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Dark Dealings; See topic; Hunt For The Traitor's Spawn
Topic Started: Wed Mar 16, 2011 9:10 pm (804 Views)
Horváth
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The night air grew stale as the small column of horsemen approached the ruined remains of what had once been a stately manor home. At the column's head rode a lean-faced man with unblinking eyes and a sour expression; to the thieves and beggars that scattered from the horses' path, there no pretense that the man was a nobleman. Only those who were used to the privileged upbringing of wealthy high society could pull off the level of self-importance and contempt for the needy that the lean-faced man seemed to being oozing in waves. That, and the long robes of deep scarlet that flapped in the breeze as he rode, solidified his status as a man of influence. As hooves collided with puddles, the beggars found themselves sprayed with dirty water, and many let out coughs of disgust; some even braved to throw an insult after the column, but the riders neglected to acknowledge them.

Upon reaching the ruins of the manor, the lean-faced man drew his horse to a halt and held up a single hand - clenched into a tight fist - as a signal for the column to stop; the riders with him did so, gathering around their leader in a small huddle. One of them dismounted and hurried to the leader's side, and only then did the lean-faced man dismount himself; a nobleman of his stature could not expect to climb off his horse in a clumsy manner after all. Once their lord's feet touched the ground, the rest of the riders followed suit, their heavy boots hitting the mud with an array of squelches. A brave beggar hurried forward, a small wooden bowl clutched in his hands, making a bee-line for the nobleman. Before the wretched creature had time to even whisper a word of appeal, one of the riders had lunged forward and floored the beggar with a punch to the jaw; the man hit the mud with a cry of pain, before scurrying away again, whimpering. The nobleman barely registered this act - his bodyguards knew how he felt about the lower classes - instead fixing his gaze on the ruins before him.

"Has there been word from the contractors?" The nobleman asked.

"Yes, Lord Horvàth." replied one of his attendants, taking out a small scroll and consulting it, "They have found some candidates for the task at hand, and have told them to meet you here at the allotted time. The first should be arriving any moment from now."

Horvàth didn't take his gaze away from the ruins, staring straight ahead as he gave the briefest nod of acknowledgement to the attendant, "How much do they know?"

"Only that a man of good standing requires their services, my Lord."

"Good." Horvàth's eye gave a short twitch; a quirk he had been cursed with for the best part of two thousand years.

In truth, this was more than the age-old story of noblemen hiring mercenaries to do their dirty work; this was the culmination of a centuries-long dream by the nobleman. If nobleman was even a term that could really be applied to someone such as Horvàth; he sincerely doubted that his fellow socialites amongst the aristocracy would consider him 'noble' if he revealed to them that he was in fact an ages-old vampire with a history of savagery and a tendency to prowl through the night and feast on their subjects. That was a day to look forward to, of course; the day when Horvàth would be able to look into each and every one of his "friends"' eyes, as the truth dawns on them too late...ah, but he was getting ahead of himself. That was a long way into the future, that glorious day, and for now he was focused on the eradication of a bloodline that had plagued him since his days as a human. Betrayal was a strong catalyst for revenge, and no revenge was sweeter than when it had been in the making for hundreds of years.

Unwilling to allow his thoughts to run away with themselves, Horvàth turned his back on the ruins and addressed his guards,

"Keep your wits about you. Self-interest is the primary concern of the kind of mercenaries we meet today."
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Rimmon Mikayles
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She hated how she wasn’t told everything about this. All she knew that she had to do something for a man of good standing... or so, that’s just what she was told. She refused to believe everything she heard now, because she could never tell if people were telling the truth or not. For all she knew, she was walking right into her death. She was in her child form, so she knew she would catch them off guard. She could only guess that these people were expecting somebody more professional.

The thing was, she had all the necessary experience. She was a lot older than she appeared, and she also had a variety of different forms, her adult demon form being the strongest. She was dressed all in black, with boots of Elvenkind and masterwork bracers on her arms. She didn’t wear any armour or a cloak, since she only found that stuff got in the way all the time. She basically looked like a gothic child with abnormally red hair, thick bracelets and a good pair of boots. She walked with caution in every step, watching her surroundings. This place was very dark, but it was nothing her ebon eyes couldn’t handle.

She continued through the ruins, taking in everything, as well as the whole column of horses with riders. She was here with a couple of minutes to spare, so she figured that was the group she was to meet. She quickened her pace as to not keep them waiting. By the time the couple minutes were up, she was standing a safe distance from the line of men.

Her eyes were completely black, so it was obvious that she wasn’t just a little girl. She was a girl of many talents, which was for sure. She didn’t say a word at first, watching all of the men. She could pick out right away which man was the one ‘in good standing’, so she was mainly watching him. If any of his men tried attacking her, she would have her dagger in her hand in the blink of an eye. The dagger didn’t look like much, but it did what she needed it for until she could save up for a better, long lasting one.
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Horváth
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Horvàth's nostrils were filled with an unfamiliar scent a split second before he spun his head around to stare towards its source; a little girl, stood just a short distance from the group. The vampire's gaze narrowed as he tried to comprehend what the scent was - it told him very little other than the fact that the girl was clearly not what she seemed. Either she was one of the candidates he had been told about, or a supernatural thief amongst the beggars who thought she had gotten lucky stumbling across a helpless nobleman and his pockets of gold - how wrong she was if that was the case. Most of his guards however, being human, seemed unable to comprehend anything unusual; instead, one of them simply strode towards the girl with the intention of striking her and sending her on her way in the same manner he had done to the beggar before.

"Wait." Horvàth said warningly; the guard stopped halfway between the group and the mysterious girl, turning around to give his lord a quizzical expression.

"Sir?"

Horvàth took a few steps towards the girl, raising a hand and beckoning her to come closer. The guard looked between his lord and the stranger, clearly confused. Not that that mattered to Horvàth; he had already decided that this guard in particular was the perfect choice to test this candidate with. Like many in her line of work, this girl before them wreaked of danger - as Horvàth got closer to her the stench of deadliness from her soared through his nostrils - and if there was one thing that the vampire lord had learned in his near-two millenia of existence in Imythess, it was that there was no substitute for a live demonstration of one's ability to kill. Looking the girl up and down with hawklike eyes and a soured expression - almost silently challenging her with a look of contempt - Horvàth nodded for the guard to proceed.

Eager to please, the guard drew a chain from his belt and closed in on the girl, swinging it over his head with a sneer, clearly ignorant of the inevitable fate that awaited him. Horvàth, on the other hand, could already tell that the sneer on the guard's face was going to be the expression frozen on the man's face when he found himself at Death's door. All that remained now was to see how capable this girl was.
Edited by Horváth, Thu Mar 17, 2011 12:16 am.
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Rimmon Mikayles
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She stood unmoving, watching the men around her intensely. When the one man strode toward her, her hand twitched to grab her dagger, which was out of sight, but the nobleman demanded for the man to wait. So, her hands remained at her sides. Her eyes were locked on the man that stood between her and the group, but she was still aware of movement in her peripheral vision. She looked back at the nobleman, and cautiously moved toward him. She paid the most attention to the nobleman, being able to tell that he was the only one there that wasn’t human. The scent of human seemed to make her nose wrinkle up in disgust, but that didn’t seem to distract her.

She paid close attention to the nobleman’s facial expression. She had only learned recently that peoples expressions said everything about their intentions. The only thing she understood from him looking her up and down, was that he was expecting her to prove herself. She saw him nod to the guard, and she immediately looked over at him, swiftly taking steps away from the group to make sure they had lots of viewing space. There was nothing she hated more than having to prove herself a second time. Repeating herself was not something she enjoyed doing.

When the guard closed in on her, she took out her lame excuse for a dagger, but didn’t lunge at him right away. People usually looked at the dagger and laughed; a too easy distraction on their part. She watched every movement the guard made, including the way that he was swinging his chain around. The way that she had learned, she only made the attack if the person attacked her first unless it was a stealth kill. Then again, she had to make an exception. These people had to see what she was capable of.

After a few seconds of watching how he was swinging the chain, she knew that the chain was a huge disadvantage. If he moved his arm to swing it at her at the wrong time, it was very possible that it would end up wringing his neck instead of being thrown at her. So, she made her move at this calculated weak moment, moving very suddenly, quickly and swiftly. She stepped very close to him, constantly moving, and aimed to slice her dagger through the back of his leg, which if successful, would force him to kneel in pain. Her height was an obvious disadvantage, but she knew how to handle it.

If the guard did indeed fall to his knee(s), she wouldn’t hesitate to stab her dagger through the back of his neck, letting the bloody tip of the dagger stick out from his throat. The blade would block his airstream, so he wouldn’t be able to scream.

If the guard was still standing, she’d keep her eyes on him, and keep moving, knowing she’d be able to make a successful kill if he was the one attacking her. The chain made her a bit nervous, but it didn’t show.
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Horváth
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Horvàth looked on as the pair before him began to perform the dance of combat; a dagger in one's hand, a chain in the other's. At first the vampire wasn't sure whether the girl was hesitating or simply biding her time; he had no use for people who opted for the former. If he employed someone to kill for him, then that's what he expected them to do - as far as he was concerned, people were simply assets to him, and once assets had run their course of usefulness they were to be disposed of. That was what Horvàth was doing with the guard he had just pitted in combat against this stranger; like all his guards - with the exception of some like Rigel or Gaimen - the one wielding the chain was nothing more than a weak expendable pawn. Horvàth did not invest in large numbers of well-trained bodyguards simply because as far as he was concerned, he didn't need them. He could protect himself well enough, but the point was that a man of his standing shouldn't have to - it was all about status. A man such as him did not do his own dirty work.

When the guard swung his chain forward, the girl made her move. Horvàth watched in silent appreciation as she swiftly darted forward through his defences and slashed at the back of the man's legs; the weak human fell to his knees with a cry of anguish. It was a pathetic sight, but the whiff of blood in the air tugged at the vampire's consciousness, tempting him with its sweet aroma - he had not fed since they set off on their journey three days previously. Hiding this temptation from his expression, Horvàth continued to watch as the girl span around and thrust her deceptively weak-looking blade through the back of the guard's neck, swiftly silencing his cry of pain as the dagger cut off his airstream. With a faint whisp of air escaping his neck as blood sprayed forward from the wound, the guard collapsed forward and hit the ground; still and lifeless.

Some of the other guards reacted with gasps and hurried forward, unsheathing weapons and yelling words of warning. Raising a clenched fist, Horvàth stopped them in their tracks, and took a step towards the girl, his eyes involuntarily twitching as the scent of blood on her dagger sifted up towards him. Overlooking the tempting scent, he came to a halt less than a step away from her, looming over the impossibly young-appearing assassin and curving his soured expression into the nearest thing he could muster to a smile.

"Swift and deadly." he said simply, "A valuable pair of traits to have."

He gestured to the man lying face-down in a pool of blood at their feet, "As you can see, I am a man who has no qualms about letting the foolish die. Nor do you have a problem with enacting their deaths, clearly. Guards, leave us."

With a glance to the other guards, he nodded for them to step out of earshot. As the guards turned their backs on them, Horvàth lifted his left hand to his lips - a small amount of blood from the murdered guard had sprayed onto his fingertips, and he quickly licked the red substance from his digits; the taste was both sweet and bitter at the same time, but he savoured it all the same.

"Together, my dear, we have the potential for a mutually profitable relationship. I have more fools I need removed from the gene pool, if you are interested."
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Rimmon Mikayles
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As soon as the guard fell to the ground, and the other guards were told to stay put, she used the dead guard’s clothing to wipe her blade clean, and then put her dagger back in underneath one of her bracers, where she had grabbed it from in the first place. She had gotten the bracers made so that there was a protective slot for her dagger to fit into each one, so that it wouldn’t stab or slice her skin whenever she moved it. It was also a very convenient spot for her.

Her eyes opened wide when they all were yelling at her, but she didn’t dare attack any of them. That would just be too messy. She didn’t settle down any when the nobleman stepped toward her, leaving but an arm’s length of space between them. She wasn’t entirely sure what she thought about him smiling, but decided to not react on that. It was probably best to just keep her concentrated, alert face. She didn’t feel like thinking about it right now, if at all. She found it strange enough that she was able to feel that thick energy.

It was no surprise to her to hear that he disposed of foolish people. He was obviously very intelligent in everything that he did. She couldn’t help but wonder if she really should agree to work for him or not. She refused to let anybody control her actions or her feelings. It just wasn’t healthy in any aspect.

Somehow, she was able to sense his lust for the fresh blood. It wasn’t in his face, or his body language, but more so like a pulling energy between the two. Kind of like how people could feel tension in the air, but Rimmon could feel the forces of energy. Once the guards were out of earshot, and the man spoke, she simply said, “I am only interested if you help me get two new daggers.” She revealed the one she had once again, but held it in such a way so that she could make sure he couldn’t steal it away from her.

((OOC: I’m not expecting you to actually buy my character the daggers lol it’s just for rp sake))
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Gaimen Tal
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Philip reined his horse in alongside the others, coming to a halt beside the old ruin. The air was still and stagnant, bringing no noise or scent upon a breeze that might warn him of danger nearby. He waited mechanically, knowing that his employer preferred to be shown deference, and dismounted with the others. The mud, he observed, would slow anyone attempting to flee, and reveal the tracks of anyone who might be awaiting them. He looked around for anything suspicious, but saw only the crowd of beggars and the ruin in the dark.

Several of the guards placed themselves between the group of beggars and Horvàth. One guard stepped forward to strike one of the beggars harshly. The poor man fell into the mud, and seemed to be in a great deal of pain. Philip's eyes watched the act, but if his heart ached because of it he didn't know. Unknowingly he allowed his eyes to linger upon the suffering man much longer than he ought to have, but nothing touched Philip other than an apathetic fog and a deep sense of loss for his own emotions. After a few seconds he looked away and refocused his thoughts on his duty.

The manor had once had a watchtower; it still stood, for the most part. Philip tapped a bowman on the shoulder, and indicated the tower. He had been given no superior rank above the other guards, and had worked under Horvàth less time than most of them. "Climb up to that tower, and keep an eye out for trouble," he ordered plainly. Philip then looked away, assuming he would be obeyed.

"Look here, asswit," replied the bowman, who had no intention of doing a thing Philip ordered. He opened his mouth to tell Philip off, but was stopped as he was clapped upon the shoulder from behind. "Do as he says," said Rigel. "Else Horvàth will hear of it later."

Rigel's eyes met Philip's, and they exchanged a glance of understanding. A good number of the other guards were cruel, half-witted, and only interested in power. Philip had difficulties understanding why Horvàth hired such men to guard him; aside from their expendability and the cheap expense, there was no logical reason behind it. But Rigel was different. When Philip had been hired, he'd stated clearly to Horvàth that he didn't have the fighting skills to take on a skilled assassin. Rigel did, and he did his job without broadcasting his abilities. Some of the men knew him well enough to fear him, but most didn't. Philip, in contrast, had a talent for foresight that Rigel didn't share. They worked well together.

The bowman deferred to Rigel, and headed off toward the tower. Philip continued looking around them, and selected a slim guard with two small blades who appeared to be capable of moving inconspicuously. "You," he told the man. "Head back the way we came, and watch the main road. And you two," he selected two men at random, "Go around the back and watch the farmer's road. If you see anyone we're not expecting, one of you can come as warning." The men glowered murderously at Philip, their eyes gleaning with an inclination to turn their weapons on him instead of following his orders. Rigel again intervened.

"Get going," he urged, his eyes narrowed. The men, as before, deferred. The remaining guards divided themselves between going with Horvàth and keeping an eye on the crowd of beggars.

"Philip," Rigel began. "This is not the time or place, but perhaps you could be a bit more careful around the other guards."

"Careful?" asked Philip. "What do you mean?"

"Most of them could take you in a fight," Rigel pointed out. "You could be less of an ass when you order them around. It would do wonders for your life span." He cracked a half-assed smile.

"Were they angry with me?" Philip wondered aloud, not catching the humor. "I just thought someone should employ them usefully. Left to themselves, they'd stand here throwing rocks at the beggars until Horvàth returned."

Rigel sighed. "Yes, of course. Shall we make ourselves useful inside?"

Philip led the way into the ruin. At first they followed Horvàth's path, but before they reached the group the two men separated and hid themselves strategically. They were within close distance of the meeting-place; close enough to aid Horvàth, should they be needed. Philip could not see what passed between the stranger and Horvàth, though he could hear bits of the conversation. He knew that a fight between the woman and another guard took place, and that the woman succeeded in seriously wounding one of the other guards.

At times such as this, the business activities of Horvàth were suspicious to Philip. Blurry thoughts drifted in his foggy mind, and he considered that, were he himself as he had been, he might not choose to serve such a man as Horvàth. But who are you, anymore? he asked himself. No one. No one, with nothing. He considered what consequence might fall upon him should he make a poor decision, and serve a man his conscience might regret? But his soul was tired, beaten, sick; perhaps even dead. It held no answer for him. So what did it matter?

He recovered his wandering thoughts, and focused on his duty.
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Horváth
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“I am only interested if you help me get two new daggers.”

Horvàth drew himself up to full height; a peculiar request, he thought, given that the girl before him had just proven how useful she was with a regular dagger. Nevertheless, it seemed a relatively small price to pay. With a brief glance to their surroundings - where he noticed that Philip and Rigel had proven useful once again in arranging the guards into a network of defensive positions and vantage points - the vampire lord then leaned downwards, his faces mere inches from the girl's own. The scent of the recent kill still lingered on her.

"I'm sure I can arrange that. Of course, I will expect fair value in return." He said, showing his honed talent for softening his voice whilst at the same time imbuing it with hiss-like darkness, "You will need to lie for me. To hunt for me. To kill for me. This is not the work of the rabble, but of the refined. The skilled. The deadly. Can you provide all of that?"

And then, with a thin smile where he allowed his fully-formed fangs to show, he added, "And of course, you'll need to be perfectly okay with working for a man of a...less than human...nature."

He sealed his lips and hid away his fangs barely a second after revealing them, before leaning away from her again and drawing himself up to full height. She was a curious sight; a very young girl with the capability to slaughter fully-grown men. Her seemingly harmless appearance alone would give her a huge advantage in the task Horvàth had in store for her; the wretched descendant of that traitor would never see it coming. And then, when the treacherous spawn lay in a pool of their own blood much like the guard at Horvàth's feet, the vampire lord would stand over their body and perform the ritual he did over every one of his victims. With a vial in one hand, he would collect a sample of their blood - not for drinking, no not at all, but for the Collection. A private museum of blood samples from across the ages, Horvàth's Collection was one of the vampire's lasting pleasures in life. That and his music, of course.

As he awaited the girl's reply, Horvàth threw a glance towards Philip and Rigel; the two were the best of his guards, and the lord had learned in recent months that they worked best when together rather than alone. Between them they kept the rest of the weak-willed fools in line; a duty he would expect them to extend to anyone - even a little girl like the one before him - should that person ever prove...unwilling to obey.
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Rimmon Mikayles
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She took a step back as soon as he moved to stand at full height. She didn’t find it intimidating, but it was certainly difficult to see everything that he was doing. Luckily, it wasn’t much. He seemed to only be thinking. When he leaned back down, stopping mere inches from her own face, it didn’t take very long at all for her to decide to walk away.

She stood still, letting him stand as he wished so close to her face, and responded with a surprisingly calm voice with an obvious certainty. “That’s too bad that you need people to do everything for you.” She said, taking another step back because she knew he wouldn’t like her declining his offer. “It’s not a very good deal if I always have to lie.” she crossed her arms casually, making it so he wouldn’t be able to stop her from grabbing her dagger if he did try to stop her.

She caught the sight of his fangs in the brief moment that he had grinned. It was then that she was determined to get away because there was no way in hell that she would work for a disgusting vampire. “No!” she took a couple more steps back, not hesitating to unsheathe her dagger. “I refuse to work for a blood sucking goof like you! I don’t care how good your standing is!” she said, putting her attention on all of her surroundings once again so that she could see any and all of her pursuers. She seemed just as stable as she was when she got here, but now, she expected the attack to be meant for her death rather than the guard’s.

If they dared to attack her, even after they all witnessed her so easily slay that human guard, they would be in for a big surprise. She’d be sure to leave the nobleman for last so that he would know what was coming to him. In her opinion, all blood suckers deserved to have their heads on a stick and their bodies burned.
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Horváth
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“I refuse to work for a blood sucking goof like you! I don’t care how good your standing is!

Horvàth's eyes flashed with surprise as the girl yelled this, backing away from him and drawing her dagger as she did so. The surprise was short-lived, however, and was soon replaced with a dangerous glare and a scowl across his lean, paled face. So, he thought, as he stood watching her with his robes swaying lightly in the night breeze, it looked like this girl was going to prove less than useful after all. No matter, his men needed to keep their skills honed anyway. Speaking of the men, Horvàth wondered if any of them had heard her words, and if so how many of them might take it literally and begin to suspect their lord's true nature. Bah, that was a problem to be dealt with after the current one had been resolved, the vampire decided, before holding out his arms in a wide gesture to the girl.

"If you wish to take the foolish path, my child, then I shall oblige. I can only hope you prove more useful to me posthumously."

A shame, perhaps, that this short 'interview' had taken such a nasty turn, but it didn't bother Horvàth too greatly. The world was full of assassins and mercenaries desperate to make a living after all; it wouldn't be too difficult to find a replacement. But before he turned his attention to that, there was still the matter of showing this upstart what it meant to cross a man like him. Bracing himself for any attack she might lunge at him - it had been a few years since his last real fight, but it took more than that to lose skills honed by centuries of experience - Horvàth tilted his head to the side slightly, his eye giving a small twitched as he loudly addressed Rigel and Philip from where they stood a short distance away.

"It appears our esteemed guest is of little more use than target practice for the men!"

Then, turning his gaze back on the girl, the vampire lord gave the final order.

"Kill her!"
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Gaimen Tal
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Philip's chosen watching-place was too distant from Horváth and the girl to hear their complete conversation. At first they seemed to be negotiating a deal, but before it was concluded Horváth said something to the child-like woman that clearly affronted her. She backed away, crossing her arms aggressively, and Philip didn't miss her hand nearing her dagger. He spared a glance at Rigel, whose eyes were narrowed and focused on the girl. There was no cause for Philip to worry that his comrade wasn't sharp to what was going on.

“No!” the girl said, backing away from Horváth and unsheathing her dagger. “I refuse to work for a blood-sucking goof like you! I don’t care how good your standing is!”

Philip certainly heard that. He considered that 'blood-sucking goof' was a rather childish insult; then again, the woman was a child, even if there was clearly more to her than she seemed. Philip and Rigel continued to remain where they were; this woman was most evidently dangerous, but if she wished to decline Horváth's offer and walk away they were prepared to allow her to do so.

Horváth's reaction surprised Philip. He spoke to the girl again, words Philip couldn't hear, and stood his ground as if readying for a battle. "It appears our esteemed guest is of little more use than target practice for the men! Kill her!"

Rigel responded immediately, leaping from his position and running towards the young woman. The three other guards that remained nearby also heard the order, and returned inside the ruin to flank the young woman and prevent her from leaving the way she'd entered.

It took several moments for Philip to process Horváth's order. Philip had signed on as a short-term bodyguard, not as an executioner. His duty was to protect Horváth, not to attack and kill someone who wasn't endangering his employer's life. Then again, he reflected, the young woman might be somewhat more inclined to harm Horváth now that he had ordered his men to kill her.

He shook these thoughts from his head. Now was not the time to be questioning Horvàth's motives. Only seconds behind Rigel, Philip stepped out into the open and began walking towards Horvàth. He whistled loudly, and signaled to the guard in the tower (who had not been paying attention) to target the woman beneath him. The archer strung his first arrow, aimed, and released it. Philip winced as it soared through the air and landed several feet to the left of its target; the archer was not an exceptional shot. Perhaps he would at least distract her while the others on the ground drove her off.

Horvàth stood his ground, and Philip was again surprised by the man, for he appeared to be excited by the battle… even to enjoy the fight that he had created using his power over those around him. Philip again shook off his uncertainties about the man, and instead considered his concern for Horváth's life. Philip was uncertain whether Horváth had the skills to maintain the position he'd taken, or whether he was simply a fool enjoying the rush. It didn't matter; it was not Philip's job to allow his employer's life to be in danger based upon an assumption that may or may not be correct. He walked up to Horváth, and spoke from behind him.

"Sir," he said, "I recommend that we withdraw to the kitchen entrance. We can observe from farther away, and it will be easier to protect you should your men lose the fight." Philip's plan involved taking Horváth to the kitchen door about ten paces back, where they could exit quickly and escape should things go badly. This also left a second side entrance, which led through what might have once been a stable, unguarded, so that the young woman could withdraw if she chose and Horváth's life (as well as those of the guards) would be in much less danger. The alternative would be for Philip to leave Horvàth and guard the stable entrance to prevent her escape. He had no intention of joining the fight unless absolutely necessary; with the skills he'd limited himself to he would only hinder the efforts of the others. Horváth was an intelligent man, and Philip assumed that he understood these options.

(OOC: Rimmon, Rigel and the other 3 guards are NPCs, please feel free to auto them in the battle as you like. You can wound or kill any of them (unless, perhaps, Horváth might prefer you didn't kill Rigel). I've left some exit options for you - Rimmon can kill or injure the three guards behind her, which we can assume have inferior fighting abilities, or she can escape through a side entrance. The archer is highly unlikely to hit her with an arrow, unless you want him to. Rigel, however, is a top-notch fighter, and should give her lots of trouble. Hope that's enough info - have fun!)
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Rimmon Mikayles
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When the three guards charged at her, she wished she had two daggers right now. It would make things a lot easier. She kept her mind focussed, and held her dagger backwards. Her bracers were made to block any regular blade, so she wasn’t very worried about the humans harming her. She didn’t even notice there was an archer in the area until she nearly tripped over one of the arrows that were now sticking up out of the ground.

She considered even shapeshifting into one of her other forms, but at this point, she just wanted to get away from here. She would be sure to track that vampire down later on. She was sure that she’d be able to get through these men and kill the nobleman, but she knew from years of training that today was not the day. He’d get what was coming to him. She would make sure of that.

Since these guards were so determined to attack her, she had no problem making counter-attacks. That was her specialty after all, so she had no problem bringing down each of the three guards. However, when a fourth one came up, right away she could tell that he was a lot better at fighting than the others. The way that he moved around her made her pay more attention to him, rather than where the vampire was going. Without thinking, she shapeshifted into a werewolf form, snapped her jaws and snarled at the fourth guard, then made a run for it as quickly as she could toward the side exit. She knew that she was a much faster runner in any four-legged animal form, so that’s why she had shapeshifted into a werewolf form. She also knew that if the vampire saw this, that they would definitely cross paths again in the future...
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Horváth
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As the three guards surged forward, Horvàth raised an impressed eyebrow as the girl quickly and effortlessly danced circles around them, dispatching each in swift, lethal, due course. With Rigel moving in to enter the fray, the vampire was sure he was about to witness the assassin be severely humbled for her defiance, but was drawn from the fight by the voice of Philip behind him, asking that his employer accompany him to the ruined remains of what had once been the kitchen side-entrance; Horvàth silently questioned whether the guard's recommendation was due to loyalty to his lord or cowardice in the face of confronting the deadly girl before them, but decided that the suggestion was not an altogether unwise one, and with a short nod began to walk with Philip towards the kitchen entrance.

A strange, unnatural noise caught Horvàth's attention as the pair moved away from the fray, followed shortly by a startled grunt from Rigel as the skilled warrior darted back and raised his blade in a defensive stance. As the vampire swung around to see what had made the noise, his eyes widened in a combination of anger and surprise as he saw that the girl had transformed into a four-legged lycan form. The girl was of the Wolf! Such a despicable half-breed form was the nemesis of the vampire race; or at least, one of the many nemeses they had acquired over the years. Pushing past Philip and taking a few strides in the direction of Rigel and the werewolf, which had now turned to make a run for it, Horvàth pointed at the fleeing lycan and practically spat in command,

"Shoot her! Shoot her down!"

The archer in the tower reacted quickly, drawing an arrow and fixing it to his bow as the remaining guards scrambled to pull their own bows from the horses nearby. A sharp whistle was heard as the archer's first arrow soared to the ground and embedded itself a few feet from where the werewolf girl was now fleeing as fast as she could towards the side exit. Horvàth would be damned if he was going to allow a filthy half-breed escape his grip; he could always use another pet hound with which to feed his enemies to, after all. Reaching over to grab Philip by the shoulder, Horvàth pulled the man closer and hissed into his face,

"I want that wolf dead or pinned to the ground, do you understand? We can not allow such a dangerous creature to escape into the wild!"
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Gaimen Tal
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Philip grunted as Horváth grabbed him by the shoulder. The other man was acting out of anger and hatred; Philip did not understand Horváth's intense enmity with a woman he had never met before. "I want that wolf dead or pinned to the ground, do you understand? We can not allow such a dangerous creature to escape into the wild!"

Philip cursed inwardly. His employer was exceedingly frustrating. The guards hadn't signed on to track and kill werewolves, they had signed on to protect Horváth should such a creature actually attack him. But this werewolf seemed to be fleeing for its life, and the idea of pursuing the creature because Horváth disliked her was nonsensical to Philip. He struggled to see how Horváth's order was within his job description. Then again, he debated inwardly, Horváth was not incorrect; allowing such a creature to escape was dangerous… and it had attacked them. Tracking her down might be interpreted as protecting Horváth, if only to prevent such attacks from happening again.

However, it did lack several factors of inherent common sense. Philip concluded that he would be remiss if he did not point these out to his employer.

"We will do as you ask, sir," he said. Unlike the other guards, Philip did not bow, lower his eyes, or address Horváth meekly when they spoke. He met the other man's eyes, keeping his back straight and speaking confidently; though he did show the other man proper deference in conversation. "However, sir, I would remind you of the combined skills of the men we have available here. These guards are not ideally equipped for such a circumstance. You have two level-headed, ready men, whom it would be essential to send on such an excursion for it to have a chance of success, and perhaps one or two others with moderate tracking skills. Even if we are successful in tracking the werewolf and holding her at bay, our departure would leave you guarded by individuals with limited abilities. I am concerned for your safety."

Philip, observing Horváth's current impulsive emotional state, did not expect the other man to call off the pursuit. As such, he waved to Rigel to ready the men as he spoke to Horváth, and Rigel had hurried to comply. By the time Philip had finished speaking Rigel had readied the horses. Three other guards, including the archer, were mounted and ready for Horváth's approval to depart, and one horse remained ready for Philip.
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Rimmon Mikayles
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As soon as the arrows started flying at her, she spread out her stride and pushed off the ground harder to run as fast as her paws would carry her, but as soon as she got close to the exit, she had to shapeshift back into her humanoid form, since her werewolf form was much too large to fit through the regular doorway. However, she hadn’t noticed she was still going way too fast for her humanoid child legs to handle, so when she shapeshifted, she lost her footing and rolled and bumped along the grass until she came to a stop.

It took her a moment to regroup, but while she was regrouping she looked around her to see where she ended up and where the guards were. She was at a huge disadvantage now, because she had become very dizzy from rolling so much. She pushed herself up off the ground, but found that she couldn’t even keep her balance, so gravity pulled her back down to the ground.

Perhaps using the werewolf form right now was a worse idea than she had thought. Now that it was happening, she realised no vampire noble would allow a werewolf to get away. Her mind started racing with what she should do to prevent them from getting too close to her. Of course, those arrows could do some damage, but she just had to make sure the arrows didn’t go through her head, neck or chest. Now that she was in her child form, the archers would have a much smaller target.

The only thing she could think of, that was bigger and stronger than them but wasn’t a werewolf... was something that she had once feared greatly. This creature was said to enjoy demon meat, where she grew up. Slightly larger than regular horses, Rimmon was confident that those guards wouldn’t get near her if their horses knew what was best for them.

If the guards hadn’t gotten to her yet, she would force herself to stand up and shapeshift into a black Pegasus. She knew she’d be able to keep her balance better on four feet, so she wouldn’t seem to have a problem. In this form, she would stand about a couple of feet taller than their tallest horse. She would spread out her large, black wings and stomp her hooves on the ground to try and keep the guards away from her.

If the guards had already caught her, she would purposely ‘act’ like a crazy person, and yell, scream, and fight against them. However, if a blade or any weapon was pressed against her in warning, she would immediately freeze and watch whoever was holding the weapon very closely. She would stand unbelievably still, considering how wild she was acting just seconds before.
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