Closed [The Farmlands] B & E

[Imass]

Winter 40, 515AV, Half-Bell before sunset

Imass squatted motionlessly in a thicket of trees while he waited for Pulren to arrive on the scene. Fifty yards north of his location marked the edge of a wheat-field. The night before, the Knight had informed his work partner to arrive at the location ready for combat. The warrior made it clear to Pulren that the utmost discretion and secrecy should be used; he warned him to make his approach through the outlying forests and to remain hidden.

The Knight took this time to double-check all of his essentials for the job. His short-bow was strung and tense. Laid out on the floor he had new arrows, two sets of gloves, two hoods, a large hammer, and an iron wedge. Imass did not have much experience in the job at hand, but he logically figured that these tools would be necessary.

Finally, Pulren found him. Imass gave him a curt nod and stood to his feet, "I am glad to see you, Palaran," he said in a hushed tone, "Our job tonight will be brutal and short, but it will pay off,"

"Alija the Smithy has contracted me to retrieve stolen blacksmith schematics. My investigations have lead me to not only finding the perpetrators, but the location of said schematics," Imass pointed towards the wheat-fields, though they were not in view, "There is an old storage cellar there, ran by a group of upstart Skerrish Monks. They have stolen the schematics straight from the Eastern Monks, right from your friend's forge. We need to break into the cellar and get them back. I've been monitoring the location for a couple bells and it seems that their are guards within the storage facility. Not only that, they have locked the door from the inside. I have a sledge hammer and a wedge here to break it. As well as hoods and gloves to keep our identity a secret,"

Imass paused, "What are your proposed tactics?"

[Pulren Marsh]

He was honestly kind of surprised when Ser Imass brought work his way. He felt that it was a kind of gift in appreciation for bringing the shark job and its successes his way. Whatever the case, Pulren knew to be ready for combat and that whatever was happening would be at night. This prompted him to coat the tines of his trident in weapon tarnish, removing the glint of their steel from Leth's eye while keeping their sharp bite. He also bought himself a simple and supple square of leather, which he rolled until a one half of it at a corner hung in front of his face, making a convenient and simple mask. His shield was already a darker wood and gave no reflection.

Choosing a dark linen shirt to go with his ebon leather pants, he simply turned his new cape inside out so that the black rabbit fur lining was on the outside. Not nearly as warm and cozy, though the wool did its job, but it provided an excellent drape of darkness. Finding his way through the wilderness in the Southern Quarter, he found himself wondering why they would be revisiting the scene of their earlier victory. Had the shark spawned? Or had something more fiendish appeared in its wake? Whatever the case, he found the idea of lingering in the darkness once night came was foolery. Hopefully the purse would be worth the risk.

He found the Akalak waiting for him, standing and nodding. Looking over the items at his feet, he kept his mouth shut at first. It was Ser Imass' lead, after all. Satisfied at first that his mask also concealed his mouth's movements from the Akalak, he listened with no signal of recognition at the name Alija or her role as a smithy. Looking off in the direction of Ser Imass' extended finger, he listened on as it seemed that they were to not only break in to the Skerr monks' hidden vaults but to possibly assault the very monks that rewarded them with pay not so long before. He nodded on, listening, his anger swelling a little. He would keep it in check and there was a very simple way that everything would work.

Crouching down and kneeling, he looked over the items. He rolled his head around on his shoulders before giving a sigh. "A few things." He didn't look back at the Akalak, his eyes still on his own weapons and the tools of the trade presented. "From now on, you call me Uncle. Not Pulren, not Palaren. Uncle. I'd suggest you come up with a name too, unless you would like the monks here to know you as Ser Imass. Maybe one more reason to sneer against the Order. Also, it's your show. You want to call it off, it's off. You want to push forward, we go. You want to retreat, fine by me. We are going to play it your way because it is your show." His voice was slowly turning into a kind of whisper, a different tone than was probably ever presented to Ser Imass in his time of knowing the man before him. It sounded like paper slowly burning and turning to ash.

"If you want me to lead, I will, but it will become my show and I will call it. I won't until then, however. As far as my suggestions, they will have to come when we get within sight of the place. I know I won't be wearing a hood and I know that the quicker this goes, the better. Being out at night is foolish, even on this fool's errand. Keep it low, keep it quiet. Let's move out."

[Imass]

A low, guttural snarl escaped the Akalak's throat at the mention of calling Pulren: 'Uncle'. Imass winced and rolled his shoulders as deep-seated Riverian pride bubbled in his stomach. Pulren was a good man, but it would annoy him way to much to call him 'Uncle'. Imass' actual Uncle was a master warrior and huntsman who had slain many glass-beaks on plains of Cyphrus, not a mercenary from Zeltiva. Taking a deep breath, the Knight did not make his thoughts vocal.

"Yahal, help me remain pure," Imass thought to himself, but Garonn quaked, "Make the fool call you 'Uncle' in Tukant!" Imass objected, claiming it was dishonorable, Garonn persisted.

Just as Pulren was finishing his last words, Imass burst out-loud trying to quiet Garonn, "Nay!" That is when he realized, he was actually talking to his work-partner.

"Excuse me good sir," Imass quickly said seemingly un-embarrassed at his outburst, "After some thought, it will be tough for me to call you Uncle. It is a racial pride thing," Imass made no apology, looking Pulren in the eyes, "I have never used an alias, so if you want to call me friend: It is the Tukant word for 'friend' and as for being leader: whoever contracts the job is the obviously the lead, because they are ones responsible. Though your opinion on tactics is highly regarded, speak your mind!"

Picking up his tools, the Knight motioned over to Pulren and led him to edge of the forest, so that they were in view the their target, "It will be completely dark in less than half a bell," Crouching next to the tree, he pointed at the field below, "See those doors in the ground? That is it. My proposed tactic is we break the lock, you use your magic as a volley to provide us cover to run in - you take point - I'll let loose an arrow or two behind you then switch to unarmed combat. The quarters in their are cramped, its not a major store house, more like a secret location for the interlopers. The pycon I employeed said these skerrish monks are acting alone. I'd assume maybe two in there guarding the stolen schematics,"

"What say you?"

[Pulren Marsh]

Pulren thought he had made everything pretty clear. However, he was dealing with this blue man from Riverfall. He was also dealing with a Knight, which he found were quite different from any ideas he might have had as a boy. Whatever the case, Uncle was a word that Ser Imass didn't appreciate for one reason or the other. One thing that was a common thread was the quest for superiority. He just shook his head lightly as he listened to the explanation and shrugged at the offer of the word friend.

He looked straight at Imass in the waning light as he literally explained to him what he intended that the two of them do. The lock breaking, how Pulren would use his magic as a 'volley', how he would shoot a few arrows in cramped quarters and most importantly, how Pulren would take point. A light chuckle trilled from beneath the leather mask. "Listen, friend, I want to explain a few things to you. I know you came from Syliras and have a different viewpoint than I do, but this is ridiculous. I am staying here in Nyka when you leave to return to Syliras. This city isn't so large that no monk is going to remember my name if it is said. So, don't call me by name is the point." he stood now, letting the blue Knight know with his body language that he was not so keen on the plan as it was.

"You want me to go in first, not knowing what is in there outside of your secondhand information. On top of that, I am assuming that you expect us to kill the monks inside, all in order to retrieve 'stolen' schematics." He emphasized stolen with his fingers, to help display his own doubt in the validity of the claim. "Excuse me for saying so, Ser Imass, as I have only known one Knight, but is it so honorable to shed their blood so easily? You ask me for tactics? I have tactics." Crouching down on his haunches in what remained of the light, he drew a square in the dirt with an X over the middle. "The cellar." He made an I at a line from the jutting corner of the cellar doors at an angle. He then put a P on the opposite side.

"There are tall grasses in that field. We set up on either side. I will produce a rock with my magic and drop it on the door. It won't break the door, but it will cause them to unlock it on their own and then come out to investigate. If there are truly just a few monks inside, we should be able to take them one by one. And I mean to take them out by knocking them out. Not shooting them in the face with arrows. If we must enter, we do so as a last resort and we do so with demands, perhaps with one of their brethren as prisoner. Let's keep the bloodshed to a minimum."

"Now, there is one more point we must discuss." Standing again, he stood firmly with his arms crossed in a resolute manner. "When I brought you in on the shark hunt, I gave you your equal cut of the bounty. What is the reward for this schematic retrieval and what is my share?" You want to talk merc, Ser Knight? Let's talk in Laats.

[Imass]

Imass snorted, "I have no problem using alias to refer to each other, but I am not calling you Uncle. That is one thing I am not budging on. Can you not think of something else?"

The Knight began to crack his knuckles absentmindedly out of habit. Imass liked Pulren's revised tactic, but he was certain that it wouldn't work. Plus the question of honor was brought to the table, which also irked Imass. Waveguards did not go through the same philosophy lessons that the Knights had been through.

"Honor is a subject that I've been tried and tested," Imass rumbled softly, "There is no honor is trickery and deceit, despite such tactics being necessary to upholding the honor of the mission. I doubt that they will open the doors to a simple knock, they probably have some sort of password or the like. Also attempting to keep them alive will prove more danger on our end. That being said, I'll accept your suggestion, though I will slay those men without as much of a thought if I feel it is necessary,"

"As for compensation," Imass shifted in his stance and began to put on the gloves, "Alija has promised to acquire and forge armor in exchange for the schematic. Does that suit you? If not, we can barter with the plans I am sure,"

[Pulren Marsh]

So, it was pretty much the Knight's way or nothing. This didn't especially surprise Pulren, though it gave him more ideas about why he would never be a Knight. It was probably the fact that Knights were always around Knights, so they were used to doing things a certain way. He clearly understood the principle, he just couldn't get behind the application. There had to be some level of compromise. After all, it seemed Ser Imass was okay with trying not to kill monks, so that was something. There were only two, after all. Supposedly. Assuming all of the another information was accurate. Assumption was the nemesis of intelligence.

"I guess it doesn't really matter. If there are only two monks in there, this shouldn't be a big deal. I just want to avoid unnecessary bloodshed if I can. Let's do it." With that, he gathered up his belongings as Imass continued to talk, but ultimately he would start creeping toward the door. After all, it was locked from the inside, darkness was setting in and he was as hidden as he was going to be. With a slow scuffle, he worked his way toward the door, spotting any nearby tufts of tall grass that he might jump into should he need to disappear. He probably wouldn't disappear, but maybe? It was all sort of a guess at the moment.

Once Imass made it over to the door, Pulren waited on the side opposite. Both sides of the door would be covered at least. Crouched, his shield was up and his blackened trident was at the ready, the tarlike substance on the tines causing it to rest easily and securely on the edge of the wooden shield. At least from things like this, Pulren could study Imass, see how he operated. He could see how the knights handled things. He could see how not to pull off an operation, too. Yes, many things were about to be learned on this Nykan night. Seeing he was ready, he generated a fairly dense and heavy rock with his Res, concentrating and repooling it until it was weighty and thick, slinging it over to the door so it bounced with a resounding thud.

[Imass]

"Verily," Imass slipped on the hood grimly; black fabric tight on his face, with two holes for him to see out of. Syna was low in the sky and in moments darkness would descend on the land. The Knight proceed directly behind Pulren, taking deep breaths. Anticipation and anxiety crawled around his body like goosebumps on a cold day.

"Heh-" Imass let out a chuckle at the thought of assaulting the monks. Slaying a monster was one thing, but fighting human foes was another game. It had been three years since his last battle and he longed to slay a dishonest man, despite his agreement not to slay them if necessary.

Taking a knee on the opposite side of the cellar door, Imass paused for a tick to give Pulren a nod. He placed the hammer and chisel on the floor and strung an arrow, "They do anything funny, I'm shooting," Imass whispered.

Vigilantly, Imass looked around the area to make sure no one was approaching. Pulren did his magic and dropped a rock on the door. Imass drew the tension on his bow and waited.