Ab Antiquo

[2003] - The Splinters of Dusk
[2009] - The Descending Angels
[2017] - The Void

It is my honor to present to you all now a new chapter in our bloodied history. In the storied tradition of those who have come before, a new group has stepped from the shadows to wreak beautiful chaos and remind you all once again your blood is not an aspect of fucking power. Idle hands prove once again to be the Devil's playthings as fatigued warriors from across the varied expanse of the city brush the dirt from their eyes and pick up arms, rising to the call put forth by Kains Son.

A former member of the warring Lateralus lineage, Kains has established himself as a warrior of note in various conflicts and spread his influence throughout our dark alleyways - learning, listening, and waiting. Too much stock, he described to me, was put into the everyday politics, blood ties, friendships, and perceptions that muddy everything we do. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication and responding to the demand for a return to simpler times, Kains has chosen to provide the supply. "You'd be amazed how many people's eyes light up at the thought," he grins to me and I can see the same light in his own gaze.

"This is as simple as payment made for work done," he tells me across the small table we have claimed. I note the open wounds on his battered self, can smell the garlic even from here, and I watch as the simple act of lifting a mug to his lips makes his limbs tremble with exhaustion. But there is a life in him, a buzzing energy that I am familiar with but is found less commonly than in years past. It is the spark of blood, battle, and the bonds forged through it. He smiles and laughs and the vitality of him is palpable, rubbing off on me. "What I'm participating in isn't an organization in the traditional sense," he continues to explain.

There is no board to sign up for nor rambling mantras of contracts, pricing, expectations, or purpose. Somewhat surprisingly, there is also no member list. The hitters, assassins, mercenaries - whatever name you place on them - are far from a forced fellowship adhering to meaningless rules and regulations. Nor are they even regular. A number of warriors, duelists, and live fighters on his contact list, Kains puts the word out that a contract is available and any who wish to partake may. Those who answer the call do not know who the contract is on until they have agreed to it, thus ensuring a level of subjective neutrality. Once agreed, the mercenary must produce evidence of at least one verifiable hit before receiving their commission, which itself is based on a number of variables.

"All jobs are available to any nonflagged member," he says, referencing a list he keeps of those who have backed out of contracts. If a mercenary accepts a contract and fails to participate in its completion for whatever reason, they are flagged and banned from receiving future contracts. As for the matter of the contracts themselves, anyone can pick up the phone. "Contracts are negotiated on a case by case basis. Factors such as time limit, sheer number of hits, profile of the target, and other smaller bits relevant to logistics go into determining a contract price." As is the industry standard, he also assures total anonymity. "Clients identities are never shared with anyone, either publicly, or to any contracted warriors. That should go without saying. Other than that, the rest of the work is extremely transparent." Simple sophistication, indeed.

An interesting new take, however, is the option for what he calls a silenced contract. Should a client wish, they have the option to pay and ensure that the target has no idea the skirmish even occurred due to a contract. "Any member breaking such an agreement forfeits their commission on the current contract and may be banned from work in the future," he assures me.

To take out a contract, he says, any interested citizen may reach out to him personally at [madmanwbox on Trillian] or find him - as I did - in the bar. "Clients only need to put a percentage down on the contract to make sure it's booked. That down payment is held and the remainder is due upon contract completion. In the event of a problem, that down payment is refunded in full." And there you have it - an open invitation to teach a lesson, get back at that bitch, or hey, just for the hell of it. I'm certainly not judging you. You need only ask yourself...

Finally some news. Jesus H Christ. Praise the Lord.

It's... well, that's fine. We haven't seen a successful mercenary group since the Splinters (while I do agree that successful might be relative, here, I'm giving my opinion based on my own perceptions of such) - but, I am very glad at least someone has stepped up to fill up a gap in the market.

I enjoyed the article. Thank you very much.

I've always enjoyed reading your articles, whether I agree or not. I agree with Oberon, there will always be a demand for mercenaries, what interests me are the motives behind hiring mercs. It could be easily dismissed as cowardice but sometimes I think, perhaps not.

Maybe you should set up a Sarahah account and see if people will bite?

Lovely article, Lili. It's good to see a new group pop up. Best of luck to you, Kains.

Would it be weird to say 'Good luck'?

I will agree with the commenters above that the article was well written. Your words did an exemplary job glamorizing such an occupation, and painted Kains in the perfect hue of anti-hero. However, it feels like more like a love letter to bloodshed rather than a thoughtful report on such a business like this. We all know the city we live in, the people who occupy it. One has to ask themselves; Do we really want to hand the vast majority of citizens a loaded gun?

No, not really.

From the article, it sounds as if anyone with the right amount of coin, and a target can put a hit out on someone. Does that mean that an underpowered fledgling can put a hit out on their ex because they found a new partner? Or – a fledgling who is underpowered trying to gather resources to become something worth while has to tread upon eggshells as to not bring attention to themselves? Will The Void accept hits on people just because the target looked at someone wrong? Doesn't that cheapen the whole idea of war? Of combat?

Worst yet, what about the clients? Are we okay with creating a society where, instead of dealing with your own issues, you can just – hire someone else to do it? Wouldn't that create an environment of useless bystanders starting wars they are too cowardly to partake in?

xGabriel wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 20, 2017 11:29 am

From the article, it sounds as if anyone with the right amount of coin, and a target can put a hit out on someone. Does that mean that an underpowered fledgling can put a hit out on their ex because they found a new partner? Or – a fledgling who is underpowered trying to gather resources to become something worth while has to tread upon eggshells as to not bring attention to themselves? Will The Void accept hits on people just because the target looked at someone wrong? Doesn't that cheapen the whole idea of war? Of combat?

Worst yet, what about the clients? Are we okay with creating a society where, instead of dealing with your own issues, you can just – hire someone else to do it? Wouldn't that create an environment of useless bystanders starting wars they are too cowardly to partake in?

To be fair, I think few fledglings will be able to afford the services. These things are mostly geared to those with the history to back up the price. Those fledglings would be much more likely (and equally stupid) to waste their coin on hitting their enemies themselves.

While I'm hardly someone who would ever consider being a mercenary, I think our city already has that kind of society. It has in the past, and it has it again. I think this is just a repeat of things that have been done before (not a jab towards you, Kains), and it's happening because there was a demand for it. Or there isn't a demand for it, and this will die out as the others had.

I don't think this changes any aspect of our society. It's always been the case of those with the coin being the ones able to deal the damage. This is just another aspect of it, and I don't think it has any moral leaning as an entity. Personally, I find it pretty cowardly to hire someone else to do your dirty work, because if it's not worth putting your name on it, then it likely wasn't worth it. But that's a personal decision me and mine will hold, and not a requirement to be a part of this city. Petty bitches sitting on mounds of coin will always exist, and always have.

No offense taken Ezra. I'm not reinventing the wheel. Just offering new bearings and packaging

Oooh, gift wrapping options?

How I feel when someone posts news and also when people actually do stuff:



Good luck!