<div style="text-align: center;">((Collab between Lucius Cypher and Eggs))</div><br/><br/>Shaking her head Atisha waved off the other prisoner.<span style="color: goldenrod">"Leave him here for now. We'll ask him questions after this one."</span>Atisha and Magnus walked towards the cellar where the other prisoner was at, and she could hear him moaning in pain. Before she entered Magnus had one more question, about what they would do with them afterwards. Honestly, Atisha figured they could turn them into the guards. Or kill them, but she didn't quite have the stomach to do that. It was one thing for her to end up killing someone in the heat of battle, but to slit a man's throat when he's at their mercy... That would be something her mother would do. Either one of them really.<span style="color: goldenrod">"We could try to turn them to the guards. If they confess that they were part of the attack on your store, the guards would have reason to imprison them. After that they're the guards problem. Hopefully anyways... Don't worry, I'll try to think of something when the time comes. Let's deal with the issue at hand."</span><br/><br/>The prisoner was groggy now. Though Atisha made sure that the poison would not have numbed his mind too badly, he would have a hard time keeping his thoughts strait or his mouth shut. He closed his eyes and groaned in pain when the entrance opened, letting in a flash of light that blinded him. "Oi! Who... Who are you?" The prisoner asked. Once Atisha and Magnus entered, she closed the door, once again lowering the light level of the room. Aside from the single candle on the wall, there was little light. Atisha could see fine, though Magnus may need some time to adjust his eyes.<span style="color: goldenrod">"We... Are new recruits. Don't worry. You're safe now. When we found you you were under some sort of spell that made you go mad. So we tied you up, just to make sure that you didn't hurt yourself. We were told that once you came to, we should ask you about our mission."</span>Of course all of that was a big fat lie. But Atisha said it with such confidence that the drug-addled prisoner had a hard time trying to discern the lie.<br/><br/>The cellar's darkness disoriented Magnus for half a moment, but as his pupils widened just enough to clear his vision, he could see well enough to walk forward without crashing into any obstacles. During the approach, he remained quiet, taking in the lies that Atisha was feeding the still not-quite-sober assailant bound in front of them. He nodded in agreement with her false explanation and added to it, his tone of voice sincere and convincing. The perks of a life of mercantile experience. "Yeah, sorry about the rope. Wish there was another way, but we couldn't have you stumbling around and breaking things," He said, giving the prisoner a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "You should be good to go in a bit, but for now, you'll have to bear with it. We're not quite sure when the spell will be completely worn."<br/><br/>The prisoner eyed Magnus in half-conscious suspicion when he touched him. He couldn't quite recognize neither him nor Atisha, but his mind was addled enough to make their lies sound at least reasonably truthful. He frowned, trying to recall exactly what had happened prior to his blackout. Time at a bar, a conversation with a pretty lady whose exact features escaped him, and then nothing. A grunt of discontent came from his throat. "Well, there were a lot of things we had to do," He began, shifting slightly in his seat. Even awake, he still felt the effects of the drugs that had been used on him, and his vision doubled for a few moments. "Bloody hell, my head...Anyway...After we were done here, we were supposed to head south. Sweep up any potentials along the way, then head to...what's it called, Marveila? Place where people dress like there's a goddamn festival going year-round. Only been once before. Hated it."<br/><br/><span style="color: goldenrod">"Marveila..."</span>Atisha said quietly to herself. She's never been there, though she has heard about their gaudy fashion sense from other travelers who came from there. She even saw some of their dresses. At best it was flashy and creative, but usually it was just very expensive and difficult to take seriously. Still, there was some reason why this man and his allies were heading towards Marveila.<br/><br/><span style="color: goldenrod">"Alright... Do you know why we're going there? You had a lot of things with your when we found you. Some of it looks like your usual traveling things, but some of them we aren't sure why you brought them. Calipers and such."</span>A bit of a lie on that last part, just about everything he brought seemed to be for traveling purposes, but who knows, maybe he'll tell them something she otherwise wouldn't figure out.<br/><br/>"You're that new, eh? We're going there for the same reason we go anywhere. Father Elias has a few marks in that place, mostly peasants. Should be an easy hit, really. Not sure what's so special about 'em, but as long as he doesn't send me after any royalty, I ain't gonna question it. You hear what happened to Matthias when he was sent after a prince? Took him days to find a time to strike. Ain't got the patience for that," The prisoner said, tapping his foot as he spoke. "Ah, little itchy on the neck, help me out?"<br/><br/>Magnus obliged, scratching the prisoner's neck. His brow furrowed and he pursed his lips as he did so, not exactly having the time of his life, but followed their captive's directions. "Right there, riiiight there. Ah yeah. Right, so, this cockatrice farmer's next on the list. Real small-name, ain't a person anyone will miss. Easy, yeah? Hell, if you two are sticking around, I'll let you have him. Get yourself some experience, maybe move up the ranks a bit." After the explanation, he thought for a moment, attempting to recall the earlier events of the day. "So, what happened after that flighty Alftar blew it at the blacksmith? Anyone else come along to clean up while I was out?"<br/><br/>Atisha rolled her eyes as the prisoner mentioned their greenness to his organization. She'd quip, but kept her mouth shut until he was done talking. From what she could gather, these people were no better than robbers and bandits, but to what end? Somehow though, she didn't think that this man would know that much of what was going on. He himself seemed to be rather low in their hierarchy. Indeed, if she had joined, he'd likely only be her superior for experience, not for any specific level of authority. He continued to ramble on and one as Atisha prepared another cloth soaked in the odorless knock-out poison. At least they did get one thing from him: In Marveila, the next target was a Cockatrice farmer. A fairly specialized occupation, Atisha did not imagine that there would be too many of them, though if what the prisoner said is true, the farmer himself isn't much of importance.<br/><br/>Once Atisha's cloth was evenly drenched, she stepped behind the prisoner and answered his question.<span style="color: goldenrod">"That's why we're here. We were sent to finish the job. Starting with you."</span>Atisha covered the prisoner's mouth and nose once again, holding it in place for a solid minute. He didn't get to struggle much like before and was out by the time she removed the cloth. Putting the cloth somewhere safe Atisha went back to the cellar entrance.<span style="color: goldenrod">"Good job Magnus. Try to remember what he said, I'll bring down the next prisoner and see what he has to say."</span><br/><br/>As the prisoner fell limp, Magnus processed the information. Cockatrice farms weren't supremely common, but there were maybe two or three around Marveila, each one employing quite a few people. The target could've been any of them. Without any specific information, they couldn't really swoop in and rescue some innocent, but it did give them a trail to follow for their own endeavors. Magnus had been to Marveila a few times on business trips, but didn't know the place well enough to remember every detail of the farms. And if the prisoner had already been planning to go there, what was to say they'd even arrive before other assassins swept over the city and killed their marks?<br/><br/>They were potential problems, but hopefully they would manage to at least learn more about these mysterious assailants. "Thanks, I'll keep it in mind," Magnus said in response to Atisha, glancing towards the unconscious prisoner. A silence followed, and after Magnus cleared his throat, he decided to join the others back upstairs. "Well, we've got something, at least. Not a lot, but...you know, a direction to go in."<br/><br/>Atisha walked over to the sack containing the other prisoner. She had another cloth seeped in the orderless knockout poison and quickly opened the bag and covered his face with it. It wasn't as potent as the one she used on the other prisoner, as she just wanted to make sure this man wasn't going to struggle on the way down. He'd wake up soon, and the next interrogation will begin.<span style="color: goldenrod">"Magnus, stay up here and help keep watch. I'm going to need some muscle for the next one. Anyone up for a spot of physical interrogation?"</span>She meant torture, but she wasn't going to dirty her hands. She'd be asking the questions, but she needed someone who'd be willing to rough up the other prisoner while this one watched.