Private Tales Crouching Urchin, Hidden Templar

[Lyssia D'avore]

Eyes flashing, she sniffed loudly at both of the men, the turmoil within too great to allow her to speak without unleashing a tirade fit to beat a toddler's. Given the current situation, being called a child because she was acting the part would not soothe her very well. Instead, she stalked off to a different corner of the room from the other two.

She was weary, and it was by anger alone that she was able to hold off with sleep. Her mind whirled with possible repercussions for leaving her behind, all of them silly beyond belief. Especially when taken in light of the fact that they could not hide from her, and that the admittedly frightening unveiling of power not long ago had hidden all the traces of the far, far more subtle workings she had employed. Aldren, at least, had little hope of hiding from her in the next few days. The magic would fade with time and become increasingly more difficult to track...but she could feel his presence in the back of her mind, where he lay on a pallet in one corner of the room.

It was with that thought in mind, and the surprise on both of their faces envisioned, that she drifted off into dreamless, deep sleept.

--

The building was abandoned, the floors thick with dust, corners of the rooms and windows thick with cobwebs and dead flies. The dimness of the room was just enough that it would have been hazardous to cross if not for the fact that it was devoid of furnishings. The sun had set outside, but the sky in the west still bore the fiery orange and red of that brilliant orb, though even that was fast fading.

Alric knelt at the window, looking out across the street. The last of the day shoppers were hurrying home, carriages bearing the wealthy merchants and the nobles that had business in the streets trotting along quickly to take their masters to the safety of their own mansions and estates within the walls of Mericet. Only the common men and women were afoot, now, and even they were quick to get off the streets. Mericet was by and large a lawful town, with street crime relatively uncommon. But uncommon was not to say unheard of.

Alric knelt next to another man, this one wearing dark leathers, his plain face exposed. Dark hair framed an entirely unremarkable, clean shaven face. Dark eyes calmly regarded the building across the way.

Alric had introduced this man - Azure - to Aldren upon their meeting in the sewers. The dark clad man had said very little since then. Even now, he was silent, hands resting on the heavy bladed knives at his hips, which spoke volumes of the profession he had chosen.

Another sat with them. Surprisingly, the young woman had a dangerous air about her that was easily picked up on. She wore a short bladed swords at her hip, and wore sensible clothing - trousers, a button down shirt open halfway to reveal a little of the firm bosom within. Her hair was a brilliant red-gold, eyes a pale blue. She would have made any man ache for her company, but the grim look on her face detracted from that beauty somewhat, and her mannerisms even more so.

"They haven't changed their shifts yet," Alric remarked. The woman nodded, saying nothing. Azure didn't even offer that much.

"Do we need to go over the plan again?" He asked.

 

[Aldren Cordale]

After a couple hours of much needed rest, Aldren woke up, feeling the rejuvenative relief as he felt little to no pain across his muscles. He still felt minor aches and a sore back, but those would fade away eventually. He slowly got up from the bed roll and made his way towards the few barrels that were still standing after Lyssia's outburst, taking some water to drink. It was then that he remembered the purpose of his mission there, the reconnaissance job that he would go on with Alric to do in a few moments. He realized that his heavy armor would become a dangerous nuisance in that instance, where they needed subtlety above all, and started taking it out piece by piece, until he was left only with his leather jacket and vest along with darkened cotton trousers and tall boots.

As cold as that place was, Aldren felt the need to refresh himself before the ensuing journey. He opened and took out his jacket and undid his vest, revealing a well toned body with a few scars, takeaways from his past battles, both when he was a young soldier and from when he went to hunt some nasty and dangerous monsters. It was in that brief window of calmness, when he was washing his face, that Aldren got surprised by the arrival of Alric along with another mysterious man, no doubt one of his conspirators and partners in this undertaking.

The man of few words was introduced as Azure, another shadowy looking assassin, much like the one he met in the past. They shared a brief moment of exchanging words and thoughts for the mission before Aldren put on his vest and jacket and grabbed his essential equipments - his waistbelt with sword and dagger - and departed, leaving Lyssia to her own sleep.

--

After carefully making their way through the streets of lower Mericet, the group finally arrived at an abandoned building, perfect for reviewing their plan and collecting their breath before making their mov. Aldren slowly paced through the void and dirty hall of the building, his hand resting upon his sword's hilt as always. Much like the man called Azure, he now kept himself to his own thoughts, his ritual before hunting down a monster. A bit like the calm before a storm.

He saw the rest of the group kneeling, gathered nearby the nearest window that overlooked the streets, once crowded, but now with that edging of the night, filled only by the cold winds that followed. Aldren took out from inside his shirt a worn necklace, a memory from his master, one that gave him strength before his battles. He clenched his fist along with the metal piece as Alric talked.

"Time to go."

 

[Lyssia D'avore]

Alric nodded without a word, and stood. It was not he who took the lead,of course, but Azure. Aldren and Alric took the middle with the woman - Aleisha was her name - being up the rear. Instead of going out the front or down to ground level, Azure instead led the to the roof, through an old trapdoor and out under the cool night sky. Millions of stars were beginning to burn bright in the heavens above, all the familiar constellations blazing brightly an impossible distance overhead.

This was the highway of assassins and thieves, well traveled and well known. In fact, so well known that the roofs leading to the greater estates were often better guarded than the street level gates were. Of recent, Mericet was a dangerous place with the powers that be playing a deadly trade among themselves.

There was little chance of seeing any other than thieves in this part of the city, though. The high-road did not lead directly to their target, and Azure swiftly covered ground heading away from it before crossing a narrow street by leaping from one roof to the next without a second thought. Alric hesitated a moment before leaping that chasm, but Aleisha did not even break stride.

The rout went over narrow alleys, some with plank bridges and some not, passing makeshift hovels hastily constructed on flatter roofs. Eventually, though, Azure chose a path leading to ground floor,ending in an alley behind their building, in front of a locked door.

Azure raise a hand for silence, but the woman pushed past him and stared at the door. After a moment, she reached between her breasts and pulled a lock pick set free, and then went to work on the door.

Azure gestured for Aldren to keep an eye on the alley behind them while the young D'avore lordling looked on impatiently as Aleisha worked her magic. After a few moments, an audible click and then the latch on the door opened. Aleisha pushed it wide with a roguish grin on her face.

Azure stood outside and motioned for everyone to get in, waiting until they had before following suit and closing the door behind them.

"Search the upstairs," he said in a low, measured voice. "Me and Alric will check this floor. Avoid discovery at all costs," the assassin said. Suiting his own words, the young D'avore and Azure hurried through a door at the end of the hallway they had arrived in.

Aleisha gave Aldren a lazy, sultry smile, before moving along in a much more...expressive manner. There was a stairwell on the right, not far past the door, and it was to here she went.

 

[Aldren Cordale]

Aldren and the group moved swiftly and with purpose after exiting the building. The once crowded streets were now mostly empty with the arrival of the night, and it helped that they were using the high roads along the rooftops to fade from attention. Azure seemed like a serious individual, which was good by Aldren's standards, him being a serious person as well. Were if not by a few words of caution and signals, the group muttered no conversation the whole way. Aldren couldn't help but let his gaze linger a bit longer than usual when his eyes fell upon the woman's figure, her beauty both luxurious and deadly, a perfect combination for women "working" in that field. And he noticed her own gazes towards him as well, which Aldren responded with a short and cheeky smirk.

He valued principles and discipline like any other knight, but he was only human in the end, and a man at that. But the sparks barely lit up as they had to be focused on the task at hand. Azure and the group approached a gap between the road and a nearby rooftop, and after a few seconds of preparation, the rogue made the jump like it was nothing. Aleisha soon followed even though Alric and Aldren stayed behind, hesitant. After Alric finally made it to the roof, it was Aldren's turn and there was no room for fear in that moment. He took a few steps back and ran towards the ledge, jumping before reaching the edge. If he still had any plate from his armor, he would've been splattered all over the ground by now.

The shortcut worked wonders and the group finally reached their destination. Azure signaled them to stay put and attentive, but Aleisha barely gave reason to the command, walking right past him and lockpicking her way through the door. Aldren stood behind as they entered the building, watching out for any threats before finally entering the place with Azure closing the door behind him.

As Azure laid out more orders for the group, Aldren relished in the smile he was given by the woman as she made her way upstairs, their first place to search in that building.

The first floor was dark and somewhat creepy, with no clear indicators that there was something of worth there, save for a few large wooden boxes that filled the big corridor. After searching through the openings that led to other empty rooms, Aldren came upon a peculiar door at the end of one of the rooms. The door seemed sturdy even though the whole place looked like a mess, much like the abandoned building that they were hiding moments before.

Aleisha quickly came in to work on opening the locks, which seemed to pose a bigger challenge than the door from which they had entered the place. Aldren crouched close to her, marveled. "You're quite good at this, lady", he said with his rather rough voice, made even rougher by the cold.

Aldren and Aleisha entered a small room filled with more crates, these ones bearing a strange mark in front of them. The young Templar couldn't recognize the mark, but the whole idea of them being there seemed a tad more suspicious now. Aleisha called him in a low tone and he neared a large table with various papers scattered across it.

He couldn't make out anything from them, but by the look on Aleisha's face, they seemed very valuable.

 

[Lyssia D'avore]

"I have been working with the D'avores for a long time, pigeon," she replied in a tone that was very nearly a purr. She moved to the table and picked up a piece of paper, eyebrows knitting together in thought as she scanned it. "This has markings of the Allirian government on it, but the contents are ciphered." Now that there was business at hand, the playful smile was gone and her attention was all on the work at hand.

There were dozens of papers here, but despite the door being locked it was unlikely that anything she found would be damning on it's own. Not to mention, the code would have to be broken before they even found out what it was they had even found in the first place. She quickly picked the papers up and deftly folded then, stuffing them down the front of her shirt.

She gave Aldren a coy little grin, then reached into a pocket un her trousers, withdrawing a caltrop made of an unusual metal. She placed it on the floor near the table. "Don't step on that, darling. It will hurt," she said, and then giggled a little. A nice piece of misdirection, that tool. She had some knowledge of the other great Houses and their habits and their operatives, that much was clear.

In fact, there was a lot to beg questions of about this mysterious woman with a knack for all of these clandestine activities.

Searching the room quickly with her eyes, making sure they had not left anything there that they did not want found, she motioned for Aldren to leave, pulling the door shut behind her as they went. She made sure the door was locked again before turning and walking to the other end of the hall, stopping in front of another door, also locked.

"I've not seen you around before," she said as she bent to her work. Seconds dragged on, but the door remained locked. "Nkt often a new face emerges for any House, but especially for a defunct one. Who did you used to work for?"

 

[Aldren Cordale]

Aldren closely watched as the woman went through the cryptic parchments of papers. By the look of them, they seemed like important documents, important enough to be written in code and sealed away in a building faded in the slums of the city, poised to be forgotten in a time. And so, they were quite lucky to have been there that night.

In one of the documents though, the Templar saw the same mark from the crates. He fixated his gaze on that paper and opened it to further evaluate his suspicions, but was met with further questions. There were a bunch of other marks written on there, none that Aldren could recognize at the time. Still, it was intriguing enough and so he rolled the paper and put it away on his vest.

He took a few steps back when Aleisha took out what seemed to be a trap from trousers, throwing it next to his feet. She was indeed full of surprises. Whoever might come to check on those papers again after they were gone would be met with a stinging and lasting pain. He smiled shortly and nodded at her before taking his leave from the room, hand gripping the hilt of his sword while checking the surroundings for any other clues for their investigation, but finding no more than cobwebs and holes at the time.

The man searched the hall to see if they were still alone before Aleisha came out of the room and closed the door. They walked side by side towards the end of the hall, facing yet another locked door, much to Aldren's disgust. He was growing quite upset with all those locked doors.

The mysterious woman beside him bent and started plying her expertise to the lock, trying to get it open and finding an even greater challenge this time than the others. That allowed them some complacency to find some words amidst that stressful situation of cloak and dagger.

And she was the one to take the reigns of the conversation, prompting Aldren to think before providing a satisfying answer to the subject. "The Order. I'm a Templar, or rather... soon i will truly become one. As soon as this business is over and Lady D'avore is safe. I've pledged my life to her service for the time being and will see it done."

 

[Lyssia D'avore]

The woman smirked in a knowing way, although otherwise her expression was growing ever more frustrated. The lock would not give to her tender ministrations, which was an unusual state of affairs for her.

"This business, as you say, will not be over soon," she said in a low voice. "House Farron and several other major players are invested in this thing." Whatever that thing was. Aleisha was not certain herself, and since she had been a spy for the family for many years, she was certainly in a position to know. If anyone was.

Obviously angry, she removed the picks from the lock, and layed her hand upon it. A moment passed before that hand fell away. She scowled at the door,looking like she was considering something...rash.

"This lock has been magicked," she said, just as the sound of a door opening and slamming shut downstairs echoed through the empty hall. She looked up at Aldren, concern mirrored in those startlingly blue eyes, before she took home of his arm and lightly made her way back to another of the doors.

Downstairs, some laughed harshly, and then some muffled conversation resumed, clearly continued from outside. A set of booted feet started up the stairs, the sound crisp and distinct.

If the door she had been working on proved stubborn and impossible to open, this one was easy. The lock clicked open in moments, and then she was slowly easing it to avoid any creak, moving as fast as she dared and pulling Aldren behind her as she did, closing the door behind them swiftly enough.

 

[Aldren Cordale]

"Aye, but i'll see it through", Aldren responded, confident. He took a step back to better glance at the door, feeling a strange aura coming from it. It was like a cold breeze, flowing from the breaches and from the wood itself and coming straight at him. A familiar feeling, from when he's facing magic.

His suspicions were confirmed by Aleisha, who seemed frustrated for not being able to open the door, claiming it was indeed sealed by magic. But that raised even more questions as to what was being hidden in that building. Sealed and cryptic manuscripts, crates with strange markings and now a door locked and enchanted with magic. The plot seemed to become thicker by the passing time.

But he barely had any time to dwell upon it after hearing sounds coming from below, edging ever closer. Aldren looked around, finding no other ways to escape but the locked doors and the stairwell that led down, going towards the very origin of their impending doom. Luckily for them, Aleisha acted quickly, taking his arm and leading them to another nearby door, one that lacked the magical seal of the past, and this one Aleisha was able to open quickly.

Fearing discovery, they rushed inside the room as carefully as they could as not to draw any attention by the creaking sounds of the door opening and closing behind them. In the rush, Aldren ended up inadvertently pushing his body forward, pressing the woman against the wall, only a few inches from the door. Their faces were dangerously close, and he could even feel her hasty breath.

 

[Lyssia D'avore]

Hasty though her breath might be, her eyes were as calm and collected as a still mountain pool. Something in those eyes invited in a playful manner, despite the circumstances. There was a certain satisfaction to be had, the closeness of their bodies, the heady scent Aldren's very definite maleness. Alas, the time was not appropriate, not now.

Outside, the sound of footsteps, a quiet conversation carried on oblivious to those who were listening to them.

"If he wasn't such an insufferable, arrogant prick, he wouldn't get himself into trouble like that," one voice said to the other, female if a bit gravelly. There was a moment of silence, a sudden flowering of sorcerous power that was palpable to Aleisha at the very least. A door opened.

"They just a bunch of wanna be nobs anyway," a voice said in reply to the woman. Someone spit, man or woman was completely unclear. "If it wasn't for people like us, they'd never get shite done and you know it."

The nameless woman giggled a bit at that. The sound of some papers being shifted, picked up or put down or moved in some manner or another. "They got the ears of the nobs though, luv. We're just commoners. Not even worth their time." The door shut, by the sounds of it, and the feel of power being woven again lifted the hairs on the back of Aleisha's neck. She was still staring into Aldren's eyes, her own hooded and devoid of any emotion.

The steps receded back down the hallway, the conversation with it. "Still think they should kill the girl and be done with it. No sense in dragging the inevitable out, after all. Lass has suffered enough..."

The words became too indistinct beyond that point. The subject of their conversation was anyone's guess, but the simple fact that they had come and gone without she and Aldren being caught was a great relief. Aleisha very much wanted into the room they had just gone into, but judging by the amount of magic that had placed into the lock, there was little chance that she possessed the skill required to break the lock.

Releasing a breath she had not realized she was holding, she looked into Aldren's eyes again...and then reached up and pulled his head down into a passionate, fierce kiss. She broke that kiss reluctantly, savoring the taste of his lips on hers for a moment, cheeks flushed red and heart hammering in her chest. "Later, if we survive..." she said breathless, and then slipped away, pointedly ignoring the feel of his flesh against her own. Instead, she opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

"Let us go see what is going on with the others, shall we?" For all the world as if she hadn't just been a moment from stripping his clothes off right then and there. Instead, she made for the stairs, still trembling a bit from that heated moment.

 

[Aldren Cordale]

He felt his heart skip a beat. He hadn't been this close or intimate with a woman for a long time now, and that was clear by the doting bright of his eyes, so full of emotion. His cheeks red, colored with a bit of shame. He felt vulnerable, not the powerhouse of discipline and wisdom that he was supposed to appear.

Aldren had never taken any vows as a true Templar, such as the vow of chastity, forbidding the intimate pleasures of the flesh, especially when shared with a woman as beautiful as Aleisha. And she was indeed beautiful, even with her face shrouded by her hood and the lack of light of the room they had escaped to. He was feeling like a boy, fresh from his first date.

His mom always told him that with enough aptitude, one can read a person's very soul by her eyes. Aldren wished he had taken those lessons to heart when he had the opportunity, as he faced Aleisha's eyes, seeking to rip something about her from them, and failing miserably in the attempt. She was indeed a mystery, one that he had the audacity to chase, putting aside the thoughts of his mission or better yet, his own survival in that very moment.

And so he didn't even notice the ever fading voices and steps coming from the hall, descending into the stairs and oblivion away from their ears. Relief followed, as the pair knew they were finally safe, at least for the time being.

That was the moment when Aleisha broke their line of sight, face falling down and breathing out heavily as the feeling of safety fell down upon them after their daring moment of almost discovery. Aldren himself didn't have time to recollect his thoughts and keep hold of his heart, as his head was brought down into a fiery kiss, one so rushed but yet so full of flavour. His hands fell to her waist, and kept falling into dangerous territory along her voluptuous body. He allowed her tongue to dance within his mouth, deepening the kiss for a slight moment before it was cut, too soon for his taste.

Aleisha put some distance between them, allowing for some much needed space after that heated venture. Aldren himself was a bit shocked after the kiss, but was met with another of her cheeky smiles, and the promise of even better moments after they were safe, away from that place.

Without even remembering that there were still people in that building, Aldren followed her through the hall to meet with the rest of the group, heart pounding like a infatuated young boy.

 

[Lyssia D'avore]

The heat was fading slowly, which was just as well. That kind of thing was distracting, especially given that she needed her with about her. It was just that his obvious inexperience enflamed her more than she wished to admit. The man had the way about him that spoke of a killer, a warrior through and through...

...but, it would seem, not a lover. Intriguing in the extreme, and she had to force her mind back to the task at hand, and away from thoughts of tearing that shirt off his body, and of guiding inexpert hands in the exploration of her body...

Stop it!

Taking a deep, calming breath, she went down the stairs. That locked door remained in her mind, something to visit later with a more specialized set of tools.

The hallway at the ground floor was unoccupied, she noted. Not a sound to be heard. She waited a moment for Aldren to catch up, then turned and walked quickly the way she had seen Alric and Azure go. Most of the doors down here were open, she noted, except the one at the end of the hall. She stepped up to it, and tried the latch.

Locked

She shook her head frustrated at the constant irritants, and took out her tools again, making quick work of the lock, and stepping inside.

Almost immediately, a knife was at her throat, hovering just a hairs breadth from her flesh. It fell away quickly.

"Could try knocking, next time," Azure remarked, stepping away from the wall. Alric stood to the other side,and now made his way to another door. The damp smell of wet stone percolated into the room, seemed to come from beyond the door. Alric gestured to it, face hard. "If you would, Aleisha?"

"As you wish, m'Lord," she purred at him, getting to work on that lock as well.

 

[Aldren Cordale]

Aldren was having a hard time strolling down that hallway. The heated moment left him walking funny, hard down his pants and his eyes fixated on the woman gracefully walking in front of him. Someone could've shot him dead with a thousand arrows and he wouldn't see them coming, he had eyes only for her at the moment. A fleeting moment of passion, but one that infatuated him beyond his iron heart, made for battle.

He had been with only one woman once, his first teenage love back when he was a soldier in the Edenham army. His friends kept making jokes of him, calling him a prude for not laying with hundreds of women at the time. He thought his mom raised him better than that, and he felt that flame of passion burn brightly at the time. But he left her behind, together with all that life, laying dead in the buried past.

And after he underwent his Templar training with Riss, he knew full well the responsabilities he would take on. The vows, the discipline. He didn't gave it much thought, so lost in his search for strength, courage and justice. And after that went southways too? Aldren had lost himself even deeper in the bowels of battle and blood. He had little time for the wishes of the heart and flesh, because he knew the wishes of the weak and innocent were more urgent. The lonely warrior, forever alone, wandering the world in search of another monster to kill, another life to save.

He wasn't flamboyant, never had been, even when he was considered the best soldier in the cadets. He liked attracting attention through his deeds and skills, so that people would come to respect the warrior before them first, rather than the young man behind the sword. He cared little for the love games his friends kept prancing about too, detailing the many women they took to their beds before.

He was indeed a prude, a helpless one at that.

And he liked losing himself in the ways of fiery desire in the short moment shared with Aleisha. He liked the mystery aura about her, the calm and controlled resolve in her eyes, and the graceful way which she carried herself with.

Aldren barely noticed they were once again stopped in front of yet another door, with Aleisha already doing her thing and opening the door. As lost in his thoughts as he was, Aldren didn't even notice the blade coming to a halt just a few dangerous inches before her throat. He acted quickly in response, raising his sword from the scabbard halfway through before a familiar voice sounded.

Azure, roguish bastard. He hated that silent sort.

Aldren and Aleisha entered the room, greeting the gaze of Azure and Alric. Aleisha went on to try her luck with another lock and Aldren was left to his discomfort, hand still grasping his sword, now fully sheathed as he tried his best to regain much needed focus for the task ahead.

 

[Lyssia D'avore]

"Did you find anything upstairs?"

Alric looked on with interest as the spy pulled folded papers from between her breasts - odd storage place, that - and handed them over. "They are ciphered," she said politely. She was clearly having significantly less trouble putting a passionate moment behind her than was Aldren. Experience helped. "There was a room upstairs locked by magic that I could not open. Our...guests...entered that room."

If only the assassin had been upstairs instead of down. He could have dealt with the pair, then they would have access to the contents of that room. Best not to weep over something that never was.

"There was nothing down here except this. Azure us not as skilled at breaking and entering as you are, Aleisha," the nobleman replied. "Some crates with Allirian markings - a trading company in Alliria to be specific. And this door..."

"That leads down, yes." She wore a look of concentration. This lock was of high quality, and was proving more difficult to get through. "Whatever is down here better be worth it."

"I do not like the idea of going somewhere with potentially one exit," Azure commented. "If they come upon us, we will be at an extreme disadvantage."

"I am sure our resident swordsman is more than equal to the task," Aleisha said, looking at Aldren briefly. Something clicked. With a smug look of self satisfaction, the blond woman stepped back from the door, pushing it open.

Stairs wound down into dimness, the musty scent of damp stone wafting up on a cool breath of air. "What say we go see what kind of skeletons are in this cellar," Alric said, and suited his words by starting his descent, footsteps echoing hollowly.

 

[Aldren Cordale]

Aldren stood still as the others talked, his mind wandering, his lack of focus clearly evident. Surprisingly, it was the source of his daydreams who brought him down to his earthly plane once again, as Azure and Alric inquired as to what they had found during their search.

Aleisha took the reins of the report, showing them the ciphered papers they had found, and not long after that Aldren took a step forward, taking out from his vest a parchment with a single roll, filled with the strange drawing marks from earlier. To his surprise, some of the marks were the same as the ones Azure and Alric had found. The scale of that undertaking seemed to be growing with every discovery, much to Aldren's discontent.

The group turned their attention to another locked door, to which Aleisha quickly set out to unlock. Azure made a fair point about a possible ambush in such a tight situation, to which Aldren quietly nodded in agreement, but Aleisha's answer, as well as her dashing smile, came to surprise and set him out of his element once again.

Damn that woman.

And so they descended into the unknown darkness, Aldren being the last one to do so, guarding everyone's back, his hand firmly grasping his sword, ready for any surprises.

 

[Lyssia D'avore]

The stairs wound down a surprising distance. Odd, since one might have expected a cellar or basement of some kind, and an unlocked door one level down led into one, rubble and beams collapsed in and back filled by the owners. But they also continued down. These steps seemed newer, the walls more freshly cut stone. Either this section had been added in the last several years, or else been refurbished.

Azure took thr lead with Aleusha and Alric between him and Aldren. There steps echoed as they went.

After a few minutes, they exited the stairs into what appeared to he a natural cave, with further workings to smooth the floor and straighten the path evident.

Azure continued down the wide, tall passage, footsteps echoing eerily, while Alric stood, jaw agape. That this kind of project could exist beneath the very stone of Mericet seemed fantastical, and yet here they were.

The passage was lined with crates, many bearing the same symbol as those in the house above. Here, however, there were other markings on many of them.

"Just what the hell is this?" Alric wondered aloud. It made no sense to store such things in such a random place, especially when most of the riverside warehouse district was owned by several of the great Houses. Plenty of places to store all this, without any need to hide it.

"Why don't you open on and see what is inside?" Aleisha said, looking at the wooden boxes with some interest. There were pry bars near to hand made just for that task. She picked one up, and handed it to Aldren. "You look strong enough for it," she said, sly smile on her face.

Azure stood at the end of the great cavern, some fifty yards away, looking at a door that was set into a stone wall that had been built to seal off a narrow chute in the cave. Looking down the cave, there were plenty of other doors leading off the main passage, likely carved from the native stone by human hands.

 

[Aldren Cordale]

Aldren was quite surprised with the extent which those stairs went on. He thought they were leading back to the sewers by the distance, but as the darkness grew stronger and the smell in the air began to change, those thoughts were put to bed. He slowly passed his hand over the wall, noticing a different pattern from some of the other walls.

They continued the descent until they reached a new opening, one completely different from whatever they had seen prior to that. A cavern, below their very noses, just sitting there as if it was some unknown gem to everyone. Aldren opened his mouth in awe, following the reaction of his other companions. Alric seemed even more than shocked, with equal parts confused and frustrated that such a place had been there all this time, housing secrets they couldn't even begin to imagine.

The group moved on as Aldren stood behind for a minute, taking in that exquisite view. Far ahead, the group discovered even more mysterious crates and boxes, prompting Azure and Alric's curiosity. With Aleisha's usual remarks, Aldren was used as a scapegoat for their little jest.

Having being made to open one of those wooden boxes to pique their interest, Aldren motioned to grab one of the prybars that conveniently lay nearby. With everyone around him waiting to see the box's content, Aldren pried it open in a quick and hard move.

 

[Lyssia D'avore]

To say that they all weren't waiting with bated breath as Aldren pried the heavy crate open to a chorus of squealing nails would have been a lie. Anything could have been in those boxes, anything at all.

So it was with marked disappointment and a flat voice that Aleisha spoke. "Iron," and she scowled. "Iron bars. They went to all this trouble to hide iron bars." It did not make any sense at all. Simple commodities shouldn't require such subterfuge, unless they were being smuggled in. And who would smuggle iron in?

Aleisha snatched the pry bar out of Aldren's unresisting hands, and marched to a different crate. It took more effort on her part, achieved with a couple of grunts to add to the symphony of squeals, but eventually the kid came up and off, clattering to the floor.

"Spices," she said in a voice without inflection. Certainly a more valuable item, but no less strange for its presence underground.

"This makes no sense," Alric stated, speaking what most if not all of them thought. "Why would they be hiding commodities down here? Why the secrecy?"

"Someone is coming," Azure said suddenly, looking back to the door to the stairs. His hands dropped to his knives as the echoing footfalls of came to all their ears.

 

[Aldren Cordale]

Aldren was filled with disappointment as much as the rest of the group. The bright of expectation in his eyes dumbed down and darkened after inspecting the contents of the box to see if it wasn't a poor joke. But no, it was even worse than it. To find such a place beneath this city, housing commodities.

He didn't even notice when Aleisha rushed past him, snatching the pry bar away from his hand to check out another box. He turned around to watch her, delighting in the way she went overboard to open it. Before he could volunteer to help her, he heard the cracking sound of the box being opened and looked at Aleisha's disbelieving look.

Disappointment giving way to anger as she gruntled, displeased. He took a few steps forward, looking inside the crate to find spices, locked away in mysteriously marked crates in a cavern hidden beneath the city of Mericet, home to the dark machinations that almost extinguished one of its noble houses.

Aldren felt lost, unable to grasp the understanding behind any of that.

But before he could think on the matter any further, Azure alerted them of incoming company. Aldren quickly fell to cover behind one of the big crates, grabbing the hilt of his blade in preparation.

 

[Lyssia D'avore]

Azure slid to a wall as silent as a host, and produced one of the thin bladed throwing knives he preferred for ranged work. That in hand, he froze in place, scarcely even breathing. Some strange trick made it difficult to even see him; the eye that regarded him slid on past without seeing. Alric ducked behind a crate, as did Aleisha.

The entire cavern was filled with an air of tension, a microcosm with its breath held. The only thing to disturb the silence was the footsteps coming down from above.

And then the subject of those came into sight. Azure uncoiled like a striking viper with a muffled curse, and the whistle of steel flying through the air was almost as loud as the sound of that knife striking stone, throwing a spark, and then clattering to the ground.

With Lyssia, wide-eyed with shock, standing in the portal, a thin thread of blood snaking down from her cheek. She clapped a hand to the wound, then pulled it away to see the faintly luminous crimson. And then she fainted.

 

[Aldren Cordale]

Aldren steadily drew his breath, eyes closing while he put his entire focus on the grip of his sword, shutting out everything around him. His hands didn't shaken and his body didn't move an inch while behind the crate, a figure of utter darkness in hiding. His senses kicked in, isolating the sound of the steps as he heard Azure's daggers tingling in the air as he drew them out.

He was like a predator, sensing his prey over the field. Even if he didn't see, Aldren knew exactly where everyone was, only waiting for the perfect time to strike. He started imagining all the possible outcomes, all things considered. He envisioned a moment where the impending men passed through the rest of the group, blind to their location, if Azure would ever allow such a thing.

He saw a perfect strike, blade pulling out like a thunder from his scabbard and cutting of the enemy's neck cleanly, giving no time to call for any reinforcements. It would be the best thing to be done in such a call, and he would have to trust his teammates would take care of the rest as not to alarm everyone else in the building of their presence in that hidden lair.

But for all his thoughts and preparations, it was Azure who took the initiative to surge and strike. He heard a noise coming from the stairs, feeling the arrival of a strong, magical presence. His eyes opened, confused and filled with curiosity, his head turning to look at Aleisha and Alric in their covers, trying to figure out what was going on.

Too late, for Azure was quick enough to launch his attack, sending flying his dagger looking for the first unknowing assailant to pass the threshold of their demise, but finding only the chilly air and the blocked hit of the small blade against the wall. The magical aura that Aldren felt suddenly went away, with a thumbling sound being heard from the entrance.

Aldren got up and went on to scout whatever had happened, arriving to find the familiar red visage of someone he thought would be far away by now. Both worry and confusion took hold of him, but none enough to keep Aldren still, with the man rushing to the aid of the fallen girl.

 

[Lyssia D'avore]

As fast as Aldren was, Azure was faster. He was at her side, kneeling and verifying that he had thrown the knife wide enough to avoid killing her. His reflexes were, blessedly, seemingly beyond human; the knife had sliced her cheek and ear in its flight. Had he not reacted so, it would have buried itself in her eye.

"Fool girl," he muttered. Alric came up alongside the pair, trying to look over their shoulders. A moment later, Aleisha joined the crowd around the fallen girl.

"She'll be fine," Azure pronounced as he shook her gently. There was no response, so he instead picked her up under her legs and shoulder. The light weight, dead weight though it might be, seemed insignificant.

"I told her to stay behind," Alric growled. If one did not know him, they could be forgiven for thinking it an expression of anger. "She could have been killed..."

"Let us be honest," Aleisha said, in a serious tone. "She could have died many times over the last year while you were scheming, Alric." Her lack of a title for the lordling was quite deliberate.

"I was watching her," he said, a bit defensive. The older woman snorted at that.

"Maybe it is time to quit this place," Azure said. He looked down at the girl in his arms, shook his head. "It isn't as if we found anything useful."

Aleisha patted her chest, and grinned. "Don't know about that." And then she turned to Alric, giving a throaty laugh and a look fit to turn his blood to smoke. "No, I don't know about that at all."

 

[Aldren Cordale]

His heart weight heavy, a mix of relief and worry taking hold of it. Bearing no thoughts as to how she had gotten there, it was so reckless of Lyssia to appear like that, especially considering the danger they were in, being in such a place. He looked on as Azure easily lifted the girl in his arms, the coldness stilled in his eyes as if nothing had happened. Alric kept with his costumary rigid remarks of his sister, which didn't bother Aldren too much, considering he was of a furious mind was well, imagining what would've happened if she had been caught by someone else.

Still, it was time to move on. The little venture left them with even more questions than before, and fewer tools for finding answers, save for the few scriptures he and Aleisha collected prior to finding the cave.

Checking inside his jacket to see if the roll of paper was still there before moving out, Aldren eventually found his way out of the grasping darkness and wooing mystery with the rest of the group, at ready for any surprises on their way.

 

[Lyssia D'avore]

With the unconscious girl in his hands, Azure fell back and let Aleisha take the lead. With a last look at the chamber and the odd prizes they had found in this place, she turned and ascended the stairs. She had carefully replaced the lids to the crates, and tried to make it as unlikely that any would find evidence of their intrusion as possible, barring the documents they had taken from above.

Only time to think about what they had found and the incomprehensible nature of it all. But, in her line of work, it was often the case. She would have to collect the pieces of the puzzle and figure out how it all fit together, assuming they got out of here in one piece themselves.

And, as it turned out, there was no need to be concerned. The passage from the basement proved uncontested, and despite coming close on the way in, there were no others to balk their way from the building. Aleisha carefully ensured the doors that had been locked before were locked again before they left. It didn't take but five minutes for them to be back in the alley they had started in, the door the the strange cache locked, perplexed looks and troubled thoughts all around.

And one sleeping girl.

--

The light in the hideaway had been allowed to grow dim, except for the single candle burning in its holder on the table. They had cleaned the place up as best they could following the display of power from the young Lady, but the original table was a complete loss. This was the door from the collapsed corridor, stones holding it up. The papers spread across its surface were a maddening melange of nonsense words and numbers.

Aleisha had been working on the cipher for hours. The others had gone to bed, Lyssia never waking from her unexpected nap and Alric going to his bedroll hours before.

She found she was having trouble concentrating on the work at hand. Glances over to where the warrior, Aldren, had gone off too, and thoughts of him kept intruding on the work that she needed to get done - not because it had been demanded of her, but because it would worry at her all night long if she did not at least try.

But thoughts of him were doing the same. And it was a troublesome duo, the cipher and the man. Work, and pleasure. With a man she had not known twelve hours before.

You are just a demented hussy, she thought to herself in chiding tones. He was a well set up man, to be sure, stolid and steady as near as she could tell. Qualities that she found endearing and, dare she say, enticing, in a man. A firm ass and strong arms certainly didn't hurt though.

If only she could figure one or the other out, she could retire for the evening.

 

[Aldren Cordale]

Not once did Aldren look back as the group left behind the dark halls that echoed of mysterious questions. Questions that they still hoped to find answers too, with the few clues they collected. Aldren glanced a few times over at Lyssia as she was taken by Azure, worried.

He was hoping to find a bit of diversion, thinking that whoever was there in that building besides them had already noticed their presence, but it was a vain thought. The passages from which they entered were still intact and Aleisha was quick and smart to lock the previously unlocked door, leaving no traces that they had been there.

In a few minutes, moving as fast and silent as they could, the group was out of the grasps of danger, making their way back through the alleys from which they came, and back to the horrid slums and wet tunnels, to the supposed safety of their hiding place.

---

Everyone was fast asleep by the time. Didn't even take too long after they arrived, with Aleisha immediately going to work on the ciphers and inscriptions and Azure treating Lyssia. She too made no signs of waking up, sleeping as hard as a brick, with Alric going to rest with his troubled thoughts.

Azure himself gave Aldren a quick farewell wave before retiring to his chambers of solitude and sleep, leaving only Aldren and Aleisha still awake, the woman still working on the enigmas by the candlelight at the new and improvised table while Aldren cleaned up his armor, taking a moment to gather his breath as well.

From time to time, the man glanced at her, so busy and focused with her work and yet so radiating with her aura of lust and passion, almost engulfing Aldren. He did notice a few glances from her as well, drawing a few smiles from him.

Aldren was clothed in a simple, long sleeved cotton shirt, had taken off all of his armor and jacket, leaving him in worn and lightly dirty clothes. It had been quite some time since he had the opportunity to buy new ones. He walked over to one of the water filled barrels, taking a quick sip and wetting his hair and beard to take off some of that dirty feeling about him.

Grabbing a nearby hold with a candle to keep him warm, he decided to follow his stubborn heart, still throbbing with the feelings from earlier, making his way towards Aleisha, slowly taking place next to her, careful as to not disrupt her work.

"Need a hand?", he said with a cheeky smile, as he approached her.

 

[Lyssia D'avore]

"Only if you are smarter than I am," she said plainly, looking at the papers before her with a frown. She had only managed to figure out four or five letters from the jumbled mess, certainly not enough to read anything set before her. The mystery of that storage place, the security used, was maddening to her, nearly as maddening as standing so close to an object of her desire. "I've been a spy for the family for a long time, but I have never seen anything so...so strange before."

She looked at him sideways, and kept her face carefully schooled to stillness. She knew nothing of this man, other than he was supposed to be capable with a sword. Prior to the adventure of the day, she and him and not exchanged two words with one another. The attraction she felt to him was purely carnal in nature, but no less strong for it. In her line of work, such trysts were not uncommon, after all. Death was the reality of every day.

"This doesn't seem like your style of work," she observed.