Hard Lessons (Kite)

[Angmor]

For the majority of the human population, night was a peaceful time. As soon as the sun went down, that was the symbol for the day to end, and begin the preparation for sleep. For most, night was the time to rest their bodies to be ready to face the next day.
For others, specifically those in the service of being a covert operative of some kind, the sinking of the sun simply meant it was almost time to get to work.
Niar yawned as he thought this, rubbing his sore neck as he he withdrew from the mind of the wide-eyed peasant woman before him.
One great thing about this job,

[/Color] He thought idly to himself. You automatically learn how to work without any sleep...[/Color]

For once, he was in this one as a supporting role. He had just gotten back from a fairly routine surveillance job, just settling into a deep sleep on his cot in the barracks when he was shaken awake by a messenger. From what he heard, apparently some anti-terrorist raid that was supposed to have gone down that night had gone horribly wrong, and his services were needed to help break the standoff. After throwing on his clothes and hastily gathering his gear, he had sped to the scene with the speed that only his straight-line, roof jumping and fence-vaulting tactics could achieve.
Upon reaching his assigned spot, a large square right on the edge of Uru-Baen's poorest district, he had found a cordon of imperial soldiers effectively blocking off ten city blocks. Apparently, the situation was a bit more complicated than a botched raid.

For some time, Intel had been keeping an eye on a large group of bandits that preyed on the countryside outside Uru-Baen, led by a man who called himself Kelmar. His group was getting to be such a nuisance that intel had been officially assigned to take him down. Through some channel that Niar didn't know about, it had been found out that Kelmar was now inside the city, staying at a certain inn in the poor quarter. A squad of soldiers had been called upon, and a raid quickly set up.
The raid failed for two reasons. The first was that Kelmar had apparently taken most of his gang with him, so instead of a helpless man being seized in his sleep, the soldiers were faced with an alert fighting man backed up with his own loyal band. The second was that Kelmar, unknown to anyone at that point, was a skilled user of magic.
As far as Niar knew, the squad had been completely eliminated.

And so Intel, in an attempt to finish the job they had been mandated, had woken some of the city garrison and ordered them to shut down ten blocks around the inn. Naturally, this had caused quite a stir among the city populace, and many people had demanded to be let out of the cordon until the situation was resolved. Not wanting to start a riot with outright refusal, the one in charge of the situation had summoned Niar to scan the minds of the people before they were allowed to leave, to make doubly sure that Kelmar would not escape. And so here he stood, beside the wooden checkpoint that the soldiers had set up, running his mental perception over the crowd as they were let through in groups of five, making sure that none of them harbored the thoughts of an escaping bandit leader in disguise.

He hated this part. Hated it. Wandering among the thoughts of another human being was disconcerting at the best of times, and doing so with a group was downright unsettling. The mind was the final sanctuary, the place where people could retreat and not have to give up to anyone. It was here that people stored the things that they hid from everyone else, shutting it away from their fellow man. And it was these things that Niar uncovered, making him feel like the very worst kind of criminal. A violator of the mind.
Just then, one of the minds he was probing slammed shut like a vault door, shutting him out. Niar felt himself stumble backwards in surprise.
Oh Gods, there he is.[/Color]He opened his mouth to shout for backup, taking a deep breath... Then stopped. His eyes had fallen across the person whose mind had shown the resistance, and instead of a scowling bandit leader, he saw the wide-eyed face of a ten or eleven year old child, clinging desperately to his mother as they navigated the checkpoint. The cry died in his throat, his heart dropping straight down to his toes. This was not his target of the night.
It was far worse.
Hating himself for what he was about to do, he opened his mind again, reaching out to the child. The boy fought him, but for Niar, a precise stab melted the child’s resistance, and Niar slipped through it like sliding through a pool of mercury. Immediately, he felt the child’s terror at what was happening even as he beat off feeble attempts to force him out.
Hey, hold on.[/Color] He said as soothingly as he could muster. I’m not here to hurt you, I just need to ask some questions. Alright?[/Color]
The boy’s frantic defense lessened, then ceased altogether, his sense drawing back tentatively. Niar was almost unable to make himself go through with it, but he shut up his doubts at the very deepest, darkest corner of his mind. He had no choice. As his life had been for the past year and a half, he was stuck in the middle, and had no good path.
Making sure to continue broadcasting his friendly visage, he spoke again.
What’s your name?[/Color]
Deen. The boy answered quietly. What’s yours?
My name is Niar. Now Deen, I need you to tell me, where did you learn what you just did? When you tried to keep me away from this place.[/Color]
The boy hesitated, and Niar sensed him remembering some rule or inhibition.
Hey, you can tell me. I’m your friend. I’m only asking so I can keep you safe from people who would hurt you.[/Color]
Well, alright. My parents told me not to tell anyone, but I can use magic. One day I said a word that I’d never heard before, and the boy that was bullying me had a rock hit him in the head. My parents didn’t know what to do until our neighbor told us what it was. He’s been teaching me how to hide it like he does.
And then they had the misfortune to pass through a checkpoint under the watchful mind of an imperial mindbreaker, he thought to himself in the privacy of his guarded mind. This child had just condemned himself, and he didn’t even know it.
Your neighbor is a smart man. Alright, go with your parents now. You’ll be safe, now that you’ve told me.[/Color]
With that, he started to draw away, knowing he shouldn’t say anymore… He stopped. No. He had to. He would not be able to live with himself if he didn’t.
And Deen?[/Color] He said. Make sure you talk to your parents. Tell them how much you love them.[/Color] Before the boy could say anymore, unable to stand the guilt rising within him. He practically fell back into his own head, coming back into the land of the living as he opened his eyes. He was again standing on the city pavement on an unusually warm spring night, the smell of old garbage, sweety people and human refuse all crowding his nostrils once as he stared down at the cobbles between his feet. He dared not look back at the boy, for fear that he would do something he would regret. I need to be hard now.[/Color] He told himself. I need to harden my heart, or I will lose what I love most. I have no choice.[/Color]
“Hey, Vauringr!” Called a voice from behind him, providing a perfect distraction from his thoughts. He turned, and found a sergeant of the guard approaching. “The commander needs you right away.”
“Right. I’m coming.” Niar answered without enthusiasm, turning to follow the sergeant.
He only just managed not to look back.


He found the commander within the baker's shop that had commandeered as a command post, coordinating position of his cordon on a field map pinned to the baker's counter. At his side stood Kayf, the ranking magician that had been assigned to this operation. Kayf also happened to be Niar's superior, the man who gave him his missions and made sure to jerk his invisible leash every now and again to make sure it was secure. Kayf was the one man Niar didn't think he'd have any problem with putting a dagger in his heart, but he made sure to quash such thoughts as quickly as he could. Maybe someday.
At last, the commander seemed to notice his presence, straightening up from the map and fixing him with one of the stern glares that typified his rank.
"Anything to report from those peasants?" He asked gruffly.
"None of them are Kelmar, sir." He stated flatly, dreading what he had to say next. But there was no way around it. If he tried to hide it, Kayf would simply find it when he searched Niar's memories after this operation, as he did every time. The slightest dissent, and his sister would die. He had no choice.
"But there is one thing for you. I ran into a ten year old child out there who tried to keep me out of his mind. He was a mage."
Although they were hidden under the deep hood he liked to wear, Niar thought he saw an unpleasant glimmer in Kayf's eyes.
"Fascinating." The mage said, scratching his chin. "Someone with that skill at such a young age might be valuable indeed... But we shall have to wait until after this Kelmar situation has been dealt with so we can all go home. Niar, there is something very important we have to show you."
Niar's stomach churned. Whenever Kayf used that tone, it meant that something nasty was about to happen. The commander, his face making it apparent that he was not happy with the situation, handed Niar a neatly wrapped piece of parchment. Niar recognized it as a set of official orders.Niar frowned. This had to be important. At any other time, Kayf would be far more interested in the revelation. But either way, Niar knew that his pronouncement would mean that Deen's family would be paid a visit some night, and the child would be torn from the arms of his parents and trained to be a servant of the king, all because Niar had stumbled upon him by chance. Once again putting aside his guilt, he read the neat, magic-duplicated script.

...You are not to break formation. Instead, two operatives will be sent into the cordoned area. One will be the most experienced mental fighter that you have on the scene. Note; mental fighter only,not a magic user. The second operative will be arriving shortly. Be prepared to receive a Very Important Person. These two operatives will proceed to neutralize Kelmar and his band. Be prepared to render assistance, but only when absolutely necessary.

Niar's frown deepened. The orders had specified explicitly, someone trained in mental combat, but not a user of magic. As it stood, that could only mean that he was going into the cordon with this mysterious second man. He looked up.
"So, I'm to go in with this other man? Who is he?"
The commander scowled, a polar opposite expression to Kayf's grin.
"We don't know." The soldier replied. "All we know is that he's to arrive here within the hour, and you two will go into the cordon alone. Personally, I think the whole thing is bollocks. We should be sending in six squads..."
"But that is not your place to decide, commander, as you very well know." Kayf interrupted him, his tone steel. "Look at the bottom of the orders, Niar."
Niar did as he was told...
And felt his blood freeze.
At the bottom right of the official document was a large seal of red wax, complete with an orange ribbon. On it was emblazoned a leaping and curling red flame, so delicate and detailed that it could only have been made by a user of magic.
The personal seal of Galbatorix himself.[/size][/blockquote]

[Kite]

*Daran walks towards the cordon, with his partner Salmissra flying overhead. An intelligence operation had gone wrong while hey tried to apprehend a spy named Kelmar, and the Dread King knew of it most quickly. Galbatorix had Daran called in quick as a bunny, and had given him his orders. He told Daran to go to the cordon, enter with an Imperial Mindbreaker, and capture Kelmar. Fairly simple.

Hopefully.

As Daran had left to grab his gear, Galbatorix sent a message to the commander at the cordon. Daran therefore assumed he was expected, and so he took no steps to conceal his presence. He was also in constant mental contact with Salmissra, who was idly talking with him. She spoke of wind and the currents and other things she fascinating, which includes humans. She gabbed all the time about how silly humans are as a race and Daran kind of enjoyed it. Usually he didn't enjoy idle chatter, but Salmissra was his partner, and he loved her, so he didn't mind. He hears her exclaim mentally when they were about two blocks from the command post, which was a bakery in this case, and sends a query up.*

Whats up, dear?

The sheer amount of people leaving the cordon. How do they know he is not among them?

Mindbreakers, perhaps?

I dunno... Probably, huh?

Think not on it for now, Salmissra. We are arriving.

*Salmissra descends and lands on the post with a thud, and Daran smiles at her, then walks into the bakery. Inside, there are three men. One is holding a dispatch and looking slightly shaken, and Daran this that this man is probably the Mindbreaker. The man, who is shorter than Daran, is very pale, with dark hair and eyes that looked like what Daran always imagined his to look like, minus the color. He was a very unremarkable man, except for the well tooled, simple leather belt that he wore. Another man was extremely soldierly, and Daran takes that to mean that he is the commander of the troops. He was much more soldierly, infact, than the other two men, one whom he had already looked over, and one who Daran now saw was eagerly wanting to know what the dispatches meant, and he also sees that the man has an air of authority. He intrigued Daran because he seems like someone who really shouldn't be here. Useless and out of place, that is, until Daran looks through the room through his mind's eye. The man radiates, as most users do, and Daran assumes that, since Kelmar is a spellcaster, that they would want some magical defense. Course, that didn't matter now.

He feels Salmissra's amusement as she sees this through his eyes, and hears his thoughts about each, and he smiles to himself, before speaking.*

Hello... I think that you are expecting me...

*Daran looks up, throwing his mind out to his partner to mentally caress his partner, over-exaggerating the move so that the mindbreaker and mage will, if they are paying attention to him, will follow the line of thought to Salmissra. He then speaks again, softly*

I am the Imperial Rider Daran Vorandeer and that beauty on the roof above us is my partner, Salmissra. Would you update me on whats going on, and tell me which of you is coming with me, into the firestorm?

[Angmor]

For several moments, Niar just stared down at the parchment in his hands, his mind refusing to believe what his eyes were telling him. There had to be some mistake. This couldn’t come straight from the throne of Galbatorix, the ruler and master of the majority of available space on the continent. The king just didn’t involve himself in these sorts of domestic affairs. He had dozens, if not hundreds of minor nobles to handle these sorts of issues.
And yet, there was no denying it. The hand of the king himself had descended from the brightly lit rooms and gardens of the palace, past the whitewashed mansions of the rich, into the dark squalor of the slums. And now into this humble baker’s shop, and into the hands Niar Vauringr.
He blew out a breath.
Wow. This night just keeps getting better and better…

Finally, he managed to tear his eyes away from the imposing seal, turning back to his superiors.
“Well, this is certainly…” He struggled for a word.
“Unexpected and surprising?” Kayf supplied, still smiling broadly. “It is that. And to think this night was going to be boring.”
“I’m glad someone approves…” The commander murmured.
“Do we know anything about this VIP?” Niar spoke up, folding up the orders and placing them on the baker’s counter with exaggerated care. “If I’m to be heading into the lion’s den with this person, I would like to know what kind of backside I’ll be covering.”
The commander shrugged eloquently. “Your guess is as good as mine. And we can hardly ask the king of the damned Empire for more intel, now can we?”
Right then Kayf butted in, and he and the commander launched into a discussion of what gear should be set aside and just what kind of support they would technically be allowed to supply, leaving Niar to his own thoughts on the matter. He was pretty used to it these days, not having his opinion consulted. It wasn’t as if he was in any position to complain. Far better to think about what he was going to have to do to survive for another night.

To his own surprise, Niar found his stomach sinking with nervousness.
Hey, what are you so worried about? You've done this sort of thing before. You'll just be tagging along at a safe distance, providing mental assistance. He'll be doing all the heavy lifting. After all, the king himself wouldn't have stepped in if this guy had no competence... Right?

[/Color]
Thump
Niar looked up, frowning. What was that?[/Color]
The sound had definitely come from the direction of the roof. As he listened, there came more sounds, as if someone was throwing small stones against the slate tiled roof of the baker's shop. That was strange... Was someone out there playing some kind of prank?
"Hello... I think you were expecting me..." Came a soft voice from behind him, making him jump. Being preoccupied with the sound, he had not noticed when a man had entered the shop.

At his first glance, there did not seem to be anything Very Important about this Person. The man was dressed very simply in a dark green tunic and black pants, his every accoutrement speaking of practicality over style. Although it was hard to tell in the dim light, the hilt of the sword belted at his waist did appear to be somewhat unusual, lacking both pommel and wrapping of either leather or wire. While the man's stance made it clear that he knew how to use the weapon, Niar was reasonably sure that he was no soldier. Beside the fact that he had not saluted the commander, there was just no military correctness in his posture or mannerisms. He had the outward feel of a man who viewed the world with a calm indifference, not letting a whole lot affect his feelings one way or another. Niar watched as the man moved his ice-blue eyes over each occupant of the room in turn, and Niar felt sure that he had just sized up. Interesting. So who was this guy, and why did the king hace such an interest in having him apprehend a dangerous criminal?
Very carefully, Niar opened his mind, gently reaching out to the man to try and get some kind of read on him...
He found himself brushing against rather neat barriers, not exactly iron-hard, but respectable enough. He figured he could break through if he needed to, but that would hardly be social etiquette, especially if that man was to be his partner on this…
Just then, a part of the man’s mind opened, sending out a mental probe. Curious, Niar followed carefully, moving up through the roof of the baker’s shop…
And came into contact with a strange mind, looking to his mental perception like a blazing star in a moonless sky, putting every star around it to shame with the intensity of its light.
Niar drew back hurriedly, back into his own head. He had come into contact with minds such as those several times before. Now, at last, he understood.
Oh. He thought. Oh.
“I am the Imperial Rider Daran Vorandeer,” The man said. “And that beauty on the roof above us is my partner, Salmissra. Would you update me on what’s going on, and tell me which of you is coming with me, into the firestorm?”

For a moment, no one spoke. Apparently, Niar was not the only one that hadn’t been expecting this. Finally, the commander stepped forward, saluting smartly.
“It’s a pleasure to serve under you, sir. I am garrison commander Josef Slater. This is Kayf, the mage assigned to this project. And this is Niar, our resident mindbreaker. He’ll be the one going with you into the cordon, as per orders.” Niar bowed slightly, not particularly sure what to say.
Daran Vorendeer.[/Color] He had heard the name. But then again, as of a few weeks ago, everyone had heard the name. Yet another new Rider that the imperial heralds had proclaimed to be the future avenger of the king's justice and the scourge of the rebellion. Yes, this will be an interesting night indeed...[/Color] He thought to himself as he sensed the Rider's eyes study him again.
"We have the criminal Kelmar trapped somewhere within these blocks," The commander continued, gesturing to the map. "His last known location was this inn here. That intel is, however, an hour old. We were about to send in six squads with Kayf when... well, when the orders came through." For a brief second, Niar noticed a distinctly uncomfortable feeling flick over Slater's eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm assuming here that the king gave you some kind of briefing as to what exactly you are to do here. Our orders were somewhat vague on that point."[/size][/blockquote]

[Kite]

*Daran smiles at the commander as he introduces himself, and returns the salute in a neat manner. He then nods to Kayf, the magician as he was introduced, and then to Niar. He lets out with his mind and gently probes towards each of the men. The commander had decent barriers, as was required as a man in command. He touched Kayf's barriers and nearly laughed. His mind was a prison of the most durable materials. No surprises there, but it just struck him funny. Magicians have always flt sleezy in Daran's mind, but he had had generally bad experiences with him. He then changed his focus to Niar as Josef was briefing him.

Niar had strong barriers up, but it was understandable, as he was a mindbreaker. He was uniquely trained to break barriers and remove knowledge, as Daran understands it, and therefore knows how to defend his own mind quite well. He also recognized him as the mental touch against his barrier as he walked in. As Daran came to that conclusion, he sees the commander eyes sort of change for a moment. He then apologizes to Daran and Daran smiles at him, nodding slightly*

He did indeed, Josef. If I may call you Josef, that is. I am here to go in, with Niar, and end the problem. The King was a little vague on alive or dead but, seeing as he is sending a mindbreaker as backup, I think we are to subdue him, get all the information from him, and end his life. Did you get a headcount on the amount of criminals with Kelmar? This is a little much for one man... As does the six squads to take him down.

*Daran tilts his head questioningly towards Josef, and reaches up with his mind to Salmissra, speaking quietly with her through their connection*

Well, dear Huntress, what do you think?

*He can tell through their connection and the sound from the roof that Salmissra is sort of settling down, and then she replies to him*

Well, It shouldn't be too much work, but who knows? I can tell this Niar will be helpful...

*Daran smirks very slightly, and quips*

As long as it's easy, right lazy one?

*Daran gets a grunt sound through their connection and shakes his head, listening for the Commander's reply, as well as anything from Niar or Kayf.*