Snippet #2466717

The first thing that Kryssis had been forced to reshape once her old life ended was her paranoia. There had never been a safe moment among her own people, even though she never really held much influence. She was often assigned to plan defenses, lead assaults or train children, but she had not possessed any real power. Mostly of her own doing. She knew the risks, and purposefully distanced herself from gaining substantial fame. It hadn't helped all that much, she still became a target for assassination attempts, and those always ended badly for the fools stupid enough to try her. Even then, there were always plenty more who thought they could somehow beat her at her at something she excelled at more than most Sidheghul: murder. Sometimes she could root them out by the way they looked at her or acted when she was near. Other occasions she had just felt something was wrong, and ended up turning around at just the right time.

All of that ceased the day the Brood swarmed them. They had known full well the enemy was coming, but despite their best laid plans the monstrosities had carved through them with stupid levels of ease. There was a reason the Sidheghul had never raided the Brood. For that matter, there was one for why nobody earned the wrath of a stronghold, or why not once had one ever been razed. They were few, but their capabilities equalled those of thousands more. Kryssis had not once imagined their strength, and the day she came to know it was on the same day she died. In any case, life drifting among cities was much less.. arduous? Or maybe that was just because she didn't get tired the same way anymore. Well, after a fashion it had turned worse for a while. So many people that her mind was working in overtime trying to assess potential threats, but few ever came. It had taken many months of retraining to get to the point where she was today, and even then she still hated them. Kill zones everywhere, too many people with different potential motivations to count. It was people like that who paid off her tribe's destroyers, as well.

Torn back to the moment by the arrival of an old man- Kryssis could smell the magic on him, or maybe it was the tobacco- she mentally sighed at the prospect of even more arriving. He was definitely a wizard, regardless. What he said to the captain surprised her. In that moment she realized he was either without his bearings, or very brave. In a way, both of those possibilities made him dangerous. It prompted the captain to step down away from the younger, rugged looking man and speak to him, after which he addressed them all. Work, huh? Her pride aside, she did not like the idea simply on the basis that paying should secure passage regardless. To her it sounded like a power play from the man. His authority was centered on the ship, after all. His own private island kingdom. She was forced aside when the Naralin and his Naraga companion pushed ahead, the former stepping up onto the gangplank and interjecting about some prearranged deal. Regarding them both inscrutably, Kryssis could pick up the signs of regality about them, especially the snake. Distinctly high born in the way she held herself. Wonderful.

Then the giant came forth, thumping toward the captain, reaching down and producing a sack of coins. No words, just a simple gesture. Interesting. Everyone else had seemed so intent on chatting about what they wanted. From a glance it was hard to tell whether they were simply being brusque or outright dumb: either of the definitions. With how crowded it was getting, Kryssis felt no obligation to join them just yet. She was content to wait until the line had thinned out a little, and so she turned her eyes back to the docks- to the milling bodies of the city- and just watched them.