Down the Dusty Trail- Destiny or Chance?

Subject: Down the Dusty Trail- Destiny or Chance? Thu Apr 16, 2020 1:20 am

Having departed the monastery, Vashd felt a bit accomplished and appreciative that Maris had stuck to what he said he would. He sighed as he strode down the trail, a smirk born of happiness across his face. Being at the monastery brought back his own trial, and how he had failed to join the Monks of the Long Death even though he had been raised there. He was the only kid who had escaped when they had been captured to be killed by initiates back then, and thus he did not care too much to end the life of a child, but that is a story for a different day.

He swung his scythe around for fun, deftly recovering and enjoying the feel. It had been tailored especially to him and it now had its first kill under its blade. The dimensions matched exactly as he had asked, the blade length almost matching his own height. It was worth turning himself in to be trapped for a few years just to get out and get it, but he wasn't so sure that the weapon is why the requirements were met. In fact, he was sure that not even the assassination he was being sent on was the reason. He looked over at Maris and held his breath unintentionally for a moment.

Was Maris the reason the Elven High Magic failed? He shook his head and looked away. It was obviously wishful thinking. No one had stuck with him longer than a few months. He was sure to find out by the end of this whole assassination ordeal whether or not Maris was going to stick around. He contemplated for a moment though, the right side of his mouth forming a slight smirk again. Maybe they both needed each other a bit. Being outcasts, sticking together might be the best for them. Maris had suffered from other planar beings... so had he. Perhaps that was what brought them together.

Perhaps, though, Maris was just stronger than he led on, and more courageous than anyone he had previously encountered. Unbound by a god and not afraid of what was to become, Maris was something else entirely. Vashd's domain was killing those whose time had come, or killing those whom someone else had decided needed to die. He wasn't just a mindless killer. Yet this man stood before him, almost asking to be let go a few days prior to their arrival at the monastery. Not only had Maris stuck around, he had scrubbed Vashd down without a care in the world. He was almost afraid to show the elf his true ability, but he wasn't going to hide if he ever asked.

He sighed and continued practicing his drills. It was useless to think about such things. He would find out, and he could either be happy with the result or go his own way once again. The elf was just another person, right? It's not like he would stick around too long. He did promise that he would, though, which was a first in Vashd's life outside the monastery. Perhaps, this was the best friend he had always longed for. Perhaps, Vashd might even be able to have feelings for a man.

Subject: Re: Down the Dusty Trail- Destiny or Chance? Thu Apr 16, 2020 11:04 am

Blue eyes stared down at the ground before them, studying the dusty dirt of the path they were on. Maris was extremely quiet and had primarily kept to himself after the trials he had gone through. It had been significantly hard to go through with his actions, especially since they had not allowed Vashd in there with him. However, he had managed to get through them on his own, even killing the child. That had been the hardest part, but at the same time, a part of him had felt it necessary. The child had been starved to the bone and was scared of even being there. He hadn't wanted to see the child go through anymore of that and felt it merciful what he did.

Maris aimlessly dug around in his pouch, looking for something that was just quite out of his reach. Eventually, he pulled out the tome the Monks of the Long Death had given him and opened it. His eyes skimmed the pages, taking in the information that had been provided to him. All of it was just thousands upon thousands of ways a person could die and how... How long it took for someone to die one way and how long it took for someone to die another. Nothing within the book was about what happened to their souls or the afterlife. It was all just death... meaningless death in the name of what the Monks of the Long Death called "research."

His eyes paused on a word that he did not expect to see written in the book. He stared at it for a long time, contemplating just why the word "god" was written in there. Maris briefly opened his mouth, like he was about to ask something, but then closed it. The monk preceded with reading the following paragraph and all of its contents thereafter. Soon, he snapped the tome shut and put it back into his pouch for a later time. Nothing came out of his mouth when he was done, he simply remained quiet about it. If Vashd was curious, he would ask; otherwise, he just kept things to himself.

Those same piercing blue eyes watched his partner swing his scythe around nimbly. An almost blank stare upon his face as his eyes followed the movement of the weapon. Maris jolted a bit when Vashd looked his way and turned his head as quickly as possible. A blush crossed his face and he cleared his throat as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants. They were so very different, yet so very much the same, and it was all very confusing. He was more righteous than the assassin before him, but the assassin was more wise than he was. An unintentional sigh escaped his lips and his eyes downcast to the road again.

The thoughts kept crossing his mind about what he had read in the book, ruining his mood. A frown creased his lips and he looked back at Vashd, who had gone back to playing with his weapon. "Who is Myrkul?" Maris finally inquired, breaking the silence between the both of them. "The tome mentions him a bit and how he died, but nothing really else..." He was slightly afraid to ask because he knew somehow that Vashd had a connection to Myrkul. Or maybe it was just a coincidence that Vashd had a dead god and Myrkul was a dead god. "If you wish not to tell me, that is fine... it is just that the book mentions him some."

theme song

Hobbit Drinking Medley

Tagged: @marshy

Marshy @ THQ

Subject: Re: Down the Dusty Trail- Destiny or Chance? Thu Apr 16, 2020 5:35 pm

He trudged along happily practicing his maneuvers when Maris asked one question and his whole demeanor changed. The scythe flew from his hand and spun forward hitting the dirt path as Vashd stopped walking. He faced the around and almost seemed to just stop functioning. He blinked slowly and just went blank. They had added in his experience... He did not care for the politics of the monks and did not care to relive that day. He let out a shivered sigh as he slowly walked over to his weapon and drew it out from the ground. He then just stood there.

He did not know how to respond at first. Myrkul was his God and he had been there when he was disintegrated, unable to do anything and losing all drive. He had been the Chosen of Myrkul at that time, and still somehow was. He grimaced with a slight look of betrayal on his face. "He isn't fully dead but the Order doesn't about anything but the physical body dying." He finally was able to choke out, though with some strain.

He sat down, drawing in the dirt path with a finger for a moment, trying to compose himself to continue. He was a bit off his game here, and felt depressed. He was physically showing his feelings for once. This wasn't normal for him. "I watched a wizard turn him to dust... right before my eyes." He shook his head as a small tear caressed his right cheek.

Subject: Re: Down the Dusty Trail- Destiny or Chance? Thu Apr 16, 2020 6:26 pm

Maris could feel the dread rolling off Vashd in waves the moment he had asked that question. The monk remained silent, wishing that he could take back what he said to him. "I'm sorry," he murmured softly, almost inaudible from the embarrassment he felt. He stopped along side him, watching as the other male went to pick up his weapon. That eerie silence was back, which he hated, but he kept his mouth shut in case he said something wrong again. It was clear that he had hurt Vashd with his question, though it wasn't intentional from the start. "I will tear the page out when I get the chance; it is not right of the Long Death to have written that."

The moon elf kept quiet as Vashd explained what had happened to his god. It had been just as he had expected; that dead god was the god he followed wholeheartedly. "That is a good thing though, isn't it?" Maris asked, his voice softer than usual. "His death was only his physical body, which means that Myrkul is still alive, correct? There is still hope that he will return... he is a god, after all, and only a god knows how to kill a god." His voice drifted off slightly, not wanting to upset Vashd more when he watched him sit down. When he sat, Maris moved over to kneel down next to him, staring ahead of them.

"Wizards have always been careless creatures, constantly trying to expand their knowledge on something they don't know. I find it laughable... they're always trying to do something more than they can handle." He snapped his mouth shut for a moment, glancing down to study Vashd drawing in the dirt. To keep himself busy, the monk's hands found their way to his hair and began to fiddle with it. They pulled it up into a ponytail, bringing all of the hair out of his face before dropping it back down over one shoulder. "Not that I know anything about magic, myself, just dealt with an annoying one before." His eyes trailed over to Vashd's face, noticing a tear drop roll down his cheek.

Hesitation fell over him momentarily, his hands to himself before he reacted irrationally. Maris wiped the tear from Vashd's face, then placed his hand on his shoulder. "It's hard, but if there is one thing I've learned in all my years of life, there is hope in everything." The monk patted his shoulder and stood back up, dusting off the dirt from his pants. He wasn't trying to sound cold-heartened with what he said to him, he just didn't want to hurt him more. "On a side note," Maris brought up, "where are we heading to next now that my initiation is over? I'd like to test my new resolve some more, see where all of this will take me!"

Balling his hands into fists, he punched at the air with vigor and quickness, a smile upon his face now. A few high kicks to the air, then he bounced back around on his toes to face Vashd. "I feel ready for anything now!"

theme song

We Are the Night

Tagged: @marshy

Marshy @ THQ

Subject: Re: Down the Dusty Trail- Destiny or Chance? Thu Apr 16, 2020 11:15 pm

Vashd listened to Maris but did not say a word. He didn't care much for the entire subject, and Maris trying to make it better had o ly made it worse. He was trying to hold his emotions back but Maris had made it nearly impossible. He sighed and stood up, and began walking. His normal demeanor was gone and he just staired straight ahead.

He didn't glance to see whether Maris was following or not, he just kind of continued as he started down the beaten path once more. "Keep the verse in there. It's just a reminder that gods bleed the same as any. There is no real secret. Just skill and determination."

He remained silent for a but longer after his explanation before he finally turned towards Maris. His expression had turned stoic and there was no sign of his usual smirk. "We are heading to Waterdeep to assassinate one of the Masked Lords. That's what I have been charged with doing." He looked over Maris, waiting to gauge his reaction.

Subject: Re: Down the Dusty Trail- Destiny or Chance? Fri Apr 17, 2020 8:44 am

Having not gotten a response from Vashd, Maris stopped bouncing and began to walk. He didn't know what to say and it was very clear that he upset the other man. Maris folded his arms behind his back, clasping them together, and stared up at the sky. The monk silently walked alongside the assassin and didn't say a word to him as they did. It was foolish of him to have had asked and then tried to repair something he knew he couldn't. Vashd was hurt at the death of his god and there was absolutely nothing the elf could do. His eyes downcast to the ground, staring at the dust particles as they were kicked up by their feet.

The human finally said something to him, but he didn't bother giving a response back. His eyes remained trained on the ground before him, just letting Vashd's words go through his ears. To pass the time between them, he decided to pull the tome out again to study it. Its information didn't interest him though and he just skimmed over words that didn't stick. When he came back across the page that mentioned Myrkul though, he tore the page out. Useless information to him, that's all it was, so he ripped the page into pieces and let them go. He didn't know if doing such would anger Vashd, but he also felt it wasn't right for it to be in the book.

Maris could sense a disturbance between them and glanced up from the tome briefly. Vashd was staring at him, his face stern and emotionless as he spoke to him. They were heading to Waterdeep for an assassination on one of the Masked Lords. The moon elf kept to himself, staring back at Vashd as he listened to him talk. "Okay," he finally answered, but it was just a simple and sweet answer in regards. He wasn't sure what the plan was to carry out such a feat as that, but figured they would talk more about it the closer they got. For now, Maris returned to the tome, a little more attentive to what was in the book.

After a while of a little more silence between the two men, Maris looked up from the book. "How do we plan on killing them?" he inquired, glancing back down at the tome. "Should we do one of the many listed ways in here or do you have something planned out already?"

theme song

Open Your Eyes

Tagged: @marshy

Marshy @ THQ

Subject: Re: Down the Dusty Trail- Destiny or Chance? Sat Apr 18, 2020 10:16 am

Vashd grimaced at Maris ripping the paper up but said nothing. He trudged along, regaining his bearings so that he could get back to being himself. He wasn't used to questions like that and Maris had tried making it better but had only made it worse. He scanned around the trees, just inspecting their route.

He glanced over at Maris reading and sighed. He has snuck a peak at one of those tomes. A lot of the methods didn't suit him. Torture wasn't his forte. He preferred to be quick. When Maris asked him how they would do it though, a weak smile returned to his face. "First, we have to figure out his real identity. Once that mystery is solved, we will have to strike when his routine allows him the least protection. I have had plenty of these requests before. Usually by men who want the mask for themselves. It's not always possible to complete these requests."

Subject: Re: Down the Dusty Trail- Destiny or Chance? Sat Apr 18, 2020 11:28 am

"If it's not always viable to complete the requests, then why are we attempting it?" Maris questioned with a frown. "We're risking a lot here if we end up caught because something went wrong with the procedure. Is it really worth it trying to assassinate someone as big as one of the Masked Lords?" He paused in his little rant, thinking for a moment what they could feasibly do. Should they be apprehended during the mission, then they would be completely done for. But at the same time, perhaps the whole nation would be in uproar if they found out a Masked Lord was assassinated... "This is not going to be easy," he pointed out after thinking over the matter at hand.

Maris went quiet again, processing everything that was going through his mind. "Waterdeep is a massive city, so I'm sure there's dozens of nobles in that city... Which means lots and lots of parties, and if I remember correctly, there's a certain type of person often contracted for those parties. Masked Lords are a type of noble, or at least the highest ranking kind of noble in Waterdeep, are they not? That means they hold parties of their own, right? If so, I wonder if they're holding one soon? It would be a lot easier if they are because then we can get one of the Dancers to let us in. I know it's probably far-fetched because not many dancers do things like that, but some of them are willing for a price."

He took in a breath and paused again, narrowing his eyes in thought after what he said. "If it's not the Masked Lords holding the party, because I know they don't show their faces in public... Then I'm sure the Open Lord is more than willing to hold a party for themself; they're the one with the face after all. And even if the Masked Lord we're after isn't at the party with the Open Lord, I'm sure they're still within the palace somewhere. As long as we're able to get inside, we should be able to sneak anywhere else in there. So, what do you say? It's food for thought and banking on the fact that there's a party, of course."

theme song

Open Your Eyes

Tagged: @marshy

Marshy @ THQ

Subject: Re: Down the Dusty Trail- Destiny or Chance? Sun Apr 19, 2020 1:28 am

Vashd remained silent as Maris went on his little tangent. A smile crept onto his face, the smirk returning as he heard his new co-assassin working through things. He already had a similar plan, but with a bit more to it than he was letting on to Maris. He stopped and watched as Maris deduced what he was already planning. "Not too shabby for your first assassination. You do realize why you are coming with, right? Weapons 'aren't allowed within city Limits.' So I need you to find me a way in that won't get me noticed. That might include killing some guards. After I am in the city, I will have to go to a certain noble's house. He already has a contact for us.

He paused and twirled his scythe again with an uncanny speed that was almost inhuman. It betrayed him as to how long he had been able to practice with a scythe of this scythe before, the centuries of practice evident. "But first, I need to make that job a little bit easier for you. So here is my plan. When we get closer to Waterdeep, I am going to slaughter a village and leave someone alive to run and warn Waterdeep. Then we will go the long way around to approach from a different direction so that you can find Cormiel. He is a noble of the city, it shouldn't be too hard to find him. When you locate the best area of the guard to get through and directly to Cormiel, then we will finish preparing from there. For what I understand, he found a dancer that the masked lord pissed off to help us. Questions?" He rose an eyebrow, his usual demeanor somewhat back, but he seemed a bit... different. He was looking forward to the slaughter that was to come, and his blood lust was starting to slowly show.

Subject: Re: Down the Dusty Trail- Destiny or Chance? Sun Apr 19, 2020 7:18 am

So, he was going through all of that work just because the city doesn't allow weapons inside. Maris rolled his eyes as he listened to Vashd explain the walkthrough of his plan. If he didn't have such a large weapon, it wouldn't be such a big deal to begin with. The moon elf let out a heavy sigh and shoved his hands into his pockets as they walked. His eyes briefly glanced down at his pants, moving his hands around in the pockets. Of course, why hadn't he thought of that earlier? Probably because he had it for so long, it was something he forgot about. "Why can't we just stick your weapon into my bag of holding, my table's in there..."

The monk held his breath momentarily as Vashd continued on with his plan. "Or perhaps the weapon is large enough to show that you're compensating for something," he added a little softer. Maris grumbled a bit and shrugged his shoulders when Vashd was finally done explaining his overly complicated plan to him. "No one knows my table is a weapon, I can carry it around regardless, so your weapon should be able to fit in the pouch. What are they going to do? Frisk me? Please, that'd give me way too much joy." He stopped talking though, figuring that Vashd would just say his weapon was too big. "I don't see the point in having to slaughter innocents just to get inside of Waterdeep."

His icy eyes narrowed as he thought for a second, then turned to look at Vashd. "Besides, didn't you say Cormiel knows of a Dancer who absolutely hates the Masked Lords? Wouldn't they be able to get you into the city, and why doesn't your contact know you're on your way? It'd make things a hell of a lot easier if they had prepared for our coming, instead of you killing a village. And you do know villages are going to have children in it, right? Are you prepared to kill the children as well? I admit, your plan is flawless, but you refuse to kill children and I am not killing them for you. If I have to, I'll find us a different route in, so innocents don't have to lose their lives and children don't have to lose their parents."

theme song

Open Your Eyes

Tagged: @marshy

Marshy @ THQ

Subject: Re: Down the Dusty Trail- Destiny or Chance? Mon Apr 20, 2020 11:01 pm

Vashd ignored the comment, fighting back the urge to make a snappy come back. He was trying to remain serious right now. He sighed as Maris hadn't quite understood him and shook his head. He had been holding back for a good while now and Maris needed to learn that he wasn't about saving people. He raised an eyebrow and pierced his lips for a moment, then looked directly at Maris.

"Look, I told you from day one what I was, I have done things my way for a long time and frankly, there isn't much hope of changing that. I said I was going to leave survivors, and that includes the kids. I'll not have another kid suffer your strike either." His eyes were colder than he had ever been to Maris before. "Kids have too much life in them still. Their aura is still too brilliant to snuff. As for everything else, stop worrying about others helping you. There is just you and me and I am going to cause a diversion. I didn't say you had to be around to watch..." He paused then smirked. "And as for that comment under your breath, you'd know better if you had washed me properly." He couldn't fight the urge anymore. He had to tease him.

Subject: Re: Down the Dusty Trail- Destiny or Chance? Mon Apr 20, 2020 11:38 pm

The moon elf snapped his mouth shut when Vashd's piercing gaze settled upon him. He knew instantly that he had said something wrong and decided right then and there not to speak anymore. Vashd was a little more scary when he was trying to be serious, and it startled Maris. His eyes glanced down to the ground like a hound that knew it did something wrong. It was inevitable... he was certain he was about to be reprimanded for his blabbering. Maris's ears visibly drooped a bit, denoting that he was upset with himself. "I am sorry," he murmured before Vashd was able to say anything to him.

The monk kept his eyes downcast to the ground, refraining from looking at Vashd. "I understand," he answered in a soft tone of voice, trying not to upset him more. He was right anyway; he was far older than him and had done things his way for a long time now. There was no way he'd be able to change his demeanor about anything regarding issues like this. "I will head to the city then and try to find Cormiel for you, and then I'll stay out of your way." That was probably for the best, regardless, he'd just get in the assassin's way being new to all of this. After, he was designed to be a martial fighter, not someone who kills from the shadows.

"I washed you as best as I could," Maris stated, "I just refrained from down there because I didn't think you'd want another man touching you there." He gave a shrug of his shoulders and looked up at Vashd finally, a dead expression on his face.

theme song

Open Your Eyes

Tagged: @marshy

Marshy @ THQ

Subject: Re: Down the Dusty Trail- Destiny or Chance? Thu Apr 23, 2020 12:18 am

As the elf dropped while he spoke, he didn't seem to lessen his gaze, but noticed that Maris was acting different than normal. He decided to make a note of it and continue talking. When he had finished and Maris had replied to him about washing him, he sighed a bit and loosened up a bit. "Cheer up. You head up that way, find the contact and inform him to tell the guard. It's a full moon tomorrow night so that's when we will split."

He smiled lightly. He was glad to see Maris was taking it a little more serious, but he might have been a little harsh. He sighed and waited for Maris to look up at him. "You can loosen up a bit now. Let's get all this depressing and misunderstanding stuff out of the way and just enjoy ourselves, alright?"

He swung his scythe around a few more times, placing it back to rest on his shoulder. Maris was right though, his blade was larger than it needed to be. It was made that way, though, so that he could fight more defensively. He had this one designed specially. It was finally broke in now and he loved how well it worked for him. He continued watching Maris.