Private Tales In the Imperial City

A private roleplay only for those invited by the first writer
Len had, in fact, not left Ahti's vicinity. A cloak of magic shrouded the ancient warrior from vision, powered by the archaic magic of his people. The Cloak was one of the least taxing Arts, and one that B-taa could sustain in even his drastically weakened state. Nevertheless, the accompanying Dagger art was far beyond his reach, as were the majority of his abilities.

He would need to rely on his physical prowess to repel this attack. Thankfully, he still had that in plentiful supply.

From behind the arcane veil, Len counted all of the ways out of the Dining Hall. Three, if one counted the balcony door that Ahti waited for his return beside. With footfalls as light as the touch she'd placed upon him moments earlier, he walked to both of the other doors, pulling them open just far enough to see into the dimly lit halls beyond.

Both empty. Whatever assassins had made their way into the estate, they had not reached this far yet. They would, though. Any killer-for-hire worth his salt would have an idea of their target's schedule. The evidence, too, would be everywhere. The smell of the meal they'd just shared still wafted and lingered in the air.

A plan began to form in his mind. Gently closing the doors, Len returned to Ahti, the Cloak vanishing and revealing him to her once more.

"Ahti, I have a plan. It is dangerous, but it will save your servants who remain from their deaths. It will also give me some idea of who I am dealing with before I must fight them. Do you trust me?"

Even as he spoke, Len reached out and placed his hand firmly above her right breast. His palm glowed, and warmth seemed to seep from his skin into hers. Spreading out from where he touched her, Ahti began to vanish from sight just as he had a moment earlier.

"My cloak will hide you. Listen carefully to me, now. I need you to scream as loudly as you can, and then return to the balcony.

Her cry would be heard by the assassins. They would assume she'd been found and attacked and rush to join their comrades here in this room, where they expected her to be. Any remaining servants or guards would be spared, and Len could gauge the speed of his assailants by how long the trip took them.
 
Ahti let out the faintest of gasps as Len once again miraculously appeared before her, and her lips remained parted as she looked to him in disbelief. She was amazed at what he so casually showed himself to be capable of. Vanishing into thin air was, to her, no small feat at all. Nor was it to the two handmaidens who had made it to her side, but their worries were quickly stifled with Ahti's frantic waves, urging their excitement down as Len spoke to her.

She looked down and drew in a deep breath as he placed his hand over her chest, and then she looked back to him.

She nodded, "I trust you."

And she did, and somehow, without any doubt.

She lifted her hands some so she could see as they vanished from even her own sight. Her handmaidens scurried to the corner, fearful and uncertain of exactly what was happening. She would have to explain a great deal to them in particular after this ordeal.

Now, completely hidden by the power of Len's magic, she took in a deep breath and let out a scream filled with as much terror as she could muster, which in this situation, was all too easy to do. It was only so lasting, and in an attempt at realism she stifled it short by covering her mouth. Then she retreated to the balcony, her confidence growing thin as she realized: they were on their way now...

 
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Impressive though Len's Cloak was, it was all that he could manage, and it was far from foolproof. Too much movement would give away his position, as would excessive noise. The same went for Ahti's temporary cloak, but as he'd explained, B-taa was betting on that. Following the hidden woman as she closed the doors of the balcony that would serve as her shield, he smiled as comfortingly as he could muster before vanishing once more.

No sooner had he disappeared from view did the leftmost door leading into the dining hall fly open with the force of a storm gust. Somebody had taken their bait and taken it quickly. A cloaked, shadowy figure seemed to glide into the room, brandishing a blade gleaming with fresh scarlet life on its edge. No doubt they'd made a victim of one of Ahti's own. The ancient one grimaced from behind his magical veil, carefully stepping to the side, drawing inches closer as the killer stalked the room for the source of the scream.

The opposite door then opened, and another similarly dressed assassin entered, this one seemingly without a weapon.

That made him worry more. An assassin without a killing implement? Likely a magic wielder then. That made things a bit more dicey. Taking a quick look towards Ahti, and seeing that she was still hidden, Len made his move the moment he was able to shift himself behind the armed one of the pair, closing in behind them in a burst of speed.

The assassin tensed, sensing the presence of another person, but it was too late. The invisible Terios reached around and grabbed the blade by its edge, enduring the searing pain that ripped through his hand and wresting it from its owner's grip. His foe's mouth opened to shout, strained as Len drove the dagger into the killer's back and began to charge forward, his veil falling as he approached the second figure with the bleeding assassin poised in front of him as a shield. Confirming Len's suspicions, the second foe rose his hands in preparation for some sort of spell.

Len didn't see the third emerging into the room behind him.
 
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And it was in this moment, when the third would-be assassin made their way into the dining chamber that the awe of the moment finally left her. Her jaw, which had been hanging open in disbelief at Len's display of martial prowess, snapped shut. Her brow which had been lifted in an bewildered dismay, creased down in determination. She would not simply stand by while more friendly blood was spilt on her behalf, she felt she had no choice but to act - and now was perhaps her last chance to do so.

Without an ounce of guile in her movement she stepped forward and abruptly swung open the balcony's door. Gracelessly she rushed in and reached for whatever the nearest thing to her was. Her hand found a lantern hung just there by the out swung doors, and without a thought she grasped it and took it from its place.

The third assassin moved in, so intent on his chance at Len that he did not register her approach - likely due to her cloak only now diminishing with her incessant movement.

She approached too quickly.

She didn't even feel the searing of her flesh against the lantern's heat.

She smashed it against the cloaked assassin's head, managing to push their hood back enough to land a critical, scorching blow of hot wax and shattered glass. Her hand hardly went unscathed, but much worse could be said of her assailant. She delivered a final, feeble shove which in their lessened state, was more than enough to topple the attacker.

 
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The mage flung spells from his fingertips with abandon, crackles of red and white lightning shooting from his hands like the sky in some hellish sand-soaked thunderstorm. Len felt the power behind the magic, but strong though the killer was, he traded in his accuracy for such might. The bolts met not B-Taa, but the assassin's own ally, already dying as he convulsed in pain against the wrath of the fatal jolts.

This would-be killer was not a fool, though. Realizing that Len intended to rush him head on, quickly he erected some sort of barrier in front of him, a wall of shining light from floor to ceiling, just wide enough for him to continue firing at Len around. The Terios clenched his teeth as he felt his captive collide with the wall and bounce off, sending the now dead assassin falling out of his arms, the knife Len had lodged in his back slipping out to remain in the warrior's hand

Now he saw it, the eyes of his foe, the glimmering malice of death that wished to once more wrap its cold hand around him and drag him back into the abyss he'd just emerged from. Circling the barrier meant death, as did standing still, as more magic brewed in the mage's hands. But B-Taa had not come this far to be killed once more, not when he had only just found a new purpose to serve. Steeling himself, Len took a single step back, the crash behind him unheard under the sound of his heart pounding in his ears.

It was dangerous, but he'd not been left with much choice.

The crackling of lighting lit the room once more as Len Dy't spun to the side with an inhuman speed, narrowly avoiding the spell as his body glowed dimly with all that he had left to give, offering him less than a second of The Sandal Art. The miniscule burst of agility was enough to circumvent the barrier and bury the blade in his final foe's neck, though the exhaustion it left him with caused him to fall with his victim, sending both of them collapsing onto the floor.

For a moment, Len caught his breath, his vision white and his muscles trembling. When finally he pushed himself back up to his knees, his pristine white clothes had been sullied with the red of his foes, and his body ached.

Still so long as Ahti was unharmed... He turned his head to look at the balcony door, but caught the sight of his Master instead standing over a third intruder, one who he'd not noticed at all, who would have had an easy shot as his back.

She'd saved him.

She was wounded.

The exhaustion seemingly gone from his system, Len quickly clambered to his feet and rushed to her side, his breath heavy as he already began looking over the extent of the damage to her hand.

"Lady Merira!"
 
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Ahti's eyes were fixed upon her assailant who she had so readily assailed herself. They lay on the ground in defeat, wounded beyond any ability to properly fight and they knew it. It would seem they treasured their life enough to try their hand at the Meriras' ways of forgiveness, rather than make a final ditch effort toward escape or otherwise. This only gave her further opportunity to fester in the shock of the situation. Were it not for Len's valiance, she'd have been a very easy target in the state she found herself in.

It was finally the sound of his voice which roused her from the hypnosis that had been cast over her as she realized the things that were taking place around her. Her eyes shot to him for a moment before they fell down to look upon her hand, marred with cuts and stuck with shards of glass. She hadn't even noticed while blood had so readily dripped onto the floor at her side.

She began to feel a little lightheaded, but she fought the sense of fatigue that washed over her despite how plainly it likely showed on her face. She looked to him again with an intent to say something before her eyes rolled back and she began to collapse.

 
Len recognized the onset of shock when he saw it; The pallor on Ahti's skin was ghastly, and the obvious tremble to her muscles as she fought in vain to stay afoot and alert was the gift of adrenaline leaving her body after a period of immense stress. The warrior's expression softened as his new Master looked into his eyes wordlessly, and he quickly reached out to catch her in his arms as she fell limp in his grasp, unconscious, but alive.

For a moment, there was silence. B-taa looked down at the last daughter of Merira as she breathed deeply, her body falling to fatigue, having not been hardened to battle and violence as his own had. She would be fine, of course; taking a closer look at her hand was enough to ease his worries as to her well-being-- the wounds were purely superficial.

Then he looked at her attackers, dead on the ground around him. Truly, they had aimed to put a permanent end to her bloodline on this night. So insecure about their attempt to take an innocent woman's life that they'd sent three when one would do. It was barbaric, but it spoke of the types who wished to see his new Master... no, his new friend dead. Whoever had sent them would realize they'd been foiled. They would send more, stronger, and faster than the last.

B-taa would smite them all the same. The fitting fate of those who would invoke the wrath of The Terios.

With a small grunt of exhaustion, Len scooped her into his arms, careful not to disturb her wounded hand until he had a moment to treat it. Before he did that, she needed to be somewhere far more stable than a corpse-ridden dining room. The estate's layout was still unfamiliar to him and, not knowing where Ahti's chambers lay, he instead opted to take her to his own.

When she roused from her shock-ridden slumber, she would find herself in the guest bed, tucked carefully under a blanket. Len had bandaged her hand after removing the glass and cleaning the open wounds, and now stood before the bath, filling it with water to cleanse himself of the blood that had soiled the white garments she'd provided him with.

Ahti Merira
 
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The experience of it all had been far, far too much for her. The Meriras had never intended on Ahti being involved in anything like this. At least not at this age, or at least not... without them around. She'd lived an all too sheltered and secure life under the watchful eye of her pacifist parents, careful not to instill a need or desire for violence in her. In fact it was something she had hardly understood anywhere near its totality until now.

That may have been why the dreams which had filled her mind had taken the turn that they had...

… she imagined the dark of the night, the cold of it. She remembered the streets, lit only with torch-fire. She could see them passing through, entering into the palace. She could hear something terrible, and felt a great fear and urgency.

She heard screams...

Her eyes bolted open, but she did not move. For a second she felt cold and still, unable to move or even breathe. But just as the fear of uncertainty threatened to rise did her chest sharply rise and then fall, and only after seeing this did she realize her breath had returned. She eased, and slowly moved to sit herself up, recoiling with a sharp gasp when she placed her wounded hand down to bear. She began to recall then what had occurred, and as she more mindfully sat herself up she looked around her.

She was not in her own chambers, and she was not in the dining hall she now remembered being in. No, she was... Len. Her eyes and mind were upon him at once, and the sudden surge of anxiety that flared in her worry was quickly quelled at the sight of him standing there, seemingly unscathed. She pulled her blankets aside with her healthy hand and brought herself to her feet to approach him.

"Len," she said as she started toward him, still somewhat in a daze, "Len, what... are you okay?"

 
The long night had ended in the best way that The Grand Terios could have hoped for: The safety of Ahti Merira, and the silencing of any who sought her blood on this night. Still, it was admittedly a somewhat pyrrhic victory; several of her loyal attendants had lost their lives needlessly, and his carelessness had led his new Master to be wounded protecting him.

Such mistakes, such losses... they were unbecoming of a warrior of his status. Next time, he would ensure he was at full strength. Next time, there would be no doubts, or worries. Next time, he would crush them for their insolence.

The frustration with himself bubbled deeply within the man's gut, but he controlled his temper, sliding the bloodstained clothes from his torso and placing them in the cold water he'd filled the basin with, in hopes of cleaning the crimson from them before it dried. There would be no new scars on his already well-marked flesh, but the same could not be said of the one he'd been appointed to protect.

Unacceptable.

Still, even his self-chastising was silenced by the sound of soft footsteps approaching from his side. Quickly Len rose from the bath, turning to face--

"Lady Merira!"

He left his clothes to soak and met the noblewoman halfway, reaching out to place his hands on her sides, as if he feared for her balance. B-taa's head tilted as he looked into the dazed Ahti's eyes, a comforting smile growing on his face as he nodded. "I am uninjured... thanks to you."

The shame hit him once more, in a wave, and his smile grew strained.

"I am sorry... you shouldn't have had to save me, and you were wounded in doing so. I failed you, Ahti..."

Ahti Merira
 
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"Please," she started, attempting to blink away the fatigue that held her yet, "there is no failure," she said.

As if given leave by the strength of his hands on her side, she gave way and rested a little of her weight against him. Her hands lifted and set themselves softly against his bare chest. There was a feeling that rushed through her then, causing her hands to briefly push more firmly against him as it came and went. An anxious relief, and she calmed herself with a long, quiet breath.

"If not for you I would be as the rest of my kin, and the House of Merira would be at its end, I am in your debt."

More than any feeling of such, however, she felt something far more comforting. She did not know if it was the stress of it all or if she truly saw what she thought she did in Len, but she felt that she could trust him without any shadow of a doubt. Never before had she been involved in such brutality, and the way with which Len so selflessly defended her seemed something far more than anything he felt he owed. She felt it was simply the kind of man he was.

The kind of man who knew war. The kind of man who knew bloodshed. And also, the kind of man who knew how to wield it.

She knew her father and those that came before were not the kind to employ one such as this. Ever had they held the banner of peace free of violence, but she had seen with her own eyes that such ways could no longer be. Such ways never truly could.

She looked down to the bath he'd prepared, to his bloodstained clothes, then back to him, saying, "is there anything I can do? Are you sure you're alright...?"

 
The expression on Len's face was not that of a singular emotion, but a puzzled combination of many. Ahti was correct: He had saved the Merira house on this night. That was a fact that he could not dispute, yet even so, the taste of failure was bitter on his tongue.

Casualties of the innocent were not something he considered to be acceptable. The Grand Terios did not save one life over others, nor did he put his charges in danger with his foolhardiness. It was unbecoming of his name! Unbecoming of his title!

His hands tightened their grip on her sides as the wave of frustration with himself poured through his veins, but just as Ahti's emotions passed, so too did B-taa's. He relaxed, bringing his arms up to wrap around her back in an embrace as she rested against his scarred chest.

"I saved you, yes... but not all of your attendants were so lucky."

Len had been so focused on setting a trap to protect her that he had neglected the others. It was a selfish mistake, born of the intimate moment they had been sharing before the attack. His loneliness had birthed rage, and that had clouded his judgment.

"Next time, I will do better. You've my word, Lady Merira." He pulled away from her embrace, the hands on her back sliding to her arms, resting on her wrists as her concern brought a small smile to his lips. Ahti's heart was truly far purer than any Master he'd served before. "But what you can do is relax. Your hand will heal, but you fell into a nasty bit of shock. You should be resting..."

Ahti Merira
 
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"You..." she said, her voice fading away as she looked up at him with an almost starry eyed expression - and then a quick shake of her head, "you... are right, I must..." she started saying as she backed away some, trying to hide the hesitation in her speech. She was uncertain whether it was from the shock of the evening or the tension of the moment that made her tremble, but she fled from the sensation - and Len - all the same, "...I should allow you some time. This has been a... difficult evening."

She looked down at her hand with an expression that shifted to one more absent seeming, and she said, "as for my attendants... though it pains me to say, but they would rather it be them than me. I am indebted to each one who has given themselves for my sake, and it is for the hope they placed in me that I will continue."

Then, with some newfound strength she straightened herself up some, letting her wounded hand fall to her side. She looked up at Len with a stern and confident air to her, studying his face much like she had when she'd first met him. She lifted her healthy hand and placed it on his cheek, saying, "thank you Len. I will speak to you in the morning."

Then, without another word and only a fleeting smile as she turned, she departed from his side. The estate was more than safe enough now, but she would not move through the corridors unattended.

 
There had been unspoken emotions floating freely in the air between them as they'd stood on the balcony in one another's embrace, only hours prior. What had begun as a sudden and unexpected employment had very quickly evolved into feelings that had seemingly sparked from nowhere like a fire without kindling. When B-taa thought back to those final seconds before the screams rang out, the way that Lady Ahti had looked up at him, pressed to his chest as her face had neared hers...

There was something there, but its pursuit was not his priority when Ahti's life was in danger. The moment for exploring whatever bond they had started to form was gone, for the time being. When he was certain that his Master was secure, safe, and uninjured...

Maybe then he would ask her what it was she had been about to say to him under the dim light of the moon on this troubled night.

There was some part of Len that wished to object as her hand slid from his face and she turned to depart, and he stepped forward with the intent to do so, before halting himself. No, she had faced enough tonight. To further this conversation would be a punishment, and while loathe to admit it, he was rapt with exhaustion. B-taa would best serve her by recovering so that he would have at least some measure of his strength at dawn.

"I will be at your side when you call, Lady Ahti. Tonight, tomorrow, and beyond."

Len bowed as she reached his door, and crossed the boundary.

Ahti Merira
 
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