Private Tales Sins of the Father

[Alistair Krixus]

A strong storm was moving through Vel Anir and the surrounding area. The rain came down hard and fast each droplet leaving a stinging sensation on Alistair's sensitive skin. Freshly made cuts crossed beneath a thin cloth blouse that he had thrown over the marks.

---

It had started off harmlessly enough. Ever since the revolution, his family had managed to pull some strings and allow Alistair to visit his family home once a month. It had been described as reconnecting with family, but it only truly served as a chance for Alistair to report to his father on current dealing that he had been a part of. It had been like any night, the family gathered around a small table as Alistair spoke.

"...so I ended up having a small altercation with another initiate Kalix, but we continued the mission and it went on successfully." He had a smile on his face at the success of another mission to show off to his father. His mother sat to the size with a soft, but dazed smile. She was probably hopped up on so many drugs that she barely knew her son was here.

Amadeus had been drinking heavily that night and he exploded on his son about the value of controlling himself. A berating about family dignity and responsibility eventually evolved into violence.

The next few hours blurred by as Alistair let his father express his anger to him.

---

That was why he now found himself standing out in the pouring rain, in the middle of the night standing on the doorstep of Elise Virak's home. Her name had been thrown about by Liliana the few times they had spoken about things such as shit dads and the like. He even remembers hearing about her actions during the revolution. Hell, who had not heard of it.

His mind had not even exactly figured out why he was here. Alistair had walked here in a daze, but if or when the door was answered. As soon as he could get a chance to speak with Elise alone, he would start the conversation out simple and straight to the point.

"I want you to help me kill my father."

Elise Virak

 

[Elise Virak]

To say that Alistair’s arrival had been a shock was quite the understatement.

His following admission even more so.

Elise of course knew who he was, just as she knew who most of the current crop of Initiate's were. Little Liliana had done well in keeping tabs on her peers. Informing the Head of House Virak every step away. After her fathers death Elise had gone through those notes, and had taken particular interest in those of noble lineage.

With good reason it seemed.

"Oh." Elise said, her tone a mixture of concern and surprise. Brow furrowing as she considered the implication of Alistair's words.

For a moment she seemed to linger, then took slow steps towards the young Initiate. She stopped just a step shy of him. A frown touched her features as she studied him. The clothes he wore, the slight rips within their seams, the bruises that had already begun to form on his skin, and the tiny nicks that pooled with blood.

Gently, ever so gently, Elise reached up, then stopped just short of him. As though she realized she might be crossing some sort of line.

Her hand fell to her side. "I'm no stranger to marks like these."

Elise said softly, what seemed to be genuine sympathy drawing through her tone.

With a gentle wave she motioned over towards the two plush chairs that sat before the fireplace. A book rested by the table on one of them. "Why don't you tell me what happened, Alistair?"

 

[Alistair Krixus]

It took a moment for Alistair to register what he had even said. Had he actually said it out loud? He had thought about the idea for years. Finally, ridding himself of his father's harmful life. The idea had always seemed something like a dream. Even though he could surely kill him in terms of skills, but there had always been something in his mind that held his father to an untouchable standard.

Something about tonight had broken a part of him. It was a part of him that led him to believe that he could do this with just a little bit of help.

When he finally face to face with Elise he was surprised that she was so...understanding. Her reputation was that of also someone untouchable, but when she looked at him with eyes that held sympathy, it threatened to bring tears to his eyes.

Alistair was led to the plush chair where he gently sat down, some of the cuts on his legs stung with the contact, but he was extra careful not to let his back touch as that was where most of the damage was.

"I..." He went to speak, but a cold fear struck him once again. A metaphorical hand of his father squeezed at his throat making it difficult to breathe or speak. Alistair squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his hands together for just a moment before opening his eyes once more with more determination.

"W-We were just having dinner. I only get to come home once a month, ever since the revolution...It started off fine, but I-I made a mistake...He did not like that....He beat me. Whipped me. This man...he has done this to me my entire life...He has ruined my family..."

Every addition of information he included in the explanation felt like another wall that he had to climb over, exhausting him.

Elise Virak

 

[Elise Virak]

Elise listened to every word, her face the very mask of sympathy. Despite what some believed about her, she was more than capable of empathy. Especially when it came to something like this.

Initiates spent their lives being beaten down. Their training had been harsh and their punishments had been harsher still. Elise knew that very well. She'd read reports, witnessed it first hand. The life of an Initiate was in no way easy, and yet…this was somehow worse.

She knew that, for she had suffered under the heavy hand herself.

It's weight was more than that of a stranger.

Parents were supposed to protect, love, not dole out the same punishment an agent of wrath might. It was not the lash that cut deepest, not the ringed hand that left the most daunting mark. No, it was the person wielding them, the betrayal that they offered by the barb of their tongue and the hate in their heart.

Elise knew that all too well.

Slowly she leaned forward. Her hand folded over Alistair's, a gentle and soothing touch. "I am sorry you suffered through that."

She said quietly.

"I know how the bitterness and rejection cut. How what could have been or might still be looms. How the hurt and anger press, and the loneliness…" Elise seemed to quiet for a moment, trailing off.

For a while she stayed quiet, as though she were making some consideration. Thinking. Then she spoke again. "You are not alone, Alistair. You were right to come here."

 

[Alistair Krixus]

This could all go horribly wrong. Opening up about such a topic, and his request could simply be denied and reported to the guards. He would have to be on the run in minutes or end up in some prison cell. That's why Elise's assurance was like a weight being lifted off of his shoulders.

He looked up to meet her eyes and for the first time truly met them and held the gaze. Her sympathy and demeanor instilled Alistair with a little bit more of his own confidence.

"So...will you help me? Kill him."

He wasn't going to go back on his decision. If he wanted to protect his family and this city then his father needed to go. Especially after the new information that he learned earlier that night...His mother was pregnant. He would not let that child go through the same things he went through.

Elise Virak

 

[Elise Virak]

Elise frowned for a brief moment, taking in a slow breath. Her fingers drew over his palm as she pulled back, sitting upright in the chair.

For a moment she sat there, as if she were thinking, and then she nodded her head. "Yes."

The answer was a dangerous one. It would have been a year ago, and now? Now it could mean execution for the both of them. Elise knew that, but she more than perhaps anyone else alive also knew how to play the Game.

Just because someone else now ruled didn't make it any different. The Game of Houses now included Republicans, Monarchists, and all sorts of new players, but it was still the same game. It always would be.

"But..." She said softly. "It will not be easy. Patricide is..."

Elise trailed off, leaving out the obvious explanation. Even today such a thing was utterly loathed. Society did not move quickly, and the law...well the law was always there. "My father was a villain, many despised...even loathed him."

Though there were those who still held love for the now dead Erich Virak. A trouble she was dealing with even now.

"He was an evil man, and his passing warranted no comment in the chaos of the Revolution. Particularly with the truth of what had happened." That had been her excuse, the opportunity she had used to finally do what she had so longed for.

Elise glanced over towards the fire for a moment, then back to the boy.

"So you must ask yourself, Alistair." Her head tilted, and a look flickered through her eyes. "How do you want to kill him?"

She asked. "Do you want to show him for the villain he is? Do you want him to know it was you? Or do you simply want him...gone?"

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Well, Alistair's father was not simply evil in his own eyes. He was also responsible for the majority of the illegal drugs that found their way into Vel Anir. The only thing that kept him from getting arrested was that he also provided many of the more prestigious houses with easy access to hard-to-detect poisons.

In this sense, what Alistair was going through was also good for the city. At least, he kept telling himself that.

However, he did not need the whole world to know that his father was evil. Even if they knew, it would not elicit the same reaction as the death of Erick Virak. Alistair's father was a minor nobleman who most of this city had probably little idea he existed.

No, it only matter that he was gone. That was the most efficient decision. They could slip poisons into his drink, or hire someone else to kill him, but Alistair's mouth was moving before he had even come to a decision.

"I want him to know it was me. I want him to know that his own actions brought this upon him."

Elise Virak

 

[Elise Virak]

Elise stayed quiet, thinking, musing. For a long while it seemed as though she were going to countermand what she said, convince him otherwise, but finally she tipped her head in a nod. "Then your concern is not killing him."

She said quietly.

"You're more than strong enough, Alistair." The Baroness said. "But you know that."

That was why he had come here after all. "Your problem is what will come after."

For a brief moment Elise frowned. She considered something, then leaned to the side within her chair. After a moment her head tipped in a nod.

"Your father, he has a retreat?" Most nobles did. Even those of minor status usually held multiple homes unless their family was destitute. "Somewhere he likes to go?"

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair slowly nodded, as he did not go there often, but his mother often spoke of it. That was when she was coherent. Father's 'office' was really just another abode that used to get away from the family when he needed to.

He only let a select few ever come to that place and they were all business associates, a fancier name for drug dealers.

"Yeah, he had another building just outside the city."

The more he spoke with someone else about the idea, the more that he had to acknowledge that Elise was right. He could get close to him and he was surely stronger than his father. It would be easy to kill him, but...there was a part of him that still viewed him as his big unbeatable father. The one that had bent Alistair to his will. He seemed untouchable.

Elise Virak

 

[Elise Virak]

Elise slowly nodded her head. "You will meet him there."

Her voice was serenity incarnate. There was a calm and confidence to it, a control. As though the dictation she was giving were a command issued by the very gods themselves. She sat upright in her chair now, a throne made of plush velvet.

"Take my Cousin Liliana, and another Initiate you trust." She paused for a moment, as if considering something, then continued. "One that will not speak in betrayal of you. A...friend."

She did not know if those even existed in the Academy. She'd read Liliana's reports, but her little cousin was not exactly the type to make friends. Nevertheless, Elise was confident that Alistair could do what he desired. Knew that he could best his father easily.

But a beast like that was not one most could face alone. Elise knew that.

She would not have Alistair do it.

"Do what you have to, Alistair." She said calmly. "I will ensure no consequences reach you."

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair was nodding along, a part of him wondered if the reason he was nodding so much was that if he stopped then he would start to shake his head in the negative. It was like a manifestation of the belief that he had to keep moving forward, otherwise, he would get scared and run.

Elise's reassurance was much needed, but she also said others would need to come with him. That might be the most important thing. Subconsciously, he might have just been hoping for someone to stand by his side and urge him on.

Liliana would definitely help. She could be difficult to be around for some, but her effectiveness was not in doubt for Alistair.

The bigger question was who else he would bring. He had plenty of friends and a few that might look forward to helping him kill his dad. However, he did not just need some bloodthirsty. He needed someone resolute who would push him forward when he wanted to step back. Someone that knew him better than anyone else...

He needed to go speak with Ralene.

"I have just the person."

Elise Virak

 

[Elise Virak]

Elise slowly tilted her head in a nod. "Good."

Something like this would ordinarily take time, planning. It had been years of work to ensure that her father could be taken care of in just the right way. Yet Alistair had two distinct advantages.

The first was the Republic itself. Most of the old Nobility still held their wealth, still held more privilege than the ordinary citizen. Yet their power was diminished, whether from a Minor or Major House it did not matter. The passing of another noble in this new world?

It would be looked at, but not as closely as it once might have been.

The Second advantage was Elise herself.

He had been right to come to her. Perhaps there would be a consequence to it later, a thread pulled, a string wrapped around his throat, but in the moment that didn't matter. She would do as she had promised, and ensure that no waves rippled over the pond of Anirian politics.

"I think it's best you go now." She said, her voice still soft. "The less time you spend here the better."

Lest this plot come unraveled. "When you're ready, approach Liliana. I'll ensure she knows what to do."

Elise leaned forward, gently patting Alistair's hand once again. "You're doing the right thing."

She assured him quietly.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair was quick to nod and stood up from his seat. He bowed trying his best to try and put back up his formal demeanor if only to add a sense of normalcy to his emotions.

"Thank you for your time...Truly. I will take my leave."

He quickly made his way out of the house and back into the pouring rain. The drops of water did not sting as much this time, or maybe he just no longer cared. A look of determination sat firmly on his face and he hurriedly made his way back to the Academy.

It was late and Ralene may be sleeping. She would not be happy, but Alistair could not care. He needed to speak with her now. This was urgent. The more time he took to set this in motion, the more time he would consider backing out.

He could tell Ralene tonight. Maybe come up with a plan tonight and tomorrow and then they would act. Might as well not drag this on for too long.

Elise Virak Ralene

 

[Samantha Black]

Ralene was, indeed, asleep in her room when Alistair arrived back to the Academy grounds at the ungodly hour of half past three. Unlike Al, she valued her rest where it was an option for the sake of her health, strength, and sanity. Too often were the Initiates made to go without and she'd seen far too many of them lose themselves to madness from it. Regardless of how Alistair managed to sneak past the Night Patrol in the hallways, when he knocked on the door, Ralene's eyes immediately flared open.

There were so very, very, very painfully few who were stupid enough to disturb Ralene's sleep. With a hushed word, a flare of bright red at the back of her skull, and a calloused hand wrapped around the hilt of the dagger beneath her pillow, Ral moved to answer the knock with all the same amount of suspicion that she would have before the Revolution.

The clacking and snapping of locks sounded, followed by the click of the door handle. A slight creak and the door slivered open to permit her livid blue gaze a gander at they who dare.

"Alistair?" bitter confusion pressed itself onto her face and the door opened just enough to give her a better look. It was hard to see in the darkness of the hall, but she could smell the rain and blood on him. Could damn near hear the pounding of his heart, too.

"What the fuck..." she didn't give him a chance to answer and instead grabbed him by the arm, swung her door in and bodily yanked in into her room. A quick glance was given back out into the hall to ensure he hadn't been seen before she closed and locked the door. Her gaze rounded back on him then, brow furrowed over a frown as she gave him a visual once-over, "you have a run-in with Harkenov? She's been in a foul mood since yesterday."

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair made it back to the Academy, utterly soaked and battered, but he still had to be careful. This was not the first time he snuck through the hallways at night. In fact, it was becoming a habit. While it might be frowned upon by many of the instructors, Alistair was preparing for life outside of the Academy.

The others may be continuing their journey to becoming walking siege machines, Alistair had begun focusing on a new path for his skills. He would become the scalpel that Vel Anir needed. That meant focusing on stealth, cunning, and finesse over explosions and physical strength. All of this is to say that Alistair was good enough to slip past Night Patrol.

Alistair suddenly getting jerked into the room was surprising but he kept his footing as he stumbled inside. He turned to look at a confused and annoyed Ralene.

It was only then that he realized how pitiful he probably looked. The blood and rain had probably mixed with mud and his own pitifulness. Alistair looked more vulnerable than he had probably ever been around anyone at the Academy. His demeanor and appearance were often so well put together and guarded.

"I-I need your help, Ral." It almost looked like he was on the verge of tears, but it must have been the rain.

Dreadlords don't cry.

Ralene

 

[Samantha Black]

"No shit?" Ral replied, moving from the door over to the nightstand where she lit the lantern sitting there and turned the wick up for a bit more light. Once she set her eyes back on Alistair the edge from her expression dulled. Something had happened to him - something worse than the horrors all of them had faced here at the Academy throughout their rather short lives. Ralene frowned and quickly reassessed the situation.

"Okay," she said calmly at length, "I'm listening."

Something about seeing a fellow Initiate battered and broken sparked a fire of rage in her unlike her usual anger. Despite the fact that many of their year had died at her hands before the revolution, now things were different. They no longer lived among their own worst enemies but, in all likelihood, now lived among those who would become their strongest allies. It wasn't quite family, but it behooved them to take care of their own now.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair froze for a moment, once again hesitating to explain these series of events to another person, but he finally forced out the story. Everything from the history of his abuse to his father's other dealings, then the events of the night, and finally that his mother was pregnant.

"I-I can't let them live through that. I-I-I need your help...I want to kill my father."

Every time he voiced his ultimate idea, there was a twinge of panic and fear. Ral could just as easily report this to the guards and Alistair would likely be arrested or try to run...Escaping the Academy rather than the city itself would be a lot more difficult. It is what most would have done before the Revolution...

"I spoke with Elise who has also agreed to help me...Please, this man can't keep getting away with this."

Ralene

 

[Samantha Black]

Ralene maintained a deathly silence throughout the entire story. At some point she pulled the chair from her desk and took a seat. Her eyes remained watching him, keen and level. Her expression betrayed nothing of the thoughts going through her mind. Her hands remained steady despite a fresh surge of adrenaline brought about by the fury his story engendered in her.

In the end, she almost wished he would have said something in regards to the relationship with his father sooner. She might've done something, but she couldn't say exactly what. Perhaps pressed him into a stance of strength so that it might not have carried on for so long. What it all revealed though was that Alistair was very much just a scared boy beneath the heel of his patriarch; a notion that disgusted her to no end and dredged up some very concerning thoughts of pity for him.

"You mean," she began quietly after he, too, fell hushed, "Lady Virak."

A powerful woman wielding a powerful name. Ralene had no respect for Liliana but Elise Virak was a whole different animal. If Virak's involvement changed her opinion or thoughts on anything, she didn't say. The fact of the matter was that Alistair had only needed to say the words I want to kill my father and I need your help. He hadn't needed to explain anything or divulge his insecurities and guilty secrets. Ral would have helped him for the asking.

She offered him a simple nod, looked ponderous for a moment, then leaned back to filter through a few stacks of parchment, "You need an alibi and I think I might have something that will work. Mars gave me a low priority mission that I need to do by the end of the month. Haven't done it yet, but I'll tell him I'm taking you with me to give you more field practice with your new weapon and we'll leave when you're plans are ready."

The only catch was ... they would actually have to do the mission, but it might just prove to be the perfect wind-down from some good, old-fashioned patricide.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Ral did not call him weak, or worse, run to grab guards to throw him in prison. Her silence throughout his storytelling and directly afterward felt like an eternity to Alistair. He almost expected her to jump up and smack him on the head and call him a wimp.

Instead, he never even got an accent, Ral jumped into helping form a plan. Alistair's shoulders slumped in exhaustion. A friend with that he had complete faith in their abilities and their mindset had agreed to help him and it felt like a rush of affirmation. His anger and sudden desire to accomplish this killing were not a mistake.

"Yeah, I think that could work. Lady Virak had said she would help handle the political backlash if there were any. Between her assistance and the alibi then we should be able to pull this off without any repercussions...Oh, I think Liliana is supposed to be coming with us...to kill him."

Alistair would not kill his father with his new weapon. He quickly told himself. He would not let his wonderful creation be dirtied by such a man's blood.

"When are we supposed to go on this mission?"

 

[Samantha Black]

"Mmm," Ral issued a thoughtful sound at the mention of Virak's involvement. Eyes narrowed, faintly suspicious, she voiced nothing further. Alistair would need to take care of who he owed such debts to, but they were his debts to owe and not her own.

"Liliana is going along?" she grimaced. Fucking hell, she did not like that blonde waif, but if it was a stipulation of Lady Virak's then she would bite her tongue. For now.

"I have until the end of the month..." a quick flip through her journal to a marked page for the current month showed her the calendar, "about a week and a half."

 

[Alistair Krixus]

"Ok, then we can...do the deed tomorrow and continue on out of the city to complete your mission. Hopefully, by the time we return from the mission, Lady Virak will have handled the repercussions."

The more a plan began to form in his head, the more relaxed Alistair seemed to become. He had always handled in detail plans rather than off-the-cuff decisions. Maybe that was another reason why all of this was so scary.

The plan was still mainly for what happened after the killing. He did not have a plan for the killing. Would he just walk into the building and kill his father. It would actually be simple as the only guards his father could afford were shit at their job. He would be doing the city a service if he killed them too.

"We should go talk to Liliana...After that, the only thing left is to just do it."

Ralene

 

[Samantha Black]

"Uh huh," Ralene narrowed her eyes at him, idly tapping her fingers along the page of her open journal. Her jaw set visibly, pulling the tendons taught along her face as she chewed on this pittance of a plan, "and how exactly to you plan to just do it?"

Ralene could plot and plan all evening, or she could throw a mission off the cuff. She was nothing if not adaptable - but that wasn't Alistair's forte.

"What's the security look like? Where exactly is he? How long does it take to get there? Is he expecting you or are we giving him a surprise visit? And what, exactly, do you need me to do?"

The tough questions that needed to be asked.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Well, to call it a plan might be a bit of a stretch, but that did not mean it would not work. Alistair scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"So, security is minimal at best. One or two lackluster guards. He will be in a small building that he uses as a sort of retreat when he wants to avoid the family. Getting there will be an hour or so, so it should not be too bad. He shouldn't be expecting me so it will be a surprise. As for you..."

What exactly did he need Ralene to do? It wasn't something so definite, but he wanted Ral there because she was adaptable and good in high-pressure situations. Most importantly, Alistair had just needed someone he could trust. Liliana was competent, but he also would not be surprised if she decided to stab him in the back...Ral would at least stab him in the front and maybe feel disappointed about it.

In the Academy, that might as well be friendship.

"I just need you to keep a look out for anything I don't expect."

Ralene

 

[Samantha Black]

"You still haven't answered the most important question," Ralene responded, voice flat and gaze level, "how are you going to do it?"

 

[Alistair Krixus]

"Well, I..."

His voice trailed off as he had not really considered exactly what he would do to the man. He would not admit that suddenly so many ideas filled his head instantly. He had the options of blade or magic.

Alistair could torture him the same way he had been tortured for all these years. He could put runes on the man's body, and since he had not magical abilities, the magic that would flow through him would make his blood boil, or worse. He could cut off specific parts of the body that would ensure he still lived but felt every bit of pain. With Alistair's knowledge, that wasn't to difficult a task.

All of these horrible ideas filled his head in an instant, but his expression never changed and his eyes remained focused on Ralene. He finally spoke.

"I will simply stab him and let him die...A sad death for a sad man."

Ralene