Operation Blind Vanguard: Target The Lord of Stone [Closed]

The stone walls of the Granite Citadel... to most people, they are intimidating and cold. They are harsh, unforgiving, and above all else, home to a man who is just as intimidating as his walls. Some days, it is possible to hear his footsteps echo throughout the halls in a rage, while others he may be as soft as a titter. On this day, he could have been neither--the sound of his laughter drowned out the sound of his footsteps. On this day, Amadeus Stoneheart was happy. Today, he had heard news about one of the Braukan holdings. They had brought in a powerful export from Arcadia, and were going to be spreading it throughout his nation. It was a glorious day, since this export--a powerful and magical adhesive--was going to assist Brauk with its above-ground building throughout the nation. While most people knew Brauk for its below-ground holdings, only about 25% of the nation was situated below ground. The rest was above-ground, but not very well-known. Amadeus resolved to change that!

He was greeted by his wife, Anya, whom had never told him a lie. Pulling her into a spinning hug, Amadeus pressed his lips against hers. He held her there for a moment before placing her tenderly back on the ground, giving her his greatest smile, "Anya, my dear. Today is a wonderful day, and I do not believe that it could get much worse! We must celebrate. I propose a dinner tonight, just the two of us. A dinner, and a night together. I shall forge for you a wonderful meal." It was clear from the look on his face that Amadeus was exceptionally happy about this. What he didn't know was that shadows lurked within the stone.

"Love, would it not be more fun for you to spend your night with your friends, drinking, singing, and just having fun?" He raised an eyebrow at this question, looking down towards his shorter wife with a bemused expression. He watched her for a few seconds, wondering exactly how to respond to that. Normally, Amadeus was quick and brash in his reactions--not with her, never with her. He would make certain to pick and choose his reactions around Anya. She was the light of his life, no matter who asked him. Even if the people of Brauk asked him, he would take Anya over his country any day. And the people understood that, and the people loved Anya as if she were their husband--well, without the bedroom antics. They wouldn't be allowed to love her like that. "You do not have to spoil me with your wonderful cooking tonight. It is your night, my love. You should enjoy it." He raised a hand and tapped his chin, before shaking his head. "If it were another event, perhaps... But your work was just as instrumental to this as mine was. You deserve nothing less than the best." He grinned at her with his usual, large, masculine grin. Bowing slightly towards her, he held out a hand for her to take. "Come, let us depart to our private halls. I feel like giving you a massage." He grinned at her, raising an eyebrow suggestively. Sure, there was plenty of chances for this to happen, but Amadeus had been quite disconnected from the Granite Citadel the past week or so. He wanted to have a proper night with Anya, not just a fleeting goodnight before bed.

At that moment, Amadeus felt a shiver down his spine. Was he being watched? Probably not. If she accepted his massage offer, he would lead her down the hall to their area of the Citadel, devoted simply to being their effective 'home'. A place this large did not need to be fully occupied as a home, so the Diamond Quarter of the building was devoted to the living quarters of Amadeus, Anya, and their family--if they were to ever have children. In honesty, Amadeus was wanting a son to take up the Regent-General seat after his death. He just knew that they were too old for it.

As soon as her eyes widened, he could tell that he had won her over. He knew that she enjoyed the massages that he gave her; when he wanted to spend a quiet night in with his beloved wife, there was little more that he had to do. He would simply ask her if she wanted a massage, and, well, he would get that quiet night in. To say that Amadeus was a loud man was an understatement, which was why he would often take nights like this with Anya. "Alright. I can see you will not budge about this, so let's go." He chuckled and wrapped his larger hand around hers, taking her along with a soft smile, the gentle giant and his dutiful wife travelling down the halls towards the Diamond Quarter. "And dear, if you don't mind I really would enjoy that massage you've offered." He laughed softly, as she leaned onto his arm. "What do you take me for, my love, a liar? I promised you a massage, you're going to get a massage." Quite frankly, he loved giving Anya massages. It was rare that Amadeus was allowed an option to be gentle with a person. He could be a bit rough around the edges, and most people expected that as the norm where Amadeus was involved. As such, there were quite often times where he had to be a 'bit more rough' than he would normally want to. He enjoyed a bit of rough play here and there, but there were definitely times in which he felt like being gentle. Giving Anya a massage was generally one of those times. And of course, if he massaged her well enough, well. He'd get to be a little rough afterwards, ya know what I'm sayin'? He chuckled and continued to lead Anya down the various corridors.

There were very few windows in the Granite Stronghold. This was due to two things--firstly, there was no natural light in Stonehold, so it wasn't really necessary to have windows. Plenty of airflow came through some of the natural ducting. Secondly, it was a potent security measure. Very few assassins could get into the building, since there was only one or two main doors--the rest were all servant entrances that were quite well-hidden from the rest of the city. They could not get in through the ducting, since the ducting could barely fit a child, let alone a grown assassin adult. However, Amadeus could still feel the chills up his spine. He led Anya through the door into what was essentially their home and closed it behind him. Almost out of worry, Amadeus locked it. He didn't like this feeling at all. He took Anya into their bedroom and sat upon a large sofa, stretching out and beckoning his wife over. "Come, Anya, dear. Let us begin this massage, eh?" He grinned at her, before realizing that she had a frightened look on her face. Without stopping to think about it, Amadeus rolled forwards off of his seat and turned around, only barely seeing the blade slice through the air where his neck had just been. A masked figure stared at him, holding two long and cruel swords. "Intruder... and going into a man's bedroom with his wife as well. How dastardly." He growled and held up his hands. "Come then. Do your worst."

"You've never told me a single lie during our time together..." At that sentence, Amadeus would have held back a soft chuckle. He would not accuse, but he was certain that there were lies that had been told by both he and his lovely wife. It did not matter--he was wholly honest as often as he could be. But some things were best left to small lies. He would never lie bluntly to her, of course, but a night with the boys occasionally went longer than he'd expect, or things just weren't going well and Amadeus wanted to be strong for his love. It didn't matter, of course, because when it counted, Amadeus expected both himself and Anya to be completely honest--with both each other, and themselves. Anyways, back to the present.

"Amad-..." He didn't move. The sound of a hand clapping over her mouth told him everything that he needed to know. He frowned and watched the assassin behind the lounger with narrowed eyes. He would not be the first to speak in this situation. He would let them have the power they thought that they had. They could control things for as long as they thought they could, and when they showed weakness, Amadeus would exploit it. He simply calmed his breathing and watched with a quiet sneer. "For an old woman, your wife's pretty fucking hot." He turned his head slightly, meeting the calm gaze of the scoundrel who had taken the woman hostage. "Move... and she dies." He sighed softly, noticing the hand move from the back to the stomach. Good, just as he'd hoped. He turned his head back to see the first assassin, and opened his mouth to speak--apparently, he was not going to get that chance right now. "Tell me, what's the meaning of this? What exactly do you gain from harming myself and my husband?" The men laughed quietly, and the one behind the sofa spoke up, "Money. Fame. Power. What do you expect not to gain from assassinating the leader of a country?" Amadeus tilted his head to the side and shrugged, eliciting a growl from the man behind him.

"Steady on, fool, I was only shrugging in response. At least let me move my damned shoulders," after telling off the lousy bastard for his twitchy reaction, Amadeus turned his attention to the first man again, "Sounds great. What about the losses incurred? Loss of respect, loss of dignity, loss of freedom, loss of life..." He counted off on his fingers, before sighing and suddenly speaking sharply in Braukan, "Anya. Balls." He suddenly took a step backwards--and if Anya had been paying attention, her own elbow would have entered the other man's most... private parts. His elbow soared into the man's face in return--handily avoiding the nose--and knocking him to the ground. Anya would be freed from his clutches, and suddenly the shadow of a bear appeared above Amadeus' head, roaring its challenge to the other assassin. If he'd had time to react, they wouldn't have known--Amadeus was immediately over the sofa and in the bastard's face, knocking the wind out of him with a gigantic fist. "GYAHAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU FOOL! ENTERING THE HOME OF THE REGENT-GENERAL, EXPECTING TO TAKE HIM OUT LIKE THIS? BWAHAHAHAHA!" The man fell in a manner of moments, Amadeus twisting around to bow to his wife as the bear markings from his Arcana faded away, "My dear lady Anya."

"For a moment, I was worried you'd back down because they had me hostage." He raised an eyebrow and laughed, "I couldn't do that. They might have gotten a glimmer of hope that their plan would've worked. Couldn't have that happen." He felt her cheek press against his chest and smiled at her, "I love you so much." He replied in kind, just as he heard the guards rush into the room behind them. Apparently, they had decided not to respect the locked door. Normally, Amadeus would've had their heads (metaphorically) for that. In this case, he decided to let it slide, considering their guests. "You idiots! You are this late after an assassin makes his way into our private quarters?! You obviously have not had enough training if they were able to make it so deep into our dwelling in the first place! Clean. This. Mess. Up." He held back his laughter behind a great and huge smile. His wife was amazing when she was angry like this. She got more work done than he could.

"My dear... What do you think that was all about?" She stepped away from him and slipped her hand into his. He wrapped it gently around hers and gave it some thought while she continued to speak, "I do not think anyone has dared ever step so deep into our home to harm you... This is not a small matter. The guard needs to be informed and security tightened at once." He nodded in agreement, "What if this was an attempt from one of the other nations? I fear that someone is conspiring against you..." He shook his head. "I doubt it. They didn't really show any specific allegiance. I figure they would have been independents... Also, none of them have any reason to take me down. They know what'll happen if they make enemies of Brauk. It would not end well for any of them." He nodded grimly, looking at his wife with a serious expression... that suddenly turned into a smile, "I think now, you deserve that massage, hm?" His lips opened up to a grin, as the guards dragged the unconscious men out. Amadeus closed the door behind them and locked it, before wrapping his arm around his wife and taking her down the path to their chambers. Fear of life made the time afterwards better. They were going to have a good night tonight.