Ventrizza Azyan's Story

Ventrizza Azyan

Morning had long since awakened the woman long before the sun reigned high in dreary skies. In her chambers, a thin sheet of white fabric was draped over her torso and chest, ending just short of her navel. Below that, her breasts were tapered with a cardinal bandage, ensuring that it was loose and properly fitted. While she often utilized her own body for her work, there wasn't much use in showing it off to everyone beneath the sheen of her top. After wriggling on a pair of harem pants, which bellowed and gave no hint of having either slender limbs, or robust ones, she threw on her leather bound sandals, and headed toward the Southern Guild Ward. Through the tavern district, then the bazaar, she was quick on agile feet, and skated easily through the hearty crowds in both places. The only hazard would be the thieves, however, she was sure that she could handle a petty swindler or pick-pocket should it take place. As of this very moment, the only armaments to adorn her figure were ringed melee fastened with loops upon her hip. The others had been left to idle at Sethur's Hand.

A dash of ruby locks tailed her as Ventrizza quickly pushed through the throngs of the southern bazaar, and her feet were cat-like and speedy. Against the hard cobblestone, her gait held the sound of a ghost floating in a silent dark corridor. The female was by no means an amicable spirit; shortened temper, a joyful antagonist. Most of the time, if she was not in the domain of Sethur's Hand, she found herself in the most lowliest tavern wrecking havoc on the men, or swindling merchants for their all-too pricey artifacts. The taverns were here most likely place, as she enjoyed a squabble or two with those of brawny make that think they could so easily pummel the 'fairer sex'. But she was small, and in comparison to those thickly built males with flanks of muscle pulsing at every finger lift, a diminutive stature had far more eye-fleeting movements.

Passing, finally, through the bazaar with no spilt blood, Trizza breached the threshold of the guild ward. Few lingered through these treacherous veins, and two set eyes upon some stranger was a rare sight. That was why, upon viewing the backsides of two men, she stopped momentarily. None of the opposing sex in Sethur's Hand displayed such audacity to wandering aimlessly instead of entertaining the ladies of the guild. The only thing that could creep upon her mind in regards to the pair, was that they were from The Rakkath's command. Now, this particular woman could be very brash and quick to act, which gave her trouble by the plenty. Her silently judgmental mind was the reason for her being so abrasive by nature. It was the unknown that got people killed in Daggerford; the inability to be cautious and fathom every possible outcome or motive of a person in close proximity.

Movement ignited in her quiet feet again, but slower was her pace this time. Listening carefully to their musings, she figured that they would make the attempt to get in with Sethur's Hand. Still, it was strange to her, for did word not get around that the leader abhorred the likes of men? Certainly they did not hear word of their power, as many could speak ill about a band of women wielding blades. Hazel eyes delved in a space further than the brothers, and she saw the visage of the guild's face. They were close. Too close for her taste. Thus, she maneuvered nearer to them, but stayed to their rear. In soft tremors of her vocals, she spoke with nothing but truth, "Word drifts that the leader of Sethur's Hand would detest the likes of men. If you are of The Rakkath, you are better off leaving this course."

She was sure that the woman that held power in Sethur's Hand would sooner maim the two men than accept them. It was best to forewarn them, rather than have to witness yet another down creature that would have to be cleaned up and dumped somewhere. Ceasing her movement, she was patient in regards to waiting for them to let off this course and turn around. Faces. Her eyes wished to settle upon faces, for one never knew who their next enemy might be. A name hadn't been spoke of either the wrathful leader of Sethur's Hand, or herself. Right now, she could hardly see it necessary, and it was just an extra step of precaution. Not that anyone knew the name of their notorious leader, only that she went by Noxia. "Go find another guild, or go back to The Achaz, as it would be arduous to convince Sethur's Hand of your allegiance." It was true. Noxia was paranoid about the spell of spies from The Rakkath's hands, as they were a glorious guild, and one that was not burdened by loss. Yet.

A part of her wished that they would be of The Achaz, and another hoped that their conquest in seeking out a guild was truth. Her mood was not soured with aggression this morning, but she could use the training.

Kilel had to hold back a smile as his brother reluctantly consented to his plan. While he couldn't really keep his brother in line all of the time, he could generally motivate him to do work for at least part of the day. Being Saren's older brother, he knew how to push Saren's buttons in much the same way Saren would push his own. Now it was time to put his brother's promised productivity to good use. They walked into the southern ward, looking to find what passed for suitable employment in these parts before his brother's interest began to wander too far. That also meant he would need to find something before too many attractive women went by, his brother was particularly easily distracted and enticed by their charms, though people who knew their past, Saren's in particular would wonder why that was still so. In his mind, Kilel briefly thought through some of the defining moments of his brother's life, events that made him who he was. And he understood where others did not, the motivations, events, and choices that made Saren who he was. It was inevitable, given what had happened, Saren could be no other person. Thinking on it for a moment, Kilel put that line of thought aside for another time. It would take more than an afternoon's idle thought to review the defining moments of his brother's life. And this was not a place he could afford to walk through in a distracted state of mind.

Looking through the guilds, trying to find one worth associating with was a dubious proposition at best. Some of these guilds seemed just as likely to stick a knife in someone as consider accepting them. In fact, most of them were like that. Low caliber bounty hunters and thieves. That was all that seemed to inhabit these parts. Wandering the ward for what seemed like a long time, even to Kilel, he began to wonder if they shouldn't give up here and search a different ward, especially if they could not locate Sethur's Hand. Since even he was beginning to question the point of continuing, it came as no surprise when Saren finally lost his patience. "Enough of this endless wandering, let us simply skip ahead of all the small fries because frankly I am bored beyond measure. Now I know you brother, you would not come looking unless you had at least one guild in mind already. So for the love of all things holy let us get to the real reason you brought us to the Southern Ward."

While Kilel understood his brother's sentiments, this was not the place for such outbursts. Drawing attention like that was a good way to get oneself killed in this city. Mindful of the attention the outburst drew, Kilel drew his brother into a side alley. He whispered urgently to his brother, saying, "Brother, I know you are impatient. But outbursts like that will only serve to draw unwanted attention to us, and that will get the both of us killed. I don't know about you, but I have no intentions of dying in this hellhole. But as it so happens, you are correct. Enough of this tedious wandering, I do have a particular guild in mind."

Since the two of them were new to Daggerford, they did not know many specifics of the two warring assassin guilds. From what he had heard, the Achaz was traditionally the most powerful guild in the city, however Sethur's Hand had now risen to the point where it was capable of competing directly with them, and now the other guilds were being pulled into a conflict between the two guilds of assassins. As it so happened, he had heard that Sethur's Hand was predominantly a female guild. Many of the individuals he had talked to discounted the clan's power solely on this alleged fact. However, Kilel recognized this as closed-minded thinking. If being composed mainly of women was true weakness, then the guild would not be one of the top two most powerful guilds in the city. While Kilel had no real leanings one way or the other in this conflict, he did have reasons for choosing to approach Sethur's Hand first. For one thing, they were certainly viewed as the underdogs in this battle, regardless of how strong they were, the Achaz had more renown and seemed somewhat more respected, just from what he had heard in his short time here. Hopefully, being underdogs they would be more inclined to accept the assistance of himself and his brother. Secondly, their would come a time when the brothers would need to step from the shadows to claim what was rightfully theirs. On that day, they would need all of the renown, fame, and respect they could muster. Being on the winning side was important to that, and being the ones to push an underdog to victory in this matter would help them garner far more respect than helping an already strong force put the underdog down. Lastly, he had to take his brother into account. Sethur's Hand was notorious for using womanly charm to gain an advantage. Given his brother's...tendencies, he decided it would be much easier to work with Sethur's Hand than against it. Though he would never admit to the last point aloud.

As Kilel was about to explain to his brother that he was looking for Sethur's Hand, a soft, low-pitched female voice floated their way. "Word drifts that the leader of Sethur's Hand would detest the likes of men. If you are of The Rakkath, you are better off leaving this course."

A wry grin briefly flit across Kilel's face as he remarked to his brother, not looking away from the direction the voice had come from. "Well speak of the devil. On your toes Saren, let me handle this. Make sure i don't catch a knife in the back in the meantime." He said in a slightly louder voice, "You may show yourself. We mean no harm here. We are not men of The Rakkath. Contrary to what you seem to think, we are here to provide a service, and perhaps to gain the good graces of this leader you speak of." As new-comers to the city, the brothers were yet unfamiliar with what the Rakkath meant. Though Kilel was fairly sure it was not good to be associated with it in this part of the city. He made a note to find out more about who or what the Rakkath was. It would surely pay to know about such dangerous references if he planned on staying alive for any extended time. Remaining on his toes, he waited for a response from the woman, whoever and wherever she was. He had been intentionally vague in his response to her as he was not in the habit of divulging concrete information to anyone who happened to call out to him. Still, he hoped this stranger could provide him with some information he could use. Though the part she had said about men was a little disconcerting. He hoped they weren't making a terrible mistake seeking out the Sethur's Hand guild...

A small chuckle rumbled deep within her chest as Kilel Niordan spoke. As she had been standing still, she allowed his words to sink into her ears. Still, suspicion lay at every corner of their vile city, and it was all the wiser not to trust anyone. At the same time, he had no real reason to weave lies, so boldly beginning to enter the devious threshold of a woman that would snare a man just to shed flesh from his bone. You may show yourself. We mean no harm here. We are not men of The Rakkath. "Why, I am right behind you. I am not hiding, just silently striding." It was hard not to find that fact that he thought she cowered in the shadows mildly amusing. What would he think her for? She was no doe, and he no ferocious lion. A slender build barely shrouded to leave much to the imagination, wedged in between the two men. Yet, she did not cease her movements there. Her figure parted from them at a leisurely pace, and a careless one. It would seem that maybe she was not afraid of drifting about among the cluster of guilds teeming with crime often dubbed too ugly for the feint of heart. Thankfully, she was not that type of female. Ventrizza held a thick air of relentless confidence, but she did not think for a moment that she would not be out-bested. Anyone could be.

As the Niordan brother continued to speak: Contrary to what you seem to think, we are here to provide a service, and perhaps to gain the good graces of this leader you speak of., she smiled with her backside steadily fleeting from them. "Ah, you wish to gain entrance into Sethur's Hand. That is, my friend, a very wise decision given your options. Mind you, there is no good grace about our leader. Though, now that I think about it," in mid stride, she turned to face them with an index finger imprinting upon her chin. A cheery pensive expression held onto her features, and she cast her eyes upward toward the endless skies, "there is a small problem that she would see quelled. Of course, it would be hard upon a good man's heart to commit such an atrocity." Her hip flexed outward, and she had a small sway stemming from her ankles. Shaking her head, she waved them off as she pivoted on her heel to face her destination once more.

"It may be too tasking of you. If you think that you could kill without question or second thought, then you may follow me. If not, turn back from whence you came and seek out other hazards." She recalled Noxia speaking of the mission before, but no one else would do it. Quite frankly, the redhead did not like to get her hands wet with the blood of the innocent. Perhaps these two men would see no care of it. They appealed to her as very new faces, not quite native to the city of Daggerford, much less Pathos. The individual she spoke of had nothing at all to do with the guilds as far as she, herself, could see. Yet unknowingly, she had catered to opposition for far too long, and that vexed Noxia to no end.

Ventrizza had no idea who this female was, and she really did not care to know. The best thing about her employ as that she did not need to inquire, nor dapple in the business of anyone around her. Instead, she did as she was bade to, and carried her tasks out flawlessly. If the pair trailed her willingly, they would be well on their way to getting their foot into the maw of Sethur's Hand. It was a stroke of chance. All they may get in is a foot before they are quickly booted out. Placing her hands idly behind her back, she wove fingers together and moved with a joyful countenance about her. There was no reason to be gloomy all of the time, and she was a generally jovial person. On the outside, anyway. These two men were advantageous to their cause, and she knew how to hone such gifts sent forth from the gods. That was what she was - a trickster, and an abuser of people's situations. It couldn't be helped. It was a dog-eat-dog world, and she was not going to be consumed by letting merits just pass her by.

She just didn't want to get handed the job, really. It was better that they do it than herself. That is... if they chose to follow.

Saren

It wasn't really a problem to attract attention as far as Saren was concerned, in fact he rather liked attention as it tended to make things interesting. He had other reasons for not worrying as well, mainly because, outburst or not, he knew that he and Kilel could handle themselves, it was proven fact. Yet Kilel being overly cautious, or responsible, though Saren preferred to use the first description, dragged him into a side alley. He even went as far as to speak in a whisper, like anyone really cared much about what they had to say. Saren couldn't help but sigh, still listening but with a look of boredom plastered on his face. "Brother, I know you are impatient. But outbursts like that will only serve to draw unwanted attention to us, and that will get the both of us killed. I don't know about you, but I have no intentions of dying in this hellhole. But as it so happens, you are correct. Enough of this tedious wandering, I do have a particular guild in mind." Yes, because dragging us into an alleyway doesn't make it easier for assailants at all... What a wise decision. Sarcasm aside he didn't yell again but neither did he whisper, he simply spoke in his normal calm voice, granted there was a lack of the usual enthusiasm. "Well then what are we waiting for, if you have a guild in mind I am sure there is good reason for it. Should we not just head straight to the guild in question?" It was a rhetorical question but he spoke it seriously, his impatient side not quite understanding the point of wandering around when Kilel had an idea in mind from the start.

Kilel of course didn't get to the point quite quick enough, before he could speak further on the issue of which guild they were here to investigate his attention was dragged away. The faint sound of a voice catching his brother's attention, and while he didn't much care if someone was nearby Saren couldn't help but hear it as well. "Word drifts that the leader of Sethur's Hand would detest the likes of men. If you are of The Rakkath, you are better off leaving this course." Oh, the leader of Sethur's Hand detests men, first I have heard of it, though I haven't been paying all that much attention. Can't particularly blame her now can you, women are so much better. It does make me curious though... Saren smirked amusing himself with thoughts of the Sethur's Hand leader being some sort of kinky man-hating fiend, whipping the men under her command into shape quite literally and other such thoughts. It was one of those situations where while he knew he should take it seriously he just couldn't. It wasn't that he underestimated the guild either seeing as he had heard the name, although he knew almost nothing of it, and when a name comes up often enough in the idle chatter in Daggerford it indicates a certain renown.

Unfortunately Kilel didn't seem to find humor in the situation as Saren did. No, instead he turned towards the voices point of origin with a grin that usually meant trouble. "Well speak of the devil. On your toes Saren, let me handle this. Make sure I don't catch a knife in the back in the meantime." And why would you catch a knife in the back... Whoever it is was just issuing a warning, not that dastardly a deed. Saren knew words wouldn't stop Kilel's one track mind so he didn't bother voicing them. To Kilel it was no doubt showtime, time to try and learn more about Sethur's Hand. Knowing this Saren didn't make a move, he simply leaned back against the stone wall of the alley and kept his eyes on Kilel, keeping a lax lookout but not reaching for a weapon or even pretending to put himself on guard. He honestly didn't feel the intent of an ambush, it was a warning, harmless. The fact was that especially for assassins and thieves warnings were only issued if a fight was to be avoided. It was when there was no warning you had to be careful.

"You may show yourself. We mean no harm here. We are not men of The Rakkath." Yes brother because we both know that simply saying you mean no harm has a lot of merit, especially in this city... "Why, I am right behind you. I am not hiding, just silently striding." Saren was a bit surprised to see a very attractive and scantly clad woman pass right between himself and Kilel. Still, he made no move, only watched, his eyes roaming her body with no shame. In his mind anyone wearing such revealing 'armor', if it could even be considered armor and not just clothing, invited people to look. He felt inclined to like the woman right off, she seemed so very relaxed despite him and his brother, not that people really had a reason to fear them but it was nice, it revealed more about her than one would think. Of course her clothing, or lack thereof in so many places, didn't hurt.

"Contrary to what you seem to think, we are here to provide a service, and perhaps to gain the good graces of this leader you speak of." Kilel simply continued to talk, whether he enjoyed the sight of the woman as much as Saren did was uncertain. What was certain was that Kilel, as always, was keeping things strictly business. Saren did find it ridiculous that after the warning Kilel continued on to say they wanted to gain the good graces of the leader of Sethur's Hand. It almost made Saren laugh, how his brother talked about the good graces of someone who apparently disliked men to an extreme degree. It kind of destroyed any hope of good graces, if there was any to have in the first place. Of course, none of that much mattered, Saren found a challenge fun. As it so happened anything fun only came with a bit of effort. Saren would put in the effort if need be, and wouldn't mind checking out Sethur's Hand despite the disadvantage of being a man. In fact he was excited about the benefits of such a guild. That was, if the leader disliked men so much it implied that the guild was full of women and that was the best news he had heard since arriving at Daggerford, a guild comprised mainly of women... It sounded like paradise.

"Ah, you wish to gain entrance into Sethur's Hand. That is, my friend, a very wise decision given your options. Mind you, there is no good grace about our leader. Though, now that I think about it," Saren with great effort heaved his mind out of the gutter, his thoughts focusing back on reality, to the woman who, by this point, he assumed was part of Sethur's Hand. "there is a small problem that she would see quelled. Of course, it would be hard upon a good man's heart to commit such an atrocity." A problem that could be hard upon a good man's heart, I suppose it is lucky that we are not good men... Though atrocity does give me concern, makes the possibilities all so dark. Of course with the concern came curiosity and at that point Saren was in, he was ready to go check out the guild and see what this mission could be that would be so hard on a good man.

"It may be too tasking of you. If you think that you could kill without question or second thought, then you may follow me. If not, turn back from whence you came and seek out other hazards." Oh and there is our invitation, how lucky. Saren had been sold on visiting Sethur's Hand some time ago and with an invitation and possible work he was not about to hesitate now. He knew Kilel would be up for a visit as well, the man couldn't say no to a possible job offer, especially if it bought him favor with the leader of a guild he had his eyes on. So Saren just smirked, pushing himself off the wall and patting his brother on the back. "Come on now, let's make haste, you know, progress and all that." He shot Kilel a grin as he quickened his pace in pursuit of the beautiful guide. He would rather follow her as closely as possible, and he began speaking to the woman enthusiastically as he approached, "We will most certainly be joining you, no doubt we will find something of interest if we do. Besides, wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to arrive with one of Sethur's Hand's own beauties." His confidence was definitely strong, in fact it never ceased and although he knew it would have been wise to reign it in with all of the information he had, he wouldn't, that would be no fun. Besides, believe it or not, some people found him charming, and he seemed to grow on those who didn't, so best start clawing away at their barrier early.

"Why, I am right behind you. I am not hiding, just silently striding." Kilel's head turned sharply, looking over his shoulder to see the woman flow out from in between himself and Saren. How had she managed to get behind him? As she walked, glided rather it seemed, he noticed that she was a very attractive woman, and he suppressed a sigh as he could already tell Saren had eyes for the girl. There really was no helping him sometimes. Still, he was not about to get distracted by the woman or her feminine charms, he focused intently on her, already trying to get a read on her and her techniques. The shatterpoints were there, in every building, technique, and person, he just had to find them.

"Ah, you wish to gain entrance into Sethur's Hand. That is, my friend, a very wise decision given your options. Mind you, there is no good grace about our leader. Though, now that I think about it," The mystery woman was moving as quietly as anyone could, Kilel reckoned neither his brother nor himself were a match for her in terms of sheer stealthiness of foot. Still... Hmm she seemed rather confident in the Hand. But was it too much? Over-confidence was a fatal flaw in many, he even saw it in himself from time to time, despite his best efforts to squash it. Time would tell. And of course he had figured as much, murderers were not typically predisposed to having good graces, but it never, or at least it didn't often, hurt to try. He knew his brother hated the way he did things like this, approaching most things in a manner Saren called..."Strictly business." Well, confidence was key in this city. People here, master assassins in particular he figured, could take any sign of weakness as a reason to kill them. That being the case, he would continue to keep things, "Strictly business," never a moment of doubt, weakness, or hesitation apparent in his demeanor or his words.

Turning to face them, the woman struck a bit of a pose, and Kilel was certain that her confidence was not fake or inflated, it stemmed from genuine ability. He would need to be careful around this one, though that went without saying he supposed. "there is a small problem that she would see quelled. Of course, it would be hard upon a good man's heart to commit such an atrocity." If their had been any doubt before, it was banished now, this woman was without a doubt a member of Sethur's Hand. Saying nothing, Kilel allowed the woman to continue. "It may be too tasking of you. If you think that you could kill without question or second thought, then you may follow me. If not, turn back from whence you came and seek out other hazards." It appeared that the woman wanted them to kill someone. Shocking coming from an assassin, he thought sarcastically. Still, it was probably the girl's mission, and now she was handing it off to them. Whether as a test, or because she didn't want to do it herself mattered not. To Kilel, any job was worth doing if it advanced him closer to his endgame. If she was too lazy or weak of body or mind to get the job done herself, well then he was happy to take the burden from her. If the girl was not careful, she would find herself surpassed by the Brothers Niordan in no time at all. Ambition and drive were key after all.

Saren of course needed no motivation to go following after the attractive female assassin. Despite his prior thoughts and his ambitions, Kilel wasn't apt to move so hastily as his brother. It was entirely possible that they were walking into a trap, or perhaps some other sort of untenable situation. Still, confidence was key. When Saren patted him on the back saying, "Come on now, let's make haste, you know, progress and all that." Kilel nodded with a slight smile, saying, "Of course, only one chance to make a first impression." Still, as he followed the two back towards the Bazaars he kept a wary eye out. It would not do to die here after only having lived here for a few weeks. Though he was confident he and Saren could handle whatever situation they were thrust into, he wondered what Sirius might be up to. They could sure use him here as Saren was already trying his best to get them in hot water with his advances.