Stealth is a Necessity

by **Black Onyx** on August 19th, 2014, 1:04 pm

Day 87, Summer, 514 AV

It was a warm night for Zeltiva, although a cool breeze drifted and caressed the soft and hard skin of the people that were still out on the streets. It was dark and those with any common sense had barred themselves into their houses or settled their bottoms upon a stool within a bar, tavern or inn. For everyone knows that there are those that preyed upon the weak and unsuspecting, that prowled the shadows, their dark intentions creating shadows of their own as they moved about. Black, a young kelvic of only three years, although out upon the streets herself, had different intentions. She had been aware that she needed to work upon a couple of her skills, one being stealth. She felt that she moved too heavily and she didn't feel as if she moved within the shadows competent enough to avoid detection and she wanted to improve upon it.

As for why she chose to do it during the time where the darkness chased away the sun, it was simple. It wasn't as bright as it was during the day time. The moon, would cast a light of its own, but it was soft and gentle, not too harsh upon the eyes and it lulled most people into a dream-like state where they were less likely to be aware of the events shrouding them. The night time was when most people allowed themselves to shrug off their worries and to relax, becoming less unsuspecting. Not like the sun. The sun's light was sharp and harsh, it shone a bright light upon the land, making people wake up and it chased away the nightmares. The day time was when more people were alert and tended to be more wakeful within their steps. The day brought a reality to them that allowed them to think, that made them all the more prim and proper, where-as the night made people more happy, more willing to let loose and just enjoy the night as the moon passed over-head.

Crouching low, behind a couple of crates, her brown gaze observed the men and women that entered into the kelp bar and the young woman bit down upon her bottom lip as she allowed the shadows of the crate to hide her shadowy form from the view of the drunken sailors and those sailors that had just left their ships in order to join in on the fun. It was the 11th bell of the night and business was beginning to pick up, especially for the kelp bar. If it meant good business for the Kelp bar, it certainly would mean good business for Black when the men start to stumble out of the bar and wander down dark shadowed areas where they should be avoiding. It was just the waiting part that got Black, for she would occasionally begin to get impatient. Sometimes, she would delve into the Kelp bar itself in order to score a couple of purses, but when she did that, she ran a high risk of being caught and she didn’t plan on being caught upon this night. For she had something that was too valuable to loose, something that sat nestled close to her heart.

by **Black Onyx** on August 19th, 2014, 1:45 pm

A gentle sigh fell from her lips and she lifted her hands to message her leg muscles as they would slowly become cramped from crouching for so long behind the crate. Tonight, she was indeed wearing her black cloak, the hood pulled close over her head, hiding her familiar black locks from the view of straying eyes. If anything, she realized that such things were memorable when providing a description to the wave guards. Tempted to shift upon the spot to ease her legs, she battered it away as she allowed her thoughts to wander to the one, the one that often preoccupied her thoughts ever since their fateful meeting in the general store. She could still remember the pale face, the black hair and the brown eyes staring back at her as he confronted her about the purse that she had stolen from him. A gentle smile curved her lips at the memory as soon after that, they had talked and then gone to the very bar that she was staking out. Her brown hues flickered around as she noted a man of average height suddenly walk passed the crate that she was hiding behind, her form stiffening at the sound of the booted feet upon the creaking boards.

As he passed, she observed him push his way into the kelp bar and she allowed herself to delve back into that memory. Indeed while she had hoped for mizas, instead, she had met Jadlin and they had kissed in the rain which led to his room being occupied for many hours afterwards. A smirk had then fallen upon her lips then as she remembered each and every detail, especially where she had found herself submitting to the man over and over again. An accomplishment that she had found easy to do within his arms, if it had been someone else she would have fought until she was bloody and weak, which was something that she never understood. Why would she willingly submit to Jadlin, when she was so weary and dis-trusting of everyone else? Was it because he was a stranger to Zeltiva? Or was it something else? She paused within that thinking as she spotted a male exit the kelp bar, however he was soon joined by a female companion and she relaxed her position a little. There was just something to Jadlin, sometimes she swore she could feel how he might be feeling at that present time, although she kept that to herself. How could one really know how someone was feeling unless they asked?

Lifting a hand, she gently rubbed at her cheek, the bruise had disappeared ever since her confrontation with the thugs on east street, but it had been worth it, so long as Jadlin was alright. Of late, that’s all she had been worrying about, whether he was ok. However, he had refused to see her the last few days and she was beginning to wonder whether there was something that she had done at the foothills or whether he had finally decided that her lifestyle was no longer acceptable to him. Not that she ever knew whether he approved of it or not in the beginning, after-all he had been made to work for a criminal group. She couldn’t blame him if he disapproved, however, this was the only way that she knew how to survive. She ran a tired hand over her face, indeed, ever since his refusal to see her, she had gotten a lot less sleep than previously. In fact, she was beginning to think that her sleep could be more considered as a two bell nap and it was beginning to affect her. Black had debated with herself about this night and work, as to whether she should do anything, or go find someone that might be able to give her something to induce sleep. Instead She had decided to hit the streets, she didn’t enjoy sleeping anyway, for her parents haunted her sleeping dreams.

by **Black Onyx** on August 19th, 2014, 2:31 pm

Finally, a target that seemed worthy, exited the kelp bar and he opted to stagger passed the crate that she was hiding behind, to head towards East Street. While she wasn’t exactly wanting to go down that particular street, she would find it easier to pick his purse. Especially if he stopped in front of the whore house. Making sure that there was no one paying attention to the crate and the woman crouched behind it, she quickly glanced around and out from behind the crate before slowly standing up. Her muscles complained about how long she had been standing there, but she pushed forwards, attempting to keep her steps light. However, she would occasionally forget to and her boot would ’thump’ down upon the cobble stone street. Luckily for her however the male was drunk, a stumbling drunk at that, she noted as her brown gaze flickered over the man’s appearance. He wore a simple brown shirt, a pair of breeches and boots. He didn’t appear to have a weapon on him which was a bonus for her and his purse hung from his belt. Silently, she unsheathed her dagger from her waist as she pressed forwards, keeping to the shadows as best as she could.

The target was tall, if she had to guess, he would be around 6’7 and his dirty blonde hair brushed his shoulders. Maybe he needed a hair-cut, or at least a shower, she noted as she sniffed and caught the scent of manure. Was he a traveler or a stable boy? She questioned as she closed in on her target when he entered the alley that would certainly take him onto east street. While he wasn’t exactly moving fast, she quickened her pace to close the distance between the two. She reached a hand out to grasp the male’s purse, her dagger close behind as it cut through the cord with ease and pocketed the purse. Black would then push her form into his own and mumble an apology, as he staggered to the side, curses flew from his lips. This action would cover up any pulls he had felt from his belt just a moment ago, as he would completely forget about that in order to regain his balance. Picking up her pace she walked briskly from the alleyway and onto East Street. There she pushed into the crowd, before allowing it to take her forwards, silently sheathing her dagger.

Black also made a note to look down to keep her head down to avoid the male from spotting her so quickly, which would give her enough time to blend into the crowd. As she walked through the crowd, allowing the steady flow to gently push her along the street, she hoped that no one would spot her. That was all she needed really, someone to not notice her. While she hadn’t heard anything or seen anything since the confrontation upon East Street with Jadlin and the other thugs, it was best to get off of this street in any case to avoid any further confrontations. Suddenly she felt a hand come down suddenly upon her shoulder and she jumped. Her head snapping up to turn to face the owner of the hand and she was suddenly face with the man that she had slashed a couple of times from that very event. Her hood was pulled from her head then and a smirk slipped onto his lips as her lips parted in surprise. “I wouldn’t try anything Black,” He said almost spitting out her name. “For behind you are two more of my friends and here is what you’re going to do. You are going to come with us to the next alley and we are going to have a chat.” Petch, was the word that entered her mind.

by **Black Onyx** on August 19th, 2014, 3:03 pm

Alright, I can do something, I can fix this, she told herself, as she was pushed forwards through the crowd by the leader, the male that had grabbed a hold of her shoulder. She had to admit that the chances of actually getting out of the situation wasn’t exactly in her favour, in fact ever since she had found a source of happiness, she had also suffered from it. However, Black would never regret meeting Jadlin, for he had made her feel things that she never thought that she would ever feel in her life time. Things that she thought that she wasn’t even capable of feeling which was why she had fitted so well on East Street. The key word being ‘had’ in this situation she thought to herself as the hand upon her shoulder tightened considerably, enough to make her wince slightly. Oh this meeting would not bode well for her, indeed these particular people were people she knew well enough that messing with them was a bad idea. The male that held her shoulder as he forced her through the crowd, was called Kilt, how he got his name, she never knew, nor did she care to ask.

Finally he shoved her into the dark alley way and that was when she stumbled forwards, turning around to face him once she had a firm grasp upon her balance. Her brown gaze darted around her, looking for any kind of out. There had to be one around these three, perhaps if she was quick enough and distracting enough with her words, she may be able to escape. However, she didn’t like her odds for that would mean that she would have to give some kind of distracting speech and she was never into giving speeches. Lifting up her hands, she took a couple of steps back away from the three, "Ok, so maybe we shouldn’t have attacked you guys, but it was you and your men who started it remember? You surrounded Jadlin.” Laughs started up around her and she slowly began to inch to the left in attempts to off put them. “Yeah, but you could have stayed out of it Black and you wouldn’t be here right now, paying for your actions. Your half-brained, mage friend shouldn’t have even traveled down East Street.” Paying for her actions? She barely laid a scratch upon him! She gritted her teeth as he suddenly began to talk about Jadlin. This wouldn’t get anywhere, perhaps if she allowed him to get close enough, she could maybe give him a jab in the stomach?

The young equine stopped within her movements as he advanced upon her, that same annoying sneer upon his lips. “It’s a shame that he didn’t get prosecuted as the Mage Silencer,” he said which brought a frown upon her brow, however she didn’t have time to think upon how he knew that as he reached out to grasp her once again, she ducked in order to lash out. Sending a punch directly in Kilt’s stomach and she ducked out of his path as he stumbled forwards his hands grasping at his stomach. However, she had completely forgotten about his lackeys and one of them grabbed a fist full of black locks in their hand and yanked, a cry of pain coming quickly to her lips. Her hand reached for her dagger and unsheathed it, only she was knocked backwards against the wall and one of the men knocked the dagger out of her hand with a slam to the wall. “Hold her!” Kilt yelled as he turned to face her holding her dagger that had been knocked from her hand. “Don’t try anything else Black. If you don’t, I promise I won’t make this too painful.”

by **Black Onyx** on August 19th, 2014, 3:50 pm

The two lackeys each held her against the wall by pressing a hand into her shoulder and Kilt crossed over towards her, holding the dagger up close enough to nick the skin along her throat. Her breathing grew shallow as fear set in and she wanted nothing more than to fight and run, however, to run now would mean running into the dagger that was lightly pressed against her pale neck. “Black, you should have known better than to start yet another fight against me, it only brings you more pain.” He leaned forwards and nuzzled his face into the side of her neck, inching the blade away a little as he drew in a deep breath. “You should have became mine Black, you still could be,” he sneered before pulling away and she screwed up her face. That was a really disgusting thought to think about, she told herself before she spat a glob of saliva at Kilt’s face, ”Go to hell Kilt!” That earned her a hand across the left side of her face and a small cry inevitably passed her lips. When she glared back at the male, the left side of her face throbbed. “Right, you asked for it now you stupid little gutter rat!”

Kilt then began to push the cloak away from her left arm and her nostrils flared as she struggled against the hands that held her in place against the wall. Finally after he had a secure hold of her left arm he lifted the dagger to press to her fore arm, the sharp blade piercing the skin and a scream rose to her lips as she felt the blade slide down along her forearm on an angle. He lifted the blade now, which was stained with her crimson blood and she began to struggle against her captors with renewed strength and the man literally had to step back while the lackeys pushed her back into the wall. Finally she stomped down upon one of the lackey’s foot and he cried, taking a step back and Black finally delivered another punch to the stomach of the other lackey. He too backed off and she pushed forwards, thinking that escape was finally hers. However, a blow to the back of her head sent her stumbling forwards, before she felt a foot connect to the back of her knees and she fell forwards onto the cobble stoned street, her hands reaching out to halt to her fall. A kick was then delivered to her stomach and she crumpled to the street, curling up into a fetal position, holding her bleeding arm close to her form.

Laughs erupted around her as she felt hands descend upon her once again, turning her over and straightening her out as Kilt suddenly decided to sit on top of her. “Had enough deary?” Her only response was yet another glob of saliva spat straight into his face. He wiped away the spit as he continued to sneer. Grasping her left arm once again, he began to slice into her skin once again, doing another line that crossed over the other previous cut until an ‘x’ was bleeding upon her forearm, this pulling yet another scream from her. Her wide brown eyes watched as the blood began to slowly spill from her arm to drip to the street underneath. It was the movement of Kilt’s head that drew her attention and one of his lackeys drew closer holding out a hand that seemed to glow a little bit red and she renewed her struggle against the men. Whatever that was she didn’t want it anywhere near her, but she didn’t have a choice in the matter and the lackey pressed his hand over the bleeding ‘x.’ A searing pain shot up her arm and she threw her head back and screamed as the man used reimancy to burn her skin. The smell of burning skin reached her nose and she screamed louder, a tear escaping her eye, only to fall to the street.

by **Black Onyx** on August 19th, 2014, 4:18 pm

It had felt like forever and the words, Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop, kept begging through her thoughts as she screamed. She thought she would pass out before they would give her mercy, however the male finally lifted his hand from her arm and Kilt dropped her dagger to the street beside her form. “There ya go Black, now you have something to remember us by when you decide to interfere on our business.” Slowly she felt his weight lift off of her form and she heard the footsteps as they began to walk away, leaving her there as she weakly pulled her arm close to her form. The burned hand that had been placed over the ‘x,’ had stopped the bleeding for the most part, a couple of the end points of the ‘x’ hadn’t been covered by it and was still bleeding but not so much. She drew in a shaky breath as she rolled onto her side before she slowly drew herself up into a sitting position. It felt like the skin was constantly pulling at the wound and she couldn’t help the soft gasps as she tried not to moved her arm so much. However, she had to cover it up, she just had to and so, she needed to moved her arm in order to tear a small bit of the bottom of her cloak

Soft whimpers passed her lips as she gripped the bottom of her cloak and began to tear a strip off. Once she had done that she held her left arm out, as painful as that was so then she could roughly tie the piece of cloth over the wound tightly, a small cry of pain passing her lips. She then cradled her left arm close to her form as her right hand snatched up her dagger, wiping the blade clean upon the leg of her pants. The gleaming blade seemed to mock her as it caught the soft glints of the moon from above. She tried to keep herself from whimpering in pain as she sheathed the blade and slowly moved to stand up, her right hand then moving to help cradle her left arm close to her form.

Her gaze dropped to view the blood upon the street as she pondered as to what she should do next. She couldn’t very well go to Jadlin, no she didn’t want to involve him, he had done enough for her, he had made her happy and she hoped that she had done that for him, where ever he was. She had to respect his wishes and leave him be, she silently told herself, no matter even if she was in pain. Bath-house, she finally decided, she had to go wash herself and her clothes, she also had to go see someone with medical experience in order to get her arm fixed up. She didn’t know how long Jadlin wanted time away from her, but she hoped that he would stay away from her for a while. As much as she wanted nothing more than to curl up into his arms and draw strength from their bodies pressing close to each other, she just didn’t want him to see her in this condition. Slowly, she pressed forwards back into the crowd of East Street, the bath house clear in the fore-front of her mind.

by **Perplexity** on September 20th, 2014, 3:33 pm

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Black :

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Solo Stealth is a Necessity