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Ardid's halberd spun around his cloaked figure, creating a current of air around his body. His cloak billowed around him as his hood fell from his face. His brown eyes burned with determination. His hair hovered in the air around his head, and his beard was blown against his chest. The corners of his mouth were curling into a smile as he stepped forward, toward's the mast.
Looking up at the sails above him, he could see his target. A thin, masked shadow ran along the sails. Ardid could see that the assassin had put her crossbow on her back. From her belt, she drew two long daggers. She held them backwards in her hands, as if she were going to slam the blades down into her opponent.
Ardid spun the halberd once more and raced to the base of the mast. He jumped for the ladder and scaled the mast. As he climbed, he spun the halberd from one hand to the other, somehow managing to keep each hand free when they were needed to climb. When he reached level ground with the assassin, he pulled himself over the sails and faced the figure.
The assassin did not seem phased. The dagger's spun around the assassin's hands, the blades ringing in the air. The assassin caught them as they spun and crossed her forearms, creating somewhat of a shield with her arms.
Ardid pointed his halberd before him, straight at the assassin. He knew that attempting to communicate would be impossible. It could also leave him wide open, which would make him an easy target. He looked the assassin in the eyes, which were the only part of the assassin's face that he could see. The blue eyes reflected the moonlit waves of the bay. They burned with a determination similar to what burned in his own eyes.
The figure watched Ardid closely. Due to the assassin's lack of range and strength, they would be on the defensive for this battle. The hands around the daggers tightened their grip. The assassin could see the muscles in Ardid's arms tensing, preparing for some sort of attack.
In a flash, Ardid closed the space between them, keeping just enough reach for his halberd to be within range. The heavy blade spun around his body and fell toward's the assassin's left arm. However, the blade did not make contact. The assassin ducked and lunged forward, closing what space was left between them.
Ardid pushed his legs off of the heavy log that held the sails in place, diving over the assassin's daggers as they cut at his legs. He somersaulted and landed back onto the log. Desperately balancing his weight, he swung his halberd around him and turned to face his attacker again.
He swung his heavy blade horizontally, aiming for the assassin's stomach, but the assassin dove from the log. Grabbing the billowing sails, the assassin reached to its back, retrieving the crossbow. Ardid swung his halberd, preparing for the bolt to come at him, but to his surprise, there was more than one. He knocked the first one away, but barely dodged the second. A third and a fourth came afterwards, followed by countless more.
A repeating crossbow? Impossible! he thought to himself. His only chance at escaping the onslaught was to dive, just as the assassin had. He shifted his weight and let his body fall backwards, off of the log. His body spun once through the air, and when his face was right-side up again, he clung to the sails.
The assassin and he were now on opposite sides of the tough fabric. He watched as holes were torn into the fabric. The assassin was still firing the crossbow, and the bolts were nearing his location on the sails. He swung his halberd behind him and cut a large section of the sails open just above him. His weight pulled the sails downward and tore a large rectangular section out of it. As he fell, he used the momentum to swing to the assassin's side.
The shadow on the sails turned to face the oncoming threat. The section of the sails that the assassin's opponent had torn could not carry him all the way back up to his original height, so he let go of the section that carried him. He launched himself to the lower section of the sails and just barely caught a rope that was hanging from the log above.
The assassin aimed the crossbow at him and pulled the trigger, but the device had run out of bolts. After replacing the crossbow on their back, the assassin drew the daggers once more. The assassin's hands released their grip on the sails, dropping them to the lower log that held the sails in place.
Ardid watched as the assassin strolled toward the rope that he was desperately climbing. He held it with one hand as she came within range of his halberd. Swinging the polearm with one hand, the assassin stood quietly, just two meters away.
He could not climb any higher with his murderer so close to him. Instead, he let his hands slide down the rope, praying that he could make it to the deck before the assassin could cut the rope. He looked down at the approaching deck. The rope was scraping away the skin on his palms. He was roughly eight feet above the deck when he felt the rope go slack.
He landed on the deck and rolled to carry his momentum. Turning back to the sails, He watched as the assassin dove from its perch on the lower section of the sails. Ardid raced to the side of the ship and watched as the shadow splashed into the bay. He scoffed after watching the waves for a few minutes. His assassin did not return to the surface. "She got away," he stated angrily.
"How are you sure that it was a female?" Arvur asked, stepping up beside Ardid.
"I've fought hundreds of people through my time, brother. That assassin's acrobatics were not those of a man. Her posture was too feminine for that of a man as well. I find it hard to believe that this attacker was male."
Arvur nodded in agreement, scanning the waves still. "Well, that's that then, isn't it?" he asked, looking at Ardid.
Ardid turned to Arvur and hesitated for a moment. "What of Claude and Henr--"
"We're right here."
Ardid winced at the sound of Claude's voice, and he saw that Arvur's face was just as surprised. "Henrik! You were supposed to take him back to the guild hall!" Arvur yelled.
Ardid turned to the two men on the deck. He leaned against the railing and sighed heavily. His eyes met with Claude's. Neither men wavered for an instant.
"You're supposed to be dead," Claude stated coldly.
"And you're supposed to have short hair," Ardid joked emptily. No one laughed at the jest.
Claude's arms were crossed and his casual smile was nowhere to be found. Henrik was shuffling oddly by his side. "Henrik, how long have you known?" he asked, noting the suspicious behavior.
Henrik looked from Claude to Ardid cautiously. Ardid just nodded when their eyes met. "Since before it happened."
Claude didn't move. His eyes were firmly set on catching Ardid ablaze. His stance was solid. Ardid, on the other hand, had a relaxed posture and his eyes were sincere. He stared back at Claude until Arvur broke the silence.
"It seems that there is much to talk about. Why don't we settle this in the Grand Council Hall?" Henrik nodded at the proposition and began to step away. Ardid raised himself from the railing and stepped past Claude, patting his shoulder on the way. Arvur followed his brother quietly, glancing back at Claude occasionally.
Claude stood there for a while, watching the waves crash against the side of the ship. The moons were giving off a greenish light tonight. It matched how he felt inside: sick to his stomach and confused.
He began to clear his mind, attempting to think rationally about the events of the day. He connected the dots and tried to understand just what he had thrown himself into. By the time he had finished with his thoughts, the only thing he could say was, "So the old man is still alive, eh? Figures."
Memories came flooding back to him as the words left his mouth. He saw, in his mind, whips cracking against his back. He saw the tears of his younger self running down his cheeks. The memories transformed into an image of the black market. The slave trade. He remembered the man throwing a bag of platinum coins down on the table before the child. Next thing he knew, Claude saw himself in a different light. It was a calmer, brighter Claude. He was growing.
The memories pressed on. He could see the guild members before him. The officers were there, and the ones who would become officers were there. He saw Ardid, sitting adamantly beside him on the High Seat. He saw Lorelis down below on the Grand Council Hall floor. He remembered the other officers clapping as she bowed low. She would be appointed to the position of officer within the week.
His memories grew hazy as they progressed. They were darker, more violent memories. He saw Ardid once more. He was pressed up against a stone wall. He was in a pit. Several people lined the pit and poured a liquid into it, which flowed to where Ardid was. Someone tossed a torch into the pit. And then another person did the same. Several more followed suit, but it didn't matter. After the first torch was thrown, the flames roared up around Ardid, consuming him whole.
Claude opened his eyes. The Ardid and Arvur were down below, with Henrik at their side. The other officers were sitting at their Seats, blatantly confused. Claude eyed the three men below with dark criticism. Lorelis had her hands covering her face as she leaned her elbows on the podium before her. Victor had his arms crossed over his armor. His face was contorted into a confused, angered expression. Sylvestor sat quietly, with one leg crossing over the other. For once, he was not scribbling on parchment or reading a book.
Claude took in the Grand Council Hall before him. It seemed so much darker than it had been in the past. He sighed heavily and set his eyes on the men before him once more. Ardid stared up at Claude intensely, while Henrik and Arvur eyed the ground with guilt-ridden eyes.
Once Claude was satisfied with the scene before him, he spoke just loud enough for his voice to echo around the chamber.
"Here begins the trial of Henrik, Officer of the Intelligence Division; Arvur, brother of Ardid," he paused for a moment, hesitating to speak, but continued anyway, "and Ardid, former Guildmaster of the Council of Virtuous Parley."
 Ty-Harukii · Mon Jul 10, 2017 @ 09:48pm · 0 Comments |
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