Dryad Eyes #47.
1,284.
My thoughts concerning this entry;
1) I am going to get into trouble if I keep using Chris' characters all willy-nilly like this, but this was a fun little entry that I hope wasn't too out of character!
2) How the fuck did I manage to do exactly 1,284 words twice in a row??
Like so many hallways in the Keep, this one was long, empty, dark and dusty. There was little else that one could say about it. Only a few sets of feet had disturbed the dust on the floor in recent memory, and but one of the men who owned those sets had been just tall enough to disturb the cobwebs that decorated the top of the corridor. Matthew’s keen eye took note of these facts, and in his wake he left not a single clue that he had joined the ranks of whomever those signs belonged to.
This particular nondescript hallway had been set aside for the Captain of the Guard, a short time after Geran created the position. On that day, the Guardsmen were separated from the Soldiers. The former was to protect the people of Keeper’s Gateway against threats from within, while the latter was ever-prepared to deal with threats from without. There was, of course, a great deal of overlap.
Everything the City Guard was about was coordinated within these rooms. That was why Matthew had come to this place, trusting that Treyp could get herself into the Keep proper and lay low until he joined her again. If Erek was spreading corruption, and it had gone so far that the City Guard had become their enemy, where better to learn of it?
A strangled gasp grabbed the assassin’s attention. This noise was followed by an astonished proclamation. “You… ! You’re the one!”
What was this, then? Matthew slipped silently into the room that had housed the noise. His hope was that he was about to interrupt Erek, and perhaps kill the thing for a second time early on. It was not to be, of course. That would be too easy. Instead, Matthew found himself standing immediately behind a man whose very black cloak and hood obscured most of his form. Immediately in front of this figure was a wooden table on which rested the body of a boy, probably no older than sixteen or seventeen. If that. On the floor, to one side, was a very dark skinned man with a fresh bruise marking his cheek. This man, Matthew knew as Julmalla Kio, Captain of the Guard. This man shifted his eyes from the other, whom had apparently just assaulted him, to look at Matthew.
“Stop him!” Julmalla pleaded. “He’s the murderer!”
Murderer? Matthew had not been in the Keep when the murdered boy had been discovered, and so he did not fully know the ins-and-outs of this situation. Still, it was always better to take control of a situation and find out than it was to stand idly by and do nothing. His knives were in his hands, and he moved. The Man in Black moved in the same moment, surprising Matthew, and snatching a dented silver mask from the table beside the boy.
Matthew caught only the briefest glimpse of a bit of brown hair, then the mask was in place and there was nothing to look upon but his own reflection in its expressionless countenance. They faced one another, circling the table while Julmalla Kio, knowing his limitations, fled to find help.
“Who are you?” Matthew asked.
“I am Agani,” the stranger answered in a strange, hollow voice from behind his mask. “All is not as it appears.”
“Surrender, and we’ll talk about it.”
“I think not.” Agani lunged.
The fight that ensued was intense, short, and anything but sweet. Agani’s thick, black gloves were resistant to being cut, and he turned aside Matthew’s knives again and again. The assassin turned his body, twisted, and lashed out with blade, the heels of his hands, and his feet, trading blow-for-counter and counter-for-blow. He even almost found it within himself to enjoy the activity, noting how different it was from any sparring session that he had participated in since arriving in Keeper’s Gateway. It was not like fighting Geran, where the strength, speed and experience that defined the Battle King forced Matthew to use all of his skill to stay a step ahead. Nor was it like holding himself back while exercising with Kurik. This man, Agani, was simply human, but he was also very, very, very good.
It ended as swiftly as it began, but in a way that surprised Matthew once again. He saw his opening, and so he dodged, he countered, and then he took it. One of his blades plunged toward Agani’s heart. As if this were the cue he had been waiting on all along, the masked man broke off an instant before contact and sprinted out of the door.
With a vile curse on his lips, Matthew gave chase.
Dust swirled about their feet as they ran. Cobwebs flexed and swung in the breeze of their passage. They moved as one, Agani sprinting along with Matthew as his unshakable shadow. Down the hallway they went, around a corner, around another, and then through an extra wide doorway. They could have gone on like that for hours, had not an unexpected turn of events changed the game.
Ahead of them was a door that lead into one of the Keep’s many rooms, and Matthew took note of it an instant before Agani dashed past it. The alleged murderer’s flowing black cape, but an arms length ahead of Matthew, had just enough time to snap clear before one of the many maids who took care of those rooms came barreling out from that portal. Her long, graceful neck was pivoted so that her head was turned in the direction the black form that had just startled her was running. Having seen the open door, and mentally prepared for something like this, Matthew spun past her instead of slamming into her. It cost him only three steps, allowing his quarry to disappear around a corner that lay just ahead of them.
When Matthew rounded that same corner but seconds later, he found himself facing another abandoned, dusty corridor. This one, though it lay directly adjacent to an area that was obviously in use, had been used even less frequently than the one devoted to the Guardsmen. Agani’s footprints stood out vividly against the dust that had settled into those belonging to the last whoever-it-was that had briefly explored this passageway. However, the trail ended abruptly just a few feet in, where this hallway stopped in an abrupt dead end. The prints passed directly into the center of it.
Frustrated, Matthew ran his hands along the wall, then checked the two doors that were visible this side of that barrier. Both rooms were empty. That was when he knew what had happened.
“He used magic,” the assassin said to himself. His tone was almost accusatory. Perhaps he felt cheated, having for a moment thought he had found a human against whom he could truly test his mettle.
Matthew gave everything-- the floor, the walls, the rooms-- another once over, and then retreated back in the direction from whence he had come. He could always check other passageways; find a way around to the far side of the wall. If only he had more time. Perhaps Julmalla Kio would be able to shed some more light on what had happened. First things first, however. He had to find Treyp.
When Matthew finally turned away and disappeared from sight, Agani breathed a sigh of relief from behind the false-wall he had sprung. It would not last much longer, and he did not have another one. He hoped that he would not need it again. Turning away, the masked man set off down the dusty hallway. Nothing could be allowed to delay him in his new mission.
To kill Erek.
My thoughts concerning this entry;
1) I am going to get into trouble if I keep using Chris' characters all willy-nilly like this, but this was a fun little entry that I hope wasn't too out of character!
2) How the fuck did I manage to do exactly 1,284 words twice in a row??
Like so many hallways in the Keep, this one was long, empty, dark and dusty. There was little else that one could say about it. Only a few sets of feet had disturbed the dust on the floor in recent memory, and but one of the men who owned those sets had been just tall enough to disturb the cobwebs that decorated the top of the corridor. Matthew’s keen eye took note of these facts, and in his wake he left not a single clue that he had joined the ranks of whomever those signs belonged to.
This particular nondescript hallway had been set aside for the Captain of the Guard, a short time after Geran created the position. On that day, the Guardsmen were separated from the Soldiers. The former was to protect the people of Keeper’s Gateway against threats from within, while the latter was ever-prepared to deal with threats from without. There was, of course, a great deal of overlap.
Everything the City Guard was about was coordinated within these rooms. That was why Matthew had come to this place, trusting that Treyp could get herself into the Keep proper and lay low until he joined her again. If Erek was spreading corruption, and it had gone so far that the City Guard had become their enemy, where better to learn of it?
A strangled gasp grabbed the assassin’s attention. This noise was followed by an astonished proclamation. “You… ! You’re the one!”
What was this, then? Matthew slipped silently into the room that had housed the noise. His hope was that he was about to interrupt Erek, and perhaps kill the thing for a second time early on. It was not to be, of course. That would be too easy. Instead, Matthew found himself standing immediately behind a man whose very black cloak and hood obscured most of his form. Immediately in front of this figure was a wooden table on which rested the body of a boy, probably no older than sixteen or seventeen. If that. On the floor, to one side, was a very dark skinned man with a fresh bruise marking his cheek. This man, Matthew knew as Julmalla Kio, Captain of the Guard. This man shifted his eyes from the other, whom had apparently just assaulted him, to look at Matthew.
“Stop him!” Julmalla pleaded. “He’s the murderer!”
Murderer? Matthew had not been in the Keep when the murdered boy had been discovered, and so he did not fully know the ins-and-outs of this situation. Still, it was always better to take control of a situation and find out than it was to stand idly by and do nothing. His knives were in his hands, and he moved. The Man in Black moved in the same moment, surprising Matthew, and snatching a dented silver mask from the table beside the boy.
Matthew caught only the briefest glimpse of a bit of brown hair, then the mask was in place and there was nothing to look upon but his own reflection in its expressionless countenance. They faced one another, circling the table while Julmalla Kio, knowing his limitations, fled to find help.
“Who are you?” Matthew asked.
“I am Agani,” the stranger answered in a strange, hollow voice from behind his mask. “All is not as it appears.”
“Surrender, and we’ll talk about it.”
“I think not.” Agani lunged.
The fight that ensued was intense, short, and anything but sweet. Agani’s thick, black gloves were resistant to being cut, and he turned aside Matthew’s knives again and again. The assassin turned his body, twisted, and lashed out with blade, the heels of his hands, and his feet, trading blow-for-counter and counter-for-blow. He even almost found it within himself to enjoy the activity, noting how different it was from any sparring session that he had participated in since arriving in Keeper’s Gateway. It was not like fighting Geran, where the strength, speed and experience that defined the Battle King forced Matthew to use all of his skill to stay a step ahead. Nor was it like holding himself back while exercising with Kurik. This man, Agani, was simply human, but he was also very, very, very good.
It ended as swiftly as it began, but in a way that surprised Matthew once again. He saw his opening, and so he dodged, he countered, and then he took it. One of his blades plunged toward Agani’s heart. As if this were the cue he had been waiting on all along, the masked man broke off an instant before contact and sprinted out of the door.
With a vile curse on his lips, Matthew gave chase.
Dust swirled about their feet as they ran. Cobwebs flexed and swung in the breeze of their passage. They moved as one, Agani sprinting along with Matthew as his unshakable shadow. Down the hallway they went, around a corner, around another, and then through an extra wide doorway. They could have gone on like that for hours, had not an unexpected turn of events changed the game.
Ahead of them was a door that lead into one of the Keep’s many rooms, and Matthew took note of it an instant before Agani dashed past it. The alleged murderer’s flowing black cape, but an arms length ahead of Matthew, had just enough time to snap clear before one of the many maids who took care of those rooms came barreling out from that portal. Her long, graceful neck was pivoted so that her head was turned in the direction the black form that had just startled her was running. Having seen the open door, and mentally prepared for something like this, Matthew spun past her instead of slamming into her. It cost him only three steps, allowing his quarry to disappear around a corner that lay just ahead of them.
When Matthew rounded that same corner but seconds later, he found himself facing another abandoned, dusty corridor. This one, though it lay directly adjacent to an area that was obviously in use, had been used even less frequently than the one devoted to the Guardsmen. Agani’s footprints stood out vividly against the dust that had settled into those belonging to the last whoever-it-was that had briefly explored this passageway. However, the trail ended abruptly just a few feet in, where this hallway stopped in an abrupt dead end. The prints passed directly into the center of it.
Frustrated, Matthew ran his hands along the wall, then checked the two doors that were visible this side of that barrier. Both rooms were empty. That was when he knew what had happened.
“He used magic,” the assassin said to himself. His tone was almost accusatory. Perhaps he felt cheated, having for a moment thought he had found a human against whom he could truly test his mettle.
Matthew gave everything-- the floor, the walls, the rooms-- another once over, and then retreated back in the direction from whence he had come. He could always check other passageways; find a way around to the far side of the wall. If only he had more time. Perhaps Julmalla Kio would be able to shed some more light on what had happened. First things first, however. He had to find Treyp.
When Matthew finally turned away and disappeared from sight, Agani breathed a sigh of relief from behind the false-wall he had sprung. It would not last much longer, and he did not have another one. He hoped that he would not need it again. Turning away, the masked man set off down the dusty hallway. Nothing could be allowed to delay him in his new mission.
To kill Erek.