Fate - First Reply Murky Waters

[Khari]

Alliria - The Shallows

Khari had never left Dornoch before.

Most of the time the tasks that were set out for her by the Dynast were in the city or the smaller cities around it. She was kept close, never straying too far and always accomplishing things quickly so that she could return to her estate with little delay. Most people would not have complained about such a life. A palace to herself, all the food she could want, and everything else provided.

All she had to do was kill a few people every now and again.

Khari had never minded her life, had never really cared for anything else. Yet it had become...boring.

Things never seemed to change in the City of Dornoch, and she was a part of why that was. The Dynast liked to keep things on a path, like to make sure that everything ran without a hitch. After a while though, things staying the same just began wear on. That was why this particular mission excited her so much, why she was so happy to finally be somewhere else.

Even if that somewhere else was the slums just outside of Alliria. The muck and shit lining the streets here were a marked difference to the paved cobbles of her home city, and even as she covered her nose with a mask to drive away some of the stench she couldn't help but keep out the giddiness in her step.

Now she just had to find the bastard who she was supposed to kill.

 

[Kyla Scathach]

Kyla felt disgusting. She had heard her sister had passed through but to be honest she had almost simply continued past this little stop on her journey.

The allrian slums were not a place one frequented for any reason other than shady business or their destitute financial state made it necessity. Besides. She had enemies here. She saw a tavern she knew.

“The Horses Glass” was a dump. The sign depicted a horse sitting at the bar with his rider drinking out of a mug.

The G and the L had long since fallen off leaving it to be called a very different name than oringinally intended by the owner. It stuck due mostly to it being apt in describing the place.

“Well well well.” The bartender smirked as she walked in. “Do my old eyes deceive me or is it the legend herself.” His smile lacking most of his teeth save for a few gold and a few normal teeth hanging on by a prayer.

“The Red Wolf. In my bar. What has it been almost 6 years?” He asked. “However long it was it wasn’t long enough. Save the chit chat Samuel.” She said tossing him two gold coins. “My sister. Seen her? Heard anything about her?” She asked as the barkeep caught the gold. Giving it a bite before slipping it into his purse.

“Three days ago. Millie saw to a few injuries she had picked up. Wasn’t acting like herself though..Kept..” Kyla waved away his thought dismissively. “Any idea where she was headed?” She finished pushing away from the bar. “Wouldn’t say. She was behaving strange like I said.” He grumbled at being interrupted. “I understand..Thanks..” Lyla said with a slow nod. Flipping him another coin before turning to leave.

“Wait..” The man spoke as Kyla stopped and turned. “Sense you were so generous..Someone’s got a price on your head. Had a couple of bounty hunters in this morning asking about you and your sister..The word must be out..I haven’t seen so many old veterans come out of retirement..Watch your back Wolf.” He said gesturing to her tattoos.

“Those don’t carry the respect they used to.” Kyla simply gave a nod and left. Walking back out into the crowded streets.

Now she was on alert.

Anyone was a potential threat now.

 

[Khari]

Khari quickly decided that she did not like the Shallows.

It wasn't the smell, it wasn't the fact that her boots got stuck in mud more than once, it was the people. There was something...broken about them.

Every time she tried to meet someones eye, every time she tried to look at someone or catch their attention they seemed to shirk away. At first she thought it was more of the same as it was in Donarch, people afraid of her, people running away scared, but it wasn't.

These people were broken.

These people did not have a sense of self, they did not have anyone watching over them, they did not have anything at all. There were no slums in her city, not like this, and seeing it now put her on a greater edge than she could describe.

Slowly she walked across the wooden planks, not even realizing she was drawing closer to Kyla.

 

[Kyla Scathach]

As she walked she felt eyes on her. From the darkness of alleys and side streets. She had a tail within the first few minutes, and a knife slashing for her back within the next few seconds of that.

She dodged left rolling and drawing her own hunting knife slashing back at her attacker as they recovered from their missed attack. Her blade found the bounty hunters throat. The masked man gurgled as he fell to the ground clutching his throat.

Taking hold of his wrist she disarmed him as the dagger clanked to the ground. A taunt bow string twanged, and arrow lodged in her shoulder. “Shite..” She cursed scoooing up and firing the old assassins knife slamming into the other attackers chest with enough force to throw them off their feet. The square was almost empty by the time the fight ended. Actually an incredible feat considering the brawl only took a few moments. Most people here knew when to get moving.

Kyla would know.


This was her true home.

The spine was where she had been born. These streets were where she grown up. With the amount of blood she had spilt on this street alone would be enough to flood it. “Anyone else?” She asked. Pulling the arrow from her shoulder with a grunt of pain.

A throwing knife thudding through her left cheek as a two more assassins. Different from the previous two.

“So. You look like Jenny’s brood. How’s that bitch? Still killing nobles and dealers for their stashes and riches I’d assume. Must have loved when the wolves moved out of this shite hole. Left room for her whole little...group.. to make some headway.” She spat.

Pulling the knife free from her cheek along with a tooth that had kept it from passing through her face completely. Pulling free of her guns with a wet pop.

The attackers remained silent though they began to circle slowly. Each in a different direction.

“If you really think two of you can take me your..” Kyla began as she noticed two more on the roof tops to her left.

“....going to...” She continued as another three appeared on the rooftop to her right.

“...Need more people...” She finally finished with a sigh.

“Fair enough.” She said glancing at all of them as they circled her.

Kyla pushed the last corpse off her blade with her foot.

“So your going back to Jenny and telling her to FUCK off. You got that?” She said as the woman’s head nodded fearfully. “Good. And am I sexy and really pulling off the “blood and mud covered garbage.” Look I’m going for now thanks to you lot?” She nodded again. “Good. Dismissed. Back to your master now.” She said. Dropping the served head she had been making nod and punting it back down the street like a ball.

It flew through a second floor window a bit further down the street with a crash. Kyla flinched. “Mummy! Mummy! It happened again!” Came a cry as Kyla tensed and slowly turned around.

“Amateurs.” She grunted annoyed as she pulled the short sword out of her back. Her tattoo glowed an angry red as her wounds began to heal.

No guard would come here.

They never did.

Proverbial wars had taken place on the muddy, rotten streets. Gang warfare deciding turf or seizing assets from one another.

She doubted things had gotten any better in her absence. She sheathed her claymore and hunting knife....and her armor fell to pieces as the sword clicked into place. Leaving it to thunk to the ground.

Shredded mail and dented plate surrounding her as she scooped up her sword and began to walk further down the street and away from the massacre she left in her wake.

Leaving her in a simple black chest wrap she normally wore under her armor. Her back exposed to reveal a tapestry spanning the entire top half of her back. A red and blue wolf at he head of a pack. Names written above each of the six wolves except for the red wolf.

“If my sisters not dead..She will be when I find her..” Kyla muttered as her foot sunk into the mud for the fourth time. Pulling it free with a sigh. Not paying particular attention for the moment as she tried to think where to go from here.

In all honesty she was tired. And while now fully healed..A lot of her arcane energy was gone.

She needed to find a place to lay low quickly.. Her mind was cycling through names and weighing the odds of them either already hunting or finding out and betraying her compared to actually helping her.

It was a short list in these parts..

 

[Khari]

Khari walked through the same square that Kyla had just left, noting the bodies that lay splayed all around the ground. Her lips thinned as she stepped over one of them, deciding already in her head that she wasn't going to ask any questions.

Fingers tightened for just a moment, a soft pale glow running across her hands.

Then she noticed the lone figure still standing within the square.

Most people in these places shied away from conflict. They did not want to fight, they did not want to make trouble. All they wanted to do was survive. Anyone who stayed behind was likely involved, or the center of it all. Khari frowned for a moment, then cleared her throat. "Excuse me."

People had always called her bold.

"I'm looking for someone." She stated plainly. "Can you help me?"

Best to ask.

 

[Kyla Scathach]

“Excuse me.”

Kyla turned with her hand flying to her sheathed hunting knifes handle. Only to see someone approaching her. If they were an immediate threat Kyla doubted they would have willingly attracted her attention. Her eyes narrowed when they came to the horns as the person spoke further.

Female clearly.

“Depends..” Kyla responded. Gesturing to the carnage around the woman. “They were all looking for someone as well. They found them. Who you are looking for will decide wether or not you join them in both finding their target and meeting their death. So tell me. Who?” She asked finally fully turning and able to get a good look at the woman before her.

“And what’s with those..?” She asked gesturing to her horns.

She was pretty.

But those horns left an idea forming. If she had been one of Brynn’s she wouldn’t waste time with chit chat. So what could she be here for...It remained to be seen. The woman for her part seemed...out of place...not just the horns.

She had an air of prosperity about her. Not that there weren’t wealthy people in the slums.

Many a bandit or thief hit it big and made a name. Returning clothes in riches for the slums to peel off their body at their inevitable end. She didn’t seem like that though..She had no roots here. The disgust was plain on her face...people who frequented here had all already gotten used to the mess of this place.

So why was she here. If not to kill Kyla (which remained to be seen..) Then why she would be here at all would be interesting indeed. Kyla really didn’t have time to indulge her curiosity. Her sister was gaining ground by the day...but..

She couldnt help herself. Call it a weakness. She remained ready but her hand moved away from her knife handle as she waited for a response.

 

[Khari]

The moment the woman began to offer threats Khari's eyes glazed over.

It was treatment that she was used to even in Dornoch. Words very much like the ones Kyla spoke were ones that she had heard a thousand times. Men and Women who had thought themselves her better who wanted nothing more than to get rid of her.

She found it difficult not to sigh, especially since she had asked so nicely. Plus there was the added rudeness of asking about her horns. Khari realized that not many people were used to such things, but did one ask a Tiefling what was wrong with their tail?

Perhaps it was just because she was in the slums. "Nevermind. It seems manners are wrongfully expected in a place like this."

Khari offered a dismissive wave of her hand.

For some reason she had thought Alliria would be a tad more...welcoming. This city was said to be famed for it's inclusiveness, for the thousands of different races that made their home here, but she'd rather find the bastard on her own than deal with more persecution because of her horns.

 

[Kyla Scathach]

Kyla actually laughed. “Aye. I wouldn’t think to expect manners in a place like this. Like going to a black smith with a cooking problem. Don’t expect proper answers..” She chuckled again. “My apologies for the rudeness.” She said gesturing once more to the bodies in various states of dismemberment.

“As you can see I’ve been having problems recently..But it seems I misjudged you. I’m the red wolf. At least that’s how I’m known in these parts. You can call me Kyla.” She said as her demeanor and tone shifted from at the ready to a more friendly if not charming one.