mission ♔ all those arrows you threw you threw them away

[everyredcent]

♬ Please Don't Go - Barcelona

WHO || Francesca, Christos, Katniss [closed]
WHAT || Francesca attempts to spy on the humans' secret meeting; a concerned Christos follows
WHERE || The Municipal Building, Magadan, Russia
WHEN || Night of April 7th
HOW || Actionspam

The Russians were nothing if not subtle. Luckily, with three of them living in the Municipal Building, and two of the Knights specifically on watch for it, it became clear that they weren't the only guests here anymore, and that a pattern was emerging. Slowly, other officials from nearby cities, as well as high ranking military personnel were gathering, often ostensibly for other purposes, but so many at one time made it remarkably suspicious.

Especially when Francesca had been prepared to look for exactly these signs.

The most difficult aspect was getting out from under the watchful eye of the guard, but she also had a great deal of experience with that kind of thing as well, which is how she managed to secure herself an ideal place for spying on the proceedings.

Most of it was exactly what Wynn and Luthir had both feared for: some sides arguing for a military mobilization against the dark elves, or in other cases, both the drow and the sun elves, others arguing for trying to make another attempt at forging peace with the elves.

And of course, the prominent conversation topic of what role the Knights meant to play in this, and whether the drow ambassador could even be trusted.

** **
Meanwhile, the other end of the mission had finally reached fruition, with Christos, Thomas, and the squires collapsing in the tunnels at enough points to effectively cut off drow movements - hopefully right on time, as Thomas had also managed to "intercept" drow plans to invade the sun elf and human territories that night. While he planned to stay behind with Merlin and monitor things on the battle end of things, Christos slipped away, heading into the city, his squire at his heels.

After all, he'd made Francesca a promise, even if the tunnel process had taken more than the 'one day' he'd theorized.

[ooc;; please wait for the two threads to be up below. if anyone is not comfortable with where I've put their character in all this, please tell me and I will be more than willing to adjust/talk things out withyou! (I know I've talked to some of you, and figured those who haven't tagged the other mission posts yet might just want their bits handwaved, so we can move to the mission end)]

Comments

[behindcloseddoors]

[She's fast enough to keep him off balance, and he seems particularly enraged by her existence, which is only serving to make it easier to miss his wide maneuvers. Three more attacks cut the air around her, as she ducks and dodges out of their way.]

[socialgraces]

[She'll just keep going at him them, trying not to let him push her too far back (attacks 26, 24, 12), getting him twice this time (for 19 damage).]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ She stabs into his side, and he hisses in pain, a long string of drow curses slipping from his lips as he falls to his knees, eyes rolling back in his head. Yep. So very dead.

... But so is almost everyone else in the room, at least among the visible. The distinguished man is kneeling in the center, hands behind his head, a drow woman in a skanky dress standing over him with the smuggest expression on her face. ]

[socialgraces]

[Bitch please, she will throw this knife right at your face (for a nat 20 even 8| and 14 damage) Totally worth losing a dagger. She has another and pulls that one out immediately after letting go of her other one.]

[behindcloseddoors]

[The blade rakes right across the priestess' face, leaving a deep cut across her cheek and her head snaps to the side violently. When she lifts her face again, she howls, her eyes sparking with fury:]

BRING HER TO ME!

[ It becomes clear quickly enough that the diplomats didn't manage to take down very many of the inviso-drow... as several strong arms move to grab her from behind. With grapple checks of 26 and 27 o__o ]

[socialgraces]

[Yeah, that's way stronger than her, but she'll fight it nonetheless (with a Str check of 10) the whole way to her.]

[behindcloseddoors]

[She's slammed down onto her knees next to the other man, who looks over at her with wide eyes. They keep one hand on each shoulder, and the priestess glares down at her, blood dripping off her face. She raises one hand to wipe some of it away, and then looks down at her red streaked hand. Her features contort into a snarl, and then she brings her palm against Francesca's cheek with a loud smack (8 dmg). She speaks in the drow tongue.]

Tell me your name.

[socialgraces]

[Her head snaps with the impact, and she slowly turns it back to face front. Right now her mind is just reeling to find a way to save the man next to her, or to comfort him, even if it was merely false hope. But she comes up with nothing, her expression saddening for just the slightest second before she steels her face, eyes downcast. She refuses to answer such an insulting question. It's not going to save either of them anyway.

She just whispers to the man next to her, in English:] You fought valiantly. I'm so sorry this has happened to you. [Diplomacy check of 39 to comfort in face of death, help find acceptance, or whatever that might do.]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ He fixes her with a grateful stare, though he says nothing, and their defiant attitudes just seem to piss her off more. There's a dagger in her hand abruptly, and she presses the point of it into Francesca's cheek, drawing it slowly down in a path identical to the one on her own cheek. (10 dmg) She takes her time, turning the blade in a nasty curve at the end.]

You will answer when spoken to, iblith.

[socialgraces]

[She can grit her teeth and bear it, only allowing a low hiss to escape. It hurts, a lot, but she'll live... for this moment at least. And she'll hold her tongue still as she has nothing to say to this dumb bitch and her stupid insults. She's trying to save some dignity.]

[behindcloseddoors]

[ Oh my god you are the most infuriating thing ever to her. She grabs Francesca's jaw, two sharp nails digging into her chin and forces her to look up at her. ]

Should I disembowel him slowly... or quickly? Your cooperation may change my mind.

[socialgraces]

[Well, she rolled an epic will save of 31, so she's not scared of you 8| at least not on the outside.

On the inside, she's pretty sure she's about to die. In fact, she has that "life flashes before your eyes" thing, but it's more just like a wave of feelings suddenly overwhelming her. And she's done a lot, but she really just wanted to do more and she's really not sure if she's ready to die, and where will she go if she does, and no one else is even here to say goodbye. Maybe that last part was a good thing, though. There's only one person she would want to see right now anyway, and she sure is glad they're not here.

But back to the outside, she just lifts her gaze ever-so-slightly.] I promise, my name is of no consequence to you.

[everyredcent]

♬ I'm Dying - VAST

[ That's what she thinks, at least.

The priestess watches her through slitted eyes, and then nods to the warrior behind her, all of whom have turned visible now, who grabs her head and yanks it up roughly, exposing her throat. She drags the dagger down from her cheek to her jaw to the skin of her neck, leaning forward, taking her time. ]

I changed my mind. I think I'd rather kill you first. [She cants her head slightly towards the man] He can watch. And know what fates awaits him, and every other filthy human of this city.

[ A wicked smile cuts back up her cheek. ] We will leave nothing standing.

Like you, they will end on their knees.

[ On the word, she viciously cuts through the Knight's throat, as the hands holding her head snap it to the side. At the exact same moment that the doors on the far side of the room slam open, a figure in a dark cloak moving into the room, blades in hand, with another shape behind him.

The sight skids him to a complete and total halt, however. Despite his dark skin, it's clear that the blood is draining out of his face completely, as he watches the body slump to the floor. His entire body goes rigid, fingers clenching around the daggers in his hands as if he would break them.

The priestess turns her head, obviously off put by the secondary interruption. She says offhandedly: ]

Leave none alive.

[befree]

[She can handle herself, despite not being able to see anywhere near as well as him. What she lacks in sight, she makes up for with an innate ability to just navigate her way around decently in the dark. It's almost as if she's had years of practice, without really knowing for sure. It's weird, and she dislikes it, but she just rolls with it, and only stumbles a couple of times, keeping it near silent each time she does.

She wonders what she should be prepared for, and Christos' sense of urgency has her hand across the string of her bow, just waiting for the moment to slide up and pull it off of her shoulder so she can take aim and strike.]

[everyredcent]

[ The door down here as locked as well, and seems to be giving him more trouble than the one on the roof did. Which only makes him more frustrated, which only makes it harder. It takes a moment of tense jiggling before it springs free.

He listens at the door for a full thirty seconds before opening it just a crack, and then wider to reveal a fancy upper hallway of the Municipal building, with rich red carpet, bright sconces of crystal refracted light, old fashioned paintings hanging on the walls, and doors off in each direction.

He's already studied the building plans, thank you very much, so he heads off to the left without much hesitation.

It's quiet, almost eerily quiet, so the sound of approaching footsteps rings loudly around the corner, and he's quick to dart open one of the side doors and gesture sharply with his head for Katniss to follow. It looks to be a small abandoned office, one window letting in some light from outside. ]

[befree]

[She's right on his heels as they head down the hallway, sparing only a moment to glance around and gain a slight feel for their surroundings.

At the footsteps, she freezes in surprise, but doesn't wait for the urging of Christos to know to duck into one of the side doors. he just so happens to have acted before her, so she slips in right after him.

Inside and with the door closed, she slides her way along the wall of the room and over to the window, hugging the wall as she turns her head to peer out. She doesn't want to be seen by anyone on the outside, but is curious to see where they're currently at in relation to where they had been perched outside on the roof.]

[everyredcent]

[They appear to be at the side of the building now, and a couple guards walk down below, guns hoisted on their shoulders. They pause to exchange a few comments, and they don't look particularly on edge.

In fact, they're laughing, when abruptly blood sprays out from theirs throats, and their two bodies slump to the grass silently. A slight shadow of something moves beneath the lights, but otherwise there is no assailant in sight. Christos doesn't notice this display, as he's still listening at the door, and he reaches for the handle, once it's all clear.]

[befree]

[By the time it's all clear, she's on his heels once again, having seen nothing of great interest out the window. You know, except for their bodies hitting the ground. But that doesn't really bother her, although she knows it bears mentioning.]

Two guards outside were just taken down.

[This is whispered to him in almost passing, as if she was telling him they were out of bread and to buy some on his way home from work.]

I didn't see who did it.

[everyredcent]

[ Her casual announcement gives him a split second of pause, and his eyes dart towards the window, but he apparently doesn't think it's worth sacrificing time to go double check, and takes her at her word. Including that the assailants weren't to be seen.

They slip out into the hallways again, navigating on some path that he seems to understand but isn't exactly looking forward to sharing out loud. He displays no interest in the offices or rooms they pass by, other than as places to hide when echoing footsteps threaten to be heading in their direction.

Finally he halts at a pair of large, ornate double doors, which are locked, and he bends to jimmy a pick into the handle. ]

Stand watch.

[befree]

[Nodding, she pulls her bow up to be at the ready, sliding an arrow from her quiver up to rest in her hand and then onto place at the string of her bow. She has no intention of firing unless it's necessary, but she's definitely on alert and ready to strike if need be.]

[everyredcent]

[When the doors swing inwards, there's a short staircase that leads down a flight... and the body of a guard lies there, quite dead, his blood pooling under him. Christos curses under his breath in a language that sure isn't English, and then there's a dagger in his hand and he's heading down the steps, cloak swooshing over the dead man's head.]

[befree]

[And now shit is real.

Or more real than it was when she saw those two guards outside die.

She takes a few seconds to stare down at the dead body and all the blood, barely registering the fact that Christos said something she didn't understand. She sees him leave, but she offers the body a final stare down, as if it's going to give her answers to a question she doesn't know to be asking.

She glances over to see Christos almost out of her sight now, and it's with a curse under her own breath that she hightails it out of there and back over on his heels.]

Tell me what we're facing.

[She hisses this out in a whisper as they move, nerves now starting to overcome her after an up close encounter with a dead man.]

[everyredcent]

Drow. [ He says it immediately, and there's a level of acid in his voice that seems very strange, considering he's talking about his ~own people~. But there it is. ] Stay close. They're likely cloaked with invisibility spells to have infiltrated this far. [ Nevermind that the both of them just did with no invisibility spells. No one is as awesome as he is, obviously. And Katniss by extension, I suppose. ] If you see an armed dark elf, shoot them. Do not hesitate.

[befree]

[She only nods in response, and keeps her senses on as high alert as possible. The thought of enemies cloaked with invisibility spells pisses her off. She's not going to have the upper hand in getting the first shot if she can't see them.

At one point she feels that she senses something close, and she spins about to take aim and fire. But it's only a decoration on one of the walls, and she feels foolish and traipses along after Christos.

She's starting to feel paranoia seeping in.]

[everyredcent]

[ Well founded paranoia, it seems. As they head down the hallway, two very visible dark elves round the corner up ahead. Their long wild, white hair hangs loose, unlike Christos' and they're each dressed in dark, intimidating armor, large swords at their sides, and daggers on their hips. They instantly freeze as they register at the pair, and unlike the other hallways, here there is nowhere to hide or backtrack.

Christos' hand whips out lightning-fast, sending the blade in his hand spinning through the air. It buries itself for a crit and triple penetration damage... right into one the two warriors' foreheads. He goes rigid, his eyes roll back, and he falls over with a heavy thump, as his drow companion glances down at him in shock. ]