Clan Titan

Rajst stood in the forgotten cemetary, his sable clothing matching the melancholous mood of the night. Before him, about thirty feet away, was a young girl that he had never seen before. She was a young blonde, around the age of seventeen, and held a red rose in her hand. She approached Rajst slowly, her head down and tears streaming down her slender face. She stood before Rajst and, in an attempt to comfort her, he made to wipe away her tears. It was then that the scene changed to black and white, the girl's blonde hair and the rose turning black, and her tears becoming blood. She looked at Rajst, her soft voice whimpering for him to kill her. Slowly, he brought his mouth closer to the veins in her neck, his vampyric teeth extending, and took a deep bite, tasting the thick blood rush into his mouth.

Rajst's eyes were immediately open, staring at the crimson cloth lining of the coffin he had been sleeping in. It was shortly after sunset, the time where his Kindred comrades would be awaking from their torpor to feed. Rajst continued to lie motionless for several minutes, staring at the lining. Even in the pitch black darkness, he could see every detail clearly. Finally, a soft knock on his coffin pulled him back to reality. It was his daughter, Jade. Her voice soon followed.

"Father, ur-Shulgi and the Du'at request your presence at once. They say it is urgent."

"Alright, give me a minute."

The Assamite placed his pale hands upon the coffin lid and pushed upwards and away, letting it crash unceremoniously on the stone floor. Rajst then stood up and got out of the coffin, streched, popped his back and neck, and donned his sable cloak. It fit perfectly and did well to conceal any weapons he had hidden. When combined with the sable clothes he was wearing, it was near impossible to spot him with the naked eye. The assassin then donned a pair of matching sable gloves and ran his fingers through his hair.

Rajst quickly found his katanas and strapped them to his belt. Despite the fact that he was in the Assamite headquarters with hundreds of allies willing to fight and die for each other, he always felt more secure with his weapons. Always. He turned back around and placed the lid back on his coffin. Jade was waiting impatiently for him to finish. Rajst walked slowly over to his daughter and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. She growled audibly before pushing her glasses back on the bridge of her nose. Much anger in that one, Rajst thought to himself. Without thinking a second thought, he trekked down the vast, dark corridors of Alamut. Finally, he reached his destination: the Great Hall of Alamut.

The doors to the Great Hall of Alamut silently swung open, the breeze of their passage swirling about Rajst's ankles. Perhaps a hundred or more of his clanmates were there, standing silent and rock-steady. They were arrayed in two ranks, split evenly to make an aisle straight from the doors to the da'is at the far end of the Hall. Halfway down the aisle, the black tiles of the floor bear the ancient sigil of Haqim, inlaid in silver and jade. Along each wall stood three clan elders dressed in the ceremonial robes of the silsila, with crossbows held at port arms and scimitars slung at their sides. At the far end of the aisle was the Black Throne, a squat seat of obsidian with a wooden shaft protruding from the right-hand armrest. The dark figure who sat on the throne, ur-Shulgi himself, met Rajst's eyes and beckoned him forward.

"Rafiq Rajst Kalizkhanaver, step forward."

"As my lord commands."

Ur-Shulgi was a fourth generation Antediluvian, one of the most powerful Kindred alive. His will was law, and few objected his return. It was he who reunited the Assamites, both loyalist and antitribu. With every eye staring upon him, Rajst stood straighter and walked forth with all of the dignity that he could muster. He stopped before the sigil of Haqim and knelt. He kissed the ground before the symbol seven times, as was the tradition of the Assamites, and recited a soft prayer. Finished, he rose again and continued his approach to the Black Throne. Leading up to the Black Throne were thirteen steps, one for each Antediluvian. Rajst stopped before the stairs and knelt, his eyes refusing to meet ur-Shulgi's.

"I have come as you have commanded, my lord."

"Rajst Kalizkhanavar, you have no doubt heard of the Schism and the seperatists. And no doubt you have heard of the seperatist leader, Al-Ashrad."

"I have, my lord."

"Then I have a task for you and a small group of select assassins to undertake. Al-Ashrad and his seperatists represent a great threat to our agenda that cannot be tolerated. They have sought shelter with the Camarilla, and are using the protection of the Camarilla to their advantage. We cannot risk Al-Ashrad compromising the location of Alamut. If Alamut's location is compromised, then entire armies of Kindred will come knocking down our gates. We simply can not fight off those many enemies at once."

"What will my lord have me do?"

"I am assigning you and your men with a grand, holy task. Assassinate Al-Ashrad and his advisors by diablerie, bring back their heads on a stake, kill any and all seperatists you find, but most importantly, make sure that the location of Alamut isn't compromised. If it is necessary, kill any and all Camarilla that know of its location. If you should die, you shall die with the honor and courage that is expected of all Assamites."

"I shall do as my lord pleases."

"Excellent. Then you shall now rise as Silsila Rajst Kalizkhanavar, Keeper of the Blood, and a newly ordained member of the Web of Knives."

"Thank you, my lord."

"Go now, and begin your search. The longer you wait, the more likely he is to reveal our location."

"Yes, my lord."

With that, Rajst stood up, bowed, and walked down the Great Hall again. The once still and quiet Assamites that lined the hallway began to cheer and shout their approval. The title of Silsila was beyond his wildest imaginations, despite the fact it was the next progression after a Rafiq.

Minutes later he walked into an armory where the majority of the clan's weapons were kept. It was there that he found six Rafiq's waiting for him. They were all wearing black from head to toe, and bore the legendary sigil of the Web of Knives, the clan's best assassins. The oldest one spoke first.

"Silsila Rajst, when shall we leave?"

"Now. Gather your things. We will begin our investigation in a realm called Dragon Court. I know a Nosferatu there who has a knack of getting hard to find information."

"You would trust a Camarilla to point us to our enemy?"

"He is unlike any other Camarilla. He is fiercely independent and strong-willed. He despises the rest of the Camarilla and their laws. If his information can help disrupt their networks and leadership, he will be help us to the best of his abilities."

"Very well. We shall trust in your greater judgement, Silsila. We're ready to depart now."

"Then lets go."

Rajst and the rest of the Assamites made their way to the Gates of Alamut and gave their final farewells. Before midnight, the seven Assamites were travelling deep in the mountains of Alamut, making their way to a nearby city where they would pay a wizard to teleport them to Dragon Court. By daybreak, they were hidden safely in the catacombs of an abandoned church just outside of Titan. They slept their until nightfall, then made their way to the Golden Griffin.

And it would be here, in the Tavern, that they would wait for the Nosferatu to arrive.

***A few days ago***

The news of the Schism of the Assamites spread like wildfire in the Nosferatu communications network of the Camarilla and, later, the Sabbat, reaching across many realms in days of its occurrance. It was the only thing the Kindred were talking about, the only thing the Elders and Ancillae cared to know about, the only information that the Nosferatu were paid for at the moment. And that information reached the most infamous of all Nosferatu, Zuka Telemnar, The Destroyer, quicker than any others. He wielded a formidable organization of information-gathering agents, spies, sympathisers, assassins, and moles unlike any other. It was known collectively as the Order of the Black Rose, comprised of Nosferatu Kindred. And it was through this organization that the bulk of the Schism information came streaming from.

Zuka woke from his slumber just after nightfall, his undead sights resting upon the black velvet interior lining of his coffin. Without hesitation, the necromancer emerged from the coffin that was placed in his High Councillor's room. After quickly changing into more suitable clothing, he walked over to his desk and began to sift through numerous papers and reports, divulging the information with ease. The information network of the Nosferatu was wide and very thorough in its work, and Zuka was the best source of information when it came to the grand scheme of things. There were many reports of troop movements, defections, assassinations, political turmoil, and other information about hot spots all across many realms. There was no doubt that these events were being manipulated and orchestrated by other, more powerful Kindred. However, their power struggles were meaningless to him.

Finally, he reached the more recent reports about the Assamite Schism. Al-Ashrad had taken nearly half of the Assamite forces, leaving the loyalists with fewer troops to defend Alamut. Enraged, Zuka slammed his dagger through the paper. Despite the fact he was a Camarilla, he despised of them and their policies with an intense hatred. In fact, he hated them with enough of a passion that he had hired many Assamites to eliminate key Camarilla leaders and Elders. Their continuing success in assassinating targets and their intense loyalty to their contracts were what allowed Zuka to continue hiring them. And now that the Assamite numbers were dwindling, he was further angered.

A messenger falcon reached his balcony at that moment. Zuka took the letter from it and read its contents. So, Al-Ashrad and his Schismatics sought shelter with the Camarilla, primarily the Tremere? And the Tremere Elders were inclined to give him protection in return that he reveal the location of Alamut? If this was true, then the loyalist Assamites were doomed to certain death. Once the location of Alamut was compromised, thousands of Kindred warriers and sorcerers would descend upon it like locusts upon a field of crops.

"Unacceptable."

At that moment, Zuka knew his destiny was clear. He had to aid the Assamites, no matter what the cost. Damn the Camarilla and their laws. If worst came to worst, he could always become an antitribu. But he would be damned if he allowed his best source of skilled assassins be neutralized.

Without second thought, he wrote a letter to ur-Shulgi and the Du'ats, telling them about his knowledge of Al-Ashrad's location and about the Camarilla's plans. When it was finished, he embossed it with three stamps, one bearing the Nosferatu symbol, one the Telemnar coat-of-arms, and another the Order of the Black Rose sigil. He sent the falcon off with the letter, knowing it would go to a Black Rose outpost, where the letter would be teleported to an Assamite outpost, then transported to Alamut itself. It would take no more than a few days to get a response.

Sighing, the necromancer began to work on his High Councillor duties.

***Present day***

The messenger falcon screeched its arrival, startling Zuka awake. Night had fallen an hour ago, more or less. Sighing, the necromancer exited the coffin and retrieved the letter. It was from ur-Shulgi and his Du'ats. Surprised, the necromancer opened the letter and read its contents. A team of seven Assamite Web of Knives assassins, led by a recently appointed Silsila named Rajst, were to meet with him tonight at the Golden Griffin tavern. Appearantly the Assamites meant business to send these many men after the Schismatic leader. Grabbing his cloak, the necromancer donned it and walked downstairs, out of the Royal Palace, and to the Golden Griffin.

Zuka entered the crowded tavern, melting in the mix of people and darkness, and quickly found the assassins waiting for him at a table in the back corner. Seating himself in the table next to them, he spoke only loud enough for the assassins to hear while keeping his profile discreet.

"I've come with the information you seek about the Schismatics. Meet me oustide in the alley. There are less ears there."

With that, the necromancer walked outside and made his way to the alley. He would wait patiently for their arrival, knowing that they would meet with him when they deem themselves ready to.

As the sun began to rise in Cha'arduun, Akunosh was already waking up from his sleep. He remembered the night's events all too clearly: zip's awkward behavior, the...thing...that was summoned, every part of it. It made no sense to him whatsoever, but he chose not to inquiry further about it. Besides, his wife was weakened from the ritual and was with child. Akunosh then remembered the Sugalet that he ordered to be planted last night. Slipping quietly out of bed, he changed quickly into regular clothing and made his way to the gardens.

The Sugalet, under the care of the High Druids, had fully developed in hours. Akunosh removed a dagger and sliced off one of the fruits from its vines. Placing the dagger back inside of its sheathe, he carried the fruit back up to the bedroom and placed it on the bed next to zip. He leaned over and kissed her several times to wake her up.

"Hey love, I brought you some breakfast. I have something I need to do for a while. I'll be back shortly."

He gave her another kiss before heating up the Sugalet with magic and left the room. In a few minutes, he was at the officer's quarters of the Estate. He sent messengers to get Ser Jorah Mormont and Ser Jory Cassel, his Chief Master-at-arms and Master-at-arms, respectively. They arrived shortly, both wearing simple clothing and swords hung at their sides.

"Order three horses to be saddled and a fourth to be unsaddled and prepared for my wife. We're leaving for Titan as soon as they're ready."

"Yes, sir!", both officers barked at once. They left to accomplish their task immediately. Akunosh returned to the bedroom to tell zip about what he was planning to do.

"Love, we're going to Titan today. I'm sure you'd love to see some of your friends there. I have horses waiting for us outside."

With that said, he would wait for her to get ready. In the mean time, he grabbed his longsword and tied it to his belt, then helped her downstairs and ontop of her horse. Mounting his, they left for Titan. Akunosh and zip would ride side-by-side, Ser Jorah Mormont would ride up front, and Ser Jory Cassel would take the back. By nightfall, they were in Titan. Akunosh took them to the Golden Griffin, dismounted, and tied the reigns of his horse to the post. Ser Mormont and Cassel did likewise. Akunosh wrapped his arm around his wife's waist and was only a few feet away from the tavern entrance when Zuka came outside.

The paladin froze, surprised that the necromancer was present. Sure, he was a High Councillor, but it wasn't everyday that one ran into such an evil figure and realize that there was nothing that could be done about it. Akunosh shook his head and continued on into the tavern. He took a seat at the bar and left a seat to his right for zip. Ser Mormont took the seat to zip's right and Ser Cassel took the seat to Akunosh's left. After placing the order, the paladin looked around the bar. Except for the seven men in black cloaks in the back, nothing was out of the ordinary. Well...come to think of it, dark, mysterious figures in the corner of taverns was becoming a rather recurring event, so it could pass for normality under these circumstances.

Akunosh looked over to his wife and smiled softly. "I thought that bringing you here would cheer you up."

*zip was pulled from her deep sleep as soon as she felt her husband's movements, but she brought herself to open her eyes under his kisses. She gave him a weak smile, and pulled herself up enough to rest back on the headboard. Her smile was the only thank you her strength would let her give as he passed her the now pure Sugalet, and she nodded when he said he'd be back.*

*Shaking the melon before pushing her thumbs into its weak point, zip enjoyed the warm soup-like yogurt as she waited for her husband's return. After eating and resting for a bit, zip washed the remaining blood off of herself—her blood—from the night before. As her vines covered again, the brown hue her leaves had picked up was replaced with life. Testing her knees, she found she had the strength to walk again, too.*

*Reaching under the bed, she grabbed an amulet she had hidden from Aku the night before and slipped it around her neck; letting it slide under the leaves so that it wouldn't be seen. She wrapped the chain in golden ribbon and let it stay out in front, double checking it to insure her that none of it could be spotted. It was okay to hide things if you were entrusted to keep them out of sight, and it wouldn't hurt anything. At least, she hoped it wouldn't hurt anything.*

*A smile blossomed on her face when Aku returned and said they were going out, and to her favorite place; Titan. She nodded, agreeing with him that she'd love to go. It would be so much fun, especially if one of her friends were there. Then she could introduce them. The last thing she had to do to get ready was grab her cloak, and she was all ready to go.*

*During the ride, she wondered why Aku had brought two of his guards with them just to visit Titan. That was when she remembered that she was pregnant, and rested her hand on her belly. As if the growing of it wasn't enough to remind her of her pregnancy. Hopefully Aku didn't think she was that weak, and brought the guards for another reason. Of course though, last night she was pretty weak, so the guards could be nothing but extra concern.*

*Then again why would harm come to anyone at Titan? She let her mind wonder more on the way, wondering where the beast was. Probably following her, like before. She wasn't channeling it out, so she knew it would know where she was. And then there were at the Golden Griffin, a place she had made so many friends at. She hoped so much that there would be some there tonight, or that she would make a new one.*

*zip walked beside Aku, but when he froze, she stopped to look up to him. It wasn't hard to notice that it was because of Zuka, a man who had taught her how to make poisons once. Zuka was a bit creepy, but zip reasoned that Aku's reactions was because Zuka was a vampire.*

*As soon as they walked into the tavern, zip looked around to see if any of her friends were around. She quickly spotted Rajst, one of her best friends, but she didn't pause her sight on him long; then other people would notice, and she didn't know if Rajst wanted other people to know she knew him. Especially Aku. She would be happy to introduce him to her husband if he approached of course, though.*

*As she, Aku, and the two guards took their seats; zip gave the two men an uncomfortable but friendly smile. She ordered a cider, and turned on her stool to face her husband with a smile. Of course being here made her happy, but she didn't understand why Aku thought she needed to be cheer.. well, yea she did.*

"Thank you, Aku. I hope you get the chance to meet some of my friends tonight." It was always nice just to be somewhere with him, too.

Rajst and the six Rafiqs had taken the back seat in the corner, each positioned perfectly to cover each other's blindspots. None would be able to sneak up and surprise the assassins, so it was no surprise that Zuka was noticed almost immediately after he entered. The oldest Rafiq was the first to spot him.

"Silsila Rajst, here comes the munafiqun kafir (hypocritic infidel) Nosferatu."

Rajst nodded his head slightly to indicate he understood. Indeed, he could sense the other Kindred's presence, and was grateful that Zuka was on their side. The necromancer, no matter how nefarious his reputation, was renowned for his information gathering techniques and capabilities. How he got his information was unknown to almost all, but it was always well worth the price.

The Assamites listened to what the Nosferatu said before he left and went outside. They knew that what he said was true, and if the Camarilla were tipped off about their arrival, then the entire mission was over. Rajst was preparing to stand up when he notice two armed knights, an elf, and his best friend, zip, entering the tavern. He made eye contact with her, but she quickly broke it off in an attempt to avoid drawing attention to him.

"Excuse me for a minute or two, there is someone I need to speak with."

With that spoken, the Assamite vanished from sight, reappearing right behind and between zip and the human knight. He leaned forward, placing his forearms on the bar table, and gave zip a small grin.

"Hello, again, zip. Care to introduce me to your friends?"

Zuka had noticed Akunosh and zipcat's arrival, but made no incident of it. Akunosh was a paladin, and a powerful one at that. It was for his best interest to continue on into the alley. And it would be here that he would wait for the Assamites. He hoped it wouldn't be too long, for he was thirsty for blood.

A glass battle crashing onto the ground and the sounds of someone struggling quickly grabbed Zuka's attention. There was a man in black, most likely drunk, trying to take advantage of a woman. She screamed for help, and Zuka, realizing how perfect of an opportunity this was, steathily approached. With deft movements, he grabbed the man and, with the strength of the Beast within, threw him into the brick wall of a nearby building. He unceremoniously crashed onto the ground, unconscious from brain damage. The young woman was trembling on the ground, weeping uncontrollably. She looked up to Zuka, but couldn't clearly see him because of the darkness of the alley.

"Th...thank you, my good sir. I...I don't have anything to repay you for your kindness other than my gratitude."

Zuka stalked closer to the young woman as she spoke to him. She was young, maybe 23 or 24, the perfect target for drunken predators. When she said that she didn't have anything to pay him back with, Zuka stalked even closer until he was in the light of a nearby lantern, revealing his hideously deformed face. She gaped in horror, too terrified to move. Zuka extended his vampyric canines to their full length, revealing them in a nefarious grin.

"Oh, but you do have something to repay me with."

With that, the necromancer knelt down, covered the woman's mouth, sank his fangs into her throat, and began to feed.

Akunosh smiled softly to his wife.

"I hope I get to meet some of your friends, too."

He turned back to the bartender and ordered himself a glass of water. Ser Mormont and Cassel both ordered a light wine. Akunosh knew that his two men could down more alcohol than that, but a drunken swordsman was as good as a dead swordsman. When he received his water, he placed the cup up to his lips and took a light pull. It was cold and refreshing.

Finished thus, he turned back to his wife, ready to ask her if she saw any of her friends, but a man had appeared out of nowhere and was talking to her. Well, he would've been a man if he weren't a vampyre. However, this wasn't an ordinary vampyre; this one was an Assamite. Though he loathed the Kindred with a burning passion unrivaled by most, he held respect towards the clan of assassins and demon-hunters. Besides, they hated vampyres more than he did.

So long as the Assamite didn't do anything stupid, the paladin and the knights were going to remain on friendly terms.

*zip nodded to her husband, and took a sip when her cider arrived. She took her cloak off of her arm and draped it over her lap to keep her from accidentally spilling a bit of the hot drink on her. She could feel the weight of several small things in the pockets. The heaviest was the stone she used for many things. It was a normal rock, but its shape made it the most useful tool she had, before she kept it in her pouch, but she didn't want it to damage anything else in the little pocket.*

*She visibly brightened when Rajst appeared beside her; and event she had been hoping for. She would have anticipated it, but she wasn't certain that he would want to be introduced. For a lot of reasons, to some as simple as he was busy. But here he was, and zip smiled over to Aku; both to insure him that she was happy to see Rajst, and to make sure that he wasn't reacting from the vampire in a way that might cause hardship. That, and to just make sure it was alright with him too.*

*She sat back on her chair so she could turn between them, and put her cider down. There was no strong feeling to hold onto the glass for comfort, not around her husband and such a good friend.*

*"Aku, this is Rajst, he's a good friend of mine. And Rajst, this is my husband that I told you about; Aku." She glanced at both of the guards in an unsure matter, wanting to introduce them too but not knowing their names. Aku could take it up if he wanted to. She continued to talk to her friend, "We're here just to enjoy the time." She would have asked what he was doing this night, but that was for him to tell if he wanted. Besides, he was with his friends; like the people he was with the first night zip meant him, and they could be doing a lot of important things that she didn't have to know about.*

Rajst had heard of Aku from zip. His speculations about her husband being an elf had proven correct. He offered a friendly smile to the paladin and his right hand.

"Rajst Kalizkhanavar. I met your wife here several months ago, and we've been good friends since. Care to introduce me to the other two?"

He was friendly and polite, knowing that a paladin wouldn't think twice before staking a vampyre.

When Zuka had finished draining the woman of her vitae, he picked up the corpse and dumped it into a heap of garbage. He made certain to cover it up well enough so it wouldn't be spotted. The Nosferatu was preparing to turn when he heard the drunk man starting to moan. Zuka chuckled when he realized that he was still thirsty, and approached the man.

Kicking his ribs as hard as he could, the drunkard moaned and rolled onto his back. Blood was pouring from his ears, nose, and mouth, an obvious sign he had suffered serious injuries to the head. Zuka knelt beside him.

"Who...who...the...'ell...are you?"

"The darkness in which all life dies, my good sir."

Covering his mouth, the Kindred sank his teeth into the man's neck and started feeding again. Perhaps waiting for the Assamites wasn't such a bad idea, afterall.

Akunosh listened intently as his wife introduced him to the newcomer. Rajst. Akunosh stood to meet the Assamite eye-to-eye, and accepted his handshake. He seemed friendly enough, even for a Kindred, and was most likely working on some contract. Whatever it was, Akunosh was glad that at least some vampyres weren't going to be returning to their coffins in one piece.

"Akunosh Inarus II, Paladin. I have more titles, but they truly mean nothing. And these are my two best knights; Ser Jorah Mormont, my Chief Master-at-arms, and Ser Jory Cassel, my Master-at-arms."

Akunosh was surprised that zip had known this Assamite for such a long time and neglected to tell him. Oh well, they were both keeping secrets from one another, weren't they? Some day, however, he planned on changing that. And that day would be soon.

"Rajst, if you don't mind my asking, what brings you out here?"

*zips smile spread all the way up to her eyes as Rajst took up his introduction, saying that they were good friends. When Aku stood, she snatched up her cider and turned on her stool until her back was on the bar. She smiled at the two guards as she learned their names. Her smile faltered slightly when Aku asked the question she was pondering before, and she looked to her friend.*

Rajst nodded his greetings to each of the guards, then smiled again at zip. Akunosh asked a question, one that he had actually been expecting. He was about to answer it when the other six Rafiq, clad in their black cloaks, took position around him. Their mission was secret, and if news leaked out about it, then Al-Ashrad would escape. Formulating his answer carefully, he made sure not to reveal too much of the mission's true intentions.

"We have been assigned a contract by ur-Shulgi, leader of the Assamites. He wishes for us to...eliminate...quite a few of our enemies. All of them are Kindred, of course, and we were about to meet one of our informants."

The other Assamites nodded in agreement. Rajst looked back at Akunosh, a bizarre question coming into mind.

"Perhaps you would like to help us? You are a paladin, afterall, and Kindred are amongst their favorite targets. And you have your best knights, as you have stated."

The Rafiq shot glances at each other, uncertain if they had heard Rajst correctly. It was risky, Rajst knew, but worth asking for.

The Nosferatu finished his meal, satisfied with quenching his thirst. Again, he dumped the corpse into another garbage pile and did well to hide it. Zuka then looked around, trying to figure out what the hell was taking the assassins so long to get out here. They would come on their own time, he knew, but he wished that they would hurry up. There were better things to do than sit in the alley of a tavern.

Akunosh was curious about what Rajst was talking about. Sending seven Assamites after a single target was no small accomplishment. Surely whoever they were up against would be difficult foes, and the fact that their targets were also vampyres made Akunosh even more interested. It would be worth it to rid the world of a few undead, even if it meant helping several vampyres do it. As for the informant...Akunosh guessed it must've been Zuka. It was fitting, afterall.

"I see. Interesting."

Rajst's next question caught him completely off guard. Appearantly, it surprised the other Assamites just as much as it did the paladin. He thought about it quickly before answering.

"I would love to help, as would my men, but what about zip?"

Akunosh looked over at zip.