[Nexus] MURDER II: Actual Levels of Murder May Vary

[Slii Arhem]

Originally Posted by Rotting Baron

[Operative's Office]

The two envelopes slide across the desk. He unfortunately can only think of one person able to get the contract done without being seen or burning the place. He lets Zach's comments about their early days slide, they were true. "We are in agreement, and your proposed payment is fair. Expect the job to be completed within the fortnight." He was being a little generous, though he was also accounting for recon and the purchasing of supplies.

Operative's Office - Zack

"Worse than I'd hoped for, but better than I expected. One moment." Zack pours the rest of the jewellery and gems from the sack, and then considers the amount. If he has to buy silence from anyone about his whereabouts, and he suspects he will...

He separates perhaps a fifth of the pile and shoves it back into the sack, including one particular ring that seems nearly worthless compared to the others, but appears to have caught his eye.

"That should be more than sufficient for a month, which means I'll probably run into enough trouble that I'll have to spend it all before the week is out. That's what I can do as a down payment, and I'll be in contact as soon as I get word that the job is complete to arrange the rest." Zack gets up and turns to the door, not wanting to stay longer and negotiate trivialities.

[Rotting Baron]

[Operative's Office - Zack]

Zack won't be stopped from leaving. Not much of a point in making him stay. After he does leave, the Operative does something very rare and leaves his office, to put the two envelopes on Jane's desk.

"File those away for me."

Jane nods, catching the meaning behind that.

[BladeofObliviom]

[The Front --> Lobby --> Sarah's Room --> Lobby]

Suddenly, everyone's favorite Blood Mage Assassin returns!

...No, not Rael. The other one.

Sarah simply walks in through the front door, carrying what appears to be a fairly large clay jug, filled to the brim with rolled-up sheets of paper.

"Hey, John. Just get me a drink, would ya? I'll go put this in the back."

Of course, she actually just goes down the elevator with it, carrying it right through the lobby (Giving Jane a friendly nod, of course) towards her room, where she stores it until further notice.

In any case, from there, she heads right back to the lobby to check the job board, where she stays for a while.

[The Mad Hatter]

Name: Crossbone
Age:
Gender: Male
Species: Undead
Specialization: Poison
Power Source: Necromantic poison.
Other Important Information: Doesn't talk much, has worked for some rather shady people.

Crossbone looks over at the Operative with his sharp skull face, constantly leaking green poison ichor. There....

[Rotting Baron]

[Lobby]

There don't seem to be any new jobs on the listings. Sarah might note that Jane is not at the desk, a very odd occurrence.

[Operative's Office]

"Everything is in order, then," the Operative says after looking at the form. "Your membership is on a probationary basis. If you complete a contract, you will be allowed further freedoms in this organization."

[Zefir]

[Lobby]

And Fade returns from his room. Checking for new contracts there still is nothing new. Jane is missing (I assume she took the last contract^^) so there is none to ask if something will come up soon. He takes a seat and waits. Maybe new clients come here sometimes.

[The Mad Hatter]

Originally Posted by Rotting Baron

[Lobby]

There don't seem to be any new jobs on the listings. Sarah might note that Jane is not at the desk, a very odd occurrence.

[Operative's Office]

"Everything is in order, then," the Operative says after looking at the form. "Your membership is on a probationary basis. If you complete a contract, you will be allowed further freedoms in this organization."

Ah...yesss....Isss there anyone contract that needss attention? Crossbone lisps a bit as green acidic goo drips out of his mouth and eye sockets.

[Rotting Baron]

[Operative's Office]

"You will find a listing of open contracts in the lobby," the Operative says. "You are free to leave. Just stay away from any delicate machinery you manage to find."

[The Mad Hatter]

Operative's Office

Yesss, of courssse sssir. He'll slink out the operatives room, acidic goo dripping on the floor, which then evaporates quickly. He'll head out to the lobby.

[BladeofObliviom]

[Lobby --> Sarah's Room]

Heh. It really is too bad that new one's not on the books yet. It's right down Sarah's alley.

She notes that Jane isn't there this time, which is certainly weird but not very worrisome. Maybe she's in a meeting, or something. She'd be worried if John had been missing too, but it's implausible that an infiltration or attack would have occurred without alerting John at the ground level. Therefore, things are probably okay.

In any case, unless something comes up, she heads back down to her room and locks the door. Wandering over to the earthen cauldron, she gingerly removes the scrolls filling it, and sets them aside, with one exception. One scroll, bound with a blue ribbon and emblazoned with the image of a shattered hourglass, sits just to the left of the jug. Further, with the scrolls removed, an observer would note a pair of items hidden at the bottom of the jug, sealed separately in plastic to ensure that they didn't deteriorate: a small square of fresh leather, and a moist humanoid muscle that, upon closer inspection, was at one point somebody's tongue.

Sarah had been gathering materials for a ritual, but two had proven particularly difficult. After all, it was easy enough to obtain a square of leather or a clay pot, but the rites called for a version of these that had withstood the passing of time. Thankfully, magic has ways around that.

Removing the tongue from the cauldron and setting it aside, the mage proceeded to fill it with a sample of bog water, previously collected for such a purpose. After all, that rime and rot had to come from somewhere. Even as the square of leather floated to the top, she was already unraveling the ribbon upon the scroll, before reading the words aloud, shaping the magical energies around the jug itself.

Nearly instantly, the air around it became unbearable, and the flourishing of algae and even swarms of bacteria became clearly visible upon the water. Wear from age had already begun to overwhelm the square, as it cracked apart and sunk into the brew. The cauldron itself became choked with rotten vegetation, lime, and various other minerals that tend to form when you let water settle there for a few hundred years.

Time-acceleration is a dangerous school of magic indeed, but it has potent results when used correctly.

Sarah lifted the tongue, removed it from its wrapping, and simply dropped it into the... ...well, it can hardly be called water at this point. It contains water, but hey.

Throwing a small canvas over the project to help contain the smell, she walked over to the room's ventilation to open it as widely as possible, before leaving the room.

[The Mad Hatter]

Crossbone will appear in the bar, a large sack on his back. "I need to see the operative."

[Rotting Baron]

[The Front]

John's eye twitches when he sees Crossbone with the large sack and the lack of any attempt at discretion. "Nobody named that here, but I guess you could check the back for them."

[Lobby]

Sarah won't be interrupted as she mixes the elixir.

[The Mad Hatter]

Lobby

Crossbone nods. Yesss... The sack is not wiggling much. He'll head to the back and try to find The Operative.

[Rotting Baron]

[Front]

As always, the Operative is in his office.

[The Mad Hatter]

Operatives Room

Crossbone will stride in slowly. There...in this sack, Trissy'lene B'xanaref. What do I do with her?

[Rotting Baron]

[Operative's Office]

"Leave her. I will take care of the contract from here," the Operative says.

[The Mad Hatter]

Operative's Room

Crossbone grins. Yes...jussst, try not to hurt sssuch pretty flesssh... He's rather strange about skin.

[Rotting Baron]

[Operative's Office]

The Operative tilts his head and stares straight at Crossbones through his mask. "Out." As he says this, he tries to feel for any mental presence inside the sack.

[The Mad Hatter]

Crossbone bows slowly. Of course sir! Wait, may I take another job sir? Trissy'lene is really in the sack. (DEB) Carries it now.

[Dark Elf Bard]

Originally Posted by Rotting Baron

[Operative's Office]

The Operative tilts his head and stares straight at Crossbones through his mask. "Out." As he says this, he tries to feel for any mental presence inside the sack.

There is a young drow woman in the sack, groggy. However, there's another faint presence, that of a child.

Remember, only she's supposed to die. No-one else.

[Rotting Baron]

[Operative's Office]

The Operative doesn't consider an unborn fetus to be a person, so he doesn't hesitate. "Inform me of the contract you wish to take," He says as he withdraws a long knife from a drawer on his desk.

[Dark Elf Bard]

The sack moves ever so slightly, as if the one inside is waking.

[The Mad Hatter]

Operative Room

Crossbone frowns. You're going to kill her? She's with child...

[Dark Elf Bard]

((Oooh, ethical moral stuff! I approve. *nodnod*

[The Mad Hatter]

Crossbone has trouble killing women. He's fine brutally mutilating men though.

[Rotting Baron]

[Operative's Office]

The Operative flips the knife to a reverse grip, but stops at Crossbones's words. He stares at him. "And?"

[Dark Elf Bard]

The bag continues to shuffle about.

[The Mad Hatter]

Operative's Room

You can't kill her...its not right...her husband...it's...He twitches gently.

[Rotting Baron]

[Operative's Office]

"The contract calls for death. Since you cannot provide, I will." The Operative raises the knife. "If you cannot stomach the sight of death, then you are not an assassin. Leave."

[The Mad Hatter]

Operative's Room

Crossbone moves to Trissy. No! I'll do it...painlessly...please...my wife...she...I am an assassin. Let me end her...softly. He'll crouch down by Trissy and caress her cheek softly, strange poison dripping on her. Crossbone's skin is disgusting, pale and moist. In some places he doesn't have skin, just bleached bone. He'll softly move to stick a long sharp finger claw just above her heart.