Jon sat down on the roof tiles on the edge of a 80-foot drop across from the Slaughtered Lamb. He watched the entrance to the tavern.
Inside the tavern was his client, Mallfort du'Paige. Mallfort was a warlock, who had come to see him the night before.
"Someone wants me dead, Mister Chess," he had explained. "The reason why is unimportant; what I want from you is protection."
"I don't do bodyguarding work."
"This isn't that - I know when and where the assassin will be. I want you to stop him when he tries."
"How do you know?" Chess was professionally curious now - most forms of divination magic were not quite so precise.
"Never mind how I know... but there is 500 gold in it if you find him and stop him."
Jon paused, considering. 500 gold was a lot of money, and Jon's cash reserves were kind of low after his extended absence.
And so Jon found himself at the roofline of the area of the Mage's section of Stormwind, watching the approaches, waiting for a fellow with a crossbow, full of ill intent.
While he had been skulking on the roofline, he had a visitor. A Ren'dorei mage leaped from the saddle of her dragonhawk, landing gracefully on the slanted roof tiles.
"Good evening, Lynesia," Jon said. His voice was a flat monotone; it was all he could do to not throw down one of his smoke grenades and invoke his shadow magic to escape. He cursed his own cowardice.
"Jon, what happened? I thought you were dead?" she said. Her transformation from Quel'dorei-masquerading-as-Human to her new form as a Void Elf was an interesting change. She had always been slender, but her features and form had taken on an almost delicate refinement. She was, if anything, more breathtakingly beautiful in her natural state than she had been in her disguise as a Human.
"Light knows that might have simplified things.." Jonathan mumbled, and then winced at the stricken expression which danced briefly across her face. He had forgotten that Elvin ears heard everything.
Jon looked up and captured her gaze. "Here is the short version: they took me off the streets of Stormwind, and took me somewhere - I never knew where. They tortured me as punishment for welcoming the Ren'dori to the Alliance."
"That makes no sense, though" Lynesia replied.
"Most of the Ren'dorei were Sin'dorei, and many within SI:7 consider them Horde operatives and spies - and those who welcome them as traitors," Jon continued. He talked about the beatings and injuries administered by the person Jon called the Unsympathetic Man, about the Sa'Diablo drug they'd used on him to make him an addict, about the psychic assaults and invasions done by the Dark Lady. About how he had been rescued by someone he couldn't remember - just images of dark wings and bloody wolf claws. How his body had been left on the doorstep of the cheese shop in Stormwind. How a holy priestess of the Light had cured his physical wounds. How he couldn't sleep for the nightmares from what the Dark Lady had done inside his head.
How the craving for Sa'Diablo haunted his days. How the withdrawal from Sa'Diablo made its victims resemble Wretched mana addicts.
He had asked Lynesia to not trust him overmuch, as he was not sure how far he could be trusted. He knew only that the Dark lady had entertained herself with his broken mind; when Chess had felt his mental defenses crumble, he had done his best to retrench and hide Lynesia's existence from his thoughts. he had no idea as to whether or not he'd been successful.
As far as he knew, Jon Chess was still a target; he had no idea who the Dark Lady or the Unsympathetic Man was, or whether they'd been killed during his escape. Until he knew more, anyone Jon Chess cared about was a potential target. Lynesia deserved better than to wear a tabard with a target sign.
For Jonathan Chess, finding the Dark Lady and the Unsympathetic Man was was the highest priority; not for justice. While they were free, they posed an existential threat to Chess, everyone Chess loved, and the Ren'dorei he had sought to welcome. Maybe he would find some peace of mind, maybe the Kirin Tor had a cure for Sa'Diablo.
Maybe not, but it didn't matter. Taking the Queen and King, as well as all their pawns, bishops, rooks, and knights, off the board was Jon's new goal in life.
Inside the tavern was his client, Mallfort du'Paige. Mallfort was a warlock, who had come to see him the night before.
"Someone wants me dead, Mister Chess," he had explained. "The reason why is unimportant; what I want from you is protection."
"I don't do bodyguarding work."
"This isn't that - I know when and where the assassin will be. I want you to stop him when he tries."
"How do you know?" Chess was professionally curious now - most forms of divination magic were not quite so precise.
"Never mind how I know... but there is 500 gold in it if you find him and stop him."
Jon paused, considering. 500 gold was a lot of money, and Jon's cash reserves were kind of low after his extended absence.
And so Jon found himself at the roofline of the area of the Mage's section of Stormwind, watching the approaches, waiting for a fellow with a crossbow, full of ill intent.
While he had been skulking on the roofline, he had a visitor. A Ren'dorei mage leaped from the saddle of her dragonhawk, landing gracefully on the slanted roof tiles.
"Good evening, Lynesia," Jon said. His voice was a flat monotone; it was all he could do to not throw down one of his smoke grenades and invoke his shadow magic to escape. He cursed his own cowardice.
"Jon, what happened? I thought you were dead?" she said. Her transformation from Quel'dorei-masquerading-as-Human to her new form as a Void Elf was an interesting change. She had always been slender, but her features and form had taken on an almost delicate refinement. She was, if anything, more breathtakingly beautiful in her natural state than she had been in her disguise as a Human.
"Light knows that might have simplified things.." Jonathan mumbled, and then winced at the stricken expression which danced briefly across her face. He had forgotten that Elvin ears heard everything.
Jon looked up and captured her gaze. "Here is the short version: they took me off the streets of Stormwind, and took me somewhere - I never knew where. They tortured me as punishment for welcoming the Ren'dori to the Alliance."
"That makes no sense, though" Lynesia replied.
"Most of the Ren'dorei were Sin'dorei, and many within SI:7 consider them Horde operatives and spies - and those who welcome them as traitors," Jon continued. He talked about the beatings and injuries administered by the person Jon called the Unsympathetic Man, about the Sa'Diablo drug they'd used on him to make him an addict, about the psychic assaults and invasions done by the Dark Lady. About how he had been rescued by someone he couldn't remember - just images of dark wings and bloody wolf claws. How his body had been left on the doorstep of the cheese shop in Stormwind. How a holy priestess of the Light had cured his physical wounds. How he couldn't sleep for the nightmares from what the Dark Lady had done inside his head.
How the craving for Sa'Diablo haunted his days. How the withdrawal from Sa'Diablo made its victims resemble Wretched mana addicts.
He had asked Lynesia to not trust him overmuch, as he was not sure how far he could be trusted. He knew only that the Dark lady had entertained herself with his broken mind; when Chess had felt his mental defenses crumble, he had done his best to retrench and hide Lynesia's existence from his thoughts. he had no idea as to whether or not he'd been successful.
As far as he knew, Jon Chess was still a target; he had no idea who the Dark Lady or the Unsympathetic Man was, or whether they'd been killed during his escape. Until he knew more, anyone Jon Chess cared about was a potential target. Lynesia deserved better than to wear a tabard with a target sign.
For Jonathan Chess, finding the Dark Lady and the Unsympathetic Man was was the highest priority; not for justice. While they were free, they posed an existential threat to Chess, everyone Chess loved, and the Ren'dorei he had sought to welcome. Maybe he would find some peace of mind, maybe the Kirin Tor had a cure for Sa'Diablo.
Maybe not, but it didn't matter. Taking the Queen and King, as well as all their pawns, bishops, rooks, and knights, off the board was Jon's new goal in life.
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