Taste that blood in your mouth? (Antar)

[Darian]

Timestamp: 12th of Fall, 511 AV

If you were truly innocent, you wouldn't be in Sunberth. Here everyone's hands are wet with the blood of another. With that departing thought he let himself slide from the side of the dock, and splash hard in the bay water below. It was still yet a few bells before dawn would arise, and taking the advantage of the darkness gave him, he decided to work on his swimming, something that was bound to become important someday, and besides he could use the chance to clear his mind. Putting one arm in front of the other in the shallow water, the man stroked clumsily, expending much energy for little headway in the continually splashing surf. His skin stung from exposure to the sting of the salty surf as he angled one arm in front of the other, displacing water in large swaths in a effort to propel himself onwards. After only a quarter of a bell though the icy coldness, unrelenting surf, and ache of his muscles drew him over to the sandy shore of a beach where he lied still in the soft sand, letting the wind whisper over his bare form. His clothes and armor where yet still many yards down the beach where he had hid them before jogging over to the docks, and seeing he hadn't managed to make it all the way, Darian forced himself up to his feet and stumbled onwards to the warm safely of his armor and weapons.

His feet struck the sand at odd angles, propelling him onward as he ran. The sand kicked up with every stride, and simply pushing his muscles to their very edge he sprinted the remaining distance between him and his belongings and collapsed just feet away from them, his eyes not once leaving the bag as he simply laid on the sand, his chest heaving in a effort to catch the breath that had escaped him. His hand wormed it's way across, finding first the loin cloth that rested at the top of the pile, and flipping over onto his back he tied it off around him before turning around and putting the rest of his clothing and armor on, taking special care when he tied the cowl protectively around his face. Looking over his shoulder, he could see the horizon turn slightly pink, a tease of the breath stealing dawn that likely approached. Disgusted Darian spat before jogging off, abandoning the optimum view point for more favorable skies in the street. Almost as dark as a shadow himself, Darian carefully moved from shadow to shadow, keeping a careful eye out for any that might be following him, and especially looking for anyone he recognized, even slimly for those where the ones that usually held a grudge against him, and in all his years in Sunberth, he had collected quite a few of those. Moving along Darian simply sighed at all the glory that was Sunberth. Only in the shadows can you find a friend worth keeping.

[Antar]

"GET BACK HERE YOU PETCHING VAGIK!" His feet pounded on the dusty cobbles as he ran, putting every ounce of energy into the task of chasing the offender down.

'Someone was going to petching die today... and he knew exactly who it was going to be.' Noth thought to himself as he pushed his legs to run faster as he vaulted over a . 'Damnable brat pinched his empty belt pouch.' Sure it was empty, but it was the principle of the thing. The little shyke actually stole from Noth and that meant only one thing: the little bastard was going to die. He was going to die, at the ends of Noth's blade.

Taking a moment to pause he drew his kukri and threw it at a run towards the boy's departing back, but a quick zig zag caused it to miss the target and imbed itself into the wooden door as the little thief scampered off. Antar resumed running, and levered it out on the fly as he began the chase anew.

The boy cried out, "There wasn't anything in it Mista'. Please just lemme go!"

His lungs were a bit too busy to reply.

The little vagik could run fast, of that there was no doubt, but Noth remained like a pit bull on his heels through the winding streets and alleyways. Eventually the boy passed through an intersection and turned down a dead end and Noth slowed down a little, enjoying the stalking process. Still keeping an eye out for anything amiss he stepped one foot into the intersection and scanned about, the little thief seemed to jump and scratch as he tried to climb over the wall, but it was too high. Noth knew the the slip in direction would cost the thiefling quite dearly as the brat's back was pressed against the wall as he turned to stare wide eyed at Antar as he drew a dagger from his belt.

The rogue smiled at the challenge, but he wasn't going to be made a fool by the children of sunberth twice. He was a bit wary of his surrounding and spied a small bit of motion to his right, 'An ambusher perhaps? Did the boy have any friends?'

Taking a quick look out , he turned to stare at the figure while keeping the boy in view in the corner of his eye. The skulking man seemed different somehow, dressed in a dark grey robe. The figure seemed familiar to him somehow, but he could not place from where or when or even if he knew them really. So he played the card of indifference. Smiling slightly, Noth made a little nod towards the figure and spoke. "As long as the boy thief is not a friend of yours, I think it would be best if you left me to settle this matter quickly with very little grief between us."

With that said, Noth sheathed his kukri and drew his gladius from beyond his right shoulder and took a single step out of the figure's sight towards the boy. If the man did not follow, then he'd only hear a sickening cry emanate from the alleyway after a few moments of pleading. Antar calmly, yet quickly advanced enough to bat the dagger from the boy's hands and stab him in the leg to make him collapse.

"Alright, give me back what you stole and any other mizas on you if you value your life you little rat."

The boy shakingly held back the pouch and his own, teaming with a small jingle of mizas as tears streaming down his face, "Please don't kill me. I won't ever pinch again. I promise."

"You're a child in Sunberth boy, of course you'll pinch again. However that wound I just inflicted you with would probably rot of gangrene, and you sure don't look like you have enough money for the doctor. So I guess I can consider this a mercy killing."

The boy's eyes widened a moment before a muttered "No-" was cut off with a single sideswipe of Antar's blade as the boy's head was decapitated from his shoulders. The body fell over limp, as Noth began to whistle. Taking a moment to gather up the boy's dagger and secure it in his belt he turned to walk back out of the dead end to the intersection. Only to take a moment to spot whether or not the errant shadow had decided to disappear or stick around.

[Darian]

There he stood in the doorway of an unremarkable shop, his back leaning ever so firmly against the unrelenting wood of the portal as his eyes looked out from the shadows, scanning for any movement around. Darian had never tried standing still for as long as he had in the shadows, and he was beginning to see why as every muscle in his body ached and screamed for movement, but he would not yet give into their demands. He could hear movement now, the pattering of little feet on the cobblestones, though when he turned his head he found himself to slow to see the boy scamper by down the alleyway. It wasn't enough to prompt him to chase after the lad, people where running all the time around Sunberth, and from what usually had to do with something that their problem. You needed to be clever and smart to survive in a place like this, and when the next person came into view, he decided the boy was neither.

Anthony. A man he had met two seasons ago, and a man that very well saved his neck back on that rooftop long ago. Not like he owed the man any loyalty because of it, but he did know the man could handle himself, and for that reason the boy was as good as dead. Slowly he shifted to get a better look at the man when Anthony turned to stare at him, and instinctually his muscles went rigid. For a moment he considered the man hadn't really seen him but was only looking at the spot in which he hid, but then he spoke with words that could only mean he had spotted Darian. Silently he cursed, but said nothing, didn't even try to move as Anthony stepped out of sight, off to take care of the boy most likely. He didn't like being spotted or very much recognized, especially out in these open streets where his name could spread and be heard in the wrong ears. It didn't suit him well to be well known among the population, even if he had told Anthony a false name when last they met. After all he wouldn't be much of a survivor if he made things easy for them by speaking his real name.

Hearing the useless cries of the lad, Darian finally decided to move, slowly stepping in a heel toe method towards the entrance to the dead end alley, reaching it just as the final cry came from the boy, and left the alley in a dead silence save for the man's eerie whistling. Standing out in the middle of the entrance he watched as the man gathered up the boy's dagger, and straightened his shoulders as the man turned around. "Its been a while Anthony"

[Antar]

Antar's body stiffened slightly at the mention of his alias, and he wondered whom it might be, only to find it was the man who he had nodded too before. Cocking his head to the side slightly he shifted his stance a little to the defensive, but slowly placed his gladius back into its sheathe.

He took a closer look at the man, trying to puzzle out the why, the where and the when. His eyes roving over the cowl of the cloak as he said nothing , just merely looked to spy any form of recognition, but the man's features seemed spottled, burned even and it made him curious. Curious as well as a bit cautious. That was the best motto. Keeping at the ready to jump into action at any threat , Noth looked at the man with a polite smile followed by a small nod of his head in courtesy.

"I'm sorry, you seem to have caught me at a loss. I'm not quite sure where you may know me from, would you care to enlighten me as to your name?"

[Darian]

Darian smiled underneath the dirty cloth he used to cover his mouth, his shoulders relaxing as he looped his thumbs under his belt allowing his forearm to rest against the hilt of his sword. Always keeping it just in reach incase the man tried anything. After all they hadn't left each other in the best of circumstances and who was to know how time had affected either man. He couldn't help but arch his eyebrow in surprise that the man didn't recognize him before he was reminded of his appearance and how he had so changed since last he saw him.

"Last time we met, we where taking down some guards for that worm Reacher. Names Craevan if you've forgotten." He said, his eyes never leaving that of Anthony's as he took steps towards the man only to stop just a few paces from him.

[Antar]

Antar nodded succinctly for the name, recognizing it and the job the man alluded too. But when Darian stepped closer, he raised a hand in a friendly warning. "Tha's far enough my friend. Last I remember dragging you off a roof, injured and in need of medical attention. However, that doesn't mean I know what your aims are with me now. We mercs tend to float to whatever job suits us at the moment you know. A friend one day can be an enemy the next."

Antar spat on the ground before looking at the man, assessing him and noting the scarring of his features. "Doesn't seem like someone or something's been too kind to you either. But I'm at least happy you didn't croak back then... unless you're here to try and settle up for someone. I warn you, that wouldn't go too well for you; but if you're just wanting a friendly chat, well that's a different story altogether. If you're looking for revenge for that little setup, I haven't seen hide nor hair of that bastard Reacher since then. Maybe someone offed him and did the town a favor."

Noth's eyes, and more importantly, his ears picked up on the sound of footsteps echoing in the nearby alleys from the pair who stood there facing off from each other. "Of course, it might also be best for us to talk somewhere else... seems to be a lot of sudden traffic in these part of the alleys. Something dangerous might be going dow-"

The rogue's reply was cut short by a curdling scream emanating from a nearby alleyway. The scream itself was ended quite abruptly, before a whimpering cry of pain carried itself above the wind to his ears. The sound was rather close by, just around the corner from them, and the sound of footsteps were coming closer. Unsure , Noth cocked his head to the side and glanced at Darian, "As I was saying, if they aren't friends of yours, I think it might be best for us to become scarce..." His smile turned a little upwards at the crook of his mouth, "unless you want to have some fun seeing what all the fuss is about, Craeven. Might be good to have another person watch my back for a little bit of ... exercise. "

[Darian]

He stopped as Anthony wished, and even took a step back though under the cowl he was grinning. People from his walk of life where always so interesting to interact with, and seeing such caution he regularly took mimicked before him was more than amusing. He let the man speak a little bit more, his eyes noting the subtle movements the man took making sure none of them posed any threat or that he was signing to allies he might have nearby. Satisfied he wasn't much in danger he kept his eyes sharp, and raised a hand. "Reacher's dead, witnessed it with my own eyes, I know as very well as you do that he was the fool for setting that whole endeavor up. This is as you said before, just a friendly reunion is what it is." He took a deep breath, sighing, and cocked his head to the side, hearing only faintly the very same whisper of footsteps Anthony had heard before him.

Darian took a step back toward the entrance to see if he could see anything before turning towards Anthony. "Well if they're not yours lets throw them a little party of sorts" he said with a wicked smile, his eyes burning into Anthony's intensely. With only a slight shift of his wrist he unsheathed his longsword and caught it's hilt in his right hand, holding it before him while he dropped into a crouch. He edged forward slightly, turning to look back at Anthony once before peaking around the corner.

[Antar]

"Agreed. Glad the bastard's dead though. If I saw him after that debacle I'd probably have killed him myself for the trouble." Antar said as he smiled. Working with another professional was always a good thing, even if you had to watch your back around them. Reaching behind to draw his gladius, Antar crept quietly up to the edge of the corner, taking a kneeling stance a small distance behind Darian as he leaned out towards the corner. This particular position allowed him to see just a smidge under what Darian could but was far enough on the angle to hide his full profile. He didn't have much of a wall to block his form from view. But hopefully the shadows of the alley were enough. Taking a quick gander towards the noise he saw a woman, running for her life. A courtier of some sort, probably from Brega's or Ruby's judging by the outfit. Save that it was torn and bloodied at the waist line causing a gap in the skirt hem. In her hand was a bloody dagger, and her eyes were wide open in terror. Following behind her were three yellow sashed individuals, the sash being the respective sign of one of the lesser gangs in Sunberth's wolf's den known as the Yellow Canaries. They each seemed armed with an assorted number of weapons and armor, of the type Noth couldn't tell which from this distance. So it was a matter of time if they should consider not attacking them. But then again, Noth did want to have some fun, and they were harassing a woman, even if she was a harlot. Leaning backwards he looked to Darian. "Alright, first move's to you , unless you want to back out. It looks like its just a bunch of thugs chasing a good time." The woman's shrill voice echoed loudly as she was getting closer. There'd only be a few seconds for Darian to decide what he wanted to do... for the moment, Noth would follow after.

[Darian]

In the shadows of the alley Darian shifted in hopes of becoming less visible as he angled for a better view of what was coming their way. A cruel smile twisted its way under the torn cloth that covered his mouth, and in his chest his heart skipped a beat. His vision afforded him quite the site of the three men chasing the woman, but not enough to see any details that might be helpful to him and Anthony. It wasn't a uncommon thing to see in Sunberth, especially from the fresher thugs, and these boys looked rather green, possibly new recast to whatever group they belonged to. Each moment seemed to bring them closer, their pounding steps softly echoing off the cobblestones.

"Shame there is only three" Darian whispered back to Anthony, not even sparing a moment to look back before he darted across the street to the opposite side, pulling his sword from it's sheath as he did so. The wall rushed to greet him, and at the last moment he spun to bounce off the wall with his back, and spin into the alley opposite of the one he had just vacated. Pulling the sword vertical to him, he looked to Anthony and nodded. Whatever the other man had planned he needed to do it quick before the group was on to their presence if they weren't already.

[Antar]

'Ah... the man was moving to flank already from the other side of the alley.' Now this was why Noth enjoyed working with another experienced merc, even if you had to watch them at times for a knife in the back. If Darian could get the drop on them, then all Noth would have to do is ... well deal with getting the harlot out of the way.

Down the alley the woman's screams came closer as she was rushing in their direction, shouting for help as many a victim do in their final moments. Sadly though ; most of the time (at least in sunberth) help would never come. But today was an off day, and Noth was in a good mood, so the woman might get a little bit of a new lien on life. He just had to get her out of harm's way long enough for Darian and himself to have a little fun.

As the woman ran past Darian's position, Noth spun out from hiding to grab her arm and twist the woman's arm so she was between him and the oncoming Canaries. He whispered slightly to the struggling woman's ears. "Stay still, and you'll be let go unharmed after this is done. I just have a bone to pick with the ones following you. Play along, and I might even reward you with some mizas. Nod if you understand." The woman's struggles stopped, even though it was apparent she was still afraid, but she nodded once before she let out a slight scream to annunciate her position. With his sword still in hand, Noth raised his voice as the three men slowed to a point just three feet away to Darian's position, where he was waiting to ambush them.

He began to drag the woman backwards as he talked, his eyes staying away from Darian's position in the shadows as he began to create a distraction."Well I see you fellows are up for some sport in the alleys. Rotten petching luck, but you see there's some business first I have to have with this harlot. She's an escaped slave you know, Master wants her back, but if you want to pay me first, I'll gladly let you have some time with her."

The woman let out another scream and Noth spoke another low whisper in the woman's ear, "When the fighting starts, get to the side of the alley and stay there. If you see an opening to take one I'll let you keep anything off the corpse. But don't do anything to interfere with us."

The three men laughed and advanced past Darian's position, leaving the other mercenary clearly behind them all. "Pay, why should we pay for a bit of tail? We earned it enough chasing the little scariff all the way here. Plus, there's three of us and one of you."

Thinking to himself, Noth smiled placatingly, "Oh that's true enough I suppose, I guess I should have killed at least one of you to start this off. Woulda been easier I imagine."

The men laughed and drew their swords to advance another step, at this point completely oblivious to Darian's position. If he was going to make a move, while all the three had their backs turned towards him, now would be the time... of course, if the other mercenary left him high and dry he could always just kick the woman at them , tell the louts they could 'have her' and make his quick escape.