Solo Finding (Mr.) Silver is Better than Gold

[Kaie]

20th of Summer, 514 AV
19th Bell


Now this...this might be a little more difficult than I had hoped, Kaie internally groaned from her position in the shadows. She swiveled her head back from around the corner of her hiding place. Air escaped her lungs in a frustrated huff. She shook her head, bronze fingers pinching the bridge of her nose, and eyes squinting shut. Slavers Row was never a place the Myrian had any intention of finding herself. Like, ever. Never under any circumstances. She'd worn shackles herself and no longer was so keen on the idea of promoting the dehumanizing trade more than necessary. However, one was not always lucky enough to choose where they might finally track down their quarry. Hers was here. Somewhere. Probably more than one target on her kill list was present, wandering the streets or housed in one of the grander houses the city had to offer. Tua Scully was so kind as to reveal the group responsible for the trespasses against the Scars: The Brotherhood of Chains.

They were a new and upcoming group, he'd admitted once she'd forcibly loosened his lips. A dangerous alliance that ousted the individual warring parties fighting for dominance over Sunberth's slaving business. Peace had been brought to the streets, a new monopoly forged, and a gang-like guild had won itself its first firm foot hold. It made a bit more sense at the very least. A benevolent gang against slavery gaining support and notoriety in the city was simply bad for business. Business was never personal, so why was she taking it so? Zedra. The weight of the deceased Myrian's cleaver still hung from her hip. That death alone, even in light of their vicious battle prior to her sacrifice, was more damaging to the woman than the permanent scars upon her flesh that marked The Brotherhood's victory. The Hound didn't single-handedly bring down the Daggerhand, but killed a prominent member to send his message. The Myrian planned to do likewise. If only she could find him! Kaie peeked her head back around the corner. Amber eyes searched hastily through the darkness that opened up to the beginning of Slaver's Row.

Come out, come out, wherever you are, Mr. Silver. The streets were quiet save for a distant wail and the wanderings of strangers to-and-from the market. She threw up her hood and slid around the corner, starting her inconspicuous approach between the jaws of a new, faceless enemy. It was always a suicide mission. One angry woman on the road to revenge, ditching the warm harbors of safety to chase ghosts to nurse her wounded ego? No matter how one wrote that ending, it probably wasn't going to be a very happy one. She was well aware of this the day she stepped foot on the ship that would take her away. She was starting to feed off it all. The rush, the danger, the quest for a satisfaction always out of reach. It wasn't as if she could very wells save herself now that she was getting so very close.

Keep your head down. Its dark. No one knows you or who you are. No one cares. Keep it that way, don't stop walking. Bladed boots clip-clopped quietly upon the street. The belt hidden under her cloak that carried her weapons gave a soft jingle with each step. Fingers clenched and released from tight fists. Deeper and deeper she wandered into the belly of the beast, eyes rapidly scanning new scenery as she moved in search of anyone who resembled Tua's description of Mr. Silver with his Eyphrarian bodyguard. It would've been an easier hunt if someone asked her to dive into Baroque Bay and find any specific corpse purposely sunk to its bottom. Cheering to her left had the Myrian pausing dead in her tracks. Her cloaked head swiveled in its direction, finding herself stopped before one of the Row's grand houses. Firelight and drunken jeering came from the back of the building.

From the shadows of the house's side appeared a man, sauntering his way to the street corner before he turned against the home's wooden siding to relieve himself. His dark eyes settled on the feminine figure nearby. A handsome, fiendish smile cross his face. "Little late for a girl to be out buyin' alone. Dangerous, too," He finished up and put himself back together, leisurely moving in her direction with a scratch of his scruff. "Stay close to me and you ain't got nothin' to fear on this side of the 'Berth." It was a wise thing the dark her hood provided shielded her face. The look of disgust that must've crossed her features would've ignited a brawl right there.

"I do fine on my own. Take another step this way and I'll show you," she purred back, playing the game with a venomous twist to her threat. The dark haired man's face lit up at that. Nonetheless, it gave him pause. "Hot shyke over here, huh?" Arms crossed over his bare, tattooed chest. Something in his eyes made her want to reach for her sword. "I know that accent. Wouldn't be the first time one of you savages wandered this way, in chains or otherwise. If history truly repeats itself, you're about to cause problems for me." Kaie's jaw clenched. Was it still too late to reach for the sword? "So if you're not going to suck my cock after all, I suggest you get the petch out."

[Kaie]

At the very heart of it, her situation had very few solutions. Fight him and they'd make too much noise to avoid attention. Walk away and she'd always be at risk of the same man identifying her. More attention. Gods, even if she did manage to kill him, The Brotherhood would be up-in-arms and hunting for his killer. That would make everything all the more difficult. She knew what Matthew would've told her to do. The very notion made her want to slit her own throat right there. Or vomit. Profusely. It's the best way. The smart way, she wrestled internally. And yet she could not stomach it.

"And what if I tell you you can take that suggestion and shove it back up your ass?" she growled, eyes carefully watching how his arms dropped back to his sides in fists. To go for the sword, or not to go for the sword? A vein in the stranger's forehead appeared as he ground his teeth. He moved her way, threatening to cross the space between within a few simple steps. "I'm not leaving until I'm done doing what I came to do. So either we can work something out, or one of us is going to die here tonight; which would be a shame considering no one is even around to bet on the winner."

Just like that he stopped. Dark eyes blinked at her, mouth opening and closing as if he were struggling with the words that came to his mind. Suddenly, he straightened up. His fingers uncurled harmlessly at his sides. "Alright then."
"Alright?"
"Let's make a deal, you and I, Myrian."
"Name the terms. What's it you want? No, I'm still not going down on you in case you wanted to get cute again."
"You're a Myrian. A female Myrian. There's a certain stigma surrounding what you are. Tell me the truth. How well do you live up to that?" Kaie's brow knit in utter perplexity. If he could've seen beneath her hood, he would've spotted the clear suspicion in her gaze. "Depends on what part of that stigma you're talking about."
"Well, can you fight?" She couldn't help but roll her eyes and nod. That made her new partner grin like the true fiend he was. "I'm well connected within this city's street fighting network. Tonight there's big money to be made. Smug little bitch with the Brotherhood of Chains keeps bringing fighters that have been kicking my fighters' asses all night. There's a couple matches left I've got money in, but the petching Akalak I picked up for the last one came too gods damned drunk to function. You step in, win the match for me." The excitement in his voice was like a child's the day warm weather finally came after a long, harsh winter. "Yeah? What's in it for me?" Kaie snorted, taking her turn to cross her arms critically over her chest. The stranger shrugged. "Glory. Profit. You make me richer and put the Brotherhood Bitch back in her place, I'll even help you do whatever the petch it is you're here to do...unless it's bat shyke crazy. Then you're on your own. If nothing else, I tell no one your little savage self was even here just like you wanted it before I came for a piss. Deal?" The man outstretched his hand, which the Myrian quickly took for a firm shake. An ivory smile appeared in the darkness of her hooded face.

Soon enough the pair had wandered through the streets and (much to her surprise) outside of Slaver's Row toward the designated fighting ring. They were more toward Sunset's Quarter, she realized, having recognized a beat-down apartment that resembled the one Aider once owned.
"So...with all the new power The Brotherhood of Chains have in Slaver's Row, I would've thought everyone would've been quick to swear allegiance," she observed passively, making a point to glance in boredom toward the surrounding slums. The man scoffed beside her. "I ain't everyone," he murmured darkly, casting a look her way before settling his eyes back on the path ahead. "Why not? No more fighting and bloodshed in Slaver's Row, I hear."
"I didn't mind the fighting and the blood. I was good at that part."
"And what about the money part?"
"You haven't been around, have you?"
"Get me up to speed then." He groaned and shook his head. A tension in his jaw was Kaie's only indication she was quickly settling in on a touchy subject. "No more competition, no more fair prices for those of us still in the market for slaves. They've got the business by the balls, Myrian. Forget those bastards. We have a fight to win."

If only I could do just that, but there is no forgetting. Not until it's over. Not until I've finished it.

[Kaie]

She ran a hand down her face, fighting the anxious sigh that threatened to escape her. This is a distraction. You enjoy the thrill of a good fight and you just couldn't help yourself. Dammit, where's your focus? she scolded herself internally. At the very least she supposed she ought to prepare for whatever shyke storm she was about to walk into. Gods, was her relationship with her own lifestyle so full of love and hate. "Right then. Your little passive-aggressive grudge match," Kaie reminded herself, fighting to keep the patronizing tone out of her voice. Her new friend didn't seem to mind regardless. "Oh, piss off. I live for giving little shykes like this one a good beating. I'd hop into the pit myself and finish the job if I could."
"I see nothing stopping you."
"Eh. Some bull shyke about a worry of a fixed match."
"Something tells me their worries aren't unfounded."
"This way," he rolled his eyes and took a quick left.

The pair mazed their way through a few buildings before he shoved his way through a back door. Instantly, she was greet with the smell of piss, quite a bit of blood, and more scent of stale ale than she'd probably had the pleasure of smelling in all her days in taverns. The place was nearly packed full, too. It was enough work for the stranger to muscle his way through the close congregation of bodies toward the sounds of suffering. Lanterns slung about the room created just enough light to see a couple feet in front of you, but most encircled one area in particular. Before long Kaie and the mysterious man wrestled their way to the forefront of this area, finding themselves leaning over a crudely built wooden barrier. On its other side there was a large drop in the floor clearly constructed by someone with no architectural skill. Its bottom was naught but mud, with all the water that had either seeped up through the ground or funneled in to annually flood under the house's foundation. Inside it stood two fighters, then one when the more adept of the pair slugged him cold. A fury of cheers exploded around the house, beer spilling as tankards were raised toward the ceiling.

"Directly across. To the right. Top corner leaning over the fence," her companion uttered low, gaze fixed on the direction he spoke. The frosty stare would've made the Myrian nervous had she been on the receiving end. Nonetheless, her warm colored eyes followed his lead, spotting a woman flanked by two rather imposing figures. A cigar hung lazily between her fingers. Black smoke whirled out between puckered red lips. "That your girl?" Her plump red lips stretched to reveal a mangled smirk. The woman aimed a wink across the way that was not meant for the Myrian. Kaie turned just in time to see the disgusted, angry twist of the man's expression. He spat a fat glob of saliva in her direction down into the pit just as a couple men were hoisting the unconscious fighter out. "You petched her."
"Where the petch did you get that idea?"
"Do I look like an idiot? You totally petched her, don't lie to me."
"No! I didn't I--She!"
"She sucked your dick," Kaie finally finished for him, unable to help the rapid smile of satisfaction that took over her face. Her companion turned red, and only confirmed her guess with a flustered nod. The Myrian guffawed, only to be silence when the man threw a well-placed and yet subtle elbow into her side. "Neither of us can afford to lose this one, Myrian, so don't get too cocky." Then, as if realizing just how well he set himself up for more snark, he shot her a warning gaze. Kaie mocked throwing up her hands in innocence before both their gazes fell into the dark pit below.

Two more fights waged before she felt the man beside her noticeably stiffen. Then there came the nervous habits of his body: a jerky leg, the way he couldn't find a comfortable way to lean over the fence for an extended length of time. She could feel it, too. A rush began to flood her veins. Fingernails dug into the wood of the fence, and her eyes were unusually focused on the pit in particular. A few men walked by to clap a hand on her new friend's shoulder. Some whispered in his ear, only for him to wave them off. Others took one look at the Myrian beside him and gaze him a playful nudge. By the end of each short conversation, it always came down to his grudge match.

"How's your Akalak?"
"You're putting this much money on the petching line for a petching girl?!"
"Do I know who she's putting in the pits? No, but she's been talking shyke all night so I hope your savage knows what she's doing down there."
Gods, she wanted to strike half of them. Given her situation, the best she could do was create murderous scenarios starring them in her mind. The man rested his arm over her shoulder and tugged her to him. His lips lingered near her ear lobe. Was he trying to tease her the way he breathed so slow upon the back of her neck? "All-petching-right, folks! Time to put your Mizas where your dirty mouths are! Fill your tankards and get ready to put down your bets, because it's the last fight of the night!" a voice boomed above the others surrounding it into silence. In a tick, a bearded blonde man found himself standing on top of a keg to address the crowd. "Rita? Kostaja? Send your fighters in." Rita smacked her bright red lips at Kostaja, whose growl reverberated in the Myrian's ear.

"Okay. This one's going to be big. See the two brutes guarding her? That's how she picks them: tall, intimidating, and strong. She takes everything at face value, understand what I mean? If this fighter's just the same, play to his weaknesses. Identify those quick. If I can help you from here, I will, alright?" Kaie ran her tongue along her bottom lip. If Kostaja could hear her heart thudding dangerously in her chest, he made no indication. "I won't need it. I won't be alone down there," she murmured back cryptically, to which Kostaja cocked his head. He hadn't a chance to inquire what she meant. The crowd shrieked their excitement to drown out anymore small talk. "I have to hold onto your weapon!" Kostaja shouted over the cheering. After a moment of hesitation, the Myrian resigned to undoing her weapon belt and handed it over. Then, Kaie vaulted over the short wooden fence into the pit below. Knees bent and fingers kissed the mud to break the shock of the drop.

There was an eeriness in the pit she never picked up on when she was eyeing it from above. Blood never bothered her. Mud had never been an issue. The strange feeling in her gut was more than just pre-fight nerves. She swallowed it and wandered into the pit's center, rotating to soak in the energy of the ravenous group above. Kostaja was practically trying not to worm his way out of his owns skin or demand to trade places with her. Rita had her wild stare fixed on her rival with a wicked grin. Beside her Kaie spotted the hulking bodyguards part ways, and the crowd responded with enough noise to wake Syliras. She squinted up, trying to find the subject causing the pandemonium, but the angle of her position prevented her from doing so. That is until it came crashing down with a screech, splashing the Myrian with more than a fair share of mud upon landing. Her lip curled, but she made no gesture to remove the splattering of filth that now covered her face. Instead, she removed the cloak altogether and tossed it up for Kostaja to catch. Then she turned to face her opponent...and something in her awakened when she did.

Zith!

Standing quite a bit taller than she, the winged humanoid stretched its arms out to bait the crowd with another alien shriek. Vivid red hair flowed down the naked, male creature's shoulders. Blood-red eyes fixated on the tawny jungle-born backing away from its range. Bat-like wings gave an impatient flap and clawed fingers curled in a menacing fashion. Kaie swallowed hard, back knocking against the wall when she could reverse no further. Of all the races I've ever met, it just had to be one of these. Her sword hand searched foolishly for a weapon that was no longer on her person. "Last call to place your bets, folks!" The crowd above clambered over one another to ensure their mizas were accounted for in the pool. Kostaja's shadow loomed over her, but if he was shouting, the crowd was too loud for her to catch a word. She could still see Rita standing smugly in her corner, visually doting on her nightmarish fighter from afar. Kaie's eyes were taking in what was around her, but they were elsewhere, too. Back to Cyphrus. Back to the Sea of Grass, listening to the howls of dying beings, feeling the way that massive pooling of blood steamed that one hot day. Keritan's face flashed across the stage of her mind, and it was a wonder that image didn't cripple here right there.

"Bettings are closed, people! Let's get to it! Fight!" was the announcer's last say before the Zith began its pacing back and forth within the pit. Kaie hadn't moved yet from her wall. She shook her head to will herself back into the present. "I can hear your fearful heart, coward," her opponent's hungry eyes seemed to taunt her. The time for strategy and lateral pacing had ended. Now the monster was approaching with a merciless sneer, and all she wanted was to will it out of existence.

[Kaie]

Things always went so much more smoothly in her head. She'd over-simplified an impossible, suicidal task with laughable facetious. Sure, Kaie, let's just sail back to the city that's only a step up from Hai on the whim of your wounded ego. Just go off and pretend you're a sword-slinging badass. How could it go petching wrong? her own thoughts mocked her in spite of the paralyzing fear that budded in her gut. She'd let her emotions and her pride get the best of her. Now she was in a pit fit to be her grave facing a creature that could've literally been birthed from her own nightmares. She swallowed hard. The crowd's roar of cursing and encouragement for the fighters raised with the approach of the Zith. His midnight-colored fur glimmered like obsidian when he wandered from the dark corner into the lamp light focused toward the pit's center. Kaie's hands balled into tight fists, and she willed the shaking in her arms that threatened to appear to die away. I've killed a Zith before. I can do it again. The monster let out an intimidating shriek, for a tick, the Myrian's confidence wavered.

"Don't just stand there, for the love of the gods!" Kaie whipped her head around for a split second to see Kostaja looming over her, hands cupped around his mouth as he shouted downward. She cast him a dirty look before quickly turning her attention back to the enemy. Just in time, too, because the next thing the Myrian knew, the creature was diving forward with a flap of its wings and claws outstretched. Now she moved. Her back foot pivoted and her body moved off center. The Zith's wing's flapped backward to slow it down before its rush sent it right into the pit wall. Its jaw unhinged to release another frustrated shriek. Kaie grit her teeth. Her eyes were constantly locked on the fearsome set of claws. "Get to it, ya shykes! Kill each other!" someone yelled to the agreement of the crowd. The Myrian did not conform, but the Zith wasted no time in heeding their wishes.

The male approached slower this time, careful to eye his slippery opponent before she vanished from his range again. Kaie lowered herself into a more familiar stance. Feet separated with the left slightly before the right. Hands came up in an open-handed guard with elbows close to her torso. With her knees bent her posture slumped, the loin-clothed woman probably registered as more animal than sentient being to the spectators above. Curled and clawed fingers shot forward toward the Myrian. The divine mark on the jungle-born's flesh seared her flesh, and with it awakened a ferocity in combat known only by her kin. The threat of a shaking sensation vanished the tick Myri made her appearance, then her child was thrown into rapid motion. Kaie faded left outside the Zith's body, lead hand parrying along the Zith's arm to guide the attack harmlessly past her. Her body weight rocked back to settled on her right leg, while the left swung forward to sweep behind the monster's right knee.

Red hair whipped about and wings curled defensively around the creature as it fell onto its back. Kaie made a move to rush the downed creature, but she was quickly warded off by furious flapping and a flurry of reaching claws. Instead she disengaged. Hands up, she slowly made her way away from the creature while it found its footing. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw something dark cast over Rita's expression that only matched the wild grin that must've been on Kostaja's face. Regardless, only a fool would believe the battle was remotely over. After all, the Myrian was unarmed and the biologically weaponized Zith thirsted for vengeance in the face of momentary humiliation. Somehow, the fight itself felt heavier than a little grudge match between rival parties. Whatever it was, it didn't matter. She needed to win to survive. All other agendas needed to be put temporarily on hold.

[Kaie]

The Zith presented snaggled teeth with another boisterous shriek. She involuntarily cringed at the shrill sound, hand momentarily jerking toward her ears before quickly settling back into a guard. The monster's feet shlopped through the mud toward her. This time it wasn't a bull rush style of frenzied attack, but an advance that one might almost describe as...cautious. Is he beginning to see me as a worthy threat? she found herself letting her thoughts turn narcissistic before shaking them away. The creatures nostrils gave a flare. A voice she couldn't silence in her mind worried it was catching the scent of her hidden fear.

The pair of fighters rotated about the pit, circling one another like rival wolves fighting for the role of alpha. Spectators banged their tankards above, chanting for one fighter or the other. Who was rooting for her, the Myrian could no longer tell. Yet soon they would grow restless for most fantastic displays of blood shed. This was the final fight after all. The masses needed to be sated, and it was quickly becoming apparent as they continued to circle that eventually one would reveal themselves the entertainer. The savage could feel a sweat that was turning cold upon her flesh, the sort of sweat that came not from movement but from staring into the malevolent eyes on the creature across from her. Her leading left hand shot up from the guard and sure enough the Zith's eyes were quick to follow. Yes! Her weight shifted and her right foot plummeted into the chest of the beast. Air rushed from its lungs in a powerful whoosh. Mud splattered this way and that when he struck the ground on his back. Again the Myrian rushed in with the intent on assaulting the grounded thing. Again the wings flapped viciously and claws limbs were like razors slicing the air. She bit her lower lip and gave a growl that was quickly answered by her opponent. Back on its feet rose the Zith. Kaie could practically feel the anxiety of her sponsor up above.

"Alright already! Gods! Quick trying to ground it and figure something out!" Kostaja's voice rose momentarily above the others at a volume that must've strained his vocal cords. Her lip curled. No shyke, coach. Did she mention how badly she wanted to hit him? The creature roamed toward her with its fingers curled. No longer did it tip-toe around her nor seek to crush her against the pit wall. It failed to hesitate and circle, but came for her head on. Its right claws whooshed across at her middle, forcing the woman to lunged backward to escape its range. The same claws returned the whoosh back across the opposite way, forcing her further back before seizing forward to stab. Now I've petching got you! She bobbed and weaved beneath the clawed jab to the right only to be met with the ferocious set of right claws wrecking havoc from above. Weight moved back to her heels, but it was too late.

"Damn you!" It was her turn to fall back into the mud. Each clawed finger left its own mark upon her vest. The heat of her own blood warmed her wounded flesh hidden beneath. Up, Myrian! Move! The Zith rushed the downed savage with a cry of victory, lunging from its feet like some wild animal seeking to sink its claws into her exposed torso. With a shout the Myrian's heel shot out to catch the diving creature in the jaw. It gave an agonized cry and tumbled into the mud alongside her. One of the Myrian's hands and an opposite foot both lifted her body from the ground, the other foot shot back beneath her body to bring her quickly back upright.

"Your lot is much easier to kill when someone's at least lopped off your wings..."

[Kaie]

As if she'd given it a formal invitation, the Zith suddenly leaped from its feet and into the air with a few powerful flaps of its massive wings. Its jaw unhinged to shriek again, remaining open to showcase its cluster of crooked, sharp teeth. The Myrian's eyes widened but all she could do was duck her chin, crouch her body, and shoot her arms up to protect her face and the sides of her skull before the monster was upon her. Its toes came down like talons on her left arm. The wind from its flapping wings threatened to upset her center of gravity. She couldn't hold it back this time. She screamed. Claws reamed down upon her, she felt the creature sink its jaws into her left arm. Agony wracked her senses, the various natural weapons possessed by the creature attacking her left her ability to strategize and adapt inept in comparison. Yet the ferocious searing on her flesh like a hot iron to the hindquarters of a calf altered her focus. Myri had not abandoned her yet.

With her left arm preoccupied between defending her head and receiving attack, it was up to her right hand to seek out salvation. Her fist pummeled once at the creature's side. It paused to give a growl, jaws leaving her arm and claws momentarily pausing in their assault. Her right hand opened and reached beyond the Zith's nearby arm, snagging the end of a flapping with. Fingers seized around the appendage with nothing short of desperation. Then, with a yell, she yanked the wing with all her might until the creature was careening from a hover upon her to the ground. Its feet skidded upon the mud but it didn't dare abandon wounded prey. Blood spread from the shallow slices in her arm. Red begin drip-drip-dripping to mix into the dense color of the pit's earth. The Zith raced for her with its right claw outstretched to either jab or grab her. Kaie's leading left leg swung in a fierce roundhouse high into the side of the monster's throat.

"Savage!" It was Kostaja's voice she made out above all the rambunctious cheering above just before something familiar speared the ground beside her. Relief flooded her but it was short lived. Her kick had grounded the Zith once again and its placement disoriented it, but it was far from a knock-out. The Myrian practically collapsed upon her father's gladius to rescue it from the mud. Her lungs heaved, hungry for air. She turned back around to spy Kostaja, who was aggressively bickering with a betting attendant and fending off traitorous glares. "Ay! Petch you! She brought a petching animal with petching knives attached to its fingers and toes. It has petching wings for petch's sake! Unarmed my ass!"

She shook her head. It didn't matter anyways what went on above. The danger was below in that pit with her. At least now she had her sword and Myri by her side. Let's see how you play on an even ground. She rotated the sword in her wrist, spinning it twice before it came to a final rest in a death grip between her fingers. The Zith was slower and more cumbersome finding its stance again, balance wavering for several ticks before it steadied. Kaie darted forward. Boots splashed through the mud, kicking it behind her. Claws flew her way. Her run ended as she threw her body forward and dropped down to slide through the mud beneath the assault. The gladius whipped low across the Zith's middle, lacerating deep with the help of her forward momentum. The creature crystallized. The Myrian hustled back up and spun around to assess the situation, only to find a blood rope of intestines spilling from the inflicted wound. The Zith gave a moan, hissing something in its native tongue before its knees went weak. Claws hungs from its sides and its eyes looked down in awe.

Kaie wandered behind it and laced her fingers through its muddied, long red hair. After a tick or two she was practically holding it up in that way, barely hearing its suffering gasps over the explosive roar of the spectators above. The Tigress turned her head to settle her fiery gaze upon Rita's. Kaie curled her lip, teeth gritting as she placed her sword across the beast's throat, and dug the gladius deep as she ripped it across. Blood spilled like a fountain down the beast's front. She was deaf to the thunderous response from the crowd. Her eyes were for none but Rita, whose jaw lowered in shock and contempt just enough so there was a space between her bright red lips.

[Kaie]

The Zith dropped like a stone face-first into the sloppy arena mud. Its blood dripped from the Myrian's gladius, pooled over the dirt, and recolored murky puddles that had filled the steps of the fighters during the fray. The Tigress raised her sword and fist in victory, chest heaving as she recovered with the sound of the roaring crowd echoing in her ears. It was only when she dropped her arms and adrenaline faded that she felt her own hot blood on her skin. Thick trails of it skimmed the length of her left arm where talons and fangs had found their place. The slashes across her leather vest bled red. A whistle and strong arm came down from above the pit. Kaie turned to spy Kostaja's wild, fiendish grin. A smirk broke across her own face as she made her way toward him. She handed her sword up first before they grasped each other's right arms. In a tick he tugged her back up to be among the crowd of furious and delighted betters alike. His giant hands clasped over her cheeks. "You bloody bitch! I could kiss you!" He planted one on her forehead and then turned to spy his once lover from across the pit. "Rita!" Kostaja rose his hand high above the other heads in the crowd to ensure she spotted his middle finger. The woman's face twisted up and she spat down at the corpse of her failed combatant. Her body guards flanked her as she maneuvered out of view, presumably far from the scene of her defeat. Kostaja's friends dabbed him up with shouts of praise.

"My sword," Kaie spoke up over the loud cluster of voices. Her companion's eyes lit up and he quickly presented her with her gladius safely in its sheath. Without wasting more time, the Myrian promptly reattached it to her hip where it belonged. "We had a deal." Kostaja looked down at her silently for a moment before nodding firmly. He gestured for the bodies before them to make way. "We did. Let's get your cleaned up first, alright?" He led her through the masses with a hand on the small of her back. Before long they had escaped the suffocating pit house and emerged back into the comfort of open air outside. "That was one fight from Hai, huh? There was a tick back there I thought I might be putting you down for a dust nap tonight."
"You Sunberth men say the sweetest things." He chuckled at that and gave her shoulder a friendly pat. "The look on Rita's face when you slit her little monster's throat? Petchin' a, Myrian. You lived up to your kind's reputation alright." Eventually they returned to Slaver's Row where he shepherded her into a dungeon of a home. Kostaja beckoned her through the poorly ventilated building into one of the side rooms and toward a beat-up chaise. Kaie relented to sit down while her companion disappeared. When he returned it was with a small wooden box and a bottle of clear liquid.

"Is this your house? What's all that?" she inquired skeptically from where she sat, feeling her hand closer to her hip. Kostaja knelt before her and cracked open the wooden box. He opened up the mysterious bottle and poured it over his hands. "No, this is my friend Malum's place, and this stuff's for your wounds of course," he responded simply as he rubbed his hands together, spreading the alcohol over his skin. Then he reached in and took out a large roll of bandages. "We keep this stuff handy because of what goes on below," he hurried the explanation cryptically. Her brow furrowed. "What happened 'below'?" He gently took her arm and poured the alcohol from the bottle into her open wounds. Kaie turned her head into the sofa, expression twisting, and teeth gritting together. While she suffered, he reluctantly distracted her with truth. "Malum's slaves serve as whores in the basement. Things get...ugly." He placed the bottle down and began to wrap over her wounded bicep. "Just be happy to know the bandages in here are usually fresh." Kaie gathered herself and took the bottle up. She took a swig of the nasty stuff, coughing but satisfied with the burning in her throat. "Something tells me you didn't know where this box was because you were concerned with their well-being down there." Kostaja pressed his lips together and tied off the bandage with a knot. He handed her the roll and walked away as she slid off her vest.

She tended to her own chest and did a shoddy bandaging job. Then she put her vest back on and returned to Kostaja the bottle and roll. He placed the roll back in the box. Kaie followed him as he returned it to its rightful place behind the bar in the large room they first entered. "Guess this is the part you make your demands, Myrian. Have at it."
"I'm looking for Mr. Silver." Kostaja eyed her skeptically, pausing for a tick before entertaining her again. "And why would you want to do that?"
"Do you know where to find him or not?" Kostaja dropped down onto a bar stool with a sigh. He reached into his pants pocket and procured a coin sack, which he dropped on the bar beside him. Kaie crossed her arms. "Take some of this coin we won from the last fight and go home."
"You know where to find him, dammit, don't you?"
"Take the bloody Mizas, Kaie. Whatever business you have with him is no good for me, and it's definitely no good for you."
"Petch you! We had a deal! I got in that muddy petching pit and slayed a Zith for you just like you asked. I put my life on the line in the name of your petching fragile pride so I could get what I petching want."
"Fine! I'll help you on your suicide mission to find him, but we do it my way. Do you understand?" Kaie stood there silently, pondering his ultimatum. I can't trust him...but I can't do this without him. She uncrossed her arms with a growl. "Okay, but how do I know you won't petch me over?" Kostaja chuckled darkly and rose from his seat. He dropped the coin sack back in his pocket. "That's the thing. You don't." Without further banter, he headed right back out the door with the savage on his heels.

[Kaie]

"Kostaja!" she hissed her whisper of his name harshly as she trailed behind him in the dark. The shady man kept his strong strive on, largely ignoring the Myrian at his heels until she called to him quietly for the third time. He sighed with agitation. "Petchin' what now?" he whisper-yelled back at her. She threw up the hood of her cloak again and fell in beside him. "The plan?"
"What do you mean 'the plan'?"
"I agreed to do it your way. That doesn't mean I don't want to know what exactly 'your way' entails."
"I'm regular around here. People know me, know my face, know my reputation. You're reckless and desperate. If you thought for a tick I was going to let you take the lead on any Brotherhood associate, you're out of your gods damned mind, woman." Kaie pursed her lips at that, yet there was no logical defense. He was right. She'd already made it clear she would do anything to get at the bastard that orchestrated an attack on herself and her friends. Had the roles been reversed, she seriously doubted she would've been willing to lay her life on the line for someone else's suicide mission either. "There's a bar the rough crowd likes to hang out in on these nights. If you're not a regular in Slaver's Row, you better be a Brotherhood member if you want to leave with your head."
"In other words, you're benching me," the Myrian woman growled disdainfully. Kostaja looked down at her and smirked for just a moment at the fire in her eyes. "Obviously." He must've felt the continued heat in her stare, because he was groaning and continuing on soon after. "First, you're going to explain your exact intentions to me. This isn't some easy job. You know that."

Kostaja led her around a corner and into a narrow, shadowy alleyway. He faced his back to the wider street they had come to, blocking the Myrian's face with his back in case any unwanted persons snooped within their hiding space. Even in the dark, Kaie could make out the expectant widening of his eyes. How much is truly safe to reveal to him? She licked her lips and glanced about the dark. "He was involved in some shyke a season ago. It's high time him and I had a...chat." Kostaja arched a suspicious brow and folded his thick arms over his chest. "He's been known to have a big ass bodyguard around every chime of the day. What do you plan to do with him?"
"I plan on removing the obstacle. I'm not above making a mess."
"Clearly." Kostaja ran is fingers through his hair and took a deep breath. He glanced over his shoulder at the sound of a woman and a man giggling passing them by. He shook his head. "Petch me...You're going to need a spot to bring him. Let me think about this, alright?"
"Second thoughts already?"
"Shhhh!" He held up a hand to silence her, pacing deeper into the shadows with his hands folded behind his head. The Myrian patiently waited for him, and after a chime of soul-searching, he wandered back over.

"That fight I brought you to earlier was widely talked about beforehand. Everyone who's anyone was there, but by invitation only. Apparently Silver wasn't into it tonight, but if I sell it to him that there's one last fight and I've got it fixed, he might be inclined to come along with me as his in to make easy money," he began methodically, scratching at his scruffy chin with thoughtful eyes staring into the blackness. Kaie's brow rose and a crooked grin started to creep across her face. "There's a spot around the corner, between Malum's and the fight spot. Some jackasses used to hole up there, trying to compete with my buddy's whore business all to close to his place. I helped clean them out a couple night's ago. I'll lead them through that way where you'll be waiting for us, and we'll jump the bastard and his thug together. Once you got him, I'm petching out of there and you're on your own. Deal?" Kaie's grin was wild, eyes glimmering even in the dark of night. She extended her right arm out and Kostaja was quick to clasp it with his own. "You're a gods damn genius."
"Does that mean you changed your mind about going down on me?" He mocked with a mischievous smile that echoed the delight in her expression. She furrowed her brow, but the mirthful grin remained. "Definitely not."

[Kaie]

It was the most uncomfortable plan the Myrian ever agreed to...and yet it was the only one she had. There was no alternative. At least, not one she could see herself successfully enacting that night. Time was of the essence. The moment someone reported the Myrian from the Scars had returned, the Brotherhood would certainly waste no time tracking her down. No one liked loose ends, and Kaie would do her damnedest to prove she was a stubborn end indeed. The crux of her situation was her complete dependency, however, on Kostaja. Her ally of the night was perhaps the strongest she could've made. While not quite inconspicuous as she might've wished given the circumstances, the man held the clout that made their scheme plausible. A fixer of fights and an aggressive presence in the Row, Kostaja was nothing short of a godsend...but that didn't guarantee he wouldn't turn her over for personal gain in a heartbeat. For that reason alone, Kaie brandished her blade in the dark.

The belligerent savage stood right where her ally had left her. They had wandered from the alleyway in which they had planned to scout the abandoned building aforementioned. The few squatters were cleared after bared teeth from the Myrian and growly threats from Kostaja were dished out. Only after did Kostaja direct her to yet another dark alleyway right around the corner where she would wait for his return. If all went smoothly, he would lead Mr. Silver and his thug right into her snare. With gladius in hand and body crouching in the shadows, the most agonizing piece of their conspiracy was to be enacted: the waiting game. What a wait it was. Her racing mind was hard to keep occupied, her focus draining as each approaching step proved to be none but a common passerby. The neglect would surely drive her mad. She alternated her weight from one foot to the other, back on and off the wall. Maybe he's just playing it up. She cut the air before her in slow motion silently with her blade. Or...maybe he's just dead, the darker part of her mind suggested. She shut it down with a shake of her head and a slow-motion back-swing against an invisible enemy. Moonlight glittered along the moving blade. Kostaja could not be dead, she decided. For if he truly was, she was nothing short of utterly screwed.

Her sword-play came to an abrupt end at the sound of multiple feet. The Myrian all by threw herself back against the corner of the alley wall, sword down and hidden beside her outer thigh. She listened carefully to the night, trying to pick up any indication of who was wandered the streets so incredibly late, hoping it was her target. The voices were whispers. Their foot-steps were strong and commanding, the whole lot of them. The number of feet was nearly impossible to distinguish with certainty. Two? Three? Five? The Myrian was clueless. A small squad to tie up that pesky loose end? Has Kostaja bestrayed me? There was no silencing the wandering of her mind as her anxiety grew. The footsteps became louder. The strangers were getting closer. And the Myrian was far from ready. She might've sent one last prayer up to Myri had she not been so afraid her whispers might be heard. She crouched lower, shifting her weight to the balls of her feet in preparation. Kostaja's lean frame slunk past her so close she nearly jumped. This is it! Two bodies, side-by-side, began to enter her field of view just behind her fiendish ally. The closest shadow's arm swung in stride to reveal a pair more than the average being, and that was her sole cue.

Her gnosis scorched its invigorating burn upon the base of her neck and she lunged from her hideaway, emerging behind the unsuspecting Eypharian to drive her gladius upward through its middle. The brute force of her stab drove the blade through the bodyguard like a Svefra ship through calm water. The bloody tip of the sword appeared through to the other side. The blood on its edge gleamed mournfully in Leth's glow, and tear-dropped down onto the earthy path below. The agonized moan of the four-armed man had both his master and Kostaja's attention. The blade did not yield upon her first tug. Stuck in the flesh of the mortally wounded, it took the help of her planted foot against its back upon the second try to reclaim her sword. By then Mr. Silver has turned and attempted to throw himself upon her. Kostaja, with the quick action only an experienced fighter could provide, betrayed his comrade with a tackle from the back. Mr. Silver managed to plow the Myrian over as Kostaja took him down. With his right hand pinning her right sword-wielding wrist down, Kaie only had her left arm to cover her face in order to fend off punishment doled out by his left fist. Kostaja worked his back-stabbing strategy from the top of the mess of thugs. He wrapped Mr. Silver's throat into a tight lock in the crook of his arm and squeeze. Mr. Silver's face turned red as he strained to beat the Myrian while his bodyguard dropped to his knees, cradling the mess through his torso with hopeless, bloodied hands. The iron-like grip of Kostaja's vice won soon enough. The fight in his one free fist began to weaken until, like his Eypharian succumbing to his death upon the ground, fell unconscious.

"Thank you," Kaie managed as Kostaja pulled the sleeping man from atop her. He sat back on his ankles for a long tick, gathering his breath. "Don't mention it...literally." Kaie sat up and wiped her blade clean on Mr. Silver's cloak. Her amber gaze drifted along with Kostaja's to the Eypharian bleeding out in the middle of the street. Both turned their heads, but spotted no curious eyes out on the quiet street. "This is a high profile guy. We have to get them both off the street. Now." The remaining pair quickly found their feet and set to work. Kaie looped her arms beneath Mr. Silver's, and began to slowly drag him toward the entrance to their chosen building's side entrance in the darkness of the alley. She popped open the door, cringing as it creaked, and labored to drag the grown man within. Kostaja did the same with the Eypharian, but resigned to leave him in the dark rather than bring the body inside.

"If he's high profile, we can't just leave his bodyguard slaughtered in the open!" she whispered to Kostaja, who pressed his lips together but nodded in agreement. He withdrew a large knife from his pocket with a cruel bravado. "We can if he doesn't look like his bodyguard." And just like that the fiend began his work, reminding Kaie just why he was both feared and admired within the Row. Before long the gruesome work was done, and the deceased lacked nearly any discernible features at all. His face was removed with shoddy handiwork. His pockets were robbed. Extra arms were butchered right from his body and stowed within the house out of plain view. The only break Kostaja took from his brutal project was to strip Mr. Silver of his cloak, which he used to conceal the body despite the trail of blood left behind. It was a simple decoy, but it was all the time they had.

[Kaie]

Mr. Silver awake alone in the damp darkness of the unknown. He blinked his eyes open, staring wearily into the shadows. No doubt he was listening for any indicator of where he was and what laid within the blackness. Nothing would reach his ears for some time but the skittering of rats and the beating of his own nervous heart. He stared down at himself, finding his cloak was missing and a firm mess of rope that kept him tied to his chair. His yellowed teeth gnashed together and he flexed his arms to no avail. Memories squeezed at his throat harder than Kostaja's vice ever could've.

"You sons of bitches! You killed him! You killed him!" he roared into the dank room. "I'll gut you for this! I'll hang you by your innards for the whole damned city to see. Come out, you cowards! Out where I can see you!" He squirmed and writhed, but his boldness was restricted only to his voice. Even his weapon were missing from his person. A dim glow shot through the room in the far corner like a light from the heavens. It disappeared again with the slam of a wooden hatch, followed by the creaking of steps that only got louder with repetition. "Kostaja! You yellow-bellied bastard!" Mr. Silver squinted his eyes through the dark, straining for a glimpse of anything or anyone. A tiny lamp light roared to life before his eyes, illuminating the bronze-skinned jungle-born in his midst.

"You!" he spat violently, jerking forward against his heavily knotted restraints. His jaws snapped at her and his face turned beat red again, though the carefully trained eyes of the savage could see the grief beneath the surface of an righteous, infuriated face. "Surprise!" Kaie grinned back ironically though the sarcastic joy couldn't penetrate the darkness in her stare. He worked like mad to wriggle loose his restraints. Kaie tsked, impressed with Kostaja's labor. "Didn't your mother ever teach you to leave no one behind if you wanted to avoid a vendetta?" She shook her head at him as if he were a silly child. "I mean, really, imagine the shyke us Myrians would have to put up with in the jungle if we left any of those eradicated races alive? The Tupahi...Ukantsu...Waorori...Gwanah. I've started to forget the names of the people we erased from Falyndar, but you're following me, right? Gods, I mean, what a mess!" She sighed for effect, shaking her head again. She raised the lamp a bit closer to Mr. SIlver's face, fully illuminating every furious inch.

"Now, you, Mr. Silver...You've made a mess. To leave anyone alive and angry is a folly, but a Myrian? I would say I expected a bit more professionalism from such a feared and powerful guy, but I'm going to have to lean with the Brotherhood. How are your employers, by the way? Disappointed, I suspect?" Her captive spat violently at her face. The Myrian closed her eyes and took a step back to compose herself. With her free hand, she reached down and used the end of her cloak to wipe her face clean.

"Petch you!" the proud man snarled from his chair, gnashing his teeth at her with vigor. Kaie threw her left fist squarely into his jaw. He turned his head with the strike and spit blood onto the floor. "Take a good, hard look where you are, you proud prick. You're trapped. You're alone with a very pissed off savage. When I come back, I'm going to ask you for something. I don't play games. If you don't give me what I want, I'm going to hurt you. You can take it quietly or you can scream. It won't matter. No one will hear you and no one will come for you. And if, by some chance someone does come for you, I'm going to kill them. I'll kill every one of your friends that comes looking for you until you don't have so much as a gods damned acquaintance in this city. You can either make my day or I'm going to keep taking from you as you took from me, and then I'm going to take everything, because only then will we be even. Think about that."

The lamp went dark. Stairs creaked, a hatch opened to reveal the godly light once more, and then it went dark again with her departure from the room. Above, she found Kostaja picking blood from beneath his nails on a moldy couch. He glanced up at her and arched a brow. "Could hardly hear a thing up here. Guess I can pick a good spot for torture," he lamented as Kaie arrived. She plopped down beside him, watching his idle past time.

"I thought you were out of here once the deed was done?"
"I am. I just wanted to make sure we tied enough petchin' rope. I don't need him escaping on me. Pissing off the Brotherhood is the last thing I have time for, and I ain't one for running. Especially not for you." Kostaja shrugged his shoulders and continued working his knife beneath his thumbnail.
"He deserves to suffer. You'll have nothing to fear from him." Her ally hummed some sort of passive agreement. Something suddenly popped into her head. "Why'd you let Rita get under your skin?" Kostaja paused his fidget to scrutinize her. He adjusted his jaw. "Because I liked her and she petched me over, alright?"
"Really? You convinced me to get messed up by a Zith and that's all you got?" Her fiendish ally growled and put his knife away, avoiding her gaze. "She was using me to find out what kind of sweet deal Malum had going with some slavers outside of Sunberth to get the sort of arrangement he was getting. Once she got it, she ditched and made her alignment to the Brotherhood known."

They sat in silence for several chimes after that, Kostaja marinating in love and betrayal while Kaie gave Mr. Silver the promised time to correctly weigh his options. Then she extended her arm out to Kostaja one last time. "If someone does come, you shouldn't be here for what happens next." He took her hand one last time before nodding sternly. Then he was out the door and into the night, leaving Kaie to resign to wander back down to fulfill promises and threats that were far from empty.

OOC:I realized only in hindsight that I could've divided my posts and paragraphs more for easier reading. For enduring me, gold star to the poor grader!