"Suffering is magic."~ Hecarim, My Little Pony
The rage writing ended with one chapter. I haven't written the next yet..... Okay no I've written a little.
Maybe I do have an incurable brain disease. OR I'm just stupid.
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Katarina was stumped.
This day was full of revelations. No the entire course of the last few months have been one crazy thing after another.
Her father. Demacia. And now this man.
A continual step by step progression of crazy activities. And it just got crazier.
A mage with enough power to single handedly burn down an inn? Noxians researchers would kill for that kind of child.
No Noxian mage had ever displayed anything even close to that. Maybe with runes but that still took a lot of runes and a lot of mages. Even then, they did not and could not display such destructive capabilities.
The Demacian mages she had seen were a lot stronger but a Noxian bred mage showing that kind of magical affinity.
It made sense why this man, Greg was so focused.
His daughter's life on the line. He wasn't risking that and it showed in his attitude. He also seemed to be respectful, considering, he paid this Marcin the full amount of what his daughter burnt down and an extra gold for the room and food.
A good man. One with honor.
The true kind, not like the ones some of the families here boasted.
He didn't even kill the bandits that had attacked them the previous night. Just knocking them out and moving them aside.
A curious man indeed.
Not to mention his ties with her brother, Talon.
Adopted brother, of course. But Talon was ambitious. It didn't make sense for the paths of the two men to cross. But it had..... and Talon owed his a favor.
She ran a thumb down the side of her face, going above the scar that crossed over her eye.
The same Talon that had given her this scar.
Just fascinating.
If her mission reports were done quick enough, she would try to find this man. Just to watch what havoc he could cause there.
Men with a mission were often the most fun to be around. Her father was once like that. Not anymore, now he's just another man bending over backward to the political climate.
He seemed to have realized this and taken some interesting decisions but he didn't know that he was playing right into its hands.
Talon had that fire in him when he was younger, now he was just a follower.
Her sister was also a person on a mission. She had greater aspirations than her, choosing to follow her mother. Katarina hadn't seen her sister in a long long time.
Her mother? Now she was a complicated character. As much as her father would oppose her beliefs, Katarina was sure that her mother was the master manipulator in their relationship. Her father acted smart and cunning while her mother lived and breathed it.
Her eyes flicked to Greg as she watched him give a genuine smile to the man next to him. He seemed to know this random man, as the man offered to be a witness to the transaction. And being a witness meant he had significant pull in this place.
Greg hadn't batted an eye when he heard his voice, just chuckling and continuing with the transaction.
Marko.
This man could probably give her a lot more information about Greg here.
She flicked a few silver coins to Marcin and listened in on the conversation the two had been having.
The two had prior history. Having known each other for a long time. Both of them had served in the army....a legion to be precise.
And Greg had been one of the leading members.
Not many men in the army chose to actively reach out to their once superiors after retirement. Ordinary soldiers were treated beyond badly.
But the one thing in their conversation that stood out to her was Marko's words. A lot of people owed Greg here. Lots of favors from lots of different people was quite the big thing, If one did not pay back a favor once it was called upon, it would be publicized, then those owing them a favor wouldn't pay them back.
By not paying back a favor, they stood to lose all favors owed to them.
Another thing she had realized when Marko had called Greg Greggy was that the man had given her his actual name.
A pitifully ordinary name.
Greg.
Rolled off the tongue. Just the name alone reduced once's animosity toward him. Who would go after a Greg?
But that was just her trying to justify her interest in this weird, yet powerful man.
Not powerful in the physical sense, she could kill him easily, but powerful in the political sense. He had pull.
That wasn't all, he seemed to want to do everything alone. Not wanting any allies. But not rejecting information. Whatever he wanted to do, it was going to be big.
They had sent people to him home and killed his pregnant wife. No one forgets or allows that kind of action against them. Greg certainly didn't and was willing to go to lengths to make sure he had avenged his family.
And considering that he would be going to the capital, if his daughter wasn't brought to him, he would go to her. But favors could only get people so far.
He would fall.
But not before dealing some damage.
Those who had nothing to lose were often the most dangerous. They didn't care about honor or any kind of glory. The death of their enemy was paramount.
That was what scared her in their previous conversation.
He method of operation was also scary. Within moments of conversation he had managed to get all the information he wanted from both Sten and Marcin. He had even guessed her identity and her mission.
That was what made him a danger.
"Anyway then.... Marko. I'll take you up on the offer for information." She heard him say, "I suppose you couldn't get the others to look into it?
Marko gave him a warm smile, "Of course I could. For you all of us would step into the battlefield at any moment. Information is the last we could do."
"Settled down here?" Gregori asked curiously, changing the topic to lighter conversation.
Marko smiled brightly, "Yeah. Traveled around a little before coming here. Met this woman and through sheer skill and effort managed to get her to marry me. She's a few months pregnant now." Wincing a little as he mentioned the pregnancy.
"Its fine Marko. I've grieved for a year. Trust me, your days as a dad will be tiring but fun. Lets hope you get twins. One child might be easy but two? That will give you a lot of trouble."
"You have two then?" Marko asked.
"Girls. Both of them. Similar but different in their own right. The days were good. Happy. Downright amazing even. Once I get my daughter, I'll disappear again, so I'm glad I got to meet you after so long. The only worry I have is if the children ask for their mother...."
Seeing Gregori prepare to leave, Marko's smile dropped and a serious expression came up, "I'll see you then Greggy."
Gregori nodded and reached out. He grabbed Marko's shoulder and gave it a couple pats. In response Marko reached out and gave a few thumps of his own.
After finishing his meal, Gregori got up, "Good place you got her Marcin. Great food. And for what its worth, I'm terribly sorry for what happened a year ago."
"Ummm.... I think you should know. There was this other weird man asking around about the fire and the one who caused it." Marcin spoke.
Gregori raised his eyebrows for a second, "Huh... Thanks Marcin. That is good information."
He looked at Katarina, "Don't skimp out on paying this man Dereen." He walked away as he said it.
"Whatever gave you the idea that I would dine and dash?" She called back offended at the fact that he would think so lowly of her. Katarina reached into her pockets and flicked him a few coins and got up to leave as well.
As he made his way to the exit, Marko called out, "You'll get what you want the usual way daddyo."
"Fuck off Marko." Gregori replied as he left.
Standing outside with his back facing the inn, Gregori smiled and shook his head. Marko was a pleasant sight. He seemed to be doing well for himself as well. A family of his own.
"How much was the betting pool on him marrying and having a child?" He muttered softly. Before turning to be face to face with Katarina, who looked furious with him.
"That was such a low blow. Don't call me a criminal again." She spoke slowly.
"Assassins aren't criminals?" He asked as he turned to walk in the direction he had come from.
"Not these kind!" She countered exasperatedly, "We kill on contracts, on bounties, we don't go after innocents."
"But the innocent children and mages in Demacia beg to disagree. Your actions led to those events. Does pouring oil in the forest alone not make you responsible for the forest burning down?" He let out a sigh before continuing, "But that isn't what we are talking about. Don't worry Dereen, I was just jesting."
Without waiting for a reply, he walked off. Leaving behind a very gob smacked Katarina.
She stood silently for a moment, contemplating her completion of the mission. Never had she sat and thought about the consequences of her actions down the line. In a way, she was responsible for the deaths of countless innocents.
It was a mission. And that blood was also in her father's hands. It was him, after all, that had sent her there.
But now that she looked at it.
She had killed the king. A bad one. It should have helped the people but it did not. It made their problems worse. It was nearing a full blown civil war within Demacia and she rang the bells.
But it had been a mission.
She looked at her hands. They were bloody. Her actions caused this.
But she had no other choice. A mission was to be completed.
With her mind turbulent she looked at Gregori's disappearing back before shaking her head and following.