CW: dub con, non con, manipulation, abuse, nsfw, sex
The Tombtakers knew that the Mighty Nein had connections way up here in the cold bleakness of Eiselcross. What they didn't know, however, was just exactly how powerful and rare of a find that this Essek chap was going to be.
Infiltrating their camp was easy enough, seeing as a wandering herd of Yettie had not long been spotted in the area. Not only was Lucien's lot able to wade through their footsteps, but use them as an excuse to seek aid. It was no skin off the Tiefling's nose, to cut himself and draw forth a little blood, coat his twin black scimitars while he's at it, that might come in handy for later see.
The guards would have alerted the Shadowhand first, bringing word to him of wounded strangers in the snow. A Tiefling, a Tabaxi, and a Halfling were each more or less held up, looking worse for wear as they were brought to Essek's feet. "P-please, my friends, ya have to help them." The lavender Tiefling coughed out, spluttering up blood as he covered his mouth, stumbling to almost fall.
It wasn't unusual for Mages and Wizard's to hire hands to help guide them through the white of the land, through the ruins and tombs. It also wasn't unusual for such expeditions to go wrong, like the Tombtakers would have him believe was their case. Sneaky fucks.
But Essek was none the wiser, his mind caught in the throws of what he had done, his crimes, and when they would catch up with him. The Bright Queen hadn’t yet, but that was a matter of time; there were rumors, suspicions on why the great Shadowhand was all the way up in Eiselcross at a frozen outpost. There were hints of magical anomalies, of relics, and that was the cover that would work for now, but how long could that truly last?
When the notice arrived that people were here and were hurt, he made certain to have his soldiers with him to interrogate them. The tiefling was…interesting, covered in blood but with something about him, and he looked to the hafling and the tabaxi over his shoulder.
The anxiety settled into him as he stared silently between them. If an assassin wanted, it would be wise to pretend to be hurt, bleeding to be allowed closeness to the target, making it easy to strike. Essek looked to the tiefling, then the others, before his nearest soldier.
“Take them to a room and find some supplies. Bring him to my meeting quarters.”
He didn’t have to add to have invisible soldiers should be in both areas, carefully observing. Essek wasn’t a fool.
As it would happen, the Tombtakers had no idea who this Shadowhand fella was, just some pompous looking Wizard for all they could tell. Sure, they assumed he must have been important to have his troops set up in this remote outpost and all. But Lucien was in for a treat, should he find out just how powerful and connected this Drow was.
When the guards nodded under Essek's orders, Lucien spoke directly with both Cree and Otis telepathically. Instructing them to play along, keep an open channel and act as oblivious and innocent as needed to survive, don't do anything that would have them rising suspicions, and leave the rest to their leader.
Of course, he wanted to have Lucien brought to his meeting quarters, why wouldn't he? This was all so very sudden and random was it not? Lucien would want to interrogate him too had the shoe been on the other foot, then again, he had his ways. As for those invisible soldiers, well... They weren't as invisible as Essek might have liked them to be. Lucien's eyes were all-seeing and he was sure to inform the other two of their presence as they were escorted away.
Playing the grateful rescued party, the Tiefling nodded and thanked the mighty Shadowhand for giving them refuge and was merrily sent on his way to the agreed chamber. While in there, admittedly not alone of course, he tended to his wounds and acted as the injured, tired traveler. First-class performance, top actor don't you know.
Essek let him stew in the room. He made no rush to join this stranger in here, hoping that the pressure of silence and waiting would rattle mistakes loose. It worked surprisingly well on most prisoners.
Who was he? In all the places of Wildemount, why was he here? This outpost was forgotten in the winter wastes, as it should have been, and to have someone here, bloodied, asking for help…
It felt wrong. It felt all wrong.
Essek left him in there for an hour before he swept into the room, his face controlled, even, the mask of the Shadowhand. He took a seat, not bothering to hide the black marble in his hand, rolling it between his fingers. Dark eyes followed this stranger, watching every move, every piece of him that was out of place and curious.
“What is your name? And the names of your companions? How did you come to be here?”
This technique, of separating them, of letting the leader stew on his own for an unforeseen amount of time, while it might have worked on others, all it did for Lucien was tell him what kind of a man this Shadowhand was. There was a constant line of open communication between himself and his Tombtakers, Lucien was already listening to their conversations, watching through Cree's eyes as the guards spoke to them. He was confidently one step ahead.
Whereas it might have felt wrong, having strangers stumble upon Essek's hideout, he should be aware of the excavations that were often afoot in other various parts of the mountains and wastes, Lucien was confident that his story would make perfect sense when asked. There was no sweat, no worry, just a cunning plan to stock up on supplies and warm bodies with a multitude of skills and magic. The potential was endless.
Now then, that little black marble has the Tiefling curious, he likes rare trinkets and this one must be some kind of special if the Drow was fiddling with it, he didn't seem the type to play with toys after all.
"Ah, thank you kindly for taking us in. My name is Lucien and ya might have just saved me and my family, we're in your debt." Looking relieved as he spoke, wringing his hands before nodding his head in thanks a few times, hoping that he came across as grateful and exhausted more than anything else.
One answer. It was one answer when Essek asked several questions. He noticed that, this vagueness. There was a wonder if his soldiers were getting better results, but there would be time for that in the debriefing after.
“A debt is meaningless if you are not useful to us,” he said calmly, low, quiet. It was the Shadowhand speaking, even if he days of having that title were numbered. “And we cannot determine if you are useful if you do not tell us everything. So, I will repeat myself: what are the names of your companions and how did you come to be here?”
Essek sat up a little straighter in his chair, rolling the marble over his fingers once more. He wanted to read this man’s face, a face that seemed tired, that seemed grateful and chilled, but it…it was too convenient, easy. There was something he was his missing, and he only hoped it wasn’t an assassin’s blade.
“I would like to know everything, and we certainly have the time to hear it. If you have not noticed, there is little to do here in Eiselcross than talk, read, and avoid the wildlife.”
Lucien was smart, he might not have looked it, smiling like a fool, acting more like a fragment of himself than his true self. But that was just it, it was an act. As Essek watched for his expression, he too watched for the Drow's, trying to determine what his next move might be.
"Oh, I assure you, after a little rest and some food maybe, I can be as useful as ya need me to be, sir. Heck, even my family ya got back there, we got clerics and all sorts! Even found some scrolls- though those were back at the camp, not that they're any use to us of course, ya more than welcome to them!" Playing innocent and helpful, he can pull it off too, what with his charming smile and all. "Oh, sorry about that, I never meant for ya to have to repeat yourself, I'm just so exhausted, I'm hardly concentrating." Taking a breath and rubbing at his eyes before continuing. "Well, there's Cree and Otis. We lost sight of Zoran and Tyffial during the snowstorm a few hours ago, probably frozen out in the ice somewhere... Rest their souls..."
Sitting down as he gathered his hands at his chest, looking melancholy as if he'd actually lost part of his party. Nodding before looking back up at the Drow. "That's right, we have plenty of time. It's a funny thing, isn't it? Time that is. Seems like when it's running out ya never have enough of it and yet when everything is all over, well, just like now I guess. Got so much of it we don't know what to do with the stuff."
Huaisang had been looking for an adequately capable thief for quite some time. One thief or a gang, assassin or not, Huaisang didn't particularly care. He'd messed up before by using a convenient pawn rather than an expert, and he still regretted the collateral damage that had resulted. So now he took more care with his tools.
One of Huaisang's spies had brought the gang to his attention, and he'd sent them on a couple of test missions. The first one was to rob a tomb of the powerful ruling family of the region: extremely dangerously haunted. It was Huaisang's own family tomb, but that wasn't something he bothered mentioning. The entire thing was handled through one of Huaisang's spies, all anonymous and carefully removed by several degrees from Huaisang himself. That had gone well enough, so he'd sent them on a second mission, one he actually cared about. He wanted a particular necromantic text that was likely to be in the library of the Wen Clan.
The Wen Clan itself had been decimated over a decade ago, and the entire region was badly haunted now. Some of that was the fault of the Wens themselves and some of it had resulted from the war and aftermath. Huaisang expected that the library was probably mostly untouched because no one could access it. Even though he was only specifically looking for one text, he'd pay well for any powerful grimoires that he didn't already possess.
They'd brought back a very nice haul of them, including the one Huaisang wanted, so he'd decided he wanted to meet them in person before sending them on a third mission: the mission that mattered to him. He'd asked for only the leader but told his attendant not to put up too much of a fuss if more of them came along.
The fortress-city of Qinghe was built on and around a mountain, and Huaisang's estate also made use of the complex of tunnels and caves that ran through the mountain itself. Lucien was brought in through one of these tunnels, along a twisting, mazelike route and through a couple of locked gates along the way. It meant a steep hike up hundreds of stairs, but at the top they emerged into a pretty little rock garden on a high ledge, with a hot spring pool on one side and a lavish one-story building on the other side.
Huaisang sat on a balcony on the far side of the building, gazing out across the city far below and the hills beyond. He was pretty and unassuming, when it came to the sort of person who would pay heavily for necromantic texts, and it would be easy to believe that he was the bedwarmer of whatever actual mastermind had invited Lucien here. But Huaisang offered a friendly smile when they approached, looking the thief over with interest. "May I offer tea or wine?"
The Tombtakers took many'a dull job in the past, something to pay back their loan sharks and put a loaf of bread on the table. It was hard, coming from the merger beginnings they had back in Shadycreek Run, but Lucien had hopes and dreams as high as the stars themselves. Taking jobs like these had become second nature for them. Rich fancy people wanting what other rich fancy people had, Lucien played the middle man with sticky fingers all too well.
One thing Lucien enjoyed about being hired for these jobs was the fact he was finally getting some recognition as a BloodHunter. The path he had chosen to follow, the Order of the Ghostslayer, meant that those pesky ghosts and necromantic beings were hardly a threat. In fact, Lucien may or may not have told his employer that it was harder than it was, if only to get more danger money or a little extra something for his trouble. Nevermind the fact that his pockets may have been deeper than they looked and should Huaisang take stock of the family tomb, he'd be sure to find a few missing artifacts that didn't turn up in the inventory.
As for being asked to finally meet, Cree and Otis were, of course against it, but Lucien set their minds at ease when he activated their eyes letting them see through his as he walked the tunnels and stairs, letting his crew know exactly how and where to find him should he need them.
"Tea or wine? After the treck I've just been on to come meetcha friend, you'd be wise to offer me a new pair of boots, so you would." The Tiefling commented, hands on his thighs and doubling over a little, huffing to catch his breath as he raised a finger as if instructing his host to wait a moment until he was ready. Both acts. He was fitter than he looked and he just wanted to make the man wait because he could. Standing back up straight, his thin whip of a tail flicking out and swaying behind him as he offered the most charming grin. "Don't s'pose you have any mead or gin, no? If not I'll take some'o that wine you've got there, friend."
Huaisang propped chin on hands on the table in front of himself as he watched this performance. It seemed at least a little bit played up for humor, which was perfectly charming. The accent was unfamiliar, but the musical lilt to it was fascinating, and Huaisang had only rarely run into tieflings. Were the pornographic texts true or exaggerated when it came to their similarities or differences below the belt? Huaisang hoped to find out.
"We can get you some boots, if you need them," Huaisang offered, though he didn't think the request was a legitimate one. "Jinn? Not unless you know a distributor in the area that carries whatever that is, and not until someone can be sent to such distributor. Mead is honey-wine, yes? That we can do." He nods to the attendant who brought Lucien, and his man went out the other door to speak with an attendant in the corridor, then returned to stand guard at the far side of the room, keeping an eye on Lucien.
"Might be a few minutes," Huaisang said apologetically, rising to fetch a bottle from a cabinet nearby, then returning to the table. He wore cream and lilac silk, an androgynous style even for the relatively unisex fashions of the local area, and his long hair was braided and ornamented with gold in a fashion that was better suited to a courtesan than a powerful clan leader. He poured into painted porcelain cups, setting the two cups side by side so that his guest could choose either one, in case he was the sort of person to be suspicious of poison. "I'm not sure how far down into the storehouses they'll need to go or if it's something kept relatively close at hand."
Ever the entertainer, as much as he hated it, Lucein fell into the role of circus performer all too well. His accent was stronger now that he had been reunited with his own body once more, that vagabond fragment reabsorbed and memories collected, memories, in fact, of a pornographic nature he'd have, you know. It seemed Mollymawk had run amuck with what Lucien packed in those pinstriped pants of his. So yes, should the mood take them, this little Lord may very well get to experience a lavender-blooded lover.
"That would be smashing, tah, love." Winking devilishly as he crossed his legs with a grunt and sat himself down in front of the table opposite Huaisang. Their elbow thudding off said table as he rests his cheek in his palm, that long flexible tail of his swaying behind him like a vexed cat. "Sure, sure, that'll be grand, honey-wine, tch forgive me, my Lord, for I am just a common fool, I know not what I say." Bowing his head, waving his hand around. With his head dipped down, he was looking around slyly, counting how many guards were here, where the exit might be, if there was anything valuable on display, and so on.
This Huaisang chap was stunning, wasn't he? Lucien would have thought he came from Elvin origins, what with the pale, perfect skin and all those light-flowing fancy clothes. "You smell absolutely to die for, I have to say. Would it be at all possible to freshen up while I'm here? I've not seen a bar of soap in umpteen days and I feel a bit ashamed being in your presence in my current festering state." The opportunistic Tiefling simply wants a taste of luxury, can you blame him? Taking his cup and chugging back some wine, possibly a little more than a polite mouthful. "Ah, that's quite alright, it gives us more time to be acquainted, does it not?"
"I don't think there's anything common or foolish about you," Huaisang replied, picking up his own cup and taking a sip. Lucien had completed his first two tasks, after all, and they weren't exactly easy challenges. His eyes lowered demurely while he sipped, and he lifted his sleeve in front of the cup, a noble's habit to conceal their mouth while they eat or drink. As cup and sleeve lowered, his gaze flicked back up, assessing his guest.
The room around them was luxurious but sparsely decorated. Everything in the room was of the finest quality, but there were no valuables on display other than several beautiful paintings hung on the walls and a similarly beautiful painted screen in front of the bed area.
His cheeks flushed a little at the compliment, but he nodded and rose, taking his cup and the bottle along with him as they returned through the door Lucien had come in, to where that hot spring pool burbled pleasantly. There was a gazebo nearby with a couple of benches, so Huaisang set down bottle and cup to one side of a bench and then opened a cabinet in the gazebo to show a selection of soaps and oils. He gestured invitingly toward it, and then took his seat on that bench, facing toward the pool. If Lucien was inclined to put on a show, Huaisang intended to enjoy it.
"Ha, flattery, my dear friend ~ Flatter will get you everywhere. See, a Tiefing's ego is as big as his horns, don'tcha know?" And Lucien's, while curled around behind his pointed ears, were long and thick. He really was quite remarkable, wasn't he? This Huaisang fella? For a moment then, Lucien felt he could very much get used to this sort of life. Sat in luxury, with guards and staff at your beck and call, dressed in only the finest, drinking and eating only the finest. Oh, what a life, indeed.
Lucien was up and at Huaisang's side faster than a pickpocket at the opera. Following them as they wandered closer to the spring, deciding to walk a tightrope tiptoe around the rim of the pool, the spade of his tail smoothing over the surface of the water, taking its temperature and letting out a pleased little hum of approval. He preferred it hot, after all.
Finishing his lap around the pool, Lucien perused the shelves and snatched a handful of bits and bobs, casting them aside on the ground beside the mouth of the spring before coming and standing in front of where his host sat. "Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth." He nodded as he started to unfasten the laces that held his black and purple pinstripes up. Once his trousers were open and hanging off his hips, just shy of shoving off the marvelously sculpted v-shape of his hips and pelvis, Lucien pirouetted around and peeled his tunic off, tossing it aside. With his back now to Huaisang, he let his tail do the rest of the work. Writhing and pushing his trousers down to reveal that muscular, lavender backside of his.
Lucien cupped his crotch to hide his cock as he turned back around, giving Huaisang a bow, the other arm outstretched as he stepped back and into the water with a mild splash.
Huaisang laughed as he watched this dramatic performance, clearly played up for comedic effect. He remained entirely unruffled by the nudity, even though the region was for the most part very prim, with only the poorest laborers ever willing to show any skin above the wrist or below the neck. A show like this was a lovely treat for Huaisang, from someone relatively shameless compared to local customs, though Huaisang was disappointed that he concealed his cock. Lovely though the rest of him was, Huaisang was immensely curious about whether this Tiefling's ego was also as big as his cock.
"I have another job for you," Huaisang said, leisurely, with no compunctions about talking business while one of them was naked. He sipped again, not bothering to conceal his mouth this time, and then leaned forward to set the bottle on the ground between them, within reach from the hot spring pool. "The real job. Though I'm debating whether I need another test job before we get to it. The other two jobs were tombs, where most of your threats were undead. There may be some of that in the defenses of where you're going, but there will also be many living people, most of whom are--presumably--relatively innocent. Do you do subtlety as well as comedy?"
There's a challenging lift to his brow with the question. As delightful as the Tiefling's theatrical performance has been, there's been nothing subtle about him since he walked into Huaisang's chambers, and Huaisang finds himself dreading the thought of sending a purple clown into the middle of the protocol-obsessed Jin sect. He wants to see what other facets Lucien can offer.
Lucien was indeed putting on a show, slipping back into the way he acted before forming the Tombtakers. His parents and siblings had belonged to a carnival, after all, and Lucien, much like his older brother, was a dancer. As for his cock, well... There would be time enough to see it yet and Lucien liked to keep a little mystery in such interactions, keep your host guessing and thinking about you, that way they'll call you back again and again.
Moving through the water, he plucked up the bottle, taking a swig of it straight from the mouth before swapping it for a bottle of scented oil and soap, tipping it on his hands and massaging it through all those wavy curls of purple hair. His body was covered in tattoos, works of art really! Peacocks and their feather, the sun, moon, and stars as well as nine-bloodred eyes. Listening as Huaisang spoke of another job. "I do indeed. I may not look it, but I can be as subtle as a mouse in church." Grinning a mouthful of sharp fangs and licked his lips with a forked tongue before he continued. "I have genetics and devices that help me pass without a trace and as for the innocent? Well... If the pay is good enough, they're as good as the guilty in my eyes." Lucien was a stone-cold killer, no matter how charming he may seem.
Washing his body as he closed his eyes, putting on a little show with the way he moved and touched himself. Slipping a hand under the water, he lavishly stroked himself with a little teasing moan. "Mmm the waters simply divine~ And these oils? Mmm~ Bliss."
"I want the innocent left untouched, as much as possible," Huaisang said, his own gaze cool and aloof, though his attention never strayed from Lucien's body as he put on his teasing show. "My enemy has killed enough of them already. Which is specifically the problem. I need proof of his crimes, leaked publicly in a way that doesn't implicate me, and definitive enough that the other sects will feel morally obligated to take action to prosecute him. I have some idea of where to look--I believe there should be some kind of treasure room or secret chamber accessible from his bedroom, but I don't know how to get in there or what to look for."
A ripple of rage flickered behind Huaisang's eyes as he spoke. Whatever his beef was with this enemy, it was extremely personal. "So you'll need to sneak into the palace complex of one of the most powerful sects, make your way into the sect leader's bedroom, and figure out how to access the items he keeps most thoroughly locked and warded."
"Then your wish is my command~" It meant nothing to Lucien, he didn't know these people, didn't care for them but if his employer said not to touch them, then he would be a good boy and do as he was told... Unless they touched him first. "Ah, I see, so it's a little public shaming you're after? Leave it to me." He was confident, in fact, this sounded easier in ways that some of the other jobs he'd sent him on. His Tombtakers were kitted out with skills and abilities that made finding hard to find things as easy as pie. Grinning as Huaisang mentioned getting into his enemy's bedroom.
"Oh, I'm sure I can find a way to get an invitation into his bedroom. After all~ I'm already getting plenty practice with you on how to seduce a nobel~" Winking as he lay back in the water, floating to the top, letting Huaisang get his first glimpse at the purple python between his thighs.
Listening to the rundown of his mission and smirking. Lucien had a trick up his sleeve that was his ace in the hole. All he needed to do to make this a cakewalk, was to get the sect leader read something, just a passage from a certain book the Tiefling kept on his person at all times. "Sounds like they really get under your skin, friend. If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say they sound like an old flame." Because in his experience, rage and anger of the likes he saw in his host's eyes right then, often stem from jealousy and envy.
Humor flickered across Huaisang's face at the proposed 'public shaming' and how blithely Lucien suggested it, and his amusement only warmed further at the talk of Lucien's planned seductions. His gaze trailed with interest between Lucien's legs, pale cheeks starting to flush.
But all that good humor drained away instantly at Lucien's guess. "If only it were that simple," Huaisang said, cool and scathing, as if Lucien had said something embarrassingly naive. "I would advise against the seduction. He's no easy mark. He's immensely subtle and insanely paranoid. A charming stranger turning up out of nowhere trying to seduce him is almost certain to trip his paranoia, and you'll find yourself making excellent progress with him right until he walks you into a trap. He'd happily cut you into pieces and feed those pieces to his dogs if you step a toe out of line. He's murdered ... dozens, probably? I'm only certain of about twenty, but four in particular of those were people who were dear to me."
Huaisang's own paranoia was rising quickly, making him rethink his plan to involve Lucien at all. He wasn't ready to bail yet, but there was terror in Huaisang's expression behind his cool demeanor and the vengeful fury. If Jin Guangyao ever had reason to suspect an enemy and happened to glance in Huaisang's direction ... he could crush Huaisang and his clan all too easily. "If Jin Guangyao's paranoia has anything to latch onto, no matter how slim or unreasonable, you'll be in grave danger. He's incredibly dangerous. I strongly recommend making it a mission of stealth rather than a seduction. I don't know him to ever have desired anyone unless he intended the seduction to be a weapon to use against them."
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concentrated_dick) wrote2022-02-06 05:56 pm
You're no good, you're no good, you could kill you and you should 👁 For Essek
The Tombtakers knew that the Mighty Nein had connections way up here in the cold bleakness of Eiselcross. What they didn't know, however, was just exactly how powerful and rare of a find that this Essek chap was going to be.
Infiltrating their camp was easy enough, seeing as a wandering herd of Yettie had not long been spotted in the area. Not only was Lucien's lot able to wade through their footsteps, but use them as an excuse to seek aid. It was no skin off the Tiefling's nose, to cut himself and draw forth a little blood, coat his twin black scimitars while he's at it, that might come in handy for later see.
The guards would have alerted the Shadowhand first, bringing word to him of wounded strangers in the snow. A Tiefling, a Tabaxi, and a Halfling were each more or less held up, looking worse for wear as they were brought to Essek's feet. "P-please, my friends, ya have to help them." The lavender Tiefling coughed out, spluttering up blood as he covered his mouth, stumbling to almost fall.
It wasn't unusual for Mages and Wizard's to hire hands to help guide them through the white of the land, through the ruins and tombs. It also wasn't unusual for such expeditions to go wrong, like the Tombtakers would have him believe was their case. Sneaky fucks.
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But Essek was none the wiser, his mind caught in the throws of what he had done, his crimes, and when they would catch up with him. The Bright Queen hadn’t yet, but that was a matter of time; there were rumors, suspicions on why the great Shadowhand was all the way up in Eiselcross at a frozen outpost. There were hints of magical anomalies, of relics, and that was the cover that would work for now, but how long could that truly last?
When the notice arrived that people were here and were hurt, he made certain to have his soldiers with him to interrogate them. The tiefling was…interesting, covered in blood but with something about him, and he looked to the hafling and the tabaxi over his shoulder.
The anxiety settled into him as he stared silently between them. If an assassin wanted, it would be wise to pretend to be hurt, bleeding to be allowed closeness to the target, making it easy to strike. Essek looked to the tiefling, then the others, before his nearest soldier.
“Take them to a room and find some supplies. Bring him to my meeting quarters.”
He didn’t have to add to have invisible soldiers should be in both areas, carefully observing. Essek wasn’t a fool.
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As it would happen, the Tombtakers had no idea who this Shadowhand fella was, just some pompous looking Wizard for all they could tell. Sure, they assumed he must have been important to have his troops set up in this remote outpost and all. But Lucien was in for a treat, should he find out just how powerful and connected this Drow was.
When the guards nodded under Essek's orders, Lucien spoke directly with both Cree and Otis telepathically. Instructing them to play along, keep an open channel and act as oblivious and innocent as needed to survive, don't do anything that would have them rising suspicions, and leave the rest to their leader.
Of course, he wanted to have Lucien brought to his meeting quarters, why wouldn't he? This was all so very sudden and random was it not? Lucien would want to interrogate him too had the shoe been on the other foot, then again, he had his ways. As for those invisible soldiers, well... They weren't as invisible as Essek might have liked them to be. Lucien's eyes were all-seeing and he was sure to inform the other two of their presence as they were escorted away.
Playing the grateful rescued party, the Tiefling nodded and thanked the mighty Shadowhand for giving them refuge and was merrily sent on his way to the agreed chamber. While in there, admittedly not alone of course, he tended to his wounds and acted as the injured, tired traveler. First-class performance, top actor don't you know.
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Who was he? In all the places of Wildemount, why was he here? This outpost was forgotten in the winter wastes, as it should have been, and to have someone here, bloodied, asking for help…
It felt wrong. It felt all wrong.
Essek left him in there for an hour before he swept into the room, his face controlled, even, the mask of the Shadowhand. He took a seat, not bothering to hide the black marble in his hand, rolling it between his fingers. Dark eyes followed this stranger, watching every move, every piece of him that was out of place and curious.
“What is your name? And the names of your companions? How did you come to be here?”
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Whereas it might have felt wrong, having strangers stumble upon Essek's hideout, he should be aware of the excavations that were often afoot in other various parts of the mountains and wastes, Lucien was confident that his story would make perfect sense when asked. There was no sweat, no worry, just a cunning plan to stock up on supplies and warm bodies with a multitude of skills and magic. The potential was endless.
Now then, that little black marble has the Tiefling curious, he likes rare trinkets and this one must be some kind of special if the Drow was fiddling with it, he didn't seem the type to play with toys after all.
"Ah, thank you kindly for taking us in. My name is Lucien and ya might have just saved me and my family, we're in your debt." Looking relieved as he spoke, wringing his hands before nodding his head in thanks a few times, hoping that he came across as grateful and exhausted more than anything else.
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“A debt is meaningless if you are not useful to us,” he said calmly, low, quiet. It was the Shadowhand speaking, even if he days of having that title were numbered. “And we cannot determine if you are useful if you do not tell us everything. So, I will repeat myself: what are the names of your companions and how did you come to be here?”
Essek sat up a little straighter in his chair, rolling the marble over his fingers once more. He wanted to read this man’s face, a face that seemed tired, that seemed grateful and chilled, but it…it was too convenient, easy. There was something he was his missing, and he only hoped it wasn’t an assassin’s blade.
“I would like to know everything, and we certainly have the time to hear it. If you have not noticed, there is little to do here in Eiselcross than talk, read, and avoid the wildlife.”
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"Oh, I assure you, after a little rest and some food maybe, I can be as useful as ya need me to be, sir. Heck, even my family ya got back there, we got clerics and all sorts! Even found some scrolls- though those were back at the camp, not that they're any use to us of course, ya more than welcome to them!" Playing innocent and helpful, he can pull it off too, what with his charming smile and all. "Oh, sorry about that, I never meant for ya to have to repeat yourself, I'm just so exhausted, I'm hardly concentrating." Taking a breath and rubbing at his eyes before continuing. "Well, there's Cree and Otis. We lost sight of Zoran and Tyffial during the snowstorm a few hours ago, probably frozen out in the ice somewhere... Rest their souls..."
Sitting down as he gathered his hands at his chest, looking melancholy as if he'd actually lost part of his party. Nodding before looking back up at the Drow. "That's right, we have plenty of time. It's a funny thing, isn't it? Time that is. Seems like when it's running out ya never have enough of it and yet when everything is all over, well, just like now I guess. Got so much of it we don't know what to do with the stuff."
To Get the Job Done
One of Huaisang's spies had brought the gang to his attention, and he'd sent them on a couple of test missions. The first one was to rob a tomb of the powerful ruling family of the region: extremely dangerously haunted. It was Huaisang's own family tomb, but that wasn't something he bothered mentioning. The entire thing was handled through one of Huaisang's spies, all anonymous and carefully removed by several degrees from Huaisang himself. That had gone well enough, so he'd sent them on a second mission, one he actually cared about. He wanted a particular necromantic text that was likely to be in the library of the Wen Clan.
The Wen Clan itself had been decimated over a decade ago, and the entire region was badly haunted now. Some of that was the fault of the Wens themselves and some of it had resulted from the war and aftermath. Huaisang expected that the library was probably mostly untouched because no one could access it. Even though he was only specifically looking for one text, he'd pay well for any powerful grimoires that he didn't already possess.
They'd brought back a very nice haul of them, including the one Huaisang wanted, so he'd decided he wanted to meet them in person before sending them on a third mission: the mission that mattered to him. He'd asked for only the leader but told his attendant not to put up too much of a fuss if more of them came along.
The fortress-city of Qinghe was built on and around a mountain, and Huaisang's estate also made use of the complex of tunnels and caves that ran through the mountain itself. Lucien was brought in through one of these tunnels, along a twisting, mazelike route and through a couple of locked gates along the way. It meant a steep hike up hundreds of stairs, but at the top they emerged into a pretty little rock garden on a high ledge, with a hot spring pool on one side and a lavish one-story building on the other side.
Huaisang sat on a balcony on the far side of the building, gazing out across the city far below and the hills beyond. He was pretty and unassuming, when it came to the sort of person who would pay heavily for necromantic texts, and it would be easy to believe that he was the bedwarmer of whatever actual mastermind had invited Lucien here. But Huaisang offered a friendly smile when they approached, looking the thief over with interest. "May I offer tea or wine?"
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One thing Lucien enjoyed about being hired for these jobs was the fact he was finally getting some recognition as a BloodHunter. The path he had chosen to follow, the Order of the Ghostslayer, meant that those pesky ghosts and necromantic beings were hardly a threat. In fact, Lucien may or may not have told his employer that it was harder than it was, if only to get more danger money or a little extra something for his trouble. Nevermind the fact that his pockets may have been deeper than they looked and should Huaisang take stock of the family tomb, he'd be sure to find a few missing artifacts that didn't turn up in the inventory.
As for being asked to finally meet, Cree and Otis were, of course against it, but Lucien set their minds at ease when he activated their eyes letting them see through his as he walked the tunnels and stairs, letting his crew know exactly how and where to find him should he need them.
"Tea or wine? After the treck I've just been on to come meetcha friend, you'd be wise to offer me a new pair of boots, so you would." The Tiefling commented, hands on his thighs and doubling over a little, huffing to catch his breath as he raised a finger as if instructing his host to wait a moment until he was ready. Both acts. He was fitter than he looked and he just wanted to make the man wait because he could. Standing back up straight, his thin whip of a tail flicking out and swaying behind him as he offered the most charming grin. "Don't s'pose you have any mead or gin, no? If not I'll take some'o that wine you've got there, friend."
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"We can get you some boots, if you need them," Huaisang offered, though he didn't think the request was a legitimate one. "Jinn? Not unless you know a distributor in the area that carries whatever that is, and not until someone can be sent to such distributor. Mead is honey-wine, yes? That we can do." He nods to the attendant who brought Lucien, and his man went out the other door to speak with an attendant in the corridor, then returned to stand guard at the far side of the room, keeping an eye on Lucien.
"Might be a few minutes," Huaisang said apologetically, rising to fetch a bottle from a cabinet nearby, then returning to the table. He wore cream and lilac silk, an androgynous style even for the relatively unisex fashions of the local area, and his long hair was braided and ornamented with gold in a fashion that was better suited to a courtesan than a powerful clan leader. He poured into painted porcelain cups, setting the two cups side by side so that his guest could choose either one, in case he was the sort of person to be suspicious of poison. "I'm not sure how far down into the storehouses they'll need to go or if it's something kept relatively close at hand."
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"That would be smashing, tah, love." Winking devilishly as he crossed his legs with a grunt and sat himself down in front of the table opposite Huaisang. Their elbow thudding off said table as he rests his cheek in his palm, that long flexible tail of his swaying behind him like a vexed cat. "Sure, sure, that'll be grand, honey-wine, tch forgive me, my Lord, for I am just a common fool, I know not what I say." Bowing his head, waving his hand around. With his head dipped down, he was looking around slyly, counting how many guards were here, where the exit might be, if there was anything valuable on display, and so on.
This Huaisang chap was stunning, wasn't he? Lucien would have thought he came from Elvin origins, what with the pale, perfect skin and all those light-flowing fancy clothes. "You smell absolutely to die for, I have to say. Would it be at all possible to freshen up while I'm here? I've not seen a bar of soap in umpteen days and I feel a bit ashamed being in your presence in my current festering state." The opportunistic Tiefling simply wants a taste of luxury, can you blame him? Taking his cup and chugging back some wine, possibly a little more than a polite mouthful. "Ah, that's quite alright, it gives us more time to be acquainted, does it not?"
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The room around them was luxurious but sparsely decorated. Everything in the room was of the finest quality, but there were no valuables on display other than several beautiful paintings hung on the walls and a similarly beautiful painted screen in front of the bed area.
His cheeks flushed a little at the compliment, but he nodded and rose, taking his cup and the bottle along with him as they returned through the door Lucien had come in, to where that hot spring pool burbled pleasantly. There was a gazebo nearby with a couple of benches, so Huaisang set down bottle and cup to one side of a bench and then opened a cabinet in the gazebo to show a selection of soaps and oils. He gestured invitingly toward it, and then took his seat on that bench, facing toward the pool. If Lucien was inclined to put on a show, Huaisang intended to enjoy it.
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Lucien was up and at Huaisang's side faster than a pickpocket at the opera. Following them as they wandered closer to the spring, deciding to walk a tightrope tiptoe around the rim of the pool, the spade of his tail smoothing over the surface of the water, taking its temperature and letting out a pleased little hum of approval. He preferred it hot, after all.
Finishing his lap around the pool, Lucien perused the shelves and snatched a handful of bits and bobs, casting them aside on the ground beside the mouth of the spring before coming and standing in front of where his host sat. "Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth." He nodded as he started to unfasten the laces that held his black and purple pinstripes up. Once his trousers were open and hanging off his hips, just shy of shoving off the marvelously sculpted v-shape of his hips and pelvis, Lucien pirouetted around and peeled his tunic off, tossing it aside. With his back now to Huaisang, he let his tail do the rest of the work. Writhing and pushing his trousers down to reveal that muscular, lavender backside of his.
Lucien cupped his crotch to hide his cock as he turned back around, giving Huaisang a bow, the other arm outstretched as he stepped back and into the water with a mild splash.
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"I have another job for you," Huaisang said, leisurely, with no compunctions about talking business while one of them was naked. He sipped again, not bothering to conceal his mouth this time, and then leaned forward to set the bottle on the ground between them, within reach from the hot spring pool. "The real job. Though I'm debating whether I need another test job before we get to it. The other two jobs were tombs, where most of your threats were undead. There may be some of that in the defenses of where you're going, but there will also be many living people, most of whom are--presumably--relatively innocent. Do you do subtlety as well as comedy?"
There's a challenging lift to his brow with the question. As delightful as the Tiefling's theatrical performance has been, there's been nothing subtle about him since he walked into Huaisang's chambers, and Huaisang finds himself dreading the thought of sending a purple clown into the middle of the protocol-obsessed Jin sect. He wants to see what other facets Lucien can offer.
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Moving through the water, he plucked up the bottle, taking a swig of it straight from the mouth before swapping it for a bottle of scented oil and soap, tipping it on his hands and massaging it through all those wavy curls of purple hair. His body was covered in tattoos, works of art really! Peacocks and their feather, the sun, moon, and stars as well as nine-bloodred eyes. Listening as Huaisang spoke of another job. "I do indeed. I may not look it, but I can be as subtle as a mouse in church." Grinning a mouthful of sharp fangs and licked his lips with a forked tongue before he continued. "I have genetics and devices that help me pass without a trace and as for the innocent? Well... If the pay is good enough, they're as good as the guilty in my eyes." Lucien was a stone-cold killer, no matter how charming he may seem.
Washing his body as he closed his eyes, putting on a little show with the way he moved and touched himself. Slipping a hand under the water, he lavishly stroked himself with a little teasing moan. "Mmm the waters simply divine~ And these oils? Mmm~ Bliss."
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A ripple of rage flickered behind Huaisang's eyes as he spoke. Whatever his beef was with this enemy, it was extremely personal. "So you'll need to sneak into the palace complex of one of the most powerful sects, make your way into the sect leader's bedroom, and figure out how to access the items he keeps most thoroughly locked and warded."
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"Oh, I'm sure I can find a way to get an invitation into his bedroom. After all~ I'm already getting plenty practice with you on how to seduce a nobel~" Winking as he lay back in the water, floating to the top, letting Huaisang get his first glimpse at the purple python between his thighs.
Listening to the rundown of his mission and smirking. Lucien had a trick up his sleeve that was his ace in the hole. All he needed to do to make this a cakewalk, was to get the sect leader read something, just a passage from a certain book the Tiefling kept on his person at all times. "Sounds like they really get under your skin, friend. If I were to hazard a guess, I'd say they sound like an old flame." Because in his experience, rage and anger of the likes he saw in his host's eyes right then, often stem from jealousy and envy.
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But all that good humor drained away instantly at Lucien's guess. "If only it were that simple," Huaisang said, cool and scathing, as if Lucien had said something embarrassingly naive. "I would advise against the seduction. He's no easy mark. He's immensely subtle and insanely paranoid. A charming stranger turning up out of nowhere trying to seduce him is almost certain to trip his paranoia, and you'll find yourself making excellent progress with him right until he walks you into a trap. He'd happily cut you into pieces and feed those pieces to his dogs if you step a toe out of line. He's murdered ... dozens, probably? I'm only certain of about twenty, but four in particular of those were people who were dear to me."
Huaisang's own paranoia was rising quickly, making him rethink his plan to involve Lucien at all. He wasn't ready to bail yet, but there was terror in Huaisang's expression behind his cool demeanor and the vengeful fury. If Jin Guangyao ever had reason to suspect an enemy and happened to glance in Huaisang's direction ... he could crush Huaisang and his clan all too easily. "If Jin Guangyao's paranoia has anything to latch onto, no matter how slim or unreasonable, you'll be in grave danger. He's incredibly dangerous. I strongly recommend making it a mission of stealth rather than a seduction. I don't know him to ever have desired anyone unless he intended the seduction to be a weapon to use against them."