Predators Amongst Prey [ASSASSINS ONLY]

The cool, clean scent of rain was riding on the breeze. Veigar Jhin raised his head to the sky to behold the ominous clouds overhead heavy with moisture. A storm should be coming soon.

Other than the overcast weather, it appeared to be a normal day in Kakos. The city was a dump as always, causing the famed assassin to curl his lip in disgust at the pungent odors. He stepped rather elegantly above the slumped form of someone either drunk or dead before heading to a particular inn stationed in the center of the city alive with laughter and schemes-- just as it always was. Veigar was used to it. This was, by far, his least favorite settlement in the providence. It was so filthy. It reeked of death and alcohol and if you were stupid, you will surely become one of the many casualties of Kakos. Luckily for him, Veigar Jhin was clever and not only was he clever, he was also renowned. Being famed will do you good in Kakos. As he walked people moved to stand aside, going silent to watch the Murderer of Multitudes. However, as soon as he passed the criminals went back to their whooping and playtime. Their calls faded as Veigar entered the inn. Surprisingly, the tavern wasn't nearly as loud as it was outside much to the man's satisfaction. The atmosphere was heavy with tension but warm and somehow pleasant. Men and women alike sat at the bar with mugs of alcohol in their grip, sipping in silence. While water might be tempting, it was not what Veigar was here for.

With a keen eye the color of a rainbow he noticed a dark figure in the corner of the inn, cloaked by the shadows with only a single candle on the table before him, flicking like a cat's tail. Veigar approached and slid into the chair across from the client. While the face of the mysterious stranger from afar was indistinguishable, as he looked up to the assassin with a cold and deadly smile Veigar could see he had a wizened old face with a twinkling grey eye-- his other eye was sealed shut by a long scar over it which left Jhin curious. Why did he have such a scar? Who-- or what --attacked him?

The old man chuckled as he dipped his head. "Veigar Jhin, the Killer of Destiny. I have been waiting for you."

Veigar crossed his arms. "Obviously." He narrowed his eyes through his mask. "Speak."

"Ha!" The client huffed in laughter at the man's words. "Not much of a speaker, eh?" He looked at the assassin expectantly.

Silence.

"Well then, if you so insist on being the dark and mysterious type," he spoke as he slid an envelope across the table, "I'll just cut to the chase. My name is Grim and I have a person for you to kill. . . Well, not just you." His grin suddenly became even more devilish and Veigar was confused at once. "What do you mean?" he asked in a gruff and expressionless voice. "You didn't hire me a partner, did you?" He growled. "I work alone, old man."

Grim held up his hand to silence Veigar. The assassin reluctantly obliged, sneering under his mask. It hasn't been five minutes and this is already such a waste of time. "I didn't get you a partner, Murderer of Multitudes. Rather, I gave you a rival. Or two. . . Or three. . . That's for you to discover." Grim chuckled with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "It's for my amusement."

It took a moment for Veigar to understand before he leapt to his feet with a roar. "WHAT?!" Customers in the tavern looked in their direction but Veigar didn't care. He growled. "You hired multiple assassins to compete against each other? Are you mad?! When I accepted this contract, this isn't what was promised!"

The client chuckled. "Be at peace, Veigar. You are free to back out if you wish." He gestured to the door. "Of course it will be understandable if the mighty and deadly Veigar Jhin, the taker of life and fate simply cannot accomplish such a feat that is besting other assassins in the same game. . . You are getting old, yes?"

Veigar curled his fists into a furious ball, seething at his words. He sat back down. "I'm old but still capable. Now, who are my opponents?"

Kakos, Naviera wasn't very fond of it but it is where most of her work came in. It's also where she purchased Drakon and ever since getting him her visits here have been more pleasant. She could take care of herself just fine but when some wanna be perceived this infamous assassin as some frail litter girl they are encouraged to challenge her. There was one day she had to deal with four in a single day, it was annoying. With a dragon towering over her though her troubles were gone. The unwanted attention was well worth the trade. What's more is her dragon seemed to have picked up that she wasn't very fond of men and gave a low growl to scare off any that got too close.

She was here for a rather high paying job. Which was good. Ever since she got the dragon she's been worried her family hasn't been getting enough. They haven't been getting any less from her but still. The crazy amount of money she spent on the dragon could have been a crazy amount of money that went to her family so she needed to make it up. The only worrying part was she'd dealt with this client before. He wasn't just satisfied with people being killed. The couple times she'd dealt with him he'd had some unusual requests.

Naviera arrived at the inn that was mentioned as a meeting place. Not a very good spot in her opinion, but everyone did it, she assumed for client security. "Stay." Naviera commanded her dragon and pointed to a spot just outside the entrance. Drakon obediently sat exactly where she had pointed. Walking in she arrived just in time to hear someone complaining about how the client had hired multiple assassins as some sort of competition. As she approached the two the innkeeper complained about her dragon scaring customers away, but she ignored him. That's exactly how she wanted it. It was unlikely anyone would enter with the dragon right outside which meant she didn't need to keep track of any new faces entering. Especially important now that she had other assassins to contend with. "This is dumb. Assassins kill, not compete. Anyone who promises to be fast never lives long and any assassin worth their salt would decline and move to the next client. But you knew that which is why the reward is so high isn't it? I must worn you though. It isn't wise to insult an assassin." Naviera said as she made her way there. She kept her left hand on her sword but in a relaxed pose. She wasn't challenging anyone but nor was her guard down. Naviera quickly recognized the other assassin as Veigar his appearance, demeanor, and seniority made him far more well known than she was, but she was catching up. She nodded his way from one assassin to another. As to who was better it was hard to say. Only thing that was certain was that Svadifare of Kryo was considered the best. She really hoped he showed up. The young assassin looked forward to dethroning him. His activity had greatly lessened in recent years though. Something that was well known at this point. Rumors say he's been focusing on his family. Apparently his wife had gotten sick recently. Dangerous thing to have a family for people of their occupation, especially him.

Naviera took a seat at one of the empty chairs. She was in no hurry. This was nothing compared to the preparation before the kill. Grim didn't seem like the kind of person to be intimidating into cutting to the chase anyway.

"I'll be back as soon as I can. And then we'll go somewhere for a week, just you and me." Svadilfare whispered into his wife's ear as he hugged her. He kissed her, then kissed and hugged each of their children. After receiving promises that they would behave, the Pride of Kryo mounted his horse and left the  village. The warrior-assassin had been semi-retired--from the assassin part--for a while. After his last job a month ago, he had promised Cele that he would fully retire by the end of the summer. He had actually planned on doing it this month... But last week, he received a letter of hire from someone willing to pay a very large sum--one of the largest amounts Svad had ever been offered. He wasn't fully retired yet--though he had turned down two jobs before--and at this offer he couldn't just say no. He still had a reputation to maintain, after all. Plus, there were all those mouths to feed and clothe and spoil...

If he were going anywhere else, Svad might have flown to his destination. He had to admit, he liked being a dragon sometimes. Not only did it make his children feel not so out-of-place, but now that he was more fluent in dragon behavior, Cele could have a taste of her old life, too. He had even decided to try learning the dragon language. It was harder than he thought it would be, though, and usually those lessons ended with Cele deciding to teach Svad other things that dragons could do.

Almost a week later saw Svad arriving in Kakos. He knew of some of the rumors that had started about him. The only thing no one could dispute: the Pride of Kryo still showed up on time. Kakos always put the warrior-assassin on edge; it was Kakos, after all. Today was no different. While normally he made a point of not drawing attention to himself, to blend in, in Kakos, Svadilfare made a point of making sure he was seen. He walked with his right hand rested on the respective sword. His fingers were curled around the hilt in a way that suggested he wanted to fight. There was almost an arrogance to it, but everyone knew the Pride of Kryo was not an arrogant man. He didn't think he could take you on and win, he knew he could and had witnesses from every settlement who could prove it. He had his other hand behind his back, a gesture only a few were familiar with. At the small of his back, concealed beneath his shirt, was a dagger. It was the dagger he used to kill the man who killed his first wife. Only a few knew that Svad had taken to using this dagger afterwards as the ultimate expression of his rage. Somehow, as it always seems to happen, the details of his kidnapping and torture of the aforementioned man spread beyond the only other person who knew about it. Where Svad went now, he could feel eyes on him as he walked by. Eyes searching for the infamous dagger, and more importantly, for any sign that he was about to brandish it. It was odd to him, because he had only ever used it once since that particular day. He had threatened a drunken soldier that kept messing with Cele while they were out enjoying an evening without the kids. Actually, it was more accurate to say that Svad had cut the man's hand off--without having said a word beforehand, mind you--then threatened to take the other. Apparently, that one time had been enough to give the dagger it's own reputation. Svad held onto it now just to scare the new kids in town... and because he was a little amused by the whole thing. To think he could be one of those people others walked a good mile around to avoid, just because he did something that others of his craft did probably every other day, one time? How could you not find that just a little funny?

Once the inn he was supposed to meet his client in came into view, Svad let the hand at his back fall to his side. He could almost hear the collective sigh of relief from the people that weren't aware they had been holding their breaths. He smiled lightly to himself. And then he spotted something curios: a dragon was sitting outside the inn. Svad wondered who owned it as he slipped by. Right now, he couldn't worry about the fact that there was a captive dragon that he could potentially free. A silence fell over the inn when the Pride of Kryo entered. He for a moment, he stood in the doorway and glanced quickly over the faces directly in his line of sight. For some reason, he expected to see Nari here. Not seeing the female assassin who was his only real rival, he continued on to the innkeeper. As he passed by tables, he felt eyes on him and caught a few whispered words from those brave enough to speak. He ignored it all. Only once he began speaking to the innkeeper did the noise resume.

His right hand still rested on its sword as he made his way to the table the innkeeper had directed him to. Svad noticed the other two people sitting with his client. He thought it odd, considering they were both assassins--and one was a kid, no less-but he said nothing. He had been hired as part of a group before and figured this would be one of those jobs. He sat down and only then did he let his hand fall from his sword. He looked first at the masked male, then at the girl. His pale blue eyes held no clue as to what he was thinking. And then he looked at the old man. He finally spoke, "Either your intended target is nearly impossible to get to, or you have more money than you know what to do with. The jobs I've taken that offer pay as large as what you're offering are usually the former. But which is it for you, difficulty or pleasure? I ask, because if this is the former, I'd like to know why you didn't divulge the little detail of having hired others beforehand. If it's the latter, you'll have five minutes to convince me not to have my acquaintance come here and relieve you of either your life, or the hand that wrote the letter."