(Flashback) - From the Wind - (CLOSED)

[Drayden]

65th of Fall, 510 AV Drayden emptied his fourth tankard of ale as the barkeep stared at him with a shocked expression. "Now, my friend, see as my aim is as true as if i was sober!", Drayden sauntered over to the dart board set up in the corner of the tavern. He turned away from the board and rested his hand on a throwing knife. He whipped around and the blade flew from his hands. Not looking to see the results of his throw, he walked around with his hands held high. The tavern erupted in laughter and, Drayden whipped around to see where the knife had landed. His cheeks flooded red as he saw the knife. The blade had not even reached within 4 feet of the dart board! Drayden quickly recovered the blade and fell out of the tavern. He wobbled towards his horse, wich he had yet to name, and stared at the complex knot that held the horse to a wooden post. his brows furrowed as he tried to focus his gaze upon the woven rope. The horse knocked his head with his snout and blew a gust of air in his face. Annoyed, he shoved the horse's head away from his face playfully and set to work on the knot. After becoming frustrated, he shot open his wristblade and slashed the rope. Drayden took a proud stance, and congratulated himself on his conquest over the rope. His horse, knowing that his rider was intoxicated, lowered himself to let Drayden mount easier. The sound of hooves on cobblestone rang out above the crowd, attracting a lot of attention to Drayden, now swaying in the saddle. He arrives at a canal and dismounts. The familiar, abandoned and decrepit warehouse seemed to sway in the wind, probably because Drayden himself was swaying more and more. He struggled to push the heavy sliding doors open that usually opened without much effort. The doors suddenly flew open and Drayden fell over at the feet of his horse...

[Drayden]

Drayden's eyes opened to the dark of night. He sat up and, brushed the dirt from his face. The horse trotted out of the ware house and stared at Drayden with a , seemingly, disappointed look. "I really need to find a name for you don't I... ", he said as he stood up and walked into the abandoned warehouse. He ran over to wear he hid his things, behind a lonely wooden crate. He retrieved his pack and rummaged through it until he found the particular scroll he was looking for. "Drayden, This is the last kill I am going to ask of you. I fear that the others may be catching onto to me. His name is Dreifuss Kilana. He's a human textile trader who's been involved with a rival of mine. I've enclosed pictures of him and his shop. Write me as soon as the deed is done... Sincerely, Matthias Stinwell" Drayden took one glance at the pictures and recalled seeing the man's shop whilst he was collecting info on another target. He checked his armor, his wristblade's mechanism, and set off. His horse's gray mane flew up in a gust of wind then settled calmly back onto the horse's ash colored back as he trotted through the streets. "Aha!" Drayden exclaimed, "Aero! It's perfect." The horse whinnied and threw out his mane. "Ah, you like that name? Well, just a little farther 'til i have to go on foot ok?" Drayden pulled back on the reins and Aero stopped right at the entrance of a dark alley. Drayden hopped of Aero's back and signalled the horse to go back to the warehouse. "If I remember, this alley should lead me right into the rafters of Dreifuss' shop. Now, I just have to get up a bit higher...", Drayden said as he searched for an easy way up onto one of the many balconies. He ran halfway up an ornate pillar, holding up one of the balconies and found a handhold on a sconce. Taking a risk, he leapt from the pillar to land on a hanging platform. The platform swung forward, closer and closer to a building across the alley. From the platform, Drayden jumped to the marble railing of the balcony. "WOAH! Oh my god!", Drayden exclaimed as he almost fell from the railing. Drayden crouched to lower his center of gravity over the railing and slowly regained his balance. He dropped from the railing onto the balcony, "Oh my god.. why did i do that! I could've fallen! I Should stop drinking before I go on kills..." Drayden slipped into the darkest shadows he could find and ran in the direction of his targets shop, head still spinning. He reached an empty door frame and burst through it. To his surprise, He had emerged onto a storage platform in the rafters of his targets shop. A customer left the shop and it was empty except for him and his target, perfect. He tested a rafter beam with his foot as if it was a cold pool of water before stepping out onto the wood. Using the beams to position himself perfectly overtop of the trader, he readied his blade.

[Drayden]

Drayden's face grew somber as he readied himself for the kill. No matter how many times a man kills, it never gets easier.This profession was not his first choice but, it's what kept food in his stomach and clothes on his back. Drayden worked his wristblade's mechanism a couple times, making sure it would release the blade smoothly and surely. He eyed the soon-to-be dead man and wondered whether he had a family, kids, a wife... Drayden shook himself and banished the thought from his mind. He leapt forward, and gripped the beam in front of him, swinging off and landing with a thud on the creaky wood floor. His target spun around to face his attacker only to meet the cold metal of Drayden's blade. Dreifuss Kilana clutched Drayden's arm as his knees buckled. His eyes grew large and started to glaze over, as Drayden layed him down. Drayden watched for a few moments as the blood drained from his target's face, emptied through the massive gash in his neck and spilled onto the floor. Drayden turned and walked out the front door into a busy street filled with people. He started to walk away but, quickly returned back and flipped the "open" sign of his target's shop around so that it read "closed". When he returned to the street he quickly slipped into a mass of people, inconspicuously making his way back toward the warehouse he called home. As he neared the canal that the warehouse stood beside, he broke from the crowd and ventured into the back alleys of Ravok. He later emerged from the dark mouth of an alley to face the huge, abandoned building and his horse, prancing nervously... Drayden quickly ran over to Aero and rested a hand on his muzzle. Drayden whispered softly in the horses ear, "there, there. Caml down, I'm here. I'm ok!" He grabbed the reins and led Aero back inside the warehouse. Drayden unattached the wristblade from his arm and opened it as he walked over to the pool of water in the center of the large room. He plunged the blade into the water and carefully rubbed the blood off it, watching not to cut himself. He sat, rubbing the blood from his true father's blade, as a lone tear rolled down his cheek. The tear fell from his face and landed in the pool of bloodied water. The tear made no ripples, Dray's sorrow is unheard by the world...

[Drayden]

66th, Fall of 510 AV Drayden's eyelids broke open and light flooded into his eyes. He heard the sound of chewing and smelt hay. He sat up and slid off the pile of hay he collapsed in the night before. he walked to Aero, as he brushed off the many pieces of hay stuck to his clothes, and tousled his horse's mane. Aero, startled, lifted his head and looked around, settling down after seeing Dray. Drayden sat against his horses side as he unbraided his hair. He stood up and shook out his dark hair, ran his fingers through it and flung it back out of his face. His hair, after it was done, was weaved into a loose braid behind his head with two wisps of black hair hanging on either side of his face. Drayden rushed over to where he discarded his armor and quickly strapped it all on and ran out the door, signaling Aero to stay hidden. He walked past the dead trader's house on his way to worship. The windows were boarded and the door held a sign that read "VACANT". Drayden diverted his gaze and quickened his pace. He saw that a bridge crossing one of the many canals was coming up on his left, he turned towards it. He came to the bridge and stepped to the side and looked over the rail that held the water inside the canal. He searched for the wooden ladder that was said to be waiting for him. he spotted the ladder but, it had fallen and was floating in the water a few feet from a platform resting inches off the water. Drayden judged the distance down to the platform at about 7 feet. He vaulted his body over the railing and spun so that he was hanging from the opposite side. Drayden released his hands and fell to the platform below, landing on his feet, with little noise. He walked on the platform under the bridge with his hand running along the wall to his left. He relaxed as the shadows engulfed him and his skin cooled in the absence of the sun. Suddenly, the wall fell away from his hand and he lost his balance as he staggered through a dark doorway. He regained his balance as he saw a series of flames along the right side of the tunnel he just fell into. Drayden cautiously took the first steps down the tunnel with his wristblade readied. Drayden sat on a bench in the large underground cathedral, facing a massive shrine. A pedestal before the shrine read: "Tyveth - God of honor, valor, chivalry, and truth." Drayden sat and admitted to himself all his wrongdoings, all the killings... He pleaded to Tyveth to forgive him for the harm he had done. He felt the guilt and sorrow pouring out of him in form of tears which now flooded down his cheeks. He walked home feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders... 67th Fall, 510 AV It was the last day for Drayden in Ravok, He was set to leave that very day. He left without incident, without saying goodbye. For who would he say goodbye to? He had made no friends in Ravok but loved the city. Drayden left the city on Aero's back, the back of his only friend. He vowed to come back, come back with a companion...