Private Tales The Chains of Family

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair could only laugh at the question. Even if he had grown up as a noble, he probably would not know to much about the game. House Krixus has very little political power to give to others or to use on their own. The fact that Alistair knew as much as he did was primarily from reading at the Academy.

"Not nearly as much as you. Why? Do you think we should handle this differently?"

He was not so blind to not recognize that Olvir was far more experienced in this field. Alistair was a weapon. He was here to ensure Olvir's safety. The man's decision was just what exactly that meant.

The killing was always the most efficient if you asked most dreadlords, and even Alistair was guilty of falling into that sort of thinking. In his head, if he did not go and ruin these assassins, then he would have to worry about more attacks for the entirety of this trip.

Olvir

 

[Olvir]

Ollie shook his head. "No, I think you have the right approach."

He didn't blame the other lad in the least for his thinking. In most situations it would have been the right move, easily so, but right now?

Well there was a game being played behind the scenes.

"But." He said. "I have an addendum."

There was a better way to go about this, with only a slight twerk to the whole plan. A smile touched his lips as he gave the thought. His head turning through the street as he began to search for either a tailor or some other clothes merchant. "We don't do it as us."

A Dreadlord and a son of Weiroon would create waves, but two other men? There would barely be a ripple.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Fair enough. Alistair nodded along with Olvir's suggestion but looked down at his own rags. He had already dressed incognito so that just meant they needed to find Olvir some lesser clothes and maybe a cloak or hood and they would be ready to go.

"We just need to get you some new clothes and then some cloth for your weapon."

It was the same reason he had wrapped up his rapier before going out. Weapons could identify a person just as quickly as clothing and there weren't many weapons as noticeable as the weapon on Olvir's waist.

"Once we have your disguise then...I can show you some tricks." A wicked smile spread across Alistair's face.

Olvir

 

[Olvir]

The Boy is right. Disguise me.​

It was jarring hearing the voice in his head, and he shirked slightly as if someone had just whispered within his ear. A frown pulled at his lips, but his head shook and he nodded his head.

"I do love me some tricks." Olvir said with a not of his head, motioning over towards one of the tailors in the corner shops.

There was always a chance that the man would identify them later, but slip someone enough gold and they were more likely to keep your secrets. Luckily for both Alistair and Ollie the latter of the two nobles had plenty of gold to give out.

Thus it only took them a few moments.

Only twenty minutes later Ollie and his companion found themselves in a whole new wardrobe. Blades wrapped and hidden. "Right, so whats next?"

He asked as they stepped outside.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair notice the slight jerk from Olvir and a concerned expression crossed his face. He had no way of exactly knowing what that sword was doing to Olvir, but for the moment it seemed like he was fine.

The next part was probably the most important, but also so most boring.

"For now, we need to find a spot near their headquarters and blend in. The best bet is likely some beggars and bums...Their security changes about every 4 hours, so it should change in about one hour. That is when our best chance at getting as close as possible before we really start to work."

It was a mix of stealth and force. Stealth would get them as far into the enemy's area as possible, but at the right moment, the sudden use of violent force would discombobulate them while the two of them did even more damage.

Olvir

 

[Olvir]

"Right, beggars." He could do that. It wasn't like he was one of the richest people in all of Aniria. Not like he'd lived his entire life in palaces that most people could only dream of. Shouldn't be too hard.

The two Anirians quickly made their way across town.

Alistair lead the way of course, cutting through the streets and quickly moving towards the building that he had managed to find earlier. When they got there the Initiate whispered more instructions to the other Noble, and before long the two were squatting on the side of a street.

A cup lay before them, and everytime someone passed by either Ollie or Alistair would mutter in search for alms.

"Do this type of thing often?" Ollie asked in a quiet whisper as they watched another man enter the building.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

"Not really, but it has been happening more for me than others. I have to do things a bit more carefully. Shame you did not bring someone else. If you had someone like Everleigh then you could just gas them all and kill them before they got out of the building."

Even at the Academy, most students were trained to use overwhelming force and it had taken Alistair a slow realization that he could not operate like that. Finesse and intelligence would have to be his chosen weapons of choice.

Alistair had even managed to get a coin from one of the passersby before he motioned to one of the doors on the streets.

"That's the door. When the shift change happens, I am going through the window directly above it. I will open the door as soon as I can."

Olvir

 

[Olvir]

Olvir frowned for a moment.

"This 'Everleigh' sounds...lovely." He said, slowly glancing over towards Alistair. A frown flickering over his features. "But I'm glad I have you here."

He wasn't entirely sure that this...poisoner would be as effective at teaching him all the ins and outs as Alistair was.

The frown pulling at his lips didn't go away as he listened, eyes folding over towards the window that Alistair pointed out. His head tipped in a nod. A few more minutes passed, and then finally the shift-change actually happened.

Gently he tapped Al on the shoulder.

"There." He pointed out. "Go go. I'll cover you."

Ollie whispered, ready to meet his companion at the door.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

"She really is great...Anyways."

Alistair glanced in each direction of the street, before slowly getting to his feet and smiling. "I'll be right back. Be ready."

Olvir would notice a soft blue glow appeared around Alistair's boots. When Alistair moved across the street, he moved with supernatural speed and grace with minimal sound. A majority of that came from Alistair's runes, but the rest was supported by Alistair's own skills.

The window being on the second floor proved to not be a problem as Alistair planted his boot on the wall and with two strong push-offs, he found himself hanging from the window.

He hung there and quickly drew a simple rune on the window. It did not heat the glass but still changed its form as the glass melted into a liquid. A handy spell for crafting had proven to be a convenient spell for break-ins.

Olvir did not hear any commotion, as Alistair wanted to get Olvir inside as quickly as possible rather than take out some of the members in the house that he ran into. However, he did have to kill one individual in the room that he had entered through, which was done with a quick slice across the throat.

Soon the door slowly creaked open as Alistair stuck his head out and motioned for Olvir to follow.

Olvir

 

[Olvir]

Olvir did his best to remain inconspicuous as Alistair darted forward.

As he waited he couldn’t help but wonder if all Dreadlord Initiates were as well adjusted as his newfound friend. Growing up he had always heard rumors that they were unhinged, broken, shaped to be the dull instruments of war he knew most Dreadlords to be. Yet Alistair didn’t seem that way.

Perhaps that was the Republics touch. A bit more freedom for those who had come up more recently. He could believe well enough that some Initiates had made it out unscathed. If Alistair was to be believed this Everleigh was just as nice as he was.

He’d have to try to meet her some day.

Before he could not any further Alistair popped open the door to the hideout. Ollie quickly crouched down and crossed the streets, slipping in through the doorway just a single step behind Alistair. ”Any trouble?”

He whispered quietly.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair was busy wiping off the blood on his dagger and simply shook his head. "Nope, no trouble at all."

He was still attempting to be stealthy, but he knew that eventually, stealth would fail them. The further they got with it would certainly be helpful for their cause, but a small part of Alistair wanted the Assassins to find out they were here sooner.

"Kill as many as you can silently. Then we go loud."

Alistair led the way into the building silently, but he wanted to let Olvir take the initiative here. Defending oneself was one thing, but silently killing people could be difficult for some. Alistair wanted to be there to fix it if Olvir did something wrong.

"You're up."

Olvir

 

[Olvir]

Olvir crouched besides Alistair, his lips thinning for a moment as the other boy motioned for him to move forward.

Hesitation flickered through him. A sort of weariness. Killing someone who was trying to kill you was one thing. It was fair. Just. Something like this though? It sat within his mind, crept and stayed in place there as though it threatened to strangle him.

Do it.​

The voice whispered in his head.

A life ended is a life saved. End them, and you will give peace to a soul.​

Words echoed in his mind, fingers unconsciously wrapping around the hilt of his sword. He frowned, and then slowly stepped forward. The red blade slipped free from it's scabbard.

Ollie crept forward.

There was a slight squelch as his blade pierced through the heart of a man standing lazily against the wall. There was a crunch, and then the guard fell to the floor. An odd emaciated look to his flesh as he fell down. "There."

He motioned back to Alistair, spotting a small office-like room up ahead.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair watched silently from behind. He noticed the hesitation, but it vanished as soon as Olvir's hand fell on the sword. Killing was never easy, at first, but the noble or the sword had a real talent for it.

"Not bad. I'll take the next go."

Alistair had put away his rapier. The sword was long and fit best for wide-open rooms. For now, his best weapon would be his dagger. Besides, that would be all he would need as long as they were unnoticed.

"Alright, we go in quick and hit them hard, but stay silent. Do not hesitate or you will die."

Alistair held the gaze for a moment to make sure Olvir understood the seriousness of the situation. Satisfied with what he saw. He moved him next to the door.

He nodded to Olvir to show that he was beginning and then threw open the door quickly. He did not wait as he threw his dagger at one person in the room, another had been sitting in the corner.

Olvir

 

[Olvir]

Olvir felt the nerves flicker through his body again.

Hesitation clung to him. Fear. He wasn't ashamed to admit that, wouldn't even have been ashamed to say it out loud. Something gripped at his chest. It rushed through him from his core, eyes surging open for a brief moment.

Go.

The voice boomed in his head.

Frayed nerves were wrapped in steel, forced taught, and then suddenly Olvir burst forward with speed. He slipped into the room just a step behind Alistair. The red steel of The Butcher's Blade slipped across the throat of the second man.

Where a splatter of blood should have appeared was instead nothing. Olvir felt a surge of life go through his veins, and the man falling to the floor as wild eyes flickered around the room.

Seeing only Alistair. "The desk."

His words were a croak, as if he had to force them out. Fingers clutching around the hilt of his sword.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair was surprised to see the speed at which Olvir moved, roughly the speed of his own speed rune, which was impressive, to say the least. The lack of blood was also hard to not notice. It seemed that blade was powerful after all.

Although, the sound of Olvir's voice did make Alistair's gaze stay on him for just a second longer.

"Yeah, I'll get it."

He moved over to inspect the desk for any papers or anything of worth. If they were going to kill all these people then the least their funds could do was go to Alistair's next project. As he searched his eyes kept shooting towards the door making sure no one else was coming in.

Olvir

 

[Olvir]

A few short, sharp breaths later Ollie stepped up to the desk besides Alistair.

As they dug through papers the Weiroon searched for something in particular. Assassinations were subtle things, especially with professionals. They were usually hired through intermediaries and then paid through another.

He knew this because he'd heard his brother talk about it once. "There."

Ollie said as he plucked out one of the papers.

"Artus and Ennin." The Noble frowned as he looked at what appeared to be an invoice. To most it would seem like a simple charge for an insurance policy, but Olvir knew better. "This is a minor corporation owned by one of my fathers Creditors."

He told Alistair. "And I think...it's the contract to kill me."

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair had also looked through the papers but instead focused on papers that might give the names or locations of other assassins a part of this group. He did not give to tear down this organization, but he wanted to have the tools to do so if he ever decided to.

Thankfully, Olvir knew what he was looking for as Alistair did not have the business acumen or awareness to find what the noble had just found. He looked at the paper Olvir now held in his hands and nodded.

"So, should we pay them a visit...maybe send a message?" However, Alistair only sent messages with steel and runes.

As he asked the question, he went around the room gathering, not important papers and making a pile of them, while also grabbing any bits of coins or other useful items.

Olvir

 

[Olvir]

Olvir slowly shook his head. "No."

He said with a frown.

"It's a thought, a nice thought even." There was a part of him that wanted to do exactly as Alistair suggested. It would have been easy, simple. Ending their little lives and cutting off the whole string before it could be made into a thread.

Yet Ollie knew that wouldn't net a victory. Not in the way that it could otherwise. The blade on his hip thrummed, demanding blood. Olvir had to grit his teeth as he spoke.

"There's a better way to go about this." He said, swallowing and pulling himself together. "The Weiroon way, ironically enough."

The Noble glanced up. "I have what I need. Let's get out of this city. I can deal with this mess from back home."

Oh how his father would be pleased.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

"Fair enough. You are the boss for this one."

That being said, Alistair was still creating a large pile of papers. He would make sure these assassins understood what it meant to mess with someone from Vel Anir.

"Whenever you are ready, we can go."

Alistair took out a piece of chalk and carefully began to draw a rune on the floor next to the pile of papers. It was a simple rune that would create a puff of fire catching the pile and maybe some other things on fire, hopefully starting a fire that would spread to the entire building. The tricky part was adding a timed effect that would give them time to leave the building before the rune went off.

"Out of curiosity, how do the Wieroon handle this?"

Olvir

 

[Olvir]

It was an apt question, and one that in the old days Olvir would most definitely not have answered.

The House's had guarded themselves jealously before the Revolution. Their ways and means kept as secret as the blood in their veins. Speaking openly about…well nearly anything they did was seen as almost the greatest taboo. Alistair's question alone would have been an insult.

Close to it.

Now though? Now things were different, and Alistair had already helped the young Weiroon more than once. What secret was there to be kept? "Money."

Ollie said with a shrug.

"A few dead bodies send a message, but the wrong sort." Killing them would have been effective, but it also would have dissuaded others from doing business with House Weiroon in the future. "Instead I'll leverage their assets. Buy the refineries they gather their raw ores from, purchase the spice houses they trade with, barter away their ability to do business."

He shrugged. "I will starve them, stop them from making a single coin until the 'debt' they hold over Weiroon is the only lifeline they have."

It sounded simple, but in truth such a task was mighty. One which could really only be achieved by a House the size of Weiroon. The resources they could bring to bear. The old addage was a simple one; if you owed the bank a thousand crowns that was your problem, if you owe them a million? That was the banks problem.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair let out a prolonged whistle of admiration as he nodded in understanding at Olvir, and they said the Dreadlords were the merciless ones. They killed people, but the big houses kept you alive and then just ruined the rest of your life.

It was something that Alistair nor House Krixus would be able to do. Not unless, a lot of things went right for Alistair for the next several decades.

"That does sound effective...Anyways, let's get out of here, quickly. I'm still going to leave the Assassin's a message, you can deal with the creditors."

Alistair led Olvir quickly out of the buildings as they needed to also get a decent distance away from the building when his rune went off as fire would surely attract plenty of attention. Then they could just blend into the crowd and leave.

 

[Olvir]

Ollie nodded. "I'll leave the killers to the more experienced."

It was an odd thing.

Saying such a thing out loud. Two years ago he could not have imagined it, five he would have thought it all utterly ludicrous. Now after all he learned it seemed almost a matter of course. Killing was never a pleasurable business.

Not for him.

Yet he knew now that it was a matter of fact, necessary. These men had been hired to slaughter him, put an end to the youngest of House Weiroon. What did it matter if he paid them back. Was it right? Wrong? Ollie didn't know.

But as he moved towards the exit of the building the sword cackled in his head.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Thankfully, it seemed that the rest of the building was empty, likely that the other members were outperforming some tasks for the group. They would get to come back to the beautiful sight of a large bonfire where their home once stood. If the flames did not spread, then this would be nothing but a beautiful memory of abandoned buildings going up in flames, to the joy of the bystanders watching.

"Good idea."

They quickly made their way out of the house and made it to the end of the street before Alistair felt the runes activate. It would not take long for the flames to spread, but rather than focus on the fledgling house fire that others were beginning to draw near to, Alistair kept his eyes on Olvir.

"By the way, how are you feeling? Is the sword treating you well?"

Olvir

 

[Olvir]

Almost unconsciously Ollie put his hand on the sword as Alistair asked about it. He frowned for a moment, and then glanced down at the weapon. "I uhh..."

His head shook.

"It's..." He admitted quietly. "It's given some good...advice."

The Noble still wasn't entirely sure what the fuck to make of a talking sword. A thousand questions ran through his head about the subject. Mostly how the fuck it had ended up in the basement of House Weiroon. "Have you ever heard of something like this?"

He asked.

"I mean, of course swords get names. There's entire stories about famous blades, but a talking sword?" Ollie shook his head.

The sword was noticeably quiet.

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Good advice? Yeah, right. He had only heard that sword for mere moments and its tone left little room for Alistair to believe it was giving good advice. He looked a bit more closely at Olvir.

"Yeah, I have. In only a few stories, magical swords with their own personality are extremely rare. The sword's personality had to be...impressive, to say to least, to be able to so clearly manifest in the blade. That means they were strong...Be careful. In almost all of those stories, if the wielder is not careful then the blade takes over its master. I don't want that to be you."

Alistair explained with a hint of worry and a hint of glee for getting to explain such fascinating history. In the early days of his Academy career, he had always believed that he would find some magical talking sword that would make him a hero. Then he realized how they actually worked and found out that they were just way to much trouble.

He pulled them past another group of people going to check out the house fire, before continuing their conversation.

"And, yours just so happens to be called the Butcher or whatever, so I doubt whatever it is telling you would be classified as good advice."

Olvir