Riding The End (L3 | Archived | Fantasy/Sci-Fi)

[Jokerman-EXE]

Osiris, about to order the boy a drink, looked over to see him take off. Worry overran thought for a moment - Nine was out there and likely to kill the kid if he was alone. So Osiris chased after, stopping at the door when he saw Zuberi with Ashling. He smiled in relief as he went back inside.

This time, he took his drink straight over to Theridan. "So what have you got to tell me?" he asked briskly.  

[SirBayer]

Trajan's face remained blank. "Do you want him dead or alive?" He paused for an answer, then asked "Who's this DuPont gentleman? What can he do? Trooper, sniper, what've I got with me? Oh. And when can I leave?" Trajan relaxed as much as it seemed like he could - his stance was still stiffly upright, even in his seat, demonstrating respect for a superior officer. No surprise had crossed his face at her gender, either, though he had felt a moment of minor shock. It shouldn't have surprised him, but it still did. Women weren't uncommon, but they weren't common, either.

So, Saturnine Rhapsody. The name was familiar, if only somewhat. It was on a wanted list he had checked over the other day. He hadn't bothered checking alive-or-dead - the guy had been out of Trajan's company's area. The 232nd wasn't, therefore, concerned with Rhapsody. He had read a little of the rap sheet, though, and he remembered the face, well enough anyway. Any elf would be hard to hunt down. Trajan wasn't much of a hunter, but that was life, anyway. He'd work it out.  

[SiberDrac]

Wait. Wait what was this. No. He needed to meet Aeon. He needed to know things about Aeon. Before Osiris made it into the tavern, Nine grabbed him and turned him around. "Wait outside? I thought I was going in. It's no one who'll be missed, and I can make them look less dead than they are. I need information, Commander." Aeon was goal zero. A human scientist deserter, if the Trow could be trusted at all. "I can't listen in from outside; that's not how it works. You've already lied to me once, Commander." He once again pressed a hand to his chest and threw his head back, the ill-kept hair not swishing quite as much as he likely wanted it to. "My loyalty is not bought by blood alone."

More seriously, he sighed, frowning irritatedly at Darke. "But I get it. I'll get my own answers." Even though you'll prep them against me, being your own upstanding self. Douche. The Fae watched him disappear into the murky light of the early-morning tavern and turned down the alley, letting Ashling follow. When the boy came running out of the main entrance, Nine blew the little mute towards himself without even thinking, setting up any followers to turn towards, him, but then no one followed.

"Stupid," he grumbled. "What do you mean by 'nice Trow boy'?" The kid's description seemed to indicate four individuals besides Osiris. "Do I need to do some killing?"  

[Jokerman-EXE]

Osiris thought about it as Theridan began to speak. Nine was right, Osiris had already tricked him - and it had only been a day since they had met. Osiris was an upstanding man, or he tried to be. That wasn't really OK. He would make it up to the Fae by telling him everything that he learned, without omission.

He gave Theridan his attention and listened closely.  

[Isa-sama]

The child was happily swinging on Ashling's branches (much to her displeasure). He perked up when he heard Nine's question. He frowned.

Ashling was able to keep up with the conversation because the boy would lean out on the branch far enough so that she could see him. She wasn't sure she could trust Osiris - would he tell them all that he gathered? I don't know, but I don't want to take my chances. Well, if one of the Trow was still around, then perhaps his partners were still in the city as well.

She poked him rather roughly. Osiris would be able to find them later; his owl form would ensure them of that.  

[SiberDrac]

So there were only two people in there, including Osiris. Meaning the other Trow were still around and, more importantly, squeezable. Nine stared curiously at the tree. "You think I can wander around here without people dying?" It was true that he had a slight reputation among the Trow, but they knew as well as any of the Arosian peoples of his murderous tendencies. They just happened to also know that he was happy to keep from killing someone in exchange for... oh. He grinned excitedly. Right.

"Point me places," he said. A little twitch ran through his fingers as he glanced at the outer end of this new side alley. The further through morning they went, the more activity there was. People were walking everywhere. There were soldiers and magi among them, obviously, but that did nothing to deter Nine's bloodlust. How many would he have to kill before someone noticed him? Or could he get someone to scream especially loudly, the final ululations of their dying breath spilling through the crowds, or maybe a head rolling gaily between their feet while the body collapsed onto an old woman... The possibilities in a place so densely packed as this were tremendous.

Before he was even fully aware of it, Nine had made his way to the mouth of the alley, already picking out targets. That old man with a cane would be hilarious if the leg that still worked suddenly twisted out of joint from a dip in the road... a spear on a knight could shish kebab probably that entire line of brothers and sisters, maybe even get the mother in front...

The old man fell, and Nine lost himself in the crowds.  

[Isa-sama]

Only two words ran through Ashling's mind.

Oh. s**t.

Now, it wasn't that she cared for the crazy elf. It wasn't that she knew any of the people he was probably going to kill. It was more the fact that she could get her trunk cut clean off if she didn't try to stop him. Zuberi gripped onto the tree tightly right before she started to run.

And run she did. All she had to do was follow the screaming in order to find Nine. Once she found him, she snatched him up and squeezed him around the waist. She kept running until she found a new alley to hide in. It was times like these that made her happy she didn't have vocal chords or else she'd have given away their position with her urge to yell.

Rather than us versus humans, it'd be the damn Aros versus Ulla versus humans! They were already having trouble with the humans. Could they really handle the strain of fighting a three way war?

Somehow, she doubted anything she said was getting through to him. s**t. This isn't good. Well I'm not going down because of him. The Grand Oak may be able to get me out of this, but I don't know what will happen to this flesh bag.

With her free hand, she rubbed her eyes. He's going to need to run. And fast. I doubt even Archmage Azrial can keep him from getting killed. Not unless he's willing to risk war with all the other factions. At the very least, I'm getting myself out of this mess.  

[Venom3001]

"******** off. I ain't got s**t to tell you, a*****e," the Trow replied. Osiris realized that the Trow was not, in fact, Theridan. Oops.

"Oy, you might want to read this. A nice man said if a Druid who wasn't interested in the main attractions came in here, I should give it to him," the proprietress spoke, tapping Osiris on his shoulder. She handed him a note folded into fourths. It read:

Go to the second room from the end on the second floor and fly to the bell tower you can see from the window.  

[Jokerman-EXE]

Osiris sighed. Damn Trow and their secretiveness. Still, it was probably necessary to do what the man asked - this was delicate information. He thanked the woman that gave him the information and headed up.

He entered the room, second from the end, like the paper had said. Striding to the window, Osiris looked out to see a bell tower a good half-mile from his position. He sighed, his eyes turned all black, and he was an owl again. With a couple of quick flaps, he was on his way.

A few minutes later, Osiris glided through the top of the bell tower and landed on the ground. He morphed back into a Druid, crouching on the floor of the tower. He rose, two knives in each hand as he surveyed his surroundings silently. The Trow would know if he was there.  

[Venom3001]

"Weapons down, druid." Theridan's voice seemed to come from above but the acoustics of the bell tower made it impossible to tell precisely where.  

[Jokerman-EXE]

The knives disappeared into his sleeves and Osiris raised his hands. "Peace, Trow," he said clearly into the depths of the tower. "I'm just here to talk, like I said. I got those others off your tails, so you can show yourself like we agreed."

He walked over to the stone parapet of the tower and sat down on it.  

[Venom3001]

Clank-

Theridan descended from the darkness, bouncing off the bell to the stone wall in the corner, catching himself on a stone jutting from the masonry before dropping to the floor.

"So what exactly are you trying to learn, here?"  

[Jokerman-EXE]

Osiris nodded in greeting as Theridan descended.

"The information on the sighting of Aeon. Where, when, why, you know. Standard stuff, to start."  

[Venom3001]

"Why do you want to know? Who is he, exactly? Why are you seeking him?"  

[Jokerman-EXE]

Osiris raised a hand in a sign of futility. "I don't know anything about him, myself. I'm just following orders. I was ordered to ask you about him and let you on your way, and that's just what I intend to do. I'm sure you can understand where I'm coming from."

He nodded encouragingly. "Go ahead, please."