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[Event Fiction] Blood in Britain

EM Augustus

UO Event Moderator
UO Event Moderator
Stratics Veteran
[1-6-2012 / Hours before]

Through the streets of Britain he passed silently, like the shadow of an image, nearly nonexistent in notice. He was being cautious now, there would be those out looking for him, watching the streets of the cities and eager to catch him off guard. But he had thought this through, picked Britain specifically and was keeping an eye on those around him. They would chance an encounter in the streets of Britain almost as much as he would. But Agaris had always been one to gamble on a chance.

They would be too busy evading this new Lieutenant of the Royal Guard as he stamped through the city. The invasion of Britain had called at last called attention to the dwindling presence of the Royal Guard. It had forced the Order to move out of Britain and take up residence elsewhere. His place right in the middle of the largest city of all of Sosaria had been snatched away in a single instant.

Perhaps he had underestimated the man a little. Marouk, with his brashness and rash decisions had made a bold move and it sent a loud message. He was not going to be used as a pawn by anyone, not Evidias, not Ephres, not Agaris and his schemes, or anyone else. He would not understimate him again.

The small amounts of arguing between Vesper, the attack on several Caravans, the meaningless argument about the prices of Ores from Minoc's mines. Marouk's attack on Britain had been interestingly calculated. He had masked it as an attempt to help Ephres, but carefully intended it to solidify his position when he went to Vesper to offer the services of his soldiers to guard their city. As Marouk was quoted heard saying, "We simply wish to have a place to stay, a place to sleep and find good food. In return for a very small amount of pay to do so, we will not only protect your city, but any caravan receiving goods to be transported to your fine city. If you should ever ask us to leave we will gladly go. We offer only the soldiers blade to protect to citizens of your fair town."

Agaris stopped for a moment and looked up into the afternoon sky. The most curious question of all, the one he had no answer for, was what happened to Simon. The man had quite literally been a lunatic. But Agaris recognized that kind of lunacy, it was the same kind Ephres exhibited. An undying, entirely loyal madness to Mondain. Agaris questioned whether anything he said was actually true, or it was just the mark of an insane man.

He pulled the hood around his face tighter and passed across the bridge into East Britain. As he passed by the small building housing the virtues he stopped for a moment. He remembered something. Then he shook his head and stepped off the main road, onto a red brick road that ran alongside the Inn to the left and followed it, taking a right and continued down toward the fountain, stopping just in front of the benches. He looked at the ground, the brief memory of his plan coming together as they killed the Shadow Things that had followed him. It was where a group of people had caught him with the unidentified stone.

Instead of going straight, he took another right and headed down the red brick path to the left of the Mage shop. Once it ended he quickly walked towards the building, Incantations and Enchantments. He stepped inside and awaited a man bringing him a package.

Behind him the door to the shop creaked open and he went to turn around to welcome the Necromancer Vosk. Instead he saw several men dressed in full armor. "Excuse me, but we would like you to come with us."

"Hello? What is the meaning of this?" Agaris kept a cool face.

"I think you know who sent us, and why." The first man stepped forward and held his sword at the ready.

Agaris smiled briefly. "I see, so all the players are on the board finally. Good, but I think you have a package that belongs to me." He pointed to the satchel one of the other men was holding.

"Well then hope about you come with us, and we will hold on to it for you." There was a smug look on the man's face that would not last long.

"How about I just take it from you and you all can stay here." Agaris was quick, fighting among the Order had not just been for a show of solidarity. He was a proficient swordsman and wanted to keep in good form. He backed away quickly as the men came at him, unaware that his backing off had been so he could quickly draw a short sword without their notice from under the bulky robes.

The first man that got close enough got a taste of the short sword, as it was thrust into his abdomen, causing the man to stagger backward before falling to the ground. In the commotion he had drawn his longsword and thrust it out as a feint at another man, bringing it sideways to smash against the second man's shield. He forced himself into the man's shield as his sword slid off it, unbalancing him and turned to barely miss the sideways glance of the third man's sword.

He just missed moving out of the way of the second man, the one with the shield and took a small gash to the left arm. With a single thrust he pushed the length of the long sword down into the man who was on a knee, unable to fully get up in time. Dropping to the ground he rolled toward the dead man, and just as the third man nearly brought down an axe straight into his skull. Agaris reached for the dagger of the dead man closest to him and threw it, catching the last man in the neck and rolling out of the axe's path as it came crashing to the floor.

Agaris quickly gathered his wits and grabbed the satchel, not even bothering to retrieve either of his weapons. He dashed out the front door of the shop, apologizing in haste to the startled old mage who had been the only one in the shop at the time, and dropping a bag of gold on the ground for the damages. Then he was off into the streets and made his way as fast as possible out of town.

He had meant to just retrieve a package in quiet, but he had no doubt soon the whole town would be in an uproar of rumors. Agaris would have to leave a particular item in Britain for a while until it calmed down again.
 
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