Khaisan nodded his head, understanding. Night had still reigned but he had to make sure night would last long enough for him to complete his task. Which meant he had to act now. He extended his wings outward and said, "I bid you dark beings farewell."
He raised his wings and flew off, bursting through the roof. He halted in midair and looking for the palace, flew towards it. He landed on the side of the wall and waited for the patrol to walk past his position. Once he did, Khaisian scaled the wall, snuck up to the guard, and broke his neck. He silently opened his wing, allowing him to glide down to the courtyard. He crept into the halls where his targets would be sleeping. He first sought out the man and his wife. He took out his swords and entering the room, stabbed the man in the stomach while slitting the throat of his wife. He then went the room of the man's eldest daughter. He went inside and stabbed her as well. Finally he came to the last daughter. But just as he was about to kill her, something awoke in him, a desire. He decided to turn her into a vampire and make her his mate. In his mind, he was already fabricating a lie that he could tell her.
He took her in his arms, broke her room window, and flew back to his citadel.

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I was cured all right.

Ava followed Zelkhar into the darkness, fully prepared to face any task, question, or test that was laid before her. Though this town was full of exiles, she had an advantage above them all, she was the rightful heir to the throne and therefore had more will power to win this upcoming battle that she knew she was about to face.

She took comfort in the shadows surrounding her as she kept in step with the man's long strides, wondering what was going to be on the other side.

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The waves that C R A S H E D upon
The R O C K S that you were trying to step along

And in my head I heard them play a S O N G

Rumour listened, dissolving into smoke as she heard each one's agreement to the plan. Her smoky form slithered after Ava and Zelkhar as they left through the tunnel, the door closing almost upon her as she slipped through. A soft, velvety voice sounds about the two. "And what is my job, exactly?..... I never said I wouldn't help...... This thing intrigues me, even if I don't trust you..... Besides, one must take risks if one wants to live life to the fullest....."

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For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not die, but have everlasting Life. ~John 3:16~





~The Mercenary A-U Gentlewoman~

"Well... I suppose I can find a task for you... come with us and I will explain your role once the tests have begun..."

Zelkhar said as he waited for them to follow him, he had stopped to look back from the darkness with only his eyes glimmering in the dark.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

A smokiness envelops Zelkhar's head as she floats through him and around him, starting off down the tunnel once again. "How fun....."

_________________
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not die, but have everlasting Life. ~John 3:16~





~The Mercenary A-U Gentlewoman~

Khaisan returned to his citadel with the slumbering girl. He laid her on a stone table and lifted her hair off from her neck. Khaisan never made a vampire before but he read books that told him the magic in making one. He stroked the girl's neck, enjoying the smooth skin. He then placed his teeth around her throat and bit it. He did not take any of her blood as he allowed his saliva to enter her wound and into the body. The girl stirred and looked in horror at Khaisan who had his teeth covered in her blood. "Relax, my lady," Khaisan immediately said, placating her. "I am Khaisan. Your family has been murdered by traitorous guards. I had to do what I did to save you."
Remarkably, the girl did not seem more terrified. "What did you do?" she asked nervously.
"I turned you into something like me, a vampire. Rest. I have business to attend to. I will show you your room."
Khaisan led the girl to a wonderfully decorated room. "You may sleep here," he continued. "When you are rested, you may wander about the castle. You will find that you live on blood instead of food. There are countless jars of blood in this citadel. You may drink as much as necessary. Good-bye."
He bowed his head and flew from his citadel and back to the warehouse.

_________________

I was cured all right.

Denaris raised an eyebrow. Then, with a shrug, he spoke a teleport spell and vanished from the room. He reappeared just outside the outskirts of the city. Shadows stirred from the surrounding forest. The shadows solidified to form two cloaked and hooded elves, two of Denaris's top ranking wizards.

"Serril. Ehras. You've scouted the area." It was a statement, not a question.

Serril dipped his head once. "To the south lies a hamlet of little significance. To the northwest, across the river, lies a few ruins. But to the north we found a most peculiar thing. A silver tower. We detected a powerful aura of magic surrounding it."

Denaris considered. Zelkhar hadn't lied. He gestured at Ehras. The second mage uttered a shrill, musical whistle. Before them materialized three wraithlike apparitions in the shape of winged horses. They mounted the ghostly steeds and took off into the night.

_________________

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resistance is futile...
avvie by mrs.gamgee photoshop genious!

[Denaris is already in the forest]

They arrived at the silver tower an hour before daybreak. The tower itself seemed deserted. Its tall frame twisted up in the night, where fading moonlight kissed its slender spires. Basked in astral light, the tower's silver hue gave it an ethereal sense.

Appraising it from his spot in the woods, Denaris began casting. He found a half dozen powerful wards surrounding the tower, as well as a few hidden ones inside that he could not define. He wondered how he could use his newly acquired knowledge to his advantage.

"What do we do, lord?" Ehras asked from atop his wraith pegasus.

Denaris sat in thought for a long moment. At length he dismounted from his pegasus, which immediately vanished into vapor. "The pretense of betrayal," he said with a shrug. "I intend to find out more about this kingdom we've landed ourselves in. Ehras, you shall remain here. Serril, come with me."

_________________

_________________
resistance is futile...
avvie by mrs.gamgee photoshop genious!

Zelkhar lead them further into the tunnel until they came into an open space, suddenly torches were light and in the open room stood some thieves greeting their leader. Then they all minded their own business as Zelkhar lead the two trough his underground compound where his thieves, spies, assasins and mercenaries dwelled. He also kept treasures here yet they were in a far more safer place than a room where you could just walk in, they passed trough the room arriving to a stairway with a hatch on the end. Zelkhar easily pushed the hatch open and lead them into a shop, the shopkeeper minded his own business as Zelkhar walked past him.

He nodded towards the palace that rose on the other end of the plaza, it had great gates and a wall surrounding it. Some towers rose from the side of the palace, obviously left to high position personell to live in or such, otherwise they would be used in defence of the palace should that ever come to pass. People were quiet around the plaza yet the air was filled with slight excitement and curiosity of the contestants that might become the next king. Zelkhar lead them in, but he didn`t appear in his normal form, but had turned into a human before they arrived to a great hall. There were some people standing around and there was one man sitting behind a large marble table making notes, Zelkhar walked up to him and knocked the table.

"I believe contestants sign up here?"

"Yes... are you entering..."

"No... she is..."

Zelkhar nodded towards Ava, the man had a frightened and confused appearance as Zelkhar took the feather from the mans grasp giving it to Ava for her to write her name down. There would be a lot of wonder after they would have read the name, if she even used her last name.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

_________________
resistance is futile...
avvie by mrs.gamgee photoshop genious!

To Denaris's initial surprise, he and Serril walked right through the wards. A silver door set at the base of the tower opened, beckoning them in. They stepped into a kind of hall, where a young initiate robed in silver heralded them.

"Greetings, brethren. And who might you be?"

Serril stepped forward. "We are emissaries from the order of the Magi. I am the archmage Serril Nra'phin, and this is my apprentice. We request audience with your master."

"I shall inform Lord Hakiere of your arrival." The initiate bowed himself out.

Five minutes later, he returned again with orders to lead the visitors to his master. A pair of ornate silver doors opened to reveal Lord Hakiere's study. Standing to greet them, Lord Hakiere himself cut an impressive figure. He was younger than Denaris had anticipated, perhaps accounted by the fact that he had murdered his former master. Blond hair framed his strong, handsome features. He folded his hands inside his gold-hemmed robes and smiled warmly. "Archmage Serril. I know not of your name, but I know of the Magi. And what little I know exhorts me to exercise caution."

Serril chuckled. "I have a proposition for you, Lord Hakiere. An alliance."

_________________

Ava walked behind Zelkhar with porcelain hands clasped behind her back, crimson eyes looking around a city she had almost forgotten. She smiled as memories poured through her mind, days when she went to the markets, or snuck out past the royal guards. No she hoped to relive those memories once more.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice Zelkhar offering her the quill to sign her name on the parchment.

Once she was in the moment once more she took the pen smiling at the man behind the table, ah so he feared her, that was always something she enjoyed seeing in anothers eyes.. pure fear. Grinning she wrote her name in elegant writing, pushing it back towards the man to see his reaction when he saw her name....

Avanti Covell

_________________

The waves that C R A S H E D upon
The R O C K S that you were trying to step along

And in my head I heard them play a S O N G

_________________
resistance is futile...
avvie by mrs.gamgee photoshop genious!

Lord Hakiere's eyebrows nearly shot off the top of his head. "An alliance? And what would the all-mighty Magi want with my humble abode?"

Serril's face betrayed nothing. "The Magi have infiltrated half the kingdoms on this continent, most of which lie in the east. What better method to influence the west than by establishing an affiliation with a diverse port isle like Yutichiko?"

Hakiere looked tempted, if skeptical. "And how would I benefit from this alliance?"

"You have long yearned to rise above your former master's shadow, have you not? I have the means to help you. Apprentice, the amulet."

Ever the obedient apprentice, Denaris handed his "master" a gold chain. Serril took the chain and began chanting. The entire room rippled with power as waves of magic undulated from the amulet. The invisible waves coalesced in the center of the room to form a round, turquoise pool of water five feet in diameter. Curious despite himself, Hakiere peered into the turquoise pool.

"A scrying pool," Serril elucidated. "With this, you can observe all that transpires in Yutichiko. You will, of course, need this." He proferred the golden amulet.

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