The Kingdom of the Emerald Hills

The moon had long since passed its zenith and was sinking quickly into the horizon. The darkness of night overtaking the waning reflected light of the eye of Luna. Silent as night itself, a small form moves through the underbrush.
It suddenly stops in its tracks directly in front of a deep gorge, its long fur covered tail swishing as if controlling itself. Sniffing the air for any sign of predators, the Child of Shadows effortlessly leaps the several yards separating her from the far side. With three more graceful bounds she reaches the rusted iron gates of the stronghold. In one swift motion her lithe form clears the top of the gates and lands soundlessly in the grass on the opposite side.
Feeling the stone wall with her slender clawed fingers, she finds the secret space between the stones and pushes slightly inward. A small passageway opens near the ground and she slips inside without a sound, her tail flicking with excitement as she enters her home.
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In a large chamber, lit only by a single candle, the Grandmaster Assassin sits cross legged on a small rug. Surrounding him are four black cats, each sitting at the four corners of direction and element. A dark mist begins to coalesce around them all, slowly growing in size and becoming thicker by the moment.
Soon the mist is so thick that an onlooker, had one been in the room, could not have seen any of the beings within.
As the mist grows darker, a deep voice begins to chant words in an ancient tongue. Words long forgotten by most who walk the Realm and only spoken by the Old Ones who still remember their true Power. The voice continues for what seems to be an eternity, yet no time passes outside of the chamber itself.
Then all goes Black...
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Through the familiar catacombs the Child of Shadows makes her way to the Grandmaster's Chamber. She carries the bound scroll given to her by a Master she knows well. As her silent feet traverse the distance, she can feel the energy passing through the very stone walls themselves. But she is not afraid.
Before she can reach the heavy wooden door, it opens on its own accord and she enters the chamber of her Grandmaster, of her Father in Spirit and Soul.

"You bring news, my little one."
He speaks to her with a gentle kindness, seemingly out of character for one of his deadly nature.
"Yes Grandmaster", the soft voice almost a purr in itself,
"A message from Master Su..."
His deep voice interrupts her before she can finish the name.
"Yes my Child, I know who it is from."
He takes the bound scroll from her small hand, opens it slowly and begins to read. The smile on his face almost unnoticeable in the feint light of the candle.
"You have done well, my initiate. You have done very well indeed."
"Go now and send in my Accolades."
He tenderly kisses her small clawed hand and touches her shoulder lightly.

"Thank You Grandmaster."
Kimori bows low, leaving Lord Delphos alone with his thoughts.

"Oh, young Master Assassin" he says to himself...
"you never cease to surprise me."
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Dawn breaks, a bright orb of fire on the Eastern horizon, as three dark horsemen gallop across the rolling green hills. The heat of mid summer morning would soon be upon them and they raced to beat the direct rays of full sun.
Their mission had been given to them by the Grandmaster himself.
"Find the Trader and bring him to me at once."

Soon the Kingdom would know that the Guild had been tricked and the Golem had been destroyed. Perhaps now the persecution would cease...
Perhaps NOT...!!!
Time itself could only tell.



To be continued...

The scrape of metal gainst the millstone reminds him of home. Of a father who spent his whole life wanting to provide something of a future for his children. It was his own past that haunted him. He drank, they say to forget.

Oh the ghosts that haunt us now.

Sutra sat on the edge of a river examining the blade of a dagger. His actions had spoken volumes and yet the consequences were unknown.

He peered past the shiny blade, reflecting the moonlight. It was his own-mirrored image in the mild current that caught his attention. Sutra recognized the familiar gleam in the eyes that peered back.

"...santos..."

The image blurred out, a ripple breaking his concentration. It was soon replaced by a faint cloud of blood before the water turned sanguine.

Sutra turned his attention to the dark figure that lay on the back a few feet up stream from him. Stirring, the figure grunted again.

Sutra slide next to the faint breathing. A mask draped lazily across the figures pallid neck. He had never seen the young face before. Their brave claims of collecting the bounty on his head had been replaced with pitiful whimpering.

Sutra inhaled deeply as he calculated his next move. The Guild was sure to catch up with him soon. His human kindness had betrayed him the previous night.

Pressing his left palm to the figures defiant face, Sutra closed his eyes and bowed his head for a moment, praying to an unseen force he was well aware, present or not, would weigh his spirit someday. Until then.

The pop of snapping vertebrae was quick and merciful.

Sutra, without opening his eyes pushed the lifeless figure into the stream hoping it would carry the body a mile or two to throw his persuers off, buying him time to visit the shire of Midnight Sun, possibly; one last time.

The cool water trickled between his hands, washing away the blood and sweat that had dried on his fingertips.

Standing to confront the night he had betrayed, Sutra set out to complete his tasks. With the newly acquired knowledge, he felt a little more at ease with what was to come.

S
[con't]

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The general who advances without seeking fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do service for his sovereign, is the jewel of his kingdom. -Sun Wu

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[align=center]Be not the man who slays 1000, but instead he who dares weep for the dead.[/align]

The new day brought no news of comfort to the House of Shadows.
The Traitor had not been found, or at least the Grandmaster's Accolades
had not sent word of his capture or his death. The Dark Knight could not
help but wonder, why his Squire had done such a thing.

The earlier explosion from the very volatile Initiate, was still echoing
through his thoughts and through the dark hallways of the Stronghold
itself. It was no wonder he was called "Rage Bloodstorm". The name fit
him well.

It took all the Strength within the Demon of the Darkheart to stop his
new Squire from tearing down the entire Keep, before he charged out into
the bright daylight on the hunt for his traitorous brother.

The Guild was beginning to fall apart and Delphos could not seem to pull
them all together. He had to get to the bottom of this deception.
Who had switched the Golem for the Queen?
Why had Sutra turned traitor?
What purpose could it serve...
To betray his Guild for these empty headed Crowns?

He paced the halls, as he often did when he could not calm his troubled
soul.

In his anger and deep in confused thought...
he almost missed her...
A soft form, lying in a dark corner shaking with sobs in her fitful
sleep.

His Dark Heart stopped for a moments breath...
The one creature who could make him feel something besides Hate, lying on
the cold stone floor at his feet.

Slowly he kneeled down and cradled her in his arms.
She hissed and started to claw at him, but his low voiced calmed her and
her sobbing stopped as she pressed her soft face against his chest and
her tail wrapped around his arm.
"This is no place for you, My Child" he spoke tenderly to her.

Delphos carried His Child of Shadows into her small chamber and gently
laid her down in her in her bed of fur and feathers, carefully placing a
cover over her small form... as her tail swished twice with the slightest
of pleasure.
"May the Darkness keep you safe, little one", he said... and quietly left
the room.

With that, the Dark Knight quickly strode to his largest chamber, were he
could pace the floors and think more rapid thoughts and let his own Demon
Out.

This would be a long day indeed!!!


To be continued...