House Asuras is the largest merchant house in Shelzar, and by extension the world. A family run business whose origins begin several centuries before the Great War, and even past the Slarecian war, started when those strange creatures abducted Drendari, daughter of Enkili, God (and Goddess) of Chaos. Throughout these wars, and the changes they wrought, House Asuras has prospered, which is the normal case of events when one doesn't mind supplying both sides, and of course, survives the gambit.
Lianca knew a great deal about Asuras. The Cult of Ancients has been queried many times regarding his life. The price was always too high for the prospective primaries; leaving them to contract less presumptuous bidders. Asuras just celebrated his 101st birthday, and his fourth wife is with child, leading one to believe that perhaps it is true, one gets what one pays for. None the less, with the amount of interest in Asuras' demise, and that interest growing as the years pass, the Ancients have kept tabs on him waiting for the time when someone who wants him dead, more than they want their own money.
There were those who made it a point to keep on good terms with the Ancients to insure that the dark well of skills they possessed was never tapped to draft their goblet. King Virduk, the Black Dragon of Vashon was just such a man, paying very handsomely every year for Lianca herself to travel the lands and assess the great and small leaders of each country and region. She has been to Mithril, to Hendrada, to all areas of Vesh and even the druid elf colonies of Vera Tre, and finally Burok Torn itself. The last was certainly a challenge. Though the plan she devised and tested successfully would certainly end the life of that great king; If Virduk is ever willing to pay the price.
While Asuras certainly made use of the Ancients as situations called for them, he didn't make it a point to insure his own safety with large sums. The use of assassins was a documented line item against the quarterly gross profits. On top of that, they were a resource to be used sparingly, or better yet, not at all. Not because of the cost, or moral implications (at least those morals we often think of as morals), but because they didn't work. Sure, the person was dead, but was there profit? Long term large growth profit? On the whole, both men, King Virduk and Asuras understood the truth about assassins, and both of them sought other means for far longer than their advisors might believe they should.
If you take a kingdom by invasion, and win, you generally are seen as the victor, and though some will continue to fight for their old way of life, most will capitulate to the victorious. Especially if temples are left standing, crops aren't burned, and women and children are not slaughtered.
Kill the king of that same country and you have won nothing. The country becomes outraged and resolute. The battles become holy wars, and women and children gladly enter the fray. There are times, few times indeed, when killing a strong leader, such as King Thane of Burok Torn might be beneficial. Perhaps. But there you are hoping that no one just as strong is able to take the throne.
Assessments only go so far. Total power and told authority changes a person. Some it corrupts, others blossom under reining rule; and what you thought was a mere weed is suddenly choking your battle field and ravaging your harvests. Assassination is a fool's mate play; Effective against small minds, deadly when used against those who know what they are doing.
They say that assassins know the true value of life, down to the last copper. Lianca knows this isn't true. Looking out the window of the lacquered black carriage, through the shear silk curtains, she watches Belsameth's moon rising from the ocean. The smooth road of the Alabaster bridge, which extends across the expanse of water to Asuras' island fortress, makes it feel as though she is gliding over the ocean below. She revels in these moments, these perfect singular seconds of time when everything around her is calm, and she feels a moment of pure peace.
Assassins know nothing about the value of life she decided long ago. She knows the value of death, and the cost of certain death. Of life, love, and simple joy she knows very little, and could not assess the value of such things for herself or anyone else.
Not too long ago she met a small halfling. A beggar. He was blind and walked with a small stick he used to find his way. He found a bench in a park and sat down, oblivious to the fact that she was sitting there as well. He sighed and leaned back, lifting his face to the sun, and smiled. Behind the cotton rag he used to cover his eyes, she could see the skin was melted, the way fire or burning might do. That it was an acid wound she knew from professional experience. But it was obviously a very strong acid, not something found in a cleaning company or most warehouses. An acid developed as a weapon.
"Are you a person who knows the value of things?" He suddenly asked her, turning his head slightly, indicating he knew she was there. Normally she would have ignored a beggar's banter and tale, but his voice resonated something in her, a drawing. Her instinct told her instantly that this was no beggar, and no mere halfling either. As harmless as he appeared in posture and dress, his calm and manner was a truer measure of just how dangerous he really was.
"I am." she answered, while slightly adjusting her hand to more easily reach one of many fine daggers hidden within the folds of her dress. She expected him to produce some trinket or minor gem, and continue his beggar line.
"What is five minutes of pure peace worth?" he asked. His face declined a little as if looking down at her hand; then he smiled warmly and leaned back again, relaxing his body completely in sun. "I'm sure the challenge is very worthy, but not today." He murmured to her.
She didn't answer. Instead she relaxed her hand and leaned back on the bench with him. She tried to clear her mind and simply enjoy the sun, the warmth, the music of the bards, and the bounty of smells, swirling hints of tantalizing meals being cooked in the many restaurants and outside vendor huts along the Boulevard. Soon her mind flooded with thoughts of the coming contract, the politics inside the Ancients, the requirements of her time, the dangers of the past, and of her husband. Realizing what had happened she cleared her mind again, focusing on the simple warmth of the sun, but soon her mind was processing through lists and needs and desires and questions once again.
Just being at peace seemed to be too much for her.
She opened her eyes, and the halfling was gone. She had not felt him leave, nor could she spot him in the crowds around her. Suddenly uneasy with sitting in such an open area, she stood up with her small bag of purchases and made her way home; completely undone by the encounter and the realization that peace was not a quality she had in her life.
The carriage reached the other side of the bridge, and onto the flagstone path leading up to the Asuras stronghold. The main house is three stories above the ground. She knew that at least five levels were underneath the structure, and perhaps more. The guards were the elite Crimson Guard, a group of mercenaries from the Darakeene area far to the north. Darakeene is a barbarian nation, a set of twelve main tribes, which have through time advanced in size and stature, to become land lords, carving out the rich fertile lands. During the Great War, it became apparent that they needed to act and plan under one banner, and they chose from their numbers, a king, uniting the country. After the war this proved to be a wise choice as well, since their lands were, by comparison, unscathed by the conflicts between Gods and Titans. Holding their borders then from raiders and wandering armies (titan spawn and divine races) took the efforts of all twelve fiefs.
The Crimson Guard was a school in Darakeene, which taught the arts of war. There were several schools of this type in the country, and of these the Crimson Guard was one of the best. Countries all over the land, and even as far as Termana, sent men to these schools to be trained in battle and to learn the arts of war. Most of these men returned to their lands to become leaders of their nation's army.
Some however remained, and these often found themselves aligned with one of the mercenary groups. So while most of the Crimson Guard were the decedents of barbarian warriors, standing well over six feet tall on the average, with the wide shoulders and thick beards common to their people, a few were smaller, and even from other divine races. Size was not a deciding factor in the Crimson Guard, skill was. If they got through the school (a feat in itself for most students), and then were brought into the guard, you could assume they were worthy adversaries on the field of battle.
Asuras maintained a group on the island of seventy-five to one hundred of these elite warriors. Occasionally raising their numbers to one hundred and fifty in times of trouble.
The walls, and house are constructed of thick stone, and build to withstand siege weapons. Since purchasing the island and the structure, Asuras has added many more defenses to the stronghold, both mundane, and magical. He also keeps on staff a group of fourteen sorcerers.
Despite all of these defenses and precautions, what would keep Asuras alive tonight was an oath, and a law, because she was mad as hell.
Her oath was to the Ancients, and the law of the Ancients forbade the assassination of someone who had a current contract with them. It just wasn't good business. Since she was currently contracted to Asuras, she could not assassinate him nor even consider a future contract for his death. Of course, for her to assassinate him she would also require a client, and his money. It wasn't a law, more of a tradition really, but there were always ways around that particular tradition.
The carriage came to a stop in front of the grand doors of the main house. Six Crimson Guards came to attention in the torch light, as one of the five on the carriage opened the door and bowed to her, inviting with a gesture of the hand both welcome, and entry into the house. She wondered briefly how many of them knew who and what she was, and then decided it didn't matter. Their loyalty to Asuras was absolute, they would tell no one what they knew of her outside this stronghold, and when they left service, their memories of her, and all the security secrets of House Asuras would be removed from their minds by the sorcerers. This was a condition on all of the staff that came to work here. The pay more than compensated for this 'lost time', but Lianca would never agree to such a condition for any amount of payment. Time and experience were too precious.
Her clothing, though well made and expensively tailored was not what she would have chosen to wear to a dinner at House Asuras, but she didn't have time to change. The five Guards that showed up at her current apartment were insistent. Asuras wanted to meet with her, and wanted to meet right now. She thought about changing anyway, it would only take a moment, but decided she was too angry about the intrusion into her schedule to care. She would meet with him, and he could deal with it, or be damned.
She adjusted her light leather jacket, undid another clasp of her gray silk blouse and stepped out of the carriage, using all of her grace, emanating sexuality and royal poise. She could see in the eyes of the three Guards nearest to her, that her efforts were not unnoticed. She was much smaller than the women of their lands, but she had come to learn that her petite frame was a great deal more attractive to these men if she projected strength and sexuality, than the large breasted warrior women they were use to.
She walked with purpose through the torch light of the courtyard into the brightness of the welcome hall of the house, noticing minor stance adjustments from the men in their polished amour as she passed. She didn't quite trust the sorcerers. There were all highly skilled and powerful, she was sure. Asuras paid well, and he paid for value. When it was her life on the line however, her trust did not extend to haphazard living. These men would now have implanted in their minds the hot memory of sexuality, not her normal bearing. With that impression in their minds, most of them could meet her in the street in the morning and not realize who she was.
The butler met her in the Welcome Hall, and said that diner was ready, informed her that it was a private diner between her and his master, and asked if any special requirements would be needed, or service required before showing her in. She said, no. He bowed, to the proper level for a common guest and guided her to the second floor library.
The room had been set with a small, but vastly exquisite wood table, and silver dishes were already set with steaming soups and prepared entree's. The chef's intelligence community probably rivaled her own in this city.
Asuras stood behind his chair, and bowed his head slightly to her as she met his eyes. She returned the bow, a small percentage lower indicating her subservience to him as was polite, and allowed the waiter to seat her. She looked at the moon through the grand windows, and decided she could afford a bit of pleasantry here, and still arrive at her destination in time enough to be effective. This was a guess, as she was not dealing with precise time tables, but experience told her that her target would not move until near the eleventh hour, unless the situation changed enough to warrant a quicker departure.
Asuras and her exchanged pleasantries, and shallow gossip through the soup course. He looked one-hundred and one years old, but didn't move like a man of that age. She could see the small blemishes along the backs of his hands, and in the color of his eyes, that told of the long use of magical potions, which kept his mind alert and sharp, and his body agile. There was a price for everything, nothing was free. Magic took from the body what it gave, and extended use over long periods often brought with it an addiction as strong as any drug found in Shelzar. At this point his body was so dependent on the potions his private doctor had to wake him twice during the night to administer doses of the elixirs, or waking in the morning would be a painful experience.
Around the large library stood eight guards, as still as statues in their polished armor. Experience told her that each was as alert now as they would be on any battle field. It took years of training to maintain that level of heightened awareness in a room like this, even if they knew that an assassin sat across the table from their master. The mind grows tired, and drifts off, amusing itself with other details and personal problems, or worries. To maintain alertness for the length of a diner to every aspect of the room, and its occupants required a focus of will that was well beyond most people. She couldn't do it, she had tried several times to learn the talent, but it was simply beyond her. Beyond a doubt however, Asuras' posture and breathing were memorized by these eight men, and at the first sign that their master's health or status may have been altered by an outside force, these men would attack her, and the staff in the room, while moving to a position that protected their master from all angles of physical attack. And the sorcerer outside of the room, behind the mirror at the far end, would set into play magical defenses and attacks of his own.
"Why am I here Asuras?" she asked, her voice still holding the tone of polite conversation, though there was the slightest hint of agitation added to it, which she knew he would not miss.
"Because I asked for you to be here." He responded, more to the sign of her agitation than to the question.
"Well, then I am here, and I have eaten, and we have caught up with each other." She said, as the waiter set down the plate of roast duck, and steamed greens, with a white sauce which smelled as close to divine as one could achieve in a kitchen.
"Are you on a schedule this evening?" He asked.
"I'm always on a schedule Asuras, as I'm sure you are as well." She replied.
"Then it is to be tonight?" He asked.
"It could be passing at this very moment." She said, taking up the crystal goblet of white wine, and sipping. The facets of glass casting rainbows on the fine polish of the table. She studied the guards around her, dancing the crystal rainbows across each of their faces. A small amusement, to let her mind calm down. She couldn't kill him, she was in his employ. It was as simple as that. Professionals act like professionals, even when others do not.
He was still assessing her last comment, when she looked back to him. "Why are you here then?" He asked, a small tone of command and anger in his voice now. Not much, but just enough so that she would not miss it.
"Because you asked me to be here, and let me know the gravity of your request by sending five of your young, very hansom men to my apartment, instead of a messenger." She answered, and tried the duck.
"I thought I had explained the critical nessesity of this contract to you." He said, putting his linen napkin into the middle of his unfinished meal, indicating that his appetite for food had been removed.
"You did", she said, picking out a flower of broccoli from the green vegetables with her fork, "very clearly, and several times. Far more than was required to insure I understood." She tasted the bite and found the flavor fulfilled the scent's promise. "And yes I could have easily evaded your invitation, knowing that only two days from now we had a meeting scheduled for update or notification of fulfillment. Yet you are a man whose livelihood depends on the timely response to changes and new information. You are also very adept at quickly adjusting plans and projects to best suite the requirements of profit for these changes. And I did not believe, at the time, that you sent a regiment to my door lightly. Nor do I believe that you underestimated the ripples of providence such an action makes in my world."
Asuras stared at her for a long time. She continued to pick her way through the vegetables and roast duck. It really was worth the trip, both the flavor of the meal and the current furry in Asuras' eyes. After a time Asuras made a hand gesture to one of the guards, who crossed the room and gave him a pen and parchment. Asuras quickly wrote out a brief message, and the guard left the room, with the message in his gauntleted hand. Lianca knew what the message said and who it was for. Right now the sorcerers were casting divination spells, reaching out across the city to locate the target, and assess the current situation. She glanced down at her bracelet, all of the jewels were cool, so she continued to eat.
She realized, glancing at him between bites, while pretending not to notice the actions of sending the message, or that his plates and meal were already cleared, that Asuras was nervous. Not only nervous but deeply concerned about the details of the situation he found himself in. She had studied him, and worked for him for almost ten years now, and had never seen him in this state before. There were forces in play that were beyond his realm of influence, and well beyond his reach of control. Powerful forces, which admittedly were not really a threat to the House Asuras or its continued existence, were a threat none the less. Enough to remove the House from Shelzar perhaps, and that would indeed be a mighty blow to its foundations.
"May I assume that you understand the full scope of the situation at this point?" He asked.
"Yes, you may. I know a great deal of the situation and its repercussions to you and your House if my contract is not fulfilled as specified." She said, continuing to eat and talk as if the tides and weather were the topic of conversation. The tension in the room, especially from the posted guards was reaching a critical state however. She glanced at her bracelet again. The jewels remained cool. She hoped that Asuras' many magical defenses were not interfering with its functions. That would be bad. "I may even know more about it in some areas than you do at this point." She added.
"Such as?" He asked, leaning forward.
She set her fork down, and placed her napkin on the plate. The waiter slid the plate away with the grace of a Shelzari dancer. She sipped her wine, and focused. While she did not have the talent of these men to maintain a level of focus over a long period of inaction, once the moment had come for action, her focus was much sharper than any of theirs. She quit looking with her eyes, and began seeing the room with her entire body. Though her outside appearance and manner did not change in the slightest degree, inside she was cold steel. She danced the rainbows around the room with her crystal goblet. The messenger guard entered the room, returning to his post. Behind the wall at the other side of the room, she could sense a great deal of power and activity as the streams of magic were conjured and shaped to seek out the information the mages desired.
Asuras was waiting on his answer. "Such as, the fact that you were set up." She answered, and sipped her wine, the flavor filling her nostrils as they flared, seeking out the animal scents from in the men in the room. Seeking changes, subtle changes.
"Set up?" his words were a strong whisper, and lit a fire in his eyes as the implications of her answer rifled through his magically heightened mind.
"Yes, by the Sa'an Cartel." She explained, "Princess Elaine did not fall into your slave pits by mere happenstance. One of the Sa'an agents became aware of who she was on the ship. He was returning from business with another Cartel on the same ship and overheard her tell one of the crewmen who she was looking for. He notified his superiors while in route, and by the time the ship docked, Mazat had come up with this plan. A plan that at worse would embarrass you and cause you a great deal of money. At best, would see your House removed from Shelzar; Thus placing him as the victor in your little game."
She could see the fury in him rising. She had seen this aspect of him several times, this was just the first time that its focus was on her. "Your connection to the illegal slave trade with Calastia is not well known." she continued," I'm sure only a small number of people in Shelzar, or even the world know of the connection. Those that do however, know enough to implicate you explicitly, and though they probably couldn't nail you in a court, it would be enough for the Tera Vi. Mazat is one of these people however. Or at least his First was one of those people. It is he that came up with the plan and presented it to Mazat."
"It is a rather simple plan, but effective. Snatch up the girl, put her in your pit, knowing that she would be brought here. Knowing that she would go to the embassy. The embassy played their part nicely, though I am sure Mazat had in play many streams of dissemination to insure the information reached the Tera Vi, and their Prince. It really doesn't matter to the Sa'an what happens to the girl at this point, the position of responsibility it places you in, and the repercussions that could be brought to your door, are definitely worth the small investment required to see the idea flower."
Asuras tented his figures against his lips, processing everything she said. Lianca could see his mind taking all the variables, and coming up with the equations required to adapt to this new information. "Are you suggesting," he asked after a time, his manner and voice calm, and cool as the jewels on her bracelet, "that Edrin Northstar already knows whose slave pit she came to be in?"
"I think he knows far more than that." She said, motioning to the desert cart. The waiter brought it over and she picked out a bowel of fruit, laced with sugar. "Heilan came into the city, went directly to the knife fights and killed the author of this plan. Ending his life and publicly declaring war against the Cartel. The next night, messengers sent to Edrin were slaughtered by Sorlaya before they even entered the room. Suggesting a message of Edrin's own; No peace will be made."
Again she could see him processing this information. It was not new information to him this time, but the perspective of it was. "Have you heard of any contracts being offered for my life?" He asked.
Sensible question, though he had to know that she couldn't answer it as blatantly as he asked it, and that the Ancients would not take the offered contract at this time even if there was. "The Tera Vi doesn't hire assassins." She said plainly, taking a section of orange from the bowl with her fingernails. "They have Blade Slingers."
She saw in his eyes the recognition of who and what the Blade Slingers were. For three hundred years Blade Slingers are trained in the arts of insurgence and decisive counter strikes. Elves, living almost twice this age on the average, were in their prime once the training was complete, and were only allowed to serve as Blade Slingers for one hundred years. Operating in groups of five, they could breach the stronghold surrounding Asuras, reach their objective, slice through the guards in this room, kill Asuras and exit before the rest of the compound was aware of their presence.
"My defenses are enough." Asuras said, but it sounded just on the edge of question.
"Anyone can be gotten to Asuras. Your defenses are good, from what I know of them, and I admit I don't know them all. But anyone can be gotten to, even you." Her voice was bored. Asking an assassin of her rank if Blade Slingers were capable of ending his life was absurd. Of course they were.
The sapphire on her bracelet began to glow, just slightly. She glanced at the moon. They were moving early. Her time had run out. "I thank you for the diner Asuras, but since you don't have any changes in your plans to notify me of, then I really must attend to my contract." She got up, not waiting for the waiter to assist her.
Walking to the door of the library, the two guards posted there didn't move, their eyes on Asuras, waiting his indication that she was free to leave, that the interview was concluded. Lianca smiled, and looked around the room. "Oh boys!" she said, raising her voice in a sexual call, and snapped her fingers. All eight suddenly fell over in their armor with a loud crash.
She turned and looked at Asuras. "As I said, anyone can be gotten to." She opened the door to the hallway, and with the twist of a ring on her right hand and the command word, vanished from sight.
Guards passed her at a run coming up the stairs. She vaulted over the balcony, landing on the marble floor below without a sound, and rolled out of the path of guards coming into the Welcome Room from the service hall. Putting her back against the wall, she closed her eyes and brought up the image of a section of roof, far across the city. Most of the house had protections against teleportation spells. It was very inconvenient to have assassins and other attackers be able to simply teleport into your library, or office. These wards were very strong, and normally caused death to those who attempted to place themselves into the stronghold. But the wards were not in the Welcome room, nor did they guard against teleporting out of the stronghold. At least, she didn't think they did. It made little sense to purposefully cut off a viable escape route in such a manner, but making it to the Welcome Room wasn't that difficult. Better to be safe.
Once she had the image of the roof firmly in her mind, she touched the white gold ring on her left hand to her lips, and felt the magic bending space around her. The room, and the guards blurred and swirled. The world tilted in a nauseating way, and then she was standing on the roof top, near the sprawl, looking at the house that Elaine was being kept in.
"Got to leave there some time dear." She whispered, and kneeled down, readying her crossbow.
