Crimson Ravens

[FloatingAroundSpace]

1x1 between FloatingAroundSpace and Rose_Lawlington

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Insaf hurriedly wiped off the drying blood from her hands, a sack of coins bouncing on her hip as she rushed back towards the guild. Her mark had been killed, yes, but she had done it much too messily. There would be blood staining the cobblestones of where the man had died for days, even if the rain came and attempted to wash it away. The sounds of screaming commoners, however, had faded, which meant that either someone was following her, or she had left them behind.


Her employer had been rather miffed that she had done such a sloppy job and denied to pay her at first. She had, in turn, threatened him with a knife at his throat until he relented, realizing that no paying an assassin was probably a poor choice.


A rather large, grey building appeared before Insaf as she walked. It was as plain as they came, with a great wooden door and stones worn down by time and the weather. There was nothing overly unique about it, save for the fact that it didn't appear to have any windows.


Insaf knocked on the oak door and watched as a tiny piece of metal slid to the side and a pair of eyes peered down at her before the door opened and she stepped in. An older man glanced down at her bloody hands and scowled, shaking his head and muttering something about "novices" and "recklessness". Feeling a bit bold, Insaf patted the man on the arm, thanking him for letting her in before quickly scrambling off to the washroom as the man howled at her about respect.


As she trotted down the long hallway, satisfied in her victory, she heard voices speaking in low, hushed tones. Most people within the guild knew that there were always ears listening, always eyes peering and hardly ever spoke of anything truly secretive within the walls of the guild. Even so, some slipped up, eager to tell others of what they had found.


Insaf pressed her ear to the door, hearing the murmurs of several assassins she had seen before, all higher up than her.


"The mission is worth nearly one thousand gold pieces," a masculine voice said. Insaf's eyes widened; she had only received one hundred gold pieces for what she had done.


"It is killing an ambassador come to speak about trade. What's so special about him?" a different voice interjected.


"Don't you understand? If this man dies, the other kingdom howls for blood," the first voice says. "Someone wants a war. And they're willing to pay for it. Besides, it is one ambassador and he is not seen as important."


Insaf leaned closer to the door, her eyes widening.


"And it is not guaranteed to cause war," a third voice chimed in. "The worm said that it might be a set up, given to us so that we Ravens might be captured."


Insaf felt vibrations passing through the floor and she quickly scurried off, eager to assess what she had just heard.

 

[FragmentedPhosphor]

"Dallin." The voice, uniquely smooth and silky and immediately identified as Dallin's friend Alyss, almost pulled the man out of the fictitious world his book spun for him- but the man wasn't interested in the outside world for the moment, so he ignored his friend and buried his nose further inside the pages. He wasn't feeling like doing anything at the moment other than reading, much less social interaction- even if it was his friend he was supposed to be interacting with. Of course, his solace from society only lasted a few moments longer, since his friend obviously wasn't having any of what she called his 'antisocial bullshit', and proved the fact as she yanked the book up and out of his hands, having snuck up on him without him noticing- for a large woman, she moved with shocking stealth, which made her a great asset to the Guild.


"Dallin. The Guild leaders have been calling your name for at least five minutes now." She said with annoyance, shutting the book she held after carefully marking his spot in it." The man made an attempt at getting his book back, standing and reaching for it, but the easily six-foot woman held it out of his reach without difficulty. He sighed, then ran a hand through his hair. "Fine." He finally said after his third attempt at getting his book back. "They're meeting me at the usual place, I assume." At Alyss's nod, he grabbed his boots and began pulling them on, flexing his sock-covered toes inside the leather boot to make sure that his trek through the sewers a few nights back and the subsequent washing hadn't left any damp spots.


Satisfied his feet would be dry throughout the trip, he stood, and ushered Alyss out the door to his room inside the Guild before shutting and locking it himself. He knew any assassin could easily get past the lock, if they so wanted- but this was the Crimson Fellowship, and honor was one of the few codes all who lived in here lived by. It was ironic, considering they were all assassins and their job consisted of taking other people's lives for money- but it helped build trust between the assassins within the Guild, a trait which the leaders of said Guild found important enough to foster. The assassin so rudely taken from his book's world strode down the halls, his tall friend by his side- And still holding my book, he noted with annoyance- and talking to him. It was a normal sight, although to anyone outside of the Guild it would look odd- the small giantess of a woman striding along with a perfectly average-looking man, save for the scars that laced his arms and the single scar running down his face, talking his ear off while he made monosyllabic replies and various other noises of agreement or disagreement. Alyss didn't mind in the least- as the man's friend for a good five years, she knew he could talk when he wanted to, but that his near-silence was more comfortable for him than constant chatter from his end.


However, when they both got to the small doorway inside the building that was labelled, simply enough, 'assignments', Alyss handed Dallin's book back to the assassin and strode off, bidding him a goodbye and good luck on whatever assignment he was getting as she left. The man glanced back down to the small paperback he held in his hand before pocketing it, sighing once again, running a hand through his hair and opening the door. He couldn't really say he enjoyed his life and what it contained, although he didn't exactly hate it, either- it was more a slightly horrifying nuisance than any real hatred or pleasure-inducing job. Honestly, he viewed it as just that- a job to be done for money, so that he could spend his free time doing whatever he wished.


He looked up to view the mission briefer sitting in the chair behind the desk. Another one sat across the desk from the old man, conveniently placed for any assassin here to receive his mission. A small folder sat in the center of the desk, and Dallin sat down in the chair available to him and picked up the folder. The old man watched as Dallin's eyes widened at the price. Nine hundred and seventy gold pieces could set him for the next several years, if he could complete the job quickly, cleanly, and easily- but then the relatively young assassin's eyes narrowed once again as he saw the target. It was an ambassador from a neighboring kingdom, one known for it's obsession with retaliation and fair trade. If he killed this man...


If I kill this man, it could mean war. It could also mean I would be able to settle back on a nice estate for the duration of said war, without ever lifting a hand again to provide for myself. A small smile flitted across the man's face as he saw the cleverness in his client's plan- he would start a war, sure, but he would also have the money to vanish from said war, and as an assassin Dallin didn't have anyone to take care of anyways. His mother and sister were already halfway across the country, his mother doing her best to pretend he didn't exist and his sister not being old enough to clearly remember him. "Any knots?" He asked ,following the code every Crimson knew by heart.


"One." Replied the old man. "Intel may have been leaked. Watch out for carrion-eaters." Carrion-eaters, of course, was the Crimson's code-name for the opposing Guild, and Dallin had already taken out two of their number when they had tried to interfere with another of his missions. He had no doubt that, whatever happened, he could get to his mark, kill him, and be gone before the authorities arrived.


Dallin nodded, and stood. "I can deal with a few crows on my own. Thank you, Galahn." The old man nodded, and watched as the assassin left. Dallin looked down at the file. The assassination was supposed to take place tonight. Well, I can't be late to an appointment... Was all the man thought as he made his way back to his rooms to get his garrote and the rest of his equipment ready for the night.


Sure, he might be starting a war- but honestly, he didn't give a damn. The money was all that mattered.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Insaf made it to the washroom quickly and quietly, dipping her hands into a bowl of cool water and scrubbing off the remaining blood, watching the water turn a light pink color.


She quickly dried her hands off on her uniform before ducking out again, heading towards the door she had seen earlier. Arriving at it, she could see that the people had left and the door was locked. Pressing her ear to it, she heard no one inside. Bending down onto one knee, she pulled out a lockpick and started throwing the tumbles.


Everyone in the guild was untrustworthy, no matter who they were. Her father kept secrets from her. She kept secrets from her father. They weren't family, not in the sense that they were related by blood and by some ancient bond that the commoners had dictated would automatically blossom between them, no. She was his inferior within the guild. She was another assassin that he had to command and ensure was doing her job. She was another face in a crowd of them and she was nothing special to him.


In turn, she did not feel anything for her father. His position as a relatively high ranking assassin and as her father, not mother, did require he look after her at some points. He kept her secluded in his office when she was young, as the responsibility to keep her out of trouble fell on him. Other than that, Junaid did not treat her differently. In fact, he still drank around her, as if she was simply another assassin, not a child. He spoke crudely and rudely, not caring if she heard or not.


For Insaf, her father was nothing more than a vulgar pig, one of many within the guild.


The tumbles finally clicked and she pushed open the door, slipping inside and heading over to the papers strewn about the table, as if whoever it was that was sitting there had left in a hurry. Perhaps someone had picked the lock as well in order to get in and order them about.


Glancing over them, she could see the time the assassination was to take place and the name of the man that was supposed to be killed, as well as the supposed employers.


Quickly leaving the room and locking it behind her (so that another could break in), she trotted to her own room to prepare.

 

[FragmentedPhosphor]

The rest of the day passed quickly enough for Dallin, who spend his time ensuring all his tools were properly taken care of and his clothes properly cleaned and ready. Once evening approached Dallin changed out of his drab and unassuming everyday clothes and into the rich- but surprisingly sturdy, thanks to some modifications made by the Guild's seamstress- finery of an upper-class noble, one who would look completely normal where he was going. His boots were exchanged for shoes of a much higher grade, as well, and to complete the disguise he strapped a dueling rapier to his side, as was the current fashion amongst nobles. And really, he knew that those were the only people who would be around the ambassador, save for the foreigners he brought with him to protect him.


Of course, Dallin knew any bodyguards wouldn't be a problem. After all, he was an assassin, and he knew ways to evade detection from those he didn't want seeing him.


Over those gaudy and eye-catching clothes he threw a simple black cloak, one that draped over him and turned him from an egotistical noble to a quiet shadow. In his cloak he put his tools; his picks, his garrote, his twin daggers and several other items that he figured he would need on the job. Once that was done he waited, reading his book for around thirty more minutes before finally standing up and making his way out of his room and towards the Guild door.


The way out of the Guild was a long, steep slope, first downwards then upwards, which lead out into a simple-looking wooden door situated in one if the many alleys near the docks. Although it looked ordinary from the outside, on the inside the door was reinforced with steel and locked with at least five locks at any given time. It was certainly a pain to unlock- but the Ceimson Fellowship was very serious about their security, and this was the only entrance. There were several exits, of course, but they were all one-way routes that were impossible to enter from, and since the base itself was underground, the entrance was the only weak spot, and his Guild was doing their best to make it just as strong as the rest of their defenses.


From the entrance to his Guild Dallin made his way up to the rooftops and began to make his way towards the Embassy in which the ambassador was staying. He got there just as the moon reached it's quarter-mark, signifying it was around ten-thirty. He still had another thirty minutes to waste before he was to kill the man, and so he lurked on a nearby rooftop, his cloak making him all but invisible and his alertness... Well, alerting him whenever someone passed by on the streets below.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Insaf pulled on her darkest clothes possible. She did not intend to sneak in and blend in with the people that would be surrounding the ambassador. She was planning on dropping in, killing the man, and darting off without another sound or word. She wore her usual uniform: a tunic and pants before wrapping on a sort of jacket that she pulled over her head that extended to her feet, like the ones monks wore, a jacket overtop of them, gloves to keep her hands as clean as possible, before pulling on the hood from her first jacket.


She slipped a few knives and poison vials into the layers beneath her clothes before setting off, making her way across the rooftops as silently as possible. The moon was rising quickly and swiftly, illuminating the tall, grey building that was her guild's headquarters. It had no exits or entrances save one and it had no windows for people to peer out of. It seemed like a tower of stone, with hardly any way in or out.


Insaf quickly neared the Embassy and spotted a shape before her, hunched over and leering at the ground as she was. She stopped a few roofs away and crouched down, wondering if this was the other guild's assassin, come to complete their job.

 

[FragmentedPhosphor]

Dallin lurked for a while longer- then a glance at the moon told him it was eleven o'clock, and time for him to kill the ambassador. He didn't plan on mingling- or at least not to get the man. No, he planned on going in there in his full assassin garb, and when the man was dead the assassin would vanish into one room, and another completely unimportant noble would come out. He was turning to go when he saw another shadow on the rooftop, and his observant eyes immediately recognized the figure as another assassin, although he had no idea who it was.


The man stiffened ever so slightly, tensing reactively in case the other assassin attacked. He didn't know which Guild the assassin was from- but he doubted they were from his own Guild, which meant they were a carrion-eater in his mind, and a danger to himself and his mission. He didn't trust them to do anything other than that- but their life wasn't paid for, and so he would do what he needed to to keep the other person alive, at least.


"Who are you?" Dallin broke the silence first, calling to the other assassin and hoping he could talk things out with words instead of fists.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Insaf stilled when the person called out to her, shrinking behind the rooftops and waiting to see if the other assassin would do something. Slowly and quietly, she peered over the edge and squinted into the dark, trying to figure out who she was being watched by.


She figured the person before her had to be the other assassin, otherwise they would have no reason to be on a rooftop.


The Crimson ones were against bloodletting, if she remembered correctly. Which meant that he would be no threat. Changing tactics, Insaf scrambled down the side of the wall as quickly as possible, landing on the ground just as shapes began moving inside the embassy that she could make out.

 

[FragmentedPhosphor]

Dallin watched as the other assassin froze at his voice, then vanished behind an adjacent rooftop, peering out after only a few seconds to watch him as he watched her. So far no harm had been done to either party- but with a carrion-eater, I know there'll be blood if I try to force them to come out and talk. So he watched warily, unsure of what the other assassin wanted.


Maybe they're here for my mark. He thought, watching the rooftops. After all, I was told that info might have been leaked... He was jolted out of his thoughts at the sight of the other assassin scrambling down the wall, and cursed himself for his lack of logic. The other person had clearly been an assassin- why hadn't he charged them and at least knocked them out?


Now is not the time to think such thoughts. He told himself sternly, before making his own hurried way across the rooftops. He knew where the ambassador would be, and now that he was higher than the other assassin he had the advantage, since he could simply drop down onto the ambassador's balcony and kill the man resting peacefully inside, then vanish into the crowd. He was at the balcony in an instant, and dropped down onto the thing, landing so that he made no noise. He was going to be the one to kill his mark, not some talentless carrion-eater.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Insaf ran towards the balcony, narrowing her eyes as she watched the other figure move. She quickly and quietly dug her fingers in, pulling out two small knives to dig into the layers between the brick and pull herself up slowly and surely. She scaled the wall and peered through a window into the room.


If she broke the window, the mark would awaken. Not a good idea. But the balcony had already been occupied and attacking another assassin would not be good.


Insaf turned to glance at the Crimson one, wondering ruefully if he would simply give up the plan if she attacked.

 

[FragmentedPhosphor]

Dallin knelt to deal with the locked door on the balcony, making quick work of the sub-par locks and finding the door well-oiled and easy to open. He paused for a moment, wondering where the carrion-eater was now. They weren't exactly subtle in their methods, more apt to breaking windows and leaving giant pools of gore and blood- but so far this one had been quiet.


He wasn't sure if that was a good sign, or a bad one.


Going against his better instincts, Dallin stepped away from the door and looked over the balcony, careful to keep his weight dispersed so that if the carrion-eater did try to pull him over, the wouldn't be able to. He knew it was unprofessional of him, and with so much money on the line he really should just get the job done- but he was curious.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Insaf glanced up as she watched the figure move to the balcony. Quickly swinging one of her feet to catch onto the ledge between two of the iron bars on the balcony, she managed to cling to the bars and haul herself to the height of the other assassin, surging towards him.

 

[FragmentedPhosphor]

Dallin jerked back instinctively at the sight of the other assassin surging towards him, drawing one of his daggers as he did so. He didn't fling it at the other assassin- not yet, anyways- but instead held it, standing ready to fight. He watched the other assassin warily, his scowl covered by the scarf sewn into his unique cloak.


"Who are you?" He demanded again, his voice low but harsh.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Insaf gripped the bars tightly and hefted herself over, landing like a cat next to the man, drawing her own blades from under her cloak and narrowing her eyes at the man.


She did not answer to the likes of him. She tossed her blade at him and ran through the door the other man had picked.


She was here for the money, not to answer questions.

 

[FragmentedPhosphor]

Dallin growled in frustration, dodging the knife and spinning on his heel to face where the assassin was going. He realized with no amount of annoyance that they were going after his mark, and without another moment's hesitation ran a few steps before launching himself at the other assassin, successfully tackling them to the ground and pinning them there with his greater weight.


The room was darkened, but it was clear that the ambassador was the only one in the room, save for the two assassins, and even with the noise they had made so far he was still fast asleep, snoring lightly.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Insaf wiped around with her other dagger still in hand as the other assassin sent her sprawling, swiping it across the other's face and kneeing them in the chest.

 

[FragmentedPhosphor]

The knife scored a hit on Dallin, slashing across his forehead and dangerously close to his eye- although luckily it didn't score there- before continuing it's travel to cut across the tip of his nose. The other assassin didn't have a chance to growl in pain before she kneed him in the chest, knocking out what little air had been left in him after the exhalation of pain he had managed to put out. But the man still doggedly held on to the smaller assassin, shifting his weight so that he could pin her with his knee and knock the offending knife out of their hand before they could slash him again.


Surprisingly enough, he was still very calm about all this, even though his opponent had cut deep enough he knew he would hold a scar from the fight. He didn't mind. His only objective was to stop the other assassin from killing his mark, and he had just the thing to stop them- oh. No, that's a 'her'. Well, chloral hydrate works just as well on both sexes. He held her down as he tried to reach inside his cloak once more, to pull out the syringe that held the potent knock-out drug.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Insaf grunted as her knife went spiraling. The man on top of her didn't seem to want to move.


A sudden idea popped into mind.


Many of the common folks didn't suspect women, which made her job easier. They thought she was frail and breakable and would always pat her reassuringly, let her into their homes if she shivered a little, give her food if she asked for it shyly. The other women in the guild had taught her to use her charm on men who thought of them as nothing more than obedient servants.


Insaf could scream for the ambassador, scream for him to help her and then, while the other's attention was away, escape and slaughter them both. If anyone showed up, she could sob that she wasn't sure what had been happening and had been a simple maid. It was dark and no one would know the difference.


Spotting the syringe in the other assassin's hand, she opened her mouth and gave a shriek.

 

[FragmentedPhosphor]

Dallin jerked back at the sudden sound, then cursed before clapping a hand over her mouth and quieting her cries. However, it was too late- the ambassador awoke with a snort of startlement, and when he saw what was happening he let out a cry of his own.


"Guards!" He called, and Dallin cursed, quickly stabbing the syringe's needle into the other assassin's arm, only managing to get about half the amount needed into her veins before the ambassador became a bigger problem. Then he yanked the needle out, shattered it against the floor so she couldn't use it against him, and charged the still-bellowing man.


This was quickly going to hell in a handbasket, and Dallin knew that even though with with the chloral hydrate in her veins the other assassin would be sluggish and unresponsive, she was still a threat. He had to finish this, and fast- and the sound of the guards pounding towards the door only added to his urgency. He had to kill the man, then claim his proof- a unique ring on the man's left finger, which he would have never let out of his sight if he still lived- before the guards got in, which he guessed would take about a minute of time, and before the assassin shook off the effects of the chloral hydrate, which he would assume to take two to three minutes if she was good at shaking off the effects of drugs.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Insaf winced as the other person stabbed something into her arm. It managed to scrape her skin, but the several layers of clothes made soften the blow a bit. She felt somewhat drowsy and tired, but the man had obviously been in a hurry and she had something to focus her attention on.


Staggering to her feet, she managed to pull another blade from the store that she had managed to sneak into her clothes. She pitched forward dangerously, whatever toxin the other man had used coursing through her veins. Drawing up the last bit of strength and consciousness she had, Insaf staggered over to the other man and drove the blade into his shoulder.

 

[FragmentedPhosphor]

Dallin held the ambassador by the chin, and even as the man struggled the assassin drew his knife and slid it neatly across the ambassador's throat, slipping the ring off his violently spasming finger and into his pocket. He was about to turn around when he felt the unfortunately all-too-familiar feeling of someone stabbing him.


He let out a grunt of pain an kicked back towards his assailant, who he knew without a doubt was the other assassin. Damn... She's pretty persistent, I'll give her that... He thought to himself as he flung the body of the ambassador towards the door as hard as he could and whirled to face the assassin, his own knife still held in his hand and hers still embedded in his shoulder. Wasting no time and tired of the pacifist stance he had been holding until now, he lunged forwards, slashing towards her with his dagger, which still shone with the blood of the ambassador. The guards were right outside the door by this point, but the ambassador's body and the three locks on the door were giving them trouble.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Insaf raised a hand in an attempt to block the blow and hissed when the dagger sank into the arm she had thrown up in order to protect herself. Grunting in pain and against the haziness of the drug, she blinked furiously, concentrating on the pain instead and grasped wildly at the other man's neck in an attempt to strangle him. Realizing that he could easily toss her off given her current condition, she instead seized the handle of the knife she had dug into his shoulder and pulled it towards her instead of out, bending it forward and into his flesh.


She growled as his dagger dug into her own skin and hit the ground with a thud, pulling the knife after her.

 

[FragmentedPhosphor]

Dallin cried out in pain as she yanked the dagger, not out, but towards her, increasing the already-intense pain and forcing a string of curse words that would make a sailor blush pass his lips. Still pressing down with his dagger he sucker-punched her, hard and repetitively, until she finally fell to the ground, yanking the knife forwards and out with her, slicing through even more of his flesh an eliciting another string of curses.


Dallin could feel his arm and hand going numb as the seconds ticked by, and while she was down on the floor he kicked her, just as harshly as he had punched her and just as repetitively. He seemed like he was actually going to break his code and kill her when he heard the door being shoved open. Breathing heavily from the pain and feeling woozy from loss of blood, Dallin gave the assassin one last kick before fleeing for the balcony, dropping down to the ground and fleeing without further ado. He figured the carrion-eater would be blamed for the death, and most likely be executed there on the spot- something his pain-addled mind was completely fine with. She had tried to kill him, after all.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Insaf wheezed, rolling over and clutching her arm before glancing at the ambassador who was breathing shallowly. She was amazed he hadn't died yet but with the door creaking open, she doubted she had time to finish him off. Staggering towards the balcony, she collided against the bars and with some effort, hauled herself over them and slid down, woozy from the blood lose and the drug's affects.


She dragged herself back onto a roof and lay there, breathing heavily and waiting for the drug to wear off, shakily pressing a cloth to her arm in the meantime.

 

[FragmentedPhosphor]

Dallin got all of two streets away before he nearly collapsed in an alley, weaving from side to side from blood loss. His shoulder was bleeding heavily, dangerously so, and the wound on his face had all but blinded him in one eye. He leaned against the wall, breathing heavily and leaving a smear of blood. He knew the fastest and safest way to get home would be back through the rooftops- but was he really up to the task? He closed his eyes, leaning his head against the wall for a second before looking around for some way to easily get up from there. He needed to get back to his guild, where there would be proper medical supplies and personnel to treat his wounds.


The climb up was difficult, and very, very clumsy, but he made it up and was limping across the rooftops after a little while of simply sitting there, exhausted. He continually checked around him for any followers, and soon enough was back to his guild's front door.