Private Tales The Stabby Thread

[Talus]

He frowned for a brief moment, glancing at her. "Maybe when I see the town."

That was still a factor in all of this.

If whatever battlefield this ended up on didn't suit the circumstances he would have to adjust his plan a little. Right now he was picturing a small house in a village, some place he could wait outside of and get the drop on.

He smiled though.

"I've never been a whip kinda guy anyway." Talus smirked, and then quickly pulled himself into the saddle.

 

[Artemis]

She huffed.

"Afraid I'd get the upper hand?" A smirk as she urged her horse forward and away from their campsite. She was thankful for a change in trouble. Glad they didn't get ambushed last night by her own, by the enemies that Talus seemed to collect, or by common bandits.

She shifted in the saddle and stretched her arms, one at a time as they shifted on the reigns. Head went back on a swivel as they rode, alert as ever.

 

[Talus]

"Nope." Talus said with a smile. "Just some bad memories."

The lash had been used more than once as a punishment in the academy. Talus still bore the scars from those incidents, and in truth even wielding such a weapon made him somewhat uncomfortable. He didn't say as much, but it was true.

They began down the road, Talus leading as always. "Do you have any hobbies?"

He asked out of the blue.

 

[Artemis]

"I might be able to best you," she said, though there was no bite behind her words. Just an amused half-smile. Somewhat insulted that he'd answered 'nope' so quickly. "Perhaps like this morning."

A look over her shoulder at him.

"Hobbies?" A quiet smile that he'd miss because she turned around. "This lifestyle doesn't really grant much time for hobbies. I do enjoy learning and wielding different weapons. Training practice. Anything to get the heart rate up." She couldn't afford to do much else. Take contracts. Travel. Practice. Finish the contracts and repeat.

"Sometimes," she began again, quietly. Wondering if he'd hear her over the hoofbeats of the horses. "I enjoy sitting and marveling just before sunset. The colors never cease to amaze me and that golden light."

She'd never admitted that to anyone before.

 

[Talus]

He frowned for a second. "I think only the last one could really be considered a hobby."

At least from Colette's definition.

"But it sounds nice." Talus had never really considered watching the sunset. For him it was a good time to attack, a time when no one expected an attack to come. Perhaps it was the dreadlord in him that still thought that way.

He had no idea why he asked her these questions, but he thought it might have been an odd form of pity. She was like him, perhaps he'd wanted to show her the same lesson the Guard had shown him.

"I took up woodcarving." Talus said with a smile. "One of my guardsmen encouraged me to."

An odd statement for her likely. "It's...helped to branch out."

 

[Artemis]

"Perhaps so," she agreed quietly. Who was she to know what a hobby was? Fingers drummed on the hilt of her ONE knife. Other hand held the reigns as they moved further into the woods. Eyes flickered from the shadows cast back to Talus.

"What do you carve?"

She'd wondered if she'd seen any of his work at his house. Before.

 

[Talus]

"It depends on my mood." He said chirpily, smiling at her. "I began with simple things."

The Drealdord explained. "Figurines mostly, though I'm not sure they came out all that well."

Most of them had looked like odd blobs without any actual features.

"Then I did bigger things. The Table in my Kitchen was my latest work." There was a pride to his voice, even more so than there had been when he'd talked about his sword craft.

 

[Artemis]

"Perhaps you were meant to be an artist in another life, Talus." Art said the words quietly. They broke the woods and came out on a road that would lead into the small town. Artemis shifted uncomfortably in the open. This wouldn't be good if they were seen together by any from her Order.

But there wasn't another treeline to travel to, toward the town.

"I do not like being this exposed," she mouthed to Talus as they passed a group of farmers.

 

[Talus]

He chuckled. Talus had never once in his lifetime considered himself an artist or anything close to it. The Hobby was something he did to keep his mind occupied, to focus on something other than war and battle. Finn would have been proud of him.

"I doubt it." Talus commented with a shake of his head as they broke into the clearing just ahead.

His fingers tightened slightly on the reigns, but other than that he showed no other sign of being worried. Open fields meant you could see your enemy coming just as easily as they could see you.

"Just keep your eyes peeled." He commented. "We'll be alright. Just two innocent travelers."

Talus wasn't even wearing his usual armor.

 

[Artemis]

"I'm not worried about them," she whispered as they rode further down the road. Rows of crops glittered the land on either side of them. "I'm worried about someone from my order seeing us."

She wouldn't be able to explain this to them.

She and Talus would face dire consequences.

Sightly, she remained upright. "What is your plan when you get to the shop? How will you convince them you are from the minor house?"

 

[Talus]

Talus had thought long and hard about that, and he'd eventually found a solution that he thought would work quite well. At least he hoped it would do so.

With a quick turn he reached into one of his saddlebags and retrieved what appeared to be a small amulet. He waved it in front of Artemis and then tossed it over to her. "That's the symbol of Relek's favorite mercenary company."

He told her. They had used them in their campaigns in the north, something a lot of Anirians had found shameful.

"I'll make it appear like I lost it in the fight after I'm done." He explained. "The sword I have is also from their armories, and If your men are as good as you say they are they should recognise it."

The hints were subtle, but it should be enough.

 

[Artemis]

Fingers caught the amulet deftly. She was good at plucking throwing knives out of the air and catching an amulet was much easier than that. She studied the symbol as she bobbed and swayed in the saddle.

She gave a quick, short nod and threw it back to the man.

His plan should work but there was a lot that could make it go wrong. She eyed his saddle bags. "Do you have any spare armor or clothes. I know I need to stay out of sight but what if you need me close by?"

 

[Talus]

Talus smiled. "You know what a motto of the Dreadlords is?"

There was almost a smugness to his tone.

"Always be prepared." Without a second thought he reached into the same saddle bag and pulled out a length of cloth. It seemed to be a cloak of some sort, and on it was stitched the symbol of House Relek itself.

"I don't think it'll be needed." He told her. "But the cloak should be enough."

Getting armor had been too difficult. "Worried about me?"

He teased.

 

[Artemis]

There was a low chuckle, narrow and half-roll of her eyes as she looked back at Talus.

Dreadlords.

"Glad I can stay close by and ready to assist," she mused. She could see the city gates in the distance. They were almost there. The tension across her shoulders spread. Fingers tightened slightly on the reigns.

A glance back over at him.

"Perhaps I am," she eyed him closely, letting him determine how much of her tone was teasing and serious.

 

[Talus]

"Don't be." He said quietly.

Being concerned about someone like him was like worrying about when a stream would stop. There was really no point. Eventually he would die, whether by the hand of an assassin or a fellow Dreadlord.

He'd already accepted that fate. "If I die here..."

Talus stopped for a second.

"Can you fulfill your oath by saving someone else?" He did not really understand how her system of honor worked, but he wanted to have this conversation before they reached the city.

 

[Artemis]

His response wasn't good enough for her. With a sharp tug of the reigns she'd maneuver her horse in front of his own. She wanted to see him head-on. Eye-to-eye. And since she was tall, she could almost match him in that.

"Why should I not be? Do you not value your own life?"

Gray-blues looked at him calmly. And unwavering. With an intensity that would make a child cry and run back to their mommy. She chose not to answer his own question, for now. That wasn't exactly how things worked.

 

[Talus]

He blinked. "I value it plenty."

True enough, especially lately. Once upon a time he had not really thought himself anything of value, but lately that had come to change. He had friends, he had people that loved him, and he had a life. That didn't change his circumstance.

"But I've accepted the reality I'm in." Talus told her. "House Relek is only the first. The others will want me soon enough."

That much was assured. "Except they won't send outsiders."

Dreadlords and Forsaken, He'd already been warned about it.

"I will fight as long and best I can, but I can't take on everything that comes my way." He wasn't strong enough for that.

 

[Artemis]

"Okay," she said quietly. She understood all-to-well. Assassins didn't exactly have long life spans. Even if they were good at their jobs. Like she'd been - until Talus. She knew it was only a matter of time that her profession would catch up with her and she'd never considered a different lifestyle.

Never considered, what if she did want to live to be an old age?

She, too, had accepted the reality she was in.

"If I was unable to save your life, who would you choose for the life debt to go to?"

The reality was, she'd die to try to save his life, so there would be no transfer. But she was curious to hear about who he would choose if that option existed.

 

[Talus]

He frowned a moment, and then slowly answered. "There is a girl."

Wasn't there always?

"I did something during my days of Training." It had not been him alone, but he initiated it in order to save his own skin. Lips thinned, and he continued on. "I'm not sure where she is, but I know she's alive."

Alloi.

Artemis would not know her of course, but there were two alive who still did. Talus had gotten small pieces of information about what had happened to her, and none of it had been pleasant. "I would have you find her and free her from Vel Anir."

Not a light request, but one he thought was worth a life debt.

 

[Artemis]

With a click of her cheeks, she turned her horse around and stopped blocking Talus' path, riding beside the dreadlord, instead. "That is not exactly how a life debt works but perhaps we can discuss it more after you survive this."

A ghost of a smile on the assassin's lips.

They were passing beneath the arched gates of the town now. No guards stopped them, seeing Talus' Dreadlord colors. "Two streets down and to the left is the cobbler shop," she whispered to him. "Where do you want me to wait? I'd prefer to be within view somewhere."

Eyes scanned around them.

"Perhaps the rooftop across the street?"

 

[Talus]

As they made their way through the town Talus seemed to take on the eyes of a hawk.

His entire demeanor changed in an instant, like he'd entered a mode specifically for the mission and that alone. Everything and anything was taken in. The angles of the buildings, how tight the alleyways were. All of it was relevant.

"Roof top." He said with a nod. "I need a place to change, and watch for them to come in."

He glanced at her. "I'll join you up there then move when I spot them."

That would give him the fastest path towards his foes.

 

[Artemis]

She nodded.

She was on as high alert. If anyone from her order saw her riding with him. Well. They'd both be murdered in their sleep. Hand motioned for the cloak and she parted ways as soon as Talus handed it to her.

Turning down a side-alley well away from the shop, she gave the man one last tip of her chin and disappeared. Dismounting, she tied the horse off and quickly put on the cloak. She still managed to climb like a spidermonkey up to that roof - even with the hindering cloak on.

She was a professional.

Sliding onto her belly, she lifted her head an inch so she had a view of the street below while remaining mostly hidden.

 

[Talus]

Talus followed after Artemis quickly, though he didn't need to climb.

Within a few seconds he found himself at the back of the roof-top, positioning himself so that he would not be seen by anyone on the street as he dropped one of his saddlebags and began to fish out the clothing and amulet he'd taken with him.

As soon as he was in the right clothes he quietly crawled up besides the Assassins. "Here."

He said as he offered her a saddlebag.

Inside she would find all the weapons that he had taken from her.

 

[Artemis]

A brow quirked at him within the shadow of her cowl.

"Finally," she breathed. Hands dipped into the weapons and he might tense, wondering what she would do with them. Or, perhaps he'd come to trust her word by now. She began fastening them within the holsters and straps along her body.

There were a lot though. She'd have to finish with the rest when Talus ventured across the street.

"Okay," she whispered. "That shop down there." Artemis squinted. "There will be two in there. Perhaps more if some are being assigned contracts."

 

[Talus]

Talus slowly turned to her. "More?"

This was the first time on their entire trip that she'd mentioned there might be more than two. His lips thinned, and eyes closed as he collected himself.

"Okay." He would just have to deal with it.

Scooping up the sword of House Relek and adjusting the leather tunic he wore, Talus made a single motion to Artemis and then quickly shimmied his way down the side of the build. As he walked through the alleyway Talus adjusted his gauntlet.s

Upon each of them was carved a Rune, one for strength, and the other for speed.

They would be his trump cards.