Closed Contracted Killers (Inoadar, Wrenmae)

[Kyodaija]

Kyo continued his the struggle for a time with the now crushed Knucklehead, his mangled and destroyed body fell limp on the ground as Kyo uncoiled and loosed his grip on him. Kyo had taken a beating at the beginning of this battle and needed to transform back into his human form before other saw him. Clutching his wolfs teeth club in his teeth he slithered back to the alleyway where he had left his gear. Then began his grotesque transformation once again...

When he was finished he noted that at the gate the guards had returned. Both now armed and extremely wary. Kyo did not want to leave witnesses behind if he could avoid it... Since they both had seen him he could not allow them to live. He donned his armor and prepared to attack once again.

Not one for subtlety Kyo dashed forward his mighty club at his side ready for a sideways swipe at the first mans exposed side. He parried the blow with his blade but Kyo managed to overpower him enough to push his club in on him and still draw blood on the tip of his spikes. The guard howled in pain calling out loudly "THE DAHNI IS STILL HERE!", obviously trying to call to somebody still within the confines of the manor. Kyo had to act quickly now to dispatch these 2 before more arrived.

He swung his club again in an overhead swing at the second man who was now approaching with intent to stab at his side. Kyo was to dedicated to his swing to parry the blow so instead he relied on his armor to do the blocking. It only managed to minimize the blow as the bludgeoning force still hammered its way painfully into his side, but he also landed a blow on the mans arm which he had raised in a pitiful attempt to stop the weapon at its shaft. Kyo instead drove the wickedly spiked club into the mans arm driving the spike clean out the other side.

He to shared a wail of pain that echoed gloriously in Kyo's ears. The man stumbled back in pain obviously green to the ways of battle. Kyo would show no mercy and lashed out with his gauntlet covered in spikes into the mans jaw driving the spikes into the bottom of his mouth. They jutted disgustingly out of where one of his now displaced tooth stood. Again following through grabbing his shoulders and driving his spiked knee into the mans gut. He fell over from the pain, not dead but wishing he was.

The second man took the opportunity to stab at Kyo's exposed flank, which he had opened to the man during his flurry of blows. Kyo took the blade and allowed it to slide along his hip drawing a deep gash that was less fatal than the man had intended. But now Kyo had to once again let go of his club in order to now grapple the mans blade not allowing it to leave his side.

The man struggled against him trying to wrest it from Kyo's powerful grasp. To which Kyo replied with a Djed powered punch to the mans stomach, blasting the wind out of him. Kyo was feeling a little dizzy after that last burst of Djed but in his bloodhaze decided to project his Djed outward and push the man to the ground, he reached out with his power and managed to knock the teetering man the rest of the way over "not that it took much". Kyo now fully enraged fell atop the man and began savagely pounding the life out of his body swinging left and right until there was no life left in him.

Kyo woke from his Djed drunk haze unaware of what had occured the last couple of moments... Perhaps he had drawn upon his powers to much this day? He did not know. but it left him feeling very strained indeed. He retrieved his club from the ground and walked over to the sobbing figure of the second and last guard.

He brought his mighty weapon to bear once more lining it up for a last strike at the mans sobbing pitiful face "Sssorry jussst busssiness..."

[Wrenmae]

The scream from the courtyard was all the affirmation he needed. It was unlikely an exposed Dhani would willingly leave survivors in its wake. Taking the flask from his side, he drew out one of his daggers and laid it on the table beside the slightly luminescent bottle.

Zan, you're in charge.

Aye-aye captain!

Less enthusiasm. We need to be professional.

Oh. I'm sorry. I didn't realize you weren't allowed to be excited and professional. I apologize for my lack of compliance to your outdated and boring business model.

Wren did not answer, stepping out of the door and striding down the stairs. He, like the others, was not looking for Inoadar, and so he did not see him. The mage exited the house in time to see a brutish man in armor flailing away at one of the men he'd asked to take position. In a moment, he discerned the man lost, focusing instead on the last guard.

The man was injured, perhaps not fatally, but painfully and when the Dhani turned to deal with him, picking up his club to dispatch the gibbering guard, Wrenmae called out to him.

"You're a long way from home, Dhani." No doubt he'd have the thing's attention...knowledge of their kind was, as Wren gathered, not common.

Out came his rapier and long dagger, one in each hand. Res gathered along his arms and pooled around his blades as he walked forward toward the gate and the mercenary.

"Let's review the facts. You'll have to kill all of us if you want to keep your identity a secret. Not many men your size in Ravok and you're obviously not Ebonstryfe. That puts you at a disadvantage. If it's all the same to you, I'm hired for the rest of the evening to deal with trash like you...and you're leaving blood all over my employer's lawn."

He paused a distance from the snake-man, an easy smile on his face.

"Let's make a deal, shall we? You leave that disappointment at your feet alive till I'm good and dead. If you can kill me, then you can have anything in the house...it's yours. But if I win, and you yield...you work for me until I terminate your employment."

Both blades rose, caught the moonlight and then fell. "If you're confident in your strength, face me...you have no other choice. But you can always feel free to run...I'll even be a friend and let you retreat."

[Kyodaija]

Kyo's finishing blow was abruptly interrupted as a young wistful looking man approached him weapons snug at his sides. He appeared to be the leader of this rabble. Something Kyo had thought the loser Knucklehead was in charge of... This man had an aura of confidence none of the men he faced thus far seemed to have. He called out to Kyo "You're a long way from home, Dhani." not surprising that the cat was out of the bag after the 2 men ran into the house earlier.

The man continued his weapons now drawn to bear "Let's review the facts. You'll have to kill all of us if you want to keep your identity a secret. Not many men your size in Ravok and you're obviously not Ebonstryfe. That puts you at a disadvantage. If it's all the same to you, I'm hired for the rest of the evening to deal with trash like you...and you're leaving blood all over my employer's lawn."

This drew a chuckle from the otherwise stoic Kyo now lowering his club into a defensive posture directed at his new adversary.

"Let's make a deal, shall we? You leave that disappointment at your feet alive till I'm good and dead. If you can kill me, then you can have anything in the house...it's yours. But if I win, and you yield...you work for me until I terminate your employment."

Kyo liked the mans bluster. He was quite blunt and direct, not prancing about the subject at hand at all, while simultaneously trying to negotiate the life of this weakling at his feet!

He did not like that the man was not the least intimidated knowing that Kyo was a Dahni. He concentrated his Djed on the man trying to discern more about him. All he could tell after a moment of concentration was that the man was also manipulating Djed into his weapons similarly to how Kyo did with his Flux magic, though to what end Kyo did not know...

The man spoke again finally after the moonlight brandished off his small blades... "If you're confident in your strength, face me...you have no other choice. But you can always feel free to run...I'll even be a friend and let you retreat." Kyo no longer wore an amused expression after his last comment.

"I am a Dahni warrior... I will not retreat to a man wielding prissssssy bladesss sssuch asss yoursss..." Kyo moved his club into a more ideal position for a charge his rage welling up inside him. "I alwaysss hasss the choice..." his eyes narrowed dangerously as he spoke his last words... "I am the predator, you... are the PREY!"

Kyo charged forward letting his club come in with all his might and unintentionally released in his blind rage a burst of djed now far beyond what he should be doing in a single evening, accelerating his strike much more powerfully than intended at his foe.

[Inoadar]

Inoadar had waited until the guards left before approaching the stairway again. He heard voices and the creak of floorboards and ducked back into the Sun Room as a thin man with the look of a servant jogged by, turning and disappearing into a different part of the manor.

Inoadar wished the man had gone outside instead of into the house. He had this sinking feeling the man would step out around some door at the worst possible time. He was listening to get some idea of where the man had gone, and what he was doing, when he heard a grisly death scream from the gate. Even through the closed doors, he could tell the direction of THAT one.

He was just thinking he heard the sounds of a creaking water pump from the back shadows of the house when he heard another voice from upstairs. The muffling of floors and ambiance of the echoing hardwood made the voice impossible to recognize or he might have realized Wrenmae was the man upstairs. Instead, he ducked back a third time, cursing the number of people on the 'petching second floor' and stayed still and silent as the last man went to the front door and stepped through.

He drew his dagger in frustration, vowing that he would kill the next bastard that came down the stairs, and raced quickly but quietly up the stairs. He crouched for the last several steps as he looked directly ahead, through two main doors which opened onto a game room of some sort. No one was there so he made a snap decision to go right instead of left, listening and sniffing at doors if they were closed, taking quick peeks in, if they were open.

He smelled perfume through the first closed door and took that to mean it was not the room he was looking for. The next door was not as stately and gave off a musty smell, which he associated with a storeroom. He went on. The next door was ajar and looked to be a washroom. This left one remaining closed door on this side. It smelled of stale cigar smoke and animal musk. He checked the door knob. It was unlocked.

He thought this might be a sign that it wasn't the right room. If it had some hugely valuable rare book, one would expect it to be locked. He opened the door a crack, peering through. He saw no one, and continued to see no one as he slowly opened the door fully, the dagger poised to impale the chest of anyone surprising him.

Then he spied the bookcase! Okay this made some sense now. This was a serious hardwood bookcase with some top grade locks on the doors. Inoadar laughed at the foolishness. He had not been employed to hide the theft. 'The glass can be smashed in a fraction of the time it would take to pick the lock!'

He stopped suddenly, warnings going off in his head. There could be some glyph trap incised on the glass if he broke it. He was pondering what to do when he heard feet coming lightly up the stairs, the vaguely cringing voice of the servant calling "Sir? Sir? The fight has moved to the very gate itse-Uhhhhh..."

At the first sound Inoadar had sprang back to the door and grabbed a heavy wooden stand used to stabilize a stuffed eagle. As the servant popped through the door, Inoadar hammered him once on the back of his head, dropping him like a sack of potatoes. Then he dragged the man over by the arm, tore a gauntlet off a suit of armor, slipped it on the mans hand and swung the arm to shatter the glass of the locked door on the bookcase.

There was no lethal magic backlash. Inoadar shrugged, 'better safe than sorry.'

[Wrenmae]

The Dhani charged.

If Wren had to guess, he'd assume the fellow was the larger of the Dhani species...not small like the Viper he met in the Unforgiving, but more like Bones. That meant powerful, but not venomous.

Confident, of course. For the Dhani, humans were no more than prey. Bones had a difficult time respecting the young wizard back then, and this one was no different. Especially carrying the 'flimsy' blades he had chosen to fight with, the brute no doubt thought he'd pulverize the human instantly.

But he should have been more wary that a human had chosen to challenge him AFTER knowing what he was.

Kyo loomed above him swinging down his massive club. Fast. Too fast even. Wrenmae hurled himself to the side in a roll as the club bit into the courtyard, tearing grass and earth asunder. Wrenmae came up in a crouch, and Kyo was already turning to where he had moved, charging forward and swinging again. This time Wren stood and spun around the club, narrowly avoiding the sharp teeth along its expanse as it bit earth. The impact nearly shook him off his feet, but he turned and ran his rapier along Kyo's back, shrieking it along the metal of his armor...and in the process, leaving his rest to cling to the giant's back.

Roaring, Kyo turned again and swung sideways. Wren ducked under the heavy blow and brought his dagger up along his chestplate, another shrike of metal.

Kyo was big and slow, and the weapon he used was a predictable one. diagonal, up and down and sideways were the only realms of motion the club had. Luckily, the brute was inexperienced with it...he had the swing and the technique of a man who had always relied on superior strength to win rather than skill. Against Wren, he wasn't nearly as effective.

Another downward swing and Wren dove out of the way, rolling back toward the gate and the torches there. Kyo approached blindly, anger clouding his face and narrowing his eyes.

The scar...the glazed over left eye.

A blindspot.

Every time Kyo swung, Wrenmae ducked into the left field of his vision, cheating him a line of site. In this way he dodged back, forward, again to the left, till they were beneath the torches at the main gate.

Wrenmae dodged another blow barely, getting to his feet as his breath came in short spurts. Kyo filled his vision, already preparing to bring down the club and obliterate this annoying opponent.

But Wren smiled and activated his res.

Both flames from beside the gate leaped from the torches and immolated the back of the Dhani, searing fire that are up around the back of his head and roared across his body. Roaring, Kyo swung his club behind him, convinced another had attacked him from behind.

His club found nothing and Wrenmae took a few needed breaths and retreated back across the courtyard.



********************


In the trophy room, Inoadar had used Paliman to break the glass to the bookcase. Behind him, lain beside a dagger, the flask Wrenmae had kept behind flared a bright blue and was no longer a flask.

A copy of Wrenmae sat on the table behind Inoadar, plucking the long dagger easily off the table and slipping to the ground behind him. Zan, an individualist at heart, expended a small amount of Djed to switch his face around a little, make the angles sharper, his hair longer and blonde.

"Evening gent," He said casually, "I see you're having trouble with the glass case. Tricky bit, that. You see...to open it you need to use a key." Inoadar turned sharply pulling up his dagger and for a moment, Zan's eyes widened in recognition.

"I can see where you got confused. Gauntlet...key...what are the differences, really? Both metal right? But you see, without the actual key...I don't think I can let you take anything."

He frowned, tossing his dagger up and catching it.

"How about we call a truce. You go and learn the difference between a gauntlet and a key, and I keep guarding the stuff in the bookcase. Peace?"

[Kyodaija]

Kyo's back was ablaze with the agony of flames. Not often had an opponent dared to strike him from behind and his bloodrage was at it's peak. He spun to see his assailant but there was no man behind himself... It was then he spied the young warrior out of the corner of his eye with another brisk smile on his face, was he perhaps the caster of this spell? There was too little proof to go on and Kyo was far to in pain to care.

He jumped backward into the grass and rolled out the flames on his back. Hoping to smother the flames in the dirt. After a moment he managed to defeat the blaze only to then see the warrior preparing himself for kyo to charge again... Kyo was wary now of the dancing warriors blades. Realizing that he was simply being toyed with. His club was to slow for to hit an opponent of such skill so another tactic would be necessary...

He Gripped his club and stood up from the ground grabbing a handful of grassy dirt on his way back into a standing position. Again predictably charging the warrior head on he tossed the dirt at the mans face. He deftly dodged as Kyo had predicted. But Kyo had another trick up his sleeve.

Instead of swinging his unwieldy club at the foe he in a single motion let go of his weapon while taking a right handed hook at the man's face. He almost managed to dodge Kyo's blow but took a slight clip to his shoulder while trying to spin out of the way. Enough to knock him off balance, where Kyo then took advantage and bull rushed the man tackling him to the ground.

The man was skilled though and managed to slip his long dagger into Kyo's arm on the way down to the ground, sliding it straight through his arm using his momentum against Kyo. The pain coursed through the limb but Kyo would not get another chance like this if the man started taking him seriously. Pinning the mans rapier arm down and wrenching the dagger from his other hands grasp using his own arm as leverage.

He wound up his spiked fist intending to strike the mans face meaning to end this in a single blow like usual. He coursed Djed through his arm again causing blood to squeeze out of his bulging arm impaled by a dagger. All the while he began feeling rather drunk with power from the overuse of his magic.

"Battle isss ssso INVIGORATING!" he sang as he drove his fast toward the mans face.

[Inoadar]

"Evening gent, I see you're having trouble with the glass case. Tricky bit, that. You see...to open it you need to use a key." The voice was like ice water down Inoadar's spine. He started violently, then pivoted on his left foot, dropping into a crouch and pulling his dagger.

He thought he must be going mad. It was Wrenmae! Relief swept through him...and yet...something wasn't right. The sense of relief was not the same as it had been for many days now. The expected wave of calm and pride that always accompanied it was lacking. He suddenly felt shame...or rather, he thought he ought to. Surely if Wrenmae had been able to sneak up on him like this, and caught him red-handed, there would be a subtle disappointment in his voice. Not that he would focus on the illegal aspect of it, but by how easy he'd been undone.

Yet, instead of any down-talking over his vulnerability, there was sarcasm! It was not like Wrenmae. Unless he'd been deliberately misrepresenting his personality all this time. But why do that? And why stop now? Was this the culmination of some plan that now no longer required the calm, understated demeanor he'd displayed from day one?

Inoadar was not listening to the subsequent verbal digs by his so-called assistant. He was recalling the sketch on the guard's alert sheet, the mention of 'the assassin's' tendency to use a messenger disguise, and now an oddly misbehaved familiar face. This was adding up to indicate an extraordinary amount of anticipation of Inoadar's arrival here.

Inoadar turned back to the bookcase, keeping his arms at his sides, so Wrenmae would not have any immediate cause to act against him removing anything. Of course, he might anyway, but his words seemed to suggest a willingness to wait. "So is this the home of your primary employer, then? Don't you think you ought to check on the fight out there, Wrenmae? The item in here is more important, then?"

He had been scanning the shelves as he spoke, trusting to the mail shirt and the steel-reinforced collar to give him protection from any initial attack his assistant might make. "Well, you may be interested to know that the item I was commissioned to steal is not even here. Did you hide it, knowing I was coming? If you knew I was coming, why didn't you warn me? You DO still want to learn my craft, don't you? Withholding knowledge of a trap, and then taking part in it is hardly the action of a man that wants to work with me, Wrenmae."

Inoadar sheathed his dagger, his look becoming sympathetically calculating. "Look, I don't want to be at odds with you. And it seems I don't have to be, given that the target of my contract is not here. But I was wondering...Can you tell me why we don't squeeze ALL the sap from the noose vine to make "Lost Tongue" poison?"

'Wrenmae' looked about to respond casually, but suddenly caught himself with surprise. He suddenly cringed and a look of great concern came over his face. He turned to look at the door, anxiously bobbing on his feet.

"What's the matter, Wrenmae, can't you remember?" Inoadar taunted, digging the figurative knife in the wound. "We went over this just the other day. You even performed the step yourself. Is it possible you're not really Wrenmae?" he sneered.

"I AM AS MUCH WRENMAE AS HE IS!" the figure snapped back. The emotion in his voice backing Inoadar up a step. A flash of insight stoked his understanding and he suddenly knew what he would find at the gate. He bolted past the image of Wrenmae, still not knowing who, or what, it was, but having an idea. He leaped the railing and landed halfway down the staircase, charging the front door, the echo of 'Wrenmae's' voice following him, "HURRY!"

[Wrenmae]

The Dhani was on top of him and all Wren could see was muscle, steel, and a single blazing eye. He'd already extinguished the lanterns at the gate and the yard was cast in jagged shadows.

A spray of warm blood splattered across his face as Kyo dragged his dagger out of his arm and Wrenmae spit at the copper taste of it. His rapier arm was pinned under the leviathan and even by the shadows, he brought a spiked fist back, gushing blood, ready to cave in Wren's face.

He may have spoke. A chorus of snakes may have risen as one to complete his sibilant sentence, the only thing in Wren's mind was the tremor of his heart, the sound of veins roaring for life. He would not die here, not to filth like Kyo. Not for a job he only took for the coin.

The remaining res he had gathered swept up onto Kyo's hand and as he drove the fist down, converted into a tremendous blast of wind, tearing his blow off course and smashing it into the ground beside Wren. In the moment of confusion, Wren rammed his fist against the Dhani's jaw, curled his fingers and caught the wound his dagger had made entering the snake man's arm, dug his fingers in, hooked them, and pulled.

Kyo roared in agony as Wren's nails shifted into scything black claws, burrowing into the muscle of his arm, instinctively he released the rapier arm to tear Wren's other arm from the wound, his body shifting and convulsing as shifted toward his Dhani half form.

No doubt he would do so to increase mass and thrash his smaller opponent to death. But Wren brought the handle of his rapier against Kyo's temple once, again, and again, dazing the snake man enough to squirm out from under him.

Kyo was less human and more animal now, thrashing and roaring as he turned to seek the opponent that had eluded his crushing embrace. Rearing up before the mage, he prepared to engulf him with both arms, to squeeze the human against his chest till all the bones in the damn thing were dust, and life had long left the corpse.

But he found himself impaled, the rapier buried halfway in his side.

Kyo reached toward Wren, but it brought the blade father into his body and finally, energy leaving him, the wild flow of flux having ravaged his body as well as the wounds sustained, completely decimating his fighting spirit. Kyo slid wetly off the blade and back onto the grass, holding his hand against his side as blood poured from his arm.

Wrenmae gasped for breath, standing over him, his eyes a flat wrath.

"If you can survive the night, expect me to have work for you as soon as you're useful again."

He stumbled away from the Dhani, pausing to rest against the guardhouse. Through the front doors, Inoadar burst out, leaving Zan behind to resume his true form in the study.

Soaked with blood, he must have looked like a horror, trudging toward Inoadar, wiping his blade against the grass as he moved. Before both men met, they paused, a twenty five foot distance between them.

They both understood that what Inoadar had seen inside was not necessarily something he was supposed to have.

"Well," Wren gasped, spitting snake blood to the courtyard, "I suppose you'll want explanations."

[Kyodaija]

Kyo was in a daze now, his blood thirst thoroughly dispelled after the thorough trashing received by this warrior. He spoke some words to Kyo that he did not quite understand, something about work maybe?... He realized he had lost a considerable amount of blood, and his muscles cried out in agony; more than likely a side affect of overgiving to his flux magic...

He saw a man come out of the building whom had a far different appearance then the other guards here, he looked more like a sneak thief than an actual guardian of this place. All the same the 2 men seemed familiar with one another despite the rather morbid appearance of Kyo's adversary.

Kyo had never lost in battle, except perhaps to his father. It was the most shameful feeling he had ever experienced, but at the same time this man showed him that he had much to learn.

Kyo could still hear the pitiful wails of the half beaten to death guard he had left just outside the gate next to the ruined bodies of the other 3 guards he had slain. Perhaps it would have been a greater mercy to end the poor fools life, for similar to Kyo it would appear without proper medical treatment death was more than a possibility.

The two men began talking to one another in tones that indicated something was very queer about this whole situation. Kyo simply listened to the two. Not truly knowing what his next move should be.

He leaned heavily against one of the stone pillars of the gate, and listened.

[Inoadar]

Inoadar stopped a few steps beyond the front porch and stared, his expression a blend of anger, surprise and relief.

"Oh yes, there are most definitely some explanations I want." Inoadar began, raising his finger in an accusing manner. "Especially if I should suddenly feel an irresistible impulse to believe whatever you tell me. I don't know exactly what you've done to me, but I want it stopped!"

His demeanor softened a little, "It's going to backlash on you. I enjoy working with you, Wrrr-..." his eyes narrowed, and he looked beyond the man, reconsidering the wisdom of speaking his name aloud. He looked back at Wrenmae now, shrewd irritation manifesting as a sour smirk. "...at least I think I do, I'm not that sure anymore...But if this continues there will come a time where I will be suspicious of everything you say or do, for fear you've manipulated my opinion to serve your ends."

It looked like Wrenmae was going to say something, but Inoadar held his hand up to stall. "But that can wait. There may be little time. I've got some explanations for you too." He directed his voice to the bloody reptilian monstrosity near the gate. "BOTH of you." He motioned for Wrenmae to follow him back to where Kyodaija was grimacing, whether from the pain of his wounds or the annoying bleating of the mauled guard, he did not know.

Inoadar aimed an angry boot at the head of the remaining guard. The ugly thump was accompanied by Inoadar's harsh demand to "Shut the petch up!" Satisifed with the guard's silent slump, he turned to face both of the others. "Here's the deal. We've been set up. Or at least myself and..." he directed a pained look at the wounded Dhani "...this...guy...have been. I assume you are the "distraction" I was promised?"

The snake-man didn't seem to know what Inoadar was talking about, but let him continue. "Okay, two days ago I was hired to steal a rare, old book from the trophy room in there." He waved in the general direction of the manor. "I told the guy that hired me that I'd need a distraction. I'm inclined to believe it's you, snake-man, considering the temendous...uh...well...distraction...you created. And the fact that my friend here..." he indicated Wrenmae. "stayed inside right up until the very chime before I got in the room."

Now his expression darkened at some unseen adversary. "But the book was not there. Instead I find several indications that my arrival was anticipated by the owner of this place. AND the presence of a bodyguard fully capable of...stopping...me." He looked at Wrenmae as he said it. Now a malicious grin spread across his features. "But I know who's behind it, and he doesn't know that I know this man." He reached into the tunic of the guard he had drugged earlier, still asleep in the guardhouse, and pulled out the alert sheet.

He showed it to Wrenmae and then to Kyodaija. "As you can see it has a sketch of my face, and a warning to be on the lookout for an assassin dressed in a messenger's...well...dressed just like me!" The grin became a scowl. "And there's only one man that knows I use a messenger disguise for jobs like this. The Petching Son-of-a-bitch knows, because I used it when I helped him take over his rival's industry, and NOW he pulls THIS shyke!"

"So here's what I propose we do..." his eyes narrowed in calculation as he looked at the guard he had kicked "We're going to dress that whiny asshole in my outfit..." he looked at Wrenmae, "Then you're going to finish him off, thereby fulfilling your duty as bodyguard." He turned his eyes to Kyo, "You're going to get medical help and collect your money for doing YOUR job..." Inoadar pulled his dagger and ran his thumb along the blade's edge lovingly, "And I...who was never supposed to get paid anyway, will collect my reward in a different fashion."