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Sacrificial Lambs
#1
Spoiler:
@ThePharaoh, @Grogloki, @Krilari, @Reigen, @Gallaman341

Quote:To whom this may concern:

Two rogue death knights have allegedly committed theft and murder at Dalaran's Sable Dragon Inn at approximately 14:30. Two safes were stolen, and according to eyewitnesses, on top of using unholy and frost magic, they've also possessed and used a multitude of grenades and bomb. They escaped the city by scaling the walls and leaping onto the forest below with parachutes. Though the Guardian Mages are currently combing the forest, we believe they may have used a Death Gate to escape authorities.

According to Dezi Fizwizzle, owner of Sable Dragon Inn, the two Knights are human, one with short auburn hair (or blond) and the other longer auburn hair. They were dressed in commoner's clothing. A notable trait Mr. Fizwizzle revealed to us is that they have a tendency to end each other's sentences. Another eyewitness stated they also have a tendency to speak and behave in unison. If you know any death knights like these, please come forward.

We thank you for your cooperation.

--The Silver Covenant and Sunreavers


Spoiler:

[Image: redglove.gif]

The Younger Half of the Mongoose Wrote:To the Coyote:

We have succeeded in stealing one of the artifacts agreed upon by "The Doc". The Elder, however, is injured, as half of his face has been burned off by acid by one of the attackers.

We arrived at Sable Dragon Inn to steal the artifact, though we were not able which one of the two safes contained it. The patrons and Inn owner fought against us, but we succeeded in our escape. The Dalaran's Guardians are on pursuit after us. We will not be able to return to Dalaran anytime soon.

We will begin identifying and searching for Amura Sunfire in Hearthglen. Our records are clear there, and no one should be able to identify us except our brother. Worry not for the Serpent, however. He is of no threat to us any longer.

--The Mongoose.


Spoiler:
((This is a separate story from "Message in a Bottle" and can take place independently regardless if that story ends soon or not))
[Image: 3HQ8ifr.gif]
Reply
#2



The doctor placed the needle of the gnomish record player on the vinyl as beautiful music guided him as he sat by his surgical tools. On his desk was the severed head of Amura Sunfire, he planned to meticulously remove the flesh and hair from the skull and cover it in a white powder to make the bones dry and brighter. He had a deal of work ahead of him due to the plague and severe frost fever he had ingested prior to his death. Discolorations patched his skin and the doctor no doubt assumed the markings went straight to the bone. He would find out hours later that he had assumed correct. He wished to stir the Ridaken nest, the more guards concentrated on the outside the easier it would be to pick them off, or by pass them completely. What he sought after was inside the compound anyway. He would stir their nest with the head of their own former leader.

Alexi Montgomery did not wish to be in the business anymore, he had left the pack he belonged to called the Lunar Fang and joined up with the Thelwind Fleet. He was tracking his brother Vincent who found sanctuary with the Soltheim Society. However his former bosses found him, and didn't acknowledge his retirement. He had to play along but needed help, so he sought after The Red Glove. Their reputation had reached his ears, he had always wanted to work with them. Their results had left him pleased, and would please his employers. Beside his tools sat the Human crystal skull and scrolls on its history and usage. After his package was finished he would begin figuring out how the artifact was used. He had already sent out an update letter, so that should buy him some time, still he had a feeling his business with the Red Glove was not finished.


Doc Wrote:M'lady

The plan is going well, I have acquired the first one. I will use it as you instructed to find the others. I will leave no witnesses. The pack will roam once we assemble, unfortunately Vincent will not be joining us. He hides out with warlocks in Booty Bay. I will keep the others in check, but I would like to humbly request a leave of absence after this endeavor is complete. There are many others who can fill my place and carry out my duties. This however will not be a distraction from the current mission at hand. I will make sure I finish what you ask promptly. The artifact will be in your hands, with the others.

-Doc-


[Image: WoWScrnShot_122513_121359_zps76567b3c.jpg]




"......Fucking Lunatics..."
The Family Tree

TheBook of ThePharaoh

Pharaoh's Colosseum

The Four Suns Inn

"What are we, as role-players, if not authors in real time?" - MrBubbles

"I've always treated Role-play as Collaborative Writing. Co-authoring the stories of your characters, alongside other people." - Flammos200
Reply
#3




















It happened so fast, at first we were talking the doctor and I. Dino wasn't it? Gah...I think so....We talked about our pasts, He said he used to work with....Argh I forget, what were they called? Who am I?













Glove...














....Who am I?!!
















"...Amura!!"




















...Oh I remember.
















......I let you down Aunt Reigen...Commander Dawnsend.....Krest....I don't feel anything anymore. My body is just drifting....It's cold.....Is this my body?.....













"...What's that?!"




[Image: wowdeath_zps6e0a898c.jpg]


















"There is nothing to fear.....Come with me, Brother....It was your mother who murdered me...But we share the same.....father"

















[Image: WoWScrnShot_081912_194747.jpg]





















"That's right....-They- deserved to be here!!!".... What is this.....Hatred?!.....Resentment.....Where is the light!?!











































"....The Light has forsaken us all here.... It will not save you....Sleep my child..........Welcome home...
















[Image: NovaDeath.jpg]








The doctor had lived his life training his body and mind to complete tasks and attempt to push his body to the limits. This created results in his youth but at his age, his body was deteriorating. It was because of this he wished to retire from the practice, most of the lives he had taken were from criminals, thugs, and whoever was worth a nice sack of coin. He hadn't regretted it, but he wasn't the same person he used to be, physically and mentally. Spending hours with the human skull in deep meditation began to unlock its secrets. He began to feel vitality swirling within him, he could hear sounds....Music from instruments that didn't exist. After many undisturbed hours the sounds began to sound like voices....he was even beginning to sense what direction they were coming from....
The Family Tree

TheBook of ThePharaoh

Pharaoh's Colosseum

The Four Suns Inn

"What are we, as role-players, if not authors in real time?" - MrBubbles

"I've always treated Role-play as Collaborative Writing. Co-authoring the stories of your characters, alongside other people." - Flammos200
Reply
#4
[Image: sunset_walking_by_imagenashyun-d7cxmfd.png]
[Image: 3HQ8ifr.gif]
Reply
#5
It seems they’re past they, too, are past their prime.












              ”Ladies and gentlemen! I welcome you to the higher rungs of the Red Glove!” Haydee cheerfully greets with open arms as four people—an orc, a troll, a goblin, and a worgen--sat before her at a round table. The sun-haired woman gestures towards two elven servants who approach the seated guests with wine glasses and treats. Though they were not familiar with the gestures, the orc and troll nodded their thanks to the elves before taking in the drinks.

              The goblin, corpulent and slovenly, leans back before placing his feet onto the table. He motions to one of the elves to light his cigar as he places it into his lips. He grins a yellow-toothy grin as his large hands fold behind the back of his head. “Such a cushy rung here, Miss Herzog. Do we get animal nicknames too?”

              ”You’ll get them eventually, Mr. Shredderwix. We can come up with a theme you may like.”

              ”Splendid!”

              ”Personally...” the orc begins as he reaches for the box of cigars Mr. Shredderwix provided himself with. “I think the animal nicknames are unneeded.”

              ”And why do you believe that, Mr. Roekis?” Haydee asks as she stands before the orc across the table, not even bothering to take a seat. She does, however, lean against the troll’s chair’s backrest. The troll simply leans to her side as to allow Haydee her space while the rest of the table anticipates Roekis’ answer.

              The orc waves towards the elves to light his cigar before the smell of tobacco rises from the corners of his tusked mouth. “We are selected to move the Glove forward, are we not? We cannot linger in the days of glory in the past. It’s all done and over now. For way too long since the fall of the Lich King, foolhardy ‘heroes’ find their way to us and have forced us to run with our tails between our legs.” He glances at the worgen woman briefly before he smirks at his apparently bad metaphor. “The Crotti siblings are dead. Your best team of engineers has defected. And I am sorry to say this, Miss Herzog...”

              ”Go on.”

              ”Your Mongoose are past their prime. It took them years to finally slaughter the Serpent when one bite of his head should have sufficed. If the Galleani brothers were still effective, Giraldo Perin would have been dead the moment he decided to flee the Glove... and we wouldn’t be as crippled as he was.”

              Haydee trailed her painted, manicured nail along the backrest of the chair she leaned on. The statement of the truth stung hard like a serpent’s bite... but she seemed rather unfazed. Instead, she simply grins. “Any other weaknesses of the Glove you wish to address, Mr. Roekis?”

              Roekis puffs a ring of smoke as he pushes the box of cigars to the women across him. The troll refused, but the worgen did take one. The orc sits back as he crosses his arms, his head tilting as his expression remained in static nonchalance. “Where is your daughter?”

              ”The Galleanis are pursuing her.”

              ”Any news from them yet?”

              ”None since Aimee began her flight. This is not the first time she has fled, however. The last sighting was somewhere in Stranglethorn Vale. Very likely, due to the news that Dr. Perin has died by the Galleanis’ hands, she is on her way to Hearthglen, or some other Argent territory up north.”

              ”One escape is too many, Miss Herzog,” the worgen decides to state as she, too, waved for her cigar to be lit. “If we are to return to where we were before—strong and efficient—we’ll need to start pruning certain parts of the Glove.”

              Haydee grins slyly as she turns her head to the worgen. “I have already begun.”

              ”What has been done so far?”

              Haydee begins to pace around the table as she spoke. Her hand glides to the serving wagon to take a wine glass before she turned to pour herself a drink. “Three of our hideouts have been burned down to the ground. Suspects for defection are not given the benefit of the doubt and have all been executed accordingly. We’ve gotten from our already puny two hundred to a hundred ten. The most unruly slaves have been executed before others as a warning. Our work has been cut out as a result... but our project is almost complete.”

              ”Do we have buya’s?” the troll finally speaks up.

              ”We have two: a Bilgewater who wishes to look good for Gallywix and climb the ladder, and a Warsong who wants to use some of our weapons in Ashenvale.”

              ”’ow much ah we lookin’ at?”

              ”Their initial offer is a thousand two hundred gold per item. They already provided half of the payment and will provide the other half once we begin shipping.”

              The guests at the table murmur their understanding as heads nodded and grins lit up. Roekis, ever the skeptical one, spoke up as he waves his cigar about. “Was Aimee a part of the project?”

              ”She was our head engineer, a replacement for Dr. Perin.”

              ”I never knew your daughter was an engineering type. I thought she was just a bandit like yourself.”

              ”She apparently got it from her father.”

              The orc raised a brow. “I thought one of the Galleani brothers was her father. Neither are engineers.”

              Haydee opened her mouth, about to speak. Rather than cover for the slip-up, she simply smirks. After a brief moment, the topic changes. “We will not be needing her anymore, however. She tore up her schematics before fleeing, but we were smart this time—we’ve got goblins who copied them every night while she slept. Though they are incomplete, we got engineers filling in the blanks and numbers.”

              ”Are they anything like the Marta Perin schematics?”

              ”Roekis, my dear. They’re even –better-.”

              ”So if we don’t need Aimee anymore... what will we do with her?”

              Haydee, once more, opened her mouth, about to speak. This time, however, her lack of an answer came in the form of an interruption. The door behind the table swung open in a loud crash. A foul smell of death and decay began to overwhelm the scents of candles and bread as two weary Death Knights lumbered into the room. Once handsome young men, vibrant and full of life, they are now bitter creatures of undeath, with skin and flesh falling apart. Benedetto, the tall, blond one, is missing a hand, and his legs have not recovered from the paladin Amura’s consecration spells. Teobaldo, the shorter, brown haired one, has his face falling apart with holes and maggots from druidic magic, and he, too, is falling apart from the Paladin’s light. Despite this, their signature synchronized coordination remained intact; the brothers shuffled in unison, their undead breaths short and their faces grimacing with frustration and defeat.

              Whereas the guests were taken aback by the sudden appearance of the walking corpses, Haydee remained cool and composed. She smiles, her eyes twinkling while her pearly whites shined. “Teo! Bene! My beloved darlings,” she sang as she raises her arms to wrap around her lovers’ necks. She embraces them both, with her cheeks rubbing against their despite their undeath. “I’ve quite missed you! How was the chase after our daughter?”

              ”Let us... not speak of it,” the brothers say in eerie unison. Teobaldo scratches a maggot off his face while Benedetto plucks off a torn piece of his glove stuck onto the hanging skin of his stump. “We need to see Miss Tzazu.”

              ”Well, she is right here!” Haydee says as she holds her palms towards the troll’s direction. Tzazu, the resident necromancer, waves her arms towards the brothers silently.

              Teobaldo and Benedetto raised their brows quizzically. Benedetto was the first to speak, then his brother, as they alternate between pauses. “Why... is she.... and they.... are here?”

              ”Oh, haven’t you heard?” Haydee begins as she claps her hands together once. “We finally got replacements for the Crotti siblings as the five leaders of the Glove!”

              ”But... we see... four of them. And you.... we.... are still here.”

              ”Well, a team of leaders can afford to have more, can it not?” she says dismissively as she waves a hand. “But nevermind that. Miss Tzazu! We need to have these boys healed up.”

              ”Shall be done, mons.”

              ”Now, then. Please, do tell me you caught Aimee.”

              The brothers glanced at each other. Teobaldo, this time, is the first to speak, and Benedetto would speak alternatively between pauses by both. “We tracked her... in Duskwood. But... she found shelter... at a community... where Solidarity Row once was.... and there, they were..... protected by a coven... of worgen.”

              ”Worgen??”

              ”And a knight...” Benedetto added.

              ”And a bear. So to speak,” Teobaldo mutters.

              ”Well, that is rather unexpected,” Haydee mumbles as she raises a curled finger to her lips. “Feral? Or a Gilnean pack?”

              ”Gilnean. Druids.”

              ”Don’t tell me those maggots were because of them... Bene! What happened to your hand?!”

              Benedetto raised his stump without a change of expression on his face. “One of them bit it off.”

              ”And you, Teo... good Light, you’re starting to look like Dino.”

              Teobaldo scowls. “Do not say his name.” The younger brother’s eye starts to squeeze out as his brows furrow. Haydee takes a step back as Teobaldo catches his falling eye. “...Apologies.”

              The woman starts to pace around as her braid floats behind her every movement. “Not good.... not good at all. Can you confirm that Aimee was surely among this coven?”

              ”She was there, yes,” the brothers say in unison.

              ”And you have not made any attempts to chase her again since?”

              ”No. We need to heal.”

              ”By now, Mongoose...” Roekis begins as he leans backwards to face the brothers. “She is on her way to Hearthglen. Very likely she’ll inform the Argents that you are the one who killed Dr. Dino or whatever name he went by there. She may also give out many other secrets of the Glove and-“

              ”That’s quite all right, Roekis,” Haydee says with a sigh. “She has always been planning to betray us, and now she’s got that opportunity. I actually anticipate her squealing on us.”

              ”Miss Herzog?”

              ”But I got a plan. Teo? Bene? My dears, you’re a mess. Why don’t you go to our bedroom and let Tzazu take care of you? Give us a moment to finish talking, then I’ll have her come to you.” The brothers frown, chagrined by the idea of their needs brushed aside for a lesser priority. Rather than let them remain grumpy, Haydee coyly tilts her head aside and flashes them a flirtatious smile. “Please?~”

              ”.....Very well,” the brother say at the same time. They bow their heads to the guests and retreat from the room, leaving behind a trail of frost along the carpet.



              Tzazu sighs. “I would need ta prepeh’ maself fo’ de bruddas. But what elsa do ya need, Herzog?”

              Haydee watches the trail of ice melt from the heat of the bedroom before she answers the troll. “Remember when I said I am pruning the Glove?”

              ”Ya.”

              ”I’m still doing that.” She turns back to Tzazu and Mr. Shredderwix, her smile remaining on her face though its nature changed. “Can you two take care of the brothers for me, please?”








              The brothers sat quietly on the bed, glowing eyes staring blankly at the walls and their decorations. The vanity, usually peppered with makeup and jewelry, is now bare—small charcoal sketches, delicately framed, were all that were left. The shelves are now bare, save a few books the once three brothers owned. Cobwebs covered the corners of the walls, with mice peeking out of the walls. The brothers sat, patiently waiting, with hands curled over popped and worn-out knees. The creaky clock struck the next hour, but no bell rang to signify its arrival. Still, they waited impassively, though eventually they would rise to for their feet and their minds to wander freely.

              First, they looked upon the portraits. They were sketches made by their elder sister, Alberta, beloved and fondly cherished even by their frozen hearts. One was that of the three brothers put together, even with the loathed Dino and his deformed visage. Another was a self-portrait made by the same artist, done as an exercise for her skill and then provided as a gift for the youngest two. As undead eyes wandered, their hands trailed along the books that remained on the pilfered shelf. Gearsprocket's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. Human Skeleton Reference Guide. Comparisons of Human, Elf, and Dwarf Anatomy. Medical Physiology. They were medical books all three brothers had to study, as the Glove valued doctors just as much as they valued engineers; however, the two could not match the skill level their eldest brother could before he reached adulthood. As they were about to take one more book, Benedetto gripped Teobaldo’s shoulder suddenly as he almost fell. Looking back, the two noticed a mouse which Benedetto stepped on and nearly stumbled over. It wasn’t dead; though its belly burst and blood smeared on the wooden floor, the poor creature was still breathing as it writhed in agony. Rather than put the creature out of its misery, Benedetto scuffed his foot along the floor to kick the mouse back into the mousehole.

May as well feed the snake hidden in the burrow.

              Teobaldo returned to the bed with the book set on his lap while Benedetto remained standing. Just then, the door finally creaked open. The fat and slovenly Mr. Shredderwix scampers in extra pairs of clothing while the sleek and shapely Tzazu follows closely with a channeling staff in hand. Shredderwix places the clothes on the bare vanity as he glanced around. “Huh. So this is your shack? Nice place.”

              ”Where are Haydee’s belongings?” the brothers ask at once.

              As Tzazu takes a chair from the corner, Shredderwix runs a finger along the surface of the vanity to examine the layers of dust. “She moved. Someplace in Hillsbrad or Hinterlands, I’m not sure.”

              ”We do not have bases there...”

              Shredderwix shrugged. “We got new bases in general. We had to get rid of the ones in Duskwallow and Thousand Needles. We felt we’re being pursued and had to move out.”

              The brothers frowned. “We were not informed this...”

              ”Well, now you know. Tzazu! Don’t you have something to do for these kind gentlemen?”

              The troll frowned as she pulls the chair before the brothers. “Let me do mah ‘ting, mon,” she sneers with annoyance as she places the channeling staff on her lap. The air spins and swirls along the fetish head as a stream of sickly unholy green light forms. Tzazu’s two fingers trailed along this stream to guide it towards the brothers, starting with Teobaldo as he was still struggling to keep his eye in his skull. The maggots begin falling out as the holes close up, tendons and muscles reconnect, and the skin repairs. She takes her sweet time, however; her finger trails along the face to guide the necromantic energy to repair the undead flesh. The healing, though efficient, was fairly incomplete; there were still holes and ulcers in the skin, unresponsive to the magic and refusing to fill up. As Teobaldo sat across the mirror from the vanity, he could tell the magic wasn’t fully working. He glares at the troll. “Work harder,” he commands.

              ”I said let me do mah ‘ting, mon,” she states again.

              Rather than let the brothers focus on the imperfect magic, Shredderwix decided to entertain the brothers. He reaches for the footrest by the nightstand and tugs it forward, placing it in to Benedetto’s left before sitting upon it. “Well, you know how these things take time. Let’s talk! How are you two doing?”

              ”We’ve been better,” Benedetto simply answers on behalf of himself and his Teobaldo.

              ”No doubt about it, I’d imagine. How long have you two been in the Glove?”

              ”Some time before the opening of the Dark Portal.”

              ”So that’d be... about thirty years ago! Good grief! You two were risen by the Lich King only about a few years ago, weren’t you? Neither of you look a day over fifty! Or forty, for that matter!”

              Benedetto rolled his eyes as he glances aside. Teobaldo would take his turn to speak. “We were brought into the Glove when we were young children.”

              ”Ohh, I see, I see. So trained as kids and rose to the ranks come adulthood, yeah? You all must have been child prodigies.”

              ”You can say that.”

              As Tzazu focuses on Teobaldo’s neck, Shredderwix leans back a bit to relax some more. He takes notices of the pictures on the vanity and reaches for them to examine them. “All of you? Including Perin?”

              ”Yes.”

              ”And this gal here? Who is she?”

              The brothers’ protective instinctive begin to rise as Shredderwix prods. “That is our sister, Alberta. She did not join the Glove,” they say at the same time.

              ”Whoa, whoa, no need to be defensive here, pal! Just curious. I’ve only been in the Glove for about two years and it’s only now that I got to meet the venerable elite Dr. Teobaldo and Dr. Benedetto Galleani. A shame I never met your brother, Dino. I would have been more than happy since I, too, am an engineer-doctor. Have yet to obtain the ‘Doctor’ title, but I’m working on it.”

              ”Speak not of our brother.”

              He raises his brow. “Why is that?”

              ”Because we it wish so.”

              ”Oh, come on. Humor me.” While Shredderwix place the cigar back in his mouth, Tzazu then takes Teobaldo’s arm to heal the wounds caused by Amura’s consecration spells. “Like for instance... the surname thing.”

              ”Giraldo is our half-brother. We share the same father but not the same mother.”

              ”Ah, gotcha. So he’s the son of Marta Perin, but you’re not. That explains the lack of engineering in your background.” He lights up the cigar and puffs a ring of smoke as he sits back to lean against the vanity. “So all three of you joined the Glove as kids, yeah? Worked with Haydee Herzog this whole time?”

              ”That is correct.”

              ”You as the top assassins and him the top weapons engineer?”

              ”That is correct.”

              ”And as Haydee’s lovers?”

              The brothers frown at the goblin for his intrusion. “You ask too much.”

              ”No, no, please! Just fill me in, heh. I’m simply a curious soul, trust me on that. Haydee seems to be very, very fond of you two in particular. Can’t blame her, you’re both damn good looking. Though at least humor me on this one... do you three still have s-”

              The brothers cut off the goblin with a very straightforward and blunt answer: “No. We have not committed such an act since before our death.”

              ”And yet you share a bedroom!”

              ”We attend to her needs in every way we can despite our state. But our relationship stopped being sexual before we died.”

              ”Both of you. You just share her. Right?”

              ”You. Ask. Too much.”

              ”Okay, okay, I yield!” Shredderwix says jovially as he raises his hands in surrender. He takes another glance at the sketch with the brothers, with Dino posed at the very center. All three were smiling in this picture. “All right. Answer me this one.”

              ”Speak no more after this.”

              ”Fair enough! Why did it take you so long to kill Dino Perin? With anyone else, especially Amura Sunfire, you carry out your tasks with precision and timing. But that guy... he survived a runespear to the gut! Normally you just death coil people left and right!... well, at least that’s what I’m told. But why take years?” He leans against the vanity as Tzazu moves from Teobaldo to Benedetto, starting with his rotting legs. “You’ve had every opportunity to kill him. Two brothers, sharing one girl, and you wouldn’t have any room for the third. Three brothers, two being assassins, one being an engineer, but all of you are doctors... you’d know just what is the best way to kill him. You knew he’d squeal should he run.... yet you let him just—“ He pauses to crook his arm horizontally so that he would wave his hand and elbow aside in a wavy motion, as to emulate the slithering of a snake. “—slither away.”

              This time, the brothers’ expressions change. Even with Tzazu focusing on Benedetto’s face and neck of his own wounds, the brothers would glance aside silently while denying the goblin an answer.

              ”...Well?”

              Still no answer.

              As the troll examines every last spot left to heal, Shredderwix huffs a cloud of smoke as his beady eyes follow the death knights’. He was able to beeline their line of sight to the portrait of the sister, with her warm smile and her curled hair. A grin appears on Shredderwix’s face as he lifts his legs to the stool so that he could sit upon the cushion cross-legged. “Care if I give a guess?”

              ”Release your thoughts so that we will never touch on them again,” the brothers simply state.

              ”I think you care about them. Or at least you do because of your sister. If all these stories are right, she’s probably dead. Or long gone some other way. I know Dr. Dino’s crippled, but I thought it was some engineering accident. Haydee told me it’s because you broke his legs so that he’d fall from the Boss’s graces.” He huffs another cloud of smoke, the smell of tobacco now overwhelming the scent of rot from the undead flesh as the final repairs are being made. “Such spite. Such anger. Such hatred... but apparently not strong enough to just kill the guy. He was at your mercy. But you let him go. And you let him go, again and again. You could have pursued him as soon as you learned he was still alive after that murder attempt last year. I thought it was because you felt it wasn’t worth it... but I was wrong.”

              ”You speak too much,” the brothers simply say as a retort.

              ”And now I’m going to guess you want to spare Aimee the same way too, huh?”

              The brothers glare at the goblin. “She will return to the Glove, and the project will finish.”

              ”So you say! Tzazu! Are you done?”

              The troll sighs in relief as she sees her final work. The repairs, indeed, are done, though holes still plagued the brothers’ skins. “I did whut I c’do, mon. Das all dere is left.”

              Teobaldo and Benedetto turn to the vanity. They feel their fingers along their ulcered skin. “...We can continue another time.”

              ”Might as well,” Shredderwix says as he presses his cigar butt along the lacquered wall to put it out. “Haydee says she has another word with you two, though. She wants you to stay here and wait a few minutes for her. Something about the project and Aimee.”

              ”Very well. Are we moving our belongings out as well?”

              ”I think she’ll be the one to answer that.”

              ”Very well.”

              Tzazu rises, her hand brushing back her hair while she grips her staff. She glances to the goblin, who nods his signal to depart. Shredderwix extends a hand to the neither undead brother in particular. “Well, then! It was nice getting to know you two! Always wanted to know more about the ever famous Galleani brothers. If you would have been able to eat, I’d invite you both to lunch someday!”

              ”Socialization...” the brothers began while they would alternate between pauses. “...will have... to wait... until Aimee is caught.”

              ”Fair enough! See you two around!”

              ”Farewell.”




              The door is shut. Teobaldo and Benedetto turn to the mirror. They trail their fingers along their own faces once again, their fingertips dipping into the larger ulcers that form on their faces. For Teobaldo, the holes came from maggots spawned in his flesh by an angry worgen. For Benedetto, they were burns from the Light of a righteous paladin. The elder brother is still missing a hand, and though his flesh is repaired, the younger could still keep his eye in his skull. The repairs are complete... yet they are not. But they wouldn’t let the talk continue. Too much of what was left of warmth in their undead souls were being touched.

              They glanced at the book taken from the shelf. Bedtime stories. All these books, including the textbooks, were pilfered by the Glove in a raid that placed the brothers into the organization. They did not discriminate on what was stolen... just that their new recruits get the training they needed. This, however, was left unabused by the stained red hands of the Glove. It was all that was left of their sister. Of a time when the four siblings were smiling under the bright yellow sun, when they fled the prison that was their home and before they were tossed into another.

              ...A beeping sound. The brothers don’t know what it is and where it’s coming from. They search the room, listening for the beeps as the repetition increased in rhythm and frequency. They search the bed, the nightstand, the chairs, the vanity. At last, they look under the footstool on which Mr. Shredderwix sat upon. There is a small disc jabbed on the underside, with a little clock attached in the center. Goblin made, this clock showed digits as opposed to hour and minute hands, but the time matched the otherwise outdated bedroom clock. The hours and minutes read “0”, and the second had left a 4...


                            3...



                                          2...



                                                        1.

























At last. So this is the end of an era.






              Rain poured as Haydee approached the rubble left of the abandoned base. Her arms crossed as she looked down without lowering her head; in fact, her nose were raised to the air, the rain trickling down the sides of its bridge while her lips purse closely with dispassion. She sees nothing left... nothing whole, at least. The smoke has died down by now. Mud was forming all over the debris, covering the site with dirty water.

              At last, the worgen approached the uncursed woman with an umbrella over her head. She smirks at her boss as her nose sniffed the air for any remains of the death knight brothers. “Any signs of them?”

              ”None. Thank you, Mrs. Harridan.”

              ”Splendid. So now we are absolutely unhindered and can finally return to our former glory.”

              Haydee turns around to smirk at her companion. As she turned, she spots three more silhouettes in the rain. Roekis approaches the two with his own umbrella over Tzazu and Shredderwix’s head, the goblin possessing two picture frames in his hands. Apparently, he pilfered the pictures just before he set the bomb in the bedroom. “Greetings, dear Haydee!”

              ”Many greetings, Mr. Shredderwix! Mr. Roekis, Miss Tzazu.

              ”You said you left some pictures behind in your room. Are these it?” Shredderwix asks as he holds up the pictures. Haydee reaches for the frames and examines the images while she ducks her head under the Mrs. Harridan’s umbrella. “Well?”

              ”...No,” Haydee says with a smirk. “These aren’t it. The pictures I left are that of myself and Aimee. These are Teo and Bene’s.”

              ”Oh! Well, then. What shall we do now?”

              Haydee turns around, not minding the mud flooding her well-made boots and soaking up her expensive gown. Her pearly whites shine within her satisfied smile as she tosses the sketches thoughtlessly behind her. “We move forward, ladies and gentlemen. Nevermind the rain—the sun rises for a new dawn.”

              As the five new leading fingers of the Red Glove depart the site, the rain pours harder over the mud. The water seeps into the picture frames, staining the sketches’ papers until the charcoal completely washes out. First, Alberta’s smile disappears. At last, the memories of the Galleani brothers are no more.


Or so they think...




[Image: redglove.gif]
[Image: 3HQ8ifr.gif]
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#6
Stuffed in the mailbox at Rosehaven...


Spoiler:
Quote:Dear Aimee

You are free. We will not chase you anymore.

-Papas


Spots on the paper smells of undeath, and the edges seem to have been rotten away. Smearing the paper is swampy algae. The sheet itself is muddy, and it smells fresh of reeds and clay. The edges seem to be torn, with running ink on the other side. The text is printed, showing a dinner special held in Deepwater Tavern. The special's date was a few days ago.
[Image: 3HQ8ifr.gif]
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