Greetings, Kryss..... the following
information comes directly from his high Nightmaster's
very mouth to you. As one of the most promising assassins
and the one trainee to
serve under the supervisons of a group of fifty and being
the only one to survive, We
have given you this special order. No one but that of
the Skaven of the Eshin blood
is to even know such a message as this exists. Our contancts
in Skavenblight have
reported a city destroyed by a large Warpstone. Possibilities
for such a reasource
has made Us very interested in such a place. You are
to look-search the city
for any warpstone and if possible, send it to Usss. The
package contains a large
sum of Warptokens taken from Our treasury and a piece
of special equipment
We once used many years ago. Make good use of the tokens
on other scouts
and weapons for them.
"Hmm, fine-fine mission. But why tell
me of thiss?"
"I need good fighters in this scouting
mission. You are one of the most brightest of my students, you
almost remind me of myself at your
age-age." Kryss took the package and unfolded the cloth
surrounding it. In it he found the
promised warptokens, 500 to be exact after calculating all his
equipment and hiring fees later. Also
in the cloth was a leather sack.
"Thiss must be the weapon Nightmaster
spoke of.", Kryss hurriedly opened it, eager to find what it
was. Inside were a pair of claws.
The long, sharp glinted in the candle light, the edges razor sharp and
the points tipped like spikes, each
were curved and made for skaven hands to fit in. As the two admired
the weapons, the black skaven noticed
something amiss with a point of one.
"Kryss, the Nightmaster disgraces
you by giving you a rusted, second hand weapon. Look-look."
The black skaven pointed to a spot
of reddish color.
"Hah! Fool-fool! The Nightmaster has
done just the opposite. Watch." Kryss scratched the spot, and
to the other skaven's surprise it
came off.
"That was no rust spot, that was blood.
And look here." Kryss turned the claws over, there on the
bottom was the symbol of the Nightmaster.
"You shall be my first hired, old
friend. Your brother may come as well", Kryss said.
"Well, although Rizzo scares me and
my kin, I'll go with you for old time's sake."
"It is a great honor to have the claws
of the Nightmaster. I shall use them well." Kryss slid them on.
"All will fall before Kryss, the Bloody
Claws of Eshin!!!"
On their way from the merchant's guild, Rizzo spotted a young
skaven. Kryss noticed him too
but did not say anything untill Rizzo
spoke up.
"Masster, a young, brown-haired skaven
follows uss. What is his reason, I should wonder?" Rizzo
nodded to the boy.
"Probably he has heard of the great
Kryss and his Sorcerer Rizzo, eh?", Kryss poked Rizzo funingly.
Rizzo gave a high-pitched laugh and
stopped them both.
"But really, why does he fallow us
so?"
"Perhaps you should ask me.", the
younger skaven had walked up and started talking like he was the
Nightmaster.
"Keep your tone, boy.", Kryss snapped
at him. Kryss raised one of his fighting claws that seemed a
part of him now, even though it had
been a week when he had slid them on and hired his first warrior.
"Uncle, don't you remember me?", the
skaven said flinching at the sight of the sharp claws.
"I'm your nephew, remeber? My father,
your brother, fought at Nippon with you."
"Yes, I know my brother, I also remember
him running away at the first smel of man-things!"
Kryss put his arms down, but now he
was irratated.
"What does my cowardly brother want
now?" Kryss readied himself for a long explaination followed
by some reason his brother needs money.
"He's dead.", the younger skaven looked
at the ground in sorrow. The news brought a smile to Kryss's
lips.
"Well, I can't spare money for a funeral
and I can't come ethier. I have much-much more important
work to do!"
"Yes, well uncle that important business
is what I came to see you about. I have heard that you are
hiring for a mission sent by the Nightmaster,
and..."
"I don't know who told you, but we
will discuss this in my cell." Kryss and Rizzo silently walked on,
not caring if the boy was there or
not. Once in Kryss's cell they found a dead skaven, his body covered
with scars.
"He failed to meet my expectations.",
Kryss said as he kicked the body over.
"Now... about the job...."
Kryss spun around and swiped at the
young skaven. The boy was amazed that an older black skaven
could move so quick. The boy tried
to dodge the blow, but was scratched on his face and tail. The
boy then took the offensive and beat
his fist against Kryss's chest. He heard a loud "cong" and pulled
his hand back, to see it was bruised.
"Well, I'll give you this boy, you
can stand up to being charged at. Your father always ran when I so
much as looked at him." Kryss grinned
and walked over to the dead skaven. He pulled off his armor
and the sword in his back and threw
it to the new member of his scouting party.
"You'll use that untill you can do
better."
The boy looked at the armor and sword,
they were rusted and corroading.
"But these are rusted and dirty."
Kryss gave him a cross look.
"When I was apprenticed, all I had
was my teeth, claws and cloths I wore everyday. I slept in gutters,
I ran through rivers of man-thing
droppings, I spent the night waiting for my first target under a bed of
nails, you are lucky you still live.
I will not even call my warriors, including you, by a name until they
do something that merits their skill!"
Th boy shrank back and put on the
armor.
"Yes, Sn......", he started. Kryss
gave him a clout on the head.
"No one calls me by my real name,
not even family!"
With that, Rizzo and Kryss left the
youngster to gather himself and rub his head.
"One day, uncle, one day you'll die
and I'll be there... I'll be there."