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Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

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Chapter 8
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“The Divine Flames will open the way for the Ancient Glacier. Its bitter winter’s breath shall force the magiks at work in the victims into a state of slumber.

Be aware, however. The cold is all consuming, and should control of its power be lost at this crucial step, more than the sickness shall freeze…”

~Skarjil Datashade Glyph [Lore]: Survival V
<><>

The Blue Moon Inn was eerily full for an afternoon in Varrock. The noise of the restless patrons seemed to make the already small common room of the bar even smaller and more crowded than it should be, which was made obvious to even the most drunken fool in the place by the fact that even the barmaids struggled to move around just so they could serve their drinks.

But the same couldn’t be said for the private rooms. Compared to the drab wooden shack that passed for the common room, the private rooms were draped in luxury, with exotic silks from the southern desert nations draping the crystal clear windows, rare and exquisite art hanging from the polished walls, and even the beds were made from nothing short of the finest mattresses stuffed with rainbow bird feathers. It was in one of these rooms that the elf mercenary known to few circles as Zirax found himself in as he worked his own unique brand of elvish charm on the serving girls that had volunteered to tend his room for the day.

The elf was leaning back in a lavishly purple-cushioned couch while holding in a free hand that was delicate to the point it was otherworldly a commorb, which was glowing somewhat dimly for one that was supposedly in communication mode. The few serving wenches that weren’t straightening up the room were hovering near him as he spoke in a clear singsong voice to the orb, clearly playing up his own importance to the maids that were hanging on his every word like a giddy farm lass who was being regaled with heroic tales from far away lands.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

15-Aug-2011 19:13:47 - Last edited on 05-Mar-2013 21:04:24 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“Why, King Roald,” the elf said mysteriously. “You flatter me when you imply that I was your first choice, but I must warn you…as a Crow, I require at least half of the payment upfront to procure expenses for this job.” The orb was silent, but the elf carried on anyway. “I must insist that at least 2 million to be transferred to my account with the banks. Oh, what’s that? You say you’ll throw in 3 million? My dear Roald, that sounds fine by me!”

One of the maids, a somewhat busty lass with hazel brown hair and the face of an angel (at least according to Zirax’s standards), furrowed her brow as she strained to hear what the orb was supposedly saying. “I’m not hearing anything,” she commented.

Zirax waved her silent with a hand clad in the traditional brown gauntlets afforded the infamous Iraxian Crows. "That’s because your human hearing isn’t tuned to the sound frequency,” he said. “Only elves and a few others can achieve this state of awareness, so I wouldn’t bother trying to eavesdrop if I were you.”

The girl frowned. “So how do we know you’re not lying to us?” she asked.

The elf flashed her a charming smile that was made nearly extraordinary by his delicate features and perfectly white teeth. “My dear, lying is something elves simply can’t do all that well. Trust me when I say that you’d know if I was a liar.”

“That’s what my ex said,” the girl said as a suspicious look crossed her face. “And I believed him until he left me to tend to my child alone.”

Zirax chuckled lightly at the contempt in the girl’s voice. “Well, you’ll just have to trust me. But in the meantime, I cannot simply go on with this business plan on an empty stomach. So will you be so kind as to go to the kitchen and procure me a sandwich? Or mayhap at least some of that roast that was being served in the common room?”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

15-Aug-2011 19:15:28 - Last edited on 05-Mar-2013 21:05:12 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

The girl stared daggers at the elf, who only met her gaze with an innocent expression. “What?” he asked. “Is that outside of your paid duties?”

“Oh, maybe,” the girl said as she shook her head. “I was told to help the others here tend to your needs, so I was just….taken aback by the request. I thought elves were vegetarians.”

“Well, some may be. But life as a Crow has given me an appetite for meat, among other things,” the elf replied.

The girl nodded at that. “I see. I’m not a cooking wench, so I’ll see what I can do. If that’s your wish, that is.”

“It is, so go,” Zirax said as he waved her away. “And don’t come back until you have what I requested.” The girl hurried out of the room, and the elf turned his attention back to the orb.

“Excuse me,” a nearby red haired maid that was cleaning the room said. “I hate to interrupt, but I don’t think she has clearance to go into the kitchens.”

“Then she’ll have to make it herself,” the elf replied haughtily. “She said she’s a mother, so she has to have *some* skill in the culinary arts, no?" The maid only nodded in false agreement before turning back to her duties.

“Now, where was I?” Zirax mused to nobody in particular. “Oh, yeah. Roald.” The elf brought the orb closer to his eyes, and at that very instant it lit up with a pure white color, almost blinding him in the process.

The wenches that were hovering over his shoulders looked at the orb in suspicion. They said nothing at first, and then the orb chimed some words out of the ether that seemed to permeate the room upon its activation. “Zirax,” it spoke in a haunting voice. “Are you…alone?”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

15-Aug-2011 19:16:27 - Last edited on 05-Mar-2013 21:06:36 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“Hey,” a blonde-haired maid said in surprise. “That thing spoke! And I heard it!”

“Me too!” a black haired maid said as she backed away from the elf in surprise.

“Uh oh,” the elf murmered.

“So….he was lying after all!” the red haired maid cried in astonishment. The girls stared at the elf with disproval in their eyes, and an expression that could only be described as a cross of panic and anger wormed its way onto Zirax’s face.

“I…it….I mean,” he stuttered. “Alright, this is private stuff now! All of you, get out!” The maids looked at the elf suspiciously, but then the elf drew a pair of twin daggers that gleamed with the finest silver that they had ever seen. “I mean it!” he cried angrily.

The maids, being the smart lasses they were, hurried out of the room in panicked steps, and when they were all gone, Zirax stood up and crossed the room to the door, which he slammed shut with no small amount of force that would surprise anyone who looked at him.

After all, Zirax only stood a tad taller than the same maids who were serving him earlier, and his elvish figure was slender enough to the point where any casual observer could easily mistake him for an underdeveloped woman. But, as with all elves in general and all members of the Iraxian Crows in particular, the elf also had a cold demeanor about him, which made his playful and colorful moods all the more disturbing to those who stood in his presence long enough.

“So, Marik, I presume?” he snarled at the orb. “That *is* your name, isn’t it?”

“It is,” the orb answered. “Who do you think modified your damn orb so we could talk through my secure magiks in the first place, oh wise elf?”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

15-Aug-2011 19:17:17 - Last edited on 05-Mar-2013 21:07:51 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“I’ll pretend that I didn't hear the implied insult you ever so slyly deployed,” the elf spat. “So let’s get down to business. What was so important that you had to interrupt my playtime with the women who were so gracious as to keep my inn room clean?”

“Oh, so that’s what you call it?” Marik asked through the orb. “And here I thought that was you playing the pompous jackass that got you nearly kicked out of your order in the past. But since you asked, I have a better job than anything the former king could give you. And it’s real to boot!”

“Alright,” Zirax muttered. “I’m ready to listen when you’re ready to stop with the insults. This is business, after all.”

“Oh, no doubt,” Marik replied. “And I hear that you’re the best at what you do. Which is why I decided to contact you oh so many months ago, and I hope that you can prove to me that my choice in keeping you employed with the Crows was a wise investment decision.”

“So what’s the job?”

The commorb darkened a bit as gray clouds parted to reveal a black-clad man that Zirax had recognized all too well.

“The Spider?” he asked. “That’s my target?”

“Well, yes and no. Unfortunately, the Gentleman does not require the pest to die yet, despite my opinion otherwise,” Marik replied. “Rather, we need a distraction. Something to keep him over in the western to central sectors of the city while we undertake a vital operation.”

“What’s so important about those sectors?” Zirax asked.

“Quite simply, our intelligence has revealed that the Spider is heading towards an alchemy lab that’s supported by a powerful rival of ours,” Marik replied. “We wish for two things from this endeavor. First, our rival’s operations must be exposed to the world at large. That way we can take them out the legal way all while avoiding detection ourselves. The Spider will unwittingly help with that part of the plan.”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

15-Aug-2011 19:18:36 - Last edited on 05-Mar-2013 21:09:19 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“The second part is rather….complicated,” Marik continued. “All I can say is that two specimens must be procured before we can move on with our plans. One of the specimens is something we can take easily, provided the Spider doesn’t kill it by accident somehow. The other one, however….requires a special plan. One that requires you, at that.”

The elf smiled. “So, I distract this idiot while you take something across town?” Zirax asked. “This sounds too easy."

"It may very well be,” Marik said. “But you shall also get no less than 10 million transferred to your account upfront, with another 30 million on the way if you’re successful.”

Zirax unconsciously licked his lips in anticipation. “Oi…that kind of money could get me so many playthings,” he muttered to himself absently.

“So, what say you?” Marik asked.

Zirax smiled devilishly. “Lenore and I are in,” he said.

“Excellent. You can start immediately,” Marik said. “The pest should be nearing his destination within the hour. So plan accordingly.” The orb grew silent as it dimmed out, and Zirax pocketed the crystalline item in the folds of his green cloak.

The elf searched the room twice over before he remembered that his gear was under the same couch he was sitting on earlier. With a huff, the elf brought out a brown traveling bag and threw it onto the couch, and he began searching through it with earnest.

“Let’s see," he muttered as he sifted through various instruments of death and torture. “Noose, tripwire, poison, acid….oh hey, that’s where my devil’s breath went!” he cried with joy as he picked up a vial of red liquid. He turned it over in his hands before he tossed it back into the bag, and he continued his search.

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

15-Aug-2011 19:19:35 - Last edited on 05-Mar-2013 21:11:07 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“Damn….why did I pack this much crap if it won’t fit the job?” he wondered aloud. “Rebounding sharpstones, throwing knives, unholy water….hell, I even have those damned Zamorakian and Karamthulhu-dedicated bibles, but no Lenore?!”

“Who’s Lenore?” he heard a voice ask from the doorway. Zirax turned around to see the brown-haired lass he sent off earlier standing in the doorway, holding a plate of sandwiches cut into triangle shapes that teased his nose with all kinds of meaty and tasty aromas that he couldn’t put a name to.

“It…she…he…I mean she…a friend of mine. A very special one,” the elf said slyly as he slowly sauntered over to the serving wench. “Me and her….we go back. Waaayyyyy back. She’s a cold one, she is. Very delicate but to the point!”

At the last syllable, the lass gulped as she suddenly found herself staring down the point of a silver-bladed rapier. The blade was inscribed with various intricate and smooth runes that seemed to glow a whitish color, and she thought she could hear a faint melody humming around the blade itself somehow.

“I…er…” the lass stuttered nervously. The elf seemed to take a twisted delight in her fear, and so he carried on with his own delusional ravings as he began circling her.

“She even has a favorite song,” Zirax continued. "I don’t care if you wanna hear it, because it’s music to my ears anyway!"

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

15-Aug-2011 19:20:39 - Last edited on 05-Mar-2013 21:12:30 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“Oh god, please don’t,” the girl protested weakly.

“No, that’s not right,” Zirax said. “It goes like this…. ‘Ring around the lily, the maid’s got her dress of glowsies, ashes…ashes….ashes’….Dammit, what was that last verse?!”

“They…live happily ever after?” the girl asked with a nervous smile, trying her best to not appear fearful for her life.

The elf regarded her with amusement. “Sadly, no," he said. “You see, it’s an elven funeral dirge used to honor….hell, I don’t know myself. It hasn’t been used for a while, so the children use it in their fun and games back in the homelands for some reason.”

“That….sounds….interesting,” the girl shakily replied, all while hoping that somewhere, a god was watching over her at that very moment.

“Interesting….hey, that’s it!” Zirax cried. “Ashes, ashes, they’re all now dead!” He said the last verse with a flourish of his blade, which caused the lass to reflexively close her eyes with a startled gasp and drop her plate of sandwiches as it came within inches of her stomach.

When she realized that she wasn’t feeling any pain at all, the girl opened her eyes to see the elf holding his rapier upright. On the silver blade sat a sandwich that the elf was eating hungrily, apparently savoring the taste.

“Hey,” he said with his mouth full. “This isn’t too bad.”

“I…I’m glad you like it,” the girl said, clearing her throat and gathering her nerves. “Am I dismissed now?"

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

15-Aug-2011 19:21:33 - Last edited on 05-Mar-2013 21:14:36 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

“Dismissed?" Zirax asked, obviously puzzled. “Why wouldn’t you be? You did what I asked, so yeah…go do whatever it is human girls do.”

“Really? By the gods, thank you!” she cried as she left the room in a hurry.

Zirax looked at the empty doorway for a moment before turning back to his sandwich. “Sheesh, what’s her problem?” he wondered out loud. His gaze was drawn to the rapier in his hand, and he squealed with joy. “Oh, Lenore!” he cried as he ran his gloved fingers along the blade. “I found you after all! Where were you hiding, you naughty girl?”

When the sword didn't respond, Zirax plucked the sandwich off of the blade, and stuffed it into his mouth. “Pity you can’t eat,” he said as he gathered his gear. “We got some fightin’ and slashin’ to do, so you’ll want to look your best before the big moment. Ah well, get some rest at least.” With that, Zirax sheathed the rapier on his belt, and he looked at the weapon lovingly.

“Wait a sec," he muttered as he left the room to make preparations. “The sheath is on my belt at all times. Not in the bag. Gotta remember that the next time I accidentally lose my girl.”

~^+^~

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

15-Aug-2011 19:22:28 - Last edited on 05-Mar-2013 21:17:11 by A Mad Hatter

Dec

2005

A Mad Hatter

Forum Moderator Posts: 9,861 Rune Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

The sun was hiding behind a curtain of clouds by the time the Spider had managed to reach a suitable perch that was close enough to the GenMag building while still maintaining a respectable distance from any possible security wards that were surely surrounding the place.

The building itself, which was located near a shop that had used to belong to a potions master in the past, looked relatively calm considering the circumstances of the mercenary’s visit. It was just a simple ten story brick structure with many chimneys on the roof to vent whatever byproducts of whatever the mages and alchemists employed by the agency were producing. No windows dotted the sides, but that wasn’t unusual thanks to the eccentric behavior of those who worked with the arcane arts.

But yet, the Spider couldn’t help but feel a sense of pervading dread as he staked the building out. Even though nothing out of the ordinary had happened yet, the feeling of being stalked seemed to eat at the very edges of his sanity. It was this very feeling that had caused him to nearly jump off of his perch on the side of a nearby abandoned building when he heard the chime of a communications spell enter his head.

“Hey, you find anything out yet?” Rovin’s voice asked over the spell.

“Christ Miles, you almost scared me to death and back,” the Spider retorted. “I haven’t been able to get close enough to look around yet. There’s just so many variables that could make things go wrong at this point, it’s not even funny.”

“Oh please, you broke into a guard station evidence room and reclaimed evidence. That right there’s a massive crime, so what’s so different about doing the same to a lab that’s not in league with the authorities?”

^+^ Antediluvian of the Draculesti Bloodline ^+^

^+^ If the Gods see fit to curse us with the Blood, then we shall raise ourselves above them ^+^

15-Aug-2011 19:23:08 - Last edited on 15-Aug-2011 19:23:34 by A Mad Hatter

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