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feeling: tired and proud ^^
listening to: Cowboy Bebop Movie - Cosmic Dare *jam*
So this is the Guild of Thieves, Raelin thought as she reached the bottom of the staircase. This small hallway was as dreary as the main corridors of the pyramid, but torches lined the sides, and it seemed to be free of nasty creatures like those that roamed above. A few people stood around, some novice fighters like herself, some newly-assigned thieves. Ahead were three doorways, one to the east, one west, and one directly ahead; Raelin poked her head in each one before settling on one that must have been the entrance to the guild's main office. Inside several young people milled around, some showing off their newly attained thief garb, some waiting to receive their assignments, which would assure them a career as a thief upon completion. Raelin joined the latter crowd, turning her attention to a simple-looking young blond woman behind a high counter. It was hard to imagine this attractive girl as a thief, but Raelin supposed it wasn't smart to advertise oneself too much.
After waiting for only a few minutes, it was Raelin's turn. She stepped up to the counter, looking squarely at the blond theif.
"My name's Raelin," she announced. "I'm ready to be a thief."
The girl's eyes twinkled and she donned a toothy grin. "Raelin, huh? All right, honey, you look like you got what it takes. Not just anyone can be a thief, you know."
Raelin rolled her eyes. Great, here comes the lecture, she thought with dismay.
The blond went on, warning Raelin that a thief's life was not easy - always hiding in the shadows, never forming trusting relationships, and doing things that could potentially hurt people were not options, but prerequisites. The more Raelin heard, the more her mind was overwhelmed by second thoughts. Hurt innocent people? She didn't want to do that. She didn't want to hurt anyone who didn't deserve it. She didn't want to steal other people's hard-earned belongings. This wasn't her. Could she really go through with this? Could she be a thief?
"Hey! I said, are you ready to receive your test??"
With a start, Raelin met the blond girl's eyes again, realizing that her lecture was over, and it was time to make her decision.
"I, um..."
No, I can't, she thought briefly. I can't hurt people. I just want to waste those disgusting Orcs and their leader.
But was there any other way? Of all the jobs that were offered to people her age in Rune-Midgard, the only one fully capable of fulfilling her revenge was the assassin's path. The assassin was a master of death, a shadow itself. Sword fighters, magicians, archers... they just didn't have the stealth and agility an assassin would have. And there was no way to become an assassin but to work one's way up the ladder in the Guild of Thieves - to be a thief.
"I'm ready."
The blond grinned. "Great! You know, honey, I've seen a lot of kids your age come through here, but you really look stronger than most of them. I'm sure you have all you need to be a great thief."
Raelin dropped her gaze. She wished she had this girl's enthusiasm.
"So, your test..." the blond thief glanced at a handful of papers on the counter, tapping one that Raelin assumed outlined her assignment. "Here we go. You are to travel to the field of a nearby mushroom farmer and gather as many mushrooms as you can. Several types grow there; you'll have to collect some of each. Bring them to me when you're finished, and I'll declare you a member of the Guild of Thieves." She looked up, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she grinned at Raelin. "Got that, hon?"
Raelin gave her a look. "I have to get... mushrooms?"
"That's right. Don't think this will be an easy task. Recently the farmer has figured out that we're sending potential thieves to loot his fields, and he's not happy. He's set boatloads of vicious monsters loose to protect the mushrooms. If they get a hold of you, you'll be in serious trouble... and if HE gets a hold of you, well, you can forget about planning your next birthday."
Monsters? This didn't sound as attractive as it had back when Raelin had made the decision to come here. She could die? And all just to steal some stupid mushrooms from an innocent farmer whose crops meant so much to him that he'd set evil beasts loose to protect it? How could she bring herself to do this? But, she reminded herself, she had no choice if she wanted to avenge her hometown. That was all she wanted to do.
Sighing deeply, Raelin squared her shoulders and looked at the blond again. "You got it," she declared.
The thief giggled a little. "Perfect!" she squealed. "You be careful, ok, honey? Bring back those mushrooms and you're as good as in! Best of luck!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Brrr," Raelin muttered as she entered the garden she'd been directed to by a guild member. It was just as dark and haunting as the pyramid she'd just come from. The air was heavy with the scents of vegetables and dead animals, and from all sides she could hear the squeals and howls of monsters ready to defend their turf. There weren't many others around, but occasionally she did spot another potential thief in the darkness, hacking away at any mushroom that dared to show itself through the gloom. So, here goes, she told herself, walking rather quickly toward the first bright orange mushroom that caught her eye.
This really wasn't as easy as it had sounded. Mushrooms weren't easy to find in the unnatural darkness, and many that she did find were guarded by large caterpillar-like creatures that, though not too strong, defended the farm with vicious zeal. After only a few minutes, Raelin's dagger was covered in sticky mushroom ooze and dark monster blood.
Finally, Raelin observed that she'd collected a substantial number of mushrooms, varying in type, size, and degree of dagger damage. Deciding that her hard-earned prize should be more than sufficient, she made her way toward the field's gate.
Naturally, it was at this point that a huge, ghastly monster resembling a seahorse became visible through the heavy darkness. Its fins fluttered without the aid of wind, and it hovered above the ground, formless eyes roaming the area for invaders. Instinctively closing her stance, Raelin edged away from the beast as slowly as she could, afraid even to breathe for fear of alerting it to her presence. She didn't remember clearly what happened after that - only the feel of the sweatdrops burning her eyes, the sound of her ragged breath, her slight jump at the unintendional scrape of her dagger against a half-dead sapling, the terror as the seahorse-beast's eyes locked on her own, the overwhelming silence as she ran as fast as she could toward the gate...
Blinking several times, Raelin slowly lifted her head. It wasn't dark anymore. She was sitting on the grassy ground, slumped against a stately tree, the sun shining as far as she could see. Was this Paradise? Had that seahorse-beast killed her? Or had the farm been a dream? Shortly, Raelin felt something else - stiffness. Extreme stiffness. Her body was drained of most of its energy. There was also a heaviness she hadn't felt before... heaviness contained in the pack draped over her back.
Well, that was no dream, she thought tiredly. Looking around, she deduced that this was no Paradise either. It was Morroc. Not far to her left she could see the outline of the pyramid outlining the sunlit sky. And the heaviness of her backpack... it was the mushrooms. It had to be.
Eventually, Raelin felt strong enough to stand again, making her way decidedly toward the pyramid. She ignored the stares she earned from male merchants and swordsmen around the entrance, ignored the heavy smells of blood and death in the mazelike dungeon, ignored everything around her until she reached the Guild of Thieves. Upon entering, she marched to the counter, past the line of novices awaiting their assignments, and plopped her loaded backpack onto its polished top. The blond thief behind the counter looked up with a start, her expression faltering for a moment at the sight of Raelin's fiery eyes.
"Here are your stupid mushrooms," Raelin announced, her eyes unmoving from the blond girl's. "I believe you will find them to your approval."
Regaining her composure, the girl cocked an eyebrow at Raelin. "What? Mushrooms...?" She looked at Raelin, then at the pack, then at Raelin again. Finally her eyes widened, seeming to laugh at the dissheveled, frustrated girl in front of her. "You mean you actually went and collected mushrooms? Gosh, honey, I just made that test up to see whether you'd be willing to go through with it! I didn't think you'd actually DO it!"
Raelin's eyes burned. The mushrooms, the haunted farm, the horrible creatures, the seahorse-ghost... she wasn't even supposed to...
"Hey, take it easy!" the blond interrupted Raelin's internal seething, chuckling nervously and quickly scrawling something on a sheet of paper in front of her. "You passed with flying colors, Raelin! It's all settled - you're a thief! Here, let me show you to the room where you'll receive your equipment..."
Raelin was never so happy to feel the warm sun on her face. She was more than ready to put that pyramid behind her forever. Seating herself near a tree some distance from the usual crowd, she took a moment to observe her new garb. It felt quite light, from the cotton jacket covering her arms (and not much else) to the cushioned, stealthy shoes on her feet. So this was what being a thief felt like. The best part was, now that her guild membership was official, she had the freedom to polish her methods by any means she saw fit - which meant she didn't have to hurt innocent people. She could become stronger by fighting the endless mobs of monsters roaming the planet... by fighting evil, not by disturbing peace. This was the start of her journey toward becoming the world's most renowned assassin.
But first, she had a little score to settle with a certain female blond thief...
There you have it. Part two of the story of Raelin. Written to commemorate her becoming a big bad assassin earlier this evening. I'm such a proud mommy~ ^_^
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dragged from Becky's stream of consciousness at 7/08/2003 04:10:00 AM
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