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[Drake D'Sicarius]

[[The Tavern Owner is called Cryss (Cr-i-ss)]]

Tucked away within the Falls was the Bloody Dagger Tavern. Situated in no town, under the control of no government, the tavern was the symbol of ultimate freedom... Which regrettably paved that way towards anarchy. Due to its secret location, guards and soldiers did not know if its whereabouts. Those that did find it, and were not trusted enough, often found themselves slaves, imprisoned or more than likely dead.

The tavern itself was bigger on the inside than what it looked on the outside. The wood and mortar exterior protruded out from the cliff surface so it contained no back end. The inside consisted of the actual built tavern, which then cut into a naturally occurring cave. It was genius thinking, to use space nature had already provided. More to the point, the cave had a number of networks and small naturally built rooms which provided the quarters of private firms and organisations. The structure contained three floors, the ground and two upper floors which were usually reserved for guests as well as the owner himself. Those who belonged to a group had their own cave room.

Though a marvellous structure, the tavern itself was ruined by the tarnished reputation it had. It was home to some of the roughest citizens on the both countries. Wanted criminals found sanctuary here. Pirates and marauders came here for meetings with others similar to themselves, usually to argue over potential treasure leads, or for finding additional crew. Smugglers and Black Market traders sold and traded their wares. Woman roamed throughout, offering their services as an escort for anyone willing to pay, which was usually the majority. In all, the tavern operated as the Thieves, Black Market, Courtesan and Mercenary main base of operation.

Drake entered the door to see the large, manmade tavern floor, with the double iron doors at the back of the room which led into the cave system. Tough looking men stood either side, ones that even the Assassin dared not go toe to toe with. It was not what he'd call his ideal place to be, in fact this was a breeding ground for many of his targets. There had been a few occasions where he had eliminated one or two drunk targets outside the premises, and a couple via poison inside. On this occasion he was simply here because it was...ironically, safe. No-body bothered with Assassin's, mostly due to their deviant views on morality. They killed easily, they only required a reason to justify it. That justification could waver from physical assault to just being looked at in the wrong way. More over, the presence of an assassin usually had a lot of people on edge, for they did not know whether they were being stalked or not.

Fortunately, Drake's name this far south was little known, and the people within the tavern did not show any signs of fear or sense of danger. He approached the tavern keeper, Cryss, a former pirate Captain and legend in Great Bay. Many believed him to be dead, but there he stood, glass in hand and a grim smile on his heavily scarred face.

"What can I get ya, fella?" He asked, ready to direct his hand to a pump. Drake looked at the wares, but he had already decided on what he wanted.

"Just some water for now." Cryss nodded. Though ale, rum and other fine drinks were common place, water was still one of the most ordered drinks. It was dangerous to be drunk in the place. A moment later, the tavern keeper returned with a tumbler of water. The Assassin gave a nod and went to find a place to sit.

[Drake D'Sicarius]

"Drake!" A voice, coarse yet experienced, called from one of the tables. The Assassin turned to locate the mysterious called, tense at first until he saw who it belonged to. Sitting on one of the ship-planked tables was Elios, a former traveller and a friend of Drake. To be so far south seemed strange, perhaps he was here because he had done something wrong, be it in Hyrule or Termina. However, Elios was extremely talented, one of the best pick-pockets in the nomad camp. If he was caught, then it certainly was by a person extremely sensitive to his personal belongings.

"Elios, a pleasant surprise. On the run, or on business?" Asked the Hylian, moving towards the table and taking the only available seat left. Elios smiled, his blue eyes scanned the man before him with intrigue. It had been a few years since they last saw each other. His dark blonde hair had grown to his shoulders. He was only a small man, at 5' 7'' but it was an asset for any rogue. Leaning forward, the human waved away the question.

"Be serious, Drak-o. I've never been caught, nor intend to be. No, I'm here because one of the nomads wanted to give you a letter. I've been in the tavern for a week or so now, waiting for you to stop by to hand you this." He pulled out an envelop, sealed with wax. The paper looked aged, the white parchment now strained yellow from the test of time. The Assassin took the letter and cautiously manoeuvred it around his hands.

"Who is it from?" He asked. Elios shrugged.

"Its sealed, Bro. How am I supposed to know. You're foster Mother gave it to me to give to you. Said it was time." Drake gave the Rogue a troubling look, before he removed a dagger from his boot and slid it effortlessly across the fold of the letter. Once open, he removed the letter and read the contents within his mind. His eyes did not betray him from the revelation he had found out.

"Drake?" Elios asked, quietly. The Assassin, folded the letter and placed it upon the table. Then, with two fingers pushed it towards the Human to read. Elios picked up the letter and scanned its contents. Within moments he sighed, returning the letter. "I see. And do you intend to do what she has asked?"

"The person who wrote this was no-one to me. My birth mother by the Goddesses, but no parent. I do not see why I owe her anything. The letter was handed over with me as a babe. Our affiliation ended there." His response was harsh, harsh enough for Elios to recoil. However, he shivered off the brutal attack and spoke in a light tone.

"Drake, she's your mother. Your real mother. For the sakes of closure, you should return to her. At least just to say hello and then good bye. She'd want to know if you're still alive." Drake cast a strict face upon his friend, then let out a laugh which caused Elios to shiver again.

"I am an Assassin, Elios. I am as dead as the prey I seek. She would not want to know what her 'son' has become." The self loathing caused Elios to become more aggressive and honest.

"You're a good man, Drake. You never kill the innocent. You do what you think is right, who can fault you for that. Your mother would be proud... Should be proud. Besides, who is she to hold the moral high ground." The point was valid... She couldn't say much. Even if she turned him away for what he had become, it wouldn't of mattered. He had no love for her, no like or anything.

"Fine. I shall see her, if not for closer. My people are the nomads, and you are my Brother. I expect nothing more, nothing less." Elios leant forward and placed his hand upon Drake's.

"Likewise, brother. Now where does it say they live?" Drake opened the letter and read it once more.

"Not far from here actually, a some homestead near the Great Bay. I'll be able to find it by the directions. I'll go in the morning, it would be rude of me to appear at night and barter upon there minds for boarding... Not that I want to stay there longer than I have to." He replied. Elios smiled and raised his mug of ale.

"It's been a long time coming, brother."

"Aye."

[Drake D'Sicarius]

Drake had returned to the tavern, pace slower than usual. Elios was still here, though at a different table, talking to two girls who seemed interested in his years of rogueness. As he noticed the Assassin to approach, he groaned before whipping away the girls, promising to see them later. They moaned in unison, but found the promise a tease, excitedly running off and joining another batch of slutty girls. Drake watched with little interest, taking the seat of one of the girls.

"You'll catch something." He said, not really commenting much else on the matter. Elios didn't seem to care, merely shrugged. His happy face turned to concern when he remembered where his friend had been.

"How was it?" He asked. His voice was laden with sympathy, knowing the difficulty the Hylian had to endure to complete this unwanted assignment. Drake reached inside his belt and pulled out a child's drawing, then reached for the journal of the father who owned the property.

"The journal of Horatio Arletham. Husband of Elizabeth Arletham, father of Kane and Marik Arletham... And me." His face and voice were stoic, as if the piece of information was of no consequence. However, admitting the fact out loud created a large crack in the Assassin's psyche. He never expected to have real brothers. He accepted his Mother had gone, and his Father, according to the final pages, had left for a voyage. There was no sign of his return, which made him feel sorry for the two boys he left behind.

"What do you intend to do now? Find your father? Your brothers?" He asked, taking a sip on a glass of wine. Drake shrugged. He didn't know what to do next. He had enough money to last him a while, should he want to search for them. Perhaps he could pick up a few contracts on the way. But he had no leads to start from, only a name. In a country as vast as Termina and Hyrule, one could be searching for all their lives.

"Perhaps you could do me a favour? Ask around the names I have given you. See if anyone here knows who they are. Judging on the father's profession, he was a sailor. Maybe the traders or pirates would know." Elios sat up right and gave a reassuring nod.

"Of course, brother."

"Thank you, Elios."

[Drake D'Sicarius]

After a few hours, Drake and Elios met back up at a table. They said little at first, merely watching the rough crowds pass by. Once the floor had mellowed slightly, the nomad leant forward.

"So, I heard a few details about that name. Interesting history and a sad one too. The Father... Your Father has been missing for some time, considered dead. The... I mean, your Mother died shortly arriving here. Since then Marik and Kane haven't been heard of much. One of the pirates said that the name Marik seemed familiar with him, that he was working as a slave on one of the ships. Almost nothing exists on Kane." Elios leant back in his chair, allowing Drake some space and time to mull over the information he had gathered. Drake thought not on his missing Father, but on his Brothers. If death had claimed his Mother and Father then it was wise to simply pay them no mind, and that was something an Assassin had the gift of doing.

"This...Marik. Any idea what happened to him? Is he still a slave on board one of the ships?" Asked the Hylian. Elios bit his lip, as if holding off some information. Drake shot him a daring look, to which Elios relented to.

"He was seen, not too long ago working with a sailor named Bruce. There was an incident down by the docks, two boats were hit by arsonists. They've not been caught. One of the boats was owned by this Bruce fella and Marik. Some think they were both on that ship, some saw Marik walk away towards the north. That's the last any of these guys have seen him." He said. Drake ran his fingers through his hair in thought, bring his hand round and began to massage his temple. It was likely that Marik was still alive, despite the rumours. If it was north, it could've been anywhere in Termina and Hyrule. He hoped his long lost brother did not find his way to Hyrule, the last thing he wanted was their first impressions of each other to be an ex-slave and an assassin.

"Thank you Elios, you have given me much to think on." He gestured a nomadic sign of thanks to Elios, who returned one of respect.