Hunters Hideaway

The sound of dripping from a leak sounded into her ears as the woman walked down the long path that would eventually lead to a steep set of stairs and into an open dim room. Her body moved sleekly as she walked, her hair swaying along with the movement of her matured body. Over her back was strung a set of arrows and a bow tight to her, her right hand across the strap that divided her chest to keep tight. She didn't pause when she noticed a rat scuttle by her front, she walked around it simply enough and continued onward to reach her destination.

She knew there'd be her companions here, her fellow hunter. Her expression was dark, her eyes narrowed and drawn ahead of herself. She'd tied her hair up high behind her head, but that didn't stop the long auburn locks reaching her back. "They're so noisy," she murmured more so to herself as she approached the room, hearing the voices and laughter that came inside. Sometimes, and often when she wasn't there, they got drunk. She was kind of like the disciplinary of the lot of them, despite being younger than the majority. Not many fancied their chances against Claw.

With a brief sigh, she pushed the door open heavily. She'd just come back from a kill. Her eyes lifted to meet those that awaited her in the room, and an eyebrow rose skeptically.

The candle light flickered in the dank looking office. The floor boards looked like they were mostly rotted away. It was surprising that the were able to withstand the large looking man's weight as he stood in front of a map that was hung on his wall. The map of the entire of magna. His eyes scanned over it, his face stern yet hidden beneath his large beard.

A slight growl escaped his lips as he dunked his quill in a pot of ink, scratching away at the map. His head then turned to the drunken noise coming from the main halls. He shook his head before drawing a circle around a specific spot in Benedictus. "Gotcha." he said with a slight smirk, before he shook his head and quickly crossed it out.

He slammed the quill into the pot of ink, almost knocking both the to the floor. He then stalked over to the large desk. He sat himself down on the rather battered looking padded chair. He placed his elbows onto the table and his face in his hands.

When Claudia opened the door, her eyes narrowed a little more. "Where is my Father?" she asked in suddenness, however she continued to walk into the room and swung the door shut behind her, making a few members jump but laugh. Her head turned around to look at the lot of them before she sighed and undid the front of her cloak.

It was a long brown thing that came towards her ankles and hid the outfit she wore underneath. She rose her chin to get the top button and when it was fully open, she shifted off her bow and arrow, placing her prized possessions down neatly by the table she was stood in front of, then throwing the cloak onto the top of it.

Her eyes assessed her bow for a moment, before undoing her hair and allowing it to fall onto her back. With that, she spun around and her eyebrow rose bemused at the lot of them, and now there was a more relaxed smile on her face. Her hand rose to her hip and her stance appeared softer. She sighed it quiet realisation.

"...His office."

Baxter shook his head in his hands before lowering them. He folded his arms onto the desk, his head then turning back to the map. "Where are you?" he muttered under his breath. He swept a hand through his long brown hair. There was a tint of grey in the hair, but merely a whisper amongst the brown. He hands tapped on his elbows as he kept his arms folded. His eyes transfixed on the map.

"Maybe it's not Benedictus.. it's too obvious.." he breathed before he jumped to his feet. "Of course!" he said as he whisked over to the map, picking up the quill. His eyes then moved over to Parasitus. "The least obvious pl.." he began before he shook his head.

He slid the quill back into the ink pot gently. He moved slowly over to his desk, delivering a heavy kick to it. "Bastards!" he snapped in frustration. His head then turned to his twin axes that were hung on the wall, on a plaque in a cross position. He nodded at them slowly before moving over to his chair and slumping himself in it.

Claudia's expression screwed up a little. For a human, she had quite good hearing, and the noise coming from the office disturbed her. She sighed and hung her head, before picking up her bow and arrow once more, fixing it and strapping it onto her body once more. She stepped out towards where the office would be, moving through the crowd that was their 'guild.'

When she approached the office, she smiled a little and rose her fist to knock on the door, before she stepped back and waited a little. "Father?" she questioned, looking to the door with a slight amused expression on her face. Sounded like he was getting annoyed over something it seemed.

She glanced over her shoulder briefly, still hearing the drunken laughter and calls of 'Claw being home,' and so on echoed into her ears. She glanced down towards her hands noticing they still had a little blood on them before she sheepishly rubbed them down the sides of her outfit and awaited her father to open the door.

Thoughts ran through Baxter's mind. They had to be in Benedictus. It was the most obvious therefore the safest place for them to be. No-one would look in the most obvious place. Or so was his thinking. His hand ran through his beard thoughtfully. They were taking down the assassin's too slowly. They had to go for someone big. Someone who they'd miss.

His eyes moved to the door once more, hearing the drunken fools that he called his guild. He then heard the knock on the door. He shook his head lightly as he heard her voice. "Coming." he said simply, pushing himself to his feet. As he moved over to the door his eyes were trained on the map.

When he reached the door, he pulled it open, tearing his eyes from the map to look at his daughter. "Welcome back, Claudia."

Claudia rolled her eyes a moment, before smiling when he opened the door. Her eyes went to the map on the wall before up to his face once more. "Thankyou," she nodded, making sure she'd rubbed the blood off her hands properly before she grinned idly, an eyebrow raising in his direction.

"What are you getting so mad over?" she asked curiously, but instantly stepped inside his office, looking around before turning back to him once more. "And why are they all drunk? They were drunk when I left, and drunk when I return 2 suns later!" she exclaimed with a slight raised eyebrow before she dropped her backside into a spare chair and looked at him expectantly.

"Surely they have something better to do?" she sighed, before she crossed one leg over the other. "What are you looking for on your map?"

He closed the door lightly as she entered the office. Making his way over to his desk as he sat on the edge of it, his eyes transfixed on the map. "I haven't had time to look in on them.. since you.. left.." he said gesturing a hand to absently. A hand stroked his beard lightly. He stood up from the desk, moving to the map with his hands pointing to it.

"It's here Claudia! I know it is." he said as he prodded a finger at Benedictus. "It has to be." he said turning from the map as he looked to his daughter. "The boss. The head of the assassins'." he said slowly. "The head redemptor." he said with a slight snarl.

He walked over to his desk, sitting himself behind it, leaning back into it as he looked to his daughter. "How was the kill?"

Claudia stared at her Father for a moment then laughed, shaking her head. "You mean you had been so busy you hadn't kept check over everyone else because that's what I usually do?" she questioned, smiling a little before she rose an eyebrow, looking at the map.

The Head Redemptor, huh? She knew there was one in every single Kingdom, but the Head was utterly the most important and in charge. Her mouth twisted a moment as she pouted and stared. "Have you thought they may be in the most obvious place, but they know that you'd think they were in the obvious place so you'd look at the least, when in reality, they really are in the most obvious making you waste your entire anno?" she blinked without taking a breath, before she smiled again mildly.

"It was simple. A shot from my bow straight into his heart," she signalled, placing a finger onto her own chest, tilting her head as she continued to look at the map, then her eyes drifted towards her Father with a smile.

Baxter scratched the side of his face lightly. "Precisely. You weren't here to do your job, so I just did mine." he said as his eyes glared at the map once on. His head then turned back to her, his eyebrows raising ever so slightly. "My thoughts exactly." he said with a light smile. "Then again, they could think that we'd figure all that out and so would go for the least obvious place.. a double bluff, if you will."

He said as he cracked his neck. "The assassin's we route out these days, their deaths don't seem to have any impact on them." he said clenching his hands into fists at his sides. "We need to find someone who's death would cause panic and therefore forcing them to make a mistake." he said as he tapped his chin.

"I want you to try and find someone like that." he said he pointed his finger at Benedicuts. "There."

Claudia rolled her eyes to her Fathers words, but smiled a little towards him and then she waved her hand side to side. "They probably know you're over thinking this. So why don't you send some people one way, some people the other?" she questioned with a sigh, leaning her head onto her clenched fist, before her eyebrows rose.

"Probably because those we can find are only students and apprentices," she frowned. "We barely find Masters and very, very rarely find Dux's. Even then, it's harder to take them down," she muttered, pushing herself up from her seat, she walked over towards the map and cocked her head to the side.

"Me?" she asked, feeling suddenly quite included and causing a smile to spread on her face. Her eyes slid across to Benedictus and she beamed.

Baxter shook his head slowly. "I already have people in every kingdom, so far they've turned up nothing but apprentices." he said wiping a hand down his face. "The last time we found a master was 5 annos ago." his teeth gritted together. "It took me a hell of a lot to take them down."

His eyes then moved to Claudia with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah maybe you're right... I might be best sending someone else." he smirked lightly. He sank himself back into his chair comfortably.

He folded his arms over his chest as he rocked in his chair.

Claudia sighed a little and turned to look at her Father. "Masters and Dux's are the ones who when they disappear, everyone is gonna' notice," she sighed, throwing her hands into the air before blinking. "It'd take a good battle to kill even a weak Master," she mused, walking infront of the map again and running her finger down Benedictus.

She paused then, spinning around to look at him almost annoyed. "No! I want to be sent there!" she said with a frown, tilting her head to the side. "You know I'm your best," she shrugged, her head rolling to the side. She then sighed and hung her head a little.

"I don't mind taking some one with me if you're worried," she smiled, raising an eyebrow idly.

Baxter's eyebrows rose lightly. "I know." he said patting his torso, where she knew there were several deep scars from the battle itself. It had dealt the assassin's a major blow from taking down the master. He hadn't known her name, just that she was at the master assassin rank.

He looked to her with a tilt of his head. "I don't want to lose my only daughter being sent on a fools errand.." he said before his eyebrows drew together. "Who would you be willing to take with you..?" he questioned, stroking his beard lightly.

He didn't want to send her there, poking around, incase the assassins got wind of it and decided to take her out before she could report back.

Claudia crossed her arms under her chest and she sighed out loud, before she glanced over her shoulder to him once more. "Who would you be willing to trust to send with me, Father?" she asked bemused, before her eyes roamed back to the map again. "I'm sure we can lure out some assassins here..." she muttered more to herself running her thumb over her bottom lip.

"Why don't I go ask who wants to come with me?" she grinned, brushing her thick auburn hair over her shoulder once more, scooping it all to the side so it fell neatly onto her back. She then lowered her hands onto her hips instead, standing in a pose that had her feet slightly apart, looking at the map.

"They can't be hiding too well."

Baxter's eyes narrowed at her slightly. "No-one." he said simply. He knew what most of the male recruits wanted to do with her. He rubbed the back of his neck as he stood himself up. "None of them are good enough to keep my daughter safe." he said as he folded his arms behind his back, walking over to the map once more.

"I don't want the assassins to pick you off, when you're snooping around." he said with a raised eyebrow. "You don't tend to keep your presence quiet and I don't think anyone could protect you." he said pointedly.

He cleared his throat as his eyes traced over the map.

Claudias eyebrows came together, before she threw her arms up into the air. "Then let me go by myself!" she frowned. "I'm more than capable by now, you know I am," she said seriously, walking to and fro from the map, keeping one hand on her waist and one arm by her side with a sigh. "They will not pick me off, and I am quiet! I'm an archer, of course I'm quiet," she sighed, before turning and dropping straight back into a chair.

She then leant her long legs out in front of herself, tilting her head to the side. "If you don't trust my fellow hunters, then why don't you come with me?" she asked bemused. "Regardless, I will go there and I will kill a Master," she said stubbornly, her eyes then looking ahead of herself once more.

"And it'll show them just how serious we are."

Baxter looked at her plainly. Listening to her rant as he moved back to his chair. "You're like a child Claudia! And you expect to convince me to let you go alone by throwing a tantrum?" he said shaking his head with a faint smile playing on his lips. "You're just like your mother." he tutted under his breath.

"Me?" he said as his eyebrows rose. "And you expect that this place will just run itself do you?" his eyes narrowed to her, his expression going deadly serious. "You will not even speak to a master assassin. If you come across one, you simply mark them down and come back. You do nothing else. Do I make myself clear?"

He almost snarled as he glared across at her.

Claudia glared across at her Father seriously, before smirking a little when she saw the smile on his face. "And I am so much like my Mother, that you cannot do anything but smile at me," she announced sweetly and she jumped to her feet suddenly, walking over towards him. "Well well, I'll go by myself!" she grinned happily, before she paused at his seriousness.

She pouted a little, tilting her head to the side. "I know I cannot take on a Master Assassin on my own. I'll simply mark their face and name if I hear it, and return to you," she smiled, leaning to kiss him on the cheek once, before dancing away to the door, leaning a hand to her waist.

"Now excuse me whilst I go announce what you've allowed me to do!" she almost sang to her Father, before skirting around the door quickly with a laugh in her voice. She was absolutely thrilled. She was determined to make him proud of her too.

Baxter looked to her, trying to wipe the smile from his face. "I damn well can! Don't think you're too old to be taken over my knee young lady." he said with narrowed eyes. He cracked his knuckles at his sides as she said she was going alone. There was nothing he could do to change her mind at this point.

"You just be careful." he said sternly. "If you don't come back in one piece, there'll be trouble." he said pointed a finger at her. He rubbed his temple lightly with his fingers. "That girl is going to be the death of me." he said in a throaty voice.

He cleared his throat as a frown played over his lips.

Claudia laughed to herself hearing the words her father said, she called over her shoulder. "There'll be no trouble!" she smiled, before she brushed down her outfit. What she was wearing was simple. It was a green strip of material that covered her breasts and fastened around her shoulder blades at the back. On her lower half, she wore what seemed like a black skirt, however also had black tight shorts underneath.

It was much easier to run in this outfit than it was in what women were expected to wear. Those damn long gowns with the pointy shoes. She smiled to herself as she looked to the thick leather boots that came over her knees as she strode back into the main room.

She waved her arm over her head for silence and her eyebrow rose with a smile. "From later today, I'll be gone to Benedictus to hunt for a Master Assassin," she announced, leaning a hand to her thin waist. "So whilst I'm gone, there'll be no excessive drinking!"

Baxter scratched the back of his neck. "Oh there damn well will be!" he said to her sternly. He pushed himself to his feet, following her with a slight frown. "She wont be going alone." he interrupted, brushing past her. "I will be going t Benedictus with my daughter. I trust that you can take care of yourselves until that time." he said looking out at them before back to Claudia.

"I suggest wearing more clothes. So not to draw attention to us." he said as he made his way back into his office. He moved over to his axes on the wall, pulling them down. He spun them in his hands expertly before clipping them onto his back.

He turned his head over his shoulder to look at her once more. "You didn't really expect me to let you go on your own, did you?" he said with a light smile.

Claudia stretched her arms over her head with a grin, before she paused suddenly, hearing about her father. She spun in sudden surprise, her eyes widening and her mouth dropping. "No way!" she exclaimed, walking after him suddenly, dropping her arms to her sides and her eyes narrowed a little. Hearing about clothes, she glanced down to her body and sighed. "I wear cloaks," she pouted seriously, crossing her arms under her chest.

"Yeah, I kinda' did," she sighed, looking away for a moment, then back to him once more. "Why are you bringing weapons if we're only scouting?" she questioned with amusement on her face, holding her arms in a cross still under her chest gently.

Baxter smirked to her lightly. "Yes way. I have to make sure my little girl is safe and sound." he said in a tone as if he was infact talking to a little girl. "You should know by now, don't trust my first word on anything." he said to her with a wink. He rolled his shoulders with a slight cracking noise.

"You're scouting." he said seriously and vaguely. "I never said that's what I was doing." he rose his eyebrows slightly clearing his throat. He rolled his arms at his sides. "It's been a while." he said to her with pained look on his face as his back cracked.

He cleared his throat, trying to hide the look of pain as he looked away from her.

Claudia rolled her eyes lightly, picking up her bow and arrows that she'd put down earlier. Her eyes shifted a moment, and they narrowed at the crack. "You're getting too old," she announced matter-of-factly, swinging the cloak over her body and tying it under her neck, before buttoning it down the front of her body and smiling a little.

She swung the arrows over her back and fastened the tight strap onto her chest, before stringing her bow away safely. She then leant her hand to her waist gently, shrugging one shoulder. "I may be scouting, but I'm your back up. Old. Man," she smiled, brushing past him back into the corridor.

"Waste no time!"