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Description
"The city should be right up here."

Lyme's tone was unusually serious as she and Tash Carna approached the settlement, but it soon dropped away, as she announced, "Durthan Zar. Where even the cockroaches come to die."

Tash rolled her eyes as Lyme continued, "I swear, the only good thing about this shit-hole town was Quay. Let's not get ourselves killed trying to save him, alright?"

"Good luck with that." A cold, familiar voice rapped out.

Lyme spun around to see Ivy, her arms, mechanical and normal, crossed over her chest. "Then again, you have an unusual propensity for good luck, child."

"Ivy!" Lyme gave her a cheesy grin. "How would you like to help us out?"

"How would you like to go back to the surface and complete your mission?" The trainer snapped out. "It's been three months. Three months, for a mission that should have taken you three hours. What's going on, Lymeeari?"

"Well, I got distracted…"

"It's the boy that they just dragged into the city, isn't it?" Ivy pressed her fingers to her throbbing temples, the usual Lyme-induced headache beginning to form. "You're going to rescue him."

"I am. But it's not for me." Lyme quickly ushered out. "You see, Tash, my friend here, has fallen desperately in love with him, and--"

A quick backhand across the mouth shut Lyme up immediately, and sent her sprawling to the ground.

"Don't ever lie to me, Lymeeari." Ivy hissed, grabbing the girl's dyed hair and yanking her to her feet. "Why are you getting involved in this?"

"Look, I do care about him. And I know you're going to lecture me later about how assassins should be cold, heartless golems with no real feelings who never engage in any vices, and should keep their cobweb-strewn panties on at all times--"

Ivy raised her hand in warning.

"—But I can't help it." Lyme sighed. "All he wants a life on the surface. Away from all of this. Come on…you wanted that at one time."

"I did." Another smack was leveled to the woman's temple. "Don't ever bring it up again."

A smile crossed Lyme's face despite the pain on the side of her head. "So you'll help?"

"Only because I'll have to train some other idiot to join the Skulls if you die." Ivy huffed, turning towards the city. "Honestly. I don't know any other teacher that's had as much trouble with their student as I have."

"Come by Drogan's school sometime." Tash voiced. "I'll introduce you to my own pain in the ass."

An hour later, Ivy had requested an audience with Matron Baenndar. The woman in question lazed on her throne, Quay chained to the wall not far from her.

"We meet again, Bendraken."

Ivy tossed a quick glare towards Lyme, who only shrugged in response.

"I'll have you know that I am prepared for you this time." The matron idly gestured to forty of her elite guard. "Let's keep this conversation civil, shall we?"

"I'm afraid it isn't as simple as that." Ivy's cool green eyes glittered dangerously. "You took something from me, Baenndar. I want him back."

"And the boy took something from me. Surely I must punish the male who had the audacity to slay my youngest daughter?"

"You killed LiNeerath?" Lyme grinned at Quay. "Dude! Epic win!"

"With her own sacred weapon, no less." Matron Baenndar added on, clutching her snake-whip protectively. "The goddess demands that I take retribution."

"Let Lolth decide his fate herself." Ivy suggested. "Choose a champion, Baenndar. I challenge you for the male."

"Oh, that's an awesome idea!" Lyme gushed out. "Why didn't I think of that? I was just gonna have Tash rush all the guards while I picked Quay's chain locks."

"I'm glad you think so. You can be my champion." Ivy declared with a smirk.

"What?" All of the color drained out of her face. "Ivy, you know how badly I suck at close combat…"

"I will fight for the matron." A huge male with burgeoning, rock-hard muscles stepped forward, a deep scowl marking his lips, his rough hands clenching tightly around his halberd. "It would be an honor to fight for her."

Lyme's knees began to shake. "I'm gonna die. Shit! I'm gonna die…"

"No you're not." Tash growled, stepping forward, and glaring at the male. "I'll fight you."

"What? You? A surfacer?" The male sneered. "Why would I debase myself in honorable combat to fight you?"

"What? Are you scared of losing?" Tash taunted, smirking as he clenched his teeth.

"Draw your blade, surfacer."

Lyme could only blink as the male rushed Tash, bringing down his halberd in a deadly swipe. Tash, however, easily dodged, and swung her blade, immediately lopping off the male's head.

"Well…that was anti-climatic."

The matron, in turn, stared in horror at the decapitated head of her finest soldier, then at the warrior, who had knelt to collect a scrap of the soldier's armor, and wipe the blood off her sword.

"Tash, I'm surprised at you." Lyme commented before the matron could speak. "I always figured that you just licked your blade clean."

Before Tash could respond, the matron shouted, "Guards! Kill the surfacer!"

"You cheating bitch!" Lyme shouted, using the chaos to dart between warriors, and race over to Quay, easily unlocking his chains.

Tash, for her part, left a bloody mess all over the floor. Guts and gore sprayed everywhere, painting the weapon master's face a nasty shade of red. When the entrails of the last soldier lay on the ground, the weapon master stormed ahead, snatching up the matron by her neck, and tugging hard, the woman's head separating from her body in one quick motion. Her spine came along with her head, various nerve endings and synapses snapping from the pressure, as blood spilled out onto the floor. Tash's bloodlust remained unsatisfied, however. The woman's lower body was mostly intact, at least until the weapon master slammed her fist into the soft meat of her body, easily punching a hole right through the woman's chest.

Lyme and Quay each stared as Tash literally ripped the woman pieces from the neck down, not stopping until she had popped off each and every one of her toes, and tossed them out the nearby window.

"Well, I feel comfortable admitting that I just shit my pants." Lyme announced. "Everyone ready to go?"

Ivy, who had sat back and watched the entire mess, gave a nonchalant shrug. "Try to complete your mission within the next *year*, will you?"

Another quick smack was leveled to Lyme's face.

"And don't ever impersonate me again." Ivy turned to leave, her footsteps making no noise as she walked. "Otherwise, I may hire the weapon master to deal with you."

Lyme turned an unnatural shade of white at the thought.

Description
"The city should be right up here."

Lyme's tone was unusually serious as she and Tash Carna approached the settlement, but it soon dropped away, as she announced, "Durthan Zar. Where even the cockroaches come to die."

Tash rolled her eyes as Lyme continued, "I swear, the only good thing about this shit-hole town was Quay. Let's not get ourselves killed trying to save him, alright?"

"Good luck with that." A cold, familiar voice rapped out.

Lyme spun around to see Ivy, her arms, mechanical and normal, crossed over her chest. "Then again, you have an unusual propensity for good luck, child."

"Ivy!" Lyme gave her a cheesy grin. "How would you like to help us out?"

"How would you like to go back to the surface and complete your mission?" The trainer snapped out. "It's been three months. Three months, for a mission that should have taken you three hours. What's going on, Lymeeari?"

"Well, I got distracted…"

"It's the boy that they just dragged into the city, isn't it?" Ivy pressed her fingers to her throbbing temples, the usual Lyme-induced headache beginning to form. "You're going to rescue him."

"I am. But it's not for me." Lyme quickly ushered out. "You see, Tash, my friend here, has fallen desperately in love with him, and--"

A quick backhand across the mouth shut Lyme up immediately, and sent her sprawling to the ground.

"Don't ever lie to me, Lymeeari." Ivy hissed, grabbing the girl's dyed hair and yanking her to her feet. "Why are you getting involved in this?"

"Look, I do care about him. And I know you're going to lecture me later about how assassins should be cold, heartless golems with no real feelings who never engage in any vices, and should keep their cobweb-strewn panties on at all times--"

Ivy raised her hand in warning.

"—But I can't help it." Lyme sighed. "All he wants a life on the surface. Away from all of this. Come on…you wanted that at one time."

"I did." Another smack was leveled to the woman's temple. "Don't ever bring it up again."

A smile crossed Lyme's face despite the pain on the side of her head. "So you'll help?"

"Only because I'll have to train some other idiot to join the Skulls if you die." Ivy huffed, turning towards the city. "Honestly. I don't know any other teacher that's had as much trouble with their student as I have."

"Come by Drogan's school sometime." Tash voiced. "I'll introduce you to my own pain in the ass."

An hour later, Ivy had requested an audience with Matron Baenndar. The woman in question lazed on her throne, Quay chained to the wall not far from her.

"We meet again, Bendraken."

Ivy tossed a quick glare towards Lyme, who only shrugged in response.

"I'll have you know that I am prepared for you this time." The matron idly gestured to forty of her elite guard. "Let's keep this conversation civil, shall we?"

"I'm afraid it isn't as simple as that." Ivy's cool green eyes glittered dangerously. "You took something from me, Baenndar. I want him back."

"And the boy took something from me. Surely I must punish the male who had the audacity to slay my youngest daughter?"

"You killed LiNeerath?" Lyme grinned at Quay. "Dude! Epic win!"

"With her own sacred weapon, no less." Matron Baenndar added on, clutching her snake-whip protectively. "The goddess demands that I take retribution."

"Let Lolth decide his fate herself." Ivy suggested. "Choose a champion, Baenndar. I challenge you for the male."

"Oh, that's an awesome idea!" Lyme gushed out. "Why didn't I think of that? I was just gonna have Tash rush all the guards while I picked Quay's chain locks."

"I'm glad you think so. You can be my champion." Ivy declared with a smirk.

"What?" All of the color drained out of her face. "Ivy, you know how badly I suck at close combat…"

"I will fight for the matron." A huge male with burgeoning, rock-hard muscles stepped forward, a deep scowl marking his lips, his rough hands clenching tightly around his halberd. "It would be an honor to fight for her."

Lyme's knees began to shake. "I'm gonna die. Shit! I'm gonna die…"

"No you're not." Tash growled, stepping forward, and glaring at the male. "I'll fight you."

"What? You? A surfacer?" The male sneered. "Why would I debase myself in honorable combat to fight you?"

"What? Are you scared of losing?" Tash taunted, smirking as he clenched his teeth.

"Draw your blade, surfacer."

Lyme could only blink as the male rushed Tash, bringing down his halberd in a deadly swipe. Tash, however, easily dodged, and swung her blade, immediately lopping off the male's head.

"Well…that was anti-climatic."

The matron, in turn, stared in horror at the decapitated head of her finest soldier, then at the warrior, who had knelt to collect a scrap of the soldier's armor, and wipe the blood off her sword.

"Tash, I'm surprised at you." Lyme commented before the matron could speak. "I always figured that you just licked your blade clean."

Before Tash could respond, the matron shouted, "Guards! Kill the surfacer!"

"You cheating bitch!" Lyme shouted, using the chaos to dart between warriors, and race over to Quay, easily unlocking his chains.

Tash, for her part, left a bloody mess all over the floor. Guts and gore sprayed everywhere, painting the weapon master's face a nasty shade of red. When the entrails of the last soldier lay on the ground, the weapon master stormed ahead, snatching up the matron by her neck, and tugging hard, the woman's head separating from her body in one quick motion. Her spine came along with her head, various nerve endings and synapses snapping from the pressure, as blood spilled out onto the floor. Tash's bloodlust remained unsatisfied, however. The woman's lower body was mostly intact, at least until the weapon master slammed her fist into the soft meat of her body, easily punching a hole right through the woman's chest.

Lyme and Quay each stared as Tash literally ripped the woman pieces from the neck down, not stopping until she had popped off each and every one of her toes, and tossed them out the nearby window.

"Well, I feel comfortable admitting that I just shit my pants." Lyme announced. "Everyone ready to go?"

Ivy, who had sat back and watched the entire mess, gave a nonchalant shrug. "Try to complete your mission within the next *year*, will you?"

Another quick smack was leveled to Lyme's face.

"And don't ever impersonate me again." Ivy turned to leave, her footsteps making no noise as she walked. "Otherwise, I may hire the weapon master to deal with you."

Lyme turned an unnatural shade of white at the thought.