Rat Race

"Rat Race" is a BOTGD 2 Act II thread started on January 30th, 2021 and finished on January 31st, 2021.
==Summary==
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==Full Text==
Assassin: Per Lila’s instructions, the newly-discovered tunnels had been lined with a handful of Pookan guards, for even though only one entrance had been found in the tunnels so far, they never knew what would further be discovered in the future. The orders went out; the guard was strengthened around Vidar and the surrounding passageways, and it was furthered still by the quietest night of wind on the Scrublands so far. 
The tunnels were as dark as ever, but through the constant echoing and dripping and running of water, there was a substantial shift of pebbles down the north end, making a small bubbling splash in one of the puddles.
Rebellion: Two of the guards that had been lounging, playing cards on a table they had brought down looked up and over, their ears twitching at the sound. To others it would have been nothing worth noting, but for the Pooka who’d spent much of their lives guarding their tunnels from invasion, it was something to take note of. They quickly got up from the table, the game forgotten as they ready their weapons just in case.
Assassin: Nothing seemed to be visible, at least within the range of light from the temporary setup they had underneath the Jaw. Above their heads, clutching against the wall with both hands and feet, a small figure waited, black eyes gleaming above a mask that hid most of their face. They were dressed in matte black leathers from head to toe. Once they knew they had not been seen, they continued scuttling forward along the wall as though it were the floor. 
Rebellion: The second group was a bit more prepared three were on look out while one was digging alcoves into the side walls. “Remind me why your doing that?” One asked, looking back at the youngest among them, no older than 22.
“Well if we get into a fight I want to be able to duck into cover when the fighting starts. Like we have back home” He replied.
The older one chuckled and shook his head. “We have people to do that for us rookie.” He said now turned fully to face the Pooka.
“I know, but we haven’t had time for it, so I figured I might as well.”
Assassin: The figure paused, and underneath the mask, a nose twitched slightly as they regarded the next group. They turned to their left and with pink, padded claws, they began ascending further up the tunnel wall, almost hanging vertically above them as they continued to skitter forward. As they passed overhead, the light gleamed off of a sheathed weapon at their hip–an oddly-shaped short scimitar, with a wavy blade pattern, like it had several outward circular notches forged into it. 
Rebellion: The last group was on watch just as the other three with roughly the same state of readiness as the other three. Suddenly one of their noses twitch. She took a second to sniff around before calling out. “Hey!… What are you guys cooking over there?”
The other three suddenly tense and look over. “Snausages.” One says holding up his spear with a sausage on the end. “Want some?”
Assassin: The earth shuffled overhead, and a large, wet dollop of dirt splattered on the sausage. Overhead, the sneak looked around wildly, and then darted forward in a flash, headed straight for the Jarl’s vertical passage out of the tunnels.
Rebellion: All four of them looked down at the sausage and then up at the spook. Surprisingly enough the guy with the sausage was the first to act. He chucked his spear, sausage and all up at the intruder. The rest quickly grabbed bows and arrows and took a shot at him.
Assassin: One of the arrows nicked the figure’s foot, which swung down and hung overhead, and the Pookas saw a lashing, skin-colored, thin tail as well as four toes on each foot. Then they managed to pull themselves back up and continue climbing across the wall, zooming up to the tunnel’s only opening and begin to race upwards along the steep stone chute with little trouble.
Rebellion: The Pooka continue to fire, having little else they can do. One goes for the rope leading down and starts to climb, hoping to make it to the top quickly.
Assassin: The half-breed, almost to the top, saw the rope jiggle and start to sway with weight, and without skipping a beat, they drew a short knife from their bandolier and paused in the chute, using both a hand and a foot to pin the rope in place and provide better vantage for quickly sawing through it and sending it snapping downward with gravity’s help. 
Upon reaching the hatch at the top, their nimble fingers tucked under the ridge around the edge and shoved it open, bursting out of the ground in Vidar’s quarters and sprinting out the door through the bunker, feet slapping against the flagstones below.
Rebellion: As the Half-Breed rushed through the corridors he surprised a few of the guards. “Huh?! Hey stop!” They called after him as they took chase.
Assassin: The half-breed looked over her shoulder, and in better lighting, they saw her fully-black eyes surrounded by short gray fur and darkened by a hood, and her tail whipping back and forth with her sprinting strides. She dropped to all fours, leaping back and forth across the hall as she made straight for the prisoners’ section of the Conclave’s bunker. It looked as though she had no interest in engaging anyone, merely moving as fast as possible.
Rebellion: The guarda cursed. She was much faster than them. Suddenly a tall, broad-shouldered woman stepped out from a side hallway, sword and shield at the ready. “Stop.” She said menacingly.
Assassin: The half-breed skidded to a halt, crouched low to the ground, looking back and forth between the new soldier and the guards behind her. Her fingers were twitching erratically, and now that she was holding still, it was obvious her stance and frame was off, her head making movements that were too odd and jerky even for her animalistic heritage. 
There was a soft hiss, and she spurred forward, rolling onto her shoulder and diving between the shieldbearer’s legs as quickly as water coursed through a breached dam.
Rebellion: She grunts as she fell to the ground. And now, her large stature that was a benefit but moments ago was now a hindrance as her fellow soldiers now had to either climb over her or help her up, both of which took time they didn’t have.
Assassin: The intruder moved swiftly into the belly of the beast, rapidly knocking over one of the prison guards and using her knife to slash away at their belt, causing the keys to rattle to the ground, which she immediately scooped up and dashed away with. She was getting close.
Rebellion: As she slashed at his belt his pants fell down, which, to anyone who has had their pants pulled down to their ankles know, made it difficult, if not impossible, to chase after the assailant. Of course she was then faced with the 4 guards standing outside the cell. So it all sort of evened out.
Assassin: The half-breed rolled forward again. Catching the remaining Rebels off-guard, she managed to dispatch two of them, but wasn’t as quick with the last two, backing off over the groaning soldiers and holding her knife at the ready, her black eyes frantically dancing back and forth between them in a standoff.
Inside the cell, the former Jarl lifted his chin slightly, hearing the commotion outside. His pulse picked up faster, and his jaw set.
Rebellion: One of the guards looks down at the two on the floor. “You murdered them.” He murmurs solemnly. “They were my best friends and you murdered them! You bitch, I’ll kill you!”
“No wait!” His partner called to him. She wanted to take her together but now he was attacking recklessly, which would put them both at a disadvantage.
Assassin: The intruder seemed less interested in another opportunity to stab and more eager to get behind them. She scrambled up the wall and pushed off, shoving the reckless guard sideways, and moved to beat the cautious guard to the cell door.
Rebellion: She let out a sigh of relief but held her sword closely. As she makes for the door she goes to stab the Half-Breed, but her actions are sluggish, nerves wracked from worry over her friend and grief over those fallen.
Assassin: With an unnatural twist, the half-breed bent back and the blade passed harmlessly overhead. She jammed the keys into the lock and twisted, letting her into the first door, and she hastily fumbled with the ring to find the key that would let her into the second.
Vidar’s brow was beaded with sweat. His chest expanded and deflated quickly. 
Rebellion: The Half-Breed had put herself in not so great a position. While she was struggling with the second door it gave the other two time to regroup. The man roared and charged her again as the second came up not far behind him.
Assassin: The sword clattered against the door as the rat half-breed slipped to the side, and she used her foot to kick it away, but the man’s body still followed suit, ramming her between metal and armor. The move instilled an alarming change in her–she started thrashing and screaming, throwing him across the breezeway and following up by running up to him and shoving his shoulders, slamming his head into the threshold of the first door. She had her knife out to parry the female guard’s attack as well, utilizing the walls of the small space to her advantage, and doing her best to use her height and trip her up to buy her time to open the door.
Rebellion: The first guard grunts and groans as he slides downs the wall, unconscious. The Half-Breed was far more agile than the woman and the small spaces seemed to be her element. She fell to the ground on top of her partner and struggled to get up.
Assassin: The key slammed into the lock. With a scream of metal, the door floor open. Vidar started; his legs curled inward, and he opened his mouth, but his throat seemed to grow paralyzed.
The final blade slid out of the scabbard with a clean ring, and the half-breed went to drive it full bore into Vidar’s chest. 
Dark Brotherhood: A steel dagger suddenly meets the Half-Breed’s stopping it’s advancement. “And you call yourself an assassin?” A male voice says as the rest of him materializes from the shadows. He kicks her back as he stands, a dagger in each hand. “You’re not gonna get to him without going through me, and good luck with that.” He threw one of the daggers at the would-be assassin and, hit or miss it would return to a loop on his belt moments after contact.
Assassin: The dagger sunk into the soft part of her shoulder, and she hissed loudly, almost screaming. Scrambling up the wall and throwing herself at his shoulders, she scratched in a fury, trying to take him down long enough to get to Vidar.
Dark Brotherhood: He knew the former Jarl was her target. He also knew that she didn’t need to kill him to get to the fascist. He widened his stance and took the blow, grabbing her by the waist in an attempt to throw her back towards the door she came in.
Assassin: The force of the entire half-breed smashing into the door caused it to swing open wider with a bang, and she was immediately up again. But she didn’t take the easy attempt at escape. Whoever this was, she seemed hellbent on killing Vidar in any way possible. She backed into one of the corners of the cell, trying to bait him away from the chained man on the floor.
Dark Brotherhood: He was wise to it. As before he remembered that many of his targets were just kill orders. It didn’t matter if he killed their guards or not, just that they were dead. “Give it up love.” He said, twirling one of his daggers between his fingers. “You ain’t getting past me. If it’s any consolation though, he’ll be dead by tomorrow afternoon.”
Assassin: “Have to…”
The half-breed was raspy, still twitching unnaturally, Her fully black animal eyes fixed on Vidar, who had held still as a statue the entire time the fight had been happening around him. She looked almost feverish. Her throat gurgled with another hiss, and she made straight for him once more, brandishing her blade, which glinted with several strange bumps on its edge, like glass nodules.
Dark Brotherhood: The Brotherhood assassin reached for some pouches he had on his chest and grabbed a dagger between each finger. He took but a moment to line up his shot before he threw two handfuls of daggers at her, 3 at a time.
Assassin: Her blade clattered across the ground as she fell back, the blades having done their job in stopping her. She curled up on the ground, shaking intensely, and then she struggled to get to her knees, but couldn’t follow through with the motion.
“Have to,” she grunted, sounding far more desperate this time.
Dark Brotherhood: The man stayed where he was but looked down at the Half-Breed. She looked pitiful. “Why? Why do you ‘have to’?” He asked. “They got you on drugs or something? They poison you?” It was a rare occurrence, but one he had seen before. An employer would get an assassin hooked on drugs and then cut them off so they went into withdrawal. At that point they’re desperate for the kill so they can get their fix again. Granted it lead to the possibility of fucking up said assassin.
He’d also seen poison be used, though that tended to be for more high profile targets. They’d inject the assassin with a slow release poison. The desperation was also a factor there too. If they succeeded they got the antidote. But it also had the added benefit of security. If the assassin was captured their employer needn’t worry as they would be dead shortly.
Assassin/Vidar: Her mouth opened behind her mask, but instead of words, there was a choked sound as her entire body jerked like it had been shot through with an arrow. Vidar’s head snapped up, and he trained his good eye on the would-be killer as she started to go into convulsions on the floor. But she didn’t show any physical signs of some kind of substance affecting her, like changing color or expelling fluid. It was like her nervous system had gone into complete overload and meltdown.
Dark Brotherhood: "Oi, yer Central trash." He said as he looked over to Vidar. "What's happening to her?" He asks.
Assassin/Vidar: Vidar clenched his teeth, keeping his eyes on the half-breed, whose twitching was beginning to slow. The ultimate irony. It was poetic of them. “I thought you’d have sharper eyes for death throes than that,” he said, low and gravelly in his chest. 
Dark Brotherhood: He sighs. “Look don’t be a smart ass. It’s unbecoming. I get that she’s dying but why. It ain’t drug, and it ain’t poison, so what is it?”
Assassin/Vidar: The former Jarl sniffed and turned his head aside, becoming uninterested in his surroundings once more.
The half-breed gave a final gasp and fell limp on the stone floor, her violent shaking coming to a stop, and her hands and toes uncurling from their painfully clawed position. 
Dark Brotherhood/Rebellion: He sighs and shakes his head. "Welp. It's been nice knowing you Vidar." He gives a two fingered salute as he vanishes into the shadows once again.
Not to long after the guards arrive and Lila pushes through. She scowls as she observes the scene. She looks over the assassin and sighs seeing that she was a Half-Breed.
She examines her wounds and saw that, while she had several stab wounds, they were positioned in such a way that they were intended to disable more than kill.
"Get her to Kettil. I want him to find out what killed her." She said. As they begin to carry her body away she looks over at her prisoner. "Well, it looks like it's a good thing I bumped up security." She says smugly. "I look forward to seeing you tomorrow Vidar." She said as she walked out and locked the door behind her.
Category:Events
Category:BOTGD 2
Category:Act II
Category:Dark Brotherhood
Category:Vidar Bloodletter
Category:Lila Ericson