After Victor told them what to do, his dark room covered with expensive looking cloth fell silent as the guild master waited for the large half goliath to speak.
"i can do this job on my own. why do I need those two?" Thornan asked.
"The baron owes me a favor if this is done right and he doesn't want anything going wrong. he asked for three of my best and i gave him three of them... its a show of good will," Victor said.
–
It often did not rain in Srok, but when it did rain, it was often heavy and lasted for more than a day. The people in the warrens found cover in their homes and others found it under broken houses. mud mixed with human waste was washed by the rain from the cobblestone. And street urchins who could not find warmth in the cold weather shivered visibly next to the walls of lukewarm buildings that offered them what little shelter they could from the beating rain.
The merchant caravan of House Norden of Sogate moved over the bridge leading into Srok and made their way into the city they would be spending the night. after hours and days of constant traveling and stopping through the cities. the weather did nothing but make the coachmen, merchants and crafters more exhausted, weary and inattentive. They moved through the streets.
The guards walked beside the wagons through the heavy rain, their clothes wet and soaked, as they passed through the gates and headed down the street towards the noble quarters.
From a dark corner of an alley three figures watched this tired guard lead a well built carriage that led the caravan down the street.
“Do we have to wait in the cold? I feel—“one of the smaller figures asked, watching as a guard passed in the distance.
“We have to wait and follow the caravan to the guest manor they will be staying in.” the large figure said looking at the smaller figure, “so quit complaining, you’re not the only one standing out here.” Thornan spat shifting and turning his face around at Nigel and then to Eve who stood silently behind them.
Thornan looked back at the caravan, and with a gesture of his hands, the pair followed him into the night.
To be a member of the Veystrix of the Guild in the lower cities meant learning how to keep in the dark, among the shadows and from prying eyes.
Some used their spell forms, while others just learnt how to do it naturally through wit and guile. Most importantly, those who were well-regarded by their guild master received his teachings in the art.
Many would look at Thornan as a half Goliath capable of only brute strength and that would be a mistake, members of the Veystrix knew otherwise. Thornan was cunning, talented and when he wanted something-- most often he got. And in the matters of dark dealings, he was one of the best. One of the best in the terror he spread on the streets. the best in the art of killing, and his dealings went much the same way, with him getting off with more than a leg in the deals he made with the filthyings who wanted to survive in Srok.
The Night was both an ally and enemy to Thornan. he made sure his steps were masked by the rain. He never walked in the open. he instead used the broken carts, doors falling off their hinges, and corner alleys where the guards would not be inclined to look too deeply as he followed in the shadows of the caravan. he made sure to keep away from the walls as well, never stepping too close to them-- for the walls amplified the sounds he made as he moved.
When Thornan got close enough to one of the guards, he cast his shadow magic. to an observing eye, it seemed like he had grabbed the shadows and covered himself in them.
He looked around, seeking the other two Veystrix, but he couldn’t find them anywhere near him. He squinted at the rooftops. And There on a roof above the street the caravan wagons travelled on. Nigel waved at him in a playful, mocking manner.
As for Eve he couldn’t tell where she was. She was the one he was more cautious about out of any veystrix. she just rubbed him the wrong way. where he saw fear in the eyes of the others, Eve just showed dull recognition in his presence.
This close in the shadow of a guard, Thornan had to be delicate in every action and motion of his body he had to make. otherwise he would give himself away. if the guard shifted to the right he did so as well. if the man turned to look behind himself Thornan had to sway avoiding the man’s vision. he moved when the man moved. stopped when the guard stopped, and made sure his shadows were never faster than that cast by the guard.
Thornan traveled like this shoulder to shoulder with the guards shifting from one shadow to another like a ghost amidst cursed men. if one had the right type of spell they would see him moving side by side with the guards. But these. these were simple men with barely a spell to their name and for him it felt like child’s play.
When the caravan reached a posh-looking manor in the noble residence of Srok, Thornan left the shadow of one of the guards. And like a shadow, he faded from one end of the street to another, the darkness flowing off his body like a cloth. There, he stood unnoticed by the guards who rushed for shelter, never looking back at the alley. And there, Thornan stayed huddled in a corner of the alley, watching and waiting for the other two to meet him.
Nigel was the first to show his face, landing besides him in the narrow alley with a dull thud that had someone like Thornan who was trying to keep in the shadows wincing at the noise.
“Can’t you be quiet,” he hissed.
“Relax, they did not hear us. besides the rain is helping muffle the noise even as we speak,” he gestured between himself and Thornan.
“We should be moving. Finding Tedric’s sleeping chamber,” Eve said, surprising both Nigel and Thornan.
Thornan who had not seen her appearing next to them tried to keep his surprise to himself and released his blade. This was something she didn’t miss. as for Nigel-- he yelped and turned around to face her.
Thornan looked at them and sneered, turned back to the caravan. and before he started giving them orders, they all kept a close eye out on the caravan they suspected held their mark. they watched merchants using oil lanterns to check the coverings over their wagons to stop the rain from hitting the crates inside. They watched the guards patrol around the mansion, and they waited and watched as the coachmen rested the horses in the stables and left to rest themselves.
And when the manor compound was nearly empty, Thornan started giving his orders. “Eve, find a way inside by the left wing. find his room and if his there do the job,” Thornan turned to Nigel, “Nigel, wait out here. in case the mark tries making it out to escape. His yours.” He said His eyes never leaving the caravan wagons.
“What will you be doing?” Nigel asked
“I will check the rest of the villa, the diner. We do this as fast as possible and we can go back to our lives.”
They nodded and Thornan stepped out of the alley and made his way into the Manor past the guards who were none the wiser to his actions.
An hour later the three Veystrix came back to their meeting place Eve and Thornan in a much somber mood than Nigel who was cleaning blood off his blade.
“I didn’t see him leave,” Nigel shrugged.
“Then whose blood is that.” Thornan nodded towards the dagger with a sceptical look.
“I got bored,” he pointed with his thumb back where a guard of the caravan lay pooling in his own blood.
“We all saw the carriage stop at the front of the guest manor.” Thornan said.
“Did any of you see the baron’s son leave the carriage,” Eve asked, her voice dull and uninterested.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“No,” Thornan said in his deep, gravelly voice. He looked at Nigel questioningly. the other boy shrugged nonchalantly as he finished cleaning his blade.
“Yeah, well I guess the baron’s son never left the carriage.” Nigel added
“We should move on then,” Eve said.
“Wait, you two can wait and follow the caravan,” Thornan moved closer to the dead body and started undressing the corpse, “I will join the caravan as this dead guard,” he said wearing the guards armour, his large Half Goliath body shrinking to that of a large human to fit in the armour.
He was able to do this thanks to his innate magic [Giant’s Presence] that was similar to [Titan’s Presence], it was a innate magic that allowed him to increase the size of his body. and after he stopped casting it he looked like any young goliath on the streets.
The caravan took a day to make it to the Sogate estate and there Thornan moved alongside the other guards. And with a helmet on he looked no different from any young eager goliath trying to prove himself.
It turned out that Tedric their target had not stayed at the guest manor in Srok, the Baron’s son had never left the carriage. Instead he had ordered the head merchant to lead the caravan back to Sogate so that he could make time for the count’s daughter back at his baron’s estate.
—-
The ball at the Sogate estate was like any other noble event, and Thornan, Eve and Nigel-- the three Veystrix had to find a way to get as close as possible to their mark. And As the event drew closer there were many noble guests of House Norden and House Baralet who made their way to the estate for the Ball. carriages flooded in every day, men and women wearing gowns and tailored suits and coats.
And because of this fact, the three Veystrix found ways of getting close to the nobles and their guests, it was common for many houses to have most servants who appeared half blood, after all these were the highest stations they could get in their lives. Nigel had found his way working as a stable hand handling the carriages of the noble guests, while Eve had found her hands busy in the estate Kitchen among the many maidservants. As for Thornan, being a half-goliath, he had found a way and got himself stationed as a guard of one of the royal wings in the castle estate.
So often relegated to the roles of the lowest of society and unable to find apprenticeships and work under scholars, blacksmiths or some recognizable job, such roles became the only way for the half blooded to earn a bit of coin.
Thornan stood guard at the door leading to the noble corridor that led to the private chambers-- he acted like a normal guard eager to fulfil his duty yet present and alert at his post. For three days, he acted like a regular guard, letting the nobles around him get accustomed to his presence. He followed the guard routine, keeping an eye out for the baron’s son. He monitored the other young man’s mannerisms, his vices and his habits. He did not strike when the count’s daughter walked past him into the corridor that held Tedric’s room. He did not move when the scion did the same, leaving the noble wing of the estate and heading to the guest wing in search of the count’s daughter. no..., patience was key. He wanted the target to feel safe around him so that when he struck, no one would be wiser about his actions. No one would suspect the ever-present guard for doing the deed.
So the day came and It was on the drunken evening of the ball as if fate herself had decreed it so. The two lovers had found their way apart from their respective guardians. They giggled, laughed, and stumbled all over each other in a love-drunken stooper as they made their way to Tedric’s room. The boy-- the scion of Sogate, drunk and excited, missed the deadliest fact that would end his life. Thornan, for the first time since Tedric’s arrival, was not standing guard at the entrance of the wing’s corridor as usual but instead stood guard at the door to his sleeping chambers.
Tedric, Scion of House Norden, just seemed to expect the half-goliath to stand guard over his door.
“hey you,” he slurred trying to keep both himself and the count’s daughter on their feet, “make... sure no one disturbs.... us. Me and her.... we are going to have a fun time,” he gestured to the young woman held by the waist as they both giggled.
“Maid,” the count’s daughter called out to the only maid who had been cleaning the corridor at the odd time, “here...hold this...,” She handed the dull-eyed girl the bottle of wine. Then, her hand went to the maid’s face. She looked the young woman up and down, then slurred. “P-perhapps... you should join us,” she said and stumbled back into Tedric’s arms and, forgetting the bottle in the maid’s hand.
When the two scions entered the room they were not alone, the maid and the half goliath guard had followed them inside the auspicious bed chamber.
“Hey you two... what are you doing...? Leave us we need some privacy–,” Tedric said and frowned as he watched the guard lock the door behind him, and the maid released the bottle to fall onto the floors.
“You... who are you?”
----
The shattering of the glass bottle against the tiled floor seemed to do the trick stunning the two members of Human royalty out of their drunken stooper.” i asked you a question who are you?” Tedric asked anger washing away some of the fog on his mind.
Thornan locked the door behind himself, locking himself and the others inside. And Eve started casting her concealing magic, blocking all sound from entering or leaving the room.
Tedric’s face went first through confusion then anger before a hint of fear seeped into his bones as he realised his situation. ‘intruders in his chambers dressed as servants. no...not intruders,’ he thought the fog of his mind clearing momentarily as his eyes went wide.
“Guards, Guards their are assassins in my chambers?”
“Lower your voice, you fool. No one can hear us,” Thornan said, throwing the guard’s helmet to the floor and flexing his neck muscles. It had been hard to breathe in there, and in this form, he had felt uncomfortable, weak and at risk. So after he threw the helmet off his face, his body started shifting, making him larger thanks to his innate magic [Giant’s Presence]. He had long gotten used to the pain of the shift, and nowadays, he barely noticed.
At his words, the count’s daughter lunged forward in an effort to strike at her assailants, only to have Thornan hit her across the face, sending her sprawling to the right side of the room.
“Watch her,” Thornan ordered.
When the count’s daughter had thrown herself at their assailants, Tedric raised his hands towards the shelf on the right side of the room, causing his grimoire to fly into his outstretched hand. The book flipped through the pages on it’s own accord and before Tedric could begin casting. He felt a dagger strike him in his kidney, causing him to release the aether he was asserting control over.
---
Earlier, Nigel had left the stables where he had been blending in with the few servants, scaled the building to talk with the other two using the [Psychic Whisper] spell and when their conversation had been interrupted by their targets. he had stayed by the window ledge high up, waiting for his moment to strike. Nigel had leapt through the window and then proceeded to drive his dagger into Tedric’s kidney.
---
The count’s daughter, who was being watched by Eve, let out a scream of horror as another figure leapt through the window and drove a dagger into Tedric’s side. She watched as The grimoire he had been preparing fell from Tedric’s hand as he staggered forward.
Before the grimoire could even touch the richly polished floor, Nigel twisted, pulling his dagger out of the princeling and, in one smooth motion, grabbed the grimoire.
“I could have done this on my own, you know,” Nigel said, stepping back from the bleeding scion while holding onto the grimoire.
“The spells in that book are to be split between the three of us.” Thornan warned.
“Of course,” Nigel said, sheathing his dagger and opening the grimoire.
The grimoires where made of entirely katch paper, their had covers made of the beast hide or leather and enchanted to stop aether from leaving the pages.
For a war crafter or magician, they could be the greatest treasure, and looking through another’s grimoire without permission was seen as a taboo. It was looking at one’s weaknesses and strengths which was grounds for the insulted party to call a duel of honour.
Yet Nigel had no such inclinations-- as a Veystrix, his grimoire was woefully small, and thanks to his background, he only knew what half of the spells did.
In his eyes, any new spell he could find was a chance to make him strong, and like the other Veystrix. The more they stole and killed, the stronger they got.
With all eyes on the grimoire Eve missed it when the countess’s daughter reached down between her belt, pulled out the sheet of katch paper, unfolded it and memorized the spell written on it that was slowly fading.
The only spells that could be used this way were spells one had taken time to study and memorize painstakingly, and the mere glimpse of them had the caster recall the spell entirely.
With the eyes of the Veystrix on the grimoire, Eve missed it again when the count’s daughter stretched out her hand and a gash of wind enveloped the entire room sending three of them into the stone. the young woman then started for the door so that she could call for the guards but she was too slow.
Thornan was the first to react, getting to his feet and reaching the young woman in the blink of an eye, he unceremoniously pulled her away from the door and threw her across the room where she hit her head and her vision swarm.
“I told you to watch her,” Thornan said, standing over the count’s daughter.
And as the others recovered, his eyes moved across her body, taking in every inch of her. He went down, squatting next to her for a closer look, “Perhaps I can have fun with you,” he asked the royal scion, “what do you say. in exchange for your life.” His hands moved to his belt as he took in her exposed thighs.
“She is not the mark” Eve said, a dagger appearing at Thornan’s neck causing him to freeze. Thornan slowly rose and stepped away from the count’s daughter as the dagger’s cold iron pressed on his neck and he watched Eve place herself between them. He looked between her and the scion and for but a moment he lunged . or he thought of doing so. But that dulled-eyed gaze of Eve was gone, replaced by something cold and focused, ready to push the dagger up his throat.
“Deal with her then,” Thornan said, glaring at the Veystrix girl.
Eve, in a practiced motion, brought the pummel of her dagger down on the girl’s face, on her forehead, causing her to go limp. Then, as she had done the action thousands of times, she grabbed another dagger coated in a sleeping toxin, made a small cut on the young woman’s finger and wrapped it.
“She won’t be awake till the next morning,” Eve explained, and Thornan just grunted.
---
News of the death of the count’s son would only reach the Baron of Srok in a day’s time and by that time Thornan would be off on his preparation for his other mark.
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