Age of Aggression

[Haylie]

Malak stuffed the contract unceremoniously into his satchel. "It'll do," he said gruffly, holding out his now-empty hand. "Payment? Nothin's free."

[Legendary Hawk]

Geoff reached into his robes for a sack of coins. "Here's four thousand gold coins..." he presented, holding the sack out for Rath to take, since he was the closer of the two. Rath accepted to sack and stared at it, wondering if the target was worth the price...

"Oh, and I'll pay you forty golden coins for each Stormcloak you can eliminate in this... ordeal. You can find me in Solitude by that time," Geoff added.

[Haylie]

"Good. Let's go," he said shortly to Rath as he turned and left the room.

As soon as the door was closed, his expression softened as he worked his neck. "I love makin' 'em sweat."

When they got outside, he slowed down a bit and looked at his protege. "So what's botherin' you? Don't even tell me it's nothin'. I've tracked a lot of targets and figured out where they were headed purely through body language more than once, I know hesitation when I see it."

[Legendary Hawk]

Rath looked out over Dawnstar, and then his gaze shifted past the city and out towards the sea. Finally, after a bit of thought, he decided to speak up. "Can't help but feel a little guilty about this one," he mentioned. "I support the Stormcloaks, and their cause... but I'm trying to put that behind me. The Brotherhood comes first. I'm sure our unholy deities have given me a test of sorts, to see if I'm truly suited to serve them as an assassin."

[Haylie]

"I must admit, I didn't expect you to confess. You're right, though. After you join the Brotherhood, nothin' else matters. Someone tells you to kill someone, you have to do it, or they'll stab you in the face and find someone who will. If only for self-preservation purposes, kill the man. It's only one, they'll find some other Nord to replace him in no time anyway." He pointed at the coin purse. "Besides, we already collected our pay. No turning back now."

He paused and walked a bit further. "Dependin' on how many soldiers are down there, you might want to let me just snipe 'im in the head. While the guards are in disarray, you can dispatch 'em up close. I'll cover you from my vantage point. Don't waver now, it'll only get harder."

[Legendary Hawk]

"If it's all the same... I think I'd rather be the archer. I need to get acquainted with this sort of thing," Rath asked. He figured that by killing Hygelac himself, he'd overcome that inner barrier that was making him apprehensive to begin with. And overcoming that barrier would be very useful for his future career.

[Haylie]

Malak eyed Rath before smirking. "Very well, then," he said as he pulled the bow and quiver from his back and held them out to Rath. "Here. Consider it your graduation gift. Don't break it or I'll hunt you down myself."

[Legendary Hawk]

"I'll try not to," Rath responded with a less serious tone. He took the bow and quiver and thanked Malak before strapping the weapon and the arrows to his back. "Well, we've got an entire day and a half to kill... "

(( Want to press the "Wait" button? ))

[Haylie]

(Sure)

[Legendary Hawk]

Rath had spent the past day and a half around Dawnstar, though he lied low so that he wouldn't become a suspect in the event that anyone started looking for Hygelac's killer. But now it was time to commit his tenth kill, and to formally progress to the next stage of his career. The young assassin felt a bit nervous, of course, but that would soon pass.

Hiding among the cliffs overlooking Dawnstar's port, Rath held Malak's how in his hands. He would wait for his target, fire the arrow, and then make a quick, unseen escape by running off on the other side of the rocks. Then, if anyone followed, he would pick them off with his bow.


"Can you spot me, Malak?" Rath asked, keeping a close eye on the ports.

[Haylie]

"Yes. I'll try to keep then distracted with a few firebolts if they spot you. Just take a deep breath, hold it, and aim for his head. Then we can go home and celebrate. When it's done, run for the other side of the docks and find somewhere to hide. We'll have to split up after that. We'll meet back at the Sanctuary."

Malak pulled a spyglass out of his satchel and started looking for a good vantage point while keeping as inconspicuous as possible.

[Legendary Hawk]

As silent as a ghost, Rath watched the docks. It had gotten pretty dark, though not too dark for his eyes to see clearly. Somehow, all his time spent wandering in shadows had improved his night vision.


Soon, a tall, bulky, blonde figure emerged from one of Dawnstars buildings. He seemed to be dressed like a highly ranked Stormcloak, definitely a commander. Three more Stormcloaks seemed to follow him. "This is it..." Rath whispered. He immediately grabbed an arrow, though he wouldn't fire until he had a clear shot.

[Haylie]

"Alright lad," Malak said from his nearby perch. "I can see him. Three guards. He's too far away at the moment, wait for him to get closer. I'm ready to go when you are."

[Legendary Hawk]

Rath nodded silently at Malak's suggestion and held himself on standby, prepared to fire at any moment. When the target stood within about two hundred and fifty feet of distance, the young assassin pulled the arrow back against the bowstring. He would shoot as soon as he released. "Waiting for a clear shot..." he whispered, as one of the guards stood partially in the target's path.


"Now what do you two think you're doing?" A sudden voice came from behind the two assassins, from somewhere among the rocks. It was a feminine voice, from a young adult more than likely. Rath immediately spun around and released the arrow. It went flying until it deflected against the protective ward of a female priestess, who had seemingly just appeared on the scene.

[Haylie]

"Oh, Divines damn it all!" Malak swore, drawing his sword and pointing it at the woman. "Just turn and leave, priestess! This doesn't concern you, and I'd rather not kill you. You never saw us! Understood?!"