A child’s laughter echoed through the night air, a man’s heavy breathing quickly following it. The scent of pine needles and rusty metal permeated the surroundings and the quick footsteps brought a cloud of dust flying into the air. There were few clouds in the sky, letting the twin moons shine brightly down upon the scene.

A young girl, with spiky dark green hair hid behind a tree, a wide grin set upon her face. Her shorts were covered in dust and her white tee shirt was layered in grass stains from repeated falls. She quickly tried to catch her breath, breathing in long hard gasps, which quickly quieted when she heard a soft displacement of dirt on the ground. She carefully peeked around the trunk and spotted her pursuer.

He was an older man with long shaggy black hair and obsidian eyes. His skin-tight mesh armor glinted briefly in the moonlight as he slowly searched the area. His long baggy black pants brushed against the ground as he walked. Closer and closer he got until the young girl had to hold her breath in order not to be found.

It was all for naught, for he shortly found her and tackled her to the ground. Her bright green eyes stared up at him, curious at what he was going to do next. He flashed her a dark grin and proceeded to ruthlessly tickle her.

She let of a loud peal of laughter and cried out, “Papa! Stop! Papa!” The man, now identified as her father, didn’t let up for a while, then stopped and picked up the now exhausted girl into his arms. He smiled softly down at her as he brought her back inside.

“Come now Hel. Training’s over, so it’s time for bed, alright?” The girl nodded sleepily and snuggled into her father’s arms. It wasn’t long after the man put her to bed that she fell asleep. He then made his way to the kitchen and grabbed an apple. He sat down at the table and took a bite out of it. After swallowing, he picked up a letter that rested on the hard wood and read it over again.



After Keiran finished eating the apple, he tossed the core into a small bin and walked out of the room. He walked swiftly, but quietly to his armory, as to not wake his daughter. Once inside, he pulled his weapons, a pair of katars, from their rack and laid them out on his workbench. He reached onto a shelf and grabbed a bottle filled with a liquid. He carefully opened the bottle and dabbed the liquid onto the edge of his katars with a piece of cloth, making sure not to get any on his skin.

Satisfied, he capped the bottle and replaced it on the shelf. He placed his katars into a nearby holster and slipped it on. On his way out, he grabbed a pair of dark brown leather gloves and his trenchcoat. Locking the door behind him, he left the house towards his destination.

Several minutes of slipping into the shadows and ducking the patrols, he arrived at the baron’s villa. Noting the guards stationed by the front gate, he carefully made his way around the wall. After he was out of the guards’ line of sight, he scaled the wall and slipped over the edge. Dropping to the ground without a sound, he made his way towards the manor. He glanced over it briefly and saw an open window. Once making sure that no guard was nearby, he climbed inside the window and rolled to the floor, keeping to the shadows.

Now that he was inside, it was only a matter of locating his client. Fortunately, he didn’t have far to look, as the room he was in was a study of some sort. He walked up towards the desk and shuffled through the papers lying there. There were some tax summaries, letters from friends and a missive from the lord.

Then the doorknob turned and Keiran disappeared into the eaves of the room and waited, pulling his katars out as a precaution. In walked his client, Baron Crowe, who swiftly shut the door behind him. Crowe was a short, stocky man with straw colored hair and blue eyes. His clothes, while appearing simple at first glance, revealed finery that showed him as no different from any other noble. Crowe walked over to the open window and shut it, muttering about incompetent guards. He turned around only to be face to face with Keiran.

The man jumped and gave a sort of squeak before composing himself.

“Ah, you’re here. Good, good. So you received my letter I take it?” Keiran gave a brief nod. “Good, good. So, I have a job for you. I want you to rub out a man for me.” Keiran raised an eyebrow. “Uh, your mark is Count Benn. He’s been investigating too deeply into my finances and needs to be dealt with. I’ll be willing to pay you 20 gold pieces for this job. What do you say?”

Keiran mulled this over in his mind. Count Penn was a decent man to the commoners. While not going out of his way to help them, he never outright abused them either. He was often seen giving small donations to various charities and the like. The few times he was seen on the streets, he would give a couple copper coins, and on one occasion, a silver, to a few of the worse of beggars.

The count was in charge of the tax collectors and would tax people fairly, regardless of what they dealt in, whether they are noble or peasant. He wasn’t without his flaws, as he could be bribed to look the other way in certain districts, like Wall Street.

Keiran looked at the baron who was gazing at him with an intensity that surprised him. But the assassin had made up his mind.

“Denied.”

Baron Crowe frowned and shook his head. “I expected more from you Shade. I thought you would be eager to take this job. But, oh well. Guards!” The door opened and several guards came into the room. Keiran smirked and wondered if the good baron had a few screws loose, for this was far from a worthy opponent. But then the guards parted and a single guard walked forward. And in his arms was Hel!

Keiran’s smirk dropped and he looked at her frightened face. Blood dripped down her face from a cut just above her eye and her arms were bruised slightly.

The baron scowled at his men. “I told you to bring her unharmed! What kind of fools are you to screw up a simple order like that?” The men shuffled nervously and one man, a burly sort, most likely the leader, stepped forward.

“Sir! We obtained her as ordered, sir. But she resisted and had to be subdued, sir.”

“Fine, unavoidable then.” Baron Crowe turned to grin toothily at Keiran. “So Shade, you feel up to listening to me now? Of course, you won’t be paid now. All you’ll get is your little wench back when you finish working for me.”

Keiran’s muscles tightened and his face darkened in fury. His arm shook violently and itched towards his katar. The baron noticed this and smirked dangerously.

“Ah ah ah…” The guards placed a blade next to Hel’s neck, a thin bead of blood escaping. “You wouldn’t want an accident to occur now would you?” Keiran snarled, but relaxed his arm away from the blade. “Good boy. Now, run along and do what you’re told.”

Keiran glared one last time at the baron, then disappeared into the shadows and out of the room. The baron gazed at the spot the assassin was at last, then turned to his guards.

“Get her to a secure room. I want nobody to enter or leave there until I say otherwise!” The guards saluted stiffly and marched out of the room, carrying the crying girl with them.

OOC:

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Legend: Hel Nysvärd - Green Keiran Nysvärd - Dark Blue Baron Crowe - Red Any Unnamed Person - Brown Sound Effects - BOLD Thoughts - Italics