In need of a job

[dreamer]

His feet hit the floor in complete silence as he listened to the busy sounds of the castle around him in amusement. His eyes traveled along the walls as he thought of an Order member he had left the corpse of some where beyond this wall. Lilindir knew his way around, but he didn't know the names of the land. He was different then Aden was. Sure, Aden probably never thought of his little brother, but Lilindir compared himself to him often. Lilindir was like his brother in the way that he never stopped training. His lavender eyes met the door that led to the Throne Room.

That was the place in which he had been told King Osiris would be. His pocket jingled with signs of the deaths of about seven to eleven more Order men. He was coming for more work to do since he was growing quite bored of just training. Also unlike his brother Lilindir was able to grow bored rather fast when the goal didn't have his full attention. Sure, killing his brother wasn't exactly a goal, but Aden had supposibly gone through more then him and Lilindir wanted to prove that experience didn't make the better fighter.

Slowly the large doors to the Throne Room started growing larger in his vision as he stuck his hands into his pockets. He smirked as his crimson hair flew free of the black ribbon, but he caught it before the ribbon hit the floor. Pulling his hair back behind his head he tied the ribbon with a single hand as the other pushed the door open. "My leige?" He asked softly as he glanced around the room.

His black cloak billowed around him as he shut the door behind him and briskly moved to kneel in front of the king. "I have news." He said pulling the jingling back from his deep pocket as he set it in front of him, "About ten Order members are dead. All of them carrying news that Aden Vigil is back and more." He said bowing his head as his bangs freed themselves from the ribbon and fell around his face framing his face.

"Is there anything else I may do for you?" He asked raising his eyes as he stood up meet the King. Respect was something that every Elf should have been taught. Even a low life adrenaline seeker like Lilindir had respect, but only for those who could harm him. Not for anything else.

He waited for the King to speak while at a relaxed alertness that came with his personality.

[King Osirus]

King Osirus was generally a man of few business. He had an adviser that would normally handle such things as this, but Nikanoru had seemed to become generally slower and less intimate with his job. He hadn't shown up in the Throne Room for the King's morning breifing and thus, created quite a hellish scene for Osirus. Prominent heads of families, merchants, business men, and others had come to crowd the Throne Room and namely, around the small upraised platform in which the thrones of the royal family sat. The stained glass windows facing the East were caught in the glittering morning sunlight as the rays poured through the windows and splashed the already decadent rug with color. And even despite the sunlight, the room was as frigid as the night. The voices of men eager to give information to Osirus echoed loudly.

All the while, Osirus sat in his throne, one arm poised so that his lips were pressed against his palm in a bored manner. He was sitting in a relaxed manner despite his eyes looking troubled. He was heavy on his left, sitting so that his elbow rested on the arm rest while he sat back in a lax manner. His long hair was free of ribbons and such this morning, laying about his shoulders freely. Under his heavy emerald robe was a black and red vest adorned with gold lining. Under that was a white shirt in which was well endowed with frills blossoming out from the neck and wrists. His knee-high boots were spread in such a manner that one might think of Osirus as a spoiled ill mannered prince.

"Sir, the tax levied on bread should be raised above ten gold peices if you wish to keep the Order members starving. It would boost your expenses and keep people from shipping bread to those no good rats...."
"Not if you want a rebellion! I have far too many people complaining of my bread prices!"
"What about the tax on wood? No offense sir, but your haphazard Knights destroy homes faster than we can rebuild them! The streets will be littered with the homeless and soon, disease will follow..."
"And like we need more of that! Amputations from infections and deaths from broken bones are on the rise..."

Osirus, however, answered none of them. His face was cemented in an intense glare straight through all of them. Only when Lilindir came did the noise stop as the pampered men cleared a path through for him. They knew better than to get in the way of an assassin. As Lilindir placed the bag in front of him, Osirus broke from his intense cage of thought and plucked the bag up, opening it to empty the contents in his other hand. Finally, someone who knew what they were doing.

"So the fair General who stole my sword is back, is he? Surely he would have spoken to his Prophet by now...she will tell him of my plans..." He frowned as he stared at the contents in his hand. He looked at Lilindir now, a frown on his face.

"What else have you to tell me?" He asked, ignoring Lilindir's final question. The silence in the room grew heavy.

[dreamer]

Lilindir looked at the men around him who had cleared a path for him with a smirk. He looked back to King Osiris and nodded, "Yes, I also have news that Prophet Bassette plans to face your posessed knight alone because she thinks she can save his soul." He said pausing to think of what else may be of importance to the King. "Also the Order plans to take Laties into their protection." Lilindir said knowing that even though this had yet to be said he knew it was what his brother would do.

From what he knew of his brother the man held respect and honor above everything; which meant he was going to take him into consideration. Lilindir looked at the men around him as King Osiris obviously ignored his question. His lavender eyes focused on each person individually. He wasn't bad with silence, nor was he awkward. Just with this King you had to make sure that you never said the wrong thing.

Otherwise it would easily make a trip to the Blood Chamber possible and Lilindir had no wish to beat his brother to Hell. "There is also rumor spreading around the camp that Aden is planning to meet your new general head on in this upcoming fight." He said hoping that this little tid bit would help Osiris plan. "His weakness is that he trusts others too heavily." He said softly. He knew his brother well.

The question was if Osiris knew that one of his assassins was the younger brother of Aden. That would spell danger for Lilindir if he did know, but if he didn't or if he planned to use it against him later on then spying and assassinating right now would be a lot easier then it should have been. "I hope I'm being of some help to you King Osiris." He said bowing his head in respect again.

He was not going to disrespect the King. No, not on his head.

[nakimono]

♀Nakimono♀
⌠Forfeit the game⌡
⌠Before somebody else⌡
⌠Takes you out of the frame⌡
⌠Puts you name to shame⌡

The Knight of Osirus, was that not what they were called? These idiots parading about the castle in armor and with weapons, confronting her and sending her glares, leering at her until they realized she was not all beautiful woman. She supposed the meaning of knight for a human could be different from that for a Nashiningenmi, but honestly! Chivalry be danged, these men knew not of it! Where was their respect? A woman walked among them and not a shred of the respect she deserved. Absolutely horrible little creatures, these humans; foolish and ignorant. Knights? Her eight fuzzy legs! These men were not knights if they could not even so much as open the door for her.

Oh yes, she had been forced to open a door; such a nuisance. After all, her kind are not meant to fit through doors, or to open them or close them. The maneuver is such that it takes much practice to master; practice which she did not have. Spear grasped in one hand, the throne room’s heavy door handle in the other, she fought with physics and wrestled it open, swinging her impressive abdomen through it so that she backed through the tight opening rather than waltzed through as she had planned. So much for her majestic entry!

But these things were of no matter; she was here now, and these were the only difficulties she had encountered. At least these fools had the brains to back down in the face of one of her kind when on a mission; mere mention of business with Osirus had been enough to get rid of even the most persistent ones; a quiet glare and idle swinging of her spear enough to dissuade the others. And those that hadn’t backed down? Well, a girl has to eat.

The door thudded as she pulled it closed while turning around to face the many people present here in this large room. At least she had been pointed to a room sufficient to hold her bulk of spider, and it seemed the right place; after all, were not the humans fond of parading their superiority by sitting upon thrones? Then that must be him; the king, there upon his throne, looking only partially interested in the young man standing before him. Others were present, quite a few sniveling fools by the looks of them, and most of them had turned to stare—no, to gape—at the Nashiningenmi who had just entered the room.

Never mind them, her business was with the king, and she intended to speak with him and now; after all, she was the only female present in the room, and that made her the dominant one. Head held high, her spear resting loosely in her left hand so that it was propped partially upon the back of her spider half, hardened tips of legs clacking on the hard floor, she moved forward without any show of respect to any party in the room.

Approaching the raised dais upon which the king was seated, she glanced scornfully at the man standing there; it did not register that he must be of some importance for the others to stand so separated from him. All that she saw was that he was male, and an elf; worse even than humans in her eyes, as they did not even taste good. Their meat was far too stringy. And as far as she was concerned, prey that wasn’t even good for eating was worthy of nothing but scorn.

Paying the elf no further heed, she stepped around him, placing herself as much between him and the king as she could; it was a male’s place to back down in the presence of a female, and he could wait for her business to be completed for all she cared. Coming to halt at last, she dedicated her attention fully upon the king; that alone should be enough for a male human, but she went one step forward and offered a nearly imperceptible nod of acknowledgment; he should be glad to get that much attention from a female of her race and age.

“King Osirus, I presume?” she asked, her voice smooth as silk, a contrast to the sharp teeth revealed by her speech. Without waiting for a reply, she continued, “I am Nakimono Gakuzento, and if that is too much for your human mouth you may call me Naki. In either case, I come to offer my aide in your war against the Order,” she paused, giving herself a chance to judge the king’s reaction to this; after all, king he may be, but he was still a slow human.

Her pupil-less gaze did not leave the king, but she heard the muffled gasps of surprise from a few of the bystanders; she almost smirked. Ah these humans were so amusing; they must think her manners so horrible, but truth be told, that was respectful; at least, it was about as much as a human male was going to get from a female Nashiningenmi. But perhaps she had been too rash, too bold, too disrespectful; not in her own mind, but perhaps in the mind of these humans, and while she did not consider it a matter of importance, she still was only of fifty years, she still was too young to truly understand that a little more respect than normal can go quite a long way in dealing with these humans. Oh well; we are all entitled to mistakes, after all.

♀The Itsy-Bitsy Spider♀
⌠Cover up your face⌡
⌠You can’t run the race⌡
⌠The pace is too fast⌡
⌠You just won’t last⌡

_{Lyrics © Linkin Park}

[King Osirus]

Osirus had waited a long time to hear of news of Laties. Any information on the runaway ex-General was much appreciated and well rewarded. But just like a pack of dogs, only those with the finest breeding are actually worth anything. Bandits and headhunters, mutts of the killing game, clearly could do anything and provide anything for the King. The only thing they wished to do was to scrounge the floor beneath the King's feet for fallen scraps. They were ragged, dirty, and untamed. They were the weakest of the pack. Then, there were assassins and spies, whom in which had finer breeding and much more tame. They could be relied on to do what was asked and they were the type to bring the full game, no matter the size, back to the hunter. They were prized dogs, but dogs none the less. Information brought to him by any dog was usually full of holes and made no sense.

Except for this fine specimen. Lilidin Uddassan. A well bred young man and reliable to boot. Osirus smiled faintly as Lilidin revealed his information to the king. "Yes, I also have news that Prophet Bassette plans to face your posessed knight alone because she thinks she can save his soul." Osirus couldn't help but chuckle a bit at this statement. So Lady Bassette thinks she can fight against the dark power I have infused with Sergeant with? I'd like to see that. She has no idea that the magic is so tightly tied around his heart, he'll die if she tries to pry Nocens Atrum's grip from him. Tsk, tsk. But his smile faded as Lilidin presented his next bit of information.

"Also the Order plans to take Laties into their protection."

Osirus suddenly stood up, a powerful blast of magic exploding from him as he stood, knocking the fattest merchants on either side of him to the floor.

"What!?" He growled loudly, and grabbed the first man to stand up, tossing him with strength Nocens Atrum surely lent him across the room to slam into a wall and crumple to the ground/

"The fools! I cannot have it! If Laties brings them the Odium sword, they'll have both the Cruor sword and the Odium sword! I'll be less two swords!" Osirus roared in anger. He glared at Lilidin, his anger seething. It wasn't until Lilidin spoke again did Osirus find a calming sense and settled down to sit again.

"Hmph...So he thinks he can go against Takeshe? Well...That's a bit better to think upon...That fool of a General will perish under Takashe's strength...I must tell him to make sure to cease the sword before leaving..." Osirus said, taking one hand to rub over his knuckles. Osirus opened his mouth to speak to Lilidin again when the Throne room doors opened to reveal a rather fascinating sight. While most men pondered the disgusting matters of a woman's torso planted upon an arachnid body, Osirus was rather fascinated in the concept.

Clearly a domineering woman, he could sense he would have to use a different sort of communication with her. As she came up to him, he stood. He gave her a respective bow back.

"You are correct in assuming I am Osirus. I am honored to have you here in my court Nakimono Gakuzento of the Nashiningenmi. What I am to wonder is exactly what services you are offering me, for fear I do not know of your talents, per say," Osirus said. He looked at her straight in the eye. It was surely an invisible battle over the dominance in this room.

[dreamer]

Lilindir braced himself against the magic without the slightest notice except for the small metalic sound the chains around his black tank top made. His cloak billowed around him again as he relaxed his muscles and said, "My leige, I believe that it's possible to take the Cruor sword from the Order in the upcoming attack." He said after Osiris had relaxed. Lilindir had expected worse for the news of this run away ex general, but thankfully those around him had fel the worst of the blows. He looked at the man that had been thrown and then back as the doors were opened.

When a woman on the body of an Arachnid appeared Lilindir kept his face straight. Inside he was wary, but outside he appeared as if he was just a mindless idiot...to those who didn't know that he was an assassin. He watched her step in front of him and address King Osiris in a tone that Lilindir knew meant that she thought she was better then him.

What amazed him though was that Osiris was not angered by her. Lilindir was not one for being treated so low, especially since he thought other were below him, but he kept his attitude in check as he let his hands fall under his cloak and out of sight. Two fingers slipped into black and crimson links of the chain as he fondled those links with care. They had broken earlier and they were brand new.

Of course Lilindir would never admit that the weapon he had been using for years finally had it's first break. No, he was too vain about the weapons that he wore on his back. The black circles were more opminous looking against his unruly crimson hair which had come free of it's ribbon once again. He reached back and found that this time it was cut in half. This was a not so rare event that happened because of his weapon.

He slipped his hand and the broken ribbon into his pocket as his hair fell free for one of the rare moments. Bangs framed his face as the rest of his hair fell perfectly across his back. The fact that he did not need to speak was not bothering him, but he was looking the Nashiningenmi over and decided whether she was dangerous to him or not. He quickly decided on not since he had fought creatures that seemed harder then her.

No one had ever warned Lilindir of vainity or anything. No, most who had started to do so had accidently insulted him and they now lay in their hollow, nameless graves that had been dug for them by pitying villigers. Never to be seen again. Sweet right?

[nakimono]

♀Nakimono♀
⌠Forfeit the game⌡
⌠Before somebody else⌡
⌠Takes you out of the frame⌡
⌠Puts you name to shame⌡

Now this was certainly not what she had expected; she had nearly given up hope on these humans even being worth her time. But perhaps her judgment had been too hasty, too generalized; after all, she had merely been judging the common soldiers. Here now was a man who understood his place; the show of respect was quite welcome, and it showed the man had at least a half decent sized brain in that large skull of his. But she mustn’t think in terms of skulls; not now, anyways, for now she was not hunting. And besides, she had larger concerns at the moment, like this humans discreet but still noticeable show of defiance; he might had bowed, yes, but a male is never to hold a female’s gaze, and here he stood staring her straight in the eye. Well, now that was completely unacceptable, even for a man who had gained some shred of respect. Well then, she would just have to show him his place.

Muscles rippled unseen beneath hardened hide of arachnid quality as eight thick legs simultaneously shifted; she had formerly been standing at rest, her body carried low to the ground; joints shifted outwards, lifting her form a handful of inches upwards. A subtle gesture to be sure, but any male Nashiningenmi would recognize it as a silent warning: back down now. Her kind were not often violent towards each other—after all, they had enough to deal with in being hunted by their own prey, it would be foolish for them to kill each other—but discrepancies in dominance did arise from time to time, between females carrying skulls of similar size. These were resolved quickly, however, and without bloodshed; shows of dominance were intimidating things when a Nashiningenmi wanted them to be, and it did not often take long for one or the other to back down. That was how she saw the outcome of this little discrepancy: she would put this man in his place without even laying a single finger upon him.

Eyes narrowed slightly but did not leave the man’s gaze, furthering her show of dominance and warning that he’d best back down. Center of gravity was shifted back upon her six hind legs, a supple shifting of her two front legs brought them forward to rest very lightly upon the ground, lifting her human body slightly higher and also taking a more threatening stance, like a spider ready to strike. She had seen this stance taken against her multiple times before she mastered it herself, when she had journeyed through the swamps; each time she had been forced to back down when she could not match the elder female; and there was no question of whether or not this human could match her in this game; it would be best for him to forfeit right now, before he hurt himself trying. Only now, after she had drawn herself up into such a dominant stance, asserting her authority, did she feel that she had a significant enough lead in this little skirmish that she could turn her thoughts to the man’s words.

Credit must be given where credit is due, and she would give Osirus credit for pronouncing her name, and though no human in Alyssus could possibly pronounce it perfectly, he had been quite close. And he had known her kind by name; it showed he was more educated than the commoner who simply spoke of the Nashiningenmi as the spider demons. Yes, she would give credit where credit was due, and two marks went up on the board in her mind for this, but she would not forget his unacceptable show of defiance; for a male to challenge a female was unheard of and completely intolerable. But what was she thinking? Could she truly expect these slow humans to know such a thing? Well, she would simply have to teach him.

“Well, Osirus,” she began, purposefully leaving off any title that might insinuate that he had any dominance over her, “if you truly know of my kind—and surely you do, unless you are a fool enough to suggest a knowledge that is not there,” a slight pause, a slight smirk; she was of course referring to his use of her kind’s proper name, a suggestion that he knew more than she suspected he actually did, but she had her doubts of his ability to understand that. “—then you will already know what it is that I do. And surely such a bright man as yourself must be able to guess at what my abilities might be.”

She smiled a wolfish grin, sharp teeth revealed against dark lips, leaving the ball in his court, so to speak; he would either return it, replying with an understanding of her kind, or he would drop it, not knowing a thing of her people. One might wonder if this were a test, and one would be absolutely right to think so; Nakimono did more than just assert her physical dominance. If she could catch him in a lack of knowledge that she possessed, she could also assert intellectual dominance, and the game would end in her favor. It was a risky gambit, for if her opponent knew more than she, then the game could swiftly be turned against her. But Naki had her doubts about a human’s ability to learn anything. As far as she was concerned, she has already won even before the king can reply. But perhaps Nakimono underestimates these humans—it would not be the first time, by any means, and a daresay it won’t be the last, either—but that remains to be seen.

♀The Itsy-Bitsy Spider♀
⌠Cover up your face⌡
⌠You can’t run the race⌡
⌠The pace is too fast⌡
⌠You just won’t last⌡

_{Lyrics © Linkin Park}

[King Osirus]

Osirus let out a soft chuckle. It was neither mocking nor sarcastic as he sat in his throne once again, demeaning his stance. She's just as stubborn as they come. Alright, I'll give her what she wants. After all...I will need her services, Osirus thought. So the King was going to lower himself beneath a woman? Surely, no man would do such a thing. Especially a King to someone who has no title. But dealing with prominent and domineering women had to come as a skill. Marcelle, though beautiful and submissive to her King, had a rather dominant and strong personality that a man must learn to appeal to in order to get what he wants. But was he going to fall on his stomach and grovel like a dog? Nocens Atrum would kill the arachnid woman before she would even think of forcing Osirus to do that. The dark god, however, had a fond spot for those of darker intentions and cruel skills like those of Nakimono.

She was indeed right in assuming he knew very well her abilities and skills as a Nashiningenmi. He had read up on many of Alyssus less known creatures that lurked in the shadows for possible recruitments into his army. She was as tricky and cunning as he had read and thus decided this situation had to be treated very carefully. For a moment, his eyes lingered on her before turning them to his hands. Fine. If she did not want to be looked at, he wouldn't do so. He took a lock of hair absentmindedly and began to twirl it between his fingers as he pondered this situation for a moment. Then he dropped his hair and sat up straight like a proper King.

"As it is, fair Nakimono, I do indeed have a need for strength and grace such as yours. Of course, if you're willing to work for me, one must assume you are willing to take orders from a man. If you are to follow this man, I will reward you with whatever you want." Osirus paused.

"I will be sending an army into war soon. As you know, men can be quite the weaklings when counting hunger, fatigue, and other such interactions. The thing is...there is a very precious sword in the town in which my men are to destroy. While my Knights are fighting, I need to have someone with skill in which to bring me back this sword safely...Its very important that this is done. I do not care who you have to kill or slaughter, but I need that sword back. What do you say?" He brought a hand to rest his chin upon.

"In the mean time, Lilindir will be searching for the traveler who wields the Dolus sword. These two events are to be of top priority," Osirus said, throwing a glance to Lilindir. He wanted to get his message across to Lilindir without having to turn his attention away from Nakimono. He knew how angered she would be to interupt their time with each other to address someone else.

[dreamer]

Lilindir watched the King deal with this creature and a smile graced his lips as he noticed how the King could handle such a random meeting with authority. He slipped his fingers from the chain and instead let them hang by his side as he waited for some sort of sign. He listened to a few sounds he could hear outside this room and one or two of them made him want to feel scarce before more people came. Lilindir was not known for liking crowds, nor was he known for giving his real name, but that was a different story.

Of course it still brought a smirk to his face as he thought about the few fortnights that Osiris had called him Lakoh. An alias he had taken up for the chance to see how bright this King was. Of course his alias had quickly been forgotten as Osiris had managed to get his real name without Lilindir noticing. That was a rare thing to do because Lilindir always paid attention to one or two or even three conversations at a time.

"Understood." Lilindir said almost silently with a nod as he turned and walked towards the doors. The chains made no noise even though this time he didn't bother to mask his footsteps. His crimson hair hid his plotting eyes scanned the hallway for any people who might be of interest. Then again...It was Lilindir and he never needed to plan. He did things and he did them with accuracy. After all, that was what made him one of the top assassins.

He was quite interested in this spider woman, but he need not be near her now because of how much he needed to find who ever was carrying this Dolus sword that Osiris was quite interested in. Lilindir understood the legend of the swords, but it didn't mean he cared one bit. No, he really didn't care. He just did this to keep from being bored. He was almost simple like that, but not really.

He didn't exit the castle like most people, no, he dissapeared into the shadows and found his way out from there. I won't be telling you though because he'll be in trouble if it's found out.

(Lilindir is gone)

[nakimono]

♀Nakimono♀
⌠Forfeit the game⌡
⌠Before somebody else⌡
⌠Takes you out of the frame⌡
⌠Puts you name to shame⌡

A smirk graced the dark lips of the spider demon as the king seated himself, averting his eyes from her own. Now this was more like it, this was how a male was supposed to act; perhaps not all hope was lost for these humans and their miniscule manners. Perhaps they actually could be taught. Muscles rippled once more into action in a reverse of earlier actions, front legs shifting back to rest at her sides with her other legs, body lowering itself once more to the position of rest which kept her mere inches from the ground. This was the way of things; once one had backed down, so to would the other, and tensions would be immediately resolved. Such things kept the peace, and Nakimono was not one to challenge peace when there was no need for violence.

Head titled slightly upon his words, eyes still narrowed slightly, though now less so, a sign of thought as opposed to a warning. Taking orders from a man? She supposed she could expect nothing else in offering her aide to these humans, though she had hoped for female commanders as opposed to males. Her mistake; she had forgotten how much humans glorified their men when she had allowed herself that hope. No matter, she supposed she could tolerate an order or two from a man, if he showed respect, and if his orders were not too idiotic. She could always ignore them if they were; after all, these were not her superiors, and she would not treat them as so. She would listen if she must to get what she wants, but there would be a none too flexible line as to how far she would go.

But she did not yet tell this to Osirus; after all, he had not finished speaking, and it would be so terribly rude of her to interrupt; at least she could show respect when it was due, unlike certain people. Her smirk spread slightly, sharp teeth once again showing against dark lips—though this time they were not so wolfishly revealed—at the mention of the weakness of men. Her arrogance did not allow her to realize that he may have said that only to appease her; instead, she saw it as his confession of his own—for was not he, too, a human man just as the rest?—weaknesses. Humility, in a way. Perhaps another mark on the board in his favor, though it fed her ego more, for she saw it as a vocal acknowledgement of her dominance. Yes, perhaps she could forgive his earlier impudence in light of his revoking that mistake, for perhaps he had learned his lesson and deserved to be thusly forgiven.

But this was beside the point, for there were more important matters. Her conclusion about his mention of man’s weakness had been quick, and had not distracted her for long; she had indeed heard the description of her job. A sword, then; well, she had plenty of those lying about from her prey, and she didn’t know what was so special about them. Unwieldy things that required one to be far too close to one’s opponent; better to use a spear, put some distance in there. After all, none of those swords had reached her in combat, not when her spear had been the first to strike before a sword even came within striking range. But if it was a sword he wanted, it was a sword he would get. After all, it was no matter to her what she retrieved for him so long as she got what she wanted.

Which brings upon us the question of exactly what that was. He had given her free reign, after all, so long as she took orders from him and his men. She could have anything in the world within his power to grant. Ah yes, this could not have ended better, for it was not too much to ask the king of the land to give her rights to hunt in the land that was his. And, after all, was not Osirus known for his cruelty, his lack of care for the common man? Surely he would not be concerned with the commoners that would fall to her as the result of her wish. Yes, this could not have worked out better even if she had planned this. It was better than she could have hoped for in dealing with these pathetic beings; just goes to show that a little optimism never hurt anyone; after all, would a pessimist have even attempted such a thing as this? Surely not; they would have missed out completely. So, too would one such as her brother, who sat within his lair day in and day out, not actively seeking anything. But such matters were not for her to concern herself with; now she had better things to wrap her mind about.

Quiet footsteps came from behind before the arachnid could speak, retreating almost imperceptibly, but she paid that no mind; someone had left, most likely that elven fellow considering how close the steps had started, and if it were him, it was not even worth a thought, let alone a glance behind. She was in no danger, after all, if he were leaving. She put the steps quickly from her mind.

“It is rarely safe to assume anything, King Osirus,” she began, once again addressing him by title; there was no harm to it now he knew his place, “but you are safe this time to assume I will obey a man’s orders, if only for the time being. If it is a precious sword you wish, then merely name it and it shall be yours. However,” she paused briefly for effect, beginning to enjoy toying with this human, and the others surrounding, “though I offer my services, I do not offer them for free. You said that my reward is my choice, and I will hold you to that. My request is simple enough, however, so do not worry,” an innocent grin, masking the sinister nature of her request, though it would be more likely to raise suspicions.

“What I want is this: freedom to hunt wherever I want and whoever I want within this city, with no opposition from your men or from any citizen. I am sure you are well aware of how fond people are of attempting to slay my kind, and I would like freedom from that nuisance. Do you accept my terms, or shall I leave the retrieval of your precious sword to your bumbling men?”

Wolfish grin once again spread across dark lips; Osirus had admitted himself that he needed her help, surely he would not allow her to simply walk off without securing her much needed aide, despite the steep price of her services. She did not figure Osirus to be the type to care, but as the meaning of her words hit home with a handful of the others present in the room, she heard the muffled gasps and the muttered objections, though she doubted any would speak up. She wondered if any of them knew exactly how many innocent lives this deal would cost, of if it were only the mere idea that they were so appalled at. She could almost feel the hope in the air that radiated from them, the hope that Osirus would refuse the offer. But surely a king like he would have no scruples with such a request; and if he did, it would surely tarnish his reputation. Nakimono could almost taste the rich variety of city prey already.

♀The Itsy-Bitsy Spider♀
⌠Cover up your face⌡
⌠You can’t run the race⌡
⌠The pace is too fast⌡
⌠You just won’t last⌡

_{Lyrics © Linkin Park}

[King Osirus]

King Osirus sat in silence for a moment as he pondered the differences between their two trades. He direly needed the Cruor sword back, but in the mean time, he would allow this woman to walk amongst his citizens. Not only would she be free of trouble, but she's be allowed to hunt anyone and everyone. Such a trade-off would surely be a concrete one, but to think of the lives lost. Osirus, now is not the time to be thinking of your right mind. We need that sword more than the lives of those who live within the city. I do not need to remind you of the consequences of losing those swords! Osirus blinked, then brought his eyes up to Naki as much as he dared without having to set her off into her offensive mode.

"Alright, you have a deal. You will bring back the Cruor sword for the ability to hunt within my kingdom. You can eat as many people as you wish without compromising the well being of my city. Which means, I still need a certain amount of people alive to work for me. But after all, you're smart enough to know the difference," Osirus said.

Ooc:: Ick...short post. Sorry.

[nakimono]

((Sorry for taking so long to reply; I had to work this weekend for the first time in a month, and it nearly killed me, rofl. I didn’t get half a chance to even think about replying. And this post is realy short, because my muse is still trying to recover, lol))

♀Nakimono♀
⌠Forfeit the game⌡
⌠Before somebody else⌡
⌠Takes you out of the frame⌡
⌠Puts you name to shame⌡

Sharp teeth again were revealed in a predator’s grin as the silence stretched between king and hunter; perhaps she had over-estimated this man? Perhaps he could not stand to send so many people to their deaths? That would be so very sad indeed, but it would offer a perfect example of why his kind were hated so much by hers. So weak they were, letting silly things like emotions keep them from a greater good. He obviously needed this sword, now would he seriously be so foolish as to let his emotions stop him from making the one deal that would secure his future possession of that sword?

Ah, but what’s this? Perhaps he had not been over-estimated, after all. Wolfish grin spread slightly more as the king gave his answer. She would be the first Nashiningenmi to hunt safely within the confines of this city since its beginnings so long ago. She could just imagine the skulls she could gather here, especially being so free to hunt as this deal would allow. She would not have to pick targets who would not be missed; she had free reign.

Well, almost. So she would have to leave a few of them alive, for business purposes. Well, easy enough, she supposed; and at least she wasn’t being set a maximum quota. That would simply be an insult to her intelligence, for this king, this man, to belief she could not determine how many people should or should not be killed. Not only would that be an insult to her intelligence, it would be the same as if he had called her fat, saying she ate too much. Not that would be downright rude and unacceptable. But he had known better than that, and she had to give him credit for that, she supposed. Another point up on the board for him, though they hardly mattered by now; the deal was already set, after all.

But now was the matter of details; the deal was set, yes, but her end could not be carried out so easily without information. This sword—the Cruor, had he called it?—what did it look like? What village was it in? Where in that village? And when was the attack, during which she was expected to snag this sword and return triumphantly here with it in hand? These were things she needed answered before she could be on her way, but she did not mind so much; after all, this human was mildly amusing, not quite so annoying or ignorant as the majority of his kind. It would not hurt for her to stick around and ask her questions.

“I’m so glad we can see eye to eye on this, King Osirus,” she said, grin still upon her face at the irony of her statement, “Now, this attack you spoke of, when will it be taking place? You also neglected to name the village in which the sword will be, and I’m afraid I’ll have to know where I am expected to go in order to get there. It would also be very helpful indeed if you were aware of the exact location of the sword within this town, unless that is part of the challenge?”

Ah yes, that could indeed be part of the problem; after all, this task could be so easily trusted to one of his officers to secure it during the battle if its location were known. But if its location were not known, then it could easily be lost during the chaos of the battle, and one could never trust a man to keep something from getting lost. It was simply one of those tasks that required a woman’s finesse to complete. If you want something done right, send a woman; that was the way of the Nashiningenmi.

♀The Itsy-Bitsy Spider♀
⌠Cover up your face⌡
⌠You can’t run the race⌡
⌠The pace is too fast⌡
⌠You just won’t last⌡

_{Lyrics © Linkin Park}

[King Osirus]

"Hmm, how foolish of me. I apologize for that, Nakimono Gakuzento. This sword, this very...important sword will be within the Amblethorn village. Where it will be during the fight puzzles me as well. But the man who will possess the sword will be a fair elven man. He is the General of the Order, General Aden. A particular thorn in my side, he took this sword from my Sergeant when it first came into port. You should have no trouble finding it, as it has...certain drawing qualities about it. It will shed the most blood, it will kill the most people. It will draw those who desire power right to it," Osirus said, resting his chin on his hand. He closed his eyes for a moment to imagine the very sword in his mind. How deeply he yearned for this sword. It stirred in his very stomach, made his mind ache with the lust of holding the power. He slowly opened his eyes, his long lashes just barely hovering above his cheeks.

"The battle will ensue four days from now. I will march the biggest army across the desert to the village and attack its strong hold. The only opposition you should meet are petty soldiers. There is a Prophet there as well. She might prove to be problematic. If her Ancient is with her, he will be a thorn in our side as well. But these are all unseen parts of an equation I will have solved by the time the battle comes to. As for you, your only concern should be returning that sword. That shouldn't be difficult at all." Osirus said. Once again, he looked up to Naki only as much as he dared. He did not need to mess this deal up. She was clearly the only competent warrior he had in his arsenal that he could rely on not to make a mistake. In hand, he could not make one either.

[nakimono]

♀Nakimono♀
⌠Forfeit the game⌡
⌠Before somebody else⌡
⌠Takes you out of the frame⌡
⌠Puts you name to shame⌡

I’m an addict for dramatics.

Ah, yes, a particular fan of the dramatics, she was; a dramatic entry here, a dramatic death there, or even a dramatic battle. The largest army, he says; well, that would do quite fine. After all, it would only be fitting for her to retrieve this dramatically powerful sword in a dramatic way, don’t you agree? And what better a way then for her to, in the midst of a massive slaughter, hunt the sword down and gallantly retrieve it, to march back in all her dramatic glory with the Cruor in hand. But perhaps she gets ahead of herself, for there are other details to be paid due attention to, after all.

Amblethorn village, was it? That dim little squat in the desert she had heard about? Dependant upon that foolish little oasis; hm, it would be an easy enough target, and easily searched. She doubted that such a village would require such a large army, but these were men they were dealing with, after all, and she supposed that the precaution was well taken. But what of the sword? For that, after all, was all that she cared about; the outcome of the battle made no difference to her; for all she cared, both sides could annihilate each other in a wonderfully bloody slaughter, and her day would be none the dimmer.

But the sword; what of the sword? In the hands of an elf, eh? She nearly laughed out right; for this sergeant to have lost the sword to such a pathetically useless life form as an elf, he must be truly and ridiculously pathetic; how did this king deal with such imbeciles? Oh well, an elf would be of no problem to her, and she’d have no trouble finding him and his precious little sword; if the sword itself did not draw her, his stench would; elves never did have an appealing odor. And of the prophet? Well, Naki was young, and she had not encountered such an opponent, but she doubted there was anything to worry over; the prophet, if her title said anything, would be a weak little mage-type; Naki would get in close and silence her with her spear if she even had a thought of stopping the Nashiningenmi.

“Don’t worry your pretty little head, King Osirus; the sword will be yours and the mistake of your bumbling sergeant undone,” she stated, her voice dripping confidence and condescension, “I will remain here in the city until the army leaves, and depart with them when they do. I do believe I will hunt before I leave; after all, even I must keep my strength up. I trust you will have no objections to that?”

The words alone may have insinuated a question, but if tone has anything to say, then there was no true question asked; Naki had no intention of waiting to exercise her new reward until after she had returned with the sword, and she doubted that this little King would oppose her; after all, he needed her, especially if his sergeant was such a pathetic excuse for a soldier, not to mention how ridiculous the rest of his men must be. Besides, she knew she would not fail, so why bother to wait on her reward? She smirked, again brimming with confidence, and perhaps a little too much of it, for even the Nashiningenmi were not perfect, but that made little difference; Nakimono would believe what she wished to believe, and right now she would believe that there was no possibility at all of her failing.

♀The Itsy-Bitsy Spider♀
⌠Cover up your face⌡
⌠You can’t run the race⌡
⌠The pace is too fast⌡
⌠You just won’t last⌡

_{Lyrics © Linkin Park, Taking Back Sunday}

((Gah, I'm so unused to RPing Naki xD))

[King Osirus]

"Yes." His simple answer to Naki's question/ command of hunting throughout his kingdom. He smiled curtly as he waved a dismissive gesture to his soldiers who adorned the throne room. They understood well enough not to dismiss this order from the King. Not only did they fear the King himself, but the very monster who stood in front of them would kill them on the spot for disobeying orders. Most of the soldiers, young men who had either joined out of desperation or fear were clearly showing their fear. How could the King himself not be fearful of this beast was a mystery to them. But then again, from one evil creature to the next, he probably didn't disaggree with anything this monster demanded. They had known the King to do cruel things, even offer up the lives of his own kingdom to use a monster to obtain a sword. However, not everyone in the room seemed to agree with what had just been agreed upon here. The men whom Osirus had been previously dealing with before Naki and the assassin had entered his court suddenly stepped forward, his round chubby face red with anger.

"King Osirus! You can't possibly agree to this decree of manslaughter! You might as well let his female insect rule your kingdom for you if you're going to let this happen! We need those people to work and make our leather and bread for us!" The man roared. His colleagues looked at him in fear as they quickly moved away from him, fearing either the King's actions, or Naki's. Either way, they knew they were not going to leave this court without seeing a death of a man.

Osirus looked at him for a moment, then his dark eyes traveled to Nakimono. He studied her for a moment, before chuckling aloud.
"Mr. Yewen, you must understand something...as I have told you before...I don't care what happens to this kingdom as long as I gained those swords back, even if that means throwing the infants of my towns to feed the one person who can even think straight around here!" He said in a calm fashion. The man growled and took a step towards the King, coming dangerously close to Nakimono.

"But your majesty! If this she-devil kills everyone, then who will make the armor you need for your conquest or the bread you eat every day!?" Osirus chortled, his temper growing quite thin, but his face of ice hid it well.

"Fool...humans are like rabbits. The moment I dispose of fifty men, their fifty wives will give me a hundred children. I will never run short of human lives to throw away..."