A New Target (Read Only)

Kakos again. He was hired by someone from Kakos so often, he would have moved there if not for his children. It wasn't the sort of place one should raise a family, at least not one who wanted a better life. Svadilfare stood at the edge of the hive of scum and villiany ((had to do it)), dreading having to venture into such a place for the third time this month. With a heavy sigh he picked up his shield and slung it over his back before walking on to the lawless city. The only bright side to working for a Kakos criminal was that they--more than any other--paid well. After ten minutes or so, Svadilfare crossed into the most dangerous city on Pyrria... and was completely unphased by it. It wasn't because he had been here so many times before, but rather that he knew he wouldn't have any trouble from anyone--at least, not from the smart people. The Kryoan warrior was the best the village of Kryo had prouced in a generation, maybe two, and over the years his fame spread beyond his village and that of Gynaikes. He walked through the streets, ignoring the stares and crimes being committed all around. The best part about living here--for criminals anyway--was they could commit a crime in front of everyone without consequence. It was a great way to show you meant business or to get the leader of a band to notice you.There weren't many criminal groups in Kakos because at some point one always wiped out another. Only three were a constant in the city because each was the only group that specialized in a particular crime, so they didn't have to compete with each other.

Because he was so familiar with the city, it didn't take Svadilfare long at all to reach his destination. It was an almost always empty alley between and blacksmith shop and... well he wasn't sure what the other place was; he'd never been inside. He was to meet the person wanting to hire him here and as usual they were late. The male leaned against the wall, grabbing a knife and a piece of wood he'd been carving into earlier. He was making a doll for his youngest daughter, Clementine. Every so often someone walked by the alley and Svadilfare glanced up to see if it was his potential employer... not yet. His eyes lifted to the sky after to make note of the time... well past when this meeting was supposed to take place. He sighed and focused on his little project again. Well, criminals weren`t known for their punctuality. It was at least twenty more minutes before the person Svadilfare was expecting finally arrived. A man turned the corner into the alley and stood there, sizing up the Kryoan in front of him. He was just a few inches shorter than Svad and had a darker complexion. Beneath his clothing he boasted all kinds of scars, some the result of failed assassination attempts. He wore a patch over his eye, a fairly recent injury he got during an encounter with some sort of animal; when asked he never said exactly what. The man walked up to Svadilfare and cleared his throat to get his attention, "So you're that Kryoan I've been hearing so much about." he said in a gruff voice.

Svadilfare hadn't yet looked up from his carving when he heard someone approach and clear their throat before speaking. He stopped and put the wooden doll away into a small satchel he was carrying and put his knife back into its sheath. And then he moved to stand up straight as he looked at the man before him. "I guess I am. You're late, ridiculously so. I could have gotten work elsewhere and already been on my way."

The man laughed, shaking his head. And then he turned to leave the alley, beckoning Svadilfare to follow. "I had... other business to attend to. It took longer than expected. And you were still waiting, so I assume no one else is paying as well as I will be. What do you know about Ammos?"

Ammos. Svadilfare had heard it of, but it was probably the only place on Pyrria he hadn't been. "I know you'd better be paying more than anyone ever should for the assassination of an ordinary man."

The man smirked and tossed a bag of coins to Svad. "You get the rest when you come back. I'm sure you understand I can't pay in full when the job involves crossing inhospitable environments. I'd lose a lot of money and you may not even survive to enjoy your reward. Here's a descrpition of the target," he said as he handed Svad a piece of parchment.

The Kryoan tied the bag to his waist and shrugged with indifference. "I don't care about how I'm paid as long as I get the agreed amount when my part is done." He then looked over the parchment and frowned. "The target is a woman? What did she do?"

The man stopped in front of a house, his own. He turned and looked at Svadilfare. "You don't have a problem with killing women, do you? Those Gynaikes women don't seem to have a problem with it."

"I may be an assassin, but I have morals. What did she do?"

"Hm. Fair enough. But you're still young, you'll find out soon enough that you can't be an assassin and an honest man. She used to be my wife. Then she fled to Ammos with some lowlife looking to make a name for himself. And she took my favorite knife with her, it was one-of-a-kind, made from a Dragon bone. I want her dead and my knife back."

Svadilfare only continued to frown as he listened to the man. "Why only your wife, why not the man too?"

"Because if some guy was fool enough to steal anything from anyone in Kakos, it was her doing. She could be very persuasive at times. You see, this isn't the first time she was unfaithful. But I'm a reasonable man, I gave her another chance. So we had a little understanding, my wife and me. If she was unfaithful again, I'd have her killed, no matter where she ran off to. Now if you'll excuse me, I have other meetings to attend." WIth that, the man walked into his house, where a group of men sat at a table waiting for him. Svadilfare put the parchment into his satchel and turned away, going back the way they came. He wanted to get out of Kakos as soon as possible.

Normally Svadilfare would travel to his destination right away, but since he was going to be travelling through a desert, he needed some additional supplies. So before he set a course to Ammos, he made his way back home to Kryo.