<span style="font-style: italic">You're not insane. Think of the money. You can always run away.</span><br/><br/>The phrase had become Edric's mantra for dealing with Koralheim. It reminded him that his greatest priority was avoiding whatever dangers his employer was intent upon dragging him into and thus surviving to receive payment, well above the actual fulfillment of his duties or the safety of anyone else traveling with him. He was being hired not for his loyalty but his skills, and how they were best leveraged was something that he was free to decide for himself, which made for a very convenient excuse whenever he saw fit to disappear without warning during heated conflicts. Fortunately for his continued employment, he was also quite talented at reading the situation and returning just in time to pull his own weight, usually when all negative attention was focused elsewhere. The fact that he hadn't yet needed to disappear permanently while working for Koralheim was one of the few things he respected about the merman - few others showed such dedication to their own survival.<br/><br/>As they walked, the assassin took a moment to size up his new and unfamiliar companion. She was about as large and intimidating as any other Drakefolk warrior he knew, if appreciably less interested in killing him, but surprisingly well-equipped for someone who wasn't working for money. Koralheim had said that she was there to protect and learn from him, but Edric couldn't imagine what knowledge a dragon-worshipper would find valuable enough to tolerate his employer's tiresome presence over. It was more likely just an excuse for her to kill a few angels so that she could brag about it to her tribe when both he and the merman were dead and buried, or perhaps she sought a painful and bloody death in the only way that an "honorable" warrior could, and held no delusions about any of their chances in a battle against agents of the divine. He was unsure of which form of insanity he found less agreeable, but refused to let his optimism carry him any further. Knowing Koralheim, the reality of it was far worse than he could imagine.<br/><br/>Of course,<span style="font-style: italic">his</span>reality was fast approaching a future that ended with him, or at least the man paying him, impaled on a winged arbiter's sword. The more he thought about that, the more he realized that Koralheim was right to be talking about preparations, even if he wasn't specifically referring to what Edric himself needed. A diabolist would have been very useful to know, but he couldn't think of a single one, and most of the necromancers in Northpeak were far too secure in their own little circles to aid an outsider for any reason. The only venefice he knew who was skilled enough...<br/><br/>A malevolent grin crept across his face.<span style="font-style: italic">Just maybe</span>.<br/><br/>"I need to make a request of an associate of mine, and I have one for you as well." he said to his employer. "How much of a delay can we tolerate?"<br/><br/>Koralheim's hands moved in one-handed half signs out of habit as they walked. "I trust your judgement enough to assume you've good reason. Take the time you need; I trust, my trusted companion, that you can find me quite easily should you wish to. Was this delay your request, dear Edric?" he asked into the human's mind, not bothering to obscure his words from Kala, "Or is there something else you'd ask of me?"<br/><br/>"I'll need a weapon; something less cumbersome than a bow, if you think you can manage it."<br/><br/>The merman lightly rubbed his thumb against the side of his index finger, making a light sliding sound, the equivalent to a human clicking their tongue teasingly. "Edric, I believe I can manage. I've some plans around, but they'd have to be toned down somewhat for your tastes."<br/><br/>"Try to make it<span style="font-style: italic">quiet</span>, if at all possible. If you don't see me within the next few hours, I'll have either found what I need, or died. You might grieve regardless of the outcome."<br/><br/>That was a bit cryptic for his tastes, but he had to give the merman his due whenever the opportunity presented itself, and he was definitely going to regret was he was planning to do for one reason or another. Whether he would regret it more or less when he was staring down the latest horror that he was being paid to fight remained to be seen, but the chances of him possessing something horrible of his own were looking good.<br/><br/>Koralheim stopped and gave Edric a sidelong look. "Oh dear, well, don't make me worry. I'm thinking of stopping by the kinhunter's roost and putting in a request for something. I'm owed a favor." he explained, "And I wouldn't want to have to describe you to them so they might search for you and return you to safety."<br/><br/>"I'm sure it would be very embarrassing if they were to apprehend the wrong sinister, cloaked man and bring him to you. Don't worry; I'll be working out of my element here, but I have a bargaining chip to lean on."<br/><br/>"Ah, see, there was always a reason to like you." Koralheim added, starting to walk again. "You're an acceptable businessman."<br/><br/>Edric gave his employer a curt nod but chose not to follow any further, instead breaking off on a separate path which led him into a tight alleyway between two rows of houses. He stopped after a few minutes of walking and crouched down to brush a thick layer of snow off of a hatch on the floor. It alone was nothing remarkable - one of some hundred different entrances to Northpeak's sewer system, which housed a few of its own entrances to his hidden bunker. The assassin climbed inside when he was sure nobody was watching, and immediately covered his nose to keep the smell of mixed waste from reaching it. His trip through the sewer was mercifully brief, the specific entrance he used being very close to a fake disposal chute which led upwards into his home, but he knew that he'd be back far sooner than he would have liked.<br/><br/>The only things that Edric hadn't taken with him upon his first departure were those which he either didn't need, or didn't have the time to retrieve. His latest objective, a black cloth bundle stashed away in the back of his personal vault, previously fit under both criteria. The thing had an unpleasant air to it, and it made him shudder as he hid it under his cloak - more out of a recollection of its history than any physical effect it had upon him. Along with it, he left with two vials of the fine white powder that he had become infamous for (in addition to the two he always kept close at hand), and a spare set of needles. All together, he was carrying more than enough to deal with any<span style="font-style: italic">mortal</span>threat he was likely to face.<br/><br/>Cursing as he crawled his way back into the sewers, Edric prepared himself to speak with one of the most inscrutable and tolerant men ever to take up residence in his city. He was sure it would be an unpleasant experience, as always.