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]

[ The attack lands now, and the drow soldier materializes into visibility again as well, and his eyes widen when he sees that she's a drow as well. He practically spits in her face as he says the word: ] Iblith. [ And then he's swinging the blade again three times in succession, driving her backwards with wide curves of the sword, but not connecting.

Further screams echo around her on all sides, but it's impossible to keep track of who's dying when. ]

[socialgraces]

[Well that's not a friendly word, and she can't totally suppress the fear that accompanies hearing it from creeping up onto her face. She wants to re-assess the situation, as she's feeling quite overwhelmed now, but realizes she'll probably have to take at least this guy out to do that. She'll spring back at him, moving as quick as she can (attacks of 30, 16, 11) but only manages to sink in one stab (for 6 damage) as she tries to both watch him and her back.]

[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]

[Katniss watches Francesca fall, and her brain instantly registers this as something she isn't fully capable of dealing with on top of everything else that she has stored away in there. She feels dizzy and chill spreads across her body, and she doesn't realize that she's screamed out in anger until the final syllable of her drawn out "No!" is pulled from her.

From that point on she isn't thinking clearly, is acting purely out of emotion. She doesn't care who she's shooting at, as long as someone pays for this loss.

As she takes aim at whichever is closest to her, she's pulled into her mind and an image of a dark skinned girl with a spear through her midsection plays for her. All Katniss can feel in that moment is overwhelming grief and anger, and she has no real way to separate if what she's feeling is toward Francesca or this nameless little girl.

She tries to shake the image out of her head in order to focus, but finds that it's near impossible to do. She drops to her knees and her bow falls to the ground before her, just as immobile and usless as its owner. Unfortunately for Christos, Katniss is stuck in the middle of a crazy attack and is now entirely useless to this entire situation. ]

[everyredcent]

[ ♬ Somewhat Damaged - Nine Inch Nails

It probably doesn't help matters for Katniss that the scene around here dissolves into a frenzy of bloodied chaos only seconds later. Another dagger whizzes through the air, striking the drow priestess directly in the chest - and then the drow warriors are falling upon them, and with a violent swishing of his cape, Christos is in front of her, blocking her view even if she does look up.

There's the sound of metal on metal, grunts of pain and hate filled shouts in other language. But more than anything there's blood. Blood spurts down over her, onto the floor, across the corpses of those already dead. More bodies thump down to join them, sometimes complete, sometimes in pieces.

Something explodes - a light maybe, as there's sparking, and a high pitched female scream, the sound of someone begging. Christos isn't in front of her anymore, maybe he hasn't been for some time now. She's surrounded by bodies instead.

The doors slam open, and he whirls to face them. His face is contorted into something savage, alien, as if he's riding on a whistling high of vengeance that's drained everything recognizable out of him and turned him into a merciless machine.

It's Thomas standing there, one hand on each side of the doors, holding them open. His voice is the first human sound, natural sound, to break the cacophony.] ... Gods.