No one is innocent (solo)

[Faylon Kwanda]

59th of Winter, 511AV [Aside from the warehouse he’d been sleeping in under an assumed name for the last week Faylon had also kept an eye on various alleyways in Zeltiva. Crime didn’t seem like a particularly large issue in Zeltiva save for the rabble that could be found in almost every city in Mizahar, maybe because Zeltivan prisons were notoriously harsh. In the days after Faylon had taken the warehouse as his own he’d enjoyed the amnesty from the Bonesnappers Wind and being able to rest on a bed of straw rather than huddled in an alley beneath his cloak where he grew increasingly destitute. Now things had changed though and he was warmer and even a tad more well fed. It was time for him to cross the next thing off his list.] [Half asleep for most of the day Faylon still suffered from fevered dreams. This wasn’t unnatural for him though his shoulder wound having become enflamed had likely aided them in becoming a tad more vivid. Waking several times throughout the day in a sheen of cold sweat he’d wipe his brow and try to force himself back to sleep. When that didn’t work he’d get out of bed and keep himself busy, an occupied mind being his greatest boon, he had so many questions about how things had went from good to bad.] [Alone his thoughts would drift back to Denval where he’d spent many years as a man of good standing in the community knowing several faces and even assisting with work on the road but now that he’d come back to Zeltiva something had changed in Faylon. He’d murdered men, killing them in cold blood. All told his body count was still low but rising rounding off at only eight men so far and at such lengths that there was no pattern to connect them. All that Faylon had that might link him to the killing of Smee was the key that unlocked the doors to his residence. Regardless of the reasoning Faylon hadn’t been able to get rid of it yet.] [Pacing the warehouse, which was fairly small, Faylon had devised a simple but effective workout regime to keep himself in shape. Squats were how he began. Working primarily on his core body Faylon would stand with feet shoulder width apart and lower himself as far to the ground as he could without sitting down before standing back up. Squats weren’t terribly difficult but they worked on your legs after awhile and some of the other muscle groups. Faylon liked to do three sets of thirty so that he could create a decent burn for himself. This was only one facet of the workout though.] [With his left arm healing Faylon couldn’t do a normal routine of push ups but that didn’t mean he couldn’t work on strengthening his limbs in other ways. Taking his Longsword, in the right hand to begin with, Faylon would raise it back over his shoulder. Elbow cocking out ahead of him then and sword raised Faylon would chop the sword downwards before lifting it again. Nothing to it at first but eventually after continuous use of the sword Faylon could feel it in his bicep and forearm, the burn wasn’t unpleasant though as at least he knew it was working, and before long he would take the sword in his left hand instead of his right. Due to his injuries Faylon couldn’t work his arm as hard or as much, yet, but raising the sword at least three quarters of the way before hacking it back down he’d continue to exercise the muscles until they were similarly aching. Once that was done he’d set the Longsword aside.] [Using his hand to wipe a bit of sweat from his brow after the simple exercises were finished Faylon would retire back to the straw bed that had been secluded inside of the warehouse office. Drifting off to sleep in no time he’d find his mind was a bit more at ease after he’d worked though the men still dreamt as though something were nagging at him relentlessly. When Faylon had finally opened his eyes again and sat back up onto the bed, using his elbow as support, he knew it was night and that it was time for him to work once more.] [Dressing himself in the worn Studded Leather armor Faylon wouldn’t ensure that the straps were tight and comfortable. The Longsword was sheathed over his left hip tonight to make it easier for him to draw it with his right hand. Taking the cloak of wolf fur once more he’d drape it back over his shoulders protectively so that he could shield himself from the harsh winter winds. Before Faylon went any further his eyes would focus on the simple iron ring that adorned the index finger of his right hand, a family heirloom and gift from his father, nothing about the ring stood out particularly well but he felt as though it had grown heavier. Shaking his head Faylon would clear his mind.] [Approaching the doors leading into the warehouse Faylon opened them, only a crack at first, and peered through so that he could scan the outside. Nobody was there. The streets were empty at this hour down near the docks. Watching several chimes Faylon would ensure that the city guard wouldn’t make one of its rounds at an inopportune time and then, once he was satisfied, he would slip out into the night; closing the doors behind him.]

[Faylon Kwanda]

[Now that he’d left the warehouse and was on the streets of Zeltiva Faylon knew exactly where he needed to go. Footsteps carried him away from the docks where the warehouse was located and further into Zeltiva itself towards his destination. Wanting to avoid detection from the City Watch, and therefore any questions they might have, he’d have moved deeper into the shadows of night once he noticed voices and movement ahead of himself. No Guards though this time it was just a pair of sailors headed back to their ship after visiting the Kelp Bar most likely. Waiting until they’d passed Faylon would move back out on the street and continue onwards.] [Occasionally stopping Faylon would move aside again. Avoiding contact with others where possible and turning his face in the other direction when unavoidable. No one took much notice to him believing that he was just another citizen trapped outside and on his way to a warmer climate away from the chilling winds of the Bonesnapper. Having spent so much time out in this cold Faylon had actually grown somewhat accustomed to it though. The Chill still hit him deep to his core but whereas he once shivered and huddled behind shelter looking for warmth the man was now less responsive to the cold that he felt touching him.] [At this hour there wasn’t much to see in Zeltiva. Leaving the docks behind him Faylon may have seen sailors, and assorted dockhands, unloading various boats that had made port; their cargo the property of some merchant looking to import or export at this hour most likely. Observing the daily, and nightly, routine of the docks these last few days had helped Faylon achieve a somewhat greater understanding of how things were done though and he made a mental note of everything he could use in the future. The Fishermen, the Boat Captains, the Docks Workers and when he saw her the Dock Master, Veraline Kendrick, herself. Nothing could escape Faylons notice, especially since he was a new face and a false name, ever since the disappearance of Jervais the Merchant whose warehouse he had conveniently appropriated.] [Aside from the Docks behind him though there was the city of Zeltiva itself. Not much to see at night as had already been noted. At least out in the open. The Kelp Bar was probably the most happening place in Zeltiva at this hour and that was only just off the docks themselves. No, Faylon was destined for someplace else entirely though. With a working knowledge of the alleys of Zeltiva and the observations he’d made alongside those of the warehouse before he’d taken it Faylon knew exactly where to go and how to get there.] [Disappearing down the mouth of one alley when he came to the shadowy entrance he was looking for Faylon would move slowly and remain in the darkness. This wasn’t quite where he wanted to be but he was getting closer. Walking quietly, looking down often so that he could trace his own footing, Faylon would start down and deeper into the alley. Alleys in Zeltiva weren’t all narrow though this one was, barely large enough to fit three men standing shoulder to shoulder, but the darkness they offered as well as the security meant all different kinds of men could be found down in them. In particular Faylon had been watching this alley so that he knew the ways into and out of it as well as which buildings it ran behind but besides that he had been watching the men he had seen using it. Only thugs and small time ruffians from what he knew but everyone was connected to someone else.] [Descending deeper into the alley Faylon would come to a crossroads where the alley itself seemed to intersect into four different directions that each ran along and behind different buildings. This is where he would wait. Looking down each of the directions first Faylon saw nothing but he knew it was only a matter of time and so hunkering down, crouching in the darkness and concealing himself, he’d wait until he saw the first signs of life that indicated he’d found what he was looking for.] [Quietly, stone faced, Faylon would stare down the alley expectantly. Gripping the cloak he wore he’d draw it closer to his sides so that he could keep himself warm, this could take awhile...]

[Faylon Kwanda]

[As he waited Faylon would allow his mind to drift off and remember different times such as those when he came to Zeltiva the first time or when he was living in Denval. What would his father think of him now and did it matter Faylon asked himself once? No it didn’t matter he was soon answering in his own mind reinforcing that all men must survive and that the world was different outside of the shelter of Denval where the road to connect the city with civilization was its best hope. A hope that had seen generations die to no avail as far as Faylon was concerned. Even he had shed his own blood and sweat on the road for what amounted to little more than a few feet. Were that not enough the people of Denval seemed content to worship gods that only answered when it was convenient to them, it was enough to sicken Faylon who sneered from where crouched in the darkness.] [Eventually the sounds of more than the occasional rodent scurrying through the alleyway would alert Faylon to the presence of others and he would come snapping back to the present. Up ahead Faylon would see four bodies moving deeper down the alley, one of them was obviously struggling, and from the sounds of it three were male while the fourth was a woman. Assured that they were alone to take care of their business the men would restraint the woman, who fought, while ripping the clothing she wore away revealing first an ample tit which they groped and later more of her curves. Watching from a distance Faylon remained oddly indifferent towards the situation, even tilting his head once, before taking a breath.] [At the distance he was at Faylon could only make out some of the words such as...”You should have paid your debts Lucine.”...followed by sobbing and the promise that she would have the coin soon before another gruff voice went on to tell her...”Now the Boss says we can do what we want with you.”...it wasn’t a good scene, even from a distance. Rape was a despicable crime and obviously that was the intent of the three thugs. Inspecting them proved difficult due to the darkness but Faylon knew all of them were armed; he waited for them to get into their routine, even letting one undo his belt and take his trousers down while the others held Lucine, before acting.] [Inhaling once Faylon would reach down and take some refuse from the alley floor in his right hand before stand and hurling it at the man who was just about to penetrate the woman and initiate the damnable scene. No one saw where the refuse came from, all three men having been focused on the task, and Faylon crouched back into the darkness before they noticed him but as the refuse hit the unmistakeable sound of...”WHAT THE HELL!?!?”...was heard when a dour voice called out, unimpressed with what had happened. “You’ve just signed your own death warrant my friend. Grivet check it out.”...the leader of the thugs had said before one of the men holding Lucine gave a nod and moved down the alley towards Faylon.] [Peering out from the darkness that he was using to hide himself Faylon recognized the crossbow that the man, Grivet, was carrying. Grivet was a hawk nosed man, thin and not that pleasant to look at, he held the crossbow in both hands and aimed ahead. Judging by the way he moved deeper into the alley and called out...”Who’s there!? You’re dead if you show your face you hear me, dead!”...he was also a coward and the fact his hands shook a bit added some weight to this opinion. Waiting though Faylon would remain crouched down while Grivet moved closer, inch by inch and foot by foot, while sliding his right hand into the depths of his cloak and hooking his fingers tightly around the hilt of his Longsword until he’d taken it in a powerful hold.] [When Grivet had made it so far down the alley he’d turn his head and shout back...”No one is here! Must have ran off!”...creating an opening for just a moment that Faylon would capitalize on. With his right hand locked around the hilt of the Longsword he slid it free of its sheath while coming back onto his feet and taking a step towards Grivet. As the man turned his head around to see what was happening Faylon had swung his sword and lift it in an arc that caught the man across the stomach and caused his to lurk over. Chopping into his belly with the Longsword Faylon had chewed deeply into the abdomen of the man, whom he shrugged off his blade and onto the alley floor, but hadn’t killed him. Grivet fell down with a moaning, dropping the crossbow and holding hit stomach which threatened to spill his guts all over.] [Eyes wavering ahead then Faylon would see the surprise of both men, the one who had been talking busily pulling his trousers back on, before a voice said...”Petch! Who is that!?!? He killed Grivet! Get him!”...and then it all went to another level. Taking Lucine once his trousers back on the Leader of the thugs would pull the woman in front of him like a shield while the other ruffian moved down the alley towards Faylon.]

[Faylon Kwanda]

[Offering Grivet one last wayside glance as he lay there on the alley floor trying to hold his own guts in Faylon would deliver a stiff kick to the man, who moaned piteously, so that he could assure he was effectively out of the fight. Then he turned his eyes front again and moved down the alley towards the second assailant while the third watched from the distance expecting that this would be short. Like most vagrants they had a supreme amount of confidence brought on by the unwillingness of most people to stand up to them but not tonight.] [At a distance Faylon saw the man pull out what looked like a hatchet from his belt before the two of them were close enough to engage. No worries. Swinging the Longsword he’d parry the hatchet as the thug attacked with it before making a backhanded attack at his opponent. The Thug proved a little quicker than Faylon had judged and managed to move back before the sword struck though. Rolling his shoulder and repositioning the Longsword at height with his midsection Faylon nodded to the man who came forward again.] [The Hatchet was definitely faster than the Longsword but with a longer reach than the Thug Faylon had the advantage of keeping his opponent at a distance so long as he didn’t make a mistake and let him in range. Wouldn’t you know too that this is just what happened. Parrying with the Longsword Faylon found that he had locked it with the hatchet just beneath the blade which allowed the thug to move in quickly. Recognizing this though Faylon would lift his left arm, balling his hand into a fist, and deliver a heinous straight that crushed into the face of the man and sent him stumbling backwards. Afterwards Faylon grit his teeth and cursed, his left arm flaring with pain, the injury he was still healing making itself known.] [Across the distance and through the darkness of the alley Faylon could see a bit of blood leaking from the thugs nose and smiling would tell him...”What? Don’t tell me you’re too scared to comeback for more now.”...which only seemed to enrage the man who rushed in again. Longsword clashed with hatchet then as the two weapons clanged against one another, Faylon using his sword primarily to block the quicker blows of the hatchet, before they crossed with one another again and both men leaned in closer until they were able to smell one another’s breath. Noticing now that the Thug was actually quite skilled with his weapon of choice Faylon changed the venue that both of them were fighting under. With his head cranking back Faylon would snap it forward and deliver a heavy head butt that knocked both men apart and onto their backs. Their weapons also clattering onto the alley floor having been lost in the scuffle.] [Falling onto his back Faylon didn’t think much. Blinking his eyes to clear the cobwebs of his own blow to the man’s skull Faylon would climb back to his feet and wave the man on when he noticed that likewise the thug had stood back up as well. Now the tables had turned though seeing as how one Faylon knew how to do with some skill was attack and defend with his hands. Even when one of his arms was injured. Raising both arms he’d tighten his hands until they were fists and say...”Alright. Let’s try this again.”...before pressing off his back foot to come closer to the thug he’d been engaged with and meet him halfway this time.] [Pumping out his right hand as he came within distance Faylon would surprise the man with a quick combination. One, two he jabbed. Then the combination became a one, two, three as he jabbed twice with his right before bringing his left around in hook that caught the man on the cheek and turned his head, wobbling his legs, even though Faylon hissed as well feeling that ache in his arm again from the shoulder wound. Not good; he’d need to end this quickly seeing as how he couldn’t afford a prolonged fight at the moment.] [Light on his feet Faylon backpedalled quickly as the man recovered. Luring him closer Faylon would bob his head from side to side and use his right hand to parry blows as often as possible. Faylon could have struck back but they’d all have been minor blows. When the thugs punches became a bit more sluggish Faylon sought the opening he’d been looking for. Putting his weight on his right foot when it came back Faylon would wait before pulling away as the thug came in to deliver a blow and overextended himself. Uppercutting when the time was right then, using his right hand, he’d watch the thugs head roll backwards before the man fell onto his back breathing heavily and clearly shaken.]

[Faylon Kwanda]

[Down on his back and breathing heavily the thug was fairly open for Faylon, who was reaching for his Longsword, to finish. When the man grabbed for the ankle of his trousers Faylon would turn at the waist and drive another fist into his face which caused his head to turn before a bit of blood littered the alley floor. Next Faylon had the Longsword in both hands and was standing over the thug with blade pointed down, there was no hesitation, he drove the sword into the chest of the thug until he knew it’d come out the other side and felt the blade crush against the ground. Leaving his Longsword embedded in the man Faylon would turn away.] [Walking back to Grivet, who was someone still alive and conscious, he’d relieve the man of his cross bow and take it in both hands. Inspecting it closely Faylon would be able to see that there was already a bolt locked into place and turning back in the other direction he’d begin marching back down the alley towards the Leader of the Thugs who was holding Lucine and had pressed a knife to her throat. Clearly he thought that having a hostage would play to his advantage.] [Crossbow gripped in both hands Faylon would turn it ahead, aiming it towards Lucine and the man holding her, while his index finger hooked into what he assumed was the trigger that would release the bolt. As he neared he’d hear the man telling him...”You. Stay back!”...his voice was wreathed in fear but he went on...”You stay back or I’ll cut her throat. You don’t want the blood of this innocent woman on your hands do you?”...but when he saw that Faylon wasn’t buying it he tried changing his tactics a bit. Footsteps continued to carry Faylon forward the entire time and while the man was obviously no expert with a crossbow when he finally slowed down he was all but at point blank range and with nowhere to go it would be difficult for Faylon to miss.] [Eyes stared ahead at the man holding Lucine who said...”No, wait.”...he was trying to think of something, maybe he was trying to find the words that would save him, regardless Faylon gave him a moment...”We could have her together. Yes, we could share her.”...his voice stammered...”What do you think of that eh?”...the thug looked hopeful. “No.”...was all Faylon said before squeezing the trigger of the crossbow and releasing its bolt. The Bolt didn’t exactly fly true but it buried itself into a stunned Lucine’s gut and prompted the thug to release her when he realized that she was of no further leverage to him just a moment too late. Lucine fell onto the alley floor, she was alive but definitely not in the best state now that a crossbow bolt had lodged itself into her stomach. Lifting the empty crossbow with both hands Faylon sent it crashing down over the crown of the thugs head, rattling his teeth, and throwing him onto his back.] [Planting his foot onto the mans wrist before he could recover Faylon would crush his heel down until the thug had released the knife he was holding and shout...”Who the hell are you!? Do you know who I work for.”...it was all quite laughable to Faylon who would shake his head and reply by telling him...”Not a clue. It doesn’t matter anyways. You’re not working for anyone now.”...then he leaned down to straddle the man. With his left hand controlling the man’s head after taking him by the hair Faylon would raise his right and begin to pummel the man underneath him remorselessly. Pummelling him over and over Faylon would hit him until his face exploded into a flower of blood and then he kept on hitting him for longer. Punching him until his teeth were broken and his nose was flat Faylon delivered straights and hooks to the man in what was more of a pugilist beat down than anything else and he showed no signs of stopping. When he’d finished the man took had taken his last breath and the knuckles of Faylons hand were bruised from the amount of times he’d struck the man. Nothing pretty was left about his face; he’d been literally beaten to death.] [Ignoring the subtle pain in his shoulder, blocked out mostly due to the adrenaline, Faylon would stand back onto his feet and turn back in the direction of Lucine who was still lying on her back, whimpering and holding the wound to her stomach, with the bolt protruding from her. Standing over her Faylon showed a momentary sign of his old self, he looked almost concerned, but then it all faded away and he told her...”You’re no more innocent than he was.”...then he’d walk away from her and back down the alley. Killing Lucine made no sense to Faylon who had already gotten enough blood on his hands for the evening and so he’d let her live seeing as how she hadn’t actually done anything against him. Walking away from her she was already forgotten.] [Approaching Grivet, who was still clinging to life but for how much longer remained a mystery, Faylon would pull his longsword out of the dead thug and sheath it. Kneeling down he’d slap Grivet once with an open hand and tell him...”If you live you tell the man you work for that all of this is mine. When I decide everyone who wants to live is going to work for me. I’ll see him soon.”...then he stood back onto his feet and walk away. Everything tonight was about delivering a message. Zeltiva wasn’t a hive of criminals but it did have some kind of underworld and Faylon wanted in but he wanted in at the top and not from the ground level. Leaving the alley he’d move to the warehouse careful to cover his tracks and conceal himself from any prying eyes as he went.]

[Paragon]

Faylon : Faylon Skill XP Reward Longsword +2 Boxing +2 Crossbow +3 Observation +2 Bodybuilding +2 Stealth +1 Lore: Getting Used to the Bonesnapper, Partial Understanding of the Zeltivan Alleyways, Starting Fights, Throwing Refuse, Heartless Murder, Using a Crossbow Other: N/A Another well written solo. You got bonus points in Crossbow because it was your first use. All these murders... be warned, they may just catch up with Faylon soon - if you have ANY questions or concerns about this grading, don't hesitate to PM me.