Lu Xiang
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The Eagle of the North
Posts: 3,658
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Post by Lu Xiang on Jul 12, 2010 14:31:03 GMT
The guard at the front, spoke to the master of the dancers and performers before bowing and opening the doors allowing the master inside before the guard fiercly anaylzed everyone going inside - nothing seemed to be unusual. He nodded allowing everyone inside the throne room before checking left and right and shutting the doors behind him.
Thud, lock.
Hiei was now locked inside with the man he had pledged to kill, his throne room. There he say upon the throne; a glass of wine. Two guards beside him, one with a halbeard and the other with a sword. Another man with a sword, less armoured - maybe a scholar or an advisor was near the balcony. The performers spread out into their positions and the musicians as well; still a good twenty feet away from the target. Who was several steps elevated, in a hard to reach position for a ranged assault.
How troublesome.
Not to mention the reinforcements involved, there were three armed men inside plus Zhang Bo himself who was known to be a little hectic with his sword. As well as two men direction outside and a giant bell beside the throne - obviously to be run for warnings. This wasn't getting any easier for the assassin. He needed to think or move fast. The dancers were now in position.
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Hiei
Strategist
The Staff Of Cold Humour
If you have no enemies, you have no character.
Posts: 531
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Post by Hiei on Jul 15, 2010 3:48:56 GMT
And therein sat in front of him the head that was to fetch Hiei proper living conditions for the next season, the man who was the lord of this palace, the man who followed Zhang Jiao and the Yellow Turbans, the man that was going to die that very day. And therein also lay one of the hardest aspects of assassination. The kill itself. More often than not, assassination attempts would go all perfectly well, until it was time for the kill itself, for that was the moment where every factor could play out, and the smallest of changes could greatly alter the results itself. And with the settings that Hiei had been forced to work with then, he knew that this was a very risky kill. For one, he was in an unplanned camouflage. He was no performer, that was for sure. It would not be long until his cover was blown. The guards by Zhang Bo's side were definitely more stronger than you average soldiers, being his bodyguards an all. And that bell to the side. Yes, Hiei had noticed it. It would be best to keep that bell silent. At least, until Zhang Bo was dead.
It was at that moment, then that the true opportunity presented itself. The dancers were getting into position, and at the back of the line of dancers was a man who carried a club, pulling it back as he readied to hit the drum that was positioned vertical to his side. And he was right at the center of all the musicians. Just the right position. Hiei would quickly start sliding towards him, keeping at the back of the musicians, picking up a flute from one of the others when he wasn't looking and placing it upon his lips, though not playing anything as he paced to the front, right behind the said drummer. Then, Hiei would begin his risky yet clever plan, as he would subtly kick the back of the man's knee, pushing him forward with both hands just as he was walking past him. And boy, was he quick.
The drummer would stagger forward, the kick to the back of his knee making it harder for him to regain his balace as he finally fell on all fours, landing right in the center of the distance between the musicians and his target, considerably close to the base of the stairs.The whole throne room would go quiet for a while, as something fell to the ground beside the man, clattering against the floor. It was a short black blade. It was Hiei's weapon, Death. Oh, what a frame. The man's eyes widened as he tried to get up, only to fall, his knee apparently injured more than Hiei had intended it to be. No matter. It would work nonetheless. What he needed then, were the two body guards to shift away from Zhang Bo. And once they had reached the injured male, Hiei would make a move, running forward from behind the ridiculously large drum from earlier, using the injured drummer as a leverage of sorts as he stepped upon his shoulders and leapt forward, high and over the two bodyguards, Despair drawn to parry any reaction from the two bodyguards. He could care less about them at that moment.
Then, Hiei would run up the staircase, towards Zhang Bo. Whatever the man did, Hiei would quickly toss Despair towards him. Now that the distance was gone, all that was left was a few more steps up the staircase. The dagger would either be driven into Zhang Bo's chest, or be parried by the man's blade. Either way, he was going to die, for if he had done the latter, Hiei's Heikage would follow-up behind it. Parrying a dagger would require a large enough swing to cover a large area. A large enough swing that would give Hiei the opening he needed to drive Heikage through the man's chest and his throne.
You wonder what if the bell had been rung? Well, Hiei had thought of that too, but he realised that his failed camouflage had another use. Chaos. They would be running in all directions, panicking and trying to stay away from danger. And once that doors open, they would flood out, giving Hiei a few moments of time without reinforcements. Enough time for him to escape. And as for Death and Despair? Well, Despair could either be beside the throne, or in Zhang Bo's chest. It was Death that was problem. If all went well, it was time for Hiei to take care of those two bodyguards from earlier.
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Lu Xiang
Leader
The Eagle of the North
Posts: 3,658
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Post by Lu Xiang on Jul 15, 2010 9:59:23 GMT
The assassin had used the misfortune of another to his advantage, setting the man up with his own blade and pushed him down. The governor looked at him; questionable.
"What is the meaning of this?!?!!"
He questioned sending his guards to punish the man for such a mistake, just as he did the assassin made his move; launching himself over the bodyguards by leaping off the drummer boys shoulders sending him pounding to the ground only a few steps away from his target. No doubt his target drew his sword but it was too late..
Imaple through his chest to his own throne, he tried to sink down to his knees and struggled around; blood spouting out from his chest - quickly rolling down the throne. The bodyguards had already started mounting the stairs whilst the performers banged on the door trying to escape the palace.
"Murderer, Murderer!"
That screamed and pleaded before the doors were opened and the guards look in shock; pushing throw the company of people running away and the target extended his arm far enough just to ring the bell twice.
"you... bastard.."
He leaked from his mouth as a strong coat of red covered his royal robes. The bell sounded; the mans journey had been in fame surely? Four guards were in the room alone and god knows how many more on the way. This wasn't getting any easier.
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Hiei
Strategist
The Staff Of Cold Humour
If you have no enemies, you have no character.
Posts: 531
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Post by Hiei on Jul 15, 2010 13:08:22 GMT
Well, it seemed that Heikage would still not get the chance to have a taste at Chinese blood, as Despair found home, driving deep and pinning Zhang Bo onto the chair, a result Hiei had not expected considering the fluctuating luck he had been having all day. But hey, if his luck wanted to stay up for a longer period of time, Hiei was totally alright with that. In fact, he would be truly grateful if it stayed that way from this moment on, for comes the most tiring part. Escape. Hiei reached his target, pulling Despair out almost immediately as Zhang Bo twitched and bled on his throne, the assassin turning around to see the two body guards and the adviser closing in on him.
And he only had Despair in hand. Another impossibly disadvantageous situation. With that, he would sheathe Despair. It seemed that, although a bit delayed, Heikage would taste Chinese blood that day. He reached up to his shoulder, grabbing the black sword's handle, slowly pulling the weapon out from its sheathe, the onyx-coloured blade of Heikage glimmering under the gaze of the afternoon sun. And just as soon as the tip of Heikage emerged from the sheathe, Hiei would be alarmed by the sound of bells, the assassin turning around to see Zhang Bo's arm extended, holding onto the string of the bell. His eyes widened. He had been careless.
"you... bastard.."
And those would be his last words as Hiei swung Heikage for the first time here in China, the weapon slicing into the throne, cutting open the back cushion, before finding his neck, slicing his head cleanly off his shoulders, the former sliding off and falling onto Zhang Bo's lap. Now, wasn't that a bloody mess? Well, his client didn't ask for him to be discreet anyway. And that was finally taken care of. Hiei could look to getting his reward then, and perhaps also assist those of the Han outside the walls. If he still could, of course. First thing's first, though, he picked up Zhang Bo's head by the hair with his left hand, a soft grin on his face.
Then, while chaos erupted at the back of the room, Hiei charged down at the two bodyguards, their weapons drawn as they charged back, aiming to avenge their fallen lord. Just as the distance between them closed up, Hiei would swing the head in an arc in front of them, blood spraying from the neck and onto their faces, effectively distracting them as Hiei slid to his left, thrusting forward with Heikage, aiming for the soldier to his left. That is, the soldier with the sword.
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Lu Xiang
Leader
The Eagle of the North
Posts: 3,658
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Post by Lu Xiang on Jul 16, 2010 18:15:14 GMT
The head was removed with a single swing, the fallen commander of the Yellow Turbans breathed no more. The bell has been rung however and there wasn't a moment that could be lost. He used the head still squirting blood; spraying it over the guards as a distraction. They whimmed wiping the disgusting vile blood from themselves before giving chase again, the man eliminated the man with a sword with easy before several more guards appeared at the entrance to the throne room. The balcony door was open, from there he could make an escape. The guards sprinted after him, though they were slower due to being weighed down with armours.
From below, archers resided in the watch tower. They were pretty far away however and would not be able to pull off a clean shut unless lady luck shined upon them. Several horsemen scattered the courtyard and would clearly see the assassin visable but their was naught they could do. The tiles were safe and recently replaced; they could take his weight if he decided to ascend. If he was to descend their was another balcony directly beneath him - if given the momentum he could swing and smash through the doors, entering the dinning quarters and make a stealthy escape.
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Hiei
Strategist
The Staff Of Cold Humour
If you have no enemies, you have no character.
Posts: 531
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Post by Hiei on Jul 17, 2010 11:00:47 GMT
Hiei wasted no time. As soon as Heikage found flesh once more, he would run past him, still holding the blade in his hand, the notion causing the weapon to twist around in a half circle in the guard's body, almost completely slicing his body open, other than that small strip of flesh around his spine. Blood would spray in all directions, turning the once-grand throne room into a bloody battlefield, having already claimed two casualties. And it would take more, had Hiei the choice. However, he had to get out of here, whether he liked it or not. He sheathed Heikage, reaching the bottom of the staircase where he claimed Death, just as the guards rushed into the room. Hiei cursed, turning towards the balcony then, knowing that it was his only way to escape now, Zhang Bo's head still in tow.
Of course, there was the adviser to bypass, but with Death in hand, it was easy to dispatch him, slashing his sword arm off by the wrist, causing him to fall onto his knees, clutching his arm and screaming in pain as blood poured out from the open hole. And Hiei would reach the balcony. Up or down? Up or down? Up or do-
No time. Hiei grabbed the edge of the balcony and vaulted over it, barely missing a slash from the guard with the halberd from earlier, the assassin descending upon another balcony. Around him, horsemen charged at his direction, archers taking aim and firing arrows, one barely missing his left foot as the assassin turned around quickly, throwing his whole body against the door and smashing it open. He would hear the yelps of servants as he did, the assassin rolling across the floor as he pinpointed his position. The dining hall.
The kitchen was close. His escape route. Remembering the door which led to the mentioned route, he would sprint towards it, sheathing Death as he did, his shoulder bearing for the impact as he smashed it open too, rolling on the floor and finding himself looking at the two familiar servants from earlier. He was close. He was so close now.
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Lu Xiang
Leader
The Eagle of the North
Posts: 3,658
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Post by Lu Xiang on Jul 21, 2010 17:13:34 GMT
The kitchen was silent as the assassin approached. The guards quickly surrounded the place; dismounting their horses and attempting to block his exits. Two barred the way he came through and another two where the sleeping guard had been eliminated. Several more marching down the corridor where he had ascended the palace. Things were turning out terrible.
A woman fell on the ground, one of the servants scratching at the ground before revealing a trap door beneath the man. She quickly scooped the assassin down into the cellar before bolting it shut and concealing him inside. The cellar was unlit and completely dark; full of wine casks, supplies; bones of former enemies and rats and worse. Fortuantly it lead directly out of the palace to the stables.
Hiei didn't know this however; dust shuddered down ontop of him as the guards above could be heard shouting, a flash of the blood and a thick red substance leaked through the floors. The virtue of the woman would be her end. A few steps led down into the damp man-made cave - the place extending for a good 100 yards or more.
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Hiei
Strategist
The Staff Of Cold Humour
If you have no enemies, you have no character.
Posts: 531
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Post by Hiei on Jul 23, 2010 4:19:44 GMT
He quickly turned on his heels, closing the door from which he had come in from behind him, before taking a step back from it. He let out a soft grunt. Well, he was pretty much a tad bit trapped here. He had somewhat caught a glimpse of a few soldiers heading to the gate that he had used to enter the capital in the first place. The sound of footsteps came from all directions, but no soldiers entered the place. Hiei let out a soft 'tch' as he took a few steps back, not realising that the soft-footed woman from earlier was coming up behind him.
Before he knew it, then, he was suddenly thrown into a hole. Well, that's what you get for walking backwards in unknown territory.
Hiei landed on his bottom, his left hand still holding onto his mark's head, the assassin looking up to see a woman's face, softly smiling at him, as she closed the trap door. The sound of a bolt latching was heard, and Hiei then realised that he had been locked in. He let out a soft growl, not sure whether to trust the slave just yet, as he drew Heikage, getting ready to slice the trap door open.
More sounds came from the other side of the trap door, and Hiei started to wonder if getting back up on the surface was such a right idea. He heard the muffled voices, then realised from the words that the woman had helped him. There was a soft scream, and before Hiei knew it, something dripped onto his arm. His eyes widened. Blood. The woman had sacrificed herself for him. He stared at the crimson liquid for a brief moment, despite the darkness, before taking a deep breathe.
Well, he was not going to let her sacrifice be in vain. Removing his grip on Heikage's hilt, the assassin would get back up on his feet, before using the light from the gaps surrounding the trap door, though it was barely useful, to look around. And voila, right in front of him, was a passage way down to what seemed like a cellar. Taking another deep breathe, he would place his hand against his wall, using it as his guide as he walked down that couple of steps slowly.
It was quiet and dark, almost peaceful. It was almost as if the conflict that was going on above ground was nothing to him then, which made Hiei wonder just how deep this cave was. It was quite an eventful blind walk too, which Hiei grabbing onto a few barrels, his boots producing crunching sounds as he stepped onto bones, the assassin halting everytime he heard movement, before continuing after realising that it was just a rat. Darn rodents.
Then, he reached a dead-end, the assassin briefly stopping there for a moment as he began to feel around. And then, he felt the cold and smooth touch of wood with his right hand, his left hand coming forward then to feel the area around it. More wood. And from the shape of it, a ladder. His way out? Hiei had to wonder where it would lead to. He climbed the ladder slowly, allowing his head to gauge the height of the ascend. And as soon as his head touched cold wood, he would slowly push upwards, giving himself a small gap to look through. He was in a warehouse of sorts, a large one at that. But he could not see anything of notice, the trapdoor entrance being located at a secluded corner.
However, the sound he heard was enough to clue him into knowing where he was. There was a soft neigh, followed by soft taps of hooves. He was in the stable. Slowly, Hiei would push open the trap door bit by bit, grabbing the edge with his right hand to control it as he pulled himself out, his eyes squinting as he adjusted to the new lighting. He had almost forgotten it was still day. Closing the trap door behind him, he kept low on a crouch as he pushed his back against the wall, sliding to the side and looking through the corner. The stable was mostly empty, save for a few horses and stable-boys slacking off at the opposite corner. With most of the horses out to ride to war, they pretty much had nothing to do at that moment.
His way out of his city was obvious, of course. He was going to get a horse. With that, he climbed onto the nearest stable, looking at the horse then as it neighed. Hiei would reach his hand forward, giving a soft shush as he tried to calm the creature down, creeping forward towards it and placing his hand on its snout.
"There, there... I just need your help, friend. I won't hurt you."
However, the small commotion had attracted a bit of attention, as he heard the stable boys argue as to who would check on the horse. Hiei knew he had to move. At that, he slowly got to the side of the horse, before climbing onto it. Then, with a soft click of his boots, the horses got up on its back legs, its front hooves smashing down on the wooden gate that blocked its escape, before riding off, passing by the shocked stable-boys and out of the large stable.
His destination?
The front gate. Time to break some hearts with the little gift he had in his left hand.
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Lu Xiang
Leader
The Eagle of the North
Posts: 3,658
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Post by Lu Xiang on Aug 2, 2010 16:35:40 GMT
"Come back here you bastard!"
The stable boys shouted as they looked shocked suddenly silencing themselves seeing him covered in blade and all other sorts of horrors quickly running and screaming. It wasn't long before the guards caught on. They found the passage beneath the corpse of the woman but it stalled them, they got lost and tumbled over eachother.
The guards who hadn't been drawn to the palace were escalated above the walls and around the gates or on patrol. He was making a scene for himself; however that was the assassin way. If he was going to do something - he was going to do it with style. The guard ahead the main one was open. It couldn't be shut so easily and therefore it was an easy escape.. however there were several guards, colliding with a single one of them could bring him and his steed to the ground and then this whole mission would've been for naught.
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Hiei
Strategist
The Staff Of Cold Humour
If you have no enemies, you have no character.
Posts: 531
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Post by Hiei on Aug 4, 2010 2:30:19 GMT
Come on, come on, come on...
Hiei chanted in his head as he rode forward, his steed going as fast as its rider urged it to, despite neighing softly in protest. He was almost out of here. The moment when he has left the capital, Hiei knew that his escape was definite, with the outside forces being distracted and slaughtered by the Han army. The flames of war had left a trail of smoke in the sky, and Hiei knew that the battle was almost over. With the head in hand, the invasion of Pu Yang would be a success. It was a real morale blow, after all.
However, first thing's first, he would have to find a way through the defence that the slowly-closing gate held against him. A couple of guards, perhaps a dozen, stood between him and his way out of here. He held onto the reins of the horse with the same hand he held the head with; his left. And with his right hand, he pulled out Heikage. It was time to slaughter these guards. Being aware that they were mere rebels and were not really trained soldiers, Hiei doubted that they would dare stand in front of a speeding horse, especially when a top of it was an assassin that had managed to kill their lord. Unless they were brave and willing to give their life to such a lord, it was doubtful that they would stay in front of Hiei.
And he was right, as some of the soldiers parted. And one even got his throat cut open with a swing of Heikage. Hiei was literally riding through the soldiers, as they made way, not wanting to get run over by such a large fast-moving creature. Human beings were that predictable. Their own lives were more often than not more important than anything else. And after cutting down another guard that actually tried to get in his way using Hiekage's long reach, Hiei finally managed to squeeze through the gate, a wide grin on his face.
He was out.
Finally.
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Lu Xiang
Leader
The Eagle of the North
Posts: 3,658
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Post by Lu Xiang on Aug 12, 2010 9:42:26 GMT
Hiei escapes after eliminating his target; after an extreme turn of events and escaping from some of the worst situations he proves himself as an assasin.
1000 Gold 50 Fame 15 Calmness 10 Strength 5 Cunning
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