Knyn ignored Orien and began squeezing the cat's throat. He had learned ever since he was on his own to trust his instincts. And his instincts told him this cat was not all that it appeared to be.

"Out with it," he growled. "Who do you serve?"

_________________

[waiting for Luinnar]

_________________

(I'm comin', hold on....lol)

The cat snarled as it was yanked into the air, its claws slicing at Knyn's face, creating twin scratches down his cheek. Suddenly the cat dissolves into thin air, a mist floating out of the man's hand and seeming to shimmer as it comes to rest against the far wall. A shape appears out of the mist and then the moisture melts into the shape of the female seen earlier in the tavern. Long auburn hair halfway obscures her face, but her skin is pale and she's dressed in supple, black assassin's clothes. The slender figure's eyes are the same jet, reptilian black as the cat's were, and have no whites or pupils whatsoever. "Hello...." A smirk crosses her face and her eyes glitter eerily.

_________________
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~

Orien gripped his sword hilt firmly, eyes fixed on the woman who had appeared.

[ Sorry for the extremely small and crappy posts.. they will get better, I promise. x_x]

(It's okay....)

_________________
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~

Knyn leapt backward in some alarm as he abruptly found himself facing a young woman.

Something heavy banged into the door. Outside, the black-armored men had found them. Knyn raised his greatsword and flattened himself against the wall.

_________________

A dozen, Knyn mouthed back. He wasn't that concerned. He had dealt with worse before.

The assaulters had another go at the door, but to no avail. "Prince of Aphetma," a voice boomed. Knyn heard it and felt an icy apprehension trickle down his neck. That voice rung deep, inhuman, as if drawn from the very hollows of the abyss.

"Prince of Aphetma," it repeated without expression, "You have ten seconds to surrender your arms and come peacefully. Otherwise you die."

_________________

Rumour looks at the men and sighs. "You two look like you need some help..." She dissolves into mist again andfloats through the crack in the door.

Once Rumour is outside, she slips through the men, a hand materializing from the mist and slitting their throats, one by one.

A moment later the mist floats back through the crack in the door and melts into the same young woman. "I think your problem is taken care of... for now...." A sly grin crosses her face. "No need t'thank me... Just let me join you two...."

_________________
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~

His face still betraying nothing but cold dispassion, he sheathed his greatsword and cautiously unbarred the door. It swung open easily. The bodies of their adversaries lay unmoving on the ground. Kneeling to examine them, he removed their black hoods. His eyes widened.

There was nothing under the hood. Nothing but a small pile of ash that rested at the back of the cloth. Swiftly he grasped their armor to strip it off. As soon as his fingers made contact with the black metal, it dissolved away. Wind whistled into the alleyway, blowing the corpses to ash and bearing them away. Soon nothing remained at all of their existence.

Slowly Knyn turned back to Orien. "Why were they after you?" he said quietly.

_________________

Knyn's face could have been carved from stone. "Those men were not of this earth. Since when has your kingdom housed evil?" he said in the same quiet voice.

_________________

Wordlessly Knyn nodded and strode to the end of the alley. Peering both ways, he finally announced the way clear and beckoned.

The army of death had moved on, but what remained drew a small trickle of anger out of Knyn's normally unsentimental heart. Those houses that still remained were black and charred, stinking of ash and fire. The bodies of the townsfolk, burnt and repulsively contorted, lay on the charred streets. Small babes so tortured they were unrecognizable were still held in their mothers' arms, poles and whatever other pathetic weapons were still clutched in the men's death grips. The army had eliminated, burnt, and moved on without a backward glance. They did not loot, did not rape the women. This was an army of death. Eliminated. Destroyed the townsfolk like they were nothing but leaves in the wind.

_________________