Private Tales The Stabby Thread

[Artemis]

Head swiveled on her long neck. They were enough away from the trees that the rock outcropping provided them with about fifty yards of visibility. The rock acted as a buffer at their backs, even with two entry points. Predatory-gaze swept the area one more time, then settled on Talus.

"It will do," she agreed and swung herself free from the saddle. That dull pain stabbed up her thigh and she leaned heavily on the horse.

Shit. She was hoping it would be less stiff by now. Limping slightly, she began taking off the packs and saddle from her horse, fingers running along the horse's body carefully as she brushed him down and checked the hooves. It was clear she'd traveled on horses countless times before and knew how to take care of them.

 

[Talus]

"If I had a fourth level that wound would be fine." Talus commented with a sigh as he watched her lean against the horse.

One of the most annoying things about having sworn to the guard was the fact that other Dreadlords refused to help him.

It was mostly because of his position. Even the lower levels feared to actually assist him with anything lest the Great Houses bring their wrath down. Talus had found it more annoying than anything else, though there were always work arounds.

His head shook, and as Artemis took care of her horse he began to set up camp.

 

[Artemis]

A look of confusion momentarily painted her face as she glanced away from her horse - borrowed horse. She noticed his gaze at her leg.

Oh.

"It will be fine and I've had worse," she grunted and lead the horse over to some fresh grass, tying up the reigns but leaving enough lead room to let the horse wander a little and graze.

"I hope you're not regretting what you did, Dreadlord, because I would have killed you otherwise." There was no bite behind her words and a ghost of a smile tugged at her stern lips. Taking out her knife, she plucked up a stick and eased to the ground. She began sharpening the end of the wood.

 

[Talus]

Talus chuckled. "No. I've learned to stop living with regrets."

He realized that might have sounded silly from someone as young as him, but Dreadlords tended to grow up rather quickly. They weren't ever children, never had the time to be.

With his left hand he pulled out a piece of flint, sparking a flame on a bit of tinder that he had set up directly under the rock outcropping. After a few seconds a fire caught, and some warmth began to radiate between the two of them.

"I take it you've never failed a mission before?" From what she had told him that wasn't really an option for her.

 

[Artemis]

She had a rhythm to her work. Knife chipped and smoothed the bark down. Eyes would glance up every few seconds, studying their surroundings. Checking the perimeter. What she was working on was a very crude spear. She figured it might be helpful to catch a rabbit. Or a mouse.

Perhaps set a trap against anyone who might sneak up on them in the dark.

A pause in her work and a quick glance to Talus. She thought of the greedy and fat baron from Elbion, the slaver from Cerak At’Thul, the desert mage who could control sand. There were others. All tick marks keeping track of every life she’d taken up the inside of her right arm. He’d probably seen those tattoos and other scars along her body when he’d searched and taken her weapons after she passed out. Before.

Her head shook.
She held his gaze, making sure he got the point and felt the weight of her answer to his question. “No.”

 

[Talus]

"Well." Talus said quietly as he poked the fire with a stick. "First time for everything I suppose."

He remembered the first time he'd failed a mission.

There had been no loss of honor, no oath that he'd broken. Instead the Proctors had taken him and thrown him into the ice cold river. There he had been forced to stand for hours until his extremities went numb and he nearly froze to death.

That had only been the start of the punishment. "You know."

Talus began.

"I used to think I didn't have any choices to make. That my lot in life was to be a Dreadlord." He mused. "I'm not so sure about that anymore."

 

[Artemis]

Pushing herself to a stand, she limped over to one of the saddle-bags and took out some rope. She began fashioning a spring trap a bit in front of their campsite, hiding the trip rope with some leaves. Anyone stepped on that, they'd get the wooden spear in their body.

A glance over her shoulder back at him as she brushed her hands off on her pants.

"Oh?" A raise of ashen brows as she stood once again and went to go set up a few more traps, going slowly. Methodically. Limping along the way. "What changed your mind? And what would you do now?"

She was not sharing the same thoughts. But she was curious about his story.

 

[Talus]

"Not one thing." He said as he slowly pushed himself back against the wall of the cave and relaxed a little.

After several nights together and days of travel Talus was pretty sure that Artemis wasn't going to try to murder him anymore. He still didn't trust her, but he would let his guard down just a little bit.

"People." He said simply. "A friend I made in the mountains on a mission. The Guardsmen I'm in charge of."

A smile touched his lips. "Ordinary people."

"I'd never really interacted with them before." Never had the opportunity really.

 

[Artemis]

She eventually made her way back to the fire, taking a spot closer to one of the entrances. Bedroll was smoothed out. Fingers smoothed that silvered hair of hers back. She took a swig of water from the canteen Talus had provided, wiping the back of her hand across her mouth.

"You seemed pleased," she observed quietly, her own back leaning against the rock. One hand resting on the hilt of her knife.

"Do you have any rations?"

She. Was. Famished.

 

[Talus]

"It's nice." He told her softly. "Knowing that you don't always just have to be one thing."

That was something he had come to enjoy.

Talus had no intention of breaking away from the Guard or giving up his status as a Dreadlord. He knew that he could do more good here than anywhere else, but the idea that he could...for now that was enough to make him happy.

At least a little bit. "Oh. Of course."

He said as he reached for one of his saddlebags and pulled out a smaller canvas bag. Without much effort he tossed it over to her.

 

[Artemis]

"Well. If I ever chose anything else I doubt I'd be good at it. I can't imagine farming all day or fishing," she smirked and took out a portion of dried meat, cheese, and an apple before tossing the bag back to the dreadlord. She'd never thought about walking away from the Order before. And she wasn't really thinking about that now. She was just trying to keep Talus alive and perhaps, herself.

She munched quietly on the food, long legs sprawled out in front of her. Free hand absently massaged her injured thigh, forcing blood flow in the stiff muscles. Swallowing a bite of apple, she turned to Talus.

"Shall I take the first watch?"

He was an interesting man to try and figure out. When she was recovering the first few nights at his home, he'd given her his bed. She hadn't objected. She could barely move then. Perhaps it had just afforded him a better view of her in case he'd been worried about another try on his life. She'd even allowed him to help her up from that floor. Eventually.

 

[Talus]

Talus slowly shook his head. "I will."

That wasn't born of a mistrust of her, mainly just because Talus generally didn't like to sleep first. It was something he'd always done, stay up himself and only let someone else go on watch if he really needed it.

An upside of his magic was that he didn't really need all that much sleep. The ghost...or whatever the hell it was he could become revitalized him in an odd way, something that he'd noticed more as he'd gotten stronger.

Talus still didn't really understand the how, but he didn't really care that much either.

"Get some rest." He gestured to the back of the cavern. "I'll keep the fire going."

 

[Artemis]

Finishing up the food she nodded.

"No," she began and scooched back from the rocky wall. "I'll stay right here. I'd rather be close to the opening in case something...happens." So she could cover Talus' back if need be. Be there with the one knife he'd given her. Curling onto her side, she kept her back to the man, gaze outward. Fingers lightly around the handle of the knife.

She was like a slumbering lioness.

And she slept lightly. All the assassins did or they didn't make it past the first year of training. Giving the darkening treeline one last look, she finally let her lids close.

 

[Talus]

Talus sighed and shook his head, deciding that it wast probably best not to argue and simply let it be.

The night itself passed rather quickly, and as he had always intended Talus did not bother waking Artemis up for her shift. It was better to allow her to sleep and give her even more time for her leg to recover. A few hours would make no difference for him.

When dawn struck however Talus stood and gently stepped over to her, touching her shoulder. "It's time to get going."

He said softly, hoping that she wouldn't wake from some sort of dream and stab him in the stomach.

 

[Artemis]

Sometimes as good an intentions were and as gentle as someone tried to wake an assassin, it just wouldn't end well for them. As she felt that light tap on her shoulder she was in motion as if never having fallen asleep at all. Talus would suddenly find a vice like grip on his wrist as she flipped him over her shoulder and onto the ground.

Then she was on top of his hips, straddling him knife point pressed just shy of the skin on his throat. Eyes focused on his face in the morning light and she immediately relaxed.
“Good morning,” she finally breathed, withdrawing the knife further. But not getting up yet. “Next time, you should just call over to me. To wake me up.”

 

[Talus]

"Clearly." Talus said flatly, half a grunt on his tongue as he considered whether or not he should have just killed her.

He knew that his back would probably have a rather nasty bruise on it, but it at least seemed that she truly did not intend to kill him. Now would have been a better time than any other, and he couldn't help but feel a bit...relieved.

Strange. "Though I suppose it's not the worst position I've been in with a woman."

He commented with a slight frown.

 

[Artemis]

A rare, short grunt of laughter left her throat as she looked down at him, legs shifting to stand-up. Feet still straddled either of his sides but she offered a hand down to the man - to pull him up. Knife was holstered back to her belt.

"No? Perhaps I don't want to know your worse position then. And you know the saying, don't poke the sleeping bear and all that?"

She frowned as she looked around the site, the rays of dawn coming more strongly from the horizon now.

"You stayed up the entire night?"

 

[Talus]

"Sleep isn't all that necessary for me." Talus explained as he grabbed her hand and pulled himself up to his feet.

There were many aspects of his magic that he still did not quite understand. He could do things that he still had no real way of explaining, nor did he know exactly their effect. Even after a decade of daily use he had still not mastered his ability.

A part of him wished it were simpler, that there was someone he could ask, but he'd had no such luck.

"I was being watchful." The Dreadlord said with a smile. "You're welcome."

No assassin's yet after all.

 

[Artemis]

She released his hand and stepped back, kneeling back down to roll up her bedroll.

"I'm glad no attack came in the night," she commented quietly, working to break down camp. "If we don't run into any trouble, we should make it to the assignment house by nighttime."

Strange that he hadn't slept. Not at all. She wondered if he'd spent that much time awake when she'd been recovering and prone in his bed. When he'd brought her food and water until she could stand on her own. That time had certainly been...humbling for the assassin.

 

[Talus]

"Good." Talus said quietly.

He'd never much liked traveling by horse. After his journey with Finn he'd learned that he preferred to move by foot. There was something about it that simply made him feel as though he were moving faster. It was probably silly, but still innate.

"What's this place like?" He asked with a frown. "Is there a place you can hide nearby?"

Talus still thought she would be staying back. They would have to plan carefully, but if they did it right he would be able to get the drop on them well enough. Of course that didn't meant the fight would be much easier, but it would at least give him the element of surprise.

That was something at least.

His mind was already focused on the battle that was to come, planning, plotting as he began to set up the horses...It wouldn't be easy.

 

[Artemis]

"It's in a town center. Shoe shop storefront." Hair flicked over her shoulder as she began packing the saddlebags and readying the saddles. Fingers brushed along the horse's neck.

"Good girl," she whispered. The horse bumped her nose against Art's shoulder.

And the assignment shop made sense. Hide in plain sight. The shop actually employed a shoe smith. "I should be able to duck into a nearby shop. Or perhaps stay at the stables." It was risky either way. Any from her order could be at any point of the town at any time - even if she managed to avoid the two at the assignment center.

 

[Talus]

He nodded his head. "The fact that it's in a town is...somewhat unfortunate."

Talus did not like to hurt civilians.

It was something else that he had learned after joining the Guard. Loss of innocent life, even for the sake of a mission was simply not worth it. The Generals had been shocked when he'd suggested otherwise, and it had quickly been instilled in him never to hurt the innocent even if it meant succeeding.

Directly opposite what the Dreadlords had taught him.

"Would they use innocents to shield themselves?" He doubted Artemis would, not from what he knew of her, but that meant nothing of the rest of her order.

Despite himself he'd rather come to like the assassin. She was a person in a circumstance much like his own. There was an odd comfort in that.

 

[Artemis]

Art finished tying off the saddle to his horse, then worked on her own. With a grimace, she pulled herself up, legs straddling the animal. Head shook in Talus' direction.

"That would bring dishonor. I do not think they would do such a thing." She, herself, wouldn't. "But if some get in the way?" Shoulders shrugged. They would also not go out of their way to try and save them. If some got in their way, they'd consider them collateral damage.

"I still do not like the idea of you going in alone." It was clear she didn't think Talus could pull off the rouse, not give himself away, and survive.

 

[Talus]

He smiled slightly. "I'll be fine."

Talus was not underestimating the enemy. He had seen what Artemis was capable of, and two like her could be an exceptional dangerous threat even to a Dreadlord like him. There was no denying that fact, and Talus wouldn't even try.

There were however there reasons why he thought he would win.

The first was the fact that he would have his sword this time. It easily made him twice as deadly, at least by his estimation. The second was the matter of a surprise attack, and of course the third was his magic.

From what he'd gathered during her recovery the medallion she had that prevented his magic from touching her was not exactly standard issue. That gave him a distinct advantage that he'd not had against her. Those factors were enough for him to do this. Though of course he'd have to be careful with his magic. "Otherwise you'll have to kill your brothers, and I will not allow that."

He added sternly.

 

[Artemis]

Silvered-blue eyes looked to the man. She hoped he was right. And she didn't comment on his last statement because he was wrong. She wouldn't kill them. If she had to step in and stop Talus from getting harmed, she would. But if it came down to her brothers and sisters fighting her?

She'd let them kill her.

That was the way. She deserved execution.

The corner of her mouth twitched in the slightest.

"Are you sure I can't convince you to at least give me back my whip?"