The end of winter being near, a young night elf was walking around, full of joy. In her arms, she carried a few gold pieces, just enough to keep her father from going poor.
Arriving home in Darnassus, Aswera sneaks into her home, trying not to awaken her father. As she steps a foot into her window, a candle is lit.
"Where have you been, young lady? With some heathen out there touching you? What is his name? I'll bloody kill him, you selfish child. Give me his name, NOW!" a loud and drunken voice barked at her.
Tears float into Aswera's eyes as she looks at the man she calls father.
"I'm.. I'm sorry daddy.. its not what you think though! I was just going out and finding all the visitors, greeting them. There are lots of people that come around this time of year! I was just being nice to people.." Aswera was crying by this point, obviously afraid of her father.
"Oh? Then what is with the gold in yer arms child? I know what people do at night! How do you think I met your mom!? Now, give me that gold you ungrateful child and name the man that you were with!"
"Dad, this gold is yours, I got it for you. I.. I did something wrong, I know. Those visitors, I took copper and silver from their wallets. I pick pocketed all of it. It was so we didn't go poor! You didn't go back to work since mom died, I didn't want you to run out of gold.. so I've been doing this for the past 2 years. I'm.. sorry. I shouldn't be stealing.." Aswera bursts into tears, fearing that she has answered all of her father's questions.
Her father mistook her tears though, and felt that she was lying. Of course, a child would always lie about a man she 'loved' and had been with.
[i]For two years she has been with him and without me knowing? I should play into this to see if she can name him.[/i]
"Alright then, why did you decide you have to steal to get the money? Where do you think that will get you later in life!?"
Quickly, the old warrior lashes out at Aswera and leaves a fist-sized mark against her cheek.
Crying, Aswera looks up to her father.
"I.. I did it for you. I just want you to keep being happy daddy.. I'll stop.. if you want me to."
"IT'LL MAKE YOU A THIEF! People will kill you for it! You want that kind of life!? You ungrateful child, after everything I have done for you in life!"
Her father raises his mug of ale and throws it at Aswera. He then takes his fists and starts pounding on her.
[i]Hit her! Yea, that is how I have solved all my problems! Hitting and fighting! The warrior code! Ungrateful child! Weak! Hit her![/i]
The pounding goes on for another 3 minutes, Aswera crying and trying to get away the entire time. Her father yelling about some man, she passed out from all of the blows to her head.
"Aswera, you are a pitiful child and you will die for your sins! Just as your mother did!"
******
[i]So the pickpocket came this way? Hmm.. I'll have to poke around inside. I hear screams inside though..[/i]
An unknown visitor to Darnassus creaps onto the windowsill of a small home within Darnassus. Looking in the window, she spies the pickpocket that so kindly greeted her when she arrived.
[i]I still don't know how a child spied me.. I was as hidden as always. That child has talent, and I'll be damned if I don't use her to my own will. Or at least get some silver back.[/i]
Watching the arguement that took place, the woman notices the hostility of the man the child is calling 'father.'
[i]Wait for the child to take a good beating, that'll teach her for stealing from me. As for this man, I'll take care of him.[/i]
Shortly after Aswera passes out, a vase drops in the hallway and crashes to the floor.
"What in the world..?" Aswera's father questions.
Within seconds, he was a murdered man from an ambush and a few stabs, stunned the entire time.
*******
[i]This child was such an easy prize. She'll be a great student, or she'll die under my arms as she tries to survive.[/i]
The unknown assassin smirks as she sneaks into a remote area in Teldrassil to begin training the body that she has slung on her back.
[i]Child, remember the life you once had, for those are now the best years of your life.[/i]
*******
Three weeks later, Aswera awakens to a dark room and a throbbing on her head. Looking around, she sees some herbs and potions.
"Where.. am I? What is going on?" Aswera asks herself, dimly aware that she is speaking outloud.
"Child, you better learn quick. Now, brace yourself!"
Without any further warning, a dagger is thrown and hits the wall beside Aswera's head.
With a scream, Aswera jumps to her feat.. all to quickly. Still a little drowsy, the blood rushes to her head and she collapses back to the ground.
[i]Must.. keep moving...[/i]
"Get up! Get up! Get up! Get up!" The voice echoes in her head as she passes out once more.
*******
A few hours later, Aswera looks around.
"Who am I? I don't.. remember anything." Aswera whispers to herself. She begins to look around at her area to see if she can remember anything.
"You are my student and you are here to learn quickly. You are to be a rogue. You suffered a huge blow to the head, but that doesn't matter. As a beginner, you don't deserve a name." a mysterious voice answers.
"I have no name? Ok.. and I am your student. What are you teaching me, as for trying to make me become a rogue?" the nameless child asks.
"You are going to be an assassin, resource gatherer, compiling enemy intelligence, and to never be heard of. Your training begins now."
Without a further word, an arrow is shot across the room, barely missing the child's head.
"Are you trying to kill me!? That almost hit my head!"
"Actually, I am. You should dodge this next one."
Another arrow flies through the air, just as Aswera ducks. Leaping from the bed she was laying on, she kicks it sideways to put a wall between herself and the voice. Looking for anything that she can use to defend herself, she finds a dagger stabbed into the wall nearby. Aswera reaches for it, and changes her hiding position.
With the room incredibly dark, she hopes that she has hidden well enough. Listening softly, she hears another arrow fly through the air, toppling over a vase.
[i]twing!![/i]
Aswera throws the dagger she retreived in the general direction of the string, hoping to hit the voice that is trying to kill her.
[i]Snap![/i]
To Aswera's dismay, the bowstring itself was hit, making the bow useless. Now, she would have to rely on whatever she could find as a weapon against whatever the voice had. Remembering that she just gave away her position, Aswera starts to move to try and find another location, only to stumble into her attacker's body.
"Now, child, lets test how fast you do evade!"
The voice swings a blade, as Tsune hears it rip the wind nearby. The broadside of the blade hits her upside the arm, causing a massive bruise.
"OW!" Reaching forward, Tsune throws a punch at her attack, missing completely.
"That is it? Just 1 punch? You'll learn better than that child!" her antagonist yells, swinging her second sword at the child.
Another bruise is given to Aswera, with another yelp. Desperate, Aswera did the only thing she could do. She tried to focus on living.
[i]Dodge. Dodge. SMACK! Dodge.[/i]
"Very good, you used your evasion skill. Now, keep at it!"
Another swing comes her way, and Aswera was smacked so hard by the blade that she fell backwards. When she hit the floor, she found another dagger, that was casually laying there. Hoping for the best, she picked it up, and threw it at across the room, hoping it was a good distraction. Her opposer's footsteps took off that way, so Aswera did the opposite. She ran the other way.
"Get back here child!" echoed behind her as Aswera was lucky enough to have found the door, and she burst into a sprit into the nearby trees.
Aswera ran all night, until she found some roots to rest in under a large Teldrassil tree. And there, she slept.
*******
Tsune awoke the next day to find 2 things beside her. The first, was a small and blunt dagger. The other, was an envelope.
[i]
Dear child,
You have done well. I am hoping that you will
provide me with a lot of entertainment as you
go through life. To help you get started,
there is an elf in Aldrassil, a small town
here in Teldrassil. He is expecting you. This
is the first and only job I will put you onto.
As a reward for running like the wind, I have
given you a new name. The name means "of the
wind." Your new name, is Tsune.[/i]
No comments:
Post a Comment