PM to join Venomous Allies (durv)

[Licearsvansan]

Svan stopped as Durv continued onward. To try to keep up with him any longer would be impossible. It was unfortunate that Durv had no real plan for him, but the snake figured that it was difficult to make up a scheme for someone you didn't know you were even going to run into. Luckily, something the spider had said sparked an idea in his own head. durv's pursuers didn't know who Svan was and the snake still had the satchel of a messenger looped over his shoulder. Once the spider had turned the corner, Svan unbuttoned the bag so that the flap was hanging loosly over the top. He waited a few moments until he heard the telltale sound of hurried feet upon the cobblestone roads. Then, moving as fast as his frigid legs could carry him, he rounded the corner and smashed "accidentally" into the men. Just before the collision Svan saw the flash of a steel and a sudden pain in his gut. As the Dhani closed his eyes he was all but sure the next sight he would see was his innards on the floor.

Fortunately, Svan was met with the sight of three VERY confused men and a shower of letters in the air. One man was on the ground with his sword half pulled from its sheathe. Svan deduced that this man was the one he had crashed into and that the pain in his stomach was the fist of this man slamming into it in a failed attempt to draw his weapon. The Dhani thanked his lucky stars, had the man been even inched father away before the collision Svan might have ended up trying to pick his pancreas off the floor.

As Svan's head stopped spinning he suddenly remembered his plan and went into a frenzied panic as he went to pick up the dozens of letters now on the ground. "No, no, no, nonononono! I can't be late, not again!" Svan continued on in his feigned panic as his picked up the letters and attempted to stuff them back into his bag only to have the majority of them fall back out due to his hurried movements. Svan stopped only for a single moment to look up and apologize profusely to the men. The men seemed to be in quite the uncomfortable position. On one hand they had bumped into this poor messenger who clearly needed help and seemed to be on the verge of tears, but on the other hand they had a job to do and that job was slipping away into the city. Eventually one of them men spoke up and ordered the other two ahead while he helped Svan pick up the mail. Still looking uncomfortable, the two other guards shot a glance at one another and hurried off.

"Uh, I'm sorry", the remaining guard said as he leaned over to help pick up the letters.

The snake paused briefly to look up at the man and smile. "Thank you." The man's face seemed to light up at the thanks. He seemed proud to be doing what he thought was a good deed. Svan didn't care about how the man felt, but he couldn't help but notice something about the man. "You have a kind face." The snake said without even realizing it.

The guard obviously seemed shocked by the sudden statement, but then his features relaxed as if this wasn't the first time he had heard such a thing. "Hehe, is it that obvious?" Svan nodded his head as he picked up the last of the letters. "Yeah well the other guys do like to remind me of how I'm too soft."

Svan and the man rose to their feet and the snake looked quizzically at the soldier. "You're soft...and so you chose a job where you have to kill people?"

"Well when you say it like that..." The man rolled his eyes. "This wasn't my first choice but the job pays fairly well, and I need the money if I'm ever going to get out of debt." Before Svan could even ask what had caused the man's debt he was answered, "My wife left me. She took nearly every coin I had saved and caught a ship to who knows where."

"Ouch."

The man shrugged, "You live and learn." Svan didn't exactly know what could be learned from such a thing but he didn't say anything. Soon after the man finished talking, a soft rumble echoed throughout the road and the buildings slowly rearranged themselves. The man whistled and looked to Svan, "Sounds like a big one. I guess I'm not catching up with the others....Say, weren't you in a hurry to deliver these?" The guard lifted one of the letters in his arms up into the air.

Instantly reminded of his act, Svan placed his hand over his satchel and bolted down random roads as if he was in a rush to find the buildings he needed. Running past one alley Svan spotted a familiar face. Svan back pedaled to the alley and looked down it to see Durv, "There you are...guy." Svan began walking down the alley when he heard footsteps behind him. Turning, the Dhani was met with the sight of the same soldier from before with a clump of letters held under his arm.

"Whew, you have no idea how hard it is too run in armor. Here I think you forgot these." The man walked up to Svan and held out the letters. "I'm glad I could find you, I wouldn't want you to get..." his words trailed off as his eyes fell on Durv. "Get behind me! This man is dangerous." The man drew his sword and pushed Svan backwards. "I saw this guy crawling up buildings. Jack told me that he is a Symanetran or something. If he bites you its all ov-" The man stopped mid sentence. It seemed he was having trouble finishing his thought. Svan knew why, he had a sword breaker half buried in the back of his head.

The man fell to the ground in a heap and the snake waited a few moments to see if the man would move. After some time passed Svan knelt down to check the man's heart beat before rising back to his feet. "Oops." Svan turned to face the Symenestra before him.

"So that sums up how my day went, how was yours?"

[Durvekral Wormwood]

Durvekral was relieved to see a benign face while he slowly made his way down the street. However, Svan's was not the only human shape on that street. There was a guard. Durvekral couldn't imagine how this nuisance had made his way back to pester them. Either way, Durvekral didn't have the energy to run; his aerobic ability was almost totally exhausted. He was going to have to fight and he would have to do it in a depleted state.

The corners of his eyes and mouth pulled themselves into a determined, fierce, intimidating scowl. He readied his posture, bending into a more appropriate fighting stance. His right hand made his way to the assassin's dagger inside of its hilt. And then the man abruptly stopped speaking, the deadly edge of Svan's blade burrowed securely into the man's head.

It was fortunate that Durvekral wouldn't have to fight tonight because he would have fallen. He couldn't, in his current state, overtake the soldier and he knew it. Svan had saved his life and for that Durvekral was grateful. Still, he could never bring himself to gushing over his good fortune and praising Svan's 'courageous rescue.'

Still, the sardonic, humorless Symenestran thanked Svan in his own way. "Looks like you're a ruthless little petcher after all." Durvekral's smile was dark and it was grim but it also bared a look of congratulatory camaraderie. At least for the moment, anywawy.

He took a few steps closer, careful to stop at the dead body first. Durvekral rummaged through the dead man's corpse. He was looking for any information about Svan's prey. He came across a few iron tags and some embroidered patches. He didn't find much of any significance. He kept coming across some kind of symbol. It was some unknown black, colorless bird, wings spread within a gold circle. Durvekral didn't know what it meant or what it had to do with the man's trade and he didn't care. He was more interested in discovering how these men were armed. He learned that, at least this one, had worn light, leather armor and carried a few flash powder grenades with his blade.

Eventually, Durvekral looked back upward, toward Svan, finally answering his question and describing what he had learned. "I was able to glean some useful information about the estate. Its heavily guarded on one side but the other is guarded only by harsh terrain and a steep hill. There are guard towers that don't seem to serve any active use. Obviously, they are going to be on high alert for now. I will return to the grounds in a day or two and learn more about his actual residence. For the moment, I believe that we have accomplished, tonight, all that can be accomplished."

Unfortunately, just as Ionu had thought it interesting to deliver Durvekral directly to Svan, he also found it entertaining to lead the remaining four soldiers right back to the duo. Compounding their recent troubles was the fact that the man who had been following Svan decided to approach, now.

He had made this decision after being joined by his partner: the man that Svan from whom Svan had stolen the bounty notice.

"Well hello there," the man mockingly approached Svan, smiling evilly as he stepped forward. He walked a few steps before progressing into a run. The old man, who had been following Svan, approached Durvekral.

Meanwhile, the guards suddenly took their attention off of the unknown, fleeing Symenestran and gestured toward the unfriendly stranger. "It's the bounty hunter!" One of them shouted before launching a forward assault.

And so as the bounty hunter assaulted Svan, the estate guards rushed forward to subdue the hunter. Simultaneously, the old man's appearance shifted as he started to run toward Durvekral. He had subtly morphed his appearance so that the thirty-something year old man looked weak and frail earlier. He grabbed Durvekral's right arm, trying to eliminate the use of that assassin's dagger. Luckily, Durvekral was more than happy to slash the man's left cheek with the three ring blades in his left arm. At the moment, they were coated in Ghost Shell poison, ensuring that the slash would be particularly incapacitating as the poison seeped into the open wound. The man collapsed to the ground, halted by excruciating pain.

OOCAnd the award for most fun post I've read in a long time goes to...Svan... I enjoyed that last one quite a bit

[Licearsvansan]

Svan shrugged at Durv's "compliment". He had only wanted to knock out the man, but the snake had, once again, forgotten his own strength. Not that it mattered much to him. Svan had tried to be good and failed, life moves on. The snake stared down at the freshly made corpse. At least for most of us.

The snake watched patiently as Durv rummaged through the dead man's belongings and rose back up to answer Svan's question. The Dhani nodded happily at the Symenestran's conclusion. After such a rough night it was obvious that both needed their rest. Svan was already dreaming of sitting by a warm fire wrapped in his thick blanket like a fluffly coccoon. His eyelids were growing heavy and he felt himself nodding off even as he stood. The idea of hibernation had never sounded so good. No! He shook his head. He had to stay awake, even if only a little longer. He wasn't at his bed yet, and there was still a mission to complete. Hibernation will have to wait. He told himself even as his eyelids grew heavier. He prayed to Ionu for the something to help keep him awake. A fire, a warm breeze, a-

"Well hello there,"

Svan turned to the sound and his eyes snapped wide open at the the sight of the speaker. Before him was the figure of the very bounty hunter he had stolen from earlier and the now not-so-old man beside him. As Svan's heart rate tripled he reminded himself to never pray to a god of trickery for a favor ever again.

The bounty hunter was built like an ox and as tall as a tower. With his right hand he drew a mean looking blade with skilled movements. He spun the sword gracefully around his hand and as it came to a rest he aimed the tip of the bloodstain blade straight at the Dhani before beginning his charge. If Svan had the time he would have been green with envy. Now however, he was far too busy trying to think up a plan to worry about such petty things. His solution came in the form of four armed guards. At first it seemed that the guards had come to aid the bounty hunter in killing Svan and Durv, but it was quickly made clear that their main target was the bounty hunter. Svan, eager to lie as always, cried out to the four men, "Help! He killed the man who protected me! Please hurry I don't want to die!" The guards looked down at their dead comrade and Svan saw the look of rage flick across at least two of their faces. Apperently the man was well liked. Spurred on by vengence the four men quickly hurried to subdue the bounty hunter.

Unfortunately, the hunter was already upon Svan before the guard's and their heavy armor were even half way down the alley. The man's sword went high for a slash and Svan, out of both fear and instinct, shot his hand to his sheath and drew out his trusty - letter opener? Steel clashed on iron and Svan could feel the vibration traveling all the way up his arm as he just barely managed to parry with his tiny weapon. All to late he was reminded that his actual weapon was burried deep into the fallen guards skull. Oh petch you too karma! Svan saw steel blade of his attacker rise out of the corner of his eye and he quickly moved his dagger sized toy to block it. The blades locked together and Svan shoved the sword away with all his might. Thankfully, due to the small guard on the letter opener, Svan was able to keep the blood hungry blade inches from cutting open his face. Svan stumbled backwards as he struggled to keep his balence, and moved his weapon to parry yet another blow. Taking another healthy step back, Svan smiled. Perhaps it was a good thing he hadn't used his sword breaker. He had only been able to keep up with his attacker's blinding speed so far due to sheer panic and the letter opener's small weight. Another blow rocketed towards Svan, and once again it was met by his petite by the parry of his petite weapon. The Dhani laughed at the bounty hunter's futile attempts to hit him. That is, up until he looked at the tip of his own weapon. It, along with the entire blade, had flown off after the last blow and gotten lodged halfway into the building to the snake's right. What Svan now held was the pathetic stub of a letter opener. The snake didn't even has time to curse as the bounty hunter brought his dark grey sword down on the Dhani's head. Svan could have sworn he felt the tips of his hair fall off as the blade stopped a mere inch from his skull. Just before his face Svan was holding firmly onto the base ot the letter opener and the guard of it had clashed against the sword just in time to stop an unwanted lobotomy. His entire body was still shaking from the impact, and he realized with a bit of dead that if he hadn't been a Dhani, this man would have cut clean through him. Svan was amazed that this man had the strength to have so much force behind the blade while using only a single arm to wield it.

Before Svan could even imagine what the man's other arm was doing he was met with a fist to the gut. The world went dark for a moments as the wrecking ball of a fist attempted to hug his innards, and it went even darker as a knee collided with Svan's face. The next sight Svan saw was the sky. he was standing up with his head hung back, and he was just about to fall backwards before a hand shot over him and gripped onto his hair. The next thing Svan knew he was sailing though the air above the bounty hunter. His fall was broken by the feeling of something fleshy. As his world spun back into focus Svan found himself lying ontop of the very same guard that had crashed into earlier.

The man gave him a bewildered look. "The coriour? What are you doing here?"

Svan gave the man a dizzy smile, "Falling mostly." Svan rolled over and stared at the two other guards who had made it to the bounty hunter. They were fairly skilled but it was clear that this man was more so. As one fell to the ground clutching his chest Svan turned to the guard at his side.

"Kinda makes you wish you wore more than leather armor doesn't it?"

[Durvekral Wormwood]

With one man writhing in the pain of his poison, Durvekral turned his attention to look at the brawl which had erupted around Svan. He wanted to return the favor; he wanted to help but he didn't have the physique of a fit human or a dhani. He only had the brittle bones of a Symenestran. What could he do?

Durvekral watched as Svan's body arced over the top of the powerful thug and painfully onto another battered, private guard. Durvekral had to do something or this whole venture was going to prove a giant waste of time. If Durvekral let this man murder Svan then the plan would come to an abrupt end and no one would be getting paid.

He couldn't jump into the fray but he could use the chaos to his advantage. Durvekral took few seconds to watch the fight. He felt somewhat guilty while watching the fight proceed and Svan take his beating but the Symenestran just couldn't afford to be hasty. In preparation for his maneuver, Durvekral made his way toward the back of the massive combatant. An unfair fight was going to be the heart of his entire plan.

And then, suddenly, the masses of flesh parted for him. His opportunity had come. The massive stranger had knocked all of his enemies from their footing. For, at least this moment, he stood alone in the narrow alley. Durvekral couldn't spare a moment to hesitate, he rushed toward the man. His footsteps would have alerted his enemey to danger just too late.

With his dagger in hand, he lept upward like a feral animal. His left arm pressed over the man's right shoulder while he pounded the boot of his left foot into the man's spine. As he did so, that dagger in his right hand made a diagonal slash from the right shoulder downward and toward the middle of the back. He did this maneuver while in motion because after the slice was made, that left hand and foot pushed while the right foot made contact and propelled him away to the alley wall along their right.

He desperately clung to the wall, having prepared himself for the reality that he would have to dive right back into danger again. Now using the wall as his starting block, he lept right back toward the man, dagger drawn once again.

This time, the dagger's diagonal cut was across the front of his chest. Durvekral's plan was to land in a graceful, intentional tumble and dissapear into the alleys like some sort of wild phantom. Unfortunately while the aspiring assassin was good, he was just not that good. He had miscalculated; he was trying to do too many things at once while still remaining in the air. His graceful tumble turned into a painful crash with the paved street.

Durvekral's cuts were inflicted too superficially to cause anything but a shallow laceration. Still, the pain of having been kicked squarely over the spinal column and then slashed twice was enough to stun the man for long enough that he didn't squash his boot over Durvekral's head like a rotten melon.

In the time that the man spent, stunned from pain, three of the four soldiers had regained their energy. Two of them rushed their mighty opponent but one of them noticed the slain guard; first he saw his dead comrade but then he immediately saw Durvekral after that.

"Oh gods, its the Symenestran again!" He immediately ran over to Durvekral and flipped him onto his back. He then held his sword to Durvekral's throat. "Our orders are to bring you in alive, but I'll send you to Lhex right now if you even twitch!" he angrily growled.

The remaining two men were now struggling with the beast of a man who had been tossing them like sacks of flour just a moment ago. While the muscle bound human was stunned, one of them, apparently trained in some form of martial, hand to hand combat, delivered a powerful kick to his gut. The other one bashed him in the head with the hilt of his sword.

Writhing in pain, he was still able to sweep the second guard off of his feet with a forceful backhanded sweep. It didn't matter because the last guard was back on his feet and rushed to the aid of the guard who had just delivered the kick. It was two on one and although the dangerous man still had all of his strength, he wasn't mobile yet. He continued to stumble, attempting to steady himself.

[Licearsvansan]

As the guard to Svan's right joined the fray, the snake remained seated. He was supposed to be a corridor right now not a mercenary. Svan didn't mind sitting around either. His most recent attempts had only succeeded in earning him a set of bady bruised ribs and a bloody nose. Why bother fighting when someone else was willing to do it for you anyways? Unfortunately, Svan couldn't just leave either. His sword was still stuck in the first guard's head and the Dhani refused to leave without it. That weapon was Svan's last remaining tie to his nest. It was practically the only show of affection his parents had ever done to him. Sadly, it was also all the proof the guards would need to realize that Svan had killed their comrade. Well, that and the matching empty sheath hanging from his side.

Before Svan could think up some plan for him and Durv to get out of this situation the spider acted. With the Symenestran's natural agility Durv lept at the hulk of a man and struck. While Svan could admit that the attack was impressive looking, the landing was less so. In a matter of moments Durv was capture by one of the very guards he was trying to help, and though his attack had momentarily stunned the bounty hunter, it hadn't finished him off.

"This is bad." Svan noted quietly to himself. Due to Durv's intervention the guards had the advantage, but from behind the brawl Svan could see the mage slowly recovering. It seemed that whatever poison the spider had used wasn't lethal because the man seemed to be developing a tolerance to what had originally crippled him. That or the sight of his partner losing had been enough to spur his rage to ignore the venom that coursed through him. That being said, it didn't matter who won. If the bounty hunter did then Svan was going to die. If the guards did then Svan was going to die. It was a lose-lose situation, the kind of situation Svan naturally found himself in. It wasn't hopeless though, Svan it would be unlikely for the guards to match the swordbreaker to the Dhani until after the fight, and until then the guards could be used as allies. Allies that Svan wanted as weakened as possible by the end of this fight.

Looking over to the side of the fight Svan saw one of the guards lying dead on the ground. While the snake was reluctant to use his own weapon lest his new "friends" realize who had killed their buddy, he had no problem using a dead man's tools. Doing his best to keep out of sight Svan crept over to the man and searched him for any tools. Aside from some basic armor the snake found a short sword, a crossbow, a few bolts, and a length of rope. The short sword had fallen out of the man's grasp as he had fallen and was too close to the fighting to risk getting, but the crossbow was just the kind of weapon Svan wanted. Fumbling around with the contraption Svan eventually managed to fit a bolt into the bow. He then turned towards the chaos to observe the fight and figure out a plan. It was looking grim, in the time Svan had spent getting ready the bounty hunter had begun to find his footing and was offering heavier resistance. Furthermore, the morpher was back on his feet and looking angrier than ever. With hatred burning like a fire in his eyes he smashed into one of the guards from behind....and continued straight forward to the pinned Symanestran. Acting quickly Svan turned his weapon on the mage and pulled the trigger. The arrow flew out like lightning and slammed into the morpher's leg. Mere inches away from Durv the man howled in pain, apparently still very much under the effects of phantom shell, and tripped onto both Durv and the guard threatening him.

With that threat lessened Svan smiled and loaded another arrow into his crossbow. He was thankful that the weapon was to easy to use, but he couldn't help but wish that the process was less time consuming. Half way done loading the bow Svan felt a dull wet thump against his matted hair. Turning, Svan saw that it was the severed head of one of the guard. With eye as large as a full moon Svan looked up to see the most horrible sight he could imagine. One guard lie dead at the base of blood soaked leather boots, another was fleeing off into the distance, and standing as tall as a mountain and smiling like the Cheshire cat was the bounty hunter. With one Scar covered hand he motioned towards the severed head resting at Svan's feet. "Feel free to put on the helmet. It won't save you."

After a brief pause to remind his heart to continue beating Svan clutched the face of the headless corpse and shot to his feet. No sooner did he do so than did he toss the skull into the air before him and with a twist of his foot he kicked it forth like a soccer ball. In one grisly motion the hunter swiped out with his sword and smashed it against the head that was, fortunately, aimed at him. The sword stuck and the hunter's arm was painted in a gory mess by the head now caught on his blade. In a single moment he pushed off the skull, but a moment was all Svan needed. By the time the man was ready to give chase the snake was already at the end of the alley with rope slung over one shoulder and a crossbow in his hand. Svan regretted abandoning his sword, but it wasn't worth his life. He wasn't leaving Alvadas without his weapon at his side, but a temporary separation was something Svan could manage.

As Svan rounded the corner and saw the hunter following close behind the snake gave one last hurried, heartfelt shout to Durv, "Meet you at rendezvous, good luck not dying, BYE!"

[Durvekral Wormwood]

Lying on his back with his fingers clasped around the hilt of his dagger, this disruption was all that Durvekral had needed for his escape. When the morpher tripped over the guard, Durvekral was ready. The stumbling mage knocked the guard sideways, allowing Durvekral to push the guard off of him. This of course, did not occur without a deadly slash of Durvekral's assassin dagger. A well placed incision to the guard's neck ensured that Durvekral would be pursued no more.

After he had regained his balance and recovered from having the mage stumble into him, Durvekral took note of the theatrics that surrounded him. His sense of plain replenished with Svan's bolt, the mage was revisited by his immobilizing pain. A few feet away, Durvekral watched the grisly sight of this barbarian taunting Svan with a severed head.

Durvekral couldn't help but wonder who the shyke this man was and why in the name of Rhysol he cared to target Svan. Durvekral hurriedly stood, not wanting to be taken, again, off his guard. His mind was racing for some kind of solution. Unfortunately, he couldn't come up with a solution that didn't lead to direct combat. However, the Symenestran also knew that a fair fight would mean his inescapable death.

Just as it seemed positively hopeless, however, Svan bolted down the alleyway. This was enough to attract the brute in a chase.

"I hope he knows what he's doing,"Durvekral thought as he surveyed the scene. As his eyes passed over the form of a silent man, writhing in agony, Durvekral remembered the mage. He decided to approach the helpless man. Durvekral walked inefficiently slow in his approach. The rubber boots of his heels thudded with the paved street as Durvekral purposefully shifted his gait in order to create a louder presence.

"So," Durvekral's voice was low and it was rough, it was scratchy. His voice was altogether unpleasant like the sound of an old, worn carriage wheel scraping across a cobblestone street. "You're with the grizzly bear, then, aren't you?"

The man gasped for breath. He struggled but in the heights of his pain, he just couldn't form words. Durvekral didn't care; he didn't bother to consider the fact that this painfully muted condition was his doing anyway. He was going to make this poor bastard create some words.

"Phantom shell," Durvekral paused once he reached the man's side. His threatening tone was obvious and there was a clear sense of joy and anticipation in Durvekral's voice. He was going to enjoy what he was about to do and he wanted the man to know this. He wanted the man's mind to fill with all sorts of predictions about how this was going to occur. "Its a very intriguing little poison. Have you ever thought about how pain works? I mean, sure, your body doesn't like things like poison or toxins but the best poisons kill with no other effect." Durvekral lifted the toe of his boot and brought it down over the very tip of one of the fingers of the man's hand. The man started wriggling, silently. He looked like a fish that had been scooped into a canoe. His silence was not born from a sense of pride, it was from a complete inability to do anything except focus on an unpleasant sensation.

"Not phantom shell, though." Durvekral offered a twisted, nauseating, mocking, reckless smile. "However it may be that that wonderful little pain sensation, is created, yours has been kicked into over drive. Every little sensation is utterly changed. The lightest touch becomes painful and... With an inappropriate sense of glee, Durvekral raised the heel of his other boot and slammed it downward over the man's other palm. Finally, some noises were created here. They weren't clear words, in fact they were feral noises more than any kind of plea.

"...and stronger pains become absolute torture. So much potential for fun, would you agree?"

Finally the man responded. 'Braaaagghhhh!!!FortheloveofDira!!!TheWolf'sDen!!!

Now Durvekral had a way to learn more about this strange bounty hunter. He realized that this was all he would be able to get out of the mage. After all, even that one singular response was rushed and barely audible. The man was on the edge of consciousness anyway; he would soon pass out from his wounds. Durvekral had gotten everything he could hope for, tonight.

This of course, meant that it was time to put an end to the threat. He didn't need an enemy as shifty as a morpher running around the city. Durvekral sheathed his dagger; he had an idea which would be far more fun than a simple slice. He retracted his fangs and smiled at the poisoned man. Unfortunately, all of the screaming and shouting had summoned the Listeners. He heard footsteps and yelling approaching.

He couldn't believe his man's luck; he scowled at the lucky soul and disappeared to the rooftops before he could find himself in danger of having his face recognized by any authority figure. He decided to head to the rendezvous point and simply hope that Svan's head was still attached to his body.

[Licearsvansan]

Svan's chest heaved and his legs that had kept an even sprint at first now beat against the earth in desperate syllables. The cold air was quickly sapping the strength from the young serpent, and the man behind him was growing closer every second. As the snake prepared to round a corner he fumbled in a bolt to his newly acquired crossbow and hastily aimed it at the man. The bounty hunter slowed his run for a moment, readying himself to take cover from the arrow. "Come on, do you really think you have a shot of catching me?" However, as the snake pulled the trigger the shot went wildly off target and splintered against a wall. Svan could practically feel his heart sink into his stomach as the man looked over to the wall were the bolt had struck, and then turned his gaze back to Svan with a cruel etched deeply into the features on his face. After a brief battle against the desire to slit his own throat so that he wouldn't suffer the bounty hunter's vengeance the Dhani took off back down the corner.

Breath ragged and eyes wide in fear Svan scrambled down every alley and turn he could find, but his pursuer followed him every step. Panicked eyes scanned the walls and road for anything that might save him, but nothing he found could give him the edge he needed. Then all at once the road ended. Before Svan stood a circular path with a trio of benches lining its side, and a water fountain in its center. "The phrase dead-end has never had quite so much meaning to me as now..." Without breaking stride the snake rushed straight towards the center of the Cul-de-sac and he scanned the surrounding buildings for a low roof that he might take advantage of. He had considered the idea of trying to have the hunter case him in a circle and then run back out the way he had come in, but the water-fountain was not so insurmountable an object that the the bounty hunter couldn't just head straight through it as Svan tried to circle around it. Unfortunately, as Svan's eyes scanned the rooftops his feet caught hold of a loose stone. The snake's other foot shot out to catch his balance, but came to late. Only Svan's right hand catching hold of the edge of the fountain kept him from dashing his brains upon it's side. A wave of relief washed over the snake, but was quickly silenced by the sudden realization that this brief delay had given the hunter time to catch up to him. The Dhani whipped his body around and propped himself against the low wall of the fountain. The bounty hunter was not far off now and his pace had slowed to that of a menacing walk. Svan's eyes darted around for anything that might be of use, and after a brief moment his eyes fell on the stone two steps away from the fountain that had tripped him. Svan brushed his hand slowly against the cool stone that he was leaning against, and his stare went vacant. For a brief moment the world seemed to pause as the wheels in Svan's head tried to turn, and then as if a missing gear had been put back into the machine his thoughts snapped into place.

Svan dove to the ground, pulled his legs underneath him, and rested his head upon his hands as he suddenly began begging for his life. Svan was a proud Dhani, but pride was useless to the dead. As the hunter approached Svan's groveling figure he kicked out against the Dhani with his boot. The snake winced in pain, but continued his pleas. "Do you seriously think that after all the trouble you have caused me that saying sorry is gonna save you?" The hunter leaned over and pulled up Svan's hair as it it were a radish. The snake grit his teeth in pain, but refused to quit his pleas. "Okay, so you're sorry? Fine then, prove it. Kiss my boot." Svan complied without even the slightest hesitation, but just as he moved his face to the man's shoe it shot upwards and smashed into the Dhani's face. The man erupted with laughter, and Svan silently checked with his tongue to make sure he hadn't lost any teeth.

After confirming that his smile was still intact Svan spoke softly to the giant of a man who stood before him."You know you shouldn't take my humility for GRANITE!" Svan sprung up suddenly with the loosened stone now in his hand and aimed straight for the bounty hunter's head. Faster than Svan could think a flash of metal flew across his vision, and the sound of metal on stone rung out through the air. The cobblestone brick that Svan had tried to use now lied uselessly out of the snake's reach, and the serpent himself sat on the ground with his arm still ringing from the blow. The sword had met nothing, but stone but once again Svan was amazed with how close he had been to losing another body part. Sadly for him, the danger had not passed.

The goliath stood over Svan with a mocking eyes, and a smile twisted with sick amusement. "Next time you waste a surprise attack on a pun, at least make sure its the right kind of rock."

A smug grin was drawn across Svan's face and he glared up at the hunter with a look that said, "I win." The bounty hunter's expression seemed perplexed for half a moment, but confidence quickly returned to him. The snake was cornered, weakened, and in a few moments he would be dead. "Cut me a break, its not easy to think up this stuff on under pressure." The serpents smile widened and a small glint of iron beamed out as he drew a hand from his pocket. "So why don't you leaf me alone." With a flick of his hand the bolt of iron rocketed toward the hunter, and the man dodged it with practiced ease.

However, just as it passed the bounty hunter realized that he had never been the target. Leaf? His quarry had definitely said that the word 'leaf', but why? The hallow sound of wood echoing out from behind him brought with it sudden clarity. A trap?! The swordsman quickly shifted his gaze to the source of the sound and lifted his blade just in time to see the hilt of Svan's letter opener fall harmlessly to the foot of a wooden door. There was a brief of pause that lasted only a moment as realization washed over the man like a tidal wave. His torso spun back towards Svan and his sword struck in an arc at the exact spot the Dhani's head had been. Sparks lit up the ground as the blade was drawn against empty stone, and the light cast by the sudden flash of hot metal only served to illuminated the features of the bounty hunter's face that was now contorted in blind rage. He had been tricked, and of all things it had been a joke that had fooled him.

The moment the man had turned away Svan made his move. By the time the man had slashed out at the snake, he had already rolled onto his feet and was now crounched directly beneath the man's legs. Before the swordsman could act Svan shot out his arms to wrap around the front of the man's legs, and positioned his head so that it was just bellow the man's rear. Then like spring he shot straight up with every bit of strength he had. As Svan made contact with the man, the bounty hunter was lifted up into the air and thrown forward with surprising force. One, two, three steps. Than man well just over the edge of the fountain and with a brilliant spash he landed in the water. For the first few seconds the man thrashed about as he expected the Svan to come in after him, but after a few moments it quickly became apperent that the snake had fled. Standing up and coughing out the water he had breathed in, the man moved his hands to his face and attempted to wipe the water from his eyes. It was slow work thanks to his soaking wet hands and the water dripping down his face from his hair. He moved half blindly to the edge of fountain, mutttering curses all the while. how was he going to find the brown haired theif now? His partner was probably dead, and he had just lost track of a man in the city of illusion. It was a hopeless quest, but the man would be damned before he let some common thief steal his bounty. When he finally found the snake he would tear it into so many pieces Dira would need a bucket to deliver him to Lhex. Just as he got one foot out of the fountain he was greeted by the feeling of something sharp prick the top of his head. As he looked up he saw the blurry shape of something brown directly infront of his face. As he blinked away the remaining water in his eye the shape came into focus, and as it did, the bolt burrowed its way into his skull.

Svan stood by the water fountain with a troubled expression on his face, and a crossbow in his hands. "Sorry about the wait, I just couldn't think of a good pun."

...

Some time later Svan after had disposed of the body and crossbow, he had had arrived at the door of the Withering Rose. With tired eyes he scanned the perimeter searching for his ally. It annoyed Svan that he didn't even have an actual name to fit to the man, but that, he supposed, was simply the nature of assassins. The snake was now dressed in his origional attire after having returned the 'courior suit' to the origional owner. He was now a few Mizas lighter after having to repay the man for the scuffs and loss of his letter opener, but the snake felt good regardless. His normal brown and black outfit was warmer that a dozen blankets and helped keep him safe from the night's chills. However, time was still ticking and Svan's energy would not last much longer without any real warmth to energize him.

The night was only growing colder, and if Durv didn't appear soon then he would have to call off the assassination.

[Durvekral Wormwood]

Durvekral hobbled into the dark tavern after his long night. Of course, he was delayed by the need for a detour to his home, first. He couldn't wander into the bar in his conspicuous purple outfit. The mask was sure to turn a head or two.

Despite his ever present vigilance for remaining unremarkable, Durvekral let himself seem a bit more noticeable tonight. He was too tired to appear anything except characteristically tired. Tonight, his visit to the Withering Rose would be more about speed than stealth.

While walking down the wooden aisle and through the raucous laughter and music, Durvekral made sure to crane his neck around, looking for the snake. He saw his target and immediately ventured forth.

His entrance was more of a fall, into a nearby chair, than it was an accompaniment.

"Enough for tonight," Durvekral nearly pleaded. "My lithe body wasn't made for this. I was spotted during my scouting, regrettable yes, but I was able to discern some helpful information."

Here, Durvekral was happily interrupted by a young, brunette, freckled girl asking if he'd like anything to drink. He paused his story to order a drier, subtle mead.

"The western tract of the estate's grounds appear to be generally abandoned. Sure, after our interruption the guard towers will be more fully manned but its heavily wooded with a steep incline. I believe it within my ability to sneak through."

Once again, he was interrupted when the drink was brought to him. He paid the waitress and delayed the pause by enjoying a long sip of the fermented beverage.

"I can't get you in there just yet but this gives us a great deal of information. Soon I will be able to know the estate's most flagrant weaknesses and exactly how to strike your prey."

Durvekral enjoyed another well deserved sip from his stein as he slouched, allowing his shrieking leg muscles some respite.

After his much enjoyed tasting he pulled his lips from the golden liquid. "Also who in the shyke was that bear whom we just fought?"

[Licearsvansan]

Svan all but fell into the chair when he tried to take a seat. He had done so little fighting and yet he felt so drained that he couldn't tell whether the room was spinning because of the city or his own exhaustion. "I could not agree more." He practically slurred the words he spoke. The weight of his tongue was only bested by the weight of his eyelids. "We ssshould go back...get ressst."

Fwomp Svan's head smacked against the table, and startled himself awake just as Durv finished ordering his meal. The serpent's eyes darted around, but quickly realized that he had blacked out due to nothing more than his own weariness. The snake shank back slightly and offered a soft "my bad" for having nearly fallen asleep like that. When the spider continued, Svan smiled softly. His smile waned slightly though as a thought popped to his head. "Well that is good because I don't think we have too much time on our hands to finish this job."

"Also who in the shyke was that bear whom we just fought?" The spider suddenly questioned.

"Well that is just the thing really. He was the man I ... liberated our bounty note from. It seems he was not too pleased, but don't worry he won't be coming back anytime ssssoon." The snake smiled at Durv before continuing in a more hushed tone, "I caught him off guard, and shot him point blank. He shouldn't be too important though. Its unlikely that anyone will care enough about his death to come after ussss. Its that guard I'm worried about though. As far as anyone knows they were innocent people who were trying to stop some criminalsss. It will likely take time for anyone to get enough evidence though to know for sure what happened and how to find ussss. As long as the mage is dead the Womiyu won't have a witness to prove our guilt-" Svan remembered the sword breaker stuck in the guard's head. "...at least not immediately." Svan shook his head, he was already feeling rejuvenated by the warmth of the building, but he knew this new strength was only surface deep. "Don't worry though, if we find our guy then we will have proof that the guards were working for a corrupt man, and our role in this all will be better justified."

"So-" Svan leaned forward eagerly, "I need to hear a good story, how did you kill the mage?"