Sar'geth blinked, not quite believing what he had just seen. Did Viseryn just kill the assassin? Oh dear. I thought he liked him. Or rather, he disliked him the least. The wizard's shoulders slumped slightly in a barely noticeable gesture of hopelessness. If he's prepared to kill one of his closest guards and he can do so unchallenged by his crew - for Arkeith had been like a protector to the dreadlord - who is even remotely safe on this ship? Sar'geth was beginning to think that when the hakseer reached Norsca - if it ever reached Norsca - all the savages would find was a blood-smeared ship piled high with dead bodies and one raving druchii. Viseryn had already killed one of his most valuable servants, in Sar'geth's opinion. Arkeith had been loyal, unlike the rest of them - Sar'geth included. Loyalty was not a thing the wizard himself would come to practice - only a fool would not look beyond Targarys' crazed agenda - but a loyal fool was a valuable asset, nonetheless. It was a pity, the magician thought, but perhaps also a small blessing. He did not doubt that Arkeith was one of the closest to knowing of the wizard's arcane nature, and Sar'geth Analzin couldn't afford to have that knowledge passed around to the majority of the crew and its unforgiving master - it was simply too dangerous to be allowed.
It was too late to turn back now on the journey, however. His last feasible opportunity to do so had disappeared when they left Karond Kar after docking for more troops. Karond Kar had given the wizard a few boons, though, Analzin reflected, gazing down at his now exquisitely armoured gauntlet. He nodded his thanks to Tullaris once more, as he had done when they'd left the harbour, for his bartering skills that had made short work of the haggling armour merchant they had encountered. He'd chosen a black cloak with a hood and a spine yet attached - or, to be precise, the part of the spine that could fit into a cloak made for an elf of normal stature. The cloak was of dragonhide, incredibly tough and durable, and encased a full suit of Ravandil half-plate - a work of art, just as the merchant had said.
True, the wizard had left the helmet in his quarters until he had the means and the time to create spice for his artificial eye, and - for the same reason - preferred to leave the hood of his cloak down, but the armour was a great protection nonetheless, and encapsulated his own enchanted robes - the hat of which did cover Sar'geth's head, bar one hole that fit his third eye exactly - which provided arcane protection of their own.
He pondered upon the rarity of the ingredients required for the mission Malekith had tasked him with, and, whilst attempting to think of how to escape death at the hands of both the Witch king and the beastmaster he served - which Varens had failed to do - an all-too-recent memory flashed behind his eyes. Arkeith's eyes as he died...the brass eyes of khaine! By Naggaroth, they could be useful indeed! Sar'geth knew he couldn't miss his opportunity as Viseryn walked below deck and his crew prepared to toss Arkeith's body - such treasure, how could they so lightly cast it aside?!? - off the boat. A single word, the opening of a half-baked argument, left the vauvaulka's lips. "Wait!"
Some of the crew glanced at him for a second. Was he questioning Viseryn's orders after the lord's favoured had just been killed?
"Ah...sh-shouldn't we...make an example of Arkeith for his horrifying betrayal?" Sar'geth stuttered, partly from fear and partly because he was improvising on his argument.
The members of the crew designated to throw Arkeith's body overboard stood, agape. The one who'd failed to kill a single soldier on the day of the failed rebellion was ordering them; he truly was insane, especially considering their lord's current volatility of mood.
He let out an almost inaudible nervous chuckle, and progressed, "I mean...n-not to transgress against Viseryn...I think we should cut out his eyes first...", So I can use them in my rituals..., he thought, before speaking once more: "...as a warning for others not to betray our lord? It seems that simply killing the traitors doesn't always completely prevent animosity, considering Arkeith's betrayal after we killed the rebels on board this ship, so I think we should try a more brutal method."
The mage leaned in towards Arkeith and the crew, and adopted a more confident tone, his plan well thought out. "You could keep his eyeless form on board as a keepsake of sorts; a reminder to remain loyal to lord Viseryn. I can help...I am deft enough to remove a man's eyes without marring the face, and this would be essential to proving that their loss was not just a wound suffered by Arkeith in battle. Will you kindly allow me to do so?" The wizard nearly rubbed his hands together in glee at the idea of receiving new, valuable ingredients, but stopped himself at the last minute. After all, he was walking on thin ice what with this daring request and his somewhat suspicious conduct against the mutineers, so he definitely did not want to look too suspicious.