Dark Dealings (Trucido/Dios)

[Dios Sarvo]

I lean comfortably on a crippled and ashen tree, one of the few left in this desolate wasteland, as the bright red tip of my cigarette is all that burns visible through the think shadows of the tree that fall around me. Glancing at the large manor of my client, I notice no innate defences around it and chuckle lightly. Adjusting my hat slightly, I pull out my watch and datebook and double check the time. "Guess it's to go to work," I think to myself as I slowly seep into the shadows underfoot.

Shifting seamlessly from shadow to shadow, I quickly bypass the entrance, and manage to scour the rooms of the manor in mere minutes, eventually finding a hidden chamber leading below my clients quaint facade of a home. Seeping out of the shadows, I meander towards the chairs and the raised table that they lay around; the gentle glow of my cigarette still burning bright. Glancing upwards, I notice one raised chair and call out to the man sitting in it.

"Not a single guard, sentry or even some kind of primitive trap set to stave off would be intruders? If you need a little bit of help with security, I can hook you up with some assistance, but it'll cost you some," I jeer with a slight chuckle "Anyway, I hear that Trucido is looking for Nightmare, or did I hear incorrectly?" I question before blowing a plume of smoke out from the shadows.

[Trucido Damnedblood]

"No, because no one is too dumb to break in here." Trucido said. He then thrust his hand into a portal, and the other end was right at Dios' stomach. His hand held a ball of pure magic, but the ball wasn't fired. He retracted his hand through the portal, and held the ball in his hand.
"Speak your business, or leave."

[Dios Sarvo]

Unflinching, I glance up at the man, my eyes focusing sharply on him. I grimace, unpleased with the man's response and actions, as I throw my cigarette on the ground and stomp out the glowing embers before I seep back into the shadows, unnoticed. "I've already stated my business, but perhaps you feel that you're too high on that "throne" to hear me," I mock with a snide jeer, as my voice seems to echo from all corners of the room. "So let me restate: I hear Trucido's looking for Nightmare, now is this true, or am I wasting valuable time and resources here?"

[Trucido Damnedblood]

"I don't need a nightmare." He said as he looked at his broken wing, "However, I could use one. Not for me, but for that wretched bitch. If your services are any good."

[Dios Sarvo]

"Oh, make no mistake sir, I'm but a middleman in this transaction. I take care of these little details, but Nightmare takes care of the more pertinent "business," shall we call it? And the very fact that you've called for Nightmare should be a testament to his notoriety and skill, should it not?"

As I talk, I constantly shift around the room, giving my client no chance to lock onto the position of my voice and my exact location. In doing so, I occasionally pop out to catch a glimpse of my client and make notes on his appearance and mannerisms as I chat with him, just for future reference.

"So Trucido, what do you have to offer in this transaction? And better yet, who is it that you need killed?"

[Trucido Damnedblood]

Trucido sat in his throne and looked at a bag, and tossed it on the table. "You get that now, and triple the amount when I have Milicia Lunestine's head." He said as he looked at the bag. "So, are you coming out of the shadows yet?"

[Dios Sarvo]

I snap my fingers and a shadowy claw-like aberration seeps out of the shadows of the table and pulls the bag into the darkness, disappearing from sight. "Hmm, a well portioned sum, well, at lest for being only a third of the payment. This will suffice for an initial payment. And as for me coming out of the shadows, I don't think such a thing will happen at this juncture. I have myself to protect in this transaction, so I'll not be showing my face to you, not yet anyways. Should you make yourself a trustable repeat customer for Nightmare, then perhaps we shall see about an appearance." I say sounding moderately preoccupied as I thumb through my notebook within my shadowy dimension.

"Now, onto more pertinent information. Base prices pay for only the service of your most basic assassination, but other duties and services require a additional percentage increase in price, relative to the initial price. For example, bringing a head back is a very manageable 5% increase, should you like that little bit of prosperity, or just like it as a trophy. On the more expensive side though, we can frame the death of this person onto another, but with all the extended labour, the payment increases to an extra 35%. All this said, do you have any specifics for this particular job?"

[Trucido Damnedblood]

"I just want the head." He said to him, "Let us say that it is an insurance for you. Also, do this fast. I am an important man, and time is not something I can let my precious time go to waste, waiting for an assassin to bring back a head."

[Dios Sarvo]

I laugh at the man's rather tactless business dealings. "As you wish, Mr. Damnedblood, after all, the customer is always right," I quip while trying to stifle my chuckle. "Anyway, I'll come to collect after the job is done, head in hand. Expect me soon, Mr.Damnedblood," I remark as my voice slowly fades, much like myself, from the room.

Shifting throughout the manor, I phase out of the shadows back at the broken, ashen remains of the tree I initially rested on before my entrance. I tilt my hat back a bit before I pull out and light up another cigarette, taking a moment to breath in the thick smoke as I contemplate my newest deal. Rubbing my chin inquisitively, I pull out my datebook and review some of my notes before snapping it closed and taking one last long drag from my cigarette before tossing it to the barren ground.

"We'll, back to business as usual, I suppose," I remark with a gentle sigh as I place my hands in my pockets and begin my long journey towards Crepusculum Kingdom.