Bloodlust - The Continuation, And the likely conclusion as well!!! Options

[Black Hand]

sweet jebus, that took forever to update!! But it was well worth the wait!

[minque]

Yup....finally I read it through....and I agree with the previous commenters....I can see a great ending coming on! I like that you use Seth ..you depict him very well.

Keep it coming!

[The Metal Mallet]

Well, I'll see if I can keep up with steady updates. I have a feeling though that it might be difficult for me to keep to my weekly update schedule at least until school ends at the moment. Things are really busy with final projects and ISUs that need to be completed before study for exams begin. After I'm done these projects and ISUs, I should be able to stick to my weekly update schedule. I might even be able to update more frequently than once a week when school is done.

But for this week, I don't have an update for you guys unfortunately. I have lots of philosophy and film work to do today and tomorrow. Once my film ISU (Independant Study Unit) in my other film class is completed I should have more time for writing and won't be exhausted. Lots of writing is involved with ISUs so when my normal writing time arrives, I'm just too sick of writing on a computer to feel motivated to be creative.

Hopefully my haitus on this story won't last for too long. Again I apologise for those who dillegently follow this story. I always appreciate all the pleased feedback from you guys. I will finish it, I've gotten WAY too far to not complete this.

This post has been edited by The Metal Mallet: May 27 2007, 10:52 PM

[The Metal Mallet]

All right, time to continue this thing after another unfortunate hiatus. Writing this one made me realize I still got the motivation to get this sucker done. I can feel this ending drawing near and I got mixed feelings towards it. On one hand I would finally finish it. The idea I had so long ago and had started twice on two separate occasions (at the time I didn't have it TES related) would actually be completely written. On the other hand, I've been enjoying writing this story so much that I'm afriad that any future work won't bring that same joy.

I have a feeling though that whatever I decide to write next, if it gets the same reception as Bloodlust did here, I'm sure I'll enjoy writing it.

But enough of my emotional banter. I'm sure you guys want to read the next update. Here it is:



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Simion slumped against the alley wall in exhaustion. During his escape from Sethyas and Savlian, he had managed to wrestle back control from the Voice. Now the full effects of the dagger that had entered his shoulder were being felt. He knew he had to get back to his hideout. The potions required to treat his wound were lying in wait for him there.

Groaning, Simion forced himself to continue on. The world briefly spun as pain laced through his arm, stifling all other feelings. He could feel his blood trickling down his arm since his sleeve was saturated with the warm fluid. But at least he was drawing near his destination. It wouldn’t be long before this problem was dealt with.

Clumsily, Simion hauled himself up the ladder to his hideout with his good arm. After an excruciating minute, he pulled himself inside his secret attic hideout, his breaths ragged from exertion. To weak to stand, Simion crawled along the floor to the cabinet where he kept his potions. After opening it, Simion scanned the contents of the cabinet. Not finding the correct potion immediately, Simion scattered the contents within along the floor. Combing through the contents on the floor, desperation started clinging to Simion, as there didn’t seem to be any potions to help his wound. His breathing became more frantic as bottles were knocked far away in frustration and fear. After a few frightful moments, Simion located a bottle and greedily drained the contents. He shuddered as he felt the flesh knit itself back together over the deep dagger wound.

Simion slumped against the far wall of the attic, relieved that he would be okay but exhausted from the fight in conjunction with healing the wound. Before he could stop himself, sleep overtook him.



Silently, Simion’s pursuers followed the trail the assassin left for them. Both Sethyas and Savlian were silent, constantly expecting to run into the assassin around the next bend. Sethyas, the fresher of the two, took the lead while Savlian tailed closely behind. Savlian knew he was a bit out of his element with a stealth mission of this proportion. Beside him stood a master of the trade so why not take advantage of that?

Sethyas stopped beside a particularly large patch of blood. Obviously Simion had rested there for a few moments. Sethyas noted that the trail continued after the spot, but he hung back, ensuring that the area was safe. Satisfied with his inspection, he waved Savlian along as they proceeded deeper into the alley.

It didn’t them long to find that the trail went up a ladder. What seemed peculiar was that this ladder appeared to go to nowhere. It simply ended three quarters of the way up the building. Sethyas moved away from the scene beckoning Savlian to follow.

Slightly annoyed that they were backtracking, Savlian tried to speak. “Seth—“

The Dunmer cut him off with a glare and kept moving backwards. After they put a building between the ladder and them, Sethyas turned around.

“I wanted to get away from that ladder before we could speak,” Sethyas explained softly.

“Okay, what for?”

“I know Simion is up there somewhere. I could just feel it,” Sethyas answered; his expression set in an unreadable expression.

“You think he jumped onto the rooftop?” Savlian offered, “Seems unlikely given that wound.”

Sethyas nodded. “You’re right. He couldn’t have jumped onto the rooftop from there. He didn't simply disappear either… I’m afraid one of us is going to have to take a risk.”

Savlian pondered the notion. “Climb the ladder and see from that perspective you mean?”

“Exactly. Problem is that Simion could simply be waiting for that. Whoever goes would basically be a sitting duck.”

“I’ll go.”

“No. I should go.”

“This is my town, and this is my problem. I’m the one who should be taking risks here.”

“You wouldn’t know if Simion is preparing to attack you or anything. I have the chance to see the warning signs before you, Savlian.”

Savlian looked away from Sethyas and thought on the subject. Finally he nodded his head. “Go on. I’ll keep on eye on you and shout if I see anything,” he said reluctantly.

Sethyas patted the Captain’s shoulder. “Thanks,” he said as he withdrew the Black Hands Dagger and went back to the ladder. Savlian followed behind, his keen eyes searching for possible threats.

Sethyas twirled his dagger absent-mindedly as he peered at his surroundings, guessing where Simion could lay lurking. Whatever possessed the Breton was just as crafty as Simion so the possibility of a trap didn’t escape Sethyas’ thoughts. His dagger twirling stopped and Sethyas proceeded to creep to the ladder. Savlian stayed near the opposite wall, his eyes busy as well.

Using one arm, Sethyas began to climb the ladder, the other held his dagger, poised to strike should the opportunity call. At each rung, Sethyas paused, careful to not make any sound. Savlian silently urged the Dunmer to proceed quicker as Sethyas’ approach was torturing his patience. Sethyas made it two thirds of the way up before he decided to drop from the ladder. Startled, Savlian walked to Sethyas and was about to ask him what was going on but Sethyas grabbed him and started dragging him away from the alleyway.

After exiting the alleyway Sethyas finally stopped his jog. A frustrated Savlian stopped beside him.

“What the hell happened back there?” Savlian asked heatedly.

“I heard noise within. I didn’t want Simion to see us so we left. There’s a niche in the wall that the alleyway hides from the ground. He’s inside that building,” Sethyas answered, a smile on his face.

Savlian grinned, his anger quickly forgotten. “Well then, let’s go put him away!” he said enthusiastically.

“No. Not yet.”

Savlian turned and faced the assassin, a puzzled look on his face. “And why not? We know where he is. He’s in a weakened state and if we get inside his hideout, he’s not going to escape!” he asked, his anger quickly returning.

“Because,” Sethyas returned calmly, “We need Taris here to show us how to defeat him. It’s been a week, he should be back anytime now.”

Savlian massaged his temples. “You need to be shown how to defeat him?” he asked incredulously. “Here, I’ll show you. You take this-“ he pulled out his broadsword, “-and you stabbed it into his heart!”

Sethyas sighed in an exasperated tone. “You don’t understand. We’re dealing with something that’s beyond flesh and blood. Something has… invaded Simion’s body and it has caused all these problems in your city.”

Savlian slammed his broadsword back into his scabbard. “You know what? I don’t care what you think. I don’t care if the incarnate of Mehrunes Dagon presides within him. Steel has been hurting him, so steel is going to kill him! I don’t need you to tell me how to use a sword and now that I know where Simion is. I’m going to take a squad of men and take him out,” he said with finality, “Good-day to you Sethyas. It has been a pleasure working with you but I’m afraid that we’re going to have to do things our separate ways.”

With that, Savlian abruptly walked off. Sethyas stared off at him, incredulous that he was simply used by the Imperial.

“Why didn’t I expect this to happen? He is an Imperial after all,” he said to the air. Though the Captain had offended him, he had more important things to do. He needed to see if Taris had come back yet. If so, the young Dunmer likely would be waiting at “The Flying Bosmer” so Sethyas decided he would look there first.

[Lord Revan]

Tsk, Tsk, Captain Savlian, no appreciation for things of a supernatural nature........ That could get a lot of subordinates killed, you know..... *Sing-songs the last sentence*

[jack cloudy]

Why oh why do I have the feeling that the guards are going to get slaughtered?

After you've finished Bloodlust, I will be looking forward to your next piece. I'm sure it will be a good one.

[canis216]

Oh man, the ending is so close now... but what will Savlian do? Will Sethyas and Taris be able to meet (and form their own plan of attack) in time?

[Soulseeker3.0]

wow. I just caught up and i'd like to say that your story is awesome.

It's a shame that Savlian is so darned ignorant.

Your so close, i can't wait to see how it all ends.

[Lord Revan]

I have to agree with SoulSeeker, our favorite guard Captain needs to use his head for more than errant thoughts (harsh, I know). He needs to develope an appreciation for things greater than himself (not devines) or beyond his understanding.

[The Metal Mallet]

Well after another respite, I'm back with a small update, but an update nonetheless. If I've planned everything the way I think I have, I think there might be between 3-5 updates left depending on how I work things out. Exciting isn't it? I'm nearly finished this beast of a story! I'm shocked. Over a year of writing and it's nearly drawing to a close. Hopefully you will enjoy the ending I have planned for you (I all ready know how I want to end it, which is probably a good thing). Anyways, let's continue the story!


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After a brief respite, Savlian awoke in the twilight hours before dawn to ready his men. The mountainous height left the town of Kvatch at its chilliest at this time of the morning as the sun had yet to truly rise over the horizon. Only an indigo blotch of colour could be seen when Savlian peered to the east. Yet the cold did not matter as Savlian’s soldier tactics told him that if anytime was the most opportune to attack, it would be shortly before dawn. Hopefully Simion would be too content or tired to expect an attack at this time.

As Savlian entered the courtyard of the Kvatch castle, his squad all ready stood waiting for him; tendrils of warmed air waiving from their faces. Savlian stopped in front of the row of lightly armoured men and mer and snapped a salute. The squad members returned the gesture. Savlian studied the faces of his squad. Each displayed the hard determination that Savlian wanted them to had, but when he looked closely he could tell that there was apprehension, nervousness, and even fear dwelling within them. Savlian hoped that those emotions would fuel them rather than prove to be detrimental.

Savlian finished his scanning, nodding as if he was satisfied. “All right, it’s time to finally set things right,” he began when he noticed a silhouette standing in front of the doorway to the castle. He paused for a moment, as he was trying to figure out who it was. After a moment he gave up and continued, “I have located the hideout of the person responsible for the murdering of our fellow guardsman. I will be leading all of you to this location but I stress we try to stay as silent as possible. The man we’re dealing with is an assassin and the more advantage we give him, the tougher it’s going to be to take him out. Hopefully our numbers will convince him to give up willingly, but don’t expect that. This man is mentally unstable so it is very likely that he’ll attack. Be prepared!”

The squad nodded in understanding. Savlian nodded towards the castle gates, “Let’s move out.”

As the men began to file out of the courtyard, Savlian looked back to the silhouette again. The sun was just creeping over the horizon now and the few stray rays revealed that the silhouette was Ormellius. “Time to finally set things right…” Savlian muttered before heading towards the Count.

The Count was dressed in simpler but warm garments to ward off the cold of the morning. A curious expression crossed the stern face of the man. Savlian swallowed the pit in his throat.

“It is somewhat early to be running drills in the courtyard is it not, Captain?” Ormellius asked in a condescending tone.

Savlian ignored the Count’s attempt to anger him. “Look, sir, I think I should explain myself,” Savlian said in a serious tone.

Savlian’s manner seemed to have affected the Count as the dark glint left his eyes and changed into ones that were ready to listen. “Go on.”

Savlian took a moment to collect himself. “The stress I’ve been under since this first began has been very difficult to handle. I’ve had to deal with Vernon threatening to kill me, assassination attempts made by Simion and Hlodir. Dealing with Hlodir’s mage and his bandit army. Even trying to co-operate with the Morag Tong has been difficult. The mistrust between us doesn’t help,” he paused to process his next words. He found that Ormellius was still paying close attention. “I know I should’ve told you all about Simion and the agreement we had. The thing is, at the time I was thinking that I had to deal with another Goldwine, that I would be forced to dance between the lines of protecting this town and pleasing you. It would’ve made sense to tell you everything once I found out I could trust you, but I didn’t because I was caught up in the madness that is this situation.

“As for what I’m doing right now; I’m putting an end to it. I found Simion’s hideout with the help of the Morag Tong and I’m taking this squad and either apprehending him or killing him. I honestly don’t care which it is anymore,” Savlian said in a tired and fed up manner, his eyes locked to the ground. After a moment, he looked up to the Count.

The Count was silent. His face expressionless. He held the gaze of Savlian for a few moments before his expression warmed. He placed a callused hand upon his Captain’s shoulder. “Okay, Savlian. Consider the hatchet buried. It was a bit foolish of me to arrive here and expect immediate trust,” the Count admitted, much to the relief of Savlian.

“Now I expect you to finish this, Captain. Especially since you got him trapped like a rat,” Ormellius continued in an encouraging manner.

A now vigorous Savlian nodded as he cinched he belt tighter, “Will do sir!” he replied as he began to catch up with the rest of his squad.

“Hold on!”

Savlian turned around, “Yes?”

“What about the Tong agents? What are they doing?”

Savlian’s expression soured, “I don’t know and I don’t care. They are trying to come up with some magical way to take care of him. They think he’s possessed or something. Really, he’s just crazy. They’re just wasting their time,” he said with a hint of disdain.

Ormellius fixed the Captain with a sceptical look, “If you truly believe that, go with it then. Good luck, Captain.”

“Thank you, sir,” Savlian replied and finally joined his squad.

“All right! Now let’s not waste anymore time. We got a criminal to catch!” Savlian told his squad with a new passion.

As the squad progressed into town, Savlian felt something Ormellius said was nagging him, if you truly believe that. Savlian couldn’t help but think, do I truly think that?

[jack cloudy]

Good to see that they made up, bad to see more Impies walking to their doom. Ok, maybe I'm just pessimistic but Simion will probably carve them up good. Or no, not Simion, Boethia's voice.

[Soulseeker3.0]

Well, I can only hope that the Tong gets to Simion first. Even though it is a short update it was a good one MM, SGM.

[Black Hand]

Very well written in the introduction there. Brought about stunning imagery!

[The Metal Mallet]

Due to my current internet problem at home (I still need to figure out what exactly has caused my connection to simply not exist), I am forced to postphone the next update for my story. Hopefully by next week, this problem will be solved and I'll have an update for you guys. Personally, I'm starting to feel a little bad about all these breaks between updates but I certainly can't quit now when I'm so close to being done. Plus, I don't want to quit either.

Anyways, I apologize for making you guys wait once again.

[minque]

When you wait for something good.....they say...Anyway this is good....and our old friend Sethyas is appearing in this story as well! My is he popular!

[The Metal Mallet]

Woo! With restored internet connection comes a new update! This one kinda ends abruptly, but I ran out of time for me to work on it right now and I didn't feel like making you guys wait any longer for an update. I think I'm going to make a deadline for myself and wrap this story up before September starts. I want to do that because in September I'm moving to my student housing for college and I'm not quite sure when I'll have my internet up there. I still need to get a laptop which I will be using to surf the internet because I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be able to take the computer we have at home, even though I use it about 95% of the time. Ohwell, that's the breaks. Enjoy the update all the same.



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The streets were still deathly silent at this time of the morning. Only the soft pattering of many pair of feet reached Savlian’s ears. He silently hoped that their noise wouldn’t alert Simion. Savlian couldn’t afford to let Simion escape once again. It could possibly mean resorting to team up with Sethyas and the Morag Tong once more and Savlian simply couldn’t take their constant prattling about the “magical way” to defeat Simion.

Savlian ran his a hand through his hair, a worn expression on his face. He needed to ignore these distractions. The situation at hand demanded full attention. Don’t worry about the chance of Simion escaping unless it happens. Surely with this many men in a narrow alleyway would be able to apprehend a fleeing criminal. Everything would be taken care of shortly. Just try to stay as silent as possible and give yourself enough time to take advantage of the situation. Done right, and no one is going to die today.

Even though Savlian attempted to ignore outside thoughts and uncertainties, Ormellius’ words still managed to drive to the forefront of Savlian’s mind. It grew to the point that it began to annoy him that there might be some doubt in this situation. Just because some assassin believes that Simion was possessed and under its control didn’t mean he should believe it. What he was truly dealing with here was a schizophrenic who just so happens to have an extremely violent and deadly efficient personality capable of feats that Simion’s “normal” personality couldn’t perform. To Savlian, that made much more sense.

But then why did he have this doubt and uncertainty? Even though he had more than convinced himself on Simion’s condition, why did this nagging feel continued to scratch at the back of his skull? Was there the possible chance that he actually believed Sethyas and the others, at least at a subconscious level? Savlian didn’t want to believe so, but that could explain it.

Savlian groaned softly as his mind battled with itself. This was not the time to be doing this! He had a killer to apprehend! He was so close to putting an end to this. To finally wake up from the constant nightmare of waking up knowing that Simion was planning to end his life.

“Sir, are you all right?” a soldier at Savlian’s side asked, his expression concerned, “You look like you’re going to be sick.”

Savlian smiled a smile that did not reach his eyes. “I’m fine. I just had a late night,” he replied. He nodded to an alley. “This way.”

As Savlian and his company progressed through the alleyways, a knot began to grow in Savlian’s stomach. A chaotic mix of anticipation and dread flooded his thoughts, causing discomfort. Yet Savlian pressed on, eager to end this conflict.

It wasn’t long until they reached the spot where Savlian watched Sethyas climb up the ladder only hours before. Savlian halted his group and told them through hand signals that utmost silence from now on was needed and that Simion was up the ladder. Savlian decided that he would be the first to go up, so without any further delay he approached the ladder.

Savlian kept his eyes fixated on the spot where the ladder just appeared to randomly end, knowing that once he was up there, he would find the entrance to Simion’s hiding spot. Before climbing up, he made sure that his broadsword was firmly strapped so that is wouldn’t rattle. He also withdrew his dagger and placed it between his teeth. He felt some sense of security knowing that he had a weapon close at hand while he traveled up. For all he knew, Simion could be waiting right by the entrance waiting for a head to pop up so he could decapitate it. Savlian couldn’t help but think that having a knife is his mouth wouldn’t stop that, but it was the assurance the weapon provided that counted.

Savlian began to slowly make his way up the ladder, keeping his eyes and ears pried for any sudden movements or noises. He swallowed back a lump in his throat midway through his trip. He also noticed that his teeth were clamped to the knife is his mouth so tightly that his jaw was beginning to ache. Holding onto the ladder with one hand, he removed the dagger and took a moment to compose himself. Once he felt that he was ready again, Savlian continued on.

As he got closer to the top, he could finally see the entrance to the hideout. Sethyas was right, from ground level the entrance looked like a shadow from an adjacent building. Now Savlian could plainly see that there was a gap between where the ladder ended and the roof of the building. Just two more rungs and he would find himself in the lair of the enemy.

Savlian climbed the final two rungs and peered into the maw of the hideout. The place itself was only one room, and it was still bathed in the morning darkness. Savlian thought he was the outline of a body against the far wall of the room but at this distance it just looked like a large lump. Savlian freed the knife from his mouth and pulled himself fully into the room. His eyes scanned the entirety of the room and he noticed that the lump was the only thing resembling a person at the moment. There also appeared to be a cabinet beside the lump. Vials and bottles littered the floor surrounding the lump. The coppery stench of rotting blood was rank in the air. Without looking back, Savlian stuck a hand back outside and waved his men inside.

The entire time Savlian’s men pulled themselves into the building, Savlian kept his eyes fixed to the lump on the ground. He didn’t want to move yet in fear that blocking the light that was entering the building would alert the prone figure in the back of the room. Once a comfortable amount of men had made their way inside, Savlian nodded and his men began to inch their way forward.

The knife handle felt greasy in Savlian’s palm as the anticipation of this moment had started to make him sweat. His eyes were livid with triumph. There was no way Simion could escape from this many men alive. If he made a break for it, his men would cut him down before he got halfway to the exit. Simion was finally cornered!

An errant foot caused a floorboard to creak and instantly the lump bolted to its feet and a dagger flashed from the folds of dark clothing. Simion’s pale, haggard face was finally visible. His eyes were ablaze with shock and confusion. Savlian exchanged his knife for his broadsword. Many of his men had weapons drawn.

“Drop the dagger, Simion. There’s no way for you to escape so just give up and don’t give us a hard time,” Savlian said forcefully.

The confusion in Simion’s eyes faded quickly. “Ahh, Captain! Welcome to my new abode! It’s not so nice as my last one, but it does have…” he paused to look around, his hands making an all encompassing gesture, “character,” he finished with a crooked smile.

“Enough talk! Drop your weapon!” Savlian urged.

Simion raised his hands in an unthreatening manner, his knife held limply in his hand. “Ok, ok! I’ll release my weapon. Do you honestly think I would not comply with the law?” he said, his face mocking hurt. He slowly bent down to set down his dagger. Once he got to his knees he looked up to Savlian.

“You shouldn’t lie to me, Captain,” Simion said quietly, his crooked smirk returning.

“What are you talking about?”

“You said, there’s no way for me to escape, but there is,” Simion replied, his voice taking on a gleeful tone, “I just have to kill all of you and then waltz out of here!”

Alarm shot through Savlian’s system but before he could do or say anything, Simion struck. From his prone position on his knees, Simion hurled the dagger he had at the nearest guard. The force of impact from the throw knocked the guard from his feet. He could only stare at the dagger hilt jutting from his chest before his eyes rolled up to the back of his head.
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The fight continues soon! Stay tuned!

[canis216]

Oh man... it is on.

[Black Hand]

Keep it coming!

[The Metal Mallet]

The sudden killing of one of the guardsmen made the others hesitate momentarily. Despite Savlian’s warnings that they were dealing with a mad man, they couldn’t believe that someone stuck in what appeared to be a hopeless situation would actually choose to try and kill them all. The moment of hesitation allowed Simion to withdraw another dagger, followed by him launching into the guardsmen.

Savlian was Simion’s first target, but instead of lashing out with his dagger, he caught Savlian unexpected with a swift kick to the jaw, knocking the Captain away from the battle. In one fluid movement after the kick, Simion swirled around, racking his dagger against the belly of a nearby guardsman. Continuing his swirl, he raised his dagger high enough to cleave through the throat of another guard before jumping away from his attackers. When Simion landed on his feet, the thud was accompanied by two others. One from the disembowelled guard falling to his knees, moaning as he tried to keep his insides where they belonged, the other thrashing on the floor as his life steadily came streaming out of his lacerated throat.

Savlian was just attempting to get to his feet once more when Simion engaged with the group of guards once again. The guards, spurred on by seeing their comrades slain, rushed Simion, hoping to overwhelm him. Instead, it only proved to help Simion as he evaded the large and unwieldy broadswords and stabbed into any exposed area the guards left open. Shouts of pain and curses of frustration rang out as the guards struggled to hit the elusive figure in black all the wile trying not to stab each other. The room was too cramped for this many swords. What was expected to be an advantage was quickly revealing itself to be a disadvantage.

Savlian attempted to jump into the fray once again, but was met with another forceful kick. This time it was accompanied by a hiss from Simion.

“Hold on a second, Captain! I’ll deal with you in a minute.”

Many of the guards were now sporting nagging to serious wounds as they attempted to kill the sleek assassin. Desperation and worry were now beginning to dawn on them. Simion stood his ground.

“Is this really Kvatch’s finest? Because if that’s true, some serious training needs to be done,” Simion said snidely.

One guard, bellowing his rage, rushed the robed harbinger of death, his broadsword raised over his head. With a mighty swing, he tried to cleave Simion in half. Simion responded by evading the blow by whirling around the guard then driving the dagger hilt-deep into the back of the guard’s neck. Simion twisted the blade before withdrawing it. The body of the guard collapsed like a sack of grain while Simion nonchalantly cleaned off his dagger before piercing the other guards with a look of twisted, sardonic pleasure.

“Next?” he asked with his crooked smile.

The guards formed themselves into a half-moon, once again attempting to surround and contain Simion. Simion stood his ground, but his eyes constantly shifted across each guard, waiting for the one that would try to strike first. The tension built as neither the guards or Simion were committed to acting first. Simion’s crooked smile turned into a smug grin as the seconds ticked away. He even eased his dagger down to a less than ready position.

Emboldened by such a move, a guard to Simion’s right lunged in to attack with a horizontal strike aimed for Simion’s head. Simion ducked under the blow and wrapped an arm around the guard. In seconds, Simion had driven the dagger into the body of the guard many times with shuddering force. Sensing that someone was coming up behind him, Simion lashed out with a foot at the incoming guard and followed that up with throwing the dead guard in his arms into the surrounding men, ruining the half-moon. He then turned his attention to the guard his kicked. The guard had recovered and attempted to stab Simion. Simion parried the blow and then drove an elbow into the man’s now. The nose broke with a satisfying crack, and blood immediately began to pour from it. The guard dropped his weapon as a reflex to try and stop the pain, but it only led to his demise.

With another guard indisposed, only three remained, excluding Savlian, who came to their aid once again. Simion grinned at the Captain.

“About time you got up. I don’t hit that hard do I?” he asked, chuckling. Savlian’s expression hardened.

Simion focused on Savlian. “So, it’s time to take things serious eh? Ok! Will do!” Simion said brightly as he surged towards Savlian and the guards.

Savlian tried to attack once again, but it seemed to be that the assassin’s agenda was to save him for last. Instead of striking flesh, Savlian only tore into the robe of Simion before another kick knocked him away from the battle. Frustration flooded the Captain’s thoughts.

Simion didn’t care though; he had three more guards to deal with. After knocking away Savlian, he tripped up one of the guards then drove his dagger into the man’s heart as he was sprawled out against the floor. Simion rolled away from a sweeping sword strike from another attacker before regaining his feet. In a mighty display of acrobatics, Simion launched himself off of a nearby wall, which allowed him to land behind his pursuer. Before the guard could recover, cold steel slid across his neck, bringing an end to his existence.

Simion whirled around and stopped the guard about to run him through dead in his tracks with a look. The guard, having seen all his comrades die by the hands of one being, began to back away, hoping to preserve his life. Unfortunately, his fate had all ready been decided upon as soon as he entered Simion’s hideout. No one who entered his domain would continue to live past this day. As the guard attempted to run for the exit, Simion calmly tossed his dagger. It found its mark.

Savlian regained his feet once more just as Simion retrieved his dagger from the prone body of his last kill. Savlian couldn’t help but look at the chaos that surrounded him. The stench of blood was heavy in the air. Bodies were sprawled everywhere, all their faces contorted into either shock, or horror. Not a single body looked peaceful, only tarnished and violated. Simion’s steady steps snapped back Savlian’s attention.

The Breton’s face was speckled with blood, and Savlian knew it wasn’t Simion’s. Just by the steady gait of Simion’s stride, Savlian knew that the assassin wasn’t even scratched. Gods, he didn’t even appear winded by the effort!

Simion stopped several feet in front of Savlian. It was Simion who now scanned his surroundings; it seemed as if he eyes drank in every single detail of the scene around him. Every drop of blood, every horrified face, every death. Simion closed his eyes, as if his eyes couldn’t handle so much blood, and took a deep, shuddering breath of ecstasy.

“Can you smell that?” he said in a near whisper, his eyes still closed, “It’s just so… intoxicating.”

Savlian scanned his surroundings once more and was sickened as he realized that the assassin was taking joy from the scene around him.

“You’re mad!”

One eye of Simion’s shot open at the comment. The other opened more casually after a moment. “Oh, there’s more to it then that. But we don’t need to go into any details about that. Just know that I’m more than just ‘mad’ as you say,” Simion said casually. Given the current situation, even the casual aspect that Simion displayed seemed maddening.

“I don’t care what you are! Just know that this ends now with you either in chains or dead,” Savlian shot back.

Simion laughed. “I must admit, you do have some determination about you. Too bad that determination caused the death of at least 10 men. Really, Captain, how many more are going to suffer before this ends? Honestly, it disgusts me how many lives have been wasted because you couldn’t let me get away with a couple of murders.”

Simion’s words hit Savlian hard. It was true. The evidence was all around him. Many lives had been sacrificed due to his stubbornness to catch Simion and now if he were to die, it all would’ve been in vain. If he only solely focused on catching Simion, how many lives could’ve been spared?

Simion noticed that his words were taking affect. “See, you realize the truth in my words don’t you? If you got off my back, many people would still be alive. Even Bernise would still be alive,” Simion continued, his voice growing darker. He had begun to slowly inch towards the Captain.

The mention of Bernise only made him feel worse. How could he have let such a nice, kind, and wonderful woman be slain so inhumanly? She was so innocent and yet Simion brutally murdered her. It was his fault that she was dead…

Simion inched closer and closer, delighted in witnessing the self destruction Savlian was bringing upon himself. He wouldn’t know what hit him; that was how deep Savlian was digging.

Even though Savlian was tearing himself about over the fact of letting Bernise die, something in the back of his mind was nagging him. It wasn’t you who killed Bernise, it was him! , the nagging thought kept repeating. Vernon was serious threat. He HAD to be dealt with. You did the right thing. The only thing you did wrong was trust that Simion wouldn’t kill once again. It was a risk that had to be taken. But now you have a chance to avenge them! Do it!

Realization dawned on Savlian just as Simion’s dagger arched towards him with tremendous speed. With lightning quick reflexes, Savlian intercepted the dagger with his broadsword. Simion’s eyes widened in surprise before Savlian delivered a shattering punch to Simion’s face, staggering the assassin backwards.

“I may have screwed up a couple of times, Simion, but I’m here to remedy that. Because overall, you’re the main problem here,” Savlian said matter-of-factly as he readied himself.

“Bah! Killing with one stroke wouldn’t have been nearly as fun as what I’m about to do to you now!” Simion hissed before engaging Savlian.

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The battle continues next update! Oooo the anticipation!

[jack cloudy]

The anticipation is killing me!

Ok, either Kvatch's finest are crappy compared to everyone else, Savlian is a superman with his broadsword, or he's just gone through a dramatic power-up. Or if none of those, he's going to get owned, owned real hard.

Oh, and I must say that was an amazing battlescene. Vicious.