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Post by Aliria on Aug 15, 2018 15:23:22 GMT -5
Here's the story I've been working on lately! I'll try to post new chapters about once a week, but there isn't going to be any precise update schedule because who knows when I'll get things done.
I love validation feedback. Critique is fine, but this is a very early draft which is kind of a mess. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!
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Post by Aliria on Aug 15, 2018 15:26:52 GMT -5
Prologue One day, historians would agree that everything turned terrible the day a certain warrior walked through the gates of Floria Zrin. Sure, the Mages were already on the way to power before that, but without the brute power of an immortal assassin, they may never have gained the hold on the city that they would one day have. Then again, that same warrior would, over a century later, become instrumental in freeing the city, so he can’t simply be written off as a villain. It’s not like he chose to help the Mages in the first place. This warrior’s name was Azo, and when he walked into Floria Zrin, his plan was to stay a few days and have a little fun. He had no intention of staying a hundred years, and certainly no intention of changing the course of history. The first thing Azo did upon entering the city was try to find somebody to challenge to a duel. The second thing he did was make a terrible choice about who he should challenge to a duel. The third thing he did was lose horribly and ruin the rest of his life. Calvus Floriana Horatius was another large part of the reason the Mages came to power. With his rather impressive magical capacity spent almost entirely on an Earth Rune, he was the one who built the three towers which became the seat of the Mages power. He also had a strong dislike for outsiders - which was somewhat ridiculous, since even then Floria Zrin’s economy was almost entirely dependent on travelers on the Zrin River - and spent a lot of time arresting travelers for petty crimes with the limited political power he had already gained. Calvus, of course, attempted to arrest Azo for being rather boisterous in a bar. Azo did not like this, and challenged Calvus to a duel. Azo was an extremely powerful warrior. At this time, he was already nearing a hundred years of age, though his body and mindset still resembled that of someone in their early twenties. His magical abilities were powerful, but except for the immortality, nothing particularly special for the Southern Lands he hailed from. He still had a massive advantage in most fights, due to his proficiency in most weapons, hand-to-hand combat, and magic, especially since few people on the northern continent were trained to fight a user of non-runic magic. However, few warriors can defeat an enemy who can reshape the ground under their feet. The duel ended in seconds, with Azo trapped in a wall of earth. That, however, was not actually the bad part. Azo had lost duels before, and although that one was more embarrassing than usual, it wasn’t the kind of thing that would ruin a life or change the course of history. That part came when Calvus decided Azo was powerful enough that it would be useful to get him on the side of the Mages, and also that there was no way to convince Azo to join them through traditional means. Another powerful tool that the Mages had on their side was the Bond Rune. This rune allowed the magic user who created it to give give it one instruction, and the person bearing the rune would be required to follow it. Obviously, the use of this rune was strictly regulated. Also obviously, the Mages did not follow those regulations, although they were mostly quite discreet about it before the acquisition of Azo. Now, normally both participants in a duel would have someone as a second to make sure they follow the rules and get medical help for the loser. However, due to the fact that he knew literally nobody in Floria Zrin, Azo did not have a second. Calvus’s second, a woman named Albina, was also a Mage and had no interest in enforcing traditional dueling rules. This meant that nobody was there to care when Calvus - with help from Albina’s rather powerful Air Rune - chose to choke off Azo’s oxygen supply instead of letting him leave his earthen prison. Once Azo was very unconscious and unable to fight back, Calvus placed three Bond Runes along Azo’s arm. The first rune: You must follow any direct instructions given to you by an ordained member of the Mages bearing an Identification Rune. The second rune: You may not attempt to affect an ordained member of the Mages bearing an Identification Rune with anything of a magical nature. The third rune: You may not touch any weapon; defined as a object created with the intention to cause harm to human beings. This set of rules was all it took for the Mages to use Azo as a weapon and destroy anyone who stood in their way on the path to total control over the city. For the first decade or so, Azo would attempt to find loopholes in the rules that would allow him to escape. Over time he would begin to care less and less; eventually deciding that there was no point in trying at all. Someday the Mages would fall, and he would be free. One hundred years later, he would begin to care again. |
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Post by Ranger on Aug 16, 2018 4:56:42 GMT -5
Ooooh, I'm intrigued! Loving the dry humour coming out already, too XD |
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Post by Bucket on Aug 17, 2018 7:47:26 GMT -5
((Scuz me whilst I bookmark and watch as this unfolds. I am very intrigued...))
As prologues go, this was very nicely done! Depending on where you start your Legend of Azo, explaining this origin story here is a really good idea. I can't wait for the next installment >^.^<
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Post by Aliria on Aug 22, 2018 15:35:45 GMT -5
CHAPTER 1 As Decima swung a sword at him, Azo began to really regret that he couldn’t use weapons. It wasn’t easy to kill someone when that someone had a sword and all you had was a metal pot that, a few minutes ago, had held the target’s dinner. Azo parried Decima’s swing with the pot, which developed a large dent due to the fact that it hadn’t been designed to be used as a shield. It probably wouldn’t be very useful for cooking after this was over. That was okay though, since Decima wouldn’t be needing any cooking instruments after Azo finished his job. He dodged out of the way of Decima’s next swing and focused his aura around his left hand. A punch to her side released the stored energy, throwing the woman across the room and probably breaking a couple ribs. Azo walked calmly towards where she lay on the ground, holding the sword in front of her as she gasped for breath. “Stay back, demon.” He wasn’t a demon. Actually, he was pretty sure demons weren’t real. The Mages liked it when people called him a demon though. There weren’t many people who would mess with an assassin, let alone a demon assassin. “I’d rather not,” he said, grabbing the unsharpened side of the blade and pulling it out of her hands. The moment he was the only one touching the sword, pain shot through his arm, and he tossed the sword aside. Stupid bonds couldn’t tell apart using a weapon and getting rid of a weapon. Time for the worst part of his job. Azo didn’t mind fights - he enjoyed them, most of the time - but actually killing people was unpleasant. Most of his targets seemed like decent enough people, and it’s not like they had a fair chance in a fight against him. Plus he was supposed to make a big spectacle of most of his kills, which was usually just plain gross. Azo focused his power in his right hand and released a burst of energy directly into her neck, tearing it open and splashing blood all over his hand. What a mess. He walked over to the table where Decima had been preparing to eat and wiped most of the blood off on a napkin. Maybe it would be a good idea to invest in some gloves. Those might be easier to wash. There was no point in being sneaky about his exit, so he left thought the door instead of the window he had used to enter. The crowds that always filled the streets of Floria Zrin parted around him, and Azo wished he was a bit less visible. Wearing all black except for a bloodred cape was a good way for anyone to stand out, even if they didn’t have a reputation as the Mages’ attack dog. Also, it was way too hot out for that kind of outfit. Decima had lived on the rich side of town, which meant the walk back to the Towers was short. Good. Azo couldn’t wait to lie down. Decima had seemed prepared for him, which meant that fight was more exhausting than usual. He really missed a good sword fight. He could use training swords, maybe he would be able to challenge someone to a casual fight someday. That probably wouldn’t happen until he got out of the Mages’ service though, which might take a few hundred more years. His quarters were located in the Third Tower, on a floor far too high to be convenient. Many of the Mages used air runes to fly to whichever floor they needed, but Azo was stuck using the stairs. Sometimes he wondered if the only reason he could still hold a decent fight was because of all the exercise he got climbing the stairs all the time. The decades of martial arts training and almost unheard of magical abilities probably did help a bit more though. Upon reaching his room, Azo found an unfamiliar teenage boy with a large burn scar on his face dressed as an apprentice mage standing in the corner. The boy was clearly trying to avoid looking at all suspicious, and doing a terrible job of it. “Hello sir!” The apprentice said, continuing to look more than a little terrified. “I’m Sixtus Severina Laelia, your new guardian.” Guardian was the wrong word. The apprentice assigned to look after Azo functioned as some mix of a servant, nanny, and spy, meant to look after his needs and make sure he didn’t consider doing anything the Mages wouldn’t like. “What happened to Tarquinius?” Azo’s previous so-called guardian had been an annoying suck-up who cared about nothing except what the Mages thought of him. Azo didn’t care in the slightest about what had happened to him, but it seemed like an easy place to start looking for the new kid’s obvious secret. “He graduated. He’s a real Mage now.” That was interesting. Azo hadn’t realized Tarquinius was anywhere near graduation. He must have been more competent at his other duties. Or it might have just been far longer than Azo had realized. He wasn’t very good at anything to do with the passage of time. “Congratulations to him then.” Azo made no effort to sound like he cared. “So, um.” Sixtus fidgeted with the edge of his robes. “Is there anything you want me to do?” “Not bother me.” Azo glanced at the half-open drawers of his dresser. “And tell me when you decide to go through my stuff. Or at least be discreet about it.” It wasn’t like Azo owned anything suspicious. He wasn’t sure where he would even get something the Mages would take offense to. Most of his belongings were books and clothes identical to the ones he was currently wearing. An old sword hung on one wall, being absolutely useless in every way. He was pretty sure he had kept it as a reminder of the past, but he remembered the past perfectly well without a physical reminder of it. Sixtus rushed out of the room, clearly glad for an excuse to get away from the terrifying demon assassin. The kid would probably calm down in a few days. Most people who Azo wasn’t actively trying to kill seemed to find him rather boring after spending some time around him. Azo hung up his cloak and lay down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He should’ve sent Sixtus to get him a book, since he needed a new one. It was nice how cheap books had gotten in the last few decades; the printing press was a wonderful thing. It had been a more interesting day than usual, if not an entirely pleasant one. Unfortunately, it would probably be a while until Azo had any more jobs. At least dealing with a new guardian would make for a slightly more interesting few days. Despite the rather early hour, Azo fell asleep, lacking anything else to do. |
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Post by Ranger on Aug 23, 2018 3:24:40 GMT -5
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Post by Aliria on Aug 29, 2018 16:20:21 GMT -5
CHAPTER 2 Six had not been excited about his new assignment, but after finishing his first day, it seemed far more interesting. Looking after the assassin was a terrible job, but if today was anything to go by, it would give him a lot of free time. Right then, Six was attempting to use that free time to sneak away from the Towers. Leaving as an apprentice was technically allowed, but it was very much frowned upon. Leaving as an apprentice so one could give information to rebels was more than frowned upon. Luckily, the Mages had stopped watching him closely after his first year as a very innocuous and well-behaved apprentice, which made spying far easier. Another downside to Six’s new assignment was the stairs. The library, where he had previously worked, was in the basement of the First Tower and far easier to reach. Maybe someday he could convince one of the Mages to give him an Air Rune so he could do his job more easily. There was no way Six would waste his own magic on an Air Rune though. At least not until he learned the Recharge Rune. Once he could recharge his magic, Six had every intention to be one of the most powerful magic users of all time. Of course, he had already lost his chance to be the very strongest, but he wasn’t going to let himself regret that. Another apprentice guarded the door at the base of the Tower. Six was very glad he hadn’t gotten that job. Guards got no free time and lots of boredom. “Hey Fulvia,” Six put on his best smile. Using people’s names made them feel like they knew you better than they actually did. “Just heading back to my room.” Fulvia nodded, clearly not suspecting anything. Or possibly just not caring. It was very unlikely that she would watch to see if Six actually went in the direction of the Second Tower, but he did anyway. Rather than going in the door, however, he walked around the side, out of Fulvia’s view. From there, it was a short walk to the alleyway where Six stored a set of civilian clothes for discreet trips out of the Towers. Once changed - very quickly so as to reduce the risk of getting caught at the awkwardest point possible - Six walked through the streets of the rich district, across one of the many bridges over the Zrin River in the center of town, and into what he considered the best part of the city. The buildings directly on the river were mostly industrial, but beyond that was the poorer part of town, where everybody was different and nobody respected the Mages. Well, almost nobody. There were a few people who believed that sucking up to the Mages would keep them safe, but it had never really worked that way. Unfortunately, this trip was for business, not pleasure. Still, Six didn’t think it would hurt too much to take a short detour through the West Marketplace. Everything here in town was so much more interesting than the Towers. It was too bad he didn’t have money with him; he would love to buy half the stuff there. Then again, he was pretty sure he would end up regretting anything he bought on impulse, so maybe the lack of money was a good thing. From one stall, an older woman was selling charms that she claimed had magical properties. There was no way they actually did - runes only worked on people, not objects, and the secrets to non-runic sorcery had been lost long ago - but it was still interesting to look at. Hey, it technically wasn’t impossible that she came from someplace where non-runic magic was still practiced. Sure, her skin was far too dark to be native to the Southern Lands, but people could travel. Moving on from that booth before he could decide to do something stupid and impulsive, Six walked through the rest of the market, occasionally stopping to admire the weirder stalls. People found all sorts of interesting things to attempt to sell. This was a wonderful way to waste time, but Six really did need to be somewhere. South of the marketplace, Six knocked on the back door of a house that was on the slightly larger side. Legally, the house belonged to Valeriana Aquila Diocletianus, a respectable woman who ran a small business shipping crops into the city and also happened to not exist. In reality, it served as a shelter and meeting area for the largest network of revolutionaries in Floria Zrin. Cyprianus, a thirteen year old who was one of the two rebels who were younger than Six, answered the door. “Hey Six! Livia’s upstairs yelling at someone.” Yelling was probably an exaggeration. When Livia Cloelia Marcellinus was mad at you, she didn’t yell. Her tone stayed quiet and calm, while her fists clenched in an attempt to stop the smoke that leaked out from between her fingers. There was a reason most of the rebels were afraid of her. “Thanks for the information, Cy.” Six was about to ask whether it was a good idea for him to go see Livia anyway when he heard someone on the stairs, and looked to see Claudien stomping down. Six was somewhat impressed that Claudien looked that cowed - he found them a lot scarier than Livia, but that might just be due to the fact that he knew Livia much better. Trying not to get in Claudien's way, Six walked up the stairs to the room Livia used as an office. He didn’t bother knocking, forgetting as he usually did that she insisted on it, and entered the room to find Livia sitting in an armchair with her face pressed into a pillow. “Hello,” he said. Livia jumped to her feet, throwing the pillow aside with one hand and summoning a ball of fire around the other, before noticing who it was in the doorway. “Sixie. Hi.” The flame flickered out as she sat back down, angry expression fading into exhaustion. “I really hope you have some good news right now.” Six bristled slightly at the cutesy nickname, but decided it wasn’t worth commenting on. “I have pretty neutral news, but I refuse to share it until you explain what’s wrong.” Livia threw the pillow at him. “You’re a terrible informant, you know that?” “I’m well aware.” He tossed the pillow back, far more gently this time. “Now, explain.” “Decima’s dead. The assassin got her.” Six swore. “Well, that does kind of connect to my news.” “How? You’d better not have been the one who broke her cover.” Livia swore, though not quite as colorfully as Six had. “Nothing like that; don’t worry.” Six launched into a description of his new job. “I’ll probably have more time to see you now, so get used to this face.” |
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Post by Aliria on Sept 5, 2018 18:23:20 GMT -5
CHAPTER 3 Livia really wished she could send someone else to investigate Decima’s house, but she could hold her own in a fight far better than most of the other rebels, and she knew where all the important papers were hidden. The fire constantly burning under her skin meant that she had no trouble creating light if she needed it, but Livia still didn’t like traveling at night. The city was too empty and she felt conspicuous, even if there was no way for anyone to see the ways she didn’t fit in. For all the city guards could tell, she was just another teenager out for a midnight lark. Maybe if she were more impulsive she would visit Cassia and turn this into a real midnight lark. Sixie would tell her to go for it, but he was off in the Towers doing the exact kind of work she was suited to and he wasn’t. Livia was constantly amazed that he had lasted so long without getting caught. Decima’s second floor window was easy to climb up to, and the lock had been shattered. This was probably where the assassin had entered. The window creaked loudly as it opened, and she froze, dousing the ball of fire she had been using as a light source. A few seconds later, having heard no reaction, Livia opened the window a bit further and cringed at the awful noise. Getting caught by guards because of a loud window would be an incredibly stupid way to go. She climbed through the window, careful not to bump it and make more loud noises. The broken window was rather conveniently placed; leading into the guest bedroom where Decima hid most of her important things. A decorative panel on the nightstand popped off if one pushed in the correct place, revealing a small notebook that according to the childish script on the cover had been written in the year 98, when Decima would have been around twelve years old. Livia tucked the notebook - which did not actually contain the journal of a preteen, but rather important notes on rebel dealings - into her bag, gathered a stash of money that Decima no longer needed from under a loose floorboard, and checked the drawer which was supposed to store a small cache of weapons. Two daggers, a shortbow, and a small bundle of arrows were there, but the sword that was the pride of Decima’s weapon collection was missing. The idea of searching the house for the missing sword was rather unpleasant, but it would be useful to redistribute to another rebel who needed a method of defending themself. Also, Decima would certainly not be happy about the Mages getting their hands on her favorite weapon, but that had absolutely nothing to do with the reason Livia decided to go after it. She walked down the stairs to the room where the fight had clearly taken place, and almost threw up. Sure, Livia had seen plenty of dead people before, but she still disliked the sight of blood. Burned corpses were far easier to deal with than bloody ones, and with her throat practically shredded, this definitely counted as a bloody one. Livia was a little bit terrified of the assassin. She had only seen him once; a few weeks after she turned eleven years old. She had been actively working with the rebels for a few months, though as the youngest member she wasn’t allowed to do much of anything, and was convinced that the assassin was coming to kill her. She had immediately run back to safehouse where she was staying at the time, and cried until Sixie promised he would fight off the assassin if he came for her. This was completely ridiculous, since to this day Sixie was completely useless in a fight. Even if he wasn’t, Livia had never heard of anyone winning a fight against the assassin. Nowadays, she had better protection. Almost nobody but the rebels knew who she was. She lead huge networks of spies who would most likely notify her before the assassin arrived. Her Fire Rune and the control she’d gained over it in the last six years made her quite possibly the most powerful warrior in the city outside of the Mages. All of that was still not as reassuring as that stupid promise made as a child. The sword was sitting next to Decima’s body, a bit of blood splattered across it. There was no way that the guards would fail to notice the sword’s disappearance. If she took it, they would search the house far more thoroughly, hoping to find evidence of the rebel who had been through. They wouldn’t find anything though; Livia knew better than to let that happen. She only noticed the second problem after picking up the sword. There was no way to carry it without being incredibly conspicuous, and she wouldn’t be able to climb back out the window with a massive sword in hand. She could risk traveling the streets - they were nearly empty this time of night, and she had the guard patrols memorized. She didn’t know when the guards watching the house would pass by the front door, however. Livia walked to the window and watched as a guard’s back retreated around the side of the house. Approximately five minutes later, the guard circled around again. Presumably each cycle took close to the same amount of time, but she decided to wait at least one more to make sure. Five minutes later, the guard appeared for a third time. He glanced in the direction of the window, and for a moment made direct eye contact with Livia. She rushed out the door, allowing the fire in her arms to escape. Nobody was supposed to be killed on this mission, but nobody was supposed to see her either. She had no choice but to tie off the loose end. When she got outside, the guard had already disappeared. This would be a problem. |
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Post by Ranger on Sept 6, 2018 6:23:09 GMT -5
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Post by Aliria on Sept 12, 2018 16:04:22 GMT -5
CHAPTER 4 Six had been in his new job for almost a week, and it had been incredibly boring all that time. Who knew assassins spent so much time sitting around reading trashy novels? He had used this extra time to read far less terrible things; namely a massive tome he had found buried and forgotten in the back of the Mages’ library. If anything was going to have forbidden knowledge, this was it. Unfortunately, the only new information he had learned from it was the fact that Calvus, the oh-so-venerable First Mage who Six would love to kill if not for the small problem that he had died almost fifty years ago, had been even shorter than Livia. That was absolutely interesting information, but it wasn’t exactly the kind of thing that would help to get the Mages out of power. Six had identified two pieces of knowledge that could successfully do that. First was the Recharge Rune. It was the only known method of regaining magic that had been used, and even then it could only recharge up to the amount of magic the bearer had when the rune was created. This was why Six would never be able to become the most powerful magic user ever - he had the potential once, but he had already used up too much of his magic to be anything more than average. This was also why apprentices like him were discouraged from using more than a tiny bit of magic, since only full Mages were allowed to learn the Recharge Rune. The obvious way to learn this, of course, would be to become a full Mage. Unfortunately, there was a big problem with that which could only be solved with the second piece of information. All full Mages were given Bond Runes that prevented then from sharing any kind of forbidden knowledge. There was no known way to remove a rune, but if Six could discover a way to do it, he could become a full Mage and then remove the Bond Rune, allowing him to share the Recharge Rune with anyone and giving the rebels a way to rival the power of the Mages. He was nowhere close to learning either of these, but there was always a minuscule chance that the next book he picked up would turn out to be the one the Mages missed when they were hiding or destroying everything that contained their secrets. The door to the room flew open and Avilius stormed in, distracting Six from his book. For a moment, Six considered asking why Avilius was so angry, but decided it wasn’t worth it. He would probably just get yelled at. Having friends was good for looking less suspicious, but despite being roommates for the last six years, Six and Avilius were in no way friends. “What’re you looking at?” Asked Avilius, glaring at Six for no reason he could figure out. “A book,” Six replied without looking up. “What about you?” There was absolutely no reason to continue the conversation, and Six regretted his sarcastic question immediately. There was no point in antagonizing Avilius any more than Six seemed to do by simply existing. The Mages didn’t particularly like either of them, but that wouldn’t stop Avilius from trying to get them on his side and generally calling a lot of unnecessary attention to Six. “An idiot, as it turns out.” It was slightly less terrible wordplay than Six had been expecting. Avilius glared at him for several more seconds, clearly hoping for a reaction, then added, “In case you were wondering, Petronia turned me down.” “I wasn’t wondering.” Six had absolutely been wondering. He hadn’t known that Avilius was pursuing Petronia, but it wasn’t very surprising. Avilius fell in love with someone new every other week, and Six never bothered trying to keep track of the current person of interest. He had better things to focus on. Avilius kept glaring at Six, which was making it even harder to focus on his book. Finally, he snapped it shut and announced, “I have duties to get to now, so goodbye.” He didn’t really have anything important to do, but he was expected to check in with the assassin every so often and see if he needed anything. The answer had been yes exactly once so far, which was when the assassin requested a novel. He hadn’t specified what sort of novel, so Six had tried to pick one that was slightly less terrible than the ones that had been sitting around the room. The assassin had given no feedback at all about whether or not this was a good choice. The assassin did not give feedback on much of anything. As he walked up the stairs to the assassin’s room, Six pondered for the millionth time what he would do if the assassin was actually sent to kill someone. The obvious thing to do was to warn the target so they could safely hide, but someone would certainly notice if the assassin’s targets all began disappearing right after he got a new guardian. If he asked for Livia’s advice, she would tell Six to let the targets die. He had a chance to take down the Mages completely, which was worth a few lives. Plus, getting spies into the Mages was incredibly difficult, so Six couldn’t be easily replaced if he messed up. The right choice was to let them die, but he wasn’t going to feel good about it. Six reached the door to the assassin’s room. Inside, one of the Mages was speaking. Six wasn’t sure whether or not this was something he was supposed to hear, but he listened either way. “Your target is Livia Cloelia Marcellinus.” |
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Post by Ranger on Sept 13, 2018 3:37:51 GMT -5
Ohhh, so can magic actually run out? Interesting! Also this does not bode well, lol |
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Post by Aliria on Sept 13, 2018 17:17:46 GMT -5
Ohhh, so can magic actually run out? Interesting! Also this does not bode well, lol Yep! This is only true for runic magic though - many other types recharge magic. If someone could figure out how to combine those, they would be incredibly powerful, but that probably isn't happening while the Mages control all the knowledge. I've put a lot of thought into how magic works in this universe, almost none of which will ever be mentioned in the story. I might need to write an appendix or two just to explain this stuff. |
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Post by Ranger on Sept 14, 2018 4:23:12 GMT -5
Oh, cool!  |
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Post by Aliria on Sept 19, 2018 18:59:14 GMT -5
CHAPTER 5 Azo was stopped on his way down the stairs by Sixtus, who somehow managed to look several times more terrified than usual. “You can’t hurt Livia.” “Why not?” The only people Azo couldn’t hurt were the Mages, and it was rather unlikely that Livia was one of them. “She’s important. To me.” He paused for a moment, then explained, “We knew each other as children and I can’t let her get killed.” “Sorry kid, but I’m not the one making the decisions here. Go bother the Mages instead.” Friends, huh? Azo remembered having friends. Friends were pretty cool. It really was too bad everyone he had ever known outside of Floria Zrin was probably dead by now. Of course, Azo had figured out that it was pretty awkward to have friends who aged when you didn’t before he even left his home continent. Sixtus turned and ran down the stairs, which was kind of rude but also Azo didn’t care. He continued on his way casually. Poor kid wasn’t going to have a good few days, but that wasn’t Azo’s problem. The Mages were guilty, not him. When someone got stabbed, you didn’t blame the knife. According to the Mage who had given Azo his orders - he hadn’t bothered to learn the man’s name - Livia lived in a warehouse just across the river from the Towers. It was a longer walk than his last job, but still not particularly far. About half an hour later, Azo reached the warehouse. It was completely empty. Oh well, he could wait for her to return. He sat down against a wall where he had a clear view of the door, but someone coming in through it wouldn’t see him. After another ten or fifteen minutes, Azo noticed a bit of movement in a corner far from the door. It was probably just his imagination, but there was no reason not to check. Hiding behind a low pile of crates was a boy who appeared much too young to possibly be a rebel. He probably wasn’t Livia, but there was a chance he would know where she was. “Hey kid, what’re you doing here?” “Just exploring!” the boy squeaked. Yeah, there was no way that wasn’t a lie. “What’re you really doing?” Azo asked. People usually stopped lying after you called them out on one or two. The boy looked disappointed. “How did you know I have lying?” “I’m a demon. I can smell lies.” If he was actually able to smell lies, that sentence would’ve stank. It was a good thing he couldn’t actually do that. All the crowds in this city smelled bad enough without any magic smell powers adding to that. “Cool!” Was this kid a complete idiot or the bravest person ever? “I’m just delivering a message.” “A message to who?” The kid had stopped lying, but he was definitely trying to hide information. Maybe he was only kind of an idiot. “I’m not supposed to tell anyone. Especially not people who work for the Mages. Even more especially not demons who work for the Mages.” So the kid did know who Azo was. That was unfortunate - a reputation helped with some things, but convincing people to give up rebel secrets was not one of those things. Azo charged up a bit of power in one hand, then casually tapped one of the stacked crates. The released energy launched it halfway across the room. “Tell me who the message is for now, or tell me after enduring a whole lot of pain.” Torture never worked particularly well. People would tell you whatever they thought you wanted, whether or not it was the truth. Also, it was really unpleasant. Azo had stopped feeling guilt over the people he killed, but torturing a child would be a lot harder for him to excuse from the remnants of his conscience. Threats, however, tended to work quite nicely. “It’s for Gnaeus! I don’t know his family names or anything. He’s supposed to look after this place, but it looks like it’s been evacuated so I don’t know where to find him now either.” So this warehouse had been a rebel safehouse, but it had been abandoned recently. The Mages must have known about it to send him here, and it made sense to leave a place that had been compromised. He wouldn’t be finding Livia here. Azo wouldn’t have minded returning to the Towers and telling the Mages he couldn’t find Livia, but he hadn’t even asked the kid about her directly yet. His bonds wouldn’t make him do anything impossible, but they wouldn’t just let him give up the moment things went wrong. “One more question: Do you know where I would find Livia?” The kid, who apparently still believed the ‘lie-smelling demon’ thing, gave him an address a few blocks to the north of the warehouse. Azo was pretty sure kids that age usually weren’t quite so gullible, but he wasn’t sure. Nowadays everyone was young to him. As Azo walked to the new address, he thought about what to do once he got there. The Mages would get annoyed if he didn’t report a rebel hideout to them, but he would get sent on more jobs if he did report it. Neither option was particularly enjoyable. He thought back to a time a decade or two into his service to the Mages when they had ordered him to kill everyone inside a certain rebel hideout. He had decided to follow this order by telling everyone to leave, so that there was nobody inside for him to kill. It had seemed like a good decision until the Mages had specifically sent him to kill every single person who had been there, which meant he had to search the entire city to track them down. It was around that time that he had stopped bothering to find loopholes in his orders. It just turned into more work. If anyone asked, he would probably mention the rebel hideout. The Mages would find it eventually whatever he did. There was no point in keeping it a secret. He would kill Livia, go back to the Towers, and take a nap. When he reached the address, he noticed a problem with that plan: the building had been burned to the ground. |
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Post by Ranger on Sept 20, 2018 1:47:44 GMT -5
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By the wonderful 