Completed Snake Eyes and Hangedmen.

[Gad]

The crowd hooted and hollered, most of them were focused on the spectacle of seeing a Zith fight in the Pits, something that didn't happen every day. Gad stepped to a table and say next to greasy fat gambler who'd claimed it. "Wow, look at her go, she's really getting in there huh?" He mused while watching the fight. "Huh? Oh yeah. Hey friend, look, this table's reserved y'see?" "Oh! My apologies, I didn't see any names on it so I just assumed- ah, my mistake. A good friend of mine usually meets me here is all. We sit at this table. Maybe you've seen him? Comes to about my chin, ink black hair...Daggerhand." The grease ball stopped eating his chicken. "What? You a friend o' Remy's? Ah, you poor bastard. They yanked his neck just today." "What? No! I just saw him... oh wow. Can't a man make a dishonest living in Sunberth anymore?" "Ha! You're telling me brother." "He was supposed to return my deck of cards too. Heh, guess that's the least of his worries now. If only I knew where the bastard lived-" "Heh, you don't know? Just over the shop-" The man spoke low now "-just over the you-know-what shop. The one closest to here. Think he had a deal with the proprietor. Remy always wanted to be close to observe the Big Boss's meeting room, he staked out there as emergency back up...wait, he didn't tell you this? Thought you were friends..." Gad gulped. "Ah, yes. We were more gambling-friends, not really, friend-friends. Speaking of Ale! I'm all out. Be back in a moment." Gad got up from the table. He knew just what 'shop' the fat man was talking about. It was more of an abandoned tenement, where sometimes someone maybe could get something very dangerous, if they knew how to ask. Gad never knew how to ask, but he did know where to ask at. He pictured the three story building in his mind's eye. There it was. He knew the place. Now to retrieve his Zith. He looked at the ring. Micaela, that sweet thing, was slamming her hefty Zith fist right into the soft face of that poor Jaco. "Heh" Gad smiled to himself before speaking to her. "Great job Micaela, that was wonderfully executed!" The coin keeper tossed Gad his silver coins, which Gad immediately tossed to Micaela as she exited the ring. "See? Got your coin, and while you were taking care of that, I found out what we needed. Just one more place to go my dear, I promise. But, we ought to be careful, the Sun is down, and it'll be getting late soon." Gad set his arms over her shoulders and led her to the mouth of the mine, and the duo exited into the dark night air of the Wolf's Den. He noticed her nicks and gashes from Jaco's axes. "Oo, that looks like it hurt. Hang in there, we'll get you patched up. Just as soon as we get from where we're going. You can fly ahead of me, or walk, or stay back with me if you like. It's a three story building, old, two blocks up and three to the right, it'll be on the left side of the street." Gad was excited things seemed to be winding to an end. Then again, the night still might linger on. This was the Wolf's Den at night. Someone could jump out from a shadow at any moment.

[Michaela Abendroth]

Michaela decided to stay back and walk with him. She leaned in close to him and whispered, "Clearly you don't know much about us Zith, we have excellent seeing at night, it's the bright sunlight that hurt my eyes if it is too bright. I will be able to keep us safe, and the nick in my wing, and the light mark on my arm? That is nothing, it could have been a lot worse, I am just thankful that my grandfather had taught me what he had before I left home." I said to him with a smile and then in a more serious tone. "Speaking of which, I have a favor to ask of you if you wouldn't mind helping me out with it once we are done this mission for you." I said to him as I kept walking in the way that he was going ...

[Gad]

She had seemed so subservient before, but Gad was pleasantly surprised by how quick she corrected him about her safety. If he had been entirely honest with her, he'd let her know he was much more concerned for his own safety than hers, but even of that she assured him there was no issue. This Micaela was shaping up to be a valuable asset, maybe even an ally? It helped to have friends in high places, and few could get much higher than a Zith. Gad heard the trepidation in her voice as she prepared to ask him a question. "Oh out with it girl! After what you did in there? You can ask whatever you like, no need to mince words. What is you want? Money? I'll split whatever we find at Remy's house with you...that was his name by the way, my Daggerhand friend, Remy." Gad cleared his throat, he was feeling slightly uncomfortable. Then, in the dark he hear metal slide against a sheath and saw flashes of silver in the moonlight. Before he'd known it, one of the brigands they'd bypassed earlier was standing in front of them brandishing a dagger and grinning darkly. Gad swiveled around anticipating their plan, and saw the other one of the two (indeed, the larger one) quietly marching up behind them, and he drew a sword. "Well," Gad said jokingly to Micaela as he raised his fist, not entirely sure that he could manage this fight without using his magic...or even with it. "hahaha, didn't you say you'd keep us safe?" The men lunged at them, the larger man with the sword slashed at Micaela, and the scrapper with the dagger leaped at Gad slashing madly.

[Michaela Abendroth]

Michaela swung around. She heard footsteps behind them before Gad even said anything about them. She could hear the following us for a little while now that is why she was talking in such a low voice. Michaela moved out of the way just as he lunged at her, but he still managed to cut the end of her wing.
Why do these men insist on hurting my wings like this. I hope that Gad was serious when he says that he can get them looked at. I can deal with a small nick being out of a small part of them but if there are going to be a few of those small nicks then there was going to be a problem. She thought to herself and she was on the defense of the other man that Gad had seemed to be fighting. There were many things that Michaela was pretty good at, hearing quiet sounds and listening into things and seeing in the dark was just the icining of the cake, as she is sure she proved at the ring. Just as the man was going to bring his dagger down on Gad, Michaela jumped in front of them and pushed him really hard out of the way. Michaela then went back to the man that she had moved away from at the last minute and realized that he was starting to get back up. Shit I thought for sure that he would have landed on his weapon and that would have made a much easier fight, but oh well, Michaela loves a challenge. She looked around quickly again and flew up into the air quickly just to scan if anyone else from “their” side was near but she could see no more bad guys. Michaela started beating her wings faster and faster and soon the guys couldn’t even stay standing up straight.

“Go ahead while I have them distracted, I can take them on by myself. I remember where you said to go and I will catch up in a couple of minutes, or unless you want to wait around for me, there seems to be a nice little rock over there that you can sit on and enjoy the show." Michaela was going to take these one out just like she took the guy out in the mirror, but she had to make sure that her new friend was safe first…

“Ready …. 1 … 2 …. 3 …. GO!” I yelled at him and awaited his response.

[Gad]

Gad laughed. "Well, if you insist I absolutely must. Mahim." Gad said the last bit in Shiber and then sprinted off towards the house. The heavy set swordsman shouted in the night. "Bloody Shyke Eamon, bleed the bastard!" The larger man called to his partner, who set immediately after Gad. The swordsman was the object of Micaela's focus for the moment, or perhaps the other way around, as the thug seemed to be fairing more than fair from what Gad could tell. The man was swung his blade like an amateur, but a very serious amateur. He cut in the night air whenever Micaela would try and swoop down on him, and no matter what he didn't let her get behind him. He called out taunting her. "Hey little birdie, just come down here, I only wanna cut you!" His laugh was vile. He reached down. "Did I say birdie? I meant bat you petching vermin! Got a lot of nerve flapping your filthy hide around here, we'll be doin a public service when we slice you apart!" The swordsman goaded Micaela with his mouth and slashed at her with his blade. But he had a free hand, and with arm he retrieved a bottle of high proof alcohol. It would be a shame to waste, but when the bat lady flew down he'd smash her with it, then she'd burn right nice, and probably be tasty on the spit. Gad huffed as he pumped his arms and his knees nearly touched his chest. The stab happy fiend that pursued him cackled in the night and nearly bleated with glee. Gad was getting out of breath as he sprinted towards the dead Daggerhand Remy's apartment and, having not much else to rely on at the moment started trying to bargain with the man. A sharp intake of breath punctuated every word Gad said. "Come," he sighed "on," he panted "we don't have to do this right!? We're civilized people right? I'll give you some gold!" "Don't need you to give it to me!" He squealed "I'll just take it off of your corpse!" Gad cried out "We can work something out!?" "No, trust me, we can't. Stay still so I can kill you!" "Oh Ovek...please don't let me die!" Gad rounded the corner in a blusterous huff and caught in his hey the storefront, and above that, Remy's apartment. From the night, the knife-man lunged at him. Gad jabbed backwards into the man's solar plexus with a sharp elbow and kept running, but his attacker managed to catch Gad's flowing jacket with his free hand and dragged Gad backwards to the ground as Eamon fell forward Eamon brought his knife down to stab Gad as he fell, but Gad caught the man's wrist. Too late. The knife speared through the cartilage of Gad's right ear. The wound wasn't massive, but he'd probably lose some of the cartilage above his ear hole. As Gad struggled there on the dusty streets, he felt curious about how Micaela was handling that swordsman. Not just because she was his only possible back up, but because he still might have needed her to get into the room.

[Michaela Abendroth]

Michaela had seen Gad start running. Oh she hoped that he had made it somewhere safe or that he wasn’t in too much danger. I just couldn’t risk him dying not when we were this close to finishing the mission and not when I now knew that he would be so helpful with helping me find out who or what had killed my parents. Michaela was strategizing in her head on what she could do, every time the she swooped down to hit this petcher he would swing that stupid blade at her. Michaela sighed to herself and hovered thinking of what she could do. She noticed the alcohol bottle in his hand and then decided that swooping down on him was no longer an option. Michaela looked around to see if there was a dark place where she could land on a roof top and blend in and not be seen. If she could safely land on a rooftop where it was dark then she could blend in with the shadows and she could climb down a wall without being seen and then she could pop up behind him and disarm that weapon from his hand. Michaela stopped hovering and starting to fly around because death only knows herself that if she got close or hovered for too long he would throw that stupid thing at her. She didn’t need anymore holes in her wings, even though they didn’t hurt, she didn’t need anymore as it would make it harder for her to fly. Michaela flew very high up in the air, so high that she knew the attacker below couldn’t see her, and she looked to see where Gad had went and to make sure that now that she was out of sight, the one that was attacking her, didn’t go after Gad.

Michaela soon seen where Gad and the other man were. The other man didn’t even hear or see Michaela, she swooped down silently and grabbed him from off of Gad and flung him over into the other side of the street with his weapon falling far from his body … “Now you go and take that weapon and make sure that he doesn’t get it and I will go and take care of that other guy, he should be coming this way at any time … also make sure you try and stop that ear from bleeding.” I said to him as I started to fly back up into the air and fly away as I seen Gad start running again to his destination. The guy who was attacking Gad wasn’t dead but he would be unconscious for awhile.

While I was flying I seen attacker number two. I lightly landed on the building before him … it was getting pretty dark now and I couldn’t really be seen. I hid in the shadows on the side of the roof that had the alleyway below it so I was out of sight. Once he passed the entrance to the alleyway, I flew down the side of the wall and landed softly onto the ground. I then looked around the corner and made sure he was a couple of feet ahead of me. I then lightly and quietly walked up behind him and hit him from behind with my head. After watching him fall to the ground, I took the axe out of his hand and flew up to a building roof top and left it there. Two down and now to find Gad, Michaela thought to herself as she flew back up into the sky and looked for Gad.

[Gad]

"Heh, well that was convenient." The wizard said to himself as he rose to his feet. His dark savior flapped off into the night to finish off the other bandit no doubt. Gad clutched his bloodied ear, and as crimson droplets dripped through his fingers, he began to push himself, shakily, towards where Micaela had deposited his aggressor. Gad began to chuckled to himself as he retrieved the brigand's discarded dagger and made his way over to the man. The downed cretin moaned in pain and slowly rose to his feet. Gad paid little attention and, as he brandished the commandeered blade, couldn't help but indulge in some maniacal chuckles. "Ha-aha..hahahaha! Bet you wish you hada taken my deal earlier huh? You were talkin all the good shyke a bell ago, now look at you." By the time Gad had ceased his gloating long enough to pay attention the thug, Eamon, was already upon him. Lighting quick in the moonlight, the thug grabbed Gad's wrist. "Gotcha petching fool!" The thug wheezed as he clenched tightly Gad's hand that held the knife. Gad's response was immediate; he snagged a fistful of the man's hair and tried to drag the thug off of himself with it. In just as quick a response the thief used his free hand to take Gad's wounded ear and twist it. Gad let out a yelp but suppressed it into a paint grunt as he gnashed his teeth and struggled against his foe. In the night there, for a few moments that seemed like eons, both of them stood grappling for supremacy. Neither had much of an advantage, and neither entertained the possibility of letting the other go. Gad sent a decisive knee to the other man's groin. Or, perhaps it wasn't as decisive as one might've thought, as there the thug stood hands still tight around Gad's ear and wrist. Gad sent a another, then another, and then a fourth. These weren't whimsical little knees either. Gad was jamming as much force as he could into the man's nether regions. So it wasn't an honorable tactic, so what? This was life and death, and there was certainly no honor in being dead. Finally the man relented, just a bit, and loosened his grip on the young wizard. Gad released the man's hair, and used his free arm to knock the man's more relaxed hand off of his ear. His head now free to move, Gad slammed his forehead into the man's nose, and then sent another knee and another. The man doubled over and vomited. Now his grasp was slack enough for Gad to simply yank his wrist from the man's hands. Immediately as the hand was free, Gad brought the knife down, stabbing the bent over man in the back of the neck. Eamon fell over and a puddle of blood gurgled up around him as he gasped and twitched. Gad stepped back slowly from the scene. The man wasn't dead just yet, but he would be, and once Gad was certain of that he turned away. Feeling the need to distance himself from his quickly dying adversary Gad rushed the remaining distance between himself and Remy's storefront abode. Micaela was nowhere to be found but he'd described building to her and just was sure to be around any moment. For a half breath Gad entertained waiting for her, but after the night's festivities he was eager to reach his goal. He arrived at the dilapidated pre-Val building and began to scale it's outdoor staircase. The cool night air jostled the wizard's thick locks and bit his stinging ear wound. The third floor was just a few steps away and Gad could see the door. He approached with fervor, but that was quickly replaced by trepidation. He was feet away when he realized the door was open. S'pose I don't need Micaela to fly around through a window like I thought I might...why's his door open though? Did the mob drag him out of his house for the execution? Gad did his best to puzzle out just what was going on as gently pushed the door further open and he stepped from the stairwell into the dark of Remy the Daggerhand's apartment. It was dark, of course, but Gad could tell there had been some kind of struggle. All over the place were the markers of violence. Perhaps. Maybe not. Gad began to look closer at the scene, and began to pick through the papers and clothing strewn about. Hm...doesn't look like what someone would do if they were just dragging you to execution. Someone was looking for something...gold? Did the mob squad loot his house first? If that was the case, Gad realized, then they might have already taken anything interesting or that could lead to Robern. Still, might not hurt to- his thoughts were interrupted as he knelt down and retrieved a scroll from the floor. This is moist with something, he thought smells familiar. Gad's ears twitched at the sounds of footsteps behind him. He turned in time to see the shadowy figure of man, a silhouette in the moonlight, stepping out from a room that was in-between Gad and the entrance to the home. The man seemed just as surprised to see Gad there, but neither of them showed it, instead they both inspected each other's definition-less figures in the dark. The man stood there for a moment, and Gad stayed kneeling where he was. In the bit of moonlight that shown on the man, he could see a dark shape printed on this man's hand. Gad knew it could only really be one thing. Daggerhand. He said lowly, but loud enough for the man to hear in the tense air between them. The man's laugh was uncanny and goose bump inducing. The unidentified goon reached into the room he'd crept from and retrieved what looked like a box. After a moment Gad's eyebrows raised in horrible recognition of the faint glow coming from that box. The man removed, surely for Gad's benefit, the blinders off of the box; it was indeed a lit lantern. With another cackle the man tossed the lantern across the room and retreated from the abode as it smashed into the floor. Gad now knew the familiar fluid he'd smelled earlier. It was an oil, and now, it was on fire. The blaze spread quickly across the room, igniting pools of the flammable liquid here and there, and catching quickly to anything fibrous. Gad raced to the door the man had closed behind him, but found it had been quickly secured, and would not budge. The fire was beginning to creep up the walls and across the floor, and obviously, Gad did his best to avoid it. After a few attempts at kicking the door down Gad retreated to the window and pushed open the wooden shutters on it. He leaned out and caught a few breaths of smokeless air. The smoke billowed out of this new opened ventilation, and with a fresh source of oxygen the conflagration began to grow. Gad screamed out at the top of his lungs "MICALEA! MICAELA!"

[Michaela Abendroth]

((sorry that it is so long, I kinda got really into it!))

Michaela was glad that she could fly and fly and fly and that it never really made her tired. Michaela finally hunted down the stupid man that was trying to kill her. She silently flew down and landed on a rooftop that was right beside the man but remained enough in the darkness that even if the man would have heard her land he would not have seen her. Michaela then started to pace on top of the rooftop and was wondering just exactly how things were going to play out. She could sneak down the wall and surprise the man, but then if he had a good grip … she could see that the weapon was not in his hand but it was close enough that if he needed to grab it that he would. He was injured, she could tell that much but he could still grab that weapon. Michaela decided to fly to the other side of the building and fly down to the ground.

Upon landing on the ground she seen some rocks that were scattered about. Michaela picked up about 6 rocks and then flies back to the top of the building and landing as gracefully as she did before. Michaela then hid behind some boxes that were on top of the building and one by one she started to drop the rocks on this man’s head saving the biggest one for last. When he looked up to see where the rocks were coming from she dropped the biggest one right on his face. Michaela then silently chuckled to herself and then after he didn’t move for a couple of minutes she swooped down and picked up his weapon. Michaela knew that even if he did wake up that he would not be able to attack her with a weapon, and this weapon could come in handy to her if she so desires to keep it.

Michaela then started to fly back in the direction where she had left Gad, hoping that he had made it to safety. As she was flying over she smelled something. Smelled something that was making her hungry. And as she got closer to wherever she was going she smell got stronger and she got hungrier and hungrier Michaela then landed on the ground to see what it was that made her stomach want to eat this so badly. Michaela knew that she hadn’t eaten all day, but usually it doesn’t get this bad. She has gone 3 days without eating before and has turned out completely fine. As Michaela was nearing the ground she noticed that was a body; an almost dead body. Ohhh that is why this smelled so good to her, it has been such a long time since she has eaten human flash, meat and blood. She slowly started to walk towards the body as she knew that he was dying but she didn’t know how serious it was. Michaela then slowly realized as she got closer that it was that guy that was chasing Gad. Well he probably won’t care that I eat this guy. As Michaela got closer to the man she could tell that he was slowly and painfully bleeding out. She then was almost on top of the guy and smiling into his face.

“Didn’t think that you would see me again eh? Thought that your body would have had me killed by now … well guess what you were wrong and now you are about to become my supper!” Michaela said with a joker like smile. Michaela then knelt down and started to claw pieces out of this helpless man and started to eat him. Eating revenge seemed to taste sweeter than any other meat she has ate before. Michaela was just finishing up eating this man when she heard her name being screamed out. She noticed that voice. Oh no! She was so hungry and eating this guy that she forgot all about Gad. Michaela got up from her dinner, her stomach now happy, and started to fly towards where she heard Gad screaming from. Oh I hope he isn’t dead. I better not tell him about why I am so late, and I need to remember to eat before going on a mission.

As Michaela got closer to the building that Gad had described to her she had smelled something funny. She then seen flames and smoke. Lots of flames and smoke. Michaela noticed that she still had one rock left in her hand and that mans weapon. She then got up close to the window and threw the rock through the window as hard as she could. She then dove down to the ground and watched as a bunch of smoke came barreling out the window. When the smoke seemed to die down a little, she grabbed the man’s weapon that she had stolen she flew through the window. She seen Gad on the ground and not moving very much. Michaela put the weapon in Gad’s hands saying, “Here hold this!” and then she picked him up and she flew out of the window with him. Michaela looked around to see where a good place to land was. Michaela hoped that Gad wasn’t afraid of heights because there was a huge, tall building that was about 2 building over from where they were. Michaela flew up there and landed with Gad on the roof. She fently ut Gad down, took the weapon out of his hands, and then sat beside him.

Michaela knew that because of the fire, that there would be people coming to inspect it instantly. She knew they would be safe up here. Or she knew they would be for awhile. Michaela cleared her thoughts of that at the moment and paid attention to Gad.
“OH NO GAD! ARE YOU OKAY! GAD ANSWER ME! PLEASE ANSWER ME!” Michaela screamed at Gad.

She wished she would know how to save him. Michaela knew that her reasons for wanting him alive would probably be selfish to most people. The biggest reason was that he said he would help her with finding who her dead parents were, but also she had started to like Gad. Deep down she could tell that he really was a nice guy, and that his intentions were mostly good. Michaela sat there, keeping Gad warm and hoping that he would awaken soon.

[Gad]

Gad came to with the Zith girl standing over him, screaming him in to consciousness. He faintly remembered the smoke inhalation putting him under. The young man massaged his drum-beating temples and pulled himself off of the ground. "Mm-Micaele..." he said weakly, and then a little louder "Micaela! I'm alright I'm alright! Hahaha. I'm alright, really." Gad shakily rose to his his feet. He looked at the Zith and saw blood around her mouth. He couldn't help but crack a grin at seeing her. "Hahaha! You. You really save my hide back there, y'know? Thanks for that." Gad made his way to the edge of Micaela had taken them to. He peered over the edge to see the building still burning. "Hmph. Sorry about all this. I promised you we'd get a big score and we only ended up nearly getting killed..heh, well at least I did." He looked over his shoulder at her. "Well, now it looks I really owe you one." Gad's manerisms were aloof as he was distracted by the ordeals of the evening. He could smell the smoke from here. Or maybe it was all that he'd inhaled? He coughed a bit, but the night breeze rolled through and refreshed him. He sighed, over looking forlornly the scene a few blocks away. Then, as was his habit, he tugged on the sparse hairs on his chin. Well, he thought, that was most certainly a Daggerhand. meaning I was certainly getting close. No way they sent him to kill me, they had no way of knowing I'd be there...but...there must've been some evidence that could've lead back to them, or maybe even Robern. Oh well, it's all smoke now. I'll have to continue this investigation some other time. He looked back at Micaela. "Sorry, got lost in thought for a moment. Like I was saying, you really saved my life. Anything you need, don't hesitate to ask. But, as for tonight, I think I'm just going to go home and sleep if it's all the same to you." He put his hand out for her to take him down to the ground.

This is my exit from the thread. If in your next post you want to tell Gad about what you want him to help you with, or at least hint at it, then after that you can start the thread for finding her parents killer's. This was really fun Micaela! I hope you stick around Mizahar for a long time. Send me a PM on the details of the parent's thread.

[Michaela Abendroth]

"The thing that I wanted your help with was to help me located the ones(s) that killed my parents or the something that killed my parents... I am not sure what it was or who it was, but something told me to start my look in Sunberth ... I don't think that they are here, but for some reason it has been hinted that they had stopped here and I am not going to leave until I get a hint as to what or who or why they killed my parents." Michaela said to him, she really hated having to relive certain things in her mind, like when she seen her mothers body on the front lawn in front of their place, but she knew that she would have to if Gad was going to help her.

"Know though that if you don't want to help me you don't have to, and it was no big deal, what are friends for, if they don't help you and just let you die, then they aren't really your friends are they ... Oh and I hope that man that you almost killed wasn't anybody important because I kind of ate him before I heard your screaming. And trust me, revenge supper sure tastes sweet." Michaela said with a smile hoping that he didn't care. Even if he did there wasn't much he could do about it now.

Michaela then lifted him up and flew with him down to the ground.

"Would you like me to walk you home? Just in case there are others out there looking for you?" Michaela asked him.

Michaela wasn't sure why she was so open with this man but she could tell that this was going to be a fun and great friendship.