25th of Frost, 4622
A burst of woodchips and splinters sprayed the outer hall as Arkash's inhuman leg kicked through it. The structure swung on the deadbolt, warped it, and fell to the side as Arkash emerged from the Veir's bedroom.
Bloody sword in claw and makeshift sack slung over his shoulder, he proceeded down that long stone hall.
The shadows that enveloped him began to burn away as he passed by the lit lamps of that adorned hall.
Stumble steps slowed his descent in the circular staircase, but he soon found himself at the landing without much difficulty. With remarkable ease, he proceeded through the hall of the military fortress. Arkash had scrubbed every hall of that compound for months and knew the fastest way to the basement level like the back of his hand.
It wasn't without its challenges, however, as one of the patrolling Halamire turned the corner at the opposite end if the hall at the same time that he did. The Druskai's heart quickened a beat, and he drew his sword. "Halt!" He called, voice young.
Arkash obeyed, teeth and claws spewing black flames while he held still.
"Drop the sword!" He screeched in a rush, and Arkash wondered if it was the elf's first time catching someone.
As instructed, Arkash cast the blood-spattered blade to the ground, and let his bag fall from his shoulder in tandem.
"Yeah, bag too!" The knight called after the fact. "Hands... I mean- claws in the air!" Came his next order.
Again, the Rath obliged the inexperienced elf and lifted his claws overhead, level with his shoulders. "Anyfin' else, ser?" He asked in his thick Rien croak.
"...You," the knight's eyes widened under his helmet. He took a step back. "Are you...?"
"Arkash," he answered with a deceptively soft smile and bowed his head with lidded eyes.
He could feel the Druskai's heart racing in his chest. On the spot, he turned and began to run toward the end of the hall he'd come from.
Arkash's round irises shrank to pinpoints, and he kicked off the ground in a mad dash for the teal elf. Claws extended, he wrapped the shadows around his body and hardened them into a layer of armored skin.
As Arkash drew near the prey, the elf frantically spun and swung his sword at the Rath. Arkash caught the edge of the sword with his bare hand, stopped it, and pounced the elf with no decrease in momentum.
The elf shrieked as Arkash overpowered him, and took him straight to the floor in a clatter of metal. His free hand wrapped the throat of the knight and squeezed with just enough pressure to cut off the artery.
"No!" The elf choked as he let go of his sword and took Arkash's strong arm with both his metal-wrapped hands. "Please...!" He begged, eyes wide, heart flooded with adrenaline.
Arkash smiled in his burning red eyes while he stared down the elf. The boy was too weak to move his hand, and as his hold continued, the boy's grip became weaker and weaker until he finally let go and his hands fell limp at his sides.
Arkash continued the strangulation just a moment longer, then let the boy go. His heart still beat, as he heard, but he was incapacitated for the time being.
"As 'ew wish," he obliged once more, and lifted himself from the knight. A flick of his wrist saw the sword he'd caught fall hilt first in his claws without so much as a spec if his blood on the chrome surface. "An' fank 'ew..." he began as he examined the blade. It was well maintained, sharpened beautifully. The metal hummed as it passed through the air, and Arkash whistled in amusement. "Fank 'ew very much indeed...." he said in admiration before he recollected his sack of swag, and proceeded past the sleeping knight leisurely.
The rest of the journey to the lab was relatively quiet. Whenever he could, he hid in a dark patch of the hallway and leaped on a patrolling Halanire to execute them. His claws, teeth, and sword all tasted the blood of Daravin's enforcers. He gave no pause, and soon arrived at the door of the basement.
With his ear pressed flat to the wooden barrier, Arkash listened to the sounds beyond, and found two beating hearts. He grinned with his bloody muzzle, and turned the handle to step through to the landing before he closed the door behind him.
Those that dwelled at the bottom of the stairs had heard him, he could almost feel their eyes watching the stairs as he walked quite audibly downward. The sound of his footsteps was alien to them, he could feel their hearts beating faster with every click of his claws on the stone.
"Miguel?" Called the voice of an older man, but not Raphael's voice.
"Not quite," Arkash answered as he emerged from the staircase and stepped fully into the lamplight. His burning gaze settled on the two knights that stood guard over the laboratory, no Raphael. He frowned.
"Intruder!" The older of the two called, and both readied their shields and arms.
"Bollocks," Arkash cursed. "'Ew caught me. Nice work fellas," arkash turned his blade to show the smears of red that covered its length. He felt their hearts pick up at the sight, and he grinned in absolute malice. "Drop 'ew arms an' I'll spare 'ew," he offered with a flick of his forked tongue.
Both the Halamire guards were frozen in place, made to weigh their options in the silence Arkash afforded them until he took another step down, an unspoken threat.
The younger of the two, positioned behind the older guard, dropped his sword with a deafening clatter, and his shield came after. The human man of tan skin raised his hands, and Arkash smiled at the him before he directed his gaze to the older fellow. "I reconazze 'ew," Arkash said to the older man. "Cam now, 'ew know its 'opeless," he said with a curl of his wrist that reflected just how bloody his sword arm was.
"...So be it," said the older guard before he dropped his blade and shield both. Arkash grinned, then calmly resumed his advance.
"Fanks bruv," he said with an appreciative nod, and on his way past the the older man, split his belly with his sword. The younger man's eyes widened as the older guard clutched his stomach at the ruined plate, and before he could react, Arkash's blade was planted in the younger human's throat.
The younger man gripped Arkash's sword as he bled plentifully from his opened jugular, and Arkash steered his weight to the floor where the guard's weight unsheathed the blade from his flesh.
Sinister glee clung to his eyes as the man held his neck in futility, so much so that Arkash almost didn't notice the older man's charge. The first guard rushed him with his sword from the flank, and just in time, Arkash turned with a flick of his wrist, struck the Halamire's sword with such force that it was ripped from his grip and followed the momentum of his spin to sever his head on the very next swing.
The head hit the floor a half second after the body, and Arkash sheathed his blade at the belt in that same second. "See," Arkash said with a glance down at the drowning guard, scales drenched in blood. "If 'ew wasn' a cowa'd, 'ew'd 'ave a poppa' quick deaf too," he taunted. All done, he turned to the door, cut through the lock with his burning claws, and pushed it open with an elbow as he let himself in.
Raphael's lab was bared to him once more, and a quick scan of the room found his cloak of feathers hung on the wall like a trophy. Arkash hissed. He stepped toward it and set his bag on the one vacant operating table before he pried his cloak from the wall and slung it over his shoulders once more. Arkash shivered and sighed in delight with his eyes closed. It had been more than a year since he last wore that cloak.
"Alright," he said with a deep sigh as he pulled himself from the comfort of home, and began to look around the laboratory.
He found a number of trinkets, some he cared to reclaim and others he did not. One of them, Taelian's resonator, he stowed in his pocket while the rest were added to his bag.
His bloodshaped lockpick, spyglass, shortsword and black blade were all stowed together in a closet for his convenience, but his money? Arkash settled his eye on the safe beneath Raphael's study. A swift swipe of his claws broke it open, and inside was the bloated coin purse he'd brought with him from Lorien. Quickly, he snatched it, and threw it in the sack with the rest of his recovered goods.
On his way out of the laboratory, he took note of the missing kit; Raphael's tools were missing. His bed was made and unused on the upper floors, which clung to the Rathor's mind as he passed the expired guards and made his way out of the fort.
His departure was as easy as his entry, invisible under the cover of night, Arkash departed the fortress, but didn't make it far enough to escape the blasts of the alarm bells, which Arkash knew all too well signaled the presence of an intruder.
In the shadows of Valtoria's alleys, Arkash grinned broadly, laughed to himself, then made his way down to the docks where Izzy waited.
A burst of woodchips and splinters sprayed the outer hall as Arkash's inhuman leg kicked through it. The structure swung on the deadbolt, warped it, and fell to the side as Arkash emerged from the Veir's bedroom.
Bloody sword in claw and makeshift sack slung over his shoulder, he proceeded down that long stone hall.
The shadows that enveloped him began to burn away as he passed by the lit lamps of that adorned hall.
Stumble steps slowed his descent in the circular staircase, but he soon found himself at the landing without much difficulty. With remarkable ease, he proceeded through the hall of the military fortress. Arkash had scrubbed every hall of that compound for months and knew the fastest way to the basement level like the back of his hand.
It wasn't without its challenges, however, as one of the patrolling Halamire turned the corner at the opposite end if the hall at the same time that he did. The Druskai's heart quickened a beat, and he drew his sword. "Halt!" He called, voice young.
Arkash obeyed, teeth and claws spewing black flames while he held still.
"Drop the sword!" He screeched in a rush, and Arkash wondered if it was the elf's first time catching someone.
As instructed, Arkash cast the blood-spattered blade to the ground, and let his bag fall from his shoulder in tandem.
"Yeah, bag too!" The knight called after the fact. "Hands... I mean- claws in the air!" Came his next order.
Again, the Rath obliged the inexperienced elf and lifted his claws overhead, level with his shoulders. "Anyfin' else, ser?" He asked in his thick Rien croak.
"...You," the knight's eyes widened under his helmet. He took a step back. "Are you...?"
"Arkash," he answered with a deceptively soft smile and bowed his head with lidded eyes.
He could feel the Druskai's heart racing in his chest. On the spot, he turned and began to run toward the end of the hall he'd come from.
Arkash's round irises shrank to pinpoints, and he kicked off the ground in a mad dash for the teal elf. Claws extended, he wrapped the shadows around his body and hardened them into a layer of armored skin.
As Arkash drew near the prey, the elf frantically spun and swung his sword at the Rath. Arkash caught the edge of the sword with his bare hand, stopped it, and pounced the elf with no decrease in momentum.
The elf shrieked as Arkash overpowered him, and took him straight to the floor in a clatter of metal. His free hand wrapped the throat of the knight and squeezed with just enough pressure to cut off the artery.
"No!" The elf choked as he let go of his sword and took Arkash's strong arm with both his metal-wrapped hands. "Please...!" He begged, eyes wide, heart flooded with adrenaline.
Arkash smiled in his burning red eyes while he stared down the elf. The boy was too weak to move his hand, and as his hold continued, the boy's grip became weaker and weaker until he finally let go and his hands fell limp at his sides.
Arkash continued the strangulation just a moment longer, then let the boy go. His heart still beat, as he heard, but he was incapacitated for the time being.
"As 'ew wish," he obliged once more, and lifted himself from the knight. A flick of his wrist saw the sword he'd caught fall hilt first in his claws without so much as a spec if his blood on the chrome surface. "An' fank 'ew..." he began as he examined the blade. It was well maintained, sharpened beautifully. The metal hummed as it passed through the air, and Arkash whistled in amusement. "Fank 'ew very much indeed...." he said in admiration before he recollected his sack of swag, and proceeded past the sleeping knight leisurely.
The rest of the journey to the lab was relatively quiet. Whenever he could, he hid in a dark patch of the hallway and leaped on a patrolling Halanire to execute them. His claws, teeth, and sword all tasted the blood of Daravin's enforcers. He gave no pause, and soon arrived at the door of the basement.
With his ear pressed flat to the wooden barrier, Arkash listened to the sounds beyond, and found two beating hearts. He grinned with his bloody muzzle, and turned the handle to step through to the landing before he closed the door behind him.
Those that dwelled at the bottom of the stairs had heard him, he could almost feel their eyes watching the stairs as he walked quite audibly downward. The sound of his footsteps was alien to them, he could feel their hearts beating faster with every click of his claws on the stone.
"Miguel?" Called the voice of an older man, but not Raphael's voice.
"Not quite," Arkash answered as he emerged from the staircase and stepped fully into the lamplight. His burning gaze settled on the two knights that stood guard over the laboratory, no Raphael. He frowned.
"Intruder!" The older of the two called, and both readied their shields and arms.
"Bollocks," Arkash cursed. "'Ew caught me. Nice work fellas," arkash turned his blade to show the smears of red that covered its length. He felt their hearts pick up at the sight, and he grinned in absolute malice. "Drop 'ew arms an' I'll spare 'ew," he offered with a flick of his forked tongue.
Both the Halamire guards were frozen in place, made to weigh their options in the silence Arkash afforded them until he took another step down, an unspoken threat.
The younger of the two, positioned behind the older guard, dropped his sword with a deafening clatter, and his shield came after. The human man of tan skin raised his hands, and Arkash smiled at the him before he directed his gaze to the older fellow. "I reconazze 'ew," Arkash said to the older man. "Cam now, 'ew know its 'opeless," he said with a curl of his wrist that reflected just how bloody his sword arm was.
"...So be it," said the older guard before he dropped his blade and shield both. Arkash grinned, then calmly resumed his advance.
"Fanks bruv," he said with an appreciative nod, and on his way past the the older man, split his belly with his sword. The younger man's eyes widened as the older guard clutched his stomach at the ruined plate, and before he could react, Arkash's blade was planted in the younger human's throat.
The younger man gripped Arkash's sword as he bled plentifully from his opened jugular, and Arkash steered his weight to the floor where the guard's weight unsheathed the blade from his flesh.
Sinister glee clung to his eyes as the man held his neck in futility, so much so that Arkash almost didn't notice the older man's charge. The first guard rushed him with his sword from the flank, and just in time, Arkash turned with a flick of his wrist, struck the Halamire's sword with such force that it was ripped from his grip and followed the momentum of his spin to sever his head on the very next swing.
The head hit the floor a half second after the body, and Arkash sheathed his blade at the belt in that same second. "See," Arkash said with a glance down at the drowning guard, scales drenched in blood. "If 'ew wasn' a cowa'd, 'ew'd 'ave a poppa' quick deaf too," he taunted. All done, he turned to the door, cut through the lock with his burning claws, and pushed it open with an elbow as he let himself in.
Raphael's lab was bared to him once more, and a quick scan of the room found his cloak of feathers hung on the wall like a trophy. Arkash hissed. He stepped toward it and set his bag on the one vacant operating table before he pried his cloak from the wall and slung it over his shoulders once more. Arkash shivered and sighed in delight with his eyes closed. It had been more than a year since he last wore that cloak.
"Alright," he said with a deep sigh as he pulled himself from the comfort of home, and began to look around the laboratory.
He found a number of trinkets, some he cared to reclaim and others he did not. One of them, Taelian's resonator, he stowed in his pocket while the rest were added to his bag.
His bloodshaped lockpick, spyglass, shortsword and black blade were all stowed together in a closet for his convenience, but his money? Arkash settled his eye on the safe beneath Raphael's study. A swift swipe of his claws broke it open, and inside was the bloated coin purse he'd brought with him from Lorien. Quickly, he snatched it, and threw it in the sack with the rest of his recovered goods.
On his way out of the laboratory, he took note of the missing kit; Raphael's tools were missing. His bed was made and unused on the upper floors, which clung to the Rathor's mind as he passed the expired guards and made his way out of the fort.
His departure was as easy as his entry, invisible under the cover of night, Arkash departed the fortress, but didn't make it far enough to escape the blasts of the alarm bells, which Arkash knew all too well signaled the presence of an intruder.
In the shadows of Valtoria's alleys, Arkash grinned broadly, laughed to himself, then made his way down to the docks where Izzy waited.
