The Arena: Actions

Malificar nodded"i dont need something that will kill instantly, but rather that will be a painful way to die. which should i go to?"

Nazriv shrugged.

To me that sounds like a rather complicated poison, so I'd seek out one of the Reds' poisoners.

Malificar nods in thanks, and heads to one of the more seedier taverns in the area. upon entering the establishment, one golden spider, he walks slowly towards the bar. After ordering a drink, he asks the bartender in a low voice:"Hello sir. i have a certain issue i need to deal with, however i dont want to deal with it slowly. is there anyone you know who could make something for me that would make my problem slowly go away and in a very unpleasant situation?"

The bartender leaned over to Malficar and said in a low voice:

I suspect you are in search of a ... liquid solution? In that case you had better be liquid yourself, and I would not mind some sort of encouragement...

Malificar thought for a moment[i] "tell you what. i will give you 8 gold now, and a further 8 gold if the information you deliver to me is... useful. all together thats 16 gold. not bad for telling me a name." Malificar Smirks. [i]

The barkeeper smiled. There's a man who knows how business works around here. Tell you what, you sit down and have some ale and a supper and I'll send for the man you want to speak to.

Malificar nods his head and buys some ale and food. he also passes over the money I look foreward to the meeting...immensely.

Malificar had finished a bowl of agreeable stew and started to get impatient while taking to his second mug of the weak ale sold at the bar as a shadow cast over his table. It belonged to a man in hooded and belted ragged red-brown robes, some phials in a leather wrapping dangling from his belt.

I was told you could make use of my services? he said in a voice younger than Malificar had expected. The man did not take down the hood, but he could not be much older than thirty.

Malificar smiled and gestured at the seat opposite to himPlease sit down, and let us discuss business. i am in the market for something undetectable. say, it looks like the afflicted in question suddenly had a heart attack, or at any rate, something that could not be traced to me. colorless, odorless, the works. can you set me up?

The man inclined his head in thought.

Should the effect be immediate or delayed? he asked.

delayed if possible. i need it to appear to not be in any way my fault.

Hmm, I think I might have something along these lines. It would cost a pretty penny, though, he added.

Do you need a liquid to pour into a drink or an oil to dip your blade in?

it would need to be covering my blade.

Very well, I will have to prepare it. Meet me here again in three hours and don't forget the gold. This is not a common poison and it costs a bit. 40 denari and none less.

Malificar nods his head and smiles Of course. i never expected it to be cheap. i will be waiting, just be quick about it.

Some hours later the man returned. He produced a small phial from his many-pocketed robe and placed it on the table.

The money? he simply asked.

Malificar hands over the money and tucks the phial into his pocket. he then stands up "pleasure doing business with you. if this does not work... well. we will see what happens. Malificar grins, then walks over to the bartender and pays him the rest of the denars he owes him. he then walks out of the bar and heads back to the tavern he is sleeping in, to get some rest. he is very attentive for traps on the way home.

(Malificar plans to rest and prepare for his fight. his tactics will be to hit the man with a weak strike early in the battle, and then play it like he is overmatched, slowly awaiting when he will collapse. when the man collapses, Malificar will stand a ways a away on guard, as if he was confused to what was happening, and suspecting it was a trap. he also asks nazir to gather some trustworthy friends so they can teach the cheating criminal who wanted malificar to throw the fight a lesson.)

(Trust equals gold in Singal. You will have to equip Nazir with money to get 'trustworthy' friends.)

[i]i meant more of if he knows anyone, bring them after the match and we will make a plan, not buy mercenaries. surely there are some people who owe him favours.

As the fight approached Malificar readied himself and his equipment, in particular his blade to which he applied the content of the small phial. The oil was colourless and only visible when the blade was examined very closely.

Good luck, said the arena master when he arrived and then the fight began: His opponent turned out to look like a seasoned fighter himself and he judged it would not be much of a problem to look weaker. The fight began slowly, each testing the other's strength. Malificar did less than he could have done and the other's attack got bolder until finally he charged at Malificar. Deliberately the latter let his shield slip off his hand when his opponent's blade met it, which only led the man to attack more furiously. This was the moment Malificar had waited for. As he parried another attack he turned it into a chancy looking counter, cutting the leather on the man's forearm and the skin beneath. The wound was only light by itself and the man just grunted and kept attacking. Retreating back from him, seemingly blocking the attacks in a dilettante way Malificar continued the fight.

It seemed to take half an eternity until the poison took effect but suddenly the man stopped attacking. The blade slipped from his hand and he just stood there, gasping for breath. Malificar had backed away and watched his doomed opponent from a distance. The poor sod was now clutching his breast, but nothing would bring back his breath. He sank to his knees and then just fell over, dead before his face touched the bloody sand.

After a shock second commotion broke out everywhere, which Malificar used to vanish back to the arena vaults. Startled the arena master handed him the prize money before Malificar left to meet with Nazriv.
The latter had two similar looking men with him, which he introduced as cousins of his.

Judging from your look I trust it worked, he greeted him. How do you plan to find the fat one now?

Malificar nodded and smiled I trust that after that performance, the fat one will find us. nazriv, do you know any particularly defensible areas where we could camp out and await him?

Nazriv shrugged. In Singal there is usually someone over, under and behind you. And if you go to a roof so nobody is over you, you're exposed and easy prey for bolts and arrows. If you go to a dead end alley, so nobody is behind you, you're caught in it. If you go to the sewers you're lost without a guide, and the reds control most of them and down there they will slit your throat rather than help you.

Malificar thought for a moment Let us return to my residence. we can have some food there, and wait for him, or at least one of his messengers to try and contact us. also, lets see what my loot entails for the fightMalificar then heads towards the paymaster to recieve his pick of the dead mans possesions.