Post by Argoth/Maximus on Jun 17, 2023 15:16:59 GMT -6
Argoth smirked at Eldrin. "Faking your death doesn't work when you keep getting caught," he said.
Argoth glanced down at Azrael and raised his eyebrows at the monk's demeanor. Between the dented mug and the scowl on Azrael's face, Argoth knew whatever the druid had done, it infuriated him. And then he spoke and explained the Soul Bond Pact and its conditions. At this Argoth clenched his fists together, a small rise of sympathy anger welling up in him. The druid had not even asked before performing such irresponsible and irreversible magic. Taking it upon herself to bind Azrael so that he must help or die. She seemed to mean well, by the look of her, but that was no excuse for such an intrusion into another's life. A growing sense of unease made Argoth narrow his eyes at the young woman. Had she trapped Azrael for some nefarious purpose? If her intentions were malevolent, Argoth couldn't tell, but the Soul Bond Pact with Azrael made Argoth distrust her. He made a mental note to keep a close eye on her through whatever nonsense she just involved them all in.
"About time I saw an Assassin in their own hideout... might as well make me a member and captain of the Demon Slaying squad. I basically do that anyway for you. Oh and the druid is Iris Shadowwalker. Iris, meet Argoth. Temp Grand Master of the Assassins of Hyrule. Basically, a pup compared to the big wolf."
Argoth chuckled at that but said nothing. He was indeed a much less accomplished assassin than Torak, but when it came down to fighting, Argoth was confident he could hold his own. There was a reason he was second in command even though his tenure was less than many other members in the guild.
"Nice to m-" he started to say to Iris, but just then movement in the corner of the room caught his eye. A slight shift in the shadows only a trained eye could have caught. Argoth checked the table. Iris hadn't even noticed his half-finished greeting. Her gaze was firmly fixed upon Azrael, and she looked concerned. The others, too, had their attention set upon the monk, and without so much as the air shifting around him, Argoth slipped away from the table.
Now advancing upon corner of the room, a figure materialized out of the shadows, leaning casually against the back wall. The figure was small, perhaps five foot even, and a hood obscured their face. As Argoth approached, however, they stood up straight and drew back their hood. A hylian woman with long black braided hair and vivid sky-blue eyes greeted him with a nod. "Reporting, sir," She said.
"Go on," Argoth replied.
"The search party for Max has returned."
"Any luck?"
"Some, sir. They were unsuccessful in finding him in Ikana Canyon. The rumors that a squatter had moved into the crypts there were true, though. They found evidence of habitation in several. Once again, if it were Maximus he left little for us go on. It did seem like whoever stayed there used the crypts for an extended period of time, although they left in quite a hurry."
Argoth nodded, "So what's the good news?"
"On the return trip, the party passed the Molduga Moving Company. Several of them reported seeing a teenager of Max's description headed toward Snowhead."
"Well that's something. Tell Syke and the others to get some R and R for a while. When I'm done with this business with Azrael I'll go search Snowhead myself."
The black haired assassin nodded and turned to enter the hidden door she'd come through.
"Wait," Arogth said, "What of the search party for Torak?"
The assassins face went grave, and her eyes drifted toward the floor.
"Nothing yet, sir."
"Still? But it's been six weeks. Something isn't right, Reena. I want you to go and recruit the top ranked assassins and gather them in the Atrium. When I return from Snowhead I'm leading a search party for Torak."
Reena nodded, "Right away, sir." And with that she slipped through the hidden door and was gone.
Argoth sighed as the door shut behind her. The wall returning to a smooth, complete surface. No trace of the door could be seen with the naked eye. One had to know the location in order to open it, and even then, one had to open it in exactly the right way so as not to set off a myriad of booby traps.
Putting all that out of his mind, Argoth turned around in time to see Azrael trudging up the staircase. He narrowed his eyes at the situation. Iris seemed nervous and, after a few minutes of anxious deliberation, swiped the skull from the table and rushed after the monk. By the look of Azrael before he left, something was definitely troubling him deeper than he let on. Even without such a reaction from the Monk, Argoth could have guessed there was a plethora of secret shit going on within the Azrael's mind. Whenever he was involved with anything it was always riddles and secrets and whispers from the dead.
Argoth decided then to follow Azrael to his room. If only to keep an eye on this Iris girl. He wanted to know what her deal was. Besides, whatever was going on here was a great distraction from his constant duties as Grandmaster. He needed a break, and this was bound to be a good adventure.
Argoth carefully slipped through the hidden door leading to the HQ. From there he descended a flight of steps before turning left down a long corridor. About halfway down the corridor, a passageway opened on his left with an ascending staircase. He turned and took the stairs two at a time before reaching a trap door set into the ceiling. Grasping the circular metal latch, he pushed his way through into a narrow but long space. It was pitch black, but Argoth knew these passages well. He moved swiftly down one length of the narrow hallway, shuffling sideways so he could move easily. After rounding a corner at the end he stopped and placed an ear up against the wall. Argoth smiled and with delicate fingers pushed a slat of wood to the side. From within the walls of Room thirteen, Argoth spied on Azrael.
He saw him disrobe and withdraw some elegant looking blade. It seemed that the monk was about to perform some kind of ritual. Argoth smiled, eagerly awaiting whatever show Azrael was about to put on.
Argoth glanced down at Azrael and raised his eyebrows at the monk's demeanor. Between the dented mug and the scowl on Azrael's face, Argoth knew whatever the druid had done, it infuriated him. And then he spoke and explained the Soul Bond Pact and its conditions. At this Argoth clenched his fists together, a small rise of sympathy anger welling up in him. The druid had not even asked before performing such irresponsible and irreversible magic. Taking it upon herself to bind Azrael so that he must help or die. She seemed to mean well, by the look of her, but that was no excuse for such an intrusion into another's life. A growing sense of unease made Argoth narrow his eyes at the young woman. Had she trapped Azrael for some nefarious purpose? If her intentions were malevolent, Argoth couldn't tell, but the Soul Bond Pact with Azrael made Argoth distrust her. He made a mental note to keep a close eye on her through whatever nonsense she just involved them all in.
"About time I saw an Assassin in their own hideout... might as well make me a member and captain of the Demon Slaying squad. I basically do that anyway for you. Oh and the druid is Iris Shadowwalker. Iris, meet Argoth. Temp Grand Master of the Assassins of Hyrule. Basically, a pup compared to the big wolf."
Argoth chuckled at that but said nothing. He was indeed a much less accomplished assassin than Torak, but when it came down to fighting, Argoth was confident he could hold his own. There was a reason he was second in command even though his tenure was less than many other members in the guild.
"Nice to m-" he started to say to Iris, but just then movement in the corner of the room caught his eye. A slight shift in the shadows only a trained eye could have caught. Argoth checked the table. Iris hadn't even noticed his half-finished greeting. Her gaze was firmly fixed upon Azrael, and she looked concerned. The others, too, had their attention set upon the monk, and without so much as the air shifting around him, Argoth slipped away from the table.
Now advancing upon corner of the room, a figure materialized out of the shadows, leaning casually against the back wall. The figure was small, perhaps five foot even, and a hood obscured their face. As Argoth approached, however, they stood up straight and drew back their hood. A hylian woman with long black braided hair and vivid sky-blue eyes greeted him with a nod. "Reporting, sir," She said.
"Go on," Argoth replied.
"The search party for Max has returned."
"Any luck?"
"Some, sir. They were unsuccessful in finding him in Ikana Canyon. The rumors that a squatter had moved into the crypts there were true, though. They found evidence of habitation in several. Once again, if it were Maximus he left little for us go on. It did seem like whoever stayed there used the crypts for an extended period of time, although they left in quite a hurry."
Argoth nodded, "So what's the good news?"
"On the return trip, the party passed the Molduga Moving Company. Several of them reported seeing a teenager of Max's description headed toward Snowhead."
"Well that's something. Tell Syke and the others to get some R and R for a while. When I'm done with this business with Azrael I'll go search Snowhead myself."
The black haired assassin nodded and turned to enter the hidden door she'd come through.
"Wait," Arogth said, "What of the search party for Torak?"
The assassins face went grave, and her eyes drifted toward the floor.
"Nothing yet, sir."
"Still? But it's been six weeks. Something isn't right, Reena. I want you to go and recruit the top ranked assassins and gather them in the Atrium. When I return from Snowhead I'm leading a search party for Torak."
Reena nodded, "Right away, sir." And with that she slipped through the hidden door and was gone.
Argoth sighed as the door shut behind her. The wall returning to a smooth, complete surface. No trace of the door could be seen with the naked eye. One had to know the location in order to open it, and even then, one had to open it in exactly the right way so as not to set off a myriad of booby traps.
Putting all that out of his mind, Argoth turned around in time to see Azrael trudging up the staircase. He narrowed his eyes at the situation. Iris seemed nervous and, after a few minutes of anxious deliberation, swiped the skull from the table and rushed after the monk. By the look of Azrael before he left, something was definitely troubling him deeper than he let on. Even without such a reaction from the Monk, Argoth could have guessed there was a plethora of secret shit going on within the Azrael's mind. Whenever he was involved with anything it was always riddles and secrets and whispers from the dead.
Argoth decided then to follow Azrael to his room. If only to keep an eye on this Iris girl. He wanted to know what her deal was. Besides, whatever was going on here was a great distraction from his constant duties as Grandmaster. He needed a break, and this was bound to be a good adventure.
Argoth carefully slipped through the hidden door leading to the HQ. From there he descended a flight of steps before turning left down a long corridor. About halfway down the corridor, a passageway opened on his left with an ascending staircase. He turned and took the stairs two at a time before reaching a trap door set into the ceiling. Grasping the circular metal latch, he pushed his way through into a narrow but long space. It was pitch black, but Argoth knew these passages well. He moved swiftly down one length of the narrow hallway, shuffling sideways so he could move easily. After rounding a corner at the end he stopped and placed an ear up against the wall. Argoth smiled and with delicate fingers pushed a slat of wood to the side. From within the walls of Room thirteen, Argoth spied on Azrael.
He saw him disrobe and withdraw some elegant looking blade. It seemed that the monk was about to perform some kind of ritual. Argoth smiled, eagerly awaiting whatever show Azrael was about to put on.