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Post by Rii/Thell on Sept 19, 2013 21:51:07 GMT -6
They'd been found out, and luckily Nial noticed. Closer to the stairs, Nial made it before Argoth could, darting up and over to the hall window, where he whistled sharply before whirling to block the room door.
The question was whether or not Argoth would get that far. "Whoa there, hero," Striska hissed, grasping at her bracer-covered wrists and pulling. Thin, finger-like blades slid over the backs of her hands along with a bar that her fingers wrapped around. Then she lunged, wrapping one hand around his middle and the other over his shoulder before digging the blades into him, all while angling her legs to wrap around his own in hopes of bringing him tumbling down to the ground with her added body weight.
The woman watched the nine-year-old rip apart one of her companions with shock on her face. The nine-year-old had been underestimated, and her partners overpaid as the other man backed into the wall beside her. "I wouldn't do all the work, you said," she hissed vehemently. Scowling at her comment, the cloaked man beside her rashly leaped at the nine-year-old, dropping the wet cloth from his grasp while she bent down with a sigh to touch the broken glass of the syringe and the drops of clear liquid that remained on it. With a series of soft clicks the syringe quickly reformed and the liquid entered it once more with a flash.
"Atali... please..."
At this point, Rii had since jumped out of bed, rolling her staff in her left hand as she flicked her eyes from left to right in indecision. She didn't want to hurt anyone, and as far as the girl closest to her, she wasn't sure she could. She'd known from the moment she'd seen that syringe that it was not one for medical use, but for magic. Why bring that along to kill her, though? No matter the reason, she was clearly a sorceress and, attacking her would be near impossible for a girl trained mostly in self-defense. Rii was a healer. She didn't want to hurt them, even if they'd come for her. She didn't want to be the cause for the things she always fixed.
What could she do?
Whatever her decision, she found herself freezing when she heard the voice of one of the men pleading from the floor. The one that Maximus had hurt for her. She wanted to heal him. Now. She started for her pack, wishing she hadn't knocked it onto the other side of the bed.
"Sorry Zez," the woman spat coolly, taking the opportunity with Maximus being distracted by her other companion to grab Rii by the dolphin tail and yanking, banging her legs against the bed as she dragged her close. "More important things. Keep him busy." Loyal to the one in charge, Zez struggled to get up to at least charge at the small boy, and Atali raised her hand holding the syringe upwards, casting a shimmering veil around Rii and her.
Rii didn't make a sound, trying to reach behind her to grab the woman. And then she felt something pricking the base of her neck where the dolphin tale merged with her spine. She inhaled stiffly. The syringe was in her neck. Behind her was a growl of frustration and disbelief. "What the hell is going on?" The syringe was roughly removed and shoved into the small of her back. "You can't trick someone into your bed and take what isn't yours."
"What have I taken?" Rii whispered, voice shaken.
"I'm not an idiot. I know magic when I sense it. It's hidden somewhere in you, thief," Atali hissed, grabbing Rii's arm roughly and plunging the syringe into one wrist, then the other. She dealt with Rii like a rag doll, and Rii, quiet and observing, fell to the floor and allowed her body to be held up by Atali's grasp. The syringe didn't seem to be taking anything or doing anything to her. All she could do was observe. Why? Why had the people come to hate her so much? Why had the story changed?
"Magic?" she asked softly, the hand without the syringe in it clenching against the wooden floor as if she was trying to capture it. And then she captured something wet. The cloth.
"If I could just get... It's here, dammit, you have his magic. You can't hide it from me." Forcefully Atali hauled Rii to her feet, and the sudden change made her feel almost sick. What was Atali talking about? Rii's left hand, free from Atali's grasp and still clutching the cloth she'd found earlier, fell to her stomach as if to hold her nonexistent dinner in.
Atali spotted the gesture and a dark smile fell on her face. "Jealous maid was jealous of maiden for more than her lover, wasn't she?" Atali murmured. Rii's eyes widened in realization as Atali then plunged the needle into her lower stomach. "If you'd hide it anywhere you'd hide it here, wouldn't you baby killer?"
Baby killer.
In a blink Rii covered Atali's mouth in the wet cloth. Whatever had been on it, it got to Atali fast, and in a panic she pulled back. Rii withdrew, dropping the cloth and reaching for the needle in her stomach. Atali began to wave her hands frantically to escape the desire to collapse, casting spells faster than Rii's heart could beat, she was sure. "The liquid's still clear. Your lord's magic isn't here. It isn't mine to have," Rii announced, holding up the syringe and pointing out how the liquid within had not absorbed a single drop of magic. Atali recovered, throwing back her cloak to reveal her fiery hair... and eyes made red by some sorcery Rii knew not to be natural. She stiffened as her gaze fell on the clothing and the skin.
"My sense isn't wrong. You stole his magic, you stole the kingdom's once chance at bringing him back, you stole an innocent child's life. Remember that, you scaled bit-" The sorceress was cut off as two silver fingers pressed on either side of her throat, just beneath her jaw.
Rii's eyes were sorrowful and hiding, just beneath the surface, a thin layer of anger. "I stole nothing. But if nothing else know I did not steal away the life of my own child. Tell them that." And then she increased the pressure just as she'd been taught, and the sorceress collapsed, sliding through her webbed grip and hitting the floor like a rag doll. The veil of magic she had placed to separate the two of them from the rest of the room fell, and Rii gave a shuddering exhale. "And please do not dress as if you knew what your lord was. Such a night of pretending is not upon us yet."
For several moments she simply stood there, staring at the unconscious body, eyes half-lidded and pensive, anger dying away.
But what had happened while she'd been sealed behind the veil with Atali? Ignoring the slightly bloodied marks on her body from the syringe, she turned, taking in the room.
In the hallway, five more people had arrived with pale skins and cloaks. (ooc: I leave you to decide what Max did during that time with the two people while Rii and Atali did their thing. And feel free to control Nial. He's guarding the door. But the five people will arrive at the end of your post, so don't deal with them. I just didn't know exactly what they would be walking into without you posting your thing. And don't touch Striska. If Argoth does something to shake her off and encounter Nial, that's cool, but I'll take her from there.)
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Post by Argoth/Maximus on Sept 23, 2013 19:25:29 GMT -6
The hooded figure coming for Max unveiled twin daggers just as the last one had. He also attacked the young assassin in an almost identical fashion as his companion had moments earlier.
Did he learn nothing? Max thought to himself. He ducked under the initial swing of his opponent and retaliated with a vicious uppercut to his chin. His head snapped back and Max took advantage by delivering a powerful strike to his throat. The cloaked hitman stumbled backward, clutching his throat and gasping for air. In the meantime, while Max was beating the ever loving piss out of his comrade, the other hooded assailant was attempting a do-over, which, unfortunately, was against his wishes. However, while struggling to remount an attack on the child, his ally came stumbling into him and the both of them crashed into the ground.
Before either of them could recover, max took the liberty of removing them from consciousness by kicking the choking one in the face, his head effectively bouncing off the rear wall, and punching the other in the temple. Now that these two were taken care of Max could defend Rii from that sorceress..but when Max looked over Rii was standing there perfectly okay. The sorceress was passed out at her feet. Max's face lit up with a smile to see her alright, but it quickly faded as he reentered his focused state. He ran over to Rii and grabbed her by the hand. He could hear the footsteps of multiple other people headed his direction. The young assassin led Rii toward the bedroom window to see if there was an escape that way, but the drop was too high. Panic attempted a coup on Max's focus but he quelled it. The footsteps were closer now.
"Get behind me Rii," Max commanded as he placed himself between the door and his friend. He really hoped Argoth showed up soon, otherwise this could either end one of two ways, and Max really didn't want to kill any of them..
Unfortunately for Striska, her weight was not enough to bring Argoth down. The elite assassin ignored the pain of Striska's blades digging into his chest and stomach and instantly countered, whipping his head back to collide with her nose. Argoth could hear the cartilage break and feel the blood spatter on the back of his neck. Striska's grip on him loosened significantly and Argoth capitalized on this, bringing an arm around and wrapping it around her head. He heaved forward, tossing her like a rag doll across the bar and into a table.The table split in two and Striska went down in heap. In doing this, though, he dragged Striska's finger blades along his stomach and chest. They weren't deep, but they were bleeding.
Still ignoring his bleeding torso, Argoth bounded for the stairs, clearing them in just a few seconds. Nial had already made his way to the door where Rii and Max were staying, and Arogth could see back-up blitzing down the hallway.
Shit.
Nial stepped up to Argoth and the two ensued in battle. Argoth played mostly defense at first, blocking what he could and taking what he couldn't. His opponent was good, and Argoth figured he was military of some kind considering his technique. However, Argoth had dealt with these types before. Nothing he couldn't handle. After a few minutes of absorbing what he could of Nial's skil Argoth shifted into offense. The next punch Nial threw Argoth knew exactly where it was going and countered, slapping it away and delivering a strong punch to hole left in his adversary's defense; his ribs. Nial took the punch like a pro, shrugging it off as if he hadn't been hit at all. Argoth took note and recoiled as the next hail of punches came in from his opponent. Before he knew it Nial had backed him up against the wall right at the staircase. Argoth began to take a few hits as Nial poked holes in his defense, and at that moment he knew that if he didn't do something Nial was going to overpower him. Nial knew exactly where to hit him, too. It wasn't that hard to figure out since he was bleeding from them, but when Nial targeted the trenches dug in his skin by Striska, Arogth began to really feel it.
It was hard to focus in all the pain but Argoth took a deep breath while trying to protect himself from Nial's onslaught. He focused. Rii and Max were depending on him to get to them. If Max let go of his control on that demon, everyone was in danger. And Argoth knew that when his friends were threatened it made him more likely to slip. Especially if he couldn't protect them by himself. So with that in mind Argoth discontinued his defensive position and let him have it.
Nial came in from the right with a haymaker but Argoth knew he was going to feign it, so he narrowed in on his other arm, which was coming in for an uppercut. The assassin leaned back with just enough room to dodge and slammed a fist into his stomach. This time Nial was unprepared for the force that Argoth applied, taking a slight step back to recuperate. Nial tried again, sending a flurry of his best at Argoth. By this time however, Argoth had already adapted to Nial's fighting style and countered effectively. Two precision strikes were sent beaming into Nial's ribs and torso. Pain shot through Nial and he flinched. Clearly he did not think Argoth would be able to take him. An underestimation that would cost him greatly.
In the time it took him to flinch Argoth had put him down. He kicked the side of right knee with enough force to send him to it. When Argoth sent a strike to connect with his temple Nial raised his arm to block it. The assassin knew Nial would block this way and attempt a counter with a strike to the groin, so to defuse his counterattack Argoth slammed a knee into Nial's face, which also effectively blocked the groin shot. A flash of light and stars popped into Nial's vision and before he knew it he was defeated. Argoth delivered his last strike to his opponent; a kick to the side of the head. There was enough force behind his kick that it sent Nial careening down the stairs. He tumbled end over end until collapsing into a heap at the base of the stairs.
Feeling more than alive (but bruised and bloody) Argoth took no time in celebrating his victory. By now, the reinforcements had arrived...and they were already inside with Max and Rii.
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Post by Rii/Thell on Sept 25, 2013 21:20:32 GMT -6
Striska scowled as she stood, feeling a shooting pain in her left arm after landing on it and an ache in her back. "Hero's trained," she observed while wiping away the blood pouring from her broken nose, briefly gritting her teeth as she slowly moved this way and that. The back was bruised, but she'd have to find Atali for the arm. Fine by her. Two could play the professional violence game, and while she was currently more damaged, she wouldn't make the mistake of underestimating Argoth again. He had, after all, seen through their ploy.
However Atali was in the other room. "But just in case she and I got separated," Striska murmured, pulling out a syringe of her own, this one pulsing purple, and injecting a small bit of it into her arm. Now all she had to do was wait for the magic to take affect. Atali's magic was always good at repairing things: their broken family, Striska's reputation at the academy, and soon the kingdom they had left behind to seek out the treacherous zora. Unfortunately, it wasn't specifically healing magic. Simply a form of returning things to certain forms. Sometimes not always correctly. So, Striska waited with baited breath as the purple magic wove up to her nose, mechanically and painfully fixing it. It spread to the bones in her arm, stiffly remaking bonds. It was a poor fix for any wound, but a fake fix was better than no fix at all.
People had backed against the door, terrified as they watched the nose reposition itself and the blood seep back into her. Someone was running to fetch the guards, but that was fine. There was one other magic-user with them, and once the fish woman was in hand they could make their escape on the wind. It just meant they had to be quick about it.
Feeling the last of the bones click painfully back into place, Striska experimentally moved her body this way and that. It ached and her head thrummed. Atali's magic was not at all natural for the living, but Striska had no choice. With a discontented groan she slid her hand blades back into her bracers. This man was strong and the hall upstairs would be cramped. She wanted to try and keep her distance this time, but with such limited movement options... That was it. Striska had an idea as she crept up the stairs, waiting to listen in on the situation before entering.
And then Nial came tumbling down the stairs. "Shit," she whispered angrily, pulling out more thin blades from slots in her bracers, these all separate. Feeling worse for wear, Striska hastily crept up the stairs to see Argoth about to enter the room where the enforcements had hopefully already entered. Exhaling, she threw the knives, aiming for the back of his neck and his knees, hoping that if she didn't kill him at least he'd stumble.
Five more figures had arrived before Rii could consider looking after the two men Max had dealt with, cloaked just like the first three, with skin painted just as milky white. Rii didn't doubt that somehow their eyes would have been magicked to be red and yellow, just like Atali's, with fiery red and orange hair. The man who had been guarding the door had since left, and she vaguely remembered hearing thuds and guttural sounds. He must have gotten in a fight with someone, though whether or not he had been victorious or the other person was unclear.
Rii was fairly positive she knew who the other person was.
Like the ones before them, most wielded the daggers, though why, Rii didn't know. It felt a little too standardized for a secret mission where numerous talents would be needed to accomplish different tasks and deal with different combat threats.
"Jahar, with me," one of them said after examining the majority of the bodies being near Maximus, and the two tallest figures came for her. Of of the three left was fairly average for males, about five feet and ten inches, while the remaining two appeared to be around one foot shorter than the man.
Rii reached for her staff, throwing it up in time to hit one of the daggers coming for her side. The second came to her left, and she dodged out of the way, swinging her staff over her head and into this "Jahar"s shoulder and the other man's ribs as he dove to tackle her. She spun out of the way almost in time as his shoulder dug into the left half of her torso, causing her to stumble and catch off balance. Jahar grabbed her from behind, pulling her towards him. "Solar plexus," she murmured, ramming her elbow backwards into his upper chest. "Instep." She rammed her barefoot into the inner part of his foot, then smashed her fist into his nose before whirling in his grasp to knee him in the groin. He recoiled, doubling over as she exhaled. "Someone's fetching the guards," she warned him, guessing that someone had heard the chaos going on in the room.
"Not a problem. You've only taken out one sorcerer," the man assured her from behind as he gripped her wrists and held her upwards. Damn her five foot height! She was over a foot off the ground as the other man slowly straightened and glared at her.
"Are you sure they said minimal damage, Irel?" Jahar growled, shoving a loop of rope over her feet hurriedly while sending a steely look up at her from beneath his hood.
"Just tie her up and-"
Rii couldn't waste time. Before Jahar tightened the rope she spread her legs apart and hooked one over his shoulder and pressed her other foot to his forehead, rocking his head back and forth. "Sorry," she whispered, knowing that this would be extremely painful as it knocked his brain in his skull. Irel began to pull her up in realization as to what she was doing, but it was too late. With a cry Jahar crumpled and she tightened her legs around him, allowing his limp weight to bring the man holding her up stumbling forward and on top and over her and into the wall. Somewhere in there he had let go of her, and with a loud thud promising his head had collided into the wall, she now had three unconscious people on her hands.
Luckily she'd been careful with Jahar, and Irel looked to only have a few scrapes from his stumble. But what of Maximus and the people who had attacked him?
Beside the two women facing the nine-year-old, the man's eyes flashed at the sight of Maximus. "A kid, no wait, that-"
"Doesn't matter," the women corrected him in sync, one coming at him from the right with her dagger and aiming for his shoulder, the other remaining weaponless as she moved to pin him to the wall. The man after a brief hesitation withdrew his own dagger, but he continued to stand there a little uncertain. He supposed if the kid hurt his teammates...
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Post by Argoth/Maximus on Sept 26, 2013 16:45:05 GMT -6
Max barely had enough time to react as he was paying attention to Rii doing a fantastic job at dealing with her own attackers. The first one to reach him was the unarmed woman and Max had just enough time dodge to the side. She missed him by the width of a hair and smashed head first into the wall behind him. Just as he had countered the unarmed woman, though, the other one was lunging in for a kill strike. This time Max wasn't fast enough and the blade skimmed the side of his torso directly beneath his armpit. The cut wasn't deep enough to be of any serious threat to his life, but it was bleeding and it did hurt. Max winced, hissing inward as he instantly retaliated with a punch to the woman's face before she could withdrawal. His hit wasn't hard, just something to get her to back away. The young assassin slapped a hand over his fresh wound and raised his other arm in a battle stance. Blood seeped in between his fingers as it bled through them. After regrouping herself the cloaked woman remounted her attack on Max, lunging back in for another strike. This time, however, Max was prepared, and he quickly and efficiently took her down. The first step was to get the blade from her, which Max easily did when she lunged in by wrapping his arm around her elbow joint and yanking upward as hard as he possibly could. There was a slight crack but not enough to be called broken and the woman let go of her dagger. Max then pulled her in closer, not only to get a better hit but to adjust himself as well. Then he let her have it. Three punches landed directly onto her temple with enough force to render her unconscious.
Max let go of her and she slumped to the floor. The pain in his side was getting worse now. He aimed his attention to the last one who was standing across from him but for some reason didn't attack him. This has happened twice tonight, he thought. Can they not see the Assassin's of Hyrule symbol etched into my clothing? Perhaps they don't know what it means. The man had clearly taken the hint this time, though, after he KO'd his partners.
Or so he thought he did. The first girl whom had crashed into the wall was now up again and while Max was focused on the cloaked man she wrapped her arms underneath his armpits and hoisted him off the ground. This caused the wound in his side to open even more and a searing pain instantly shot through him. Max cried out and he felt the energy in his body leave him. Blood now poured from the wound faster and in more quantities then it had before, soaking deeper down his tunic. It still was not life threatening, but a hell of a lot more painful. The woman holding him screamed at her fellow companion to end the small assassin but he was hesitant. After some more yelling the man reluctantly gripped his dagger in his hands till his knuckles popped and lunged in for the kill.
Argoth headed for the door seconds after defeating Nial. His hand was on the doorknob when he heard the faint whistle of projectiles being thrown in his direction. By the sound they were making Argoth knew exactly what they were and from what direction. His mind didn't have time to react but luckily his body did, and he turned just in time to throw an arm up at the blades headed for his neck. The blade penetrated deep into his forearm and Argoth gritted his teeth and grunted as the pain shot through him. Two more burning sensations of pain erupted from below as the two blades she threw at the back of his knees slammed into his thigh just above them.
Fuck! Argoth shouted in his head. Her plan had succeeded in the fact that she had hit him with the blades, but it failed in bringing him down.
"You'll have to do better than that," he taunted her.
Blocking out the pain in his mind he reached down and yanked out the blades in his thighs and forearm. Blood began to stain his clothing, leaving little circles where the blood exited the wound. Argoth wasted no time in responding to her attack. He whipped all three blades back at her and rushed in, aiming a punch directly at her face with all the strength he could muster.
As the dagger descended on Max he smiled slightly. Both of them were foolish if they thought this meager hold would keep him even if he was in extraordinary pain. He regathered his thoughts and countered, kicking the dagger from his hands and then smashing a foot into his face. The man reeled backward clutching at his nose. The woman behind him attempted a full nelson to try and break his neck but Max had seen this coming. He yanked down with his arms and broke the hold she had on him. Young Max jumped and delivered a spin kick to her right cheek not a second after she let go of him. The cloaked woman's head snapped to the side and she slumped to the floor, unconscious.
Max turned around and whipped a small knife he had in his boot at the man desperately covering his nose. The knife sank itself into his right knee and he went down screaming. Little Max let out a sigh of relief as his enemies lay defeated but as he did so the wound in his side sent an unwelcome message to his brain. Max winced and threw his right hand over top the bleeding cut. The young assassin backed up to the wall and slid down it, sitting on the floor. Clearly he was beat. It was late, he was wounded, and he had just taken out five assassins trying to take Rii. If it were up to him, he'd call it a night.
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Post by Rii/Thell on Sept 26, 2013 22:13:17 GMT -6
Rii had beaten her two captors several seconds before Maximus had dealt with his three, and she began to analyze what damage he had already taken as he defeated the final attackers. The moment the the last enemy dropped Rii hurried to Max, grasping her pack as he slid to the ground against the wall. "Think of riding Bill and carnival candy, Maximus," she murmured, pressing a leaf to his lips for him to chew while she cleaned the wound in hopes of numbing the pain. It wouldn't be too painful as far as cleaning was concerned, but stitches came next, and depending on how fast he chewed and swallowed he might need something to mentally focus on until the wound was fully numbed. Once all the blood was gone and she'd ripped away part of his tunic to give her room to maneuver, she started quickly stitching up the gash, humming a lively tune from the south in hopes of distracting him further. Unlike most healers she'd been blessed with thin needles and magicked thread, perfect for her job. It was one of the many perks of being an expert healer across the continent. "You're doing good, Maximus, just a bit more." And then she was done, tying it off and stowing her supplies away before seeking out a particularly sweet berry to give the nine-year-old to counteract the bitter leaf she'd handed him. "Great job. Now chew it quick. No more nasty leaves, alright?" Normally the berry juice could be squeezed and mixed with other things for other purposes, but they were also great for children dealing with all the disgusting flavors of reality. Smaller children tended to get drowsy, and as Rii was fairly confident from what she'd been accidentally that there were no more reinforcements near by, she figured if Maximus dozed off in a few minutes it wouldn't matter. He was tired anyway, she knew. This way he wouldn't have nightmares.
One blade burrowed around Striska's clavicle, another nicked her rib cage, but the third missed entirely, burrowing into the wall behind her as she danced to avoid it and ducked downward, meaning Argoth's punch was due to miss his target. Good, Striska wanted to make up for that bloody nose he'd given her. She launched herself off the ground and forward, straight into his legs that were barreling towards her. Retrieving four more small blades and ramming her shoulders into his knees, she hoped this time for sure she'd knock him over and use her momentum to propel her far enough forward to keep herself out of his falling body's way. Then she could whirl and throw all four of her knives down at his collapsed body. But he was skilled, so she'd have to be prepared for him to roll into the fall and stand up quickly, or simply stumble instead of actually falling... or crushing her underneath him, something she didn't like the idea of, though at least he'd be close enough to stab.
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Post by Argoth/Maximus on Sept 27, 2013 20:58:51 GMT -6
"Think of riding Bill and carnival candy, Maximus."
Max leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes. He imagined just as Rii had told him, although, he added the two together. His mind conjured up a magnificent field of cotton candy that he was riding Bill through. A slight smile appeared on the boy's face before he began to drift off into sleep.
Argoth had no intention of making contact with his fist. In fact, he was certain that it was going to miss. Striska was no ordinary opponent. She could have easily dodged his fist and he was counting on it. So when she tackled his knees he was already prepared. He rolled backward along with her just as she struck his kneecaps, bringing his knees up to his chest and directly between himself and Striska. Once he had her where he wanted her he launched her behind him, propelling his legs outward with enough force to lift a boulder twice his size. He knew she would readjust in the air but that is what he was hoping for. While his legs were still in the air from launching his opponent Argoth withdrew a small blade from his belt and whipped it at Striska. It was a long shot to even hit her but at this point he was just trying to regather himself.
Argoth returned to his feet and faced his opponent. Perhaps this time she would face him in hand to hand. Then maybe he could get the upper hand on her. His breathing became heavier as his injuries took their toll on him. If he didn't finish her soon he was going to be in trouble.
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Post by Rii/Thell on Sept 27, 2013 21:14:32 GMT -6
Argoth was correct in realizing Striska was more skilled than Niall. In air she reorganized herself, her four blades still in hand. As she twirled, she twisted her torso and threw the blades - far more sloppy than she would like considering she had not been prepared for her aerial take off - in a vertical line towards his chest. Then she landed firmly on the ground, right in front of one of her original blades. Perfect. Quickly sliding the blade in her clavicle out of her skin with a grit of her teeth, she snatched the blade out of the wall and turned, throwing them at her opponent as well, these more carefully aimed for his neck than the first four had been for his chest. With his size she still knew a few ways to take him down thanks to her training, but she preferred to keep it long distance, and they were in a long hallway. She just had to make sure to be able to either go under or over if he came for her, since side-to-side was not an option.
"Shhh, shhhhh." Rii took the drowsy boy into her arms, carefully standing up with him in her arms. Nine he was, but Rii was used to cleverly maneuvering wounded men twice her size. A boy a third her size was no problem. She laid him on the bed and carefully slid his tunic off, allowing her to wrap the wound with bandages before tucking him into the bed. "Sleep well, little protector. I'll fix your tunic before you wake," she assured him in a whisper, standing to set it aside. She needed to address all the unconscious people. If she'd connected everything she'd overheard and observed, there was a non-offensive sorcerer nearby, likely the solution for the attackers' getaway. Hopefully his or her magical ability would allow easy transport of several unconscious people.
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Post by Argoth/Maximus on Sept 27, 2013 21:41:03 GMT -6
Argoth withdrew a small dagger from his belt behind his back and parried the blades aimed for his throat. The four headed for his chest were hardly a threat in the fact that two of them careened way off course landing themselves in the wall, and the other two were easily dodge-able. During the time it took to rid the projectiles of their intended course Argoth tried to think of how to shift this fight into his favor. It was obvious she did not want an up close and personal encounter. Distance was how she was going to play this game and Argoth knew that it was going to be a hell of a lot more difficult to defeat her this way. There was only one option, he thought, to bring her down. He really didn't like it but then again Rii was in the next room for medical attention. Now he just needed to get her close.
And then a thought occurred to Argoth that hadn't crossed his mind yet. This was a damn good fight. A smile appeared on his face and he laughed a little. The thrill of battle was finally starting to catch up with him, pushing aside the initial panicked thoughts of Max and Rii defending themselves against goddesses knows how many people. Fired up, Argoth began to think of a way to get Striska close.
Striska was too smart and level headed on the battlefield for antagonizing, he would need a different approach. Then the full plan unfolded in his head. Argoth narrowed his focus onto his target and began to sprint at her. He whipped more knives from his belt and hoped that she responded according to plan.
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Post by Rii/Thell on Sept 27, 2013 21:59:53 GMT -6
As Argoth sprinted for her, Striska knew her options were under or over. Then he pulled out the knives. Definitely under to keep herself from exposing her stomach while she dove over him, and trying to knock him off balance had yet to work, so this time it was simply sliding through his legs.
And then she spied the knife that had nicked her ribs. Perfect, the last loose knife. She fell to the ground to pick up the knife, turned onto her back, and pushed of the wall and down the hall, feeling his foot swipe her as she went and making sure she didn't end up too far away from him. But hopefully he wouldn't be able to stop his charge so quickly, so as her slide quickly came to an end thanks to his foot, she rolled forward onto her feet and then flipped backwards, earning herself more ground as she threw her final knife at his back. "How long you known the murderous slut?" she asked. He didn't seem the type to become sloppy during a fight just because of a few words, but she simply needed him to turn around so her knife would I either get his sides or the front of his chest. It was her final knife, for now, so she needed to be strategic with it. Luckily several of her knives had missed him, meaning more knives all over the hallway for her to retrieve when she truly needed them.
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Post by Argoth/Maximus on Sept 27, 2013 22:17:19 GMT -6
Argoth smiled slightly while facing the opposite direction, she had thrown it. He whipped around, ignoring her words and letting the knife sink itself into his chest. He made an attempt to swipe it out of the air just to sell it, acting as if he were too slow because he went for it with his injured arm. From his point of view he sold it rather well. He just hoped she thought so as well. As the knife entered his sternum he let out a grunt of pain and fell to one knee. Argoth placed a hand on the ground to steady himself. His vision blurred slightly and he knew that if this didn't work the rest of the fight was going to end with his death. That is if he couldn't think of another plan on the fly.
He smiled again with his head bowed down so that Striska couldn't see his face. Another thought had occured to him. Play into her words, let her think you are fighting sloppy while she antagonizes you. Perhaps she will let her guard down if she thinks he is fighting recklessly. However, that would mean taking more punishment.
No problem, Argoth thought, he's had worse.
The assassin looked up while clutching the knife in his chest. He put on the best facade he could of trying to look angry and defeated while he spoke.
"She isn't a slut," Argoth growled. The next phase in his plan better pan out. Or else he was going to have to bring the fight to her yet again.
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Post by Rii/Thell on Sept 27, 2013 22:35:00 GMT -6
Just as she'd hoped, Argoth whirled, taking it right at his sternum. He went down faster than she'd planned. She knew him to be an experienced fighter from what she could tell, so it was difficult to believe he'd go down so fast. But perhaps Niall had tired him out more than Striska had realized. Picking up four of her knives as she made her way over to his body. "Let me relieve you of your illusions. Trust me, I'm doing you a service, lover boy," she murmured as she strode over, maybe referencing the performance of earlier, maybe something else she saw in him when he stubbornly fought her statement. The closer Striska got, the more suspicious she became. She slid out one last knife, this one bigger than the others. She'd slit his throat quick and easy. Some in his situation she might have left unconscious but locked up, but she got the feeling he'd persist so long as she was after Rii. And until Rii was used and dead Striska would be after her. She knelt down, about to place one hand around the hilt of the knife in his chest to keep him still.
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Post by Argoth/Maximus on Sept 27, 2013 22:44:15 GMT -6
As Striska approached him he could see the uneasiness in her eyes. She didn't fully trust his guise, so in order to ensure his victory, he played along a little longer. He needed her to commit to the idea that he was incapacitated, because if she wasn't and he moved to strike, Striska would indefinitely counter. Or at the very least repel his attack enough to keep herself alive. Argoth saw her hand reach for the knife in his chest and he did nothing, allowing her to grab onto it firmly as he responded one last time.
"I do not think it is I who need be dissilusioned," Argoth retorted.
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Post by Rii/Thell on Sept 27, 2013 23:12:25 GMT -6
Striska relaxed a little, easing her hand off the dagger. "You Hyrulians live so close to them, you've grown use to their stench and start thinking its like roses," she murmured. "Fine, you're right, I'm wrong. A lie for you. Die happy since I can't let you live that way." Relaxing her muscles, she went to slash his neck.
Rii had already addressed the issues of all of the unconscious people minus Atali. Unlike the others, her red hair was natural. "Atali... Oh, I remember. He'd often said her hair was like his... And her sister..." Rii whispered as her analysis showed that nothing was wrong with Atali. Good, she hadn't gone overboard with the wet rag or the pressure point. "That's why they hired such help." Well, if all that was left was Striska, Rii was actually safer than they realized.
Behind her, the syringe from before shattered, and the liquid spilled out.
Yes, she was safe. Especially since she remembered Atali's repair magic having a time limit. She wondered if Striska had used any.
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Post by Argoth/Maximus on Sept 27, 2013 23:22:37 GMT -6
Argoth placed the last of his energy into this attack and like lightning moved in. He had her. His left hand struck hers from the knife she held in his chest while the right latched onto the wrist of her attacking arm. In the same motion of swatting her hand away from the knife in his chest he removed it and used it as his own weapon. Argoth aimed the bloodied knife for her stomach and with his other hand twisted her wrist enough to force her to drop her weapon. Once onto his feet he kicked the inside of her right knee, hoping to bring her to a point where he could finish her. Argoth balled his unarmed right hand into a fist and sent it flying toward Striska's temple in hopes of ending this fight so he could seek medical attention.
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Post by Rii/Thell on Sept 27, 2013 23:41:16 GMT -6
No doubt Striska had. Atali always had some on her sister's person, just in case. It didn't take long for Rii to connect the dots from there. "Argoth, hold!" Rii grabbed his fist with both webbed hands just before he knocked her out. "Watch." Striska's eyes, for a brief moment, bitterly met Rii's, and then they glazed, and she passed out just as blood gushed from her nose and her arm snapped, broken again. "Her sister's magic is especially brief on her. She used it too often in the academy," Rii explained. "And despite whatever reason she hates me for, she hates me most for the fact that I had to fix her afterwards every time. Come on, I can fix her quick. Wait in your room. I'll be quick with her and the people here, and then I'm all yours." And then Rii set to work on the nose. Once she staunched the bleeding, she was sure the second sorcerer could locate another healer for bandaging. Done with that, she ran to the window and looked to the ground. Sure enough, one last cloaked figure remained, slimmer and weaker in appearance than the others. "Sir, I have some associates of yours up here. I'm afraid I've done all I can do and with guards surely arriving I thought perhaps you knew best where to take them." The man looked at her in shock, eyes widening in recognition and then in realization of what had happened to the mercenaries. He levitated upwards and into the building, eying her warily as he raised his hand. One by one the other cloaked figures levitated upwards and drifted towards him, Niall being the last. She stepped back, returning his gaze innocently.
"They tell me you are a murderer, zora," he informed her softly.
"No, and I imagine you are not either," she replied. With a slow nod, he exited with his unconscious companions, and then they were riding the wind. "What marvelous power, to fly as he does." And then Rii turned, seeking out Argoth's room.
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