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The continent of Garlles was in a state of constant upheaval. Its wide and expansive landscape was littered with kingdoms of various sizes and influence. Alliances and pacts were constantly made and broken and the sorted history of the region was nothing if not filled with activity. Out of the numerous kingdoms there were three that held the most power; Akerash to the deep south, Varoron to the frigid north, and Kalneck located to the west against the savage mountains. These three kingdoms were responsible for most of the advanced wonders of the world, a relatively new discovery, a blend of magic and technology, allowed for giant monstrosities of metal to be built to better transport goods across the the various provinces of each kingdom. This new found wonder was called the steam engine, and it paved the way for other inventions of both wonder and despair, including weapons called muskets, and long rifles, and cannons. These weapons and technologies were well in their infancy and as such the old ways of war and transport were still common in the lands.

As time continued to pass by, wars became more brutal then before. The new technologies only added to the relative might of each kingdom and since war was a commonality it was inevitable that things would escalate. Intrigue and assassinations became just as common place as roving war bands. Mercenaries and assassins began to form leagues and groups of their own, and soon enough they were as numerous and as frequently used as the sword and the gun.

In the year of the Hawk,the western kingdom of Kalneck, with its mage lords, became obsessed with expanding their empire. In an attempt to seize footing from their main enemies they turned their attention to the small kingdom of Terian to the south of them. Terian was by no means a quiet kingdom but was still not known for its overly intense military campaigns. The mage lords figured that it would be easy prey. However they had been proved wrong time and time again on the battlefield. Over a decade of military struggle made the mage lords of Kalneck desperate, and they even went against their own decree and hired a mercenary company to kill the Terian king. The company they hired was a relatively new force in the world, known as the broken hand. The broken hand needed to make this be their proving and as such they chose two assassins for the job...

Falian Veer was at one time an elf, and more importantly a rather nondescript elf at that. He had lived all of his life in the small city of Baren inside the province of Hathrin, ruled under the iron fist of the mage lords of Kalneck. He grew up a thief and an orphan. Tales told him that his father had been a soldier, while his mother was a nature elf. He never really thought of such things though. As he grew his abilities became more honed and within a few years of his thirteenth birthday he had caught the attention of a few of the assassin trainers. He was taken in by them and taught to hone his already extensive abilities and become a lethal assassin in his own right. Years passed by and he found himself in the ranks of the relativly new group known as the broken hand. His first major assignment was a large one. Kill the king of Terian, not a task that one could slip up on and expect to live. He readied himself for his duty and before h knew it he was making his way into the capital of Terian and readied himself to undertake the largest assassination he had ever taken on.

The second assassin was the daughter of a mage and an aristocrat. Ullia Branger, had been taken in by her father when her mother died during childbirth, the motherless child was raised in the best way her father knew how. She learned dagger and knife throwing before she was a teen and had become an expert marksman before she was an adult. Her magical powers were hereditary but not as developed. She could make fire and had the ability to create a fog, a handy move in her profession. Her mission was given days ago and she now had to be on her way. Her training had taken up most of her years, from ten on and when the ‘broken hand’ contacted her for membership she jumped at the chance. Her father had been gone for a while and she’d gone into an assassin for hire position. Twenty seven years later, her reputation as an expert at getting her mark was one of the reasons she was inducted. However, this was a huge task and she wasn’t about to let some rookie screw it up.

Ullia stood on the hills overlooking her home in Zalia, black strands of shoulder length hair whipped around her head. The kingdom of Varoron had always been her home, the cold weather suited her but her assignments always required travel, not that she minded. Pulling the hood of her cloak down further over her face she made her way to the train, it was the best way to travel and she needed to get to the safe house first. Soft violet colored eyes flitted around the guests on the passenger car. She kept her hand on the belt of daggers she always wore when off the job. On the job consisted of leathers and metal plates to shield and rows and rows of knives and daggers strapped on with special holsters and sheaths. From her calves to her shoulders the holsters went up her body, but for now she wore thick trousers and boots with a large loose sweater to hide the curves she worked hard to maintain, all covered with the thick burgundy cloak.

Hours later, she paced the length of the roof peak, the safe house was secure and only the two of them had the key to get in. Covered in complete black she’d had a shower and swept her hair back into a ponytail. The house wasn’t anything special. Standard in set up; three bedrooms, kitchen, dining room, living room and bathrooms. It was sparse in furnishings and the colors where muted and calming. Pelts and furs were scattered around the house. It was warm and the fireplace warmed the rooms efficiently enough for their short stay. The figured moved with the shadow and she knew it was HE. Going into the house, she perched in a darkened corner. The door opened slightly and the figure slipped in. Not wasting a moment she tossed the daggers at him as she flipped on the light and tilted her head to look at him. “You’re late. Is this job not important to you?” Her violet eyes flashed as they absorbed the male in front of her. She wasn’t sure what he was exactly. “I hope you got your rest, we go scouting in an hour.” She jerked the daggers out of the wall and giving him another look over headed to her personal room. Already, Ullia disliked the male, something about him rubbed her the wrong way.

Falian was still in fact an elf. At least as far as he looked and felt. Though truth be told he had quite a few more scars and scrapes then many of his kin. He had to admit though that he never really felt like an elf, at least the elf that many other people seemed to try to hold him too. Regardless he didn't really care so long as he could continue to do what he did best. When he opened the door to the safe house he quickly turned his head as he watched daggers fly through the air towards him. He watched as they his the door behind him and flashed a quick glance towards the darkness. The darkness that had just attempted to murder him. "Hmm...Well, is that any way to greet your co worker?" He asked with a smirk and a slight snarl to his voice. He brushed a quick hand through his brown hair, slightly touching the tips of his left ear as he brought his hand back against his side. He was quickly stunned by her violet eyes. He had never seen such a hue before. "I am rather hurt by that remark." He said feigning a little dramatic flare. "On a more serious note...I am beyond ready to show my strengths on this assignment." He said with a slight nod to his head as he walked closer to the woman. A long scar ran across his left ear down to his mouth, one of the few apparent scars on his face. He watched her move with a slight harrumph as she told him to get some sleep, but ultimately nodded in agreement. Something about this woman didn't sit right with him. Then again he usually distrusted anyone who other then himself, called themselves an assassin. A general paranoia of his.

"Oh trust me...You won't have to worry about me getting enough sleep." He said with a smirk as he looked around. As usual the safe house was rather nondescript. But as any safe house he had been in it would do nicely for what they needed. He walked through the hall towards one of the free rooms. He set up his things and brushed his green eyes with his hand, rubbing them gently with his fingers. He released a deep yawn as he walked back out into the hallway for a moment, trying to get acquainted to the layout of the place. He walked back into his room and closed the door. He sighed and began to set his weapons down, his short sword and dagger set against the bed on the ground while he placed his pistols onto the night stand. He sighed wearily once more and then hoped into bed, quickly going to sleep.

He woke up early, a usual habit of his and with a deep yawn he grabbed some clothes and walked drearily towards the bathroom. He took a quick shower to bring him out of sleep as quickly as possible. He got dressed and with another yawn waited in the living room and waited for his "partner" to awaken so they could go out and scout.

Ullia watched him walk away she went back to the roof and looked out over the land once more. She’d snuck into the palace of the king within the first few minutes she was in the kingdom. She didn’t care if he was hurt by her comments or not, she wasn’t there to hold his hand and lead him through the steps of a kill. He would do it or she would take over. She wondered ever so slightly about his scar, but not enough to stay awake for hours upon hours at night. Having wasted enough time for him to be ready in she wandered back into the house. All the lights were off and he was nowhere to be found. Glaring at his door, she took a deep breath, her nostrils flaring out at the action. Quietly she opened his door and with stealth, she was hovering over his sleeping form. Inwardly she was screaming at him, outwardly she stalked to the door and was out of the house before he could release another breath.

The castle wasn’t as secure as one would think. Her knives were hidden beneath the long skirt she wore. She stopped into an alley and changed, her outfit of now looked like that of a typical worker in the village. She passed in front of the guards with a sight nod of her head, falling in line with the other women. He could sneak in over the wall; she had faith that “his skills” were well established. She made her way into the castle and was soon standing in the dark looking over the fat man. His wife slept next to him. The rotund king snoring loudly. She moved to the window and unlatched jumping out and down to the balcony below. The move in the dark, the same as the night before, the guards were on the other side of the building. This kill was easy; if it were any easier, a child could have done it.

She slept for a few hours and went for a morning scout; Ullia lived and breathed the job. She opened the door to the cottage, her dark green pants and white peasant shirt a change from the dark garb he’d seen her body encased in the night before. Closing the door she sneered at him, “I see sleeping beauty is finally up. Go… scout… I’ve been to the castle three times already. Tell me, have you been there, even once? I highly doubt it.” she poured herself a second cup of coffee for the morning. “Beyond ready, really? Are you sure you are ready at all? The broken hand recruits only serious players and you, Falian, have yet to show any seriousness.” She leaned against the counter staring at him. Setting the cup down she was on him, leaning into his face, staring him down. “I don’t trust you, I don’t like you and when I get back to headquarters my notes will be known.”

He shook his head a little. He felt like some school child as she berated him. A notion that he utterly despised. His anger was prominent on his face and he held back the urge to scream and fight her. He might not have done an assassination of this size before, but this wasn't exactly his first time at this. He was good, he was very good. The exact reason he had been chosen for this assignment. He let his anger fester until he couldn't take it any longer. He slammed his hands against the table and his eyes fueled his anger as he stared at her. "No...I haven't had the opportunity to scout out the castle because I just got in only late yesterday...I have been within the confines of the city for less then 12 hours." He said before pulling himself back and raising his hands into the air and making his way back into his room. He gathered his weapons and hid them within his clothes and then moved back out into the hallway.

He could still feel his seething anger and he couldn't even look at the source of it all. He released a deep breath and then moved towards the door. "I'm going to go scout..." He said and then slammed the door behind him. He darted his eyes around the busy streets of the city. He needed to get the proper lay of the land, before he even dreamed of exploring the castle. His movements were through and made sure that he knew every ally that could prove to be beneficial in terms of an escape route. After a few hours of exploring the street he finally felt confident enough to move towards the castle. He made his way inside and slipped through the halls. He smirked at how easy it was. He made a mental note of the movements of the guards and then once he had the thought in place he exited the building into one of the alleyways that he scouted out before.

He made his way back to the safe house and opened the door and refused to even look at Ullia before he moved into his room and set his weapons out as before. He walked out of the room and then made his way into the bathroom and closed the door, running the water and took a shower quickly. He exited the room and then moved towards the kitchen and poured himself some coffee and drank it quickly.

Stepping back as she felt his anger build she smirked and turned her back. Sitting on the table top, she watched him. His anger was funny to her but she kept quiet only allowing herself to laugh once he was in his room. She loved how he ignored her, as if she’d go away that easy. “And I have been here 14 hours, Rookie!” She yelled before he slammed the door. With a large belly laugh, she began stripping her clothes, tossing them onto her bed before slipping into the shower. She took her time not letting the antics of the silly man ruin her mood about the job.

Scrubbing her black hair, she closed her eyes and ignored his image, as it remained her focal point for the time being. She saw him as a scared little boy. Dressing after drying off she set up a practice board. A thick piece of wood lowered from the ceiling. She threw her knife across the room toward the target and used the power of her magic to levitate it, using all of her focus to guide the knife toward the target. She tossed one completely off course to see if she could hone her skill. The door slamming caught her off-guard and the blade aimed in her direction. She caught it at the ivory handle and glared at him as he passed. Tossing it straight into the air she used her concentration to levitate it there and spin it to gain momentum and then hit the board, burrowing into the wood.

She tossed the knife at his back gently, controlling it so when he whipped around to face her there it was in his face. Moving swiftly she grabbed it out of the air and glared again, the violet eyes holding venom. “What did you find out?” She snatched an apple and looked him over, she could smell the sweat he’d shed and wondered what his tactic would be. “Night is the best, midweek. Downside… his wife sleeps next to him so marks have to be precise. I stood over him and his wife as they slept, he snores like a boar.” She took another bite of the apple and moved to the couch flopping down crossing her legs waggling her top bare foot in the air.

Falian paused and glowered at the woman. He didn't even know her name, and he pretty much expected that he would never learn it. After all she didn't seem to be very fond of him, though he had to say that the feeling was very, very mutual. He watched as the dagger was trained on his face as he looked back. It seemed that this woman had a bit of magic to her as well, something else that he was probably going to hold against her. He took in a deep breath and then looked towards those strange yet alluring violet eyes. "I found out that his guard is ineffectual, the guard posts are like clockwork but the guards themselves are stupid beyond belief. My guess is that they won't be expecting an attack anytime soon at least. Hell for the way that they seem to go about things we can practically slip into the back door and then waltz our way across the castle and into his room." He said with a snarky laugh and then paused for a moment, trying to think about what would actually be the best way to go about this assassination.

"We could still probably sneak in and do it the old fashioned way: Knife to the guy while he sleeps and then bolt out the side window before anyone is the wiser." He said with another shrug and then began to walk his way over to the kitchen and then picked up an apple and began to chew on it loudly. "What do you suppose is the best method?"

Ullia nodded in agreement to his observations, hers were the same. She imagined him dancing across the courtyard, of course in her imaginings she was throwing daggers at him and that was the reason for his “dancing”. Laughing she munched into her apple again and smiled at him, though it wasn’t for him but to him. “Do it however you want I am only here to make sure your ass doesn’t mess up. She watched him chew his own apple, mouth open and huge chunks sliding over his tongue and around his mouth. She gave him a disgusted look before turning her attention elsewhere and giving his question some serious thought.

“I don’t like leaving a foot print behind and prefer my kills to be impersonal. Since my specialty is the dagger then I would knife the jugular directly with a dagger and chain, pull the chain to retrieve my knife and disappear in a cloud of smoke.” Shrugging she moved to the board and yanked the embedded knife before hoisting the board up into the air once more. “I am teaching myself to hit marks harder so I would want to try it out but wouldn’t want to botch this job, so sticking with what you know would be good.” Flopping back on the couch, she finished her apple and tossed the apple core toward the fire burning in the fireplace.

“When are you wishing to do this Falian?” She lifted a slim black brow over her violet orbs. She was hoping for sooner rather than later but she didn’t want to rush the kill, a job like this might take some concentration for some. “I think when we do this I will be the lookout. Even though neither of us have seen them enter the bed chambers, we know they are there and have the means to hinder this job royally.” She stared at him as if daring him to speak her name aloud. Having received his stats, nothing stood out as impressive, though she noted his kills and how clean they were. Their styles meshed in that aspect but other than that, she wasn’t sure what the company had seen in putting them together.

Falian took another large chunk from the apple, and let it grind in his teeth. Mashing at the fruit unconscious of the way that it was affecting Ullia. Hell he didn't care anyway. He gulped down the mushed up apple pieces and then took another bite. The company had been starving him as of late, no contracts will do that to an assassin every once in awhile, so he was going to savor any food that he had access to. Once he was finished with the core he followed Ullia's lead and flung the core into the fireplace. He moved around for a bit, taking a moment to notice the shabby quality of their safe house. He was a little miffed that the company couldn't spring for a nicer set up, but he supposed that a hole in the wall would be less noticeable then some slightly more extravagant house on the outskirts of the city. After all this kingdom wasn't well established as being a point of interest and as such very few if any assassins made it a point to set up some kind of network in this place.

He returned his attention to Ullia. He was surprised when she used his name, though he remembered that they both received files on one another. He would have felt bad about forgetting what the woman's name was but it wasn't really in his nature, at least with people he didn't want to make a habit of remembering people that he didn't like or that he had to kill. "Well...Not my style but that is effective I suppose. Though the chain method is rarely a guarantee, considering you have to be more then deadly accurate to get it to stick right." He said quietly going over how he would do it in his mind. "Best method I can think of is to kill the guy up close and personal. A quick slash to the neck is rather quiet, and allows for a split second escape." He said while nodding. "Perhaps the best time to do this is in three days from now...Before the kingdom holds their annual summit for affairs, but after their little banquet for celebrating the armies newest victory. That shall be the time when most people will be lackadaisical and caught off guard easier."

Ullia wanted to slap him, she was always accurate it was one of the reasons they had brought her on board. She lay there on the musty couch and stared at him, had she heard him correctly. Three Days and she would kill him. Releasing a deep breath, she shook her head. “Three days, are you serious? What will we do for three days Falian besides attempt each other’s murders?” She smiled as she pulled a dagger from its sheath and played with it. “I don’t plan to attempt.” Her voice was hard and her eyes were narrowed. If she had to survive under the same roof as this male, she would lose her mind.

“I guess we could gussy up and head to the banquet, see how they decide to prepare for that.” She shrugged; it would be a good time to see how the guards worked when under a great number of potential threats. Ullia didn’t like to get dressed up but this one would be worth it to see what went on before and during the events. Preparing in the days before would allow her mind somewhere else to lie instead of ways to murder him. She sheathed the dagger and headed to the bedroom without another word. She was tired and needed to sleep to deal with him.

Faliand wasn't surprised in the least that she was a little shocked that he would suggest waiting to kill this king. She made it seem that three days was going to be the difference between the end of the world and the collapse of civilization. Whichever one came first was totally dependent upon how fast she would try to kill him and how she would go about it. However, he looked at her with an emotionless face to show that he was entirely serious. Contrary to popular belief, at least as far as he heard, he rarely joked about an assassination. Well, at least how he would go about it anyway. He was well accustomed to joking about the target, made them seem like they deserved it in some way and there were times when he actually believed that to be the case. Instead of giving a solid reply off the bat he just shrugged at first, then words seemed to come to mind. "Its the perfect opportunity...What you can't wait to get your hands on me? Is that it?" He said with a smug little smirk to his face before he stretched his arms out a little.

He was a little stunned that she suggested that they attempt to attend the little banquet. He wondered if it was possible that they could fake their way in. But seeing as they were two well trained assassins and this place didn't seem to have enough brain power to keep the guards going, he supposed that it was doable, and it would allow them a chance to see more of the castle from a less hurried perspective. "I suppose that that is a sound idea. We will have to forge an invitation, and I'm going to have to work on my speech patterns a bit but it might prove useful...The banquet is the day after tomorrow. Wear your best...Dear." He said with another smirk, his face following her as she slammed the door o her room shut. He shook his head and entered his own room and then made his way towards his bed, barely even taking the time to undress before he felt himself drift off to sleep.

Ullia wanted to leave, but doing so would have ruined their efforts especially if he botched the job. Stripping down to just bare skin, she showered and slid beneath the covers. So many things to do before the banquet and she still didn’t know why she even suggested it in the first place. Up before dawn she walked town and saw several dressmakers all seemed capable of providing her what she needed. In hopes of gaining more intel and perhaps a more intimate tour of the castle she decided to go with the most elegant and dashing design possible. Wooing a ‘suitor’ would only be beneficial and looking the part of someone she wasn’t would keep her out of the line of fire after the assassination. Getting an invitation would be harder. Speaking with several it appeared the entire town was invited, though to get into the interior and more intimate banquet you had to be someone special.

Paying extra for the gown wasn’t a problem. Ullia rarely spent any of her money preferring to keep her money to herself and save it for when it was truly needed. The accessories for the gown were easy to decide upon, flat slip on shoes in a darker shade of purple than her lavender dress, white cream gloves to match the trim and a single pearl on a slim silver chain. Her hair she would figure out, though under her dress she would be sure to attach some daggers to garters around her thighs. Coming back home she slammed the door and began to cook a nice breakfast… for herself.

The house filled with the smell of cooking meat and eggs. She left some of the uncooked items for her ‘partner’ though she preferred understudy. Sitting at the table, she poured some coffee into a mug and tore a chunk off the fresh loaf of bread. Today was the start of a good mood, though she knew the male she was currently forced to work with would ruin it somehow or another.

Some time early in the morning, Faliand had manged to slip out. Although he usually loved to sleep in when he had the opportunity, this was not one of those times. He was on a mission and he had something to prove...Even though he couldn't care less about proving it to her. The light hadn't even had the opportunity to shine yet and yet he was already out and about. He supposed that anything to get him outside was also a bonus in terms of not having to deal with her.

When the light finally did rise higher and higher through the sky, the hustle and bustle began in the streets below the rooftops. Before he knew it the whole town was swarming around the merchant district going about their daily shopping excursions, and dealing with the intensity of the sprawl. He let out a soft sigh. He was a strange coagulation of contradictions it seemed considering that he both loved and hated the notion of a crowed. A crowed could provide excellent cover, and an opportunity to easily avoid detection on an assassination. However at the same time, there was something about the intensity of the sprawl of people that made his body grow a little revolted at the mere mention of the idea. However, considering he was not going to even consider what the wilderness was like he supposed that the occasional and even usual crowds was except able enough to deal with. Once the crowds had fully formed and the constant calls and yells rang out through the square he decided to walk amongst them. He needed to find something to wear for this party, or whatever it technically was, considering that he did not have anything of the sort on him. He had to plow through towards a few shops to even get access to a rather nice outfit. However, he was rather displeased with the price range. But, this was not something that he could easily steal ad get away with. Once he finalized his purchase he made his way back towards the safe house and entered.

The smell of cooking food filled his nostrils and he released a semi relieved sigh at the smell. The smell of cooking was always a little bit of a comfort for him. He went to his room and set his new attire against the bed before making his way over to the kitchen. He saw a side plate sitting on the table and without any second thought towards manners of any kind dipped his hands in the food and shoveled it in his mouth. "Good morning. How was the dress shopping?"

Ullia sighed when the door opened and in he walked she stood and started a fresh pot of coffee, feeling bad that she’d left him with nothing more than a tablespoon. “Morning,” She said over her shoulder as she worked. Failing to look up as she concentrated on getting her measurements right, “It went well, my dress is elegant enough to turn heads but not enough to stand out as someone everyone should know… HEY!” She turned to look at him with a smile, but it soon faded as she saw him shoveling handfuls into his mouth.

Taking a deep breath her steely hands gripped the edge of the counter and she raked her nails over the wooden surface. Closing her violet hued eyes, she sucked in several breaths and fought back the urge to scream. He was lucky she was in such a good mood otherwise; she’d have lunged across the table. “I brought enough home for both of us, figured you’d want to make your own. I hope you enjoy it!” She began heating the pans up again before starting to cook her own breakfast.

“Falian have you found all you need? Preparing to sweep an unsuspecting woman off her feet and pump her for information?” She had her own plans, none of which included tailing around him though perhaps it was good they went together and left together therefore insuring each other’s safety. Stepping to the table with a new plate and the pot of coffee she smiled at him, “I think we should attend together, show up as a couple then split off and make rounds and come back together at the end of the night and leave together. What do you think?”

Falian shrugged and nodded a little as she spoke. He would be the judge of how the dress looked but he supposed that he was going to have to wait till the night of the party to actually see for himself. He turned his attention away from her for a few moments to stare blankly at the wall for a moment. Her little display of rage was lost upon him, as he knowingly lost his attention in a small spider crawling up the wall across from him. He was tired of her occasional displays of rage, but he supposed that she was entitled to do whatever she wanted to do.

When she brought up if he had gotten what he needed he snapped his attention back to reality. More specifically he let his attention fall back onto her. "What? Oh, yes...Yes everything is taken care of. A nice suit usually doesn't suit me well, but I suppose that I will have to try it out for this particular occasion." He said with a little shrug as his arms crossed over his chest. He released a little sigh and nodded a little as she continued to speak. "I think that is a fantastic idea. I'm not sure we could have gotten away with anything else really." He shrugged once again, grinning a little at the thought of her in a gown, specifically a ball gown. "Now all we need is to secure an invitation. I suppose we can steal one or forge one...Though the latter is not my forte."