Toki's Tale

Imshan strode down the gangplank onto the black wood of the jetty. He took a deep breath of air that smelled half of the sea, and half of the jungle. He turned and waved for the other two Assassins to follow.
Between them they carried Toki's slumbering stone form, looking like the true stone gargoyles which adorned many castles in the West.
Her wings were spread wide, her fingers curled with claws out. It looked impressive, but it was a real bugger to carry it. Which is why he wasn't. Not with his back, anyway.
"Fryn! If you so much as drop her you'll be hanging by your fingernails for a YEAR!"
The young Norn carrying Toki gulped and shuddered. He suddenly shimmered with radiant green light and his Assassin robes bulged with muscles. He lifted Toki carefully over his head, out of the grip of the other Assassin, and trotted lightly down the gangplank. He placed her reverently on the jetty and grinned before deflated back to his normal size.
"No showing off, Fryn. Not all of us are demi-Gods."
"Aren't you, sir?"
Imshan chuckled and shook his head. "No, not by half. I'm just one of the unlucky chumps who only get the name."
Imshan took in another deep breath and looked casually at Toki, but then peered carefully at her.
"Fryn, there's a crack here-"
The crack spread, and more appeared quickly. Imshan half-tumbled backwards as suddenly thin shards of stone went flying with a boom like thunder. Toki roared out a yawn amidst this maelstrom and stretched out her arms and wings. As she stretched she grew, her wings growing larger, her tail springing out. She yawned again and looked around.
"Toki!" Imshan exclaimed, blinking. "You're... striped."
"I am?" Toki beamed, and leapt into the air. Imshan wasn't an old man, but even with the highest level of Assassin training he couldn't leapt even a tenth that height.
"Erm, calm down, Toki," said Imshan. Toki drifted gently back down to the jetty and looked around. This place was so different to any other she'd been to, with huge sprawling trees covered in lianas and dark lagoons.
"Welcome to Taelan Bay, Toki," said Imshan, gesturing broadly. "The Temple of Storms is about fifteen miles inland. We'll be trekking through the jungle, approaching from the nor-west side. We'll wait until dark, then sneak over the wall and make our way to the main hall through the barracks tunnels. We'll be armed with short, unpoisoned blades and knockout spells."
"What?" Toki burst out, shocked. "We're breaking into your own Temple?"
"Of course," said another Assassin, removing a large amount of bladed weapons from the various folds of his black tunic and throwing them into a backpack, also black. "It's so much FUN!"
"Fun?!"
"No one dies, mind," said an Elf, measuring a kris against his hand and reluctantly stowing it in his pack. "Usually all you get are flesh wounds, but if you act stupid you're bound to get it worse. Incapacitate, not decapitate."
"I'll be sure to remember that," said Toki warily.
"Aren't you going to take any weapons?"
"Oh, I am..."

Toki adored trailing through the jungle, tearing through the sky from treetop to treetop, and slicing through the undergrowth. She chased everything, from the smallest gecko to the largest hunting cat.
Imshan was different in the jungle. He seemed to live and breathe it. Mosquitos that tormented the others ignored him, and snakes merely rested on his shoulders, whereas they attempted to bite, strangle and sometimes eat the other Assassins. Many were slain within mere seconds, occasionally without the Assassin looking at all, but others gave as good as they got and escaped back into the thick jungle, only slightly maimed.
The first, and last, beast to attempt to attack Toki was pummeled into submission and hurled through the undergrowth back to whence it came from. Even Imshan showed the faintest glimmer of being impressed. It wasn't every day that a single Assassin beat the living daylights out of a fully-grown reptile.

Though the Temple was only a few miles away, Toki could not see it through the dense tangle of jungle. She didn't dare climb up a tree for a better look, in case they spotted her. She was getting into the mood of this game, and was starting to enjoy it. The rest of the Assassins were resting around a large fire, yawning and telling stories. Not the morbid tales they had been swapping aboard ship, but the stories of their lives so far. Toki spread her wings a bit to get the full heat of the fire and settled down to listen.
"... and I sliced the bastard right across the neck, and watched him slowly choke on his own blood," finished one Assassin. Well, maybe they were a bit morbid, thought Toki.
"Fifteen dead, eight wounded," said Imshan, keeping score from the other side of the fire, where he appeared to be asleep. "Next?" A dark shape stirred from the darkness a pair of reptilian eyes shone in the light of the fire. Toki hadn't noticed any Grendels, ogres or orcs on the ship, and the eyes didn't look like those of the jungle lizards, which were usually much bigger and had their eyes on either side of their head.
The shadow emerged into the firelight, and it looked like a Grendel, except it was totally black all over, though whether it was skin or paint Toki couldn't tell. It had long, straggling hair that fell untidily over its face, and it wore blood-stained Assassin robes. "Kkkrlklk? This is a... surprise," said Imshan, handling the throat-tearing name with grace.
"Save it, Imshan. You're late," Kkkrlklk replied. Imshan gave a little chuckle.
"Don't say you were expecting us?"
"It's been fifteen days since you arrived," Kkkrlklk said. "We noticed the 'Black Rapier' pull into dock at Taelan. We got a bit worried something had happened to you."
"Such as what, old friend?"
"Chaos," Kkkrlklk said casually. "That's why they sent me. Murasha has been sensing vibrations very near, but they're well cloaked. Could be a large army of Spawn or several black wizards."
"Several Schwartzenmeisters? I find that hard to believe. They can't stand being within miles of each other."
"I know, it's stupid, but the energy is powerful," said the Grendel, giving a couple of glances into the night. "A Warlock, maybe, or a Chaos Lord."
Imshan leaned back and stretched. "A Chaos Lord without an army? Laughable. But why would the Dark One send his troops this far South?"
"Maybe he seeks me out," chuckled Kkkrlklk. "After all, I have recently had my third contract."
"Aye," laughed Imshan, "he must be tearing his horns out over that."
"I think he may be tearing someone else's horns off, more likely," said Kkkrlklk, turning to leave. "Keep your weather eye open for any sign of trouble."
"You're not going to tell them were we are, are you?" Imshan called after him.
"Of course not! I like a good game, and I look forward to see how the Kzarkl will fare..."
Toki glowered quietly at him, and the Grendel slowly turned to face her.
"Well, well, well. This is the one I've heard so much about." The Grendel mused, leaning close to Toki. He gripped her chin between foreclaw and thumb and twisted her head from side to side.
"Doesn't look much, but I can see why they used to be so feared. A girl, hrmm? As good as the males? I'd better ask Tatsuya on such things..."
He released his iron grip and straightened up, a slight smile on his thin lips.
"Well, she can't be entirely useless if she was brought here, but keep her out of the way of the real Assassins," Kkkrlklk said, fading back into the dark undergrowth. "I don't want her getting ideas above her... station."
Toki was far beyond angry at this strange Grendel. What was this lizard to tell her that she wasn't as good as him?
"Hey!" Toki called out. Kkkrlklk emerged from the darkness and gave her a lazy stare.
"I presume you're angry at me, yes? Well, don't try anything, kid. You're not the big fish in the little pond anymore."
Toki snarled and spread her wings wide, claws out. The Grendel Assassin almost laughed.
"Don't try to intimidate me, child," he snorted, and turned back to the gloomy undergrowth.
Anger welled up inside Toki, and she leapt at the dark Grendel. He turned around sharply and grabbed her wrist before she could react. The sheer pain forced her to the ground as the Grendel dug his claws into her skin.
"Did you really think you could hurt me at all?"
"Kkkrlklk, that's enough!" Imshan barked.
"No, the child needs to learn," Kkkrlklk replied, twisting his grip. Toki winced in pain. She hadn't realised a Grendel could be this strong.
"Now, listen to me, little girl," Kkkrlklk hissed. "I have fought untold number of Chaos monstrosities, been mauled at the hands of Black Dragons and had limbs torn off by Chaos Lords themselves. Now, perhaps you've seen yourself as strong before, but now it's time to learn that sometimes you'll find others stronger, faster and better than you. Come back when you're grown up, kid, and maybe then you might be a suitable opponent, but until then you're nothing but a weak little child."
The Grendel twisted Toki's arm sharply and dropped her to the ground. When Toki looked up again he had vanished.
"Is your arm broken?" Imshan asked. Toki shook her head, unable to find words.
"I'm, uh, sorry about Kkkrlklk. He's always a bit on edge. Best you should stay away from him."
Toki nodded mutely, then turned away and walked off into the jungle so no one could see her tears.

Chapter 12

Chapter 14