaulted any guards. Maecey had.

"You understand that you literally just escaped the cell, yes? Is your job that important?" Zafira felt an inkling towards the Halfling. She'd rather not have the worry that she was going to get caught again.

"I'd really rather have you not get caught again,"

 

[Maecey]

Maecey looked up at the witch with more than a little bit of suspicion. Did she genuinely care...or was she just worried that the Halfling would sell her out if she got caught?

Years of cynicism told Maecey it was the latter. "The Job comes from the Guild."

A shrug rolled over her shoulders as if that would be enough of an explanation. The Guild had never particularly cared if anyone knew of the existence, she could talk freely of that as long as she didn't go into detail about her mission.

"Gotta do it or they'll mark me for death." She smiled briefly. "Don't worry though, I won't get caught."

She fidgeted slightly and then explained further. "I was a bit...not sober when they got me the first time."

That never happened during jobs. A personal rule of hers.

 

[ZafiraJade]

Zafira's eyes widened at the mention of the Guild. She'd heard....well, to put it bluntly, terrible things about the Guild. Training people to be brutes - people who killed without a second thought.

Zafira glanced down at Maecey. Yeah, she was aggressive, but she definitely did not fit the type of creature Zafira had heard rumors about.

Or maybe Zafira was just on her good side. A shiver ran down her spine. She would really not want to be on Maecey's bad side. At the mention of alcohol, Zafira couldn't even hide her surprise. The Guild made sense - Maecey being so drunk that she got caught didn't.

"Seriously?" Zafira said with a breathless laugh, more from surprise than mock. "I can't imagine you intoxicated, darling,"

 

[Maecey]

She shrugged. "We all have our ways of letting off steam."

The Halfling had learned that many years ago.

Some of the people in the Guild tended towards...Darker things in order to relax, but Maecey had always found the tried and true met her well enough in all matters of the world.

"Some people fuck, some people kill." Another shrug. "I like to drink and gamble."

She really wasn't all that complicated. "It's fun."

The Halfling offered Zafira a wide grin.,

 

[ZafiraJade]

"Trust me, I know," Zafira said with an equally, bright smile. She thought of all the terrible men she'd gambled with, remembering their sleight of hand with the memorizing rune on her wrist. It'd been fun seeing their faces drop at the prospect of being cheated - so accustomed to being the one who was cheating.

It had landed Zafira in plenty of trouble.

Not that she cared. In the end, it was usually always worth it. "Let me help you,"

The words came out before Zafira could process them. "I think you can agree that we're both a pretty good team, and it would feel weird not knowing what happened to you afterward,"

Shut up, shut up, shut up. But it was too late, and the idea had planted itself too deeply in Zafira. She didn't even know who Maecey was going to kill. Fuck, she was going to kill someone. Zafira had never murdered someone before.

 

[Maecey]

Maecey narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

She doubted that Zafira was some sort of agent. No one could have known that she was going to get arrested, and no one could have known that she would help anyone escape. The odds of that were simply far too slim.

The Witch was genuine in her question. That much she was sure of. "If you would like."

Maecey said slowly.

"Though..." The halfling cut herself off. "Don't be mistaken, this will be rather brutal."

Murder was murder, there were no two ways about it.

 

[ZafiraJade]

Zafira swallowed.

She didn't know why she wanted to join. Maybe there was just something in her that was just morbid enough to see it - see the murder that everyone talked about as if it were normal news. But witnessing the death of a man who deserved it was very different from partaking in an innocent one.

"What did the person do?" Zafira decided to go with Maecey anyways. Even if she wasn't going to help. Zafira needed to see with her own eyes that Maecey would be fine and not caught after the assassination. After everything, they'd done to get out.

Then, she would head back to Elbion.

 

[Maecey]

Maecey shrugged. "I dunno."

When she'd first joined the guild she had always asked that same question. That was before she'd learned that Curiosity was not always the best thing to have, particularly in the line of business she was in. Sometimes you didn't want to hear the answers.

"He's a Merchant Councilor." Also known as the highest authority in Alliria. One of the twelve in charge of the city. "And someone wants him dead, so that probably means he's done some things people don't like."

Another shrug. "I just do the job and move on."

Maecey had a plan for this one, which was why she'd had to escape from prison. Couldn't miss the window.

 

[ZafiraJade]

The Merchant Councilor.

He was not a bad man.

Zafira was not a perfect person. She was far from calling herself good. More times than not, she was misguided in her actions, but the man that Maecey wanted to assassinate was one of the few in the city who was not corrupt. Zafira's mouth pressed into a thin line, feeling her finger twitch with magic,

She didn't think Maecey was a bad person, but she didn't know. Instead of showing her disapproval, Zafira passed Maecey a casual look. "Aren't you even a bit intrigued?"

 

[Maecey]

The Halfling shrugged. "I used to be."

Maecey frowned for a second before continuing.

"But not anymore." She had learned not to be. Curiosity did not always lead you down a road you wanted to go. She had learned that with her third target. "The Guild is ruthless…but it isn't bad."

That was of course a point of argument. The Guild wasn't exactly puppy dogs and smiles, but they did have rules about who they would and wouldn't take as a target. Children for instance were entirely off limits. Maecey would never claim that she hadn't killed an innocent, but she tried hard not to over the course of her work.

It helped that most of her targets were Scum. "Look, If you have some kind of moral problem here you don't have to help me. Hell you can even warn the Councilor if you like."

The city watch would have to guard all twelve which would be difficult, but…well such was life.

"But I don't want to die, and I've taken the contract so…" She shrugged.

 

[ZafiraJade]

"The Guild kills anyone they don't like," Zafira said bluntly. She couldn't believe for a moment they were good. Killing people seemed like a simple solution. Someone's an inconvenience? Remove them, then it is all taken care of.

The Guild ignored that those deaths had consequences on the people that loved them. Zafira's chest tightened as she remembered a face she didn't want to remember. Zafira sighed. She was making it personal.

"Listen, I've been in this city for quite some time now. The Councillor? He's one of the only people who is avidly hunting down the bad ones. He's trying to protect the good people, and frankly, I would very much like to not see you dead. There has to be something else,"

 

[Maecey]

Maecey waggled her finger.

"The Guild kills whoever it's hired to kill." And the agents that double crossed it, but that was just logical. "Otherwise we are neither good nor evil, just contractors."

That was the way it had always been, that was what the magic did. There were no personal stakes, no good for evil. The Contract that they all signed made it so. They took jobs, then were bound by magic to carry them out.

Maecey, like every other recruit had learned that before even joining.

"Besides, I never said which Councilor I have to kill. There's twelve of them. You're just assuming the worst." She had made sure not to say the name, and her mind couldn't be read. Zafira was simply guessing the worst.

The Halfling didn't blame her. Most of the time the Guild was hired by objectively bad people, after all...not many honorable folk hired assassin. Yet the code meant the Guild itself was neutral, it had always been that way.

 

[ZafiraJade]

"Otherwise we are neither good nor evil, just contractors."

That was debatable. Zafira didn't say anything though. Maecey was right. She was assuming the worst. Zafira let her shoulders ease up, her unknowingly tight posture automatically relaxing to the careless- seeming facade she always held to tightly.

"You're right - not about the contractor thing, but me looking at the worst. Have a plan or shall we just go on our way?" Zafira asked, already walking in the direction they were running from. Her strides were loose.

"What made you join the Guild though?"

 

[Maecey]

Maecey narrowed her eyes.

The Halfling was no longer sure if she could trust Zafira to aid her. The Witch was surprisingly moral. The Counselor she had to kill was not in fact the man who was full of good deeds, but...she wondered if that would matter in the end.

The man she had to kill was not moral by any stretch of the imagination. He paid to have people killed and was running a trade blockade on several small towns that refused to concessions. There was even rumor that he kidnapped young women, but...well he gave to the poor and was powerful.

That was enough for some. "If you'd like you can meet me after I'm done."

Despite herself she liked Zafira. The Witch had proven to be fun to be around.

"I came from a boring world." Allerton had been beyond Droll, and the life of most halflings was absolute torture to someone like her. "The Guild was an opportunity, and I've always been good at this sort of thing."