The Kingdom of the Emerald Hills

The rat left slowly, mulling over the nights events. He had been
invited to a gathering of his natural predators which caused him to be
tentative in accepting but nonetheless his curiosity got the better of
him. He sat in the corner while they all discussed and chatted,
listening and not saying much, no point in aggrevating the several
death knights that now surrounded him.

Hours went by and eventually everyone had left, including the rat.
How very strange that was to be surrounded like that and not be
nervous, a new experience for sure. One of them had mentioned more
than once about curing his "disease." He couldn't imagine that. The
rat decided he was going to kill the next healer he saw...out of
principle.

Arriving at his camp finally his mind moved to other things, such as
his next mark. The client had wanted a very painful death and the rat
had just the thing. He picked up a small, razor sharp blade that
curved called a harpies claw. This next one he would peel open like
an orange, he had never done that before. The noises the mark made
would be interesting for sure....

_________________
I have centuries to discover the things that make you whimper and millennia to make you enjoy them.

[Originally posted by Sutra]

Fingering the empty box, his numb fingers shivered a bit in the cold
rain. The darkness enveloped him like a protective mother caressing
an inattentive child. The memories began to fade. He had much ground
to cover. The Duchy of the Midnight Sun beckoned to him once again.
He had been the champion there once. The seasons could be counted on
one hand it was so near. The dark reign had returned.

Making his way through the silent forest, the sound of snapping
twigs made him freeze in his tracks. He waited with baited breath.
Silence welcomed him. Squinting almost painfully he concentrated on
the shadow that seemed to sway in front of him a couple yards away.
Reaching up towards a branch he lifted himself into the tree. At
least the possible aggressor would have to climb for its meal. He
smirked pulling a short blade out. He waited. Reaching out, he
managed to grasp a slippery branch, the better to lean out over the
dark mass below. The sting was momentarily inviting, the sound of a
whipping branch grazing his cheek made no sense until he realized
the simple yet effective trap. He had managed to get his finger
caught in a trap left unattended. With an angry swipe at the
metallic line, he clenched his bleeding fist. His middle finger
throbbed with the insistent reminder that mortality had its
setbacks.

'What the hell were they expecting to catch? Squirrels?' He thought
annoyed at the unfortunate experience. 'Not what I had in min...'
His thought was caught half stride; he let go of the branch and fell
back towards the earth. Sky becomes ground, ground becoming ground.
The effortless flip backwards paid off. Thuds of metal pellets
rattled the bark he had been leaning against. They would have
glinted like stars in a dark sky had the moon been shining. Not
tonight.

Realizing the dark haze had 'materialized', he made a mad dash for
the humanoid figure. Immediately the caltrops stuck to the earth a
few feet in front of him. The taste of mud was better than being
stopped full run by caltrops he thought to himself. Pulling himself
up from the leap over the failed trap, Sutra flung a volley of
throwing daggers. No moans or grunts were made in the dark. His aim
was off apparently. No matter. Falling belly first he waited for any
incriminating sounds that would expose his enemies position.

'Simply passing through damit, citizen of the Emerald Hills under
her royal majesty's protection. Identify yourself.' His accusatory
yell echoed briefly and faded.

'No' a familiar voice replied, 'you identify yourself first. This is
my spot in the woo..'
-Septumus? What the hell!
-What's it to you!?
-Sutra damn you!
-Sutra? Don't know who your talkin..
-I'm Sutra dammit!
-Sutra? Ah that Sutra.
-Stand up into the clearing or I swear...
-Me stand up!? And give you the chance to...
-What!? You don't trust me?
-Trust you!? I see you've bought yourself a sense of humour.
-Go siege a fort!
-You first.
-Got any food?
-Yeah, stew.
-Can I trust you for a bowl?
-Ya like squirrel?

The hours ticked by as they sat by Septumus' campfire catching up
since their last crossing. They spoke of the search party and the
rumors circulating about the darkness that had begun to encroach on
the lands ever since the new Queen had taken the throne.

Waking early in the morn, Sutra found himself alone in the campsite
that had previously nurtured a healthy fire. The smoldering pit had
been hastily buried beneath wet earth. A small bag of what seemed to
be cured squirrel meat sat on a nearby log next to the makeshift mat
Sutra had fashioned earlier that morning.

He would be at the duchy by midday.

-S

_________________
I have centuries to discover the things that make you whimper and millennia to make you enjoy them.

He felt a little guilty just leaving his ... associate lying there
in the middle of the woods with little protection but he was more
than confident that Sutra could hold his own, even if ambushed.
Besides, there were more than enough traps set around the peremiter
to warn him and he had even left him some breakfast. Septumus had
things to tend to anyways. Being in the den for that long had given
him things to think about as well as do.

Septumus headed out to a small crossroads outside of the Duchy to
get some things done without causing suspicion. He would have to
speak to a somewhat powerful magic user in order to get this done
and he knew just the one. A mark he had let live in exchange for
the occasional favor, it had worked out nicely from time to time.

He arrived at the healers hut and let himself in. He already knew
what he needed and provided the materials and left. Septumus let
her know that she only had until nightfall to complete it for him.
He left and wandered around, finding a tavern of his liking and
staying there later into the night than he had originally intended,
lucky for his friend.

Septumus slowly made his way back to the cramped hut to retrieve his
prize. She held it out to him. It was no larger than a marble but
she held it like a dragon egg, cupped in her hands like she was
afraid to move it too much.

"This is an extremely powerful divining device, be careful how much
you use it or the target might start to suspect he is being
watched." She warned him. Septumus snatched it from her hand and
dropped it in his pouch after admiring it for a moment. He turned
around and started to walk towards her door but stopping halfway
there and turning around.

"Wait a second...You're a healer aren't you?"
"Yes...You knew that." She replied.

There was a pause followed by a whistling noise. The healer looked
down at her chest and the throwing dagger buried in it. Her last
words were wheezing gasps spoken through a punctured lung.

"Just on the principle..."

Septumus turned and walked out as she fell to her knees trying to
survive but unable to speak spells.

_________________
I have centuries to discover the things that make you whimper and millennia to make you enjoy them.