Ch1: Under Cloak-and-Dagger

"Two more hours," she kept telling herself. "Just two more hours until I can finally get this over with and go home." Eiji felt the adrenaline pump through her veins as her heart started to beat faster.



She had been sneaking around for the last week readying herself for this moment. So much depended on her following through with what she had planned, including her own life. If she messed anything up she would most definitley be killed for trying what she as about to do. Eiji was an assasin. She prided herself in being one of the few assasins that worked without any arcane assistance, and out of the few she had the biggest reputation. This job was, hands down, the hardest she has ever attempted. It was much different then any other job that Eiji had ever even been given. This was not a job from an angry spouse or a merchant that got swindled. Eiji had received a summons to the Arch-Mage's hall in Imatar, the capital of the southern human country Sythenra. This was a place where they had almost sentenced her to death twice. She had been quite intrigued why they had not just dragged her there; she knew that obviously it was not going to be the usual routine this time. The council knew her well, she had become a common face around the Arch-Mage's hall, people in her profession often were, but never before did the council ask for an assasin's presence. They were always brought there to be judged, and never with their consent. This time she had known it was going to be different.



When Eiji arrived at the Arch-Mage's hall, she had hardly believed what they had told her. Instead of having her running around killing people for the highest bidder, the Council had wanted to use her abilities for their own means. They had given her a writ, a signed contract for a legal assassination, for a slaver by the name of Vikteren Aldon. They wanted him dead, they had told her, within ten days of the issuing of the writ. The Arch-Mage himself had told her that the price on this man's head was one thousand gold florins. He told her the slaver owned his own manor on the Shivawn Plantation to the northeast of Imatar, between the Kaner and Lorim rivers. It took two day's travel by horse to get to the plantation, so that left seven days to study the target and a day to honour the writ. The Arch-Mage had said that the slaver had murdered an imperial official that had found evidence of his activities, however they had no proof of the murder to legally charge him for it and the evidence the official had found died with him. The Arch-Mage also had said that he wouldn't know he had been put up for bounty. No one would know. No one, that is, except Eiji and the council.



When she had first gotten to the plantation she had done some research of her own. She had asked around the taverns in nearby Lorim, trying to find out as much as she could about this man and what he had supposedly done. All she found out was that he was a solitary man who invested highly in his self-security and comfort. He spent most of his time in his house with no company, had no wife or any kids; he was just a lonely man. He seemed to be the perfect target. No one in Lorim knew of any crimes he commited, nor did any mention anything about him owning slaves.



She found an inn not twenty minutes away from the Aldon manor known as The Northeastern Offical. A major trade route went right along the boundries of this plantation so the inn was to house people traveling between the port town of Lorim and the two mining towns of Mibeg and Vicidally. It was on the southern bank of the Vormeir river just east of where the Luskiell met it. She rented a room and got started with her scouting. She quickly found out he had six armed guards patrolling his manor at all times. Those guards along with the sixteen slaves the council said he owned meant he would most likely never be alone. The manor was two floors above ground but looked as if it may have a floor under as well. There was one balcony that had she noticed that no one ever used, that would be the best point of entry. She didn't see much of Vikteren himself, he seldom went outside and never left the manor grounds. There was one face she noticed came to visit him often. She had assumed he was Vikteren's eyes and ears. That the man told Vikteren of any news that might concern him and went out to gather anything that Vikteren needed. She also noted when the guards changed posts, where their posts were and how many guards were around at different times of day. She noticed that there were always more at night.



"One more hour," she mumbled to herself quietly as she waited in her room at the inn. She started to get a bit anxious at this point. "I better start getting ready." From her bag she pulled out her darkest attire, along with her compact spear and its harness and her light leather guards. The spear was Eiji's tool of choice, another thing that set her apart from her counterparts. She used a short spear with a blade at the opposite end. It was not much longer then the length of her arm with made it easy to move around with but longer then a knife so she didn't have to get so close. She had trained with this weapon since she was very young, her father had always hoped that she would join him on his adventures one day. The pole was made of wood but the ends were made to be easily removed so she could be put on a new shaft when the old one broke. The clothes were just basic cotton shirt and pants, nice and tight but loose enough where she bent to allow movement, and of course were made as dark as she could make them. The guards were leather with a thin layer of steel so she could deflect swords and knives if need be.



Then there was her talisman. The arrow-shaped talisman had been her father's, Martin Barbolak, who had given it to her when he had returned home from one of his adventures. Martin was a kind of merchant, he searched the entire human continent for antiques, treasures and rarities. He then brought them home and sold them to make a living. He brought the talisman home one day and had given it to her. He had seemed so proud of it though at the time she did not know why, it seemed to just be an enchanted arrowhead. The only reason she had known this is because it glowed green. The talisman also had six gems secured to it. She didn't understand the importance of the thing yet still was happy to recieve it for the single reason that her father had given her something he thought to be of great value. He explained to her that she had to keep the talisman safe, that she should never give it to anyone for any reason. He wouldn't tell her why she must keep it so safe just that it must be so. She didn't display the talisman on her person, the glow would give her away, instead she kept it in a pouch that she kept around her neck always.



"It's time," she thought. "It's time once again." She got ready to leave the small room. She had left the tavern unseen at the same time every night to do scouting, but this was to be the last time, tonight she would honour the writ and go back to her home village of Tyne, in the northern country of Kelast, where she would hide out for a week or so before going back to the Arch-Mage's hall and collecting her bounty.



"There it is," Eiji said. She let out a sigh of half-hearted relief. Finally, she was there, a place all too familiar, the manor of Vikteren Aldon. She knew what she had to do, knew exactly where the guards would be, and where the slaves would be. It was just a matter of getting it done, and it had to be done tonight. This night or she would have to do it for no pay. This night or she might have a bounty placed on her head. She had only this night to execute the writ and the next day to disappear; two days to do something most men wouldn't have the nerve to do, ever.



Eiji readied herself for this, the hardest part. She had to run to a sad looking saproling that stood about five feet from the manor's balcony, climb it until she was high enough to make the jump to the balcony, yet remain hidden from the guard that would pass underneath her. A five foot jump from a flimsy tree wasn't exactly the most inviting approach, but that balcony was the best bet for getting inside the manor.



Eiji stood waiting until the rear guard went for his hourly round of the building. Then, as fast as her legs would allow her, she ran quietly to the tree and climbed it before the guard came around from the other side. It took the guard about forty-five seconds to complete his round of the building. After she had climbed to a decent height, she had to prepare for the jump. She had found a branch earlier that day that she thought would be sturdy enough to hold her weight as she jumped. She also had to time her jump perfectly. If she jumped too soon, the guard would see her and everything would be ruined. Jump too late and the guard would be back at his post and would also see her make the jump. It was her plan to have at least ten seconds to catch her breath, but just as she got comfortable the guard came around the other corner.



Eiji readied herself for the jump. She tested the strength of the branch and it seemed sturdy enough. She then looked down to make sure she could see the guard. She couldn't. The tree's branches were so thick that she couldn't see the ground directly under her. Quickly, she counted to the methodical rhythm of the guard's steps. She estimated it would take ten steps from the time the guard left her view until he was directly under her and she would have to jump. As the guard was just about to leave Eiji's sight, the balcony door opened. She could see a figure come out of the doorway. All she could do for what seemed like forever was sit there and stare; completely stunned. Then she realized it was him, Vikteren, the man she was here to finish.



Eiji quickly snapped out of her dazed state and jumped to the balcony. Then, almost simultaneously, she and Vikteren drew their weapons out of their holsters and turned to face each other. Eiji, in her dark bloodstained shirt and pants holding her simple, handcrafted spear, and Vikteren standing about twenty feet away with his jeweled dagger drawn, dressed in exquisite clothing, holding his hand out readying a spell.



Suddenly, Eiji started at Vikteren, spear held ready to strike as she drew closer.



He didn't seem to react. Instead he just stood still, with an unshaken confidence. At the last moment he redirected the point of her spear with his dagger, then without missing a heartbeat slammed Eiji in the back with his elbow and knocked her to the ground winded.



"You have finally arrived", he uttered calmly, his deep voice a solid monotone. He averted his gaze for only a moment to sheath his dagger.



"Whoa-what!?" spurted Eiji, as she scrambled to her feet and stared in disbelief.



"I have been waiting for someone to take up on that offer for a while now." continued Vikteren. He stood immobile, like a statue, arms folded across his chest.



"You mean your bounty? How did you know there was a bounty on your head? The Arch-Mage told me you had no idea," blurted Eiji, dumbfounded at the absence of emotion in the man's voice and his knowlegde of why she was here. He wasn't supposed to know, this ruined everything. Now how was she supposed to kill him, not only did he deflect her attack but he was obviously a mage. What kind of mage she did not know and that made Eiji very cautious of the man.



"The Arch-Mage told you what I told him to tell you. I put that bounty on my own head. I wanted to find someone worthy of my employment." Vikteren continued. "You have proven yourself, by getting close enough to kill me, worthy. What really intrigues me is that you didn't even alert the guards, never mind have to kill one and you aren't even a mage, or at least not trained as one," he said, obviously impressed with Eiji's achievement.



"Well, whatever you want with me I'm not interested. I have never failed to complete a job before and I don't intend on starting now. I spent way too much time watching you and your guards to just simply talk. " And with that, Eiji started at Vikteren once more, this time at a more brisk dash.



Vikteren once again diverted the attack and put Eiji on the ground. "Three thousand gold florins," he stated; his voice still as calm and unyielding as his stature.



Eiji scrambled to her feet and looked quizzically at the man. Why would a man, that had put a bounty on his own head, offer her, the woman who is just about to kill him, a job? This so called slaver was really beginning to confuse her. "Okay, you've got my attention." Eiji responded suspiciously, "What is it you want with me?"



"Well, it's simple really," started Vikteren. "I'll pay you three thousand gold florins a month, give you a place to sleep, a hand to assist you while your at the manor and the lessons that every mage-born is entitled to from birth. In return you do the occasional odd errand for me."



"Mage-born? I'm sorry to inform you that I'm not a mage-born." Eiji insisted, "And what is it you mean by an occasional odd errand?"



"Well, considering my former first has passed away just recently," replied Vikteren, still showing absolutely no emotion, "I've been in need of a replacement to help me care for my land and its assets."



"Why would your land need such a skilled guard, and what assets?" she replied, at this point getting rather annoyed. The though of living out the rest of her life as a simple guard disgusted her.



"Ha," the man snickered. "Aren't we full of questions all the sudden? I'm a collector of rare antiques. My first and I were in the middle of collecting a highly sought after collection when he left to visit his daughter and never returned. I can only assume he's dead. You have not yet told me your name, miss." Vikteren stated.



"Well, I was planning on killing you, and usually I don't tell the dead my name. It's not professional, you see." Eiji retorted.



"Yes, yes, don't think I forgot why you think you're here," Vikteren acknowledged  "But don't you forget the real reason you're here. You're here because I requested it, I wasn't expecting someone so soon but that is quite alright. So that being said once again I ask your name."



"Eiji." she replied flatly.



"Eiji? That's all just Eiji, no family name?" Vikteren persisted.



"Yes, Eiji, Eiji Barbolak, though I don't know why I'm tell-"



"Barbolak," Vikteren chuckled, "Heh. That explains a lot."



"Yes, Barbolak; as in daughter of Martin Barbolak, a great explorer of this continent." stated Eiji, as proudly as she could yet very confused at the man's statement. "What does that explain?"



"Ah," Vikteren continued. "Good old Martin, just like him not to tell you."



"Tell me? Tell me what?" Eiji quickly replied, quite taken back by Vikteren's apparent knowledge of her father. "You knew my father?"



"I'm glad to inform you that he was my first, and in his absence I need to fill his place; you are his heir. If you had not come here I would never had found you. How convenient this is."



"Well, I am afraid to tell you that I'm not interested." Eiji replied coldly. With that she turned to jump back into the tree and leave. Just before she reached the edge of the balcony a hand grabbed her shoulder and restrained her. The hand belonged to a heavy looking man about two inches taller than Eiji. He was dark skinned and unarmed, except for an enchanted ring that was nestled on his finger. As she turned to face the two men the new mage formed a ball of fire in his hand threateningly. This startled Eiji and she took a few steps away from the man only to trip over a raised stone on the balcony.



"I'm an assassin, Vikteren, not an explorer," she said, reinstating what she had mentioned earlier as she once again rose to her feet. This was the most time Eiji had ever spent on the ground she realized. "Exploring was my Father's work, not mine."



"Your Father wasn't much of an explorer either." Vikteren responded, "Most of the artifacts were already unearthed. His job was to aquire them from their owners."



"Are you suggesting my Father was a petty thief?" Eiji said accusingly, as she readied for her spear.



"Oh no," Vikteren said dismissingly, a slight smile touching his lips. "no my dear, I'm saying that he was a master thief, and in case you haven't noticed, this is a Nightblade santuary. None of us are petty or simple. All masters of our trades. Thieves, assassins, agents and all people of similar trades gather from everywhere on this continent to prove themselves worthy of working under me."



"You mean the Nightblades? The well known, yet never seen worshippers of the shadows?" Eiji said astonished. She had heard many rumours of such a guild but had never believed them. The stories always seemed way too extravagent.



"Highly reputable, yet anonymous," Vikteren muttered proudly, appearing to be talking to himself. He turned his attention once again to Eiji. "Yes, that is us. And, now that you are aware of this it leaves you with two choices, you can either join us or take that information to your grave."



"Wait, how can I be sure you're telling me the truth?" Eiji tested, "I've heard of the Nightblades. If this is truely a Nightblade sanctuary then prove it. If it is true the Nightblades exist and this is a sanctuary then your offer will seem much more lucrative."



"Well, Eiji," Vikteren began, his voice returning to the calm and precise tone of a business man. "whether you believe us or not is quite irrelevent at this time. The fact of the matter is that either you join us now or die."



"Hmph, you seem overly confident." Eiji didn't like her current situation and decided that she had to remain confident. If they truely were Nightblades then they would be able to catch her, but if they weren't then she had nothing to worry about. "I think I will decline your offer and leave with my life. If you're truely a Nightblade then stop me and I may reconsider."



Without further delay Eiji was off the balcony and running towards The Northeastern Official. She got no more then thirty paces away when she got taken to the ground by a large mass. Not sure what had hit her she reached for her spear only to discover that it was not in it's harness. She immedately got up and turned towards the manor. There were five men standing there poised and ready to pounce if she tried to run again. One of them was holding her spear and none were close enough to have tackled her. After a short time Vikteren walked calmly from behind them.



"So you thought you could run?" Vikteren asked rhetorically, "Amusing. So now that your little charade is over what say you now? I tire of these games, it is getting late and I haven't yet eaten my dinner."



Vikteren said this with such calm that it sent shivers down Eiji's spine. She looked around at any other escape route she could find, none showed themselves. She thought hard, this was it, either the end of her or the end of her freedom. Unless what Vikteren said was true. What if her father really had worked for him, for the Nightblades. When it comes down to it what choice does she really have. "Alright, I'll go with you."



"You speak as if you have a choice." Vikteren said smuggly, "Though I am glad you didn't choose to try and run again, I'm not sure I would have held them back a second time." He paused for a moment before turning and starting towards his manor. "Let's be on our way then, I have a lot to show you tonight and not much time to do so."



Eiji, still unsure what to make of the situation, started to follow this man who claimed to know her father. As she followed the other men that were standing around followed her, she knew they would spring into action if she tried to take off. As they neared the manor's front entrance Vikteren walked in the front door which was opened for him. Eiji entered after him. The door was immediately closed after her.



She followed him through the manor. It was even more beautifully decorated than she had anticipated. There were paintings everywhere on the walls, most of which she had never seen before. The carpet lining the hallways was truly worth its weight in gold, and there were miscellaneous antique oddities on pedestals all throughout the estate.



Vikteren finally reached a door at the end of a long downward-angled corridor. He stopped and waited for Eiji to catch up. When she did, they entered the room together. It was his personal quarters; Eiji could barely believe her eyes. The room was full of antiques, amulets, rings, weapons of all sorts, armors and other strange objects she couldn't name. They filled the room from the twenty-foot ceiling to the floor, on all five walls. Everything was placed in high quality casing or on elaborate steel racks.



"Wait here," Vikteren told Eiji as he wandered to a door and left the room. "I'll be right back with something you must see." She looked around the room in shock until one thing caught her eye. It was a handcrafted spear made of a metal she had never seen before. She walked over to where it was placed to have a better look. The spear had a head at either end that appeared as if they were forged of a single sheet of metal. She reached a hand forward to touch it and at once she could feel the air around it was very cold. She had never, in all her days, seen a spear of such quality.



"Stormforge." Vikteren whispered.



Eiji jumped, not realizing he had returned. "What?" She said alarmingly.



"The spear. It's name is Stormforge. Your father brought it back from one of his expeditions. He had told me to hold on to it for you because he thought you'd like it. Before you can wield that weapon you must earn the right to be known as a Nightblade."



"I'd do anything to be able to call that spear my own!" Eiji said in absolute awe of the spear's brilliance.



"Well, it won't be easy," Vikteren began to explain. "but being the daughter of Martin I'm sure you'll make us proud. You must simply prove that you can use your tongue and mind to solve a problem instead of just the tip of your weapon. Once again I'm getting ahead of myself, here's what I needed to show you." He offered Eiji an envelope with her fathers seal on the back. She looked at him, then turned and slowly opened the letter. It read:



    Dear Eiji;



Ah, you finally found Vikteren, I hope you didn't keep him waiting too long. I'm sure you two have had some time to talk already but I'll briefly touch on our relationship. This was the staging ground for my adventures that I had always told you all about. Around you is everything I had collected during all my years of searching, some of which I'm sure you'll find very useful. In return for him keeping all this stuff safe, I had helped him keep his plantation safe and had completed duties for him and the other Nightblades. Vikteren should have around his finger the Ring of Eshon. This is one piece of a set of six. The arrowhead I left you, Prodith's Talisman, is another piece of that set. Please give this to Vikteren for safe keeping, it's purpose is complete. It was meant to bring you to him. Vikteren is to be trusted with all you should collect in your journeys. In return he will ask small favors of you here and there. Please do as he asks.



Something you should know is that I was a mage, and a quite powerful one too. Yes, this also means that you are a mage, Eiji. Vikteren will instruct you in the ways of magic. Though he is a mage of the Restoration class he can teach you the basics of harnessing the power of magic then help you choose a class of your own. Once you've chosen I'm sure he knows of someone of your chosen class that can train you in that class's specifics.



There are two things that I have entrusted to Vikteren that are meant for you when you prove yourself worthy of the Nightblades. Stormforge I'm sure you've already seen. It was the greatest spear I was ever to lay my eyes on. The other is a cuirass. The Cuirass of Yturilwood. It was the cuirass that I wore and it protected me well in my most troubled times. Now I bestow it upon you, hopefully it will bring you protection when you most need it. Both the cuirass and the spear are crafted of mithril, a legendary metal discovered by the Dwarves and only found in Krorochuer. The spear was constructed by a dwarven weaponsmith, and the cuirass by wood elves. Please take good care of both of my findings, and poor old Vikteren.


You probably know that the arrowhead I gave you is an enchanted item, you may even know that it's enchanted with Enviromental class magic, but now you will know that it is a Token of the Arcane Council. You see, when a mage chooses, their soul is sealed in a stone known as soumel for use of the next generation. The stronger that mage is the better quality the stone will become. The talisman you have is of the best quality known to this world. It contains the souls of six of the Arcane Council members who were heads of the Enviromental class. There were five other great mages in the beginning: Prodith, Roanar, Chadast, Rakan and Xander. When the council was destroyed during the great war the Council Tokens were scattered. Vikteren has Eshon's ring. I hope you choose to continue my legacy. Find the other three tokens, it would make me proud.



                                Love;

                                    Your Father Martin



Eiji read the last line with tears forming in her eyes. This was the first she had heard of her father since he had disappeared four years ago. She looked back at the spear and saw it in a new light. She marveled at its magnificence, and then glanced around for the cuirass. She finally spotted it. The Cuirass of Yturilwood was, in appearance, a simple looking torso cover that was cut at the elbows. It seemed to be made of some sort of fur, though her father assured her it was mithril. There was something else that she couldn't quite place. It was almost as if the cuirass was void of any reaction to light. The room was nicely lit, yet that cuirass seemed as if it were in the shadows, almost as if it absorbed the light that touched it instead of reflecting it.



"Ah, yes. Your father's cuirass," said Vikteren slowly, noticing Eiji's interest in it. He stepped up beside her and gazed at it himself. "He found that in the Caverns of Berandas while looking for Xander's Gauntlet. He didn't find the token, instead he brought back this cuirass. If he were to tell you the story, the cuirass was a better find then any of the Council Tokens."



"And it is to be mine?" asked Eiji, turning, looking at the calm, nostalgic face of the man.



"Yes," he smiled disarmingly. Eiji noticed something in Vikteren she never saw before, she saw a gentle man in him. His calm and confident manner was not a result of arrogance, instead she realized it was of genuine experience and ability. "All in due time, my dear," Vikteren finished after a long pause.



"Well, I'm sorry to have almost killed you," Eiji said, now feeling quite guilty, "I was under the impression you were a murderer and slaver."



"Yes, well, I took that chance," Vikteren reassured her, "and I'm now glad that I did, for it brought you to me. You must be tired though, and you have a lot to think about." With that he clapped twice, and, promptly, one of his workers appeared at the doorway. "Please show Mistress Eiji to her room", he told the man. "She is the guest we've been expecting these past four years, and has had a hard day."



"Yes, Master Vikteren" responded the hand with a respectful bow. Eiji had the distinct impression that the man had not been forced into his position, but rather he had much respect for Vikteren and served him by choice.



The worker then led Eiji to her room. It was yet another room highly decorated, though there was one thing about this room that made it stand out: it was full of empty racks and display cases, she wanted to explore but with so many things to think about, she decided to just get undressed and go to bed.