Post by Lan on Jan 8, 2009 16:58:28 GMT -5
Strider sat silently in his plain wooden chair, eying the slightly fat man adjacent from him. He was not in a good mood. On the latest contract the guild had accepted, one Ranger had died, all just to please the pompous man in front of him.
The fat man, who's name was Reed, was nervously ringing his hands, eying the bag that Strider held in his. "So, do you have it? The crystal, that is." Without saying anything, Strider sat the bag on the small round table between the two. Almost as quickly as he had set it there, Reed's hand shot out and hastily untied the cord that fastened the top. Once he had undone the knot, he turned out the contents into his hand.
His eye's widened with greed as a very large, translucent gem that seemed to capture the light around it and sparkle magnificently, fell into his open palm.
"So," said Strider, startling Reed, "Where's my twenty thousand?" As he said this the Man's eyes narrowed. "Foolish Ranger, do you really think I would give you anything? Idiot...Men! Kill him!" With this Reed jumped out of his chair and started to dash away to wards the exit of the chamber that they were in.
Strider's hand shot out, and made a fist. His other hand came up and released a latch, sending four dart's spitting from his dart-thrower that was attached to his gauntlet. All four darts hit their target and Reed went down with a heavy thud. But it wasn't over yet. On the balcony that overlooked the room Strider was sitting in, six men stepped out with bows from doors, all training their bows on Strider.
Five more men came from outside the chamber, drawing glimmering long swords and brandishing them menacingly at him.
"No tricks, Ranger!" yelled one of the men from the balcony. One man with a sword came up and took the black longbow from Strider's back. "Nice bow." growled one of the men,"Wonder how much we could get for it."
As the guard took the bow from Strider, four of the men with bows knocked theirs and aimed at him. The other two stood ready with arrows in their bows. Two of the men with swords advanced on him, clearly ready to take a swipe at him. The other three started to circle around him. Strider smirked, "You made a mistake." He said to the men. They laughed, "You can't fool us ranger! You will die today." The ranger shrugged.
The two men with swords suddenly raced to wards him. Strider dropped to one knee and swiftly took two arrows from his quiver. The fools thought they had unarmed him. As the two ran to wards him, he put his weight behind him and drove his body up to meet his attackers. The other men cringed as they saw the tips of two arrows protrude through the men. The men with bow all aimed and fired.
Crouching down, Strider used the bodies to catch the arrows. He felt six thuds. These were no amateur archers, clearly Reed had taken all the steps to ensure he was killed. Throwing the bodies off of him, he maneuvered his wrist up to wards the balcony. Aiming quickly, he used his other dart thrower.
He moved his hand while the darts came out. Two of the archers fell backward into the shadows and one tumbled off of the balcony.
At this point there were three archers left, all of them at half draw. The remaining three men with swords rushed at him, swinging their swords. This time there was no element of surprise for Strider to take advantage of.
The three archers on the balcony took their time aiming. This time there was nothing between their bows and the slightly small hooded man on the floor. Two days ago they had been scouted out and payed two thousand gold pieces each to kill this man. At first they had jumped at the offer, now they were wondering if it were worth it.
Seconds before the arrows were fired, five cloaked figures stepped through the door. Bows already drawn, the newcomers fired. Three men fell from the balcony, hitting the ground with a thud. Two swordsmen looked down at their stomachs with surprise to find arrows. These men also hit the ground with a thud, though not quite as loud.
The remaining swordsman was about six feet away from Strider. he knew that he would be killed, but he was taking this man with him. The ranger's hand came up and then down with lightning speed. And object closed the distance between the two quickly. This object, happening to be a throwing knife, buried itself in the throat of the swordsman. With a gurgle, the remaining thug went down.
Bending down and extracting the blade from the dead mercenary, Strider sighed. He knew that eventually something like this would happen. Reed had never been able to part with money.
He turned to the five figures standing in the doorway. "You could have gotten here a bit earlier." He said crossly. They secretly smiled, this was the Strider they were used to. "Well? Go get your arrows." he said gruffly. "We ride in ten minutes."
With this he made his way over to a body lying on the ground.
"Fool." He said to the figure, bending down and picking up the crystal that lay next to the body. Finding the bag he originally brought, he dropped the shimmering crystal into it.
He stood up and walked to the door, not looking back to the room filled with bodies.
The five rangers who had helped Strider were five of the six most high ranking rangers in the guild. The sixth was handling some other business in Issil. The five all went by names that they had given themselves, to make their identities hard to discover. They had, after all, origionally come from families. If their identities were to be found out, their old families could be killed. their new family was the guild, though, and to the guild they gave their loyalty.
Raven, Strider's advisor, was the eldest of the five. At fifty seven, he had gone through much, and seen it all. At this point in time he had recovered his black-shafted arrow from one of the swordsmen and walked towards Strider.
He picked his way over the bodies and went through the door. There, five bodies lay on the ground, arrows sticking out of them. Strider was leaning against a tree, applying a poltice to a gash on his arm. Raven helped him bind the wound, then handed him the darts he had recovered from the corpses. With a word of thanks, Strider accepted the darts and inserted them into his gauntlets.
"So," Raven said," What is this business that Kay is handling in Issil?"
****************************************************
Strider's eyes narrowed. "There was another bandit attack on the ruins..."
Raven raised an eyebrow, "Ah..The location of our training barracks...thank the Nine that there were multiple Rangers there observing students at the time."
Suddenly a falcon appeared above the rooftops, flying rapidly towards the two. Strider held out his arm, and the falcon lit down uppon his forarm.
He untied a piece of parchment from its lg, reading the contents quickly. After reading it he ripped it into tiny pieces, and blew them into the wind. "We must ride now, Kay is in trouble, the Rangers were killed."
Strider closed his eyes, and seemed to melt into the nearest shadow. Soon he was gone. Raven shuddered, he had been working with Strider for many years now, but still...the man was uncanny!
The fat man, who's name was Reed, was nervously ringing his hands, eying the bag that Strider held in his. "So, do you have it? The crystal, that is." Without saying anything, Strider sat the bag on the small round table between the two. Almost as quickly as he had set it there, Reed's hand shot out and hastily untied the cord that fastened the top. Once he had undone the knot, he turned out the contents into his hand.
His eye's widened with greed as a very large, translucent gem that seemed to capture the light around it and sparkle magnificently, fell into his open palm.
"So," said Strider, startling Reed, "Where's my twenty thousand?" As he said this the Man's eyes narrowed. "Foolish Ranger, do you really think I would give you anything? Idiot...Men! Kill him!" With this Reed jumped out of his chair and started to dash away to wards the exit of the chamber that they were in.
Strider's hand shot out, and made a fist. His other hand came up and released a latch, sending four dart's spitting from his dart-thrower that was attached to his gauntlet. All four darts hit their target and Reed went down with a heavy thud. But it wasn't over yet. On the balcony that overlooked the room Strider was sitting in, six men stepped out with bows from doors, all training their bows on Strider.
Five more men came from outside the chamber, drawing glimmering long swords and brandishing them menacingly at him.
"No tricks, Ranger!" yelled one of the men from the balcony. One man with a sword came up and took the black longbow from Strider's back. "Nice bow." growled one of the men,"Wonder how much we could get for it."
***************************************
As the guard took the bow from Strider, four of the men with bows knocked theirs and aimed at him. The other two stood ready with arrows in their bows. Two of the men with swords advanced on him, clearly ready to take a swipe at him. The other three started to circle around him. Strider smirked, "You made a mistake." He said to the men. They laughed, "You can't fool us ranger! You will die today." The ranger shrugged.
The two men with swords suddenly raced to wards him. Strider dropped to one knee and swiftly took two arrows from his quiver. The fools thought they had unarmed him. As the two ran to wards him, he put his weight behind him and drove his body up to meet his attackers. The other men cringed as they saw the tips of two arrows protrude through the men. The men with bow all aimed and fired.
Crouching down, Strider used the bodies to catch the arrows. He felt six thuds. These were no amateur archers, clearly Reed had taken all the steps to ensure he was killed. Throwing the bodies off of him, he maneuvered his wrist up to wards the balcony. Aiming quickly, he used his other dart thrower.
He moved his hand while the darts came out. Two of the archers fell backward into the shadows and one tumbled off of the balcony.
At this point there were three archers left, all of them at half draw. The remaining three men with swords rushed at him, swinging their swords. This time there was no element of surprise for Strider to take advantage of.
**************************************
The three archers on the balcony took their time aiming. This time there was nothing between their bows and the slightly small hooded man on the floor. Two days ago they had been scouted out and payed two thousand gold pieces each to kill this man. At first they had jumped at the offer, now they were wondering if it were worth it.
Seconds before the arrows were fired, five cloaked figures stepped through the door. Bows already drawn, the newcomers fired. Three men fell from the balcony, hitting the ground with a thud. Two swordsmen looked down at their stomachs with surprise to find arrows. These men also hit the ground with a thud, though not quite as loud.
The remaining swordsman was about six feet away from Strider. he knew that he would be killed, but he was taking this man with him. The ranger's hand came up and then down with lightning speed. And object closed the distance between the two quickly. This object, happening to be a throwing knife, buried itself in the throat of the swordsman. With a gurgle, the remaining thug went down.
***************************************
Bending down and extracting the blade from the dead mercenary, Strider sighed. He knew that eventually something like this would happen. Reed had never been able to part with money.
He turned to the five figures standing in the doorway. "You could have gotten here a bit earlier." He said crossly. They secretly smiled, this was the Strider they were used to. "Well? Go get your arrows." he said gruffly. "We ride in ten minutes."
With this he made his way over to a body lying on the ground.
"Fool." He said to the figure, bending down and picking up the crystal that lay next to the body. Finding the bag he originally brought, he dropped the shimmering crystal into it.
He stood up and walked to the door, not looking back to the room filled with bodies.
***************************************
The five rangers who had helped Strider were five of the six most high ranking rangers in the guild. The sixth was handling some other business in Issil. The five all went by names that they had given themselves, to make their identities hard to discover. They had, after all, origionally come from families. If their identities were to be found out, their old families could be killed. their new family was the guild, though, and to the guild they gave their loyalty.
Raven, Strider's advisor, was the eldest of the five. At fifty seven, he had gone through much, and seen it all. At this point in time he had recovered his black-shafted arrow from one of the swordsmen and walked towards Strider.
He picked his way over the bodies and went through the door. There, five bodies lay on the ground, arrows sticking out of them. Strider was leaning against a tree, applying a poltice to a gash on his arm. Raven helped him bind the wound, then handed him the darts he had recovered from the corpses. With a word of thanks, Strider accepted the darts and inserted them into his gauntlets.
"So," Raven said," What is this business that Kay is handling in Issil?"
****************************************************
Strider's eyes narrowed. "There was another bandit attack on the ruins..."
Raven raised an eyebrow, "Ah..The location of our training barracks...thank the Nine that there were multiple Rangers there observing students at the time."
Suddenly a falcon appeared above the rooftops, flying rapidly towards the two. Strider held out his arm, and the falcon lit down uppon his forarm.
He untied a piece of parchment from its lg, reading the contents quickly. After reading it he ripped it into tiny pieces, and blew them into the wind. "We must ride now, Kay is in trouble, the Rangers were killed."
Strider closed his eyes, and seemed to melt into the nearest shadow. Soon he was gone. Raven shuddered, he had been working with Strider for many years now, but still...the man was uncanny!