The slog up the hill had been a difficult one, the torrential rain and driving wind swirling and changing direction at every step.
The hooded figure cursed as she lost her footing for what seemed the thousandth time since her climb had started, but finally the ridge came into view, illuminated by a flash of lightning in the squall.
Pulling her backpack roughly over the edge, she threw it to the saturated ground and slumped down, oblivious to the wet, soaking her armour and clothing.
Another curse....
Rummaging in her pack, she took out a folded parchment, soggy from the constant exposure, and opened it. Looking around the immediate area to get her bearings, she aligned the hastily drawn map with her surroundings.
"About half a mile south east..." she mumbled to herself.
A flash of lightning on the far horizon caught her attention, the after image burned into her retina. The persuing band of orcs could be seen clearly, far in the distance about half a days walk in this weather.
She stood up, pulled on her pack and looked around the plateau. She spotted a likely rock and then threw some food at its base and discarded an old rag she had found,wiping it meticulously around her neck and shoulders beforehand.
She grinned and set out accross the sodden ground.
After what seemed like an age, the monastery gates loomed in the darkness, she put on a convincing stagger and began banging with all her strength upon the stout wooden doors.
A couple of minutes passed before a slight creaking heralded the opening of the travellers door in the gates. A figure swathed on robes poked his head out and looked at her, he held out a hand ,"Hellish weather to be out in, sister..."
She made a grab for the helping hand but fell back onto the ground and twisted onto her side. She heard the squelching of the monks feet as he stepped out to help her up. Quickly she turned and whipped the Asabi blade out and thrust upwards into his gut.
The look of surprise on his face almost made her laugh. He clutched at the knife and keeled over sidewards. Stiffling his cries with one hand over his mouth she slit his throat from left to right.
The monk stopped struggling and sank face down onto the ground, a bloody patch, forming around his head, diluted by the rain.
Stepping through the smaller door she checked the immediate courtyard, no one, after all, who would be crazy enough to be out in this weather.
The monastery was quite small and compact, not the sprawling abominations of Kossuth and his kin. To her right a door marked with the single word, 'Meditation'. As quietly as she could she pushed the door open. By the candlelight she could see about a dozen acolytes in various states of grace.
She flipped the top off a small vial from her pack and drank the burning liquid. She felt her muscles expanding as the potion went to work on her body. Drawing a large double bladed axe she slipped into the room.
"Hello boys...." she said with a seductive hint, "Rayne's come to play..."
Some of them looked up...but it was far too late,she swung the axe with a precision born of practice. Heads, arms, legs...torso's cleaved down the middle, the slaughter only took a couple of minutes but for her it seemed a lifetime of ecstasy.
Surveying the massacre, she hefted the dripping axe onto her right shoulder. "Come out boy, I can hear you.." She turned slowly around to a closed armoire where slight shuffling movements could be heard.
The door pushed slowly open and a trembling figure sat cowering in a pool of his own urine...he looked up.." You, you said it was only Father Jonas you wanted thats what you said.."
She looked balefully at her informant, "I lied, and it wasn't you that let me in, as was agreed."
"I...I....another was closer....I...", he retched and puked all over his robes.
She laughed loudly, "My poor little Rufus, you have no idea..."
"P...p...please don't kill me......" he implored.
She approached and squatted in front of him on her haunches, opening her thighs suggestively, "What some will do for so little...." She noticed that despite his complete terror he couldn't take his gaze away from the the water dripping from her legs, though she knew what his thoughts were....She laughed again, even in moments of abject fear all they could think of....
"I'm not going to kill you..." , with that she plunged a dagger into his shoulder with a force that pinned him to the back of the armoire. He screamed, she laughed, "You should be able to staunch the bleeding, though someone else will have to take out the blade for you...."
With that she stood and walked purposefully towards the door, she turned for a moment, "Nice doing business with you," she threw a sodden bag of coins in his direction.
Finding Father Jonas's room didn't take long, the boy's directions were precise. She listened at the door, she could hear the scratching of measured writing.
She knocked on the door, there was a moment silence, looking up no doubt, and then, "Come."
Rayne pushed open the door , the figure at the desk took a second to look up, when he did his surprise turned to shock as the bloodsoaked effigy covered the ground between the door and the desk in the blink of an eye, swinging the axe downward,neatly severing the writing hand from its arm and embedding itself six inches into the wood.
Father Jonas jerked backwards and immediately grabbed the stump of his right arm with his left hand, letting out a cry of agony.
"Hello Jonas, she said deliberately leaving out 'Father', it's been a while."
Grimacing in pain Father Jonas looked at his agressor, "Who in the nine hells are you ?"
"That's quite a nasty wound you've got there," she said rounding the desk, "let me see what I can do."
With that she threw him a cloth from inside her cloak, "That should help."Father Jonas looked on incredulously as his attacker appeared to want to help him. He scrambled backwards, fell off his chair and onto the stone floor.
"Pick it up and bandage the wound."
Never taking his eyes away from her he pulled the cloth over the bleeding stump, the pain eased a little. Rayne towered over him, she noticed however, that he didn't cringe.
"What do you want fiend?" he blurted.
She grinned, lifted her right leg and stamped down hard on his left knee, he bellowed in pain but she kept it up until she heard the satisfying crunch of his kneecap shattering.
"You, you're insane, " he said almost passing out. She then went to work on his other leg.....
Ten minutes passed before Jonas came round, mainly due to a bucket of water being splashed over his face. Rayne sat with one leg cocked over the desk, the other resting on his chair. The pain flooded back, but not as intense. He looked down at his blooded and broken legs and once again to his agressor's face.
"Why, I am a good man, why have you done this to me?"
Rayne sneered and reached a final time into her cloak, taking out an old rusted dagger, looking directly into Jonas's eyes she said," Take this, it's for you, but be careful, we don't want any accidents, do we?"she tossed it onto the floor just within his reach.
Light dawned, he looked from the dagger up into her face,".....R...Rayne...?
She grinned, "The same.."
She stood, pulled her axe out of the desk and turned to Jonas..he looked at her not understanding, "You, you came to kill me, w..why...why are you...?"
She laughed out loud and left by the way she had entered. In the courtyard she could still hear Rufus whimpering, she slung her pack over her shoulder and disappeared into the dark rainy night.
Time seemed to pass slowly for Father Jonas, he could barely move and his cries for help brought no response. Passing in and out of consciousness, he was finally awakened by the sunlight streaming through the window behind his desk and shuffling footsteps outside the door,
"Help, please help me, I can't move, I've been attacked."
The shuffling came closer and he heard the door pushed back. After a few seconds, Rufus's face came into view. Jonas sighed and then looked on , an increasing terror overcoming his initial relief. Rufus's blind eyes stared upwards, his head planted firmly on a spear held in the claws of an enormous grinning orc.
Jonas screamed ,his one good hand floundered, scrabbling on the floor.....finding the rusty dagger!!!!!!!
The hooded figure cursed as she lost her footing for what seemed the thousandth time since her climb had started, but finally the ridge came into view, illuminated by a flash of lightning in the squall.
Pulling her backpack roughly over the edge, she threw it to the saturated ground and slumped down, oblivious to the wet, soaking her armour and clothing.
Another curse....
Rummaging in her pack, she took out a folded parchment, soggy from the constant exposure, and opened it. Looking around the immediate area to get her bearings, she aligned the hastily drawn map with her surroundings.
"About half a mile south east..." she mumbled to herself.
A flash of lightning on the far horizon caught her attention, the after image burned into her retina. The persuing band of orcs could be seen clearly, far in the distance about half a days walk in this weather.
She stood up, pulled on her pack and looked around the plateau. She spotted a likely rock and then threw some food at its base and discarded an old rag she had found,wiping it meticulously around her neck and shoulders beforehand.
She grinned and set out accross the sodden ground.
After what seemed like an age, the monastery gates loomed in the darkness, she put on a convincing stagger and began banging with all her strength upon the stout wooden doors.
A couple of minutes passed before a slight creaking heralded the opening of the travellers door in the gates. A figure swathed on robes poked his head out and looked at her, he held out a hand ,"Hellish weather to be out in, sister..."
She made a grab for the helping hand but fell back onto the ground and twisted onto her side. She heard the squelching of the monks feet as he stepped out to help her up. Quickly she turned and whipped the Asabi blade out and thrust upwards into his gut.
The look of surprise on his face almost made her laugh. He clutched at the knife and keeled over sidewards. Stiffling his cries with one hand over his mouth she slit his throat from left to right.
The monk stopped struggling and sank face down onto the ground, a bloody patch, forming around his head, diluted by the rain.
Stepping through the smaller door she checked the immediate courtyard, no one, after all, who would be crazy enough to be out in this weather.
The monastery was quite small and compact, not the sprawling abominations of Kossuth and his kin. To her right a door marked with the single word, 'Meditation'. As quietly as she could she pushed the door open. By the candlelight she could see about a dozen acolytes in various states of grace.
She flipped the top off a small vial from her pack and drank the burning liquid. She felt her muscles expanding as the potion went to work on her body. Drawing a large double bladed axe she slipped into the room.
"Hello boys...." she said with a seductive hint, "Rayne's come to play..."
Some of them looked up...but it was far too late,she swung the axe with a precision born of practice. Heads, arms, legs...torso's cleaved down the middle, the slaughter only took a couple of minutes but for her it seemed a lifetime of ecstasy.
Surveying the massacre, she hefted the dripping axe onto her right shoulder. "Come out boy, I can hear you.." She turned slowly around to a closed armoire where slight shuffling movements could be heard.
The door pushed slowly open and a trembling figure sat cowering in a pool of his own urine...he looked up.." You, you said it was only Father Jonas you wanted thats what you said.."
She looked balefully at her informant, "I lied, and it wasn't you that let me in, as was agreed."
"I...I....another was closer....I...", he retched and puked all over his robes.
She laughed loudly, "My poor little Rufus, you have no idea..."
"P...p...please don't kill me......" he implored.
She approached and squatted in front of him on her haunches, opening her thighs suggestively, "What some will do for so little...." She noticed that despite his complete terror he couldn't take his gaze away from the the water dripping from her legs, though she knew what his thoughts were....She laughed again, even in moments of abject fear all they could think of....
"I'm not going to kill you..." , with that she plunged a dagger into his shoulder with a force that pinned him to the back of the armoire. He screamed, she laughed, "You should be able to staunch the bleeding, though someone else will have to take out the blade for you...."
With that she stood and walked purposefully towards the door, she turned for a moment, "Nice doing business with you," she threw a sodden bag of coins in his direction.
Finding Father Jonas's room didn't take long, the boy's directions were precise. She listened at the door, she could hear the scratching of measured writing.
She knocked on the door, there was a moment silence, looking up no doubt, and then, "Come."
Rayne pushed open the door , the figure at the desk took a second to look up, when he did his surprise turned to shock as the bloodsoaked effigy covered the ground between the door and the desk in the blink of an eye, swinging the axe downward,neatly severing the writing hand from its arm and embedding itself six inches into the wood.
Father Jonas jerked backwards and immediately grabbed the stump of his right arm with his left hand, letting out a cry of agony.
"Hello Jonas, she said deliberately leaving out 'Father', it's been a while."
Grimacing in pain Father Jonas looked at his agressor, "Who in the nine hells are you ?"
"That's quite a nasty wound you've got there," she said rounding the desk, "let me see what I can do."
With that she threw him a cloth from inside her cloak, "That should help."Father Jonas looked on incredulously as his attacker appeared to want to help him. He scrambled backwards, fell off his chair and onto the stone floor.
"Pick it up and bandage the wound."
Never taking his eyes away from her he pulled the cloth over the bleeding stump, the pain eased a little. Rayne towered over him, she noticed however, that he didn't cringe.
"What do you want fiend?" he blurted.
She grinned, lifted her right leg and stamped down hard on his left knee, he bellowed in pain but she kept it up until she heard the satisfying crunch of his kneecap shattering.
"You, you're insane, " he said almost passing out. She then went to work on his other leg.....
Ten minutes passed before Jonas came round, mainly due to a bucket of water being splashed over his face. Rayne sat with one leg cocked over the desk, the other resting on his chair. The pain flooded back, but not as intense. He looked down at his blooded and broken legs and once again to his agressor's face.
"Why, I am a good man, why have you done this to me?"
Rayne sneered and reached a final time into her cloak, taking out an old rusted dagger, looking directly into Jonas's eyes she said," Take this, it's for you, but be careful, we don't want any accidents, do we?"she tossed it onto the floor just within his reach.
Light dawned, he looked from the dagger up into her face,".....R...Rayne...?
She grinned, "The same.."
She stood, pulled her axe out of the desk and turned to Jonas..he looked at her not understanding, "You, you came to kill me, w..why...why are you...?"
She laughed out loud and left by the way she had entered. In the courtyard she could still hear Rufus whimpering, she slung her pack over her shoulder and disappeared into the dark rainy night.
Time seemed to pass slowly for Father Jonas, he could barely move and his cries for help brought no response. Passing in and out of consciousness, he was finally awakened by the sunlight streaming through the window behind his desk and shuffling footsteps outside the door,
"Help, please help me, I can't move, I've been attacked."
The shuffling came closer and he heard the door pushed back. After a few seconds, Rufus's face came into view. Jonas sighed and then looked on , an increasing terror overcoming his initial relief. Rufus's blind eyes stared upwards, his head planted firmly on a spear held in the claws of an enormous grinning orc.
Jonas screamed ,his one good hand floundered, scrabbling on the floor.....finding the rusty dagger!!!!!!!